Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger and Chair of the Legislature Peter Criswell introduced a resolution in the County Legislature to authorize the signing of a “Sister Community” agreement between Ulster County and the Chernivtsi Region of Ukraine.
This agreement sought to show solidarity with Ukraine and promote a mutually beneficial exchange of education
The idea for a sister community agreement was raised by Kerhonkson resident Tim Distel
who had spent a period of time living in the Chernivtsi Region of Ukraine and was involved in aid efforts in the country immediately following the 2022 Russian invasion
“My support began after traveling to Kyiv in 2014
I saw the noble characteristics of Ukrainians
that today are on full display for the whole world
medical kits and other aid supplies to Sokyryany
a small city within the Chernivtsi Oblast near the western border with Romania
Distel was introduced to the head of the Chernivtsi Oblast Regional Council with whom he brought up the idea of forming sister city partnerships
he shared the idea and connections with Metzger and Criswell who then began exploring possible partnerships in 2024.
This idea turned into action when in February 2024
the City of Kingston signed a “Sister City” agreement with the City of Sokyryany in Ukraine and the groundwork was then laid for the sister community agreement.
“It is a real opportunity for Ulster County
which already has such a strong connection with many residents of Ukrainian heritage
to have an exchange program with a community in Ukraine
We are excited to have that opportunity and deepen our connections with the Ukrainian people,” Metzger said
“We were very eager to move this forward now especially in this time when the administration of Washington has really aligned itself with Russia
This invasion is a violation of international law
and it is very important to show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
Metzger believes that beyond being a sign of solidarity
this agreement could have wider implications for educational exchanges in the future
an NGO founded in 2022 aiming to form inter-municipal partnerships between European and U.S
helped to form this sister community agreement
This work is inspired by the concept of Sister Cities International
which was founded in 1956 by President Eisenhower to promote global peace through citizen diplomacy
founder of Mokosh Ukrainian Weaving Center in Gardiner and longtime member of Ulster County’s Ukrainian community
expressed her support for the county’s agreement
we know you’re there.’ That means more than anything right now for people to feel like they’re not forgotten
whether they live in Ulster County and are Ukrainians or they live in Ukraine.”
Shepko would like to see this agreement bring Ulster County and Chernivtsi Oblast to exchange ideas about keeping our rivers and environment clean
“We can’t live peacefully and in harmony with nature by just caring about our own needs and not thinking more globally.”
Chairman of the Chernivtsi Regional Council
spoke on the cooperation agreement between the Chernivtsi region and Ulster County
expressing the council’s gratitude to the residents of Ulster County
the American people and all friends of Ukraine who have offered support during the war
twinning is first and foremost a solid foundation for the development of strong partnerships between our communities and people
The world knows that Ukraine is fighting for its independence
suffering daily from Russian shelling and our soldiers are laying down their lives on the battlefield
so it is important for every Ukrainian to know that we are not alone in our struggle
every handshake between partners is a reminder of the support that Ukraine is an important and independent state
that the deaths of soldiers are not in vain.”
“We sincerely believe in developing good relations between the communities of both regions and countries
even if it is online meetings and joint organization of events
will become therapy for our people and an opportunity to get to know us better for the residents of Ulster County
We can implement joint cultural projects such as artist residencies
craftsmen and writers from the United States to learn more about Bukovyna and to describe and translate their impressions into works about our region
We can organize communication in educational institutions
It is important for us that people overseas read Ukrainian literature and get acquainted with the publishing projects of our region
and we hope to republish some of our authors
Rules and Government Services Committee of the Ulster County Legislature approved the proposal for the resolution despite concerns raised by Republican committee members over the county’s focus on international solidarity amid struggles with crises at home
drug overdoses and long ambulance wait times
Democrats stressed that this resolution will not require any additional funding
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Besides the fact that he is a crafty potter by his ancestry
he is also the head of the regional pottery museum which he actually organized by himself
We met with the master at the All-Ukrainian exhibition called “Ukrainian souvenir – 2010”
organized in Novermber of this year (2010) in the Ukrainian House in Kyiv
During the ancient times it’s women who were the first potters
We know from history that men were more into hunting animals
As for women they used to stay at home and practice pottery
there were 257 potters before and after the Second World War
It was not possible for potters to work in the collective farms during day and at home in the evenings because it’s very exhaustive physically
I am from a potters’ family; my father and my brothers used to be occupied in pottery
My present task is to revive pottery: to teach children and grown-ups
to show people that this craft is necessary
My another task was to create a large pottery museum
I completed this; I organized a Regional pottery museum in Kobalchyn
Chernivtsy region – the only one on Bukovyna
I can say that this museum is the only one of its kind in Ukraine
there are ancient handiworks of the crafted potters
There are also a lot of portraits of potters who lived and worked once and who now serve as examples for present generations
I teach grandchildren and great grandchildren of crafted potters
I am able to teach more but it’s not possible because of the constant lack of time
I tried to work with clay yet back in my childhood
afterwards graduated from musical and pedagogical college and an institute of physical culture
For 25 years I worked as a teacher of music
I became seriously occupied in pottery when I retired
I am already 71 year old but clay keeps me alive
I am told I do not look my age but it’s because of the clay which helps me to keep fit; I am constantly moving because we keep searching for clay
Clay can be called a God’s gift for people
It only takes the skills of transforming clay into a pot or a souvenir and then of selling the handiworks
All my family eat from earthenware crockery
Why did our parents and grandparents use to be healthy and have strong teeth
It was because they used to have meals form clay dishes using wooden spoons and used to sleep on beds organized on special clay furnaces
They walked around barefoot and had connections with the nature and universe
At present a lot of people have realized these facts and are returning to ecologically clean pottery from aluminum pots
It has all components necessary for living organisms
I heard that Japanese people even used clay in motors once
Handiworks from natural clay are of high value there
at present I am working at an order of a restaurant in Kamyanets-Podilsky
They want to serve dishes using exclusively original pottery
24 titles of crockery: salad bowls and crockery for different dishes
In earthenware crockery food stays fresh longer
especially such things as makitras for stirring poppy seed
Once people used to carry water in ban’kas of this kind (right upper handiwork in the picture – auth.) A ban’ka was covered by a husked corn ear
People used to dig a small hole in the earth and put it inside covering it with soil: the water in such ban’kas stayed cold for the entire day
Our ban’ka is also called “a Ukrainian refrigerator”
A special jut was made in the middle of it
Ladies used to make special orders for them
My father did it the following way and I learned it from him: when sitting down to work with clay or the potter’s wheel one needs to cross his heart
to make the sign of the cross over everything around him and say: “Help me
to work through the day with good results”
Sometimes I work so intensely that I don’t want to stop for meals
I can make as much as 100 – 120 pots per day
Manufacturing of one pot takes about a minute or a minute and a half; besides
there are electrically driven potter’s wheels
potters do not have to think about anything
I am talking to you and my hands keep working
A skilled potter invents shapes for his items in the process without any sketches
I have to complete an extensive task – to revive black-smoked ceramics
to teach children to make it and to build furnaces
I take part in different projects and hope for winning some money some day
I shouldn’t shave clay manually at my age of 70; I should have some support to buy an automatic device
A potter cannot afford to buy everything by himself because a press alone costs over 50 thousand UAH
It’s for a large one; a smaller press is about 20 thousand UAH
These devices used to be manufactured by Slovyansk city but now the plant is destroyed same as lots of other enterprises
I wish I had a Japanese potter’s wheel – it’s wonderful like a doll or a fairy tale
I would place an electric wheel beside a foot-operated one and would show how to work on both of them
But an electric wheel costs about two thousand USD
for rich people who operate billions to say: let’s donate for this man the sum he needs
Let him buy the required devices and continue to teach children and to show the art to people
The Dniester power plant is located in Chrnivtsi
Construction is underway on the Dniester Pumped-Storage Power Plant (PSPP) in Ukraine
a project that will gift Europe its largest and most powerful hydroelectric facility
the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Station will include seven hydraulic units that will jointly generate up to 2268MW of electricity
The main civil works for the Dniester PSPP commenced in 1988
and the first and the second units of the power plant started operations in 2010 and 2014
The third unit of the facility was brought online in August 2016
while the fourth unit is expected to commence operations later this year
Construction of the fifth unit is currently underway
The Dniester Hydroelectric Power Station is located about 20km from Sokyryany City
It sits on the right bank of the centre of the Dniester River
Although the total cost of the project has not been made public
construction of the fourth unit of the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Station has been set at about €223 million
Each unit will be fitted with a radial-axial pump-turbine unit with a capacity to generate 324MW while operating in turbine mode and consume 421MW of energy while operating in pump mode
It is divided into underground and surface sections
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The facility also includes an upper reservoir
The power generated from the Dniester PSPP will be evacuated into the national grid through a 330kV power transmission line
Ukrhydroenergo is undertaking the project through a consortium known as the Research Production Association (RPA) Ukrgidroenergobud
which includes Dnipro-Spetsgidroenergomontazhe
Ukrhydroproekt was engaged in the engineering and design services for the project
was hired for electrical installation and commissioning work
Kyivmetrobud was involved in the construction of the hydraulic structures in the second phase of the project development
Electrotyazhmash produced and supplied the generator along with the stator of the hydro-generator motor for unit four
while Zaporizhtransformator provided the transformers for the project
Enpaselectro has been involved in the commissioning works of the auxiliary systems
while Hydrotechproject provided the design and engineering supervision services for firefighting systems
RELATED: Europe’s Largest NATO Base Underway in Romania
Promix Company was involved in the manufacture and supply of generating switches and current-limiting reactors for units two and three
Energomashspetsstal was subcontracted by Electrotyazhmash to produce and supply 135 blanks for the installation of the generator of unit four of the project in July 2017
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