Monticello, NY – On behalf of the Sullivan County Legislature, Chairman Robert A. Doherty today released the following statement:

With less than 24-hour notice, Sullivan County has been informed that 80 New York City social services clients are being transported today from the City to the Knights Inn in Liberty.

The Kohlertown Flood Risk Reduction Project, which begins construction May 30, is intended to reduce the kind of flooding seen in the hamlet over the past few decades, including this one along County Road 164 on July 31, 2009.

Jeffersonville, NY – The Kohlertown Flood Risk Reduction Project – which is funded in part by the Climate Smart Community Grant Program, Title 15 of the Environmental Protection Fund through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation – will be starting construction the week of May 30.

Yulan, NY – In collaboration with Town of Highland officials, Sullivan County’s Division of Public Works (DPW) has agreed to install a temporary bridge across Beaver Brook while replacing a heavily used bridge on County Road 22 (Beaver Brook Road) in Yulan.

“We had a great meeting with Highland Supervisor Jeff Haas, Town Councilwoman Kaitlin Haas and DPW Commissioner Ed McAndrew to ensure a solution that wouldn’t inconvenience Highland residents and travelers more than necessary,” Legislature Chairman Robert A. Doherty said.

Parksville, NY – The Sullivan County Division of Public Works is closing a portion of Lily Pond Road in Parksville to finalize the water main work associated with County Bridge 228, which is located approximately 500 ft. north of the intersection of Cooley Road (County Road 85) and Lily Pond Road. This section of road is scheduled to be closed to all traffic on May 16, 2023 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Liberty, NY – Sullivan County’s Department of Social Services (DSS) will not be open for anything other than emergencies from noon to 5 p.m. this Wednesday, May 17.

“Closing that afternoon will give our staff a much-needed opportunity to get caught up on training and to engage in a bit of office ‘spring cleaning,’” Health & Human Services Commissioner John Liddle explains. “While we’ll handle whatever critical situations arise during that time, we ask that the public either come in that morning or save their business with us till Thursday.”

Hurleyville, NY – In 1993, the Ohio State University (OSU) Byrd Polar Center, in partnership with the Hurleyville-based Frederick Cook Society, hosted a two-day symposium at the OSU campus, with lectures by some of the world’s foremost Arctic scholars and historians. “Cook Reconsidered - Discovering the Man and His Explorations” presented 10 professional papers on the life and work of Hortonville native Frederick Albert Cook (1865-1940), which remains available online: https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/44488   

Liberty, NY - The Sullivan County Welfare Fraud Task Force has made the following arrests:

Monticello, NY – Due to an influx of cases resulting from recently passed federal legislation, the Sullivan County Veterans Service Agency (VSA) is asking visitors to please make an appointment before coming to the office inside the Government Center in Monticello.

“We haven’t locked the doors! We’ll serve all who walk in as we can,” promises VSA Director Stephen Walsh. “But for the best and most expedient service, people should call ahead before dropping by.”

Monticello, NY – Thanks to State funding and the approval of the Sullivan County Legislature, the County’s veterans now have access to a brand new van.

“Our Veterans Van began transporting vets to local medical appointments on May 8,” said Veterans Service Agency (VSA) Director Stephen Walsh. “Owned and maintained by the County’s Transportation Department, this vehicle replaces an aging van previously operated by the Sullivan County Veterans Coalition – who still remain a key partner.”

Hurleyville, NY – When Sullivan County native Dr. Frederick Cook first stepped off a ship in Greenland, he was greeted by Inuit natives who invited him to an evening ceremony of drum dancing, an Inuit form of art for at least 4,500 years. 

Such a ceremony had a multi-faceted purpose as entertainment and to solve interpersonal conflicts. The drum, consisting of bones or wood and varying in size, was also the indispensable tool of the angakoq – the Inuit shaman.