"Black Monday" in Damascus

By TOM RUE

DAMASCUS - There was virtually no business conducted at the January 4th meeting of the Damascus Township supervisors. With township secretary Charles Rutledge recovering from surgery, treasurer Elvin Swendsen said there was neither any correspondence nor any official matters on the agenda. He noted that while Rutledge seemed to be getting better, he was still "pretty weak" from a skin graft on his back.

Resident Eugene L'Hernault noted that the River Management Plan went into effect that day, calling it "Black Monday". Richard Matz predicted that town supervisors and others who assisted in drafting the plan will be subject to numerous lawsuits, noting that his son once attended a legal seminar in New York supporting this position.

"They may have a plan, but they don't have all the towns and they never will," Matz asserted.

In response to a question, chair Tom Griffith noted that Leonard Rolston had resigned his position as head of the Zoning Hearing Board for personal reasons. He said the supervisors would appoint a replacement, but did not know who.

In another matter, Griffith circulated a page from the February 1988 edition of Country Journal, featuring an undated antique photo of a grizzled Archie McCollam sitting in front of a blazing fireplace. McCollam lived near Galilee, according to Bill Gager, who said he was related to the man. Stanton Pratt of Honesdale reportedly found the photo in his attic.

In other business, the supervisors: discussed making treasurer's reports and building permit reports regular parts of their meetings; agreed to help identify disposal means for large items such as broken refrigerators; discussed "granfathering" of junkyards existing prior to 1980 when the zoning code was adopted; and heard complaints about stolen road signs and crowded parking conditions in Rileyville.

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