Town of Woodbury Bulletin Board

Highland Mills - What follows are excerpts from the April edition of the monthly electronic newsletter sent out by Woodbury Town Councilman James Skoufis: Local Government Park Openings: Earl Reservoir opens its gates Saturday, May 28, while the Central Valley Pool opens Saturday, June 25. As a reminder, the Parks Department has opened up summer employment - new and returning candidates and encouraged to apply; forms can be found online at woodburyparkandrec.com/employment or requested by calling 928-9588 ext. 6. Additionally, Camp Rez applications and information are available at woodburyparkandrec.com/camprez. Woodbury Spring Cleaning day is set for Saturday, May 7, at 10 a.m. at Smith Clove Elementary School. About one hundred local volunteers came out last year to help pick up trash. All supplies - gloves, bags, street assignments, water, and breakfast refreshments - will be provided at the 10 a.m. meet up with a community barbecue to follow afterward. Many residents have likely noticed an increasing number of potholes along Route 32. Being a state road, the Town of Woodbury does not have jurisdiction to fill these holes. That said, if you come across any in your travels, please report them either to the Highway Department (928-6912) or Police Department (928-2341) who can then pass the information along to the state. Both the Town and Village of Woodbury Boards recently passed and sent up the same home rule request as the one sent in 2010 to Assemblywoman Calhoun and Senator Larkin asking, once again, that the two municipalities be able to consolidate into one. Woodbury Calendar April: Applications are available for the 2011 Kirk Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by the Woodbury Historical Society. Candidates must be current High School Seniors who reside in the Town of Woodbury. Applications are available in the guidance offices of the high school, Woodbury libraries, and directly from the Woodbury Historical Society. Every Friday beginning April 1, freelance writer JJ Murphy will host a new creative writing group, Woodbury’s Writers’ Circle. Open to all writers of fiction and non-fiction 14 years old and up. Sunday, April 17: The Gatehouse Historic Site and Learning Center will reopen with a special program by author, teacher, and researcher Ronnie Clark Coffey at the Senior Center from 2 to 4 p.m. In keeping with the theme, “Families and Farms from the Revolution to the Civil War who Settled into the Lands from Woodbury to Highland Falls,” she will discuss their lives and culture as well as what has since changed. Her books will also be available for purchase. Following the program, attendees are invited to Palaia Winery to enjoy the Palaggi hospitality. The program is free and open to the public. Saturday, April 30: Bethany Spirituality Center hosts its first Soles for Souls Walk/Run 5K at the Earl Reservoir with registration taking place at 10 a.m. and the event beginning at 11 a.m. A minimum $25 sponsor fee is required; prizes will be awarded and an afternoon picnic will be provided for all participants. For more information or to register please visit bethanyspiritualitycenter.org. Come to the meeting Skoufis included this comment in his newsletter: “While newspapers, especially community-based ones, can be both an enjoyable and important resource, there is no substitute to coming to board meetings or watching them on Channel 22 in order to get a complete and accurate understanding of your local government. Reporters can and have misquoted and mis-characterized what is said, painting a totally contrary picture to the one that actually took place, so it’s always best to get your news straight from the source. Town Board meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall and Village Board meetings are the second and fourth Tuesdays at the same time and place.” The councilman can be reached via e-mail at james.skoufis@gmail.com.