Dan by Maria
Jan 24, 2024
M: So, Dan, how did you come to live in this area?
D: When I finished military service in 1966, I came down to operate a branch of a milk distribution business. My father had the milk business distribution, and I operated the branch in Kingston.
M: So, you moved here in order to do that?
D: Yes. My family and I, at that time, it was my wife, daughter and son.
M: If you were to bring a family friend or relative to Rosendale, what would you show them?
D: Probably the best thing that I’ve seen in Rosendale is a trestle, walking across a trestle. One of those that you get the night sight of the creek and the town all at one time.
M: And what do you think is important to maintain in our communities in Rosendale and our neighboring communities? What do you think is important for us to preserve?
D: I guess the historic nature of the area is, to me, is more important than actually developing the area so that it has a sense of community.
M: What matters most to you about living here?
D: My concern right now is the affordability of housing. I’m fortunate that it’s not really going to impact myself as far as I know, but I’m looking down the road at my children, grandchildren, et cetera. The rate of expansion as far as the affordability factor is going to be in question in the future.
M: What do you think that Rosendale will be like five years from now? Or this community in general will be like five years from now.
D: That’s a hard question. It depends on the community involvement on the volunteer level as to where it’s going to go. If we’re looking at strictly commercial development, you’re going to lose the sense of community. I’ve seen it in practice that you’re strictly looking at the bottom line as people aren’t concerned.
M: When you first were working here doing your milk distribution, how did you know that you were going to settle here? Was it one specific thing?
D: No, it was basically just the general sense of community that offered opportunity. It wasn’t the competitive rat race of a city.
M: Do you have any thoughts about any ideas or opportunities that you see for Rosendale?
D: It’s becoming a more and more bedroom community. I’m not opposed to weekenders. That’s not where I’m coming from. Weekender do not really have the sense of community that the locals have. Again, I’m using this general term. But I see them gathering, I quote, restaurants for evening out and whatnot, but not getting involved with whether it’s in the fire district, the ambulance, the Lions Club or any.
M: That is really a good point. I had a neighbor who had moved up here from the city. And she had had an emergency at home and she was picked up by the first responders in the ambulance and she was complaining about the ambulance crew. And I said, you know that they’re volunteers, don’t you? And her face, she just turned white and she said, “oh my God, they’re volunteers?” She had no idea. And I could tell she felt terrible about complaining at that point. But that’s so important for people to know. It’s such a basic thing.
D: If you’re going to have a community, you have to get involved in the community. It’s not just coming here to hike or to ski or to go to a restaurant.
M: That’s really a good point. I wonder if there’s a way that we can get people who come here
for the weekend just even marginally involved and pitching in. I think that’s a great opportunity. Together we’re a genius!
D: Like I say, it’s one of those that a lot of them, and I was on a rescue squad for a number of years. Like you said, don’t realize that it’s only volunteers, that it’s not paid.
M: But in New York City, they’re all paid.
D: I’m seeing it being converted to paid. I work with the fire districts currently as a treasure. They’re going sooner or later, have to go to paid staff so that they can respond.
M: And that’s one of the people who were really one of the groups who were really concerned about getting more volunteers for it because it’s so necessary.
D: And what I see is a misuse of volunteer time. In other words, you get automatic dispatches for car accidents that are fender bender. I see it in Kingston. I see it locally that you get a dispatch and I had this actually happened. The car ran into the porch, my front porch on 209. And because I know the chief from the Accord Fire District, he was driving by and says, is there any problem? I says, there’s no real reason to dispatch anybody because nobody’s hurt and it’s the only property damage. I says, and troopers here, I says, so what are you going to do? Are you’re going to have fire truck come on, you’re going to have the ambulance come over so that we can sign off and say, thank you? That’s what I mean about misuse.
M: Is there anything else that you can think of that you’d want to share that might help our project?
D: No, I just wish you the best of luck on it.
