HAMLET HAPPENINGS
by Kathleen Sullivan
May 2022
HURLEYVILLE-SULLIVAN FIRST
The group extends a very special thank you to Kelton, Don and Rob from JBI Helicopter Services. They visited Hurleyville while on a break from their work on high voltage power lines and volunteered for community service. They litter plucked and then rebuilt the stone planters on Brophy Road and at the corner of Main Street and Hilldale Road. They plan to be back in Hurleyville in July and to continue to help make Hurleyville more beautiful.
The volunteers in Hurleyville-Sullivan First have several projects to work on this year:
• the signs at the entrances to Hurleyville
• the stone planter at the Hurleyville Firehouse
• the historical kiosk at the Hurleyville Firemen’s Park
• the Little Free Library at the Hurleyville Firemen’s Park
And, of course, annuals and perennials will be added to the stone planters and to the barrels on Main Street.
Everyone is invited to come out and help the members of Hurleyville-Sullivan First plant our barrels and planters. The first planting day is Saturday, June 4th. The group will meet at 9 a.m. at the Hurleyville Firemen’s Park.
Please visit www.hurleyvilleny.com for more information about Hurleyville-Sullivan First. You can also visit Hurleyville-Sullivan First on Facebook.
HURLEYVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Sunday services at the church begin at 9:00am. Children of all ages are invited to attend Sunday school at the church during services.
Pastor Jorge delivers sermons online on Facebook at 11 a.m. on Sundays.
The Bible study group meets in the sanctuary at the church every Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The Bread of Life Food Pantry at the church will be open on Thursday, May 19 and on Thursday, May 26 from 3 until 5 p.m.
You can pray with others over the phone on the church’s prayer line on Sundays from 7 – 8 p m. The prayer line phone number is 605-472-5491 and the access code is 251678.
“Messy Church” is scheduled for the second Saturday of each month at 5 p.m. Youngsters attending this monthly event enjoy arts & crafts, games, music, singing and other activities while learning about the Bible in a fun way. Children taking part in the fun must be accompanied by an adult.
The women’s group at the church, Women in Faith, is gathering items including disposable diapers, new socks, new underwear, gently used clothing and gently used toys for infants and children from newborn to 12 years old. The items will be donated to THE GRANDPARENTS PROGRAM. The program assists grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren who otherwise would be placed in foster care.
Please call Cookie…845-428-5871…or Jena…845-866-0499…for more information on signing up for the children’s choir at the church.
Please call Katrina at 845-436-7942 for more information on the church. You can also get updates at the church’s page on Facebook.
THE SULLIVAN COUNTY MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Museum, located at 265 Main Street in Hurleyville, is open on Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the Museum is free. Donations to meet the escalating cost of operating the museum are always welcome.
The Dirty Stay Out Skifflers will be the featured performers at the Historical Society’s First Sunday Concert on June 5 at 2 p.m. The Skifflers, based in Hurleyville, have been touring for more than twenty years. Their unique blend of blues, folk and Tin Pan Alley pop is enjoyed by folks nationally and internationally. Band members include Grammy winner Rick Nestler on 12-string guitar and vocals, Dan Berger on harmonica and Donna Nestler on banjolele and vocals. Admission is free but donations to support the program are always appreciated.
The Frederick Cook Society will host a presentation and book signing by Julian Sanction, author of “Madhouse at the End of the Earth,” on Friday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Museum. The book tells the story of a three-year expedition intended to reach Antarctica that became stuck for months in the icy Bellingshausen Sea.
Volunteers are available to help visitors explore the historical and genealogical resources at the Historical Society’s archives at the museum. The archives are open on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment.
Upcoming events at the museum include the opening of the Eldred Post Office display, the first exhibit of the photographs taken by Dr. Frederick Cook and the opening of the Neversink-Hackledam Project exhibit.
Guided tours of the museum…exhibits and behind the scenes …are available. There is no charge for the hour-long tours but registration is required. Please call 845-434-8044 to make a reservation.
Go to www.scnyhistory.org to learn about the Sullivan County Historical Society and the Sullivan County Museum. You can also visit the Sullivan County Historical Society and Museum on Facebook.
Please call the museum at 845-434-8044 or email info@scnyhistory.org for more information.
COLUMBIA HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE (CHNA)
Members of CHNA visited the Fallsburg Town Hall in April and met with Town Supervisor Katherine Rappaport and Town Comptroller/Town Manager Scott DuBois.
CHNA requested the meeting in order to ensure that the Supervisor was aware of the deleterious effects that the proposed Gan Eden Estates development project would have on the Town of Fallsburg and, in particular, the hamlet of Hurleyville.
Following a synopsis of the project and the history of CHNA’s active participation in monitoring the approval process, the group went on to share information on some of the project’s potential negative impacts to our community:
• The scope of the project – 534 townhouses, 89 buildings, community center, pool, athletic courts and fields, 400,000-gallon water tank, over 2 miles of interior roads
• A major impact on municipal and private water supply – primary wells for Gan Eden are in the Town of Fallsburg
• Threatening effect on neighboring wells as far away as Mongaup Road
• Adverse effect on neighboring wetlands
• Dangerous effect on firefighting needs
• Harmful effects of runoff – flooding on Main Street, Columbia Drive and Mongaup Road, danger to downhill wells, flooding of Congregation Anschei Cemetery
• Wastewater treatment plant discharge via a ditch, not a pipe – a threat to residences, Fallsburg town wells, Congregation Anschei Cemetery
• Wastewater treatment plant failure – a threat to residences, Fallsburg town wells, Congregation Anschei Cemetery
• Questionable structural integrity of an on-site dam with 3-acre pond
• Hazards of increased traffic volume
• Perils of proposed access driveways
Ms. Rappaport agreed that the engineer for the Town of Fallsburg should look into the proposed project’s detrimental effects on Fallsburg. She will meet with the town attorney to gather more information and will then schedule a follow-up meeting with CHNA.
The members of CHNA continue to follow and to provide input on the ongoing process.
Visit CHNA at www.columbiahill.org and on Facebook to learn how you can help to protect your environment and your community.