The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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Letter To The Editor – I’m Upset

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To the Editor:
I was very upset when I read the Eastwick Press this week. (This letter was submitted on April 19.)
First of all, I respect the “freedom of speech” and the “freedom of press”.
What I don’t understand is the purpose of the reporters who go to school board meetings and town board meetings. I thought their job was to report what happens at the meetings. That appears to be what most of them do. I go to most of the school board meetings and Thadeus (sic) does a great job without putting his opinions down. I did not find that with what Kieron Kramer wrote on the town of Berlin meeting this month. It consisted of “his opinions”. He only needed to report on what the board discussed and voted on. All his remarks were very improper and not necessary.
I usually go to the town board meetings, too but missed them because of other commitments. I do know that the town board we have now is doing a great job and I support them 100%. I don’t have any personal opinions on the gun control laws since I don’t understand them that well, but we don’t need to hear an “outsiders” opinion.
Another issue is that Mr. Kramer should get other facts straight. There is no Commonwealth Avenue in Berlin. I believe the fire hydrant he wrote about would be located on Community Avenue. This is the hydrant that has been discussed at many board meetings.
JoAnn Kellar
Concerned resident of Berlin

Editor/Reporter’s response:
JoAnn is correct; there is no Commonwealth Avenue in Berlin. I must have had Boston on my mind when I wrote the story.
The hydrant referred to in the Berlin Town Board story of April 19 is, of course, on Community Avenue across from the firehouse. Even though I am an “outsider” – I wasn’t born on the Plank nor do I live in a hollow log on Bly Hollow Road – I have a visa that allowed me to visit the firehouse on Community Avenue several times – most notably for the hearings on the cell tower in Cherry Plain and the proposed purchase of the Berlin Lumber property and an overflow Town meeting on the same subject.
Seriously, JoAnn’s letter is instructive. In it she says, “I don’t have any personal opinions on the gun control laws since I don’t understand them that well…” Apparently, JoAnn, you are opposed to the NY Safe Act and the expanded background checks it calls for – the Town Board said so in a resolution at the April meeting.
Too often these days “freedom of the press,” which JoAnn and most everybody else says they support, really means freedom to tell them what they already know, what they already believe, what they want to hear. To tell a reporter that he or she must only repeat facts without putting them in context is just as much an “infringement” of Constitutional rights as gun control might be.
I’ve been covering Berlin Town Board meetings regularly since 1996 – I have only missed four, I think. During that time the Town Boards never passed a resolution on such a political issue.
However, the main purpose of JoAnn’s letter is to defend the Town Board. It’s not necessary. This is one of the most efficient and congenial Town Boards, and Supervisor Jaeger is perhaps the most far sighted, influential Supervisor in recent memory. What he has accomplished for his community will probably be considered historic – that’s just my opinion, of course – but it doesn’t mean he can’t make a mistake.

Limners Program At The Grafton Historical Society

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The Grafton Historical Society’s May meeting will be held at the Grafton Town Hall on May 15 at 7 pm. This month’s program will have Matthew McKeeby presenting “American folk artists known as limners.” The program is free and the public is welcome. Refreshments will be served.
A limner is the work of untrained, generally anonymous artists active in the English American colonies.  The limner tradition extended well into the 19th century.  Since the 1990s Matthew McKeeby has been crafting the very best quality oil-on-canvas reproductions of the works of great American folk artists, specializing in the world of Edward Hicks and the decorative painting style of Rufus Porter.
For more information call 518-641-9660 or email historicgrafton@aol.com.

Berlin Community Summer Feeding Program

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submitted by Trish Gerstel
Earlier this month the Berlin Community Food Closet (BCFC), a local emergency food distribution center, announced its “Summer Feeding Program” which will assist families whose children partake in the school system’s free/reduced-price breakfast and lunch program.
Unlike BCFC’s normal operations, the Summer Feeding Program will provide families with food  before they have a food emergency, noted Coordinator Trish Gerstel, who also described other ways that the program differs from the food closet’s standard program. “First, the amount of food distributed will be determined by the number of children versus the full family size. Also, this program will provide a full week’s worth of breakfast and lunch, including fresh fruits and vegetables; normally we distribute only non-perishable foods and provide for all three major meals for three days. Finally, to make this program work, we will be relying much more heavily on food donations from generous community members,” she said.
The reason for the last alteration is the inability to purchase Summer Feeding Program food through the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the food closet’s largest source of food for its standard operations. “Because the Summer Feeding Program focusses on a specific age group and because we are soliciting monetary donations, we cannot use Regional Food Bank foods in this program,” Gerstel said.
Families who would like to sign up for the program must return a completed Sign Up Form no later than June 3. These forms are available at the Berlin Community Food Closet, housed in the Berlin Seventh Day Baptist Church’s Maxson Fellowship Hall, North Main Street, as well as in the lobbies of the Berlin and Petersburgh Post Offices and the foyer of the Berlin Seventh Day Baptist Church. The forms also can be downloaded from the Church’s web site, www.berlinsdb.org. Distribution of food through this program will be held every Sunday of the summer vacation from June 16 to August 25 between 1 and 1:30 pm.
Community members interested in supporting the program can become a Sponsor by committing to a weekly donation of food to be dropped off at the BCFC between 12 and 12:30 pm on Sunday or a weekly monetary donation of $25-$30 – a total of $275 – $330 for the entire program. Questions regarding the program should be directed to Trish Gerstel at trishagerstel@berlinsdb.org.

Upcoming Events At The Stephentown Memorial Library

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• Build Your Own Bluebird Nestbox – Tuesday, May 14, at 4 pm – presented by the Wyomanock Center for Sustainable Living. Kids and adults love to make their own Bluebird box. Other birds that use this box include tree swallows, chickadees, titmice and wrens. It is a hands-on learning experience. Using pre-cut lumber with all materials and tools provided, everyone makes and takes home a bluebird nest box. Workshop presenter Thom Pecoraro, of the Wyomanock Center, has been an amateur birder, community advocate and environmental educator committed to sharing his appreciation of nature and earth stewardship. Please call the Library to register.
• Make a Jam Comic! – Tuesday, May 21, at 4 pm. Do you love comics, manga and graphic novels? This is an opportunity to work with others who share your interests. You will work on a collaborative comic where participants learn to “read” each other’s drawings. It encourages creative thinking, teamwork, critical thinking and developing a sense of storytelling. Ira Marcks is an artist from Troy. Check out his work at www.iramarcks.com. This program is part of Comics Connect, a collaborative project of the Mohawk Valley Library System and Upper Hudson Library System. Please call the Library to register.
For more information on any of these programs or to register for programs, call the Stephentown Memorial Library at 733-5750 or stop by during our Library hours. Also check our website, www.stephentownlibrary.org for regular updates.

Brownell and Goodermote Say More Convenient Bank Service Needed in Eastern Rensselaer County

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 submitted by Rich Crist, Rensselaer County Legislative Liaison
Rensselaer County Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote say residents of eastern Rensselaer County need more convenient banking options following the closure of a Bank of America branch late last year.
The closure by Bank of America of the Berlin branch means there is no bank service in the Taconic Valley – State Route 22 corridor between the Town of Hoosick and the Town of New Lebanon in Columbia County. A number of residents have been forced to travel across the state border into Massachusetts for banking service.
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Spaghetti Dinner In Stephentown To Benefit The Library

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The Friends of the Stephentown Memorial Library are cooking up a scrumptious spaghetti dinner on Saturday, May 18, to benefit the Library. The dinner will be served from 4 to 7 pm at the Stephentown Federated Church on Garfield Road. The pasta will be served with slowly simmered homemade vegetarian sauce with or without sweet Italian sausage on the side, accompanied by tossed salad, bread and butter, homemade cake and a choice of beverages. The price of the all you can eat dinner for those aged thirteen and over is $12, for those aged six to twelve, it’s $6, and age five and under eat free.  You may dine there or take out your dinners. The Church building is handicapped accessible. For more information, call 518-733-5923.