State should adequately fund public libraries
A new day for all of us at the Ashokan Reservoir
Dear Editor,
With the advent of a new year, a significant transformation is underway at the Ashokan Reservoir where work has begun to preserve and restore 11.5 miles of the county-owned Ulster & Delaware corridor. When completed, the Ashokan Rail Trail will open the scenic north shore lands owned by New York City to the public for the first time in nearly a century, without permit or fee.
With the development of the trail will come many unique and rich opportunities to honor and celebrate the history of the Esopus Valley, its communities and people, the Ulster & Delaware Railroad, the building of the Ashokan Reservoir, creation of the Catskill Park & Forest Preserve, and much, much more. We look forward to supporting the development of the trail and the opening of the trail to the public at the earliest possible date.
For trail supporters, after more than five years of advocacy, the commencement of the Ashokan Trail project is an exciting new beginning and a cause for celebration. However, at the same time, we honor the fact that for others, the very same events signify a loss of something they hold dear. Under Ulster County’s compromise policy, developed in 2015, rail activities continue in Kingston and Phoenicia, and we take to heart the pledge of most trail and rail supporters to work together to make the Ulster & Delaware Corridor a world-class, rail-and-trail attraction.
Kevin Smith Co-Chair, Friends of the Catskill Mountain Rail Trail Committee
Bearsville, N.Y.
Cuomo must fund SUNY
Dear Editor,
Re “Assemblyman Cahill unloads on fellow Democrat Cuomo after State of the State address,” Jan. 4, 2018: Cahill said Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address “was devoid of serious discussions of higher education.”
Cahill is right. Once again, Gov. Cuomo ignored SUNY’s funding crisis while using the public university for his own political gain.
During Cuomo’s two terms as governor, SUNY New Paltz has suffered immensely. We face continuing budget shortfalls despite a strong economy. The result has been the mass non-renewal of adjunct faculty (otherwise known as layoffs) and increasing workloads for the remaining professors. This translates into poorer services for students. Rather than commit to funding SUNY by signing the Maintenance of Effort bill that was passed by the state Legislature, the governor vetoed it. Simply put, Cuomo makes it harder for New Paltz faculty to provide our students with the best possible education.
While failing to support SUNY’s educational mission with state funding, Cuomo falsely presents himself as a champion of students. He may make improvements to the highly restrictive Excelsior Scholarship, which makes SUNY more accessible for some students, but this is a hollow benefit if the institution itself is being starved of funds.
Middle- and working-class New Yorkers should not have to choose between quality and affordability in higher education. They deserve both.
Cahill is to be commended for drawing attention to the governor’s higher education failures. We are lucky to have a representative like Cahill advocating on behalf of SUNY. Brian Obach New Paltz, N.Y. Editor’s note: The writer is a professor of sociology at SUNY New Paltz. Dear Editor,
As a regular patron and president of the board of trustees of the Morton Memorial Library and Community House in Rhinecliff, I support our library and all the libraries in New York state. Our library, like so many others, is the cornerstone of our community. Libraries are for everyone; they provide a safe and welcoming space for all New Yorkers, regardless of race or ethnicity, religion, country of origin, income, or education level.
Federal policies are undermining New York’s already inequitable tax structure, and the result leaves funding for local education services like public libraries under attack.
To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “a budget is a moral document.” Where we, through our elected officials, choose to spend our collective resources serves as a testament to what we value. As our elected representatives come together in Albany this winter to craft this year’s state budget, I want a document that speaks to our hopes rather than our fears and creates policies that will benefit every New Yorker.
And there is no better declaration of intent than funding our community libraries. Libraries offer free and equal access to educational opportunities and are the primary source of Internet access for many of our neighbors. New Yorkers of all ages, experiences, and needs turn to their local library for early literacy programs; classes in adult education and financial literacy; health groups and fitness workshops; technology assistance; English and other language classes; promotion of the arts and many other programs and services too numerous to list here.
New York state has failed to fully fund library services for more than a decade. This decade of underfunding has withheld more than $110 million in state library aid. This has not only undermined local education opportunities, but has pushed costs onto local taxpayers. When New York fails to fund library services, we end up with diminished services that cost more. It’s not only inefficient, it’s unconscionable.
Readers should join me in using the online advocacy system offered by the New York Library Association to write to the governor and the Legislature: nyla.org/ advocacy. Steve Sansola Rhinebeck, N.Y.