Training and a train ride at Local Government Day

MARGARETVILLE, NY, Sept. 22, 2005 - A lunchtime excursion aboard the vintage cars of the Delaware & Ulster Rail Ride and a tour of Roxbury, including the beautifully restored Kirkside Park, will be highlights of Catskills Local Government Day Thursday, October 20.

Training for elected and appointed officials, along with sessions on Main Street revitalization and home-based businesses, will precede the DURR outing at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center. Participants will have an opportunity to win gifts and services donated by area businesses that have received loan assistance from the CWC.

The registration deadline for Local Government Day, sponsored by the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) and the New York State Department of State (DOS), is October 14. The agenda and registration form can be found at www.cwconline.org

They can also be obtained by calling 845-586-1400.

A modest registration fee will be charged ($5 for the workshops only; $10 for the workshops, lunch and the train ride).

The day begins at 8 a.m. with continental breakfast at Belleayre's Longhouse Lodge, where DOS trainers will lead the following classes: Planning Board Overview; SEQRA Basics; Property Maintenance: Junk Cars and Junky Yards; and Enforcement of Zoning and Other Local Laws.

Helen Budrock, who directs the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development's Community Planning and Development Program, will present a session titled "Finding Funds for Main Street Revitalization, and Tips for Grant Writing." www.catskillcenter.org

Two area entrepreneurs will also be on hand to explain how they have developed their home-based businesses. Organic grower Aissa O'Neill of Betty Acres Farm in Delhi (www.bettyacresorganic.com), and cabinet maker/woodworker Paul LaPierre of Mountain Sun Workshop in Hunter (www.cabinetshop.com)will share the successes and pitfalls of running a business from home.

The morning workshops will conclude by 12:20, and participants will drive from Belleayre to Arkville, where they will board the DURR's Rip Van Winkle Flyer for a narrated excursion along the East Branch of the Delaware River to Roxbury. Lunch will be served by Mary's Cookin' as riders hear about historic points of interest, cultural and recreational attractions and Watershed project sites along the way.

A walking tour of restoration projects in the hamlet of Roxbury, including the venerable Roxbury train station and lovely Kirkside Park, will be led at 2 p.m. by Roxbury Parks Director Peg Ellsworth. The train will return to Arkville by 4 p.m.

Door prizes to be drawn during the train ride include gift certificates to the Andes Hotel, Brooks' Chestnut Woods Restaurant in Grahamsville, Village Seafood in Bloomville, and Catskill Mountain Country Store in Windham.

Sets of four complimentary passes to the Delaware and Ulster Railride will also be given away to two lucky Local Government Day registrants.