Faso knows a political ambush when he sees one
Questions about Dylan concert go unanswered
Dear Editor, I have one of the 7,000 tickets sold to Bob Dylan’s June 23 and June 24 concerts at the Hutton Brickyard in Kingston, N.Y. As a fan of Dylan and an elderly, disable resident of the city, I have very serious concerns about the safety and viability of these concerts and several others apparently scheduled for the site.
The brickyard is a retired facility on quiet, one-lane North Street, which apparently the city sold to MWest Holdings. Last summer, they operated Smorgasburg on the site. Traffic was held up for miles and parking was a nightmare.
When the Dylan concerts were announced and the tickets were already sold, it was disclosed that MWest had never applied for a permit to hold these concerts in an “amphitheater” with “folding seats.” They claimed there was a pavilion large enough to accommodate the 7,000 tickets they had already sold.
Daniel Gartenstein, from the Corporation Counsel’s Office, has ruled that the permit granted last year for a daytime food truck and flea market venue is sufficient for an evening concert. The promoter and city officials have been less than transparent about safety considerations.
In addition to the extreme narrowness of North Street, which is zoned residential, the brickyard and North Street are in an area that floods during high tides and in storms. I have been told that parking at the site will be $20. I was told that the concert would be accessible to persons with mobility challenges, but not how this accessibility would be created. When I attended Smorgasburg last year, the site was full of stairs and brick rubble. There has been talk of a shuttle bus, but not whether such a bus would be accessible. My inquiries were brushed off by the police chief and the mayor, but without giving any information tot he public.
Even the city Planning Board is publicly expressing concerns that concerts were never mentioned when they approved the site plan for the food trucks and flea market.
As a ticket holder and taxpayer, I urge Kingston to perform its due diligence and, if necessary, find a safer location for this much-anticipated event.
Lei Isaacs Kingston, N.Y.
Bicyclists aren’t much interested in rail trails
Dear Editor, As a frequent visitor to this area and an avid cyclist, I have been following the controversy regarding the existing train Ulster & Delaware railroad tracks and their potential removal.
Like many cyclists, I log each and every ride I take with Strava, the number one cycling app. Strava allows riders to see where they rode, make plans for future rides, and to see where others are riding.
Strava data indicates that very few cyclists ride on rail trails. In the Westchester County region, The Old Putnam Rail Trail is minimally used by cyclists and is frankly boring. Cyclists enjoy challenging climbs, exhilarating descents, open vistas, and the chance to explore new areas. Rail trails offer none of these opportunities. A straight, flat, treetunnel trail is not a destination attraction for either road cyclists or mountain bikers.
As the father of two small children, I come to Kingston multiple times a year to take advantage of the programs put on by the Catskill Mountain Railroad. I truly appreciate that my kids have grown up with the experience of the Polar Express and I hope to continue visiting that popular attraction for years to come.
Removing the existing rail and replacing with a trail is a false investment. Cyclists won’t use it in any significant volume and the absence of Catskill Mountain Railroad programs will decrease tourism in the Kingston neighborhood. David Mortimer
Bronx, N.Y. Dear Editor, When U.S. Rep. John Faso, RKinderhook, heard of the town hall gathering to which he was to be invited as the guest attendee, he knew it was to be a political setup and how right he was not to be there.
The plan of Democratic Party supporters is to organize such politically organized gatherings and that such planned intrusions such as the unscripted appearance of U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, into the neighboring congressman’s district is now to be their agenda in order to insult the integrity of the opposition and do everything possible to destroy the opposition’s representation in Washington.
It’s another display of shelling out the resources to polarize the selectively invited audience who for the most part have little or no knowledge of why they are being organized in the first place. It’s all spelled out in the May 13 issue. Such town hall politically charged events are being purposely organized in those states where they need to defeat the opposition by invading their opponent’s territory.
Experience has proven that by attending smaller gatherings throughout your representative area you get closer to the electorate and really get to know who they are, what their concerns are and how they feel about your representation of them.
It shows that few people know exactly what will happen with a new health plan, so the Democrats just throw out numbers like 60,000 people in Faso’s district alone will lose their health care. You know the old saying, ignorance is bliss.
The fact remains, if such a gathering of several hundred area residents were truly there to hear Faso, how come the representative of the Democratic Party who was not invited because he did not belong there received such a thunderous welcome when he purposely insulted his fellow congressman? Dirty politics for sure.
Joseph Sills Ulster Park, N.Y.