OPINION

USUALLY RIGHT
IS HYDE PARK ,DYING?

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The announcement that the 72-year-old. Hyde Park Elementary School will close at the end of this school year has shattered an Uneasy calin in Hyde Park. Residents were mildly optimistic the school would be saved and seemed to be collectively crossing their fingers. In May, the Board of Education will officially pull the plug on , Hyde Park Elementary. The ramifications are enormous. When you' kill something as vital ",fi. and meaningful as a , il{ neighborhood school, you bus~e~s. Their job is to profoundly alter the fabric , administer -the town, keep of the community, Given expenses down and make the Hyde Park Elementary town an attractive,. ffordable a is the only school on' the . e place to do, busmess. The Route 9 side of town, same applies to ~e pl~g closing it is a potential bl d"r/gi' ") board. Stop playmg politics death knell for the village. and just get it done. If Generations of kids they do their job, business walked or rode their bikes to school, as did will follow. If Hyde Park had an effective their parents before them. FDR himself Chamber of Commerce, one that spentmore dedicated the school in 1940. Eleanor time and money on promoting Hyde Park ! Roosevelt was a frequent visitor. It has insteadof itspresidentand holdinggruesome been an integral part of village life and a breakfasts at their president's restaurant, we I legacy of both Roosevelts. Soon, it will be might attract a littleattention.Again, skip the' I gone like 'so much of old Hyde Park. The self-promotionand promote commerce. bigger question is, does that mean Hyde Another reason .nobody wants to open Parkis dying or simply changing? up shop in Hyde Park is because of the At thecore ofthe Board of Education's volatile nature of the town's government. decision to shutter this school is the fact There's no continuity. It's Yancy, Pompey, erirollment is down considerably and the Yancy, Pompey, followed by two years of town simply can't afford to.support five, a lunatic like Tom Martino, followed by. elementary schools. But is enrollment a passive placeholder like Aileen Rohr, down because people are having fewer who's.afraid to take a stand on anything? kids or because young people are. Business hates uncertainty. choosing to live elsewhere? It's probably So let's end at the beginning. Hyde Park a combination of the two. ismost certainly dying on some levels but In this economy, it makes' sense for it doesn't have,to be terminal. Hyde Park )Young parents to make hard decisions needs to find a dynamic leader with vision al-k')utthe size of their family. It's also and the guts to implement that vision. truJ: Hyde Park has seen a relentless rise No more narrow, petty scores to settle, in s(;hool and real estate taxes over many someone' who will advocate for everyone year&- Last year's 20% tax hike sent more and the next time the grim reaper comes thaI''> a few people to the exits. Hyde for a Hyde Park Elementary, will fight to ParJ.~( lso has a high percentage of senior preserve it. Let's hope he or she is out there. a ci1izens living on a fixed income. ,' ~~.I remember an elderly WW II veteran Jim Langan can be reached: at getting up at a sch@1 ~~d meeting and ' editorial@thehudsonvalleynews.com.

"rly, Hyde d P. nee s an infusion of and business

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saying even a $50 tax increase would-cause him and his wife to move. I remember him asking plaintively if it seemed fair after paying taxes in Hyde Park for more than 50 years. I'm guessing he's long since moved north. , Clearly, Hyde Park needs an infusion I of new people and business to stem the bleeding. Every two years, candidates tell ] the voters they have a grand plan to bring new business to Hyde Parle.They neverdo. The Democratsprattle on and on about smart growth, which is code for ''we'd like a post,and-rail fence in front of your pizza shop." I Republicans try convincing people they are ~ in touch with big-box stores just champing at the bit to get into Hy.dePark if we canjust get those whiny tree huggers off the board. I At the end of the day,neither party deliversa quart of milk and then blame each other for the stagflation. In reality, it's ~ot the role of the supetytsor or town board to bring in new

new. people
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