Thursday, April 30, 2009
Community Garden - Co-Op - Farmers Market

It is admirable that our Government offers Grants so that we may have a nice Village Riverfront Park, a New Kayak Launch and other things that will help beautify our Village. Perhaps it is time to think more about the Residents and the hard times that are upon us all. Prices on everything are going up causing us to tighten our belts by cutting back on necessities. Food should not be one of them.

As Concerned Citizens and Residents of Athens we should join together to watch out for each other during these difficult times. This is what has always made Athens a special community to live in.

Wouldn’t it be neighborly to establish a Community Garden with other Athenians who would like to grow their own vegetables but don’t have space to do it. We could call ourselves the “Greater Athens Community Garden Association”. Besides growing vegetables to feed our own families we may want to grow a little extra for Elderly Athenians who can no longer grow their own and people in need in the Village. We are also exploring the creation of a Food Co-Op to provide that which we cannot grow and a Farmers market to allow everyone access to reasonably priced fresh produce.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGE SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED JUST DROP US A NOTE AT: G.A. Community Garden Assoc. C/O C.A.R.D., P.O. Box, 126 Athens, N.Y. 12015.

“ ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF WE WORK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY “
Posted by CARD Member at 10:04 AM
Labels: Athens Residents, Community Garden, Food Co-Op, Grants, New Kayak Launch, Village Riverfront Park, Waterfront

Village seeks to buy Elco property
By Susan Campriello
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

ATHENS - The village of Athens, with assistance from the Greene County Industrial Development Agency, hopes to buy waterfront property near Fourth Street upon which Elco Electric Launch Incorporated is located.
Alexander "Sandy" Mathes, executive director of the IDA, said Friday he had been negotiating the terms of a purchase option with the property's owner, Dr. Thomas Glendening, who has been involved with waterfront redevelopment projects in Newburgh.

"We have been talking with him for a couple of months so we can then try to get a business or do something at that site, but at this point there is no agreement," he said.

The village of Athens has scheduled a public hearing for 12:30 p.m. today to discuss a $750,000 Restore NY grant to finance rehabilitation of the property. The hearing will be canceled if an agreement with Glendening has not been reached by that time. The grant application can't be submitted so long as Glendening owns the property, according to Mathes.

Glendening said Sunday he had been "obliquely" approached about selling his property but that no offers had been made. The Daily Mail had not been informed of an agreement before the time of publication Sunday night.

Last September, Elco Electric Launch Incorporated entered into an agreement with the Athens Local Development Corporation to retain and create jobs in Athens.

Operations at Elco ceased as recently as last fall.

Robert Lievense, who owns Elco, was unavailable to speak about the company, according to his wife and the company's co-owner, Judith. She had no comment about a Motion of Summary Judgment In Lieu Of Complaint recently filed by the ALDC to recover from the company almost $280,000, which includes an unpaid balance, late charges and interest. She said she was not aware of any possibility that the land could be sold.

Athens Mayor Andrea Smallwood said over the weekend that she would like to see the Elco building remain as a manufacturing facility and for it to be used by a company able to create and maintain jobs.

She and Mathes said that the village could either keep the waterfront property, if an agreement with Glendening is reached and renovations are completed, or sell it to another business.

"We are trying to make something happen at that building," Mathes said.

To reach reporter Susan Campriello, please call (518) 943-2100, ext. 3333, or e-mail scampriello@thedailymail.net. Village seeks to buy Elco property