Wild and Sweet

     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."

     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...”