Register For Basic STAR With NY State

All homeowners receiving a Basic STAR tax exemption must register with New York State Tax Department in order to receive the exemption in the year 2014 and after. The registration requirement is not satisfied by your original application to your local assessor.

Senior citizens receiving the Enhanced STAR property tax exemption are not affected by this new requirement and do not need to register with the state. However, they are still required to file income information with their local assessor's office by March 1st, as they have in past years.

The STAR exemption is available for owner-occupied PRIMARY residences where the combined income of resident owners and their spouses is $500,000 or less.

The letters have been sent out this week to Shandaken homeowners. You need the code on the upper right hand corner of that letter to file with the state. You will also need the social security numbers of all owners and their spouses and information about any residency based exemptions in other states received by any of the resident owners. The site will also ask the residents to confirm that the combined total income of the owners and their spouses does not exceed $500,000.

The deadline for registration is December 31, 2013. I would advise everyone to register sooner rather than later.

The first link below is a tutorial on how to register for the STAR. The link on the bottom of this page will take you to the website to complete the registration form. Remember, it is better to do this sooner rather than later. You do not want to lose this important tax exemption.

Basic Star Demo-“the how to”

http://www.tax.ny.gov/e-services/otc/demos/star/starregdemo.htm

link to star registration

http://www.tax.ny.gov/

Thank You From The Shandaken Food Pantry

Jane Todd, who leads the Shandaken Food Pantry, sent the WCA a very lovely note in thanks for our $100.00 donation. Below is Jane's message to the Woodland Valley Community.

Dear Friends,

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to the food pantry.

  It comes at a time of struggle. The need has grown, as you may imagine! In 2013, we received $1500.00 from the town and have so far distributed over $20,000 in food.

 This is thanks to folks like you, who have recognized our efforts. We appreciate your thinking of us.

Fondly,
Jane Todd

The food pantry does great work in our community!! In the days ahead I would encourage anyone who can to donate individually to their cause.

Tee Botchford and Peter Moschberger Engaged

I got some great news from the Botchford family in the last day or so. Looks like Hawley's daughter, Tee and her long time beau, Peter have gotten engaged (that's Tee and Peter in the photo above - gorgeous couple!). But I will let proud papa Hawley tell you himself (see below). Congrats to Tee and Peter and both of their extended families!!!

Greetings All,

While I hate the impersonal tech world, this is the best way to contact many at one time.  We are excited to share that our daughter Tee and her beau Peter Moschberger became engaged during their stay in Santorini, Greece.  It all sounded very romantic with wine on their patio over looking the water with cruise ships passing by and the sun setting on the horizon.  Peter made the "ask" but doesn't remember what Tee said because his heart was pounding so loud he couldn't hear - but the answer was yes.  She has a beautiful ring and is very happy.  They arrived back home today.  They told us before they left Greece (Skype is wonderful) but we had to embargo the information until they got back so all family could know before "facebook"!  Tee wanted to let us know on Skype so she could watch Joyce cry!!  Peter was traditional and proper in meeting with me several weeks ago to ask for my blessing.  We are so happy for them and already consider Peter a member of our family.

- Hawley

The Chicken Has Gone Home To Roost

The lost WV chicken seems to have made out better than the lost WV cooler (see several blog posts back). It turned out that the chicken belonged to the Holz farm. Jen Holz went and retrieved the hen this morning. In her last message to me she said that the bird was resting comfortably and dining on pumpernickel and cheese. Ah, there's no place like home!!

Rooster/Chicken Found

I do so love keeping this blog. Sometimes the news I pass on to you is big, sometimes it's something small, like a lost chicken. Here is a message I received earlier from new residents Bonnie and Bill Guild.

"We just moved into a charming little house at 1043 Woodland Valley Road and were told about your neighborhood blog.  We were welcomed by the smell of pines, the sounds of the water, and a very friendly rooster/chicken, who seems to have adopted us.  We were wondering if anyone along the road has a farm where he might have wandered from, or is missing a pet rooster/chicken?  We don't have any phone service yet when we're there, but the owner can feel free to pick him/her up."

Bonnie and Bill Guild

So if anyone has lost a rooster/chicken drop by the Guild's place and pick he/she up. And welcome them to the valley until the rest of us have the chance to do it ourselves. And tell that chicken to stay closer to home. There are many other animals in these woods that would savor a good chicken snack.

WV Road News

I talked to Eric Hofmeister (the Town Highway Supervisor) a couple of days ago and asked him about the status of the road repairs on Woodland Valley Road. He told me that the road crews should be back within the next two weeks to finish the final resurfacing on the section of the road that had been ground and graded earlier this season. Along with the upgrade in the road surface, Shandaken Highway Department replaced a number of old culverts to improve drainage along the road. These were most needed upgrades. As Woodland Valley residents we appreciate the Highway Department's efforts in the continued maintenance of our town road.

Free Law Workshop For Seniors

Liz Potter at the Phoenicia Library emailed me about this very informative upcoming event. If you are a senior you might want to check it out.

Local Law Student to Provide Workshop for Seniors

Phoenicia. On Saturday, September 28 at Phoenicia Library, Brittiny Razzano and a fellow Albany Law student will provide a free, legal information workshop for local senior citizens, family members, caregivers and elder care professionals.  This is part of a project designed to bring useful legal information and materials to a student’s home community.

The Elder Law Pro Bono Project is a collaboration between the Albany Law School Pro Bono Program and the Rural Law Center of New York. There is a long-standing tradition in the legal profession of providing pro bono or free legal assistance to benefit individuals and communities. This program gives law students the opportunity to do pro bono work in areas across the state. Susan Patnode, Executive Director of the Rural Law Center of New York, added, “Senior citizens and their families, especially in rural areas, often don’t have access to critical legal information. This workshop will bring important resources directly to home towns.”

The Phoenicia Library is sponsoring this event. Workshop topics include Wills, Health Care Proxies, Executors and an overview of legal issues affecting seniors. All are welcome to attend, but in order to provide materials for everyone, please call 688-7811 to reserve your place.  Thank you to Pierro Law Group, LLC who is sponsoring the printed materials. 

CONTACT:

Elizabeth Potter, director, Phoenicia Library

845-688-7811

director@phoenicialibrary.org

Lark In The Park 2013

For all of you who love the great outdoors the 2013 Catskill Mountain "Lark In The Park" promises to be a lot of fun. The schedule is up and there are a lot of great things to do. At this point it looks like it is mostly hikes but they may add things as it gets closer (they have in other years) so keep checking back to the site. I have provided a link below.

http://www.catskillslark.org

More About The Cooler

It took a little while for the message about the cooler to be put on the blog. Richard Feuer (Tammy's husband) sent me an update about it's status yesterday. Here is what Richard had to say:

"Oops!  The cooler was sitting out for three or more weeks waiting to be claimed.  After three weeks it looked very disgusting and there was something goopy inside.  I think one of the freezer packs melted.  You can guess the rest of the story.  I hope it was not a cherished cooler."
- Richard

Cooler Found After Summer Party

Michele Keesee got this message from Tammy Feuer a little while back. I think the cooler is still on their porch so if it is yours you can pick it up there.

After Nat’s picnic, someone dropped a small blue soft cooler (Coldsac brand with an Academy Broadway patch on it) which had 2 Alaska freezer ice bags and a blue wine cooler bag in it.  It isn’t ours so we left it on our porch.  Can you let the group know that whoever it belongs to can pick it up on our porch-893 WV Rd?  Thanks, Tammy