The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Eastwick Press

PFAS Study in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh

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Village and Town will be Part of Multi-Site PFOA Study

Submitted by the NYS Department of Health

The New York State Department of Health and the University at Albany School of Public Health have announced that residents in the Hoosick Falls area (including Petersburgh) are invited to take part in a national Multi-Site PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) Health Study. This by-invitation-only effort seeks to recruit eligible adults and families who will then be invited for a health clinic visit for blood and urine testing along with a health evaluation to measure exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The study will also collect information about the immune response, lipid metabolism, kidney function, thyroid disease, liver disease, glycemic parameters and diabetes. In return, confidential test results will be provided to participants at no cost to them. Recruitment for participants in the Hoosick Falls/Petersburgh area is expected to begin in February.

“New York State is collaborating with some of the best researchers in the country to collect data from participants with common exposures,” said New York State Department of Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “What we learn by working with these researchers could provide important clues about the complex relationship between PFAS exposures through drinking water and human health outcomes.”

A Community Advisory Panel (CAP), made up of unpaid individuals from Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh as well as other communities, is a critical partner in this study. Members relay community questions and concerns and encourage community outreach and participation. They also help advise researchers on study design, outreach and progress.

Learn more about the Multi-site PFAS Health Study at www.health.ny.gov/chemicalsandhealth

Limited Supply of At Home COVID-19 Tests Kits Available

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NYS has provided free at home COVID test kits for residents through the Town of New Lebanon.  That said, we have 2,514 residents and have only received 96 test kits. Our goal is to get one test kit in each household at this time (if we receive more in the future we can expand our efforts to get one for each resident). The New Lebanon Central School District has also received free test kits for all students. They have one for each and every student. If you have a child who lives in your household and goes to NLCSD, you are NOT eligible to get a test kit through the town and you should contact the school for the test kit your household is eligible for.

Town test kits will be given out next Tuesday, January 11 from 8:30 to 10:30 am at the New Lebanon Town Hall. We will have tables set up outside. You will need to show proof of residency (ID with physical address within the Town of New Lebanon or a utility bill with a physical address within the Town of New Lebanon). Due to the high number of COVID cases currently, everyone must be wearing masks event though we are outside.

You will only  be eligible to pick up a test kit if you:

1) Are a resident of New Lebanon

2) Have no children in your household who go to NLCSD

3) Nobody else in your household picks up a test kit

Please reach out to Town Supervisor Houghtling at supervisor@townofnewlebanon.com or 518-505-1535 with any questions.

Four Area Dams Listed by DEC as Unsound

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Rating Does Not Mean Failure Is Imminent

by Doug La Rocque

A recent survey of dams around New York State by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) obtained by The Eastwick Press places three dams in the Town of Grafton and one in the Town of Berlin on their unsound list. The DEC however explains a Condition Rating of Unsound refers to “dams with deficiencies of such a nature that the safety of the dam cannot be assured.” The unsound ratings do not mean that [Read more…] about Four Area Dams Listed by DEC as Unsound

At Home Test Kits Are Distributed to Area School Districts

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by Doug La Rocque

After some small delays, the school districts in The Eastwick Press coverage area have all reported they have received a supply of the at home COVID-19 tests kits promised over the past weekend by Governor Kathy Hochul. These kits are part of the Governor’s plan to help keep children in the classroom even if a classmate tests positive for the virus. Until this week, such classmates would have been subject to a 5- to 10-day quarantine. Governor Hochul is suggesting these at home test kits be used by parents if they wish to check their child for COVID-19 and if negative, they would be allowed to return to in-classroom learning under the districts’ COVID-19 protocols.

Each test kit contains two tests per student. As Hoosick Falls School Superintendent Pat Dailey stated in a letter to District parents, this is not a [Read more…] about At Home Test Kits Are Distributed to Area School Districts

Schodack Planning Board 

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by Denise Wright

The January 3 meeting of the Schodack Planning Board opened with public comment from one resident voicing concern over the sequence of burials and rate of funerals in the Muslim Community of Troy’s proposed cemetery on Phillips Road. According to Muslim Community members, the estimated rate of calculated graves incorporated the high pandemic death rates of approximately 35 to 50 per year. The resident hoped that a vinyl fence could be installed behind the residences that would be affected. Planning Board members approved the special permit and site plan with the stipulation that [Read more…] about Schodack Planning Board 

As Long as the Need Exists They Will Come

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by Doug La Rocque

The Hoosick Falls Central School once again played host to a mass food giveaway in their parking lot on Wednesday, December 29, and once again the vehicles filled the lot and were lined up on NYS Route 22 waiting to get in. In all, 435 households representing 1,421 people were fed. The event is co-sponsored by Catholic Charities, the Capital District Area Labor Federation and the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office. In all, 39 volunteers helped hand out 14,729 pounds of food provided by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

In 2021, Catholic Charities CCMove program held 114 of these food drops, serving nearly 71,000 households.

Plans are underway for several more of these giveaways in 2022, the first in Rensselaer County being on Tuesday, January 25 at the Italian Community Center at 1450 Fifth Avenue in Troy, starting at 9:30 am.

[Read more…] about As Long as the Need Exists They Will Come

Hallelujah the Roof Is Finished – Immaculate Conception in Hoosick Falls

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by Bea Peterson

“Well, except for the punch list, it’s finished,” said Immaculate Conception Volunteer Project Manager Greg Laurin. Plagued with one problem after another, it seemed that this first phase of the church repairs would never be completed. The work was supposed to start the fall of 2020. That plan fell apart when the original contractor backed out. Another contractor, able to take on all phases of the roof repair, including repairing and painting the steeple, making and installing all the soffits, gutters and shingling the steep and flat roofs, had to be found. Fortunately CentiMark, a national company, agreed to do the job. By then it was winter, followed by COVID-19, followed by a shortage of materials. Donated shingles for the roof were delayed [Read more…] about Hallelujah the Roof Is Finished – Immaculate Conception in Hoosick Falls

Rensselaer County Sees GDP Growth in 2020

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Submitted by the Office of County Executive Steve McLaughlin

Rensselaer County was one of only three counties in New York State to see an increase in gross domestic product (GDP) during 2020 and the pandemic, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, County Executive Steve McLaughlin announced.

McLaughlin said the report is further evidence of Rensselaer County’s economic strength, even during the pandemic, and the positive impact of property tax reductions and service improvements in the County.

During the past four years, the County has reduced property taxes by nearly 19 percent, and the 2022 budget includes a 10 percent property tax reduction. By 2020, the period the report is based on, the County had adopted two consecutive property tax reductions.

“The report shows Rensselaer County made it through the worst of the pandemic and still grew. That is very good news for our County and shows the decisions we are making have been paying off,” said McLaughlin.

Andre Jones – Obituary

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Grafton – Andre Jones, age 66, followed Jesus to Heaven, full of peace and faith, surrounded by his loving wife and children, on December 20, 2021. He was born September 13, 1955, in La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin, France, while his father was stationed there in the U.S. Army. He was preceded in death by his father, Harold Jones, brother, Howard (Bub) Jones and sister, Paula Dixon.

Andre was a reliable husband, father, friend and a lifelong general contractor known for his expertise and integrity. Most recently, he partnered with his youngest son, Russell, to form A and R Jones Contracting Inc. Andre’s love of life was inspiring. He was always digging deep into his interests. He had many hobbies and a long list of mastered skills. Once he decided to learn about something, he put all he had into it. His most recent endeavor was sustainable farming and traditional food preparation as a way of providing his family with healthy, chemical-free food. He spent years converting woods on his property to pasture and began gardening, [Read more…] about Andre Jones – Obituary