The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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HFCS Budget Set – A 2% Tax Levy Increase Is Expected

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by Deb Alter

Hoosick Falls Central School District Board of Education approved their 2015-16 budget at their meeting on April 16, in the amount of $23,145,413

The budget-to-budget increase from this school year to next year’s budget is 2.9%, which increases the tax levy by 2%. This is below the maximum tax levy calculation, so it requires only a simple majority vote to pass. The District has come in below the tax cap limitation for three years running, ever since the law was put in place.

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BEHOLD! New Lebanon Receives $100,000 Grant

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Granted Provisional Charter From NY Board Of Regents

BEHOLD! New Lebanon, the nation’s first living museum of contemporary rural American life, today announced that is has been awarded a $100,000 grant from The Educational Foundation of America. Its largest single donation to date, the grant will cover the development of new programming and other operational support for the museum, which kicks-off its first full season on July 4.

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Stephentown, Berlin, Grafton Fire Department Open House And Recruiting Day April 25, 2015

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Three valley Volunteer Fire Departments will hold a coordinated open house and recruitment drive at their fire stations Saturday, April 24.  The event will allow the fire departments a chance to highlight the duties and rewards that come with being a volunteer.  We’ve increased our recruiting footprint by adding recruiting information at Berlin High School.   Junior members can join at age 16-17.   With no upper age limit, retirees can be a huge asset for our emergency services, especially as drivers.

Volunteer departments respond to all types of emergencies including fires, vehicle accidents, hazardous materials, rescue and emergency medical.   Our members are able to choose specialties, and can be trained as interior firefighters, scene support personnel, Emergency Medical Technicians, drivers, or fire police who assist at traffic control at many of our incidents.  Free training is provided in all these specialties.

Every member of these departments is a volunteer. Filling the ranks with volunteers keeps taxes low for the entire community.  We’re all neighbors helping neighbors.

As volunteer firefighters we learn to do dangerous things safely.  We weigh risks and benefits.  We proudly serve our community.  We’re the solution to all manner of emergencies.  Sometimes a crew of two suffices, other times the emergency grows so we need every member in the valley.  Fielding a larger crew resolves the emergency quickly and safely.  Some benefits of volunteering are scholarships for higher education and income tax credits.  We need new recruits to continue to serve our community.

This drive is part of RecruitNY, sponsored by the Firemen’s association of the State of New York, which is coordinating statewide recruiting.  Numerous other departments are also holding open houses.   Check recruitny.org  or  www.svfd1.org  for more information, or phone Bob Adler at 733-5749, or just stop by your local station for some refreshments and see what we do and how you can contribute to our community.

The hours when the local stations will be open are: Stephentown 10 am to 2 pm; Berlin 9 am to 3 pm; Grafton  10 am to 2 pm. Come say hello! For more information contact Bob Adler, Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department, at 733-5749.

Hoosick Falls Country Club Re-Opens

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submitted by Krissy Fauler

After a long, cold winter, the Hoosick Falls Country Club has re-opened.  On July 16, 2014, there was a kitchen fire that put the kitchen in the clubhouse out of commission and also resulted in damage in the dining area.  The Country Club shut down entirely in late October. Since that time the Club worked with the insurance company to determine the cost to repair the kitchen and dining areas, and finally came to an agreeable amount at the end of January.

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Berlin Volunteer Fire Co., Inc. To Participate In 3rd Annual Statewide “RecruitNY” Weekend

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Recruitment Open House To Be Held At Berlin Fire House On April 25

The Berlin Volunteer Fire Co., Inc. will open its doors to area residents, so they can learn about what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter in their community, as part of the third annual RecruitNY statewide initiative. Over the last several years, it has been very tough for many fire departments throughout New York State to recruit and retain volunteers for a variety of reasons. Like most volunteer fire departments, the Berlin Volunteer Fire Co., Inc. needs to bolster its emergency responder numbers, so it can continue to provide the optimum level of protection for its residents.

As part of RecruitNY, on Saturday, April 25 between 9 am and 3 pm, the Berlin Volunteer Fire Co., Inc. located at 11 Community Avenue, Berlin, NY will join volunteer fire departments all across the state at their respective firehouses for a unified  recruitment drive, as part of National Volunteer Week. Not only will RecruitNY be an opportunity to highlight the duties and rewards that come with being a volunteer firefighter, it will also raise public awareness about the need for volunteers.

Throughout the day, the Berlin Volunteer Fire Co., Inc. will conduct tours of the station and firefighter apparatus, allow visitors to try on firefighter gear, and provide activities and stations throughout the firehouse for visitors. The fire department will discuss the requirements to be a volunteer, as well as conduct demonstrations, answer questions, and let visitors know how to get involved in the fire department.

Come on out and join us for this unique recruitment day at our firehouse.  This is a great opportunity for our neighbors to observe the exciting tasks of a firefighter. Our current members love what they do – helping neighbors in need. We hope our recruitment day will inspire other area residents to join our fire service family.  Check out our website for upcoming events http://berlinvolunteerfirecompany.webs.com/.

Second Annual Symphonic And Community Band Concert

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After the success of the first combined band concert last year it was immediately planned for a second event. This concert will be held on Wednesday evening, April 29, at 7:30 pm. The location is the stage of Hoosick Falls Central School.

The Symphonic band of thirty five members under the direction of Rob Allen will open the program with: Children of the Shrine March by James Swearingen, Of Dark Lords and Ancient Kings by Roland Barrett,  Novo Lenio by Samuel Hazo, Stairway to Heaven by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant arranged by Frank Erickson.

The Hoosick Falls Community Band directed by Bill Gaillard will present; Silvercrest March by James Swearingen, Dragonheart by Randy Edelman and arranged by Frank Bernaerts, Ensenda Overture by Joseph Olivadoti, Man of LaMancha by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion arranged by Frank Erickson and New York, New York by John Kander and Fred Ebb arranged by Frank Cofield.

The combined bands totaling ninety musicians will present: Invicta by James Swearingen (conducted by Bill Gaillard), Under an Irish Sky by Larry Neek, Shipwrecked by Ryan Nowlin (conducted by Rob Allen), 1812 Overture by Peter Tschaikovsky arranged by Mark Williams.

Plant Sale In Berlin

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Berlin Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary is having a spring Plant Sale on Saturday May 2 from 9 am to 1 pm at the former Bank Of America building in Berlin, and on Sunday May 3 from 8 to 11 am at the Berlin Firehouse – during the fire department breakfast.

Vegetables, flowers, and hanging baskets will be available for purchase.