County Legislature Honors Eastern Rensselaer County

by Kieron Kramer
On Tuesday evening the Rensselaer County Legislature passed resolutions recognizing the milestones, honoring the achievements and commending the services of a town, a team, an individual and the agencies of eastern Rensselaer County from south to north and in between.
Stephentown’s 225th Anniversary Commended
The resolution commending Stephentown on its 225th anniversary began, “When an occasion of importance is brought to our attention, the same should be memorialized and preserved for the edification of future generations…and it is the intent of this Legislative Body to convey its compliments and felicitations to the Town of Stephentown as they celebrate the 225th Anniversary of their founding”
The resolution summarizes the historic beginning of Stephentown and the rural beauty of the countryside. According to the resolution Stephentown was first settled around 1765. The Town was formed in 1788 from the East Manor of the Rensselaerwyck District. The Stephentown pioneers were from New England, primarily Rhode Island and Connecticut and arrived from the southeast. The Town is one of the most picturesque in the County, rivaling the famed Berkshire hills of Massachusetts. Hills, many of them rocky and precipitous, abound everywhere. The Taghkanic mountains traverse the eastern part of the town and the Petersburgh mountains the western part, both extending in a northerly and southerly direction. Through the narrow and deep valley between them the Black and Kinderhook creeks flow toward the south and a very large proportion of the Town is covered by forests and many of the hills are surmounted by bare rocks. The most mountainous sections are full of interest to the geologist with quartz, sandstone, limestone, slate, shale and other forms of stone being abundant.
Stephentown was not outdone by any other town in the County when the government called for troops to fight in the Civil War. On September 11, 1862, a special Town meeting voted a large appropriation for the pay of volunteers, and additional money was raised from time to time as occasion demanded. Of the seventy-seven soldiers who represented the Town in the “War of the Rebellion,” the majority served in the Rensselaer County regiments.
The resolution ends by saying, “This Legislative Body shall inscribe upon its records this tribute to the Town of Stephentown so that future generations may know and appreciate the history of this distinguished Town.” District Five Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote, who represent the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Grafton, Petersburgh, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls will present a copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, to the Supervisor of Stephentown on Sunday, September 13, during the Historical Society’s Giffy’s BBQ on the last day of the Stephentown Muster at the Stephentown Fire Hall on Grange Hall Road.
Hoosick Majors Baseball All-Stars Honored
A Resolution honoring the Town of Hoosick Little League Majors Baseball All-Stars also passed unanimously. It began, “Cognizant of the hard work and steadfast commitment by some of the exceptional youth in our County to excel in sports, it is consistent with the duty of this Legislative Body to recognize their achievements” that “have contributed to the vitality of this community.”
The resolution lists the accomplishments of the Town of Hoosick Little League Majors Baseball All-Star team which recently won championships in all three of the area tournaments that they entered, a rare feat. They won the Queensbury, Cambridge and Greenwich Tournaments earning the top spot while defeating some tough opponents.
The members of The Beavers baseball team are Brandon Hodges, Tyler Rondeau, Justin Lynch, Garrett Wright, Willy Bradley, Austin Pitt, Troy Constantino, Noah Chanee, Mark Hackett, Andrew Hoag, Drew Phillips and Tom Peabody. The coaching staff includes Charlie Constantino, Ed Wright, Scott Hodges, Bill Phillips and Mark Hackett.
A copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, will be transmitted to the team members and coaches of the Town of Hoosick Little League Majors Baseball All Stars.
Mason Hubbard Commended
A resolution commended J. Mason Hubbard, long time Town Supervisor of Petersburgh who retired this year at the end of June.
The resolution began, “We honor a man who has had a great impact and influence on the citizens of this County…Mason Hubbard has served as Petersburgh Supervisor for fourteen years.” According to the resolution, Hubbard has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money and made major improvements to the Town’s water system including new wells. Recently, Mason has overseen the renovations of the Veterans Memorial Hall.
The resolution concluded, “We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Mason Hubbard for his service to this County…the Rensselaer County Legislature pauses in its deliberations to honor J. Mason Hubbard.”
Actions During The Flooding Recognized
A resolution commending emergency services agencies, volunteers, local elected officials and State, County and local highway departments for their response to the July 2009 flooding was passed at this session.
The resolution described the flooding in late July, 2009, when heavy rains caused flooding in areas of southern Rensselaer County and northern Columbia County, including the Towns of Nassau and Stephentown. The flooding caused damage to many properties and businesses and also caused damage to town, County and State roads, with sections of State Route 43 damaged and portions of State Route 22 temporarily closed.
According to the resolution, the damage and interruption caused by the heavy rains and flood was offset by the outstanding response of many volunteers and workers with State, County and town departments and agencies who helped restore normalcy in a short time following the flood. It says, “This Legislative Body recognizes the outstanding effort of many, including members of the Hoags Corners, Tsatsawassa, Nassau Hose and Stephentown Fire Companies, Rensselaer County Bureau of Emergency Services, Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department, Rensselaer County Highway Department, Nassau Highway Department, Stephentown Highway Department, New York State Department of Transportation and New York State Police…and does hereby pause in its deliberations to recognize and commend those individuals and organizations who responded to the flooding in late July 2009 and assisted residents, businesses, property owners and travelers affected by the flooding.”
In other resolutions the Legislature voted to:
• honor Edmaral Farms upon being named the 2008 Conservation Farm of the Year by the Rensselaer County Soil Conservation District. The farm was begun by Alexander and Edna Marbot and is run now by sons Frank and John. The Edmaral Farm, located on Longwoods Road in Pittstown, raises registered Holsteins.
• designated September as a Month of Remembrance, recognized September 27 as National Gold Star Mothers’ Day, September 18 as National POW/MIA Day and the month of September as National Preparedness Month.
• passed a resolution remembering the victims the Pan Am/Lockerbie bombing and condemning the release of the terrorist “found to be responsible for the crime.”
• passed a resolution seeking additional air monitoring stations in Brunswick, Pittstown and Schaghticoke to monitor the emissions from the Norlite plant in Cohoes.
• authorized the sale of a parcel of land in Hoosick, formerly owned by Margaret Weatherwax, to the Bank of New York Mellon. The bank owned the mortgage for the property and paid $4,039.65 in tax arrearage as well as a $1,000 “reconveyance fee.”
• authorized the purchase of highway materials including $650,000 worth of road salt purchased at the State bid price of $54.44 per ton, subject to fuel price adjustment.
• authorized the County Executive to retain Folmsbee Transportation to transport children up to five years old, with special needs, for the 2009-10 school year and the summer of 2010. Folmsbee was the operator of the van that went missing in North Stephentown last January.