Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper
by Bea Peterson
Kelly O’Connor has been baking since she was 13. “I even went to college for it,” she said. She’s a graduate of Schenectady Community College. “They taught us to cook and bake,” she said. “But I chose to stick with what I loved – baking.” Kelly worked at Sweet Nothings in Round Lake for years. “That’s where I learned how to run a wholesale business,” she said. She also occasionally makes desserts for Peaches & Cream in Stuyvesant Plaza and the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy.
by Bea Peterson
Mayor David Borge opened the second meeting of the Hoosick Rising Economic Development meeting downstairs in the HAYC3 Armory on Wednesday, June 11, by saying, “Hoosick is a great place to live, a better place to work and play.” He said, “This is the Village and the Town working collaboratively. We need economic development downtown. We have terrific public and private schools, plenty of stuff for kids to do, the Country Club, Greenway and a rich history and traditions.”
He continued, “We need to start planning for the future and how to market the community. That is why we went with Camoin Associates. They have a lot of experience working with rural communities. They will help us develop strategy for our unique community and help us market the region. To do what’s best for the community we need new blood and new perspectives.”
Though Borge was encouraged by the larger group of people that attended this meeting, he said, “We need to continue recruitment, to interest more people to help increase visitation and tourism to our community, to attract new residents, grow businesses and continue the momentum that is beginning.”
Robert Camoin of Camoin Associates began his power point presentation noting that the necessary components for this are communication, initiatives and projects. Using the acronym SWOT for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, he told the group it is essential to identify initiatives and identify and prioritize project ideas. From there it is important to put together an economic development and marketing strategy.
Other areas are going through the same thing, he said. “The important thing is to develop a capacity to move forward.” He cited examples.
• Entrepreneurship, small businesses – how do we support them.
• Business friendly – zoning laws must be clear. Don’t change the rules in the middle of the process.
• Regionally – the community can’t do it alone, it needs to help and support other areas and vice versa.
• And a quality workforce is essential.
People And Leadership Needed
He encouraged everyone to “think big.” He cited the 30 million dollar Adirondack Museum on Blue Mountain Lake as an example of what a dedicated group can do. He encouraged those attending the meeting to make a plan and keep focused, to think about funding and incentives and to engage the private sector in funding. To these ends skilled leaders are needed. “Never doubt what a small group can do,” he concluded.
Next Meeting July 22
Christa Franzi of Camoin Associates said that at the next meeting on Tuesday, July 22, at 6:30 pm the group should be prepared to consider leadership and priority projects. She challenged those at the meeting to identify helpful social media, to find Hoosick Rising advocates and to invite five new people to attend the July meeting. She encouraged folks to begin thinking about private funding.
Franzi and Camoin expect that they will meet with the Hoosick Rising group four more times, about every two to three months for a year to offer ideas and encouragement for choosing and completing community projects.
by David Flint
The Republicans of Stephentown have selected John Meekins to run for Town Justice in the November election. At the end of this year, Wes Edwards will be completing his 51st year on the bench and has declined to run for another term.
At the caucus on Wednesday, June 18, Tammy Madden presiding asked for nominations from the floor. Two names were put forward, John Meekins and Joseph Champion. The votes were counted, and Meekins was declared the nominee. It has long been the policy of the Town Republican Committee not to disclose the vote counts in these caucus elections.
Joseph Champion has been a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals since 2004. He was nominated by the Republicans in 2009 to run for Town Justice but lost in the general election to incumbent Cyril Grant.
John Meekins, currently serving as Councilman on the Town Board, is a retired Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York. With degrees in both accounting and law, he has experience as an auditor as well as a financial crimes prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the NYS Attorney General’s Criminal Division. A Stephentown resident for 38 years, Meekins has been a member of the Fire Department and active in the Library, the Veterans and the Senior Citizens Club. If elected Meekins will have to resign his seat on the Town Board.
Town Democratic Committee Chairman Andrew White said that his party is in the discussion stage on this topic and they have no plans yet to hold a caucus.
Important Dates
• Tuesday, July 1, – Registration 8 am to 12 pm and 1 to 3 pm in the Guidance Office
• Tuesday, July 8, – 7/8 Classes Begin – 8 to 10:30 am
Wednesday, July 22 – Regents Prep Classes Begin
Wednesday July 23 – 7/8 First Semester Ends
Wednesday and Thursday, August 6 and 7 – 7/8 School Exams
Wednesday and Thursday, August 13-14 – Regents Exams
Friday, August 15 – Report Cards Mailed
7 And 8 Grade Summer School
Students in grades 7 and 8 who fail one or more core classes (ELA, math, social studies and science) are eligible for summer school.
They will be in attendance from 8 to 10:30 am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from July 8 to August 7.
The 7/8 program will focus on reading, writing and math skills.
Regents Prep Classes
(Dependent upon enrollment)
Regents Prep Classes will begin July 22 and run through August 12 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Session 1 Session 2
(8 to 9:15 am) (9:15 to 10:30 am)
Integrated Algebra Geometry
Earth Science Biology
U.S. History 11 Global Studies 10
by Bea Peterson
Businesswise, the Hoosick Federal Credit Union is state of the art. Walk into the Credit Union building on Church Street with its old fashioned decor, and President Jim Martinez hopes customers will have an “It’s a Wonderful Life” feeling. “Our debit card has a picture of the Thorpe Block as it was years ago,” he said.
With that spirit in mind, and with the rich art and entertainment history of the community, the HFCU has designed a credit card that honors some of its greatest artists.
Join us at the Library before, during and after the July 4 parade for one of our most delicious fundraisers – pie à la mode is back. Please come and enjoy homemade pie while you watch the parade. Calling all bakers – pies are made and donated by the Library Board and other friends of the Library. Pies can be dropped off at the Library Thursday, July 3, from 7 to 9 pm or on July 4th before the parade. Our sweet treats will be available from 10 am the morning of the parade.
Summer Reading Begins
Now that the solstice has passed, we begin Summer Reading at the Berlin Free Town Library. Sign up when you visit the Library to pick up reading logs. Our schedule of programs includes day and evening events. This year we also have Adult Summer Reading as well. Check it out!
Over the next couple of weeks, we offer the following programs:
• Tuesday, July 1 – 6:30 to 7:30 pm – Bedtime Story and Craft with Lisa Flynn for preschool to age 7;
• Wednesday, July 2 – 1 to 2 pm – The Flag presented by the Bennington Museum for age 8 to adult;
• Tuesday, July 8 – 6:30 to 7:30 pm – Bedtime Story and Craft by Colleen Mahoney for preschool to age 7.
• Wednesday, July 9 – 1 to 2 pm – Mystery Matter with the Scotia-Glenville Children’s Museum for age 8 and up.
• Thursday, July 10 – 6:30 to 7:30 pm – Irish Warrior Women and craft with Colleen Mahoney for age 7 and up.
The Grafton Community Library is kicking off its six week 2014 summer reading program with a slate of exciting weekly programs for kids and their families. These programs are free and open to all children. Come to the Library, call 279-0580 or visit online at graftoncommunitylibrary.org to see all the great programs this summer for young and old alike.
• Mystery Artifacts with the Bennington Museum – Tuesday, July 1, at 4 pm. Experts from the Bennington Museum will show us how to uncover the past with a hands-on investigation of real artifacts from the Museum’s collection which they will bring to the Library. Children will be challenged to become historical detectives, using their own background knowledge, observations and, most importantly, context clues to determine the possible uses of these unknown, mysterious objects.
• Preschool Storytime and Craft Session – Wednesday, July 2, at 10:30 am. All through the summer the Grafton Library will offer special weekly storytimes with science based themes and crafts. Children will have a chance to hear stories and do craft projects about dinosaurs, the five senses, construction and building, the human body, wind power and more.
• Community-Wide Geocache Treasure Hunt – Wednesday, July 9, at 10:30 am. Geocaching is a real world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache container with a special prize hidden at that location. Local organizations have created geocache locations all over Grafton. In this program, children and their families will learn the ins and outs of geocaching and have the option to borrow free GPS units from the Library to go out in the field and start hunting!
SML Closed For Independence Day Weekend
The Stephentown Memorial Library will be closed on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5 for Independence Day. Please use our book drop, located near the handicapped ramp on the front of the building, when we are closed. We wish you all a relaxing and happy holiday.
• Family Movie Night – On Friday, June 27, at 6:30 pm we will show a recently released animated movie. This movie is rated PG. Popcorn and juice will be served. This event is free, and all are welcome!
• Summer Reading Kick-Off – Saturday, June 28, at 2 pm. Start your summer vacation with an afternoon of science related crafts, music, snacks and fun.
Free Breakfast And Lunch For Kids
We are pleased to have been chosen as a feeding site for this federally funded program. We will be serving a healthy breakfast and lunch each weekday from July 7 through August 1. Breakfast will be from 8:30 to 9:30 am and lunch will be from 11:45 am to 12:45 pm in the community room. There is no charge and no income or residency requirement. All children under age 18 are encouraged to take advantage of this program.
• Traveling Pond by the Dyken Pond Environmental Center on Thursday, July 10, at 10 am. A traveling pond will “splash” its way to the Library with live fish, salamanders, frogs and insects. Children will be able to touch live animals and will learn how these animals survive in a watery environment. For all ages, no reservation is needed.
Annual Book Fair And Bake Sale
The Library will close early for the book sale setup. SML will be closing at 4 pm on Friday, July 18, and will be closed for business on Saturday, July 19. Please use our book drop, located near the handicapped ramp on the front of the building, when we are closed. We hope you will all join us for the Book Fest on Saturday, July 19, from 9 am to 3 pm.
Volunteers to bake items for the bake sale and to clean up afterwards are most welcome. Please contact Laurenne Teachout at the Library.
• Annual Book Fair And Bake Sale – Saturday, July 19, from 9 am to 3 pm. The Annual Book Festival which will have lots of great books for sale inside the Library and homemade food, a huge bake sale, local authors, local artisans and lots of kids activities and games outdoors. It will be fun for the whole family!
For more information, call the Stephentown Memorial Library at 733-5750. Check our website,www.stephentownlibrary.org for regular updates.
The New Lebanon Library kicks off its annual Summer Reading Program with Rocket Science on July 9 at 1 pm at Shatford Park. Mad Science of the Mid-Hudson will introduce us to rocketry, explaining how and why rockets fly and then will launch model rockets that soar several hundred feet into the air and deploy parachutes for their return. An ice cream social follows. Shatford Memorial Park is located on Route 22 approximately ¼ mile north of the Routes 20/22 split.
The theme of this year’s Summer Reading Program is Fizz, Boom, Read. Children who participate will receive a record book to keep track of all the books they read during the summer. They will receive a prize for every ten picture books, three chapter books or one teen or adult book they complete. Each time they visit the Library, they will be able to fill out an entry form for biweekly prize drawings.
Adults and teens also may participate. For each book they read over the summer, they may fill out an entry for biweekly prize drawings. The drawings will run from July 23 through August. There will be three drawings each session, one for children, one for teens and one for adults.
Special activities are planned. The first one is on July 16 at 1 pm in which kids ages 4-14 will build a Sunflower Castle for the whole town to enjoy.
The NL Library is open to all patrons, and all activities are free. A complete activities schedule is available at http://newlebanonlibrary.org/calendar/ or call the Library for more informationÑ794-8844. The Library is located at 550 State Route 20, 1/4 mile north of the yellow blinking light at the intersection of Routes 20/22.
Starting July 1 the Grafton Community Library will be open until 8 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
You spoke and we listened! Last fall, the Library conducted a survey to find out how to better serve the community. Patrons needed more time to get to the Library in the evening, and this is the first step towards better meeting those needs. In addition to the increased weekly hours, Library patrons can access all of the Library’s databases and collections of ebooks, downloadable audiobooks and streaming video anytime online at graftoncommunitylibrary.org.
