This Week
Some towns go all out for Halloween, with decorated storefronts, spooky front yards and streets full of trick-or-treaters. Others have traditions that keep people coming back year after year.
What town in Dutchess County does Halloween best and what makes it stand out?
Send your responses to social@lakevillejournal.com by Monday, Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. or comment on Facebook or Instagram.
We’ll publish a selection in next week’s paper.
Last Week’s Question
How could sharing ambulance services affect northeastern Dutchess County communities?
“‘Improving coverage’ and ‘reducing municipal costs’ are great, but the questions I think matter are what kind of impact will this have on providing emergency services to residents of rural Dutchess County and will this result in more lives saved or more lives lost? The response time is already sub par. Regional coordination may have benefits, but where is the evidence that reducing dedicated coverage will improve emergency response times? What happens when multiple ambulances are transporting patients and another life-threatening emergency occurs?
—Chris Wade
“The northeast region should implement a ambulance tax district. This and a portion of the fire tax because the FD has the responsibility to provide the EMS service should cover the cost of the ambulance. Volunteers are a way of the past for most departments now a days. You have to pay for service with a commercial agency or start your own municipal EMS company and bill the insurance companies. People also need to get out and VOTE, call your senators and congressional representatives. EMS should be an Essential Service in NY and it is not. If it was there would be federal funding available to the towns to assist with the cost of serving the community.
—Sarah Renee
“The towns should incorporate together their own ambulance district and put together their own BLS ambulance. Town of Hurley did it. Several towns in orange county do it. When you pay a commercial service to do it, your money goes out but doesn’t come back in. By doing it themselves the money generated comes back and can be put back into the ambulance district. This is a more sustainable model and will serve the community better.”
—Rob Anthony
“What about the patient? Is this about money or patient care?”
—Robert Boyles
