The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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New Water Source Announced for Hoosick Falls

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by Doug La Rocque

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released their decision on how to provide a new permanent source of clean drinking water for the Village of Hoosick Falls. That decision calls for:
• Developing two new groundwater supply wells. Existing test wells south of Hoosick Falls will be converted to production wells;
• Retaining one existing village well. Redundancy is required in the case of an outage of the primary wells;
• Constructing a water transmission line from the new wells to the village water treatment plant along public rights of way;
• Continued operation of the public water supply treatment plant to remove naturally occurring elements, and ensure disinfection and distribution to meet applicable water supply requirements; and
• Retaining the existing GAC treatment system to ensure removal of ambient organic compounds.

The two new well sites are on land off NYS Route 22 south of the Village, owned by Jeff Wysocki and Jerry LaCroix. That is what many had speculated would be the answer for a year now, ever since DEC [Read more…] about New Water Source Announced for Hoosick Falls

Latest PFOA/PFOS Testing Finds Three New Contaminated Wells in Poestenkill

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Submitted by the Rensselaer County Department of Health

A seventh round of sampling of properties in Poestenkill for PFOA has been concluded, with three new properties found to have levels of PFOA above the state-permitted levels, County officials announced on Thursday, December 2.

The results were finalized Wednesday and prepared for public release. The seventh round of testing results follows a sixth round last month in which no new properties were found to be [Read more…] about Latest PFOA/PFOS Testing Finds Three New Contaminated Wells in Poestenkill

Schodack Planning Board Highlights

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by Denise Wright 

During the December 6 Schodack Planning Board meeting, public hearings were a topic for discussion. The first was about Schuurman Road’s Schodack Golf 12 lot subdivision. The 294 acre project is looking to extend the water district approximately 900’. Board members voiced concern about drainage and the culvert on Schuurman Road. The presenter assured the Board they were not pushing water out on Schuurman Road. The Board approved the subdivision to go to engineering. 

The second public hearing was about the proposed special permit for a cemetery [Read more…] about Schodack Planning Board Highlights

Questionable Section of Track Is Under Repair in Hoosick Falls

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Throughout the summer, State, County and local officials have been urging Pan Am Railway to do something about an undersized culvert (disputed by Pan Am) that they contend is undermining the rail bed on a section of track near Railroad Avenue. County Legislator Bruce Patire and Hoosick Councilman Jerry McAuliffe have been leading the charge for the repairs, citing a NYS Department of Transportation safety inspection that said there is movement of the tracks when [Read more…] about Questionable Section of Track Is Under Repair in Hoosick Falls

Driver Dozes Off; Truck Goes Off Route 7

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by Steve Bradley

A tanker truck from New Hampshire was headed to the port at Albany to pick up gasoline when  it went off the north side of NYS Route 7 early Saturday morning, December 4, when the driver fell asleep. The accident occurred at 4:30 am at the Town of Hoosick/Pittstown line just east of Giuseppe’s Restaurant. Since the vehicle was [Read more…] about Driver Dozes Off; Truck Goes Off Route 7

Ashby Unveils “No Surrender” Veterans Initiative

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Submitted by the Office of Assemblyman Jake Ashby

Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R,C,I-Castleton), the Ranking Republican Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and an Army veteran, hosted the first “No Surrender” Veterans Initiative: Making PTSD a Priority roundtable event in the Capital Region on Wednesday, December 1.

The event, the first of six regional roundtables, was aimed at addressing the pervasive issue of [Read more…] about Ashby Unveils “No Surrender” Veterans Initiative

McLaughlin Charged With Misuse of Campaign Funds

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AG’s Office Claims Money Used to Pay Personal Debt

by Doug La Rocque

New York State Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday, December 1, announced the arrest and indictment of Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin on charges on Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and Offering a False Instrument for filing in the First Degree, both felonies. According to the press release from the Attorney General’s Office it is alleged that in November 2017, after having won the election to the County Executive’s post but while still serving as a member of the New York State Assembly, a personal dispute erupted between McLaughlin and a staffer over [Read more…] about McLaughlin Charged With Misuse of Campaign Funds

Another Rollover in Tibbits Forest

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by Steve Bradley

At 2 pm on Wednesday, December 1, a tractor trailer combination rolled over, again, in Tibbits Forest on NYS Route 7. The eastbound truck, carrying pallets of floor tile believed to be headed to Bennington, lost control on a curve about three-eighths of a mile east of the Man of Kent Pub. The driver and the other occupant were [Read more…] about Another Rollover in Tibbits Forest

Man Seriously Burned in Fire

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by Doug La Rocque with input from Sidewinder Photography

Shortly after 8 am on Friday morning, November 26, Stephentown firefighters were called to 4835 South Stephentown Road for a structure at Rainbow Ridge Farms. On arrival, Chief David Corlew reported the building to be fully involved and called for mutual aid from the neighboring Tsatsawassa and New Lebanon Fire companies. They also found 59-year-old Hanley Palmer in the driveway, badly burned. He was [Read more…] about Man Seriously Burned in Fire