The following is reposted from the Pike County Courier, another view on the library project.

To the taxpayers of Milford Borough:

Be assured, the Milford Borough Council is concerned about the money being spent to review and analyze the current building design proposed by the Pike County Public Library. It is not an easy decision for the council to spend this money as we are also taxpayers of the Borough. (A proponent of the project from an outlying community would lead you to believe that residents of her community share in this cost. They do not. When someone says “our tax dollars”, they should be accurate. She is not, and her attack is unwarranted and unfair.) But sometimes the Borough has to spend dollars to protect the interests of the town that we all call home.

As Council members and Architectural Review Board (ARB) members, we have an obligation to see that the ordinances in the borough are applied fairly across the board. This includes private owners, government buildings and corporate America. There cannot be one interpretation of our ordinances for one group and another for the rest of the world. We have never acted this way in the past and we did not want to do so now. However, we anticipated (correctly as it turned out) that some people connected with this project would not respect a decision if it was only made by us locals.

At least one member of the group supporting the current design has stated that she has been in the design business for 30 years and this is all about taste. She could not be more wrong. This is not about taste. It is about compliance with specific architectural guidelines. We also knew that there was a large group of people that had seen the proposed design in the papers and did not like it. Whatever decision was made, we needed expert help and we knew it. (It is ironic that some of the same people that are in favor of spending huge sums on an architect question spending a small fraction of that sum on an expert to review his work.)

To get the help needed, we hired Architect Peter Benton because he is a renowned expert and respected professional. In hiring Benton, we obtained an unbiased opinion from an expert in the field of historic preservation. This action was undertaken not to stop the project, but rather to ensure compliance with the ARB ordinance and guidelines as a necessary step in the permitting process.

The ARB ordinance was enacted to see that the borough kept its historic small town quaint appeal. Not to say we don’t want new buildings, we do, but what we want is the ordinance to be followed. That is the only agenda that the council and the ARB have regarding the library project. Remember, no member of the library board or building committee questioned the ordinance and guidelines until they were applied to this building design. The public officials in the Borough embrace the idea of a new library in Milford; we have always supported the library with local taxes. While it may have been small in relation to the library’s budget, we have always given our fair share and we will continue to support it in the future.

To view more, please visit: http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2009/01/30/pike_county_courier/opinion/2.txt

Middle School students of Delaware Valley paused to watch history last week when the 44th President of the United States was inaugurated. Below are some of their letters to the new president, reposted from the Pike County Courier.



Dear President Obama,

I want the world to be a nice place with no fighting and more sports. Please make the wars be all over with and have our dads come home. I hope you will be a good president, and I wish you could come to our school at Delaware Valley Elementary School.

I don’t want the gas prices to go up anymore because people can’t afford it. Please help to protect the Florida panthers from becoming extinct. I want the world not to smoke because it is bad for your lungs, and you can die if you smoke. I want people not to litter, and I want people to spend their money only on the important things. Please help people be kind to animals, especially dogs.

Sincerely, Christina Brinster - 4G



Dear President Barack Obama,

Congratulations on becoming the 44th president of the United States! I really wanted you to win. I hope you make the right decisions for the United States.

I have some suggestions on how you can make the U.S.A. a better place. I think you should lower the amount of pollution by banning smoking and making higher fines for the people who litter. Please encourage recycling to help our trees stay alive. Please suggest the idea to make more centers for the poor. Help encourage saving gasoline by riding bicycles. Thank you for taking my ideas into consideration. Have fun in office!

Sincerely, John Lombardo - 4F



Dear President Barack Obama,

I’m disappointed that John McCain did not win the election. Here are some suggestions that you should do to help our country. Lower tax prices. Help clean up the country and stop pollution. I think you should help endangered animals by outlawing poaching. I also think you should encourage people not to smoke. I hope you can do all these things in the White House.

From, Shane Acoveno - 4F



Dear Mr. President,

It was spectacular news on November 4, 2008 for my whole family. You were elected to be our president! But I’m sure I didn’t have to remind you of that special day. I’m sure you will remember that day for the rest of your days. Hopes for some families these days are running short. Some dear friends of mine have lost jobs due to the poor economy. But just hoping will become the past for people, because there will be changes made so hope will not be needed and believing will be reinforced. For all the sincere promises you made, I believe in every one. The environment is soon going to become as poor as the economy if we don’t make changes. But with this matter I feel the same about the changes that you will make in the economy. Me and my family will root for you every single day you’re in office.

Love, Kyla Zimmerman - 5F



Dear President Obama,

Hi. My name is Madeleine Yost. I am 11 years old, and I am against abortion. You think abortion is fine. Well, it is not! You may think that I am crazy, but that would be wrong. You said so yourself, that things need a change. I think so, too, but for different reasons. Women and girls around the United States are in pain because of abortion. Abortion kills defenseless babies, it hurts women, and the baby has a right to live just like you and me. My dream, and many others, pray and hope that abortion will soon end. Please, Mr. Obama, think about it. Millions of babies do not get a chance to see the world because women are scared and don’t want to have their babies. You are probably thinking that women want a choice. Well, they had one at the beginning and they still have one, adoption. I hope that America will move forward and that abortion will be illegal.

Sincerely, Madeleine Yost - 5F

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 1/25/09

PCYC Wins Funding for Youth Engagement Project

Philadelphia–Four members of the Pike County Youth Coalition were among dozens of other Millennial Generation leaders to participate in a conference entitled, “Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0,” from January 9-11 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. Convened by Mobilize.org, the conference included a deliberative discussion on the present state of American democracy, a simulated 21st century Constitutional Convention, and a grant competition in which eleven teams competed for funding for youth-led civics projects.

PCYC’s Kathryn Braisted, Samantha Dutkus, Alex Lotorto and Ben McKean attended the conference and submitted the organization’s new initiative, “School Board 2.0.” The group describes the project as a way to use technology to improve democracy on a local level.

“School Board 2.0 is a web-based initiative designed not only to provide greater transparency in local government, but also to educate and engage more young people in civic participation,” said Lotorto.

He said once the project is developed, it will offer, among other features, live-streaming of each monthly school board meeting, an archive of relevant documents and video content, and a hi-tech community forum to facilitate online deliberation. Although the platform will be targeted to young people, Lotorto said anyone in the community will have access to the site.



“Since many students cannot attend school board meetings, our goal is to bring the meetings to them in a meaningful way so that they can see what their democracy is all about and have an interactive venue to express their ideas,” added Dutkus.

Three panels of expert judges, which included non-profit executives and civic leaders, judged the team on its detailed project proposal and multiple rounds of presentations. Based on their evaluations and peer voting, “School Board 2.0” was one of only two projects that received a grant for full funding, amounting to $6,000 over the next year.

“It’s Democracy 2.0 in action, and a great concept that could be used as a model for other people to build on across the country,” said David Smith, a judge and also the Executive Director of the National Conference on Citizenship, following the group’s final presentation. “It’s a way to engage young people in the political process with something that directly impacts them, and making that connection is really important,” added another judge, Jeanette Senecal, Senior Director of e- Democracy for the League of Woman Voters.

Organizers say the project, which will be overseen by PCYC’s Committee on Civic Engagement, is set to launch in about two months.

The Pike County Youth Coalition is a youth-led non-profit organization that seeks to educate the community about youth issues, service a resource for young people, and encourage greater youth volunteerism and civic engagement. More information can be found online at www.pikeyouth.org.

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Attached photo: Alex Lotorto, Kathryn Braisted, Samantha Dutkus, Ben McKean (left to right)

Media Contact:

Kaitlin Paul, Communications Director; press@pikeyouth.org; (845) 741-2754

Monday is MLK Day, dedicated for a man who gave his life to others. Martin Luther King once said that everybodycan be great, because everybody can serve. President-Elect Obama, dozens of service organizations, millions of Americans and your very own Pike County Youth Volunteer Corps are working to ensure that Monday is a day on...not a day off, by giving back to our community. Join us at the Delaware Valley High School at 9am for a free kickoff breakfast and day of service. Transportation from the high school to an indoor service location and back again will be provided. The day is expected to end at 3pm. More details to come. Please spread the word and RSVP to volunteer@pikeyouth.org!