SusanCampriello: My Works

Round Top writer tells her story
Book relates young girl’s immigration to America
The Daily Mail
Nov. 16, 2009

ROUND TOP — Round Top resident and business woman Waltraud “Wally” Maassmann has recorded her journey from Germany to New York in a new book she hopes will inspire others.

The book touches upon Maassmann’s family and life in Germany and chronicles her passage to New York in 1954 at the age of 13 aboard the Stockholm and her life since.

Maassmann said the book serves of an example of how someone can move from one phase of life to another toward success. Maassmann titled her book “A Path of Pebbles” as a metaphor for her journey.

“No matter how you struggle you can still achieve something in this country,” she said before a book signing Sunday at her family’s resort, Blackhead Mountain Lodge and Golf Course.

“You overcome resistance by consistent persistence,” she said, reciting her motto.

Maassmann said her parents did not speak much about World War II, but that the family’s house was bombed and the family’s war experience was terrible.

She said during the war the family received care packages that contained Lipton soup among other items from an aunt. Reading the labels, Maassmann said, made her want to come to the United States and learn English.

“I thought this had to be a dreamland and I wanted to come here,” she said.

She said the experience fueled her determination to achieve something in life.

As a young woman, Maassmann modeled and held several positions with the Freihofer’s Baking Company, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and a construction bonding company.

She married Ewald Maassmann in 1959, and in 1967, the couple and Maassmann’s parents purchased the then “Blackhead Mountain Lodge.”

Maassmann, 69, decided to write the book in June 2008, during, she said, a frustrating economic time.

“How does it come about that I am here, at my age, still struggling, still accomplishing things and working hard and how does one get to where one is from where one comes from,” she recalled thinking one night in bed.

So, she began writing her story for her two children and four grandchildren.

She consulted with some of her siblings during the writing process. The conversations, she said, later brought back memories that were then included in the narrative.

She said trials in life were like pebbles and rough stones, a metaphor echoed in the title of the book. And, she said, her home town had cobblestone streets.

The book’s cover shows the view of the Catskill Mountains from the family’s resort as well as a reproduction of a drawing of birds and plants done for Maassmann by a school art teacher in Germany.

The sketch was drawn in Maassmann’s diary-like poetry booklet before she emigrated. The resulting cover artwork shows how something can be achieved through hard work “and many, many pebbles,” Maassmann said.

The book, which was published earlier this year by Maassmann’s own company, Blackhead Mountain Publishers, has entered its second printing.

Already Maassmann is considering writing a sequel to the story that would focus more on Blackhead Mountain Lodge and Golf Course.

Maassmann said she wanted her book to encourage others to record their own stories of hardships and successes.

“Everybody can tell a story,” she said, “people should write things down (or) so much is going to get lost.”

Budget with 8% tax hike scrutinized
Fate of town police remains cloudy
The Daily Mail
Nov. 13, 2009

Roughly 50 people packed the courtroom in Cairo’s municipal building to voice concerns over the town’s proposed budgets for public safety, health benefits for the Town Board and the salary of the Court Clerk.

The budget hearing was adjourned until Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. in order for the Board to reconsider some of the concerns brought up by the public.

The Board presented a budget with an 8.43 percent tax rate increase, or 55 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, from $6.52 to $7.07.

The town’s tax levy would be $2,620,875, Coyne said, adding that he expects to receive $57,500 in county chargebacks.

Coyne said the town’s general fund is increasing $34,980 in appropriations. He said revenues will increase 5 percent from last year, or $25,975. He said the board expects a decrease in revenues from interest and mortgage tax.

The roughly $3,877,000 preliminary budget is about $323,000 less than the tentative budget the Board was considering.

Coyne said nearly every department’s budget had been cut during departmental and board discussions.

Only employees represented by bargaining units, such as Ambulance and EMT responders, will receive raises, Coyne said.

He thanked Town employees for going without a raise for the second year in a row.

“They realize they are still receiving a paycheck and are willing to work with the Town,” he said. “I am very proud of our employees for their understanding during this terrible economic time.”

The budget reflects increases in retirement benefits, workers’ compensation and health insurance.

Coyne said, however, that the final impact of those increases less than a 1 percent increase in the total Town taxable assessed value.

One dozen Cairo residents lobbied the Board during the hearing to approve the budget line for the town’s police department.

The Town Board had rejected the proposed budget of about $284,500 and said they would look for another way to police the town’s streets and neighborhoods.

Last week, Police Chief Chris Sprague presented the board with a revised budget that was $68,000 lower than the original amount.

Officers offered to take pay cuts in order to keep a presence in the town, Coyne said. The force’s 16-hour shift will also be reduced to one 12-hour shift per day beginning at 12 p.m. if the budget is adopted.

Nicole Maggio, who said police have helped her deal with trespassers on her property, said she understood if the shift-change was necessary to cut the budget, but the services conducted by Cairo’s police were indispensable.

“I really hope you guys take a good look at [the budget],” she said, “if you eliminate the police department you are going to be putting this Town in a world of trouble.”

Others said a police presence around Cairo Elementary School deters speeders and without that presence, children could be in danger.

Cairo-Durham Central School District Superintendent Sally Sharkey pointed out that Cairo police assist in making sure students can get safely into school buildings and respond immediately to any emergencies at district facilities.

“Safety is our number one issue,” she said.

Police also run a DARE program for district students. Others pointed out that police are quick to respond burglaries, calls to Main Street and those to the town’s park, where the station is located.

Local police know the town’s roads and neighborhoods, they said, whereas officers from other departments may be unfamiliar with hangouts and landmarks.

Elizabeth Brinkerhoff questioned the intelligence of the Board’s decision to save money by housing stray dogs on Town property under the supervision of police officers rather than renewing a contract with a local business to care for the animals.

Erica DeLong agreed.

She pointed out that the arrangement added responsibilities to police officers who were facing pay cuts while at the same time was taking revenue away from a local enterprise.

Coyne said the new arrangement would save the town $8,250.

DeLong and John Morgese asked how the Board could allow police officers to take pay cuts while the Board accepted health benefits that would cost the Town roughly $50,000.

Cairo justices Thomas Baldwin and Tanja Sirago asked the Board to consider giving Court Clerk April Saccoccio a pay increase.

Baldwin explained that Saccoccio’s workload was about to increase and she was about to become a department head but, as budgeted, her salary would remain the same.

Councilman Raymond Suttmeier suggested that the hearing remain open so the Board could discuss another budget revision.

“We have to review the results of the public hearing,” he said.

The Board could present a new budget at their next regular meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening. A vote later that evening will decide the Court Clerk’s salary issue and the fate of the Cairo Police Department.

“I just hope the Town Board does the right thing for the Town,” Cairo Police Sgt. Dan Braden said.

In time of war, hope for peace
Cairo remembers sacrifice, service of veterans
The Daily Mail
Nov. 12, 2009

CAIRO — The service and sacrifice of military veterans were remembered and honored Wednesday in Cairo in a ceremony at the Joseph E. Prahl Veteran’s Memorial Circle in Angelo Canna Town Park.

The brief 11 a.m. ceremony was led by members of the American Legion Mohican Post 983, the Marine Corps Legion and the Cairo-Durham Elks Lodge 2630.

“We remember how men and women set aside their civilian pursuits to serve their nation’s cause defending the freedom of man and preserving our precious American heritage,” American Legion Commander John Low said, opening the ceremony.

Lucy Mozzillo, president of the American Legion Auxiliary, reminded the gathered veterans, officials and Cairo residents that war effort involved those stateside who lived with a terrifying loneliness.

“The fighting forces begin at the fireside and in the hometowns. The repercussions of war, terrible brutality, had chilled the heart, dimmed the hopes and dreams of many a left behind on the homefront,” she said. “Our hearts beat in tune with those in other nations fighting for freedom and the dignity and opportunity of man.”

Legion First Officer Mike Adrian said public honor is due to those who serve the public, those have devoted their lives to education and those who live their lives with noble idealism and a sincere capacity of self-devotion.

Ethel Korba, a post member, auxiliary member and member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said in war, each military branch and soldiers of every background shared a common denominator of purpose.

“As we put aside the brown, the blue and the green fabrics that made us one people on the battlefield, we can hold in our minds the tolerance we have achieved,” she said, adding that tolerance led to progress toward a better and happier world.

Post Commander Low said the ennobling virtues of war during times of peace to scale new heights of achievement, unity of purpose and sacrifice for the common good.

“We shall move forward in the sight of God as a strong nation in a peaceful world,” he said in closing.

Fountain recaptures its youth
Monument gets facelift in time for Veterans Day observance
The Daily Mail
Nov. 11, 2009

The monument and fountain honoring the service of more than 50 Cairo residents who fought in World War I received a facelift just in time for the annual Veteran’s Day ceremony held there.

The bronze plaque bearing the names of the servicemen, including five who lost their lives in the conflict, which was dedicated on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1922, had become monochrome, its names becoming hard to read, and had been damaged with age.

On Monday and Tuesday, Steve Roy, of Brewster-based Argos Inc., cleaned off the corrosion and applied a protective patina coating to the plaque. Now the names of Cairo’s soldiers shine yellow against a field of brown.

“It looks good,” Cairo Town Supervisor John Coyne said Tuesday afternoon.

Roy, who has restored an 80-foot statue of Robert E. Lee, a Henry Moore sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Va. and countless other works around the United States and Europe, removed two stars from the plaque. Those he will use to cast replacements for stars by the names of Virnel Butler and Floyd Hawver, who along with Joel M. Austin, Joseph P. Chadderdon and Frank Hitchcock were killed in action. Replacement stars for two of the plaque’s corners will be re-cast and replaced, as well.

Town Historian Robert Uzzilia said various groups have cared for the World War I plaza at the fork of Jerome Avenue and Main Street over the years but the fountain developed cracks and the plaque became corroded with age. He said the work completed by Tuesday had been admirable.

“The very least we can do to honor the veterans is to keep the plaque legible to keep their sacrifice in mind,” he said.

Councilwoman Alice Tunison, who worked to find Roy and others who bid on the work, said the restoration was long overdue.

“They are receiving the honor they deserve,” she said of the servicemen.

Tunison said Roy would complete the plaque restoration and some fountain repairs for no more than $3,900. The Town received a $2,500 grant to pay for some of the work.

Tunison said she hoped veterans groups or individuals would donate some money toward the project, as well.

“It’s going to be amazing,” she said of the finished plaque. “It is a sophisticated and worthwhile endeavor.”

“We need to preserve these things,” Coyne added.

Artifacts belonging to George A. True, who fought with the infantry in France, and others, are on display in the Cairo municipal building lobby. True returned to Cairo after the war, his daughter-in-law Dot True said, and lived in Round Top. George A. True Sr. ran the Round Top House bed and breakfast in a house built for him by his parents upon his return, Dot True said.

His father-in-law was a major in the Civil War and his son and Dot True’s husband, George A. True Jr., served in Korea with the U.S. Marine Corps. George A. True Jr. died in 2004.

Although Dot True never met her father-in-law, she said he was not known to speak about his experiences in World War I.

George A. True Sr. and others who served in World War I will be honored Wednesday at 11 a.m. Veterans of other conflicts will be recognized, too.

Budget cuts imperil police
Contracting law enforcement duties to sheriff’s department said to be “off the table”
The Daily Mail
Nov. 10, 2009

CAIRO — The Town of Cairo could be left without a police force due to budget cuts.

Town Supervisor John Coyne said a budget of more than $200,000 proposed by Cairo Police Chief Chris Sprague was deemed too costly by the Town Board during a budget meeting.

“This has nothing to do with the officers’ ability to be police officers. It is strictly monetary,” Coyne said.

Coyne said Monday he spoke with Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley last week about contracting police work to the sheriff’s department but the contract was now “off the table.”

Coyne said Sprague and his officers were able to decrease the proposed budget by more than more than $70,000, or roughly one-third of the original budget.

Coyne said the budget cut will affect officers’ shifts but not the services they provide. Officers, he said, would work 12-hour shifts rather than 16-hour shifts. Full-time officers would remain full-time and an officer will be on-duty at all times, he said.

Cairo Police would still be able to patrol streets, work crowd control at events and conduct other business as usual. The D.A.R.E. program for students at Cairo Elementary School and at Cairo-Durham High School would continue, he said.

The Town Board will consider the new budget amount at Thursday’s budget hearing at 7 p.m.

Seeley and Sprague were unavailable for comment about the contract and the proposed budget Monday.

Other department heads were asked to decrease their budgets during the last few weeks. For example, Highway Superintendent Steven Rumpf’s budget was cut by more than $40,000 during a workshop in late October.

Coyne said he would try to negotiate a contract with the Sheriff’s Department if the Board does not accept the department’s revised budget.

Tour of the Catskills a ‘climber’s race’
The Daily Mail
Sept. 21, 2009

One thousand bike racers and their friends and families visited the Mountaintop this weekend for the second Tour of the Catskills - a more than 100-mile, three-day race around Greene County’s peaks and valleys.

Event staff said 285 bikers participated, traveling from 15 states and four Canadian provinces to bike in the Tour’s two loops and time trial. Last year, 175 racers participated.

The Tour was sponsored by the Catskill Mountain Foundation along with the Hunter Chamber of Commerce and the Windham Chamber of Commerce.

Saturday’s Catskill Epic loop took racers from Windham to Prattsville, Durham and Acra and back to Windham. Sunday’s Mountaintop Classic loop wound through Hunter, Jewett, Windham, Acra, Round Top, Palenville, Tannersville and ended at the Catskill Mountain Foundation offices in Hunter. Professional racers followed slightly different and longer routes that included laps of parts of the main loops.

Tour winners would have spent about 5 hours on the road race staff estimated Sunday, before official results were calculated. The day’s leader in the professional category, Justin Lindine, completed the 75-mile Mountaintop Classic in just more than three hours. He was followed across the finish line by Andrew Guptill, Roger Aspholm, Peter Horn and Cameron Cogburn.

Racers were divided into nine separate age, gender and skill classifications, each with their own winners.

The men’s category three winner was Pavel Gonda of the Czech Republic, who rode for the Pacifico team. Gonda raced in Europe from 2002 until 2005 and picked up the sport again this year, he said.

Gonda arrived in the United States in August to begin studying law at New York University, in New York City.

Gonda said he beat the men’s category three second-place winner Jim Komarmi by 10 centimeters.

“I came here to be first,” the racer, who was places second after Friday’s time trial and third after Saturday’s Catskill Epic, said.

Gonda said both legs presented their own challenges — Saturday’s route scaled and declined several hills and Sunday’s featured a push up Route 32A and a sprint to the finish line.

“It is a very, very beautiful race,” he said.

Komarmi, who coaches Alpine skiing at the Green Mountain Valley School in Vermont, agreed that mountains defined the race.

“It’s definitely a climber’s race,” he said.

Komarmi, who rode for the American Flatbread team, explained that racing was as much about pacing and passing strategy as about speed.

“It’s very much a chess match on the road,” he said.

Komarmi and men’s category three third-place winner Michael Boardman agreed that although the terrain was challenging, the race did not draw a hugely competitive group of riders.

Boardman, of Rockstar Video Games’ team, said he expected that competition would grow as more bikers entered the race.

Catskill Mountain Foundation Executive Director Peter Barker said he expected that participation would increase due to the success of the first two races.

He said no major incidents or injuries were reported over the weekend and that all the racers seemed happy. Happy racers, he said, would return.

Barker said the weekend’s success was due to cooperation of local law enforcement, community members and volunteers who provided food and support to the racers.

“What makes this race so successful is the volunteer effort,” he said.

Teens stage fake kidnapping for YouTube
Charged with disorderly conduct
The Daily Mail
Sept. 21, 2009

CATSKILL — Four Cairo teenagers were arrested Sunday for disorderly conduct after staging a fake kidnapping in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Catskill.

The teenagers, who were all between 16 and 17 years old, said they were filming a scene for a movie to be posted on the video sharing Web site YouTube.

Catskill Police Chief David Darling said his office received a number of calls about the apparent abduction, which occurred at around 2:30 p.m. Darling said one teen was chased through the parking lot by the others, was caught, had his hands tied and was put in the trunk of a car.

“If definitely appeared that somebody had gotten abducted,” Darling said.

Catskill Police, State Police at Catskill and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office responded and other area authorities were put on alert, Darling said.

He said the teens were arrested for disorderly conduct for causing havoc in the busy parking lot.

“I don’t think they knew the severity of the situation,” he said of the prank.

Film crews are required to ask permission to film on private property and to notify authorities of filming, Darling said.

The teens, of Samm Productions, said they went to Burger King after they finished filming where their green Saturn was spotted by police.

They said they wanted to take advantage of having a car to shoot scenes at various locations. The movie does not have a fully formed plot, they said.

The teens are due in court on Oct. 8.

Police also spoke to Catskill’s Jesse Moyer, who was not involved with the prank but drove the teens to Wal-Mart to purchase tape. Moyer said the teens told him they were going to play a joke. Moyer said one teenager had a dress with him.

“I thought it would be an honest prank,” Moyer said.

The teens said the incident had taught them to be more careful in the future.

Arrest sparks questions about site plan law
Business owner baffled over citation
The Daily Mail
Sept. 15, 2009

CAIRO — Cairo business owner Joanne Lettieri was arrested by Cairo police outside her Main Street resale shop in August.

The building at 465 Main St. was a restaurant before it was acquired by Lettieri and turned into McBride’s Resale Shop nine years ago. The building is approved for use as a restaurant and cannot be used for retail purposes without a review by the Town Planning Board in accordance with the Town’s Site Plan Review Law.

Lettieri, who is a substitute teacher, was brought to the police station at Angelo Canna Park in front of a practicing school football team.

“I have never been more humiliated in my entire life,” she said. “If that was their intent, they succeeded.”

The incident occurred Aug. 19.

According to the site plan review law, which was adopted last year, a change of use requires review by the Planning Board if a property other than a single or two-family residence undergoes modifications to its parking area, impervious surface area, signage, exterior lighting, facade or size.

Lettieri said she has not made those modifications and does not need to undergo the review.

But Cairo Code Enforcement Officer Stacy Sprague and Planning Board Chairman Daniel Benoit had informed Lettieri that complaints had been made about the use of the building as a store rather than as a restaurant before the Aug. 19 incident.

Lettieri said she had been told the change of use required review from the Planning Board.

Benoit said Lettieri was told in early August that she needed to fill out a Site Plan Review application and appear in front of the Planning Board.

On Aug. 19, Lettieri said Sprague and Cairo Chief of Police Chris Sprague, who, according to Lettieri, was not in uniform at the time, visited the store again. Lettieri said she was given a letter indicating she was in violation of the town’s law. A sign notifying Cairo that the business was not in compliance with the law that effectively closed the business was placed on the store’s window.

The Lettieris visited the Code Enforcement Office later that day and maintained that they were not in violation of the law. Joanne Lettieri reminded Stacy Sprague that the business had been open for several years without incident.

She questioned how existing businesses should operate under the new law.

“We have been doing this since before their law went into effect, just like every other business on Main Street who did not have to appear before the Planning Board,” she said.

Lettieri said Stacy Sprague explained that the Planning Board had received a complaint about the store and she was following proper procedure. Lettieri said Stacy Sprague warned her that she would be arrested if the store reopened.

Lettieri said her husband Michael told Stacy Sprague he was going to open the door, anyway, and police could come and arrest him.

Later that day, the Lettieris did open the door to the store and Stacy Sprague called Cairo Police. Chief Sprague, again, not in uniform, according to Lettieri, and another officer responded to the call.

Lettieri said her husband and Chief Sprague spoke while she went to her car.

Joanne Lettieri said the uniformed officer asked her to get out of the car. When she complied, she was handcuffed as the owner of a business in violation of the law and the order to close the store.

Lettieri said she would have followed the officer to the police station if asked. But police said she resisted the arrest to an extent.

“They didn’t have to put me in handcuffs,” she said.

Chief Sprague said Friday he could not comment on the incident because the case was still open.

Lettieri made an appearance in front of Justice Thomas Baldwin in Town Court Aug. 25 and has a second appearance date Sept. 22.

The Lettieris also appeared before the Planning Board hoping the board would admit its error.

Planning Board Chairman Daniel Benoit said that the Lettieris had not filled out an application for Site Plan Review and without an application the board could not consider the usage issue. He said he told the Lettieris to fill out an application so the Planning Board would have jurisdiction over the issue.

“I feel sympathy for them, but if they are not willing to participate in the process even by filing even simple application paperwork we can’t proceed forward,” Benoit said.

Joanne Lettieri said the question of whether the usage should fall under the previsions of the old Site Plan Review Law was raised at the meeting.

Again, she said, other Cairo businesses may also be subject to the review process.

“If they have to see if we’re violating to old Site Plan Law, they have to see if everybody is violating the old Site Plan Law and of course they’re not going to do that,” she said.

Cairo Town Supervisor John Coyne spoke for his code enforcement officer, saying Sprague had visited the store and followed up with complaints filed with the Town.

The Site Plan Review Law allows the town building inspector to order an appearance ticket to be served on alleged violators.

Coyne said he did not know of anyone being arrested for violating the Site Plan Review Law and the situation had gone to an extreme.

The Lettieris have closed their store and sold their merchandise at a yard sale last weekend. They have not filed an application under the Site Plan Review Law, and maintain it is not necessary.

Michael Lettieri said his wife was not guilty of opening the store after being advised to keep it closed. After all, he said, he had told police that he was going to open the door.

“Joanne’s only crime that day was that she was married to me,” he said.

Eco-Fair focuses on ecologically-friendly practices
The Daily Mail
Sept. 14, 2009

Greene County residents had a chance to learn about organic farming and products, recycling and alternative energies at Angelo Canna Park Sunday during the Cairo Area Chamber of Commerce’s first Eco-Fair.

The fair featured guest speakers ranging from representatives from the Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Action of Columbia and Greene Counties, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County and a veterinarian.

Fair co-Chairman Neil Schoenfeld said he hoped the fair would inspire attendees to live more ecologically-friendly lives.

“I hope a lot of good programs are spurred throughout the county out of this,” he said.

Lecturers and vendors had each other talking about ways they could decrease their energy consumption and lower pollution.

Joseph Siniski, business development officer for the National Bank of Coxsackie, said he was impressed by G-Oil, a non-polluting fuel that can be used in chain saws and weed whackers about which Hal Zucker, of Living Structures Realty, spoke.

Bank of America Cairo Branch Manager Elizabeth Hansen said she learned at the fair that Central Hudson Gas and Electric provides businesses and homeowners with information about environmentally-friendly construction options.

She said she was interested in installing solar panels at her Round Top home for the right price.

Hansen provided fair-goers with information about the new efficient and “green” Bank of America corporate building being constructed in Manhattan.

Venders of organic foods included Armstrong Elk Farm, Black Walnut Natural Farm and Mountain Beekeepers. Upstate Solar, Catskill Boilers and Geothermal Systems showed their solar panels, wood boilers and heating systems, respectively.

Chamber President and fair co-Chairwoman Claudia Zucker estimates that a few hundred people had attended the fair by early afternoon.

County Legislator Harry Lennon, D-Cairo, thanked the Chamber for organizing the fair, which, he said, spotlighted the future of business.

“It is the way of the future and Greene County has to step up and look at alternative energy,” Lennon said.

Book brought to life in musical, CD
The Daily Mail
Sept. 14, 2009

Author and artist Hudson Talbott called the transformation of his book, “River of Dreams,” to a musical and now a CD “a kind of a dream.”

The book, which features the Hudson River, and the musical, illustrate the history of what Talbott called “America’s first great super waterway” from its discovery by Europeans in 1609 to the more recent battles waged on pollution and polluters.

The musical version of the book was staged earlier this year. A CD of the original cast, comprised of students from the Cairo-Durham, Catskill and Coxsackie-Athens school districts was officially released Sunday at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site Cedar Grove, in Catskill.

“I’m so glad we all have the opportunity to bring these pieces together in this one wonderful place and share our heritage together,” Talbott said of the launch and accompanying concert of music from the CD’s setting.

The musical production, with music composed by Frank Cuthbert, was partially funded by money given to promote Hudson River history and culture during the Hudson-Champlain-Fulton Quadricentennial Celebration this year. Since the spring performance, the cast has traveled around the state to perform.

Casey Biggs, president of the Greene Arts Foundation and director and producer of the “River of Dreams” musical and CD, said the success of the show has given birth to a new collaboration with himself, Cuthbert, Talbott and the three schools on Talbott’s book, “O’Sullivan Stew.”

Biggs said he was happy with the CD.

“It captures the organic nature of what the show was,” he said.

Biggs said the production was also filmed and is being made into a documentary. The CD was recorded in the Catskill High School auditorium with professional equipment.

Talbott said performing the musical and launching the CD in a public venue brought the community together.

He said working on the musical and CD was also a lot of fun for the student performers.

Talbott said he, Biggs and Cuthbert collaborated well.

“The three of us — we don’t ever want to stop working together,” he said.