Last
week, the Woodstock Town Board voted to settle four years
of tax certiorari claims with Realtor Andrew Peck. . .
Peck had challenged the town over some 112-property
assessments dating back to 1995, claiming the town
grossly over assessed his clients. After a [failed]
attempt to get his cases dismissed on procedural grounds
the town settled with all 112 property owners represented
by Peck. . . The cumulative reduction in assessments to
the taxpayers represented by Peck amounts to some
$1,800,000.00. Peck
says this is a vindication of his contention that until
last year's revaluation, many Woodstock properties were
over assessed. . . The fact that the town elected to
settle once its objections had been thrown out of court
indicates his claims are valid.
Peck spent thousands of dollars out of pocket to
carefully document his claims over the years, only to be
turned down by the grievance board in every case.
Finally, he says, he decided to save his money and let
the court decide. . . He adds that he has never lost in
court. One thing is certain: Litigating tax certiorari
cases costs a lot of money. Town Supervisor Tracy Kellogg
says Woodstock has spent $15,000. litigating Peck's cases
alone. Peck has spent $15,000. to $20,000. out of pocket
in legal and appraisal fees, which he will now recoup
from the town. Peck says
he started challenging assessments in 1986, when he
bought a property in Woodstock for $20,000, which was
assessed for $71,000. After receiving little satisfaction
from the grievance board, Peck went to court; the town
fought his claim for four years. Finally, says Peck, the
judge ordered both sides to hire an appraiser and have
the property appraised. Peck's appraiser came in at
$20,000; the town's appraiser came in at $21,500. A
settlement quickly followed. He currently represents
clients in Woodstock, Hurley, Cairo, Saugerties and the
City of Kingston. Peck
says Woodstock's assessments are more fair than they have
been for years. Peck gives the new Woodstock assessor
Seth Plawsky credit for this, and says it's one reason he
doesn't expect to end up in court with Woodstock again.
"I want the towns to put me out of business in this
niche of my business," says Peck, "And I think
they're going to do it in Woodstock."
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Let
it be known that on April 7th, Chloe D., a whimsical
longtime Woodstock resident, established the authentic
Woodstock holiday: Forsythia Day. From now on, this will
be the day (on or about, give or take a week or two) when
the bright yellow sprigs pop like petalled sunshine.
Chloe’s working on developing special celebration
rites, customs and traditional foods and garments for the
day. For starters, she envisions people of both sexes
wearing yellow polka dot bikinis, and waving forsythia
bows, chanting “Mellow Yellow”, followed by “Yellow
is the Color of my True Love’s Hair” and ending the
day with a rousing chorus of “We All Live in a Yellow
Submarine.” In honor
of this new holiday, we asked several locals for
forsythia poetry and mythology and for their input on the
perfect protocol for Forsythia Day. Donna, owner
Glorious Health : “Plant forsythias and eat yellow- do
a spring cleansing with lemon juice.” She adds that
besides being cheerful, yellow is an intellectual color
and students could benefit by painting their study rooms
yellow. Jamie, 13,
eighth-grader: “I think that all the Woodstock families
should go to the Comeau property and have a picnic of
banana smoothies and banana bread and wear forsythia
sprigs in their hair. They should play games and tell
round-robin stories and the only person who can talk will
have a forsythia sprig in their hand.” Jean,
author of Woodstock Gatherings:” I’m renting a
wonderful barn for the summer and it has a waterfall and
a large rock for a table and I went up today...and it
looked like the rock and the waterfall and the bright
blue chair were in a room of sunshine--it was the
bursting light from that forsythia. I sat right down in
the chair and leaning just a bit to the left, told myself
one hundred times how wonderful, this place and day...we
say it every year: surely this is the most beautiful year
of the forsythia.” Emily:
singer/songwriter: There are too many issues involved
with this topic for me to talk about it. Because of the
controversial nature of forsythia it’s best for me to
not comment. I don’t want to alienate any other
flowers, that would be forsythiasm”. Fred , nurse:
“Unbeknownst to Chloe, there is a historical basis,
based on an Ulster County legend for Forsythia Day.
Angelique Forsythe, the eldest daughter of the French
Huguenot patentees, based in New Paltz, had secretly
conceived a passionate love for the chief of the
neighboring Esopus Indians. During a clash between the
patentees and the Indians in 1699, Angelique Forsythe
betrothed herself to the chief and he was subsequently
outcast. Despondent and depressed the two fled to nearby
Woodstock, and during an unexpected April ice storm fell
off the Overlook. The next day the snow melted and
forsythia bloomed where they had fallen.” Peggy,
landscape artist: “Cut some long shoots of forsythia
and walk around town with them tucked in to the back of
your belt, fanned out like a peacock tail. Give the to
everyone you meet.” Richard, dad: “We have a big
one in our front yard that swooped down so much it
created a room. You should meditate in a house of
forsythia on Forsythia Day. In fact, I’m going to do it
right now as soon as I get off the phone.” Finally,
here’s an excerpt from a performance piece by poet
Nancy Rullo: “The snow continues to cover the
forsythia branches I had intended to pick yesterday to
bring in to the house, to force their yellow to brighten
my room. Yet it feels like spring. The forsythia branches
are bent to the ground like old ladies who have lost
their bone mass...bending to the ground under the weight
of the snow and the beauty of their flowering...”
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