This week’s installment of the Bernardo saga – published weekly in Shawangunk Journal under Terence P. Ward’s byline – contains new information offered by Len Bernardo:

The red flag for Skate Time 209 was the response to a question on the application. That question asks “…will the Project preserve permanent, private sector jobs or increase the overall number of permanent, private sector jobs in the State of New York?” The response was “yes,” and in the space for an explanation the applicant wrote, “We will create 26 new jobs upon opening.”

Last week’s article referred to that number as “job promises,” but Mr. Bernardo didn’t agree with that wording. “The application made job projections — they were not job promises,” he advised by email. And those projections were actually exceeded, he pointed out, saying, “We opened with 43 employees,” and that the rink had 28 on staff “for a long time” after that.

Say what? You opened with 43 employees? Good for you guys! If you don’t mind providing the complete list of the 43 employees, I don’t mind making this form for you:

43 employees? Pretty soon the Bernardos will run out of numbers! To date, they claimed creating 37 full-time jobs… only nine… 26 jobs… seven full-time and 31 part-time jobs were created… 15 full-time workers… he was the only full-time worker… 12 or 13 part-time/student employees… 12 full time employees… between 23 and more than 40 employees…

But wait! The Industrial Development Agency wanted a reduction of benefits to reflect the fact that the rink has “4.5 jobs this year…” Funny, funny, funny, because Freeman was told on March 21, 2013 that Bernardos reported 9.5 jobs – true, without the proper documentation…

As my friend Dorothy says: “Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies.”

– Jon Dogar-Marinesco