Hoosick Rising Holds Last Meeting Until September

by Deb Alter
The Hoosick Rising meeting on Wednesday June 8 was the third meeting of the spring and the last until September. It was held at Brown’s Walloomsac Brewery. Mayor Borge remarked on recent good business news. New businesses have opened or will be opening soon, and potential investors and developers are actively looking at several properties in the Village, including the old “Specialties Building” and the mannequin factory, both on Center Street. [private]
JC Tractors on Main Street is open for business, as are Xentrix Hair Saloon, Lil Sprouts, Shaw’s Mobile Repair, and Lumber Jack’s Coffee. Trojan Steel has bought One Mechanic Street, and the new owners, Ray Benoit and Jeff Loeffler were there to talk a little about their plans for the building. They will not be occupying the entire building, so they hope to eventually rent out some of the space. They also foresee adding about nine or ten jobs at the site within the next two years. Mayor Borge also said that the next Village Board meeting will address the new zoning proposals which will help encourage business development by making it easier for new businesses to get established. The last time the zoning laws had been updated to meet the needs of the Village was in 1977.
Supervisor Surdam reminded everyone that the property revaluation project is going to move forward and the new tax roll should be ready for 2018. The Request for Proposals (RFP) have been prepared and are ready to go out.
Since the last Hoosick Rising meeting, there had been a meeting of a marketing subcommittee whose charge is to explore ways to promote Hoosick Falls to businesses.
Gail Smith made a short presentation promoting the new Voice of a Vet Adopt a Serviceman program, in which people can sponsor a cross to be placed on a Hoosick Veteran’s grave. She gave a presentation, on another project she is working on, The Hoosick Water Crisis: Paying It Forward. Her idea is to learn from our water crisis how precious water is, and to raise our consciousness about those who have never had access to clean water. Smith said her previous work with the Ugandan Water Project helps to keep the Hoosick water crisis in perspective. “People complain about having to drive to Tops to get bottled water, but in Uganda, women and children have to walk two to five miles twice a day and carry five-gallon water containers just to have water, and it is not even clean water,” she said. “We should count our blessings,” she continued – “our crisis is temporary, theirs is forever unless somebody steps in.” The  goal of the project is to provide enough water for about 7,000 people, the same population as in Hoosick, which means raising $14,000. Donations can be made through the Ugandan Water project campaign page: ugandanwaterproject.com/give/campaigns. She emphasized what the project brochure says: “From a heart of gratitude for what we have and a heart of compassion for those who don’t.”
Indian Springs Water
Kim Knapp, Nancy Tucker, and Michelle O’Leary presented their Indian Springs water project. Their mission is to  get free, delicious, clean water from the three springs on the Knapp’s property to people in the area who have been affected by the PFOA contaminated water. This includes Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh, as well as Bennington, North Bennington and Pownal, VT.
They explained that it is a social enterprise, that is an organization that unites the social mission of a non-profit with the market-driven approach of a business. Their plan is to bottle the water in glass, and to deliver it to folks who are unable to pick it up. As of this writing, their naturally pure drinking water is unfiltered and contains essential minerals, just as it comes from the ground.
As of right now, they are trying to get the water source certified by the NYS Department of Health. The water has been tested by a professional hydrogeologist and they reported he said, “The water quality looks very good.” They explained that it will probably take a year or more to get their naturally pure drinking water to the people who want it because it takes time due to NYS Health Department laws. In the meantime they are working on a plan to offer the drinking water for pets.
According to the Indian Springs website, “Hoosick Falls, as well as the other areas that have been affected by this water contamination issue, can and will bounce back. For more information, please visit their website: indianspringswater.com.
Paula Kamperman gave a brief presentation about an upcoming community celebration that is being planned.
The Mayor said he was glad that the mission of Hoosick Rising, which is to continue to keep the community moving forward, has been on track. The next meeting will be on September 20.[/private]