Even as the state appeals the Appellate Court decision overturning steeply-discounted tax assessments on large-scale solar and wind, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting has approved the 20-MW Rock District solar project in the Towns of Carlisle and Seward.
The anticipated OK came late Tuesday, one of three clearing the final ORES hurdle on Earth Day.
Others were Foothills Solar, a 40-MW solar facility in the Town of Mayfield in Fulton County, and York Run Solar, a 90-MW solar project in the Towns of Kiantone and Busti in Chautauqua County.
By way of comparison, the NextEra solar facility in the Town of Sharon is 50-MW.
“Together, the Foothills, Rock District an ...

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The Joshua Project’s summer food programs are rounding into shape.
Sharon Springs is a newcomer to the Summer Lunch program, Schoharie may follow, and the Backpack program will be in place.
Sharon Springs joins Middleburgh, Cobleskill, Central Bridge and Richmondville in Summer Lunch; those four sites served 8,000 meals last summer.
Pat Costello said Sharon Springs may host as many as 100 people per day, and so “Sharon Springs immediately becomes our second-largest site in the county,” next to Middleburgh.
The Schoharie Library contacted Mr. Costello about having Summer Lunch two days a week. A site is still in question.
“There are still details to work ou ...

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Schoharie County’s Housing Committee is still waiting on CSD Housing to develop a site plan for the old jail, something the developers need before submitting whatever it turns out to be to the Village of Schoharie Planning Board.
It’s premature to give supervisors a timeline, CSD’s director of Program Development told Housing Committee chair Earlin Rosa in an April 9 email that Mr. Rosa shared with the Board of Supervisors Friday.
That’s because while the state’s Office of Homes and Community Renewal had no comments on the fact that 157 Depot Lane is in a 100-year flood plain—plans call for taking any project out of the flood plain--CSD is now addressing comments related to the ...

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Jim Halios, CEO of the Schoharie County IDA since last August, and prior to that, the county’s deputy administrator, is leaving the post effective June 6.
Mr. Halios submitted his resignation in an executive session at Thursday’s IDA Board of Directors’ meeting; he said Monday he’s leaving for personal reasons.
IDA chair Chester Burton said they’ve already launched a search for a new CEO.
Mr. Halios said he’ll continue as a consultant for the IDA–much as his predecessor Fonda Chronis, who’d also served in the County Administrator’s Office--had done when he’d started eight months ago.
Sarah Nickle will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the IDA and Cap ...

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Funding cuts in Washington may hit home in Schoharie County.
Cuts to the US Department of Agriculture will affect the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, which provides low-cost food to pantries and agencies that aid families in need.
Many––but not all––local food pantries could be short of food.
“We’ve watched the amount of food from USDA steadily decline,” said Cindy McClure of the pantry at the First Baptist Church in Cobleskill, which aids about 1,300 families per year, though some come only once.
“Things on our list just disappeared. People are scared. People who are already insecure are more scared.”
Through the efforts of the Department of ...

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