Radio Catskill is launching a new feature, The Reporter’s Corner, a YouTube conversation series that takes listeners behind the headlines and into the reporting process with the journalists covering some of the region’s most important stories.
In the debut installment, host Patricio Robayo sat down with Radio Catskill multimedia reporter Kimberly Izar to talk about three major issues shaping life in Sullivan and Delaware counties: aging wastewater infrastructure, housing uncertainty in Monticello, and the changing landscape of farming in the Catskills.
One of the first stories discussed was Izar’s recent reporting on the Town of Cochecton’s sewage treatment plant in Lake Huntington, where state inspectors identified multiple violations. According to Izar, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation cited problems including excessive scum buildup, overgrown sand beds, mold inside the lab building, and missing foot grates and railings.
Those findings could force the town into a major overhaul expected to cost more than $1 million.
“This is a big project bill for a small town,” Izar said, noting that the plant serves about 250 households as well as Sullivan West Central School District buildings.
Town officials, she said, are now trying to figure out how to cover the cost through grants, loans or bonds, while also weighing the possible impact on taxpayers. The issue, Izar added, reflects a wider problem across Sullivan County, where many local municipalities are grappling with decades-old water and wastewater infrastructure.
In Cochecton’s case, acting town officials told her the treatment plant has not seen major upgrades since the 1930s.
Izar also pointed to growing development pressures across the county, as communities weigh new high-density housing projects while already dealing with aging infrastructure.
“It’s not a good mix,” Robayo said during the discussion, pointing to the tension between new growth and older systems that may not be equipped to handle it.
Izar agreed, saying it is a connection she plans to keep following as more projects are proposed in smaller towns and villages.
Izar recently traveled to Delaware County, where she has been reporting on several agriculture stories.
One stop took her to a farm connected to the Catskills Agrarian Alliance’s West Branch Commons, a proposed community land trust designed to preserve farmland and improve access for younger and beginning farmers. Izar said the model aims to address two major challenges: an aging farming population and the difficulty many new farmers face in finding affordable land.
She also visited Brookside Maple Farm, where she spoke with brothers Matthew and Micah Sobeck ahead of New York State Maple Weekend. There, she learned about the maple sugaring process, the weather conditions needed for sap flow, and how climate change is affecting the season.
Finally, Izar shared updates on a developing housing story in Monticello, where residents of the Woodland Apartments are facing uncertainty after learning their apartment complex is going through foreclosure.
Izar said tenants told her they received a bright blue notice on their doors warning of the foreclosure, but many say they still do not have clear answers about what comes next.
One tenant, Maria M., who has lived there for more than seven years, described confusion and fear after receiving the notice. Many residents, Izar said, are on month-to-month arrangements and are unsure what protections they may have if ownership changes.
She also spoke with community advocate Marty Colavito, from S.A.L.T. who said the situation is especially alarming because affordable housing in Sullivan County is already in short supply.
“What scares me more than anything,” Colavito told Izar, “is that you have a significant amount of people now who are gonna be faced with the possibility of looking for housing. There’s not a lot of housing available.”
Izar said Sullivan County officials told her they are prepared to assist residents who may need help, including through the Department of Social Services.