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Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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Closing Of Grafton And Stephentown Elementary Schools Still Raises Hackles

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by David Flint

Sparks flew at last week’s Berlin School Board meeting regarding the Board’s decision three months ago to close the Grafton and Stephentown elementary schools. Tyler Sawyer, former Supervisor of the Town of Grafton, appeared before the Board to ask about their reaction to a letter he had forwarded to them from Robert J. Freeman, Executive Director of the Committee on Open Government. In his letter, dated August 28, Freeman expressed his opinion that the Board’s action in making a crucial decision just prior to midnight and continuing discussion to 1:30 am might not have been in line with the intent of the New York State Open Meetings Law. 

Sawyer had some time ago asked for an opinion from Freeman, noting that the meeting had begun at 7 pm but that by 8:30 pm it became clear, as Freeman summarized Sawyer’s objection, “that certain Board members already knew what direction they wanted to take when it came to the closing of our rural schools in favor of centralization of the District. But with so many people still in attendance, it also became clear to [you] that they felt the timing was not right to discuss it at that point. That is when Chairman Zwack turned over the meeting to Board Member Morelli to begin what [you] can only equate as an old time filibuster.” 

Sawyer said he and other community members left the meeting before midnight and only found out the next day about the decision to close the schools and the ensuing discussion into the wee hours about the possibility of spending up to $17 million for renovations and new construction. 

Freeman said that while the Open Meetings Law does not specify when meetings must be held, it does state that, “It is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that the public business be performed in an open and public manner and that the citizens of this state be fully aware of and able to observe the performance of public officials and attend and listen to the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy.” Citing a judicial decision against a school district that held a meeting at 7:30 am, Freeman concluded that, “From my perspective, voting on an issue and discussing matters of great significance to taxpayers in the community so late at night would be found by a court to be unreasonable, particularly under the circumstances that you described. If indeed there was a filibuster, an effort to delay discussing or acting on issues until those most or all of those interested in attending exited due to the lateness of the hour, it might effectively be contended that there was essentially an intent to discuss matters of great importance to the public and act in private in contravention of the spirit, if not the letter of the Open Meetings Law.”

Sawyer said he was not accusing the Board of intentionally dragging out the meeting, but, regardless of the intent, the perception in the community was that it was not fair to make such a central decision at such an hour. He said 50 to 70 community members were at the meeting thinking that this was just the beginning of a process for discussing the school closings but most had to leave, as he did, well before the decision happened. 

Board Member Tom Morelli responded vehemently that he applauded the Board for taking the time and effort that was needed to come to a consensus on important issues. He pointed out that the Board had spent over 18 months examining and weighing the issues. He resented it that people would seek to indict “a team that has been putting out enormous energy and brainpower to come up with solutions.” He said that Freeman’s opinion was just that, an opinion, and not a statement of fact. He made a motion that the Board request a legal opinion in response to Freeman’s letter from the attorneys who were present at the meeting. 

Board President Frank Zwack said, “If [the meeting] took longer than it should have, then I am to blame.” He said he wanted to let each Board Member have as much time as they felt they needed to fully discuss the issue and he refused to shut down discussion or take shortcuts as the Board was elected to represent the community and provide checks and balances. 

Board Member Julie Darling, who along with Donald French and Beverly Stewart had opposed the vote on closing the schools, pointed out in the Board’s defense that the meeting was not scheduled to go to 1:30 am, but, “It just took us time to do it.” She agreed with getting the legal opinion saying, “As a Board we need to protect ourselves.” 

The motion to get the legal opinion on the timeliness of the meeting and the Board’s legal responsibilities in adhering to the Open Meetings Law was seconded by Donald French and passed unanimously 7-0. 

SEQRA Declarations Delayed

The Board’s vote to submit declarations regarding the environmental impact of the proposed capital project under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) failed to pass. The administration had tentatively prepared declarations that there would be no significant environmental impact from the proposed additions, improvements and upgrades at Berlin Elementary School, the Jr/Sr High School and the bus garage. The State Education Department cannot review any construction proposal until the SEQR process is complete, but Beverly Stewart said she had qualms about agreeing to statements such as that there would be no additional vehicular traffic at the elementary school. Tom Morelli also objected that there had not been sufficient discussion on the Board about various aspects of environmental impact. He insisted that the Board needed to be perceived as having done due diligence in this matter. Don French agreed that the Board would be jumping the gun by approving the negative declarations without having seen the detailed plans and without having discussed environmental impact. Interim Business Administrator Scott Hunter said he thought the Board had done due diligence by having qualified architects advise them on this, but Julie Darling joined the dissenters to defeat the vote to submit by 4-3. The Board will now bring in an attorney to walk them through the SEQR process.

Bids Accepted For Outdoor Basketball Court

Another split vote involved the new outdoor basketball court to be installed at the high school. About $4,600 had been donated for this purpose some years ago in honor of former Schools Superintendent David Sicko, former Buildings & Grounds Superintendent Steve Genaway and former Business Manager Fran Zuke. Money from a Bruno grant received a couple of years ago has also been allocated for the project, making about $31,600 available. The Board approved bids from CWG Excavating to relocate an existing volleyball court and do the excavation for both courts for a total of $21,900 and a bid from Callanan Industries to do the paving for $12,700. Tom Morelli objected saying he did not recall that this expenditure had been discussed in the budget process last spring. He said he wanted the project done but he wanted it done right. Although others on the Board recalled that it had been discussed and approved along with a new score board, Don French agreed with Morelli and suggested it be put off until they had a chance to review exactly what had been approved earlier. He also wanted more detail on how much it would cost to complete the project with seal coating, hoops and lighting. The vote to accept the bids passed 5-2 with Morelli and French voting no. 

Enrollment Projections

Business Administrator Hunter presented updated enrollment projections based on the Cohort Survival method. His study indicates that school population in the elementary grades (k-5) appear to have bottomed out at 403, having dropped from 481 in 2001-02. By 2013-14 the data shows there could be a slight increase. The number of students in grades 6-12 has declined from 589 in 2001-02 to 481 presently. Hunter’s figures show a continuing decline through the school year 2013-14 when enrollment is shown to be 838. After that the data indicates enrollment is pretty much flat through 2018-19. 

Savings Detailed From School Closings

Hunter also presented a breakdown of the projected savings to the District from closing the Grafton and Stephentown schools. At Stephentown savings in staff are expected to be $258,970, savings in supplies and services $19,344, savings in utilities $24,133 and savings in employee benefits $126,206, for a total of $428,653. At Grafton the numbers are $192,184 for staff, $23,678 for supplies and services, $30,239 for utilities and $60,151 for employee benefits, for a total of $306,252, and a combined total for the two schools of $734,906. Added to that are additional amounts related to administration and teacher retirement amounting to $255,971, for a grand total of $990,876. 

Beverly Stewart wanted to know why there were no savings included on the list for the Principal and School Nurse at Grafton. She said that was said to be one of the main reasons for closing Grafton, to realize those savings. She wanted to know if now it was planned to have two principals and two nurses at Berlin. Interim Superintendent Charlotte Gregory responded that they were leaving the Board that option but they could be cut later. Frank Zwack said the list was intended to be a very conservative indication of savings and that it was expected the savings would be better than indicated here. The positions have not been settled upon, he said, but it is better to have the savings estimate as low as possible for State aid purposes. But Stewart was not mollified, saying, “I feel deceived.” She noted that she had proposed a capital program costing only $7 million that would have closed Berlin Elementary and left Grafton and Stephentown open, but was told that wouldn’t work largely because it would still leave the District paying for two building principals. 

The Board set a capital project workshop meeting for Monday, September 29. at 6:30 pm at Berlin Elementary School and their next regular meeting for Tuesday, October 21, at 7 pm at the high school.

Mona Marie Thomson

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Hoosick Falls – Mona Marie Thomson, 93, of Wood Park Lane, Hoosick Falls, NY, died on Thursday, September 18, 2008, at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, VT, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Petersburgh, NY, on March 19, 1915, she was the daughter of the late Alton Thomson and Eva Smith Watrous. She was the step-daughter of the late James Watrous.

Mona was educated in Petersburgh, Hoosick Falls and Rensselaer. She was a graduate of the Ritter School of Floral Design in Boston, MA. Mona had an independent and adventurous nature, trying her hand at numerous occupations including window dressing, floral design in Mt. Vernon, NY, and narrator on Shoreline Cruise Lines in Sarasota, FL. She also bought and sold antiques. She enjoyed traveling, taking her grandchildren to Hershey Park, PA, visiting old friends and spending the holidays with her daughter’s family. She was pre-deceased by an infant brother, Malcolm.

Survivors include her daughter, Audrey and husband Ronald Bartus of Petersburgh, a son, Dennis and wife Patricia Moon of Berlin, NY, grandchildren, Anthony and wife Linda Wescott, Dawn and husband William MacVeigh, Randy and Jerusha Jarvis, Sara and husband Ronald Bierwirth, Tracey and husband Melvin Teal, Holly, Jessica, Dennis and wife Margie and Jason Moon along with 22 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandsons.

Funeral services were on Sunday, September 21, at the Thomas M. Barber Funeral Home, 66 Armsby Road, Petersburgh, where Rev. Trygve Tomlinson officiated. Interment followed in the Meadowlawn Cemetery.

Relatives and friends were invited to the funeral home on Sunday from noon until the start of the service. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Mitochondria Disease Foundation, 8085 Saltsburg Road, Suite 201, Pittsburgh, PA, 15239, or online at www.umdf.org.

Roger F. Cox

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Berlin – Roger F. Cox, 82, of 104 Dutch Church Road, Berlin, NY,  died on Thursday, September 18, 2008, from heart failure. Roger was born in Hartford, CT, and was the son of the late Milton and Marion Fauntleroy Cox. He was a descendant of Louis “Little Lord” Fauntleroy and the Alden, Bradford, Mullins and Rogers Mayflower families.

Roger graduated from East Hartford High School and attended the University of Connecticut where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was employed by the East Hartford Fire Department #5, in the family business (Cox’s Service Station), grew broadleaf tobacco, retired from the Grand Union Company in Waterford, NY, and established a blueberry farm. He was a member of the Orient Masonic Lodge in Connecticut.

Roger is survived and will be missed by his wife, Doris Schulze Cox, his daughters, Cheryl and husband Vincent Perrone of Bainbridge Island, WA, and Karen Cox and John Bergeron of Chittenden, VT, his grandchildren, Andrew and Claire Perrone, his brother, Bradford and his wife Carol Cox of RI, his sisters, Nanette and her husband Cortland Gray of CT and Susan and her husband Walter Swafford of NC, and several nieces and nephews.

Roger’s family wishes to acknowledge the care and kindness of the staff of 4 Gabe at St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany, NY, and many friends for their support.

Roger requested that no formal services be held. An open house to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, October 11, from 1 to 4 pm at the family farm.

The family suggests donations be sent to Cheryl Perrone, 11220 Fieldstone Lane, NE, Bainbridge Island, WA, 98110, to purchase a memorial bench for Roger’s favorite beach on Cape Cod. His ashes will be scattered at his favorite places.

George T. Westley

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Grafton – George T. Westley, 57, formerly of Grafton, NY, died on Sunday morning, September 21, 2008, at Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY, with his loving wife at his bedside after a long illness.

Born on July 28, 1951, in Port Huron, MI, he was the loving husband of Margie Lou Boomhower Westley, whom he married on September 30, 1989. He was raised by his late aunt and uncle, Benjamin and Donna Lucas. A 1969 graduate of Port Huron High School, he entered the United States Army after graduation and proudly served his country in Vietnam. He lived in Whitehall, NY, and moved to Grafton in 1993. He worked in the housekeeping department of St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY, until his illness in 2003.

Survivors include his wife, Margie, his mother-in-law, Isabelle Boomhower of Grafton, a sister-in-law, Julie Boomhower of Berlin, NY, a brother-in-law, Mark Boomhower of Grafton, nieces Judy and Carolyn Williams, and a nephew, Cody Blain.

Services are Thursday afternoon at 2 pm in the Thomas M. Barber Funeral Home, 66 Armsby Road, Petersburgh, with the Rev. Robert Hurd of the Grafton United Methodist Church officiating. There will be no calling hours. Interment will follow in Eagle Mills Cemetery. A gathering celebrating George’s life will follow in the Fellowship Hall of the Grafton United Methodist Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Church in care of the funeral home, PO Box 361, Petersburgh, NY, 12138.

Filming In Stephentown – Locals Enjoy Taking Woodstock

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A traffic jam? Or is it? No, it’s a rehearsal at Stone Bridge Pond in Stephentown of the traffic jam scene during the filming of Taking Woodstock. (David Flint photo)
A traffic jam? Or is it? No, it’s a rehearsal at Stone Bridge Pond in Stephentown of the traffic jam scene during the filming of Taking Woodstock. (David Flint photo)

by David Flint

Hundreds of Taking Woodstock extras were gathered by Stone Bridge Pond in Stephentown Saturday morning waiting for rehearsal of crowd scenes along Route 43 intended to depict the jam up of people and vehicles making their way to the 1969 Woodstock festival. Among them were three young women who had been picked – for whatever reason they did not know – to portray three nuns who were at the festival flashing peace signs. Collette Kulas from Stephentown, Kathleen McCarthy from

The three nuns, without their costumes, at rehearsal Saturday (l-r) Collette Kulas, Kathleen McCarthy and Kelly O’Loughlin. (David Flint photo)
The three nuns, without their costumes, at rehearsal Saturday (l-r) Collette Kulas, Kathleen McCarthy and Kelly O’Loughlin. (David Flint photo)

Glenmont and Kelly O’Loughlin from Cheshire, MA, appeared to be having a great time, not minding the long waits for any action to take place. Though all three happened to be Catholic, none had any experience being nuns, but no matter…  “I’m Catholic, but I’m sure I was picked solely for my acting ability,”quipped O’Loughlin. On Friday they were fitted for their habits at the former Ceramaseal building in New Lebanon. “It was a totally well orchestrated operation,” said Kulas. “They must have raided every Good Will and thrift shop in the area.” She said they had tons of sneakers, moccasins and all sorts of clothing and paraphernalia. For the girls they produced beige religious habits with cream colored tunics, a modern veil and the requisite sensible black shoes. All three said they were thoroughly enjoying the experience of movie making and looked forward to the actual shoot the next day. 

Susie Cooper of Stephentown was actually at the Woodstock festival 40 years ago with her two sisters. “It wasn’t only hippies,” she said. They camped out in a tent and fortunately had thought to bring a large

supply of food and drink with them. She recalls the monstrous traffic jam and how she burned out the clutch on her ’66 Mustang, but they had “a wonderful time.” This time around, as an extra in the movie, Cooper was told, “You’re on the other side now!” She was cast as one of a group of “unhappy townspersons” dismayed at the invasion of their town by half a million hippies. She had to stand across the road from the recreated El Monaco motel on Route 20 in New Lebanon and stare with arms folded and a grumpy face at the crowds of young people going by. 

 

The props were carefully researched and historically accurate. Here is the set for a food stand selling lemonade, watermelon and corn to the people stuck in the traffic jam on their way to Woodstock. Photo by Brian.L.Houle /I.P.A. 518-858-6966
The props were carefully researched and historically accurate. Here is the set for a food stand selling lemonade, watermelon and corn to the people stuck in the traffic jam on their way to Woodstock. Photo by Brian.L.Houle /I.P.A. 518-858-6966

Cooper says if she doesn’t end up on the cutting room floor, she’ll be easy to spot in her hideous yellow hat. “I looked like a daisy,” she said, with her hair in a bun in the yellow hat and wearing a red shirt, brown shorts and blue sneakers. 

Cooper had nothing but good to say about the experience. It was a lot of fun mixing with people from all over, even if the long waits got a bit boring at times. It took a whole day to do one scene, she says, shooting it about eight times from every possible angle. Ang Lee was directing and only he got to say “Action,” but Cooper said the Assistant Director otherwise did most of the yelling. While they were waiting they got to watch another scene being filmed at the El Monaco in which Liev Schreiber as a drag queen in a pink dress and a blond wig met up with Eliot Tiber played by Demetri Martin. Both appeared to be friendly and relaxed while not on camera and spent time interacting with the hippy extras on the set, with Martin singing and playing guitar. 

Cooper was impressed not only with how many people it takes to make a movie but also with how friendly and attentive and organized they all appeared to be. The wardrobe and makeup operation at the Ceramaseal building was especially impressive with aisles and aisles and racks and racks of clothing all sorted and sized.  

It has been a family affair for the Rogers of Stephentown. Janet and Eddy Rogers have been in about six scenes already with two of their vehicles, a red ’68 Chevy pickup and a ’41 Plymouth sedan. They had their truck in the traffic jam scene on Sunday by Stone Bridge Pond and their daughter Lacey also appeared as an extra in that scene. Though young enough to have been a hippy, Lacey was designated to be a local, and her part was to alert a cop on a motorcycle to a drug deal going down. Part of the scene also involved a young couple supposedly having sex in the back of a truck. Lacey noted with amusement how particular Director Ang Lee was in adjusting the arms and legs and clothing of the actors. It had to be just right. 

Lacey’s 2-year old daughter Zolee also did her part. At a farm scene in Schodack she played the role of a hippy child with a group of young people walking toward a field while a military helicopter evacuated a pregnant woman. Lacey said, “Zolee did very well,” in her first experience as an actress.  

The Rogers had their ’68 truck in the very first shoot that took place down in Hillsdale. They were also in several other scenes filmed on Route 20 in New Lebanon by the El Monaco motel. “It was very professional,” Janet said. “All the movie people were very nice and concerned about the extras. They provided sunscreen and kept us well hydrated and fed.” Rogers said they received $250 a day for vehicles; extras got $100 a day. Most of the time was spent waiting. Then when shooting happened, it was repeated maybe eight times. Janet recalled how in one scene a group of guys were supposed to strip to their underwear, then run and jump in the motel pool. They had to do this at least seven times. 

Janet Rogers was very impressed with the magnificent catered meals served to vehicle drivers who got to eat in big tents with cast and crew. It was definitely first class. Lacey said the box lunches and snacks served to the crowds of extras were certainly adequate but it was definitely second class compared to the feasts her Mom experienced. 

“It’s been good for the community,” Janet said. “It’s meant a lot of money coming in to restaurants and other businesses.” Lacey agreed, “It was fun to mingle with all these people coming from all over. I hope to do it again.”

Audrey Humphrey of Stephentown is 19 and hadn’t known much about the Woodstock festival. But her friends thought she’d be a natural for an extra with her long curly hair. So she went to open casting at the Lebanon Valley Racetrack a couple of weeks ago. She was spotted immediately and was able to bypass a long line of applicants. She filled out an application, had her photo taken and a number assigned. She returned the next day for her wardrobe. Her costume she described as “terrible red suede shorts with button up things on the side, a tube top that kind’a looked like it was made of hemp, a brown leather vest with fringes and beads and all that jazz, and sandals that wrapped around my legs.” Her hair was deemed to be perfect as is. 

 

This Fool Bus in the movie is a comment on education by the rebellious youth of the 60s. Photo by Brian.L.Houle /I.P.A. 518-858-6966
This Fool Bus in the movie is a comment on education by the rebellious youth of the 60s. Photo by Brian.L.Houle /I.P.A. 518-858-6966

Thursday night she was called and told to report the next day at 8 am to the staging area in New Lebanon. From there the extras were bussed to the Ceramaseal building where they changed into costumes, had their hair done and makeup applied. They were then bussed to a huge field in Schodack set up to be the scene of the festival. In her first scene Audrey played the role of a young Buddhist espousing peace and greeting visitors in her hut. In another scene Audrey lay on a cot in an emergency medical tent with a bloody injured foot. Audrey said that makeup had been applied to her foot but Ang Lee was not satisfied with it so he personally stepped in and did the job himself, so that it was just right. Audrey noted that Demetri Martin as Eliot Tiber and Emile Hersch, playing a recently returned Vietnam veteran, both had roles in this scene. Audrey remarked on how realistically the scenes were set up. “It was very, very strange,” she said. “You couldn’t help but feel you were back in 1969. It was kind of hard not to get into the role of your character.” 

It took four hours to do one scene of a minute and a half, Audrey said. It was a very long day, and the weather was cold and nasty so the extras ended up very muddy and bedraggled, much like at the real Woodstock 40 years ago. To top it off, the bus taking them back to New Lebanon went off the road and was at risk of toppling into a ditch. The Schodack FD was called, chained up the bus and evacuated the bus load of scruffy hippies.  Nonetheless, Audrey said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience and hopes to be called back for more scenes in Taking Woodstock.

The money expended locally by the movie people has been a welcome shot in the arm for many area restaurants and businesses. Paul Sykes said Ang Lee stopped in at his store in Stephentown with some of his crew and looked around for anything and everything they might be able to use in setting up scenes. They were all very pleasant and interesting people, Paul said. They were happy to find a lot of things for props and costumes that had been around the store for many years – old hats and scarves, bolts of cloth, orange and melon crates, lamps, quilt pieces, dried flower arrangements, a real hodge podge of stuff that they piled into three vans. There was no quibbling about prices. Some of them have been back repeatedly looking for Rita Sykes’ baked goods. Paul also made an arrangement with them to park their vehicles alongside his store when they film a scene at the Stephentown Hotel on October 6 and 7. 

“It’s been good for the whole valley,” Paul said, “especially in these hard economic times. It’s like found money.” 

Filming is now said to be more than half completed. Still to come in Stephentown, besides the scene at the Stephentown Hotel, is a scene next week at a barn on Neil Gardner’s property and a scene at the Evangelical Community Church on October 2 and 3.

First Hoosick Land Use Workshop Held

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by Bea Peterson

 

Windmills, greenhouses, fences and riding stables were some of the topics reviewed at the first Hoosick Land Use workshop held on Thursday, September 11 at the Armory. Eight interested residents, members of the Land Use Commission, Marianne Zwicklbauer, Rensselaer County representative Linda von der Heide, Gail Delurey, John Smith, Ellen Scott, and Wally Sheffer, Sr., Supervisor Marilyn Douglas and Hoosick Building Inspector Ed King made up the group that gathered around four tables and for an hour discussed various aspects of the draft law. Points brought up by each table were then discussed by everyone present. A concern of all the tables was what defines the hamlet of West Hoosick, an issue they

Principal Planner for Rensselaer County Economic Development Linda von der Heide (glasses) went over portions of the Land Use Law with Everett Quackenbush, Marianne Zwicklbauer and John Smith at last Thursday’s workshop. Behind her Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas discusses the Law with another of the workshop groups. (Bea Peterson photo)
Principal Planner for Rensselaer County Economic Development Linda von der Heide (glasses) went over portions of the Land Use Law with Everett Quackenbush, Marianne Zwicklbauer and John Smith at last Thursday’s workshop. Behind her Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas discusses the Law with another of the workshop groups. (Bea Peterson photo)

hope to clarify at the West Hoosick meeting in October. Site plans and size restrictions were questioned regarding greenhouses and riding stables. Should windmills require a special permit? Five acre density was discussed. If a farmer sells an acre of land to someone to build a house on, then four acres should be set aside as forever farmland. The desire is that, for example, on a 100 acre plot, 20 houses could be built on one acre lots and 80 acres would remain farmland. Or 20 houses on two acre lots, 160 acres remaining farmland.

The difference between manufactured homes, mobile homes and doublewides was discussed. Should they be required to have foundations or are slabs sufficient. Roof pitch was also discussed. 

Clarification of some sections of the draft were requested. Copies of the 42 page draft law are available for review at the Hoosick Town Hall in the Armory and at the Cheney Library. Meetings by hamlet will be held on September 18 at the Buskirk Fire Hall, October 6 at the North Hoosick Fire Hall, October 15 at the Hoosick Fire Hall and October 22 at the West Hoosick Fire Hall. After these meetings the Commission will review the comments they have gathered, incorporate any changes, make corrections and then, in December or January, they will hold another Public Hearing to further review the law.

Hoosick Rescue Squad Recognizes Honorary Members

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Hoosick Rescue Squad members were on hand as Squad President Bill Gaillard (far right) bestowed Honorary Membership to (l-r) Alan Bornt, Walter Zwinge and Thomas Witkowski Wednesday evening. (Bea Peterson photo)
Hoosick Rescue Squad members were on hand as Squad President Bill Gaillard (far right) bestowed Honorary Membership to (l-r) Alan Bornt, Walter Zwinge and Thomas Witkowski Wednesday evening. (Bea Peterson photo)

 

 

by Bea Peterson

On Wednesday evening, September 17, members of the Rescue Squad gathered to grant Honorary Membership to Alan Bornt for his contribution of knowledge on the radio system that helps the community. He shared this knowledge during the Squad’s frequency change earlier in the year.

Walter Zwinge is caretaker of the Time-Warner facility which houses the radio transmission equipment as well as the cable translators. Squad members say he is always available when they need access to the facility on Oak Street.

Thomas Witkowski was honored for the work he and his crew do in cleaning the Rescue Squad quarters and ambulances and mowing and trimming of the grounds on a weekly basis.

Hoosick Rescue Squad President Bill Gaillard said, “We thank all of these people who have made our lives easier.”

Break In At Petersburgh Town Garage

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by Alex Brooks

At the Petersburgh Town Board meeting on Monday evening Highway Superintendent Ray Harrison said someone broke into the Town Highway Garage on Tuesday night, September 9, but they didn’t take anything. They took out a screwdriver and crescent wrench and removed a radiator grille from an old car back there, but left the tools and the grille lying around. Harrison also said the County paved over the new culvert on East Hollow Road this week and that project is completed.

PVMCC Sets Goals For 2009

Susan Nelsen gave her monthly report to the Board about the Petersburgh Veterans Memorial Community Center (PVMCC). She said the PVMCC Board set goals for itself for the coming year. Among these were completion of the capital project, development of a program expansion, development of some annual fund-raising events, seeking ways to make PVMCC and its building “greener” and continuing to seek grants and develop volunteer programs. Nelsen also noted that from 2006 to the present, the PVMCC has secured $95,810 in grant funding, $20,810 for program and $75,000 for capital improvements.

Rensselaer Plateau Alliance

Jim Bonesteel of the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance gave a presentation about his organization and their efforts to develop a conservation plan for the Plateau. The area he calls the Rensselaer Plateau is more or less the area between Route 22 and the Brunswick Town line on the east-west axis and from Route 7 to Route 43 on the north-south axis.  He said it is one of New York State’s largest intact forest ecosystems, comprising about 105,000 acres. He noted that the Audubon Society has designated it as an important area for bird habitat.

Bonesteel said his group advocates for conservation of the Plateau and seeks to preserve wildlife habitat and the rural character of the area and to promote commercial uses consistent with such preservation. Some that he mentioned were recreation businesses, hospitality and tourism, maple syrup, logging and the like.

Bonesteel said his group has applied for a grant to write a Conservation Plan for the Plateau, and if they get it, they will be holding a series of workshops aimed at soliciting input from residents and town officials to be included in the plan. He was seeking the cooperation and participation of the Town of Petersburgh in this process.

After he finished his presentation, Ray Broadwell asked him how he expects the plan to be enforced.  Bonesteel said his group’s project is more about creating a plan than creating regulations. He spoke of “raising consciousness” and “energizing non-profits to protect important areas” and said his group is not looking to raise the regulatory burden.

Broadwell remained skeptical and said he thinks there is too much regulation in America and he thinks the conservation plan is likely at some point to lead to restrictions which are going to cost somebody some money.

Bonesteel said the Conservation Plan is an $80,000 project and the grant request is for $60,000. He said it would be used to hire a facilitator to run the public meetings, a GIS mapper and an ecologist. He asked the Town Board to pass a resolution supporting the project. Broadwell said, “I don’t think this is anything we need to get into.”

No one else on the Board seemed much interested in getting involved with the project either, so Supervisor Mason Hubbard suggested to Bonesteel that if his group gets the grant, he should come back and they could talk further about the project.

Clearing Brush In Cemeteries

Ed Jones, who mows the cemeteries for the Town, asked the Town Board if they would like him to clear brush in some of the cemeteries that are not mowed. He estimated it would be about a week’s work and said it would cost $400-$500. After checking to make sure there was still enough money left in the cemetery mowing account to cover it, the Board authorized the work cleaning up the cemeteries. Some Board members also remarked that they were very pleased with Mr. Jones’ work mowing the cemeteries and the grass around the Town buildings.

Bill’s List

Bill Seel had a few things to inquire about. He asked if the Building Inspector’s phone answering message had been changed to announce the hours when he is available at the Town Hall (Saturday mornings 9-12). No one was sure. He asked why there were solar panels on the Memorial Hall – he didn’t recall anything about solar panels in the work authorized there. Sue Nelsen said he should talk to Dave Sadowsky about it. He asked if an inventory of the Town Highway Garage had been done. Everyone, including Highway Superintendent Ray Harrison, looked puzzled. Seel said an inventory is supposed to be done every year, although no one present had ever seen one. Seel said he thought it should be done.

Seel also said it was his understanding that the Board had reached a consensus at the June meeting that they would not commit to a particular sum in the matter of assisting with the purchase of a new ambulance until they were putting together next year’s budget. He felt that the Board’s resolution committing to $20,000 per year at the special meeting last week, which Seel did not attend, took away their opportunity to look at that sum in the context of the overall budget picture. Supervisor Mason Hubbard said that resolution was contingent on approval of the terms of the service agreement by the Town Attorney, so the town is not fully committed until it signs a service agreement.

HFCS Board Almost Puts Kibosh On Athletic Fields

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by Alex Brooks

 

 The Hoosick Falls School Board had a scary moment at its meeting this week when a vote to approve a contract with the Hoosick Falls Soccer Club for use of its fields failed to pass.

The contract is for this season, from August 18 through November 13, 2008

After the vote Superintendent Facin told the Board that failure to approve this contract means that the teams using those fields would have to stop using them immediately.

Hoosick Falls senior Carly Pine controls the ball while Tamarac senior Nicole Conrad bears down on her in Monday’s game. Tamarac was victorious 2-1. (Bea Peterson photo)
Hoosick Falls senior Carly Pine controls the ball while Tamarac senior Nicole Conrad bears down on her in Monday’s game. Tamarac was victorious 2-1. (Bea Peterson photo)

There are currently five teams using the soccer club fields for both practices and games, and Facin said he had no backup plan – tomorrow morning he would be scrambling to find fields for these teams to play on, re-arranging the bus schedules, re-scheduling games with other schools and so on.

 

The discussion of the matter began with Don Skott asking why the fee to use those fields had gone up so much since last year.  Superintendent Facin replied that last year when the fee was $3,200, only two teams from HFCS were using that field. This year since there are five teams using the soccer club fields, the District agreed to pay $5,200.

John Helft, who is on the Board of the Soccer Club, showed Board members a chart of man-hours expended by the soccer club lining and maintaining the fields. He said last year they spent 70 man-hours more than usual because of the District’s use of the fields, and he expects it will be 110 hours this year. 

Dave Sutton said he felt that the Soccer Club is generously offering at an affordable price something for which they could easily charge more.

Dwain Wilwol said he thought the price was high, and he had consulted a soccer coach who  doesn’t coach here, who had assured him that this price was not really out of line. It sounded like Wilwol was defending the price, but when it came to a vote, both Wilwol and Skott voted against it, and John Helft had to abstain because he’s on the Soccer Club Board. The three yes votes, from Dave Sutton, Laurie Gormley and Bridget Foster, were not enough to pass the resolution. HFCS Board member Greg Laurin did not attend this meeting.

HF#8 Will Luke sends the ball toward the Tamarac goal late in Tuesday’s game.Tamarac beat HF 4-0. (Bea Peterson photo)
HF#8 Will Luke sends the ball toward the Tamarac goal late in Tuesday’s game.Tamarac beat HF 4-0. (Bea Peterson photo)

Dave Sutton said he had not heard from any Board member or taxpayer that there was a problem with this contract, and he felt if Board members were planning to oppose it, they should let him know in advance, so as not to leave five of the school’s teams suddenly without a field to play on.

Don Skott says he has questioned these figures before and he feels that no one listened to him. He said the most recent figure he had heard concerning this year’s contract was $4,600 and he had said at the time that he felt it was too much and he couldn’t vote for it.

John Helft said it had cost $400,000 to develop the soccer club facility and this contract is well below the rate they usually charge to rent it.

Appeals to reconsider were taken to heart, and both Don Skott and Dwain Wilwol said although they continue to think $5,200 is too high a price, they did not want to leave the kids without fields in the middle of their season, so they agreed to approve the contract.  The vote was rescinded, and a new resolution approving the contract was passed unanimously 5-0, with John Helft abstaining.

At Public Comment time, Karen Tommasino, speaking as a parent of a soccer player, said she was glad the kids could continue on the Soccer Club fields, because they are good quality fields. she said her son had turned his ankle playing on a bumpy field somewhere else and two weeks later it still isn’t right. But when he is playing on the Soccer Club fields, she has no worries.

Jim Martinez said he is glad the Soccer Club contract was approved because, whether the price is a little high or a little low, the important thing is that the money is going back into this community, supporting soccer programs for the kids.

Local Police Coverage

Superintendent Ken Facin said he has been discussing with officials from the Village of Hoosick Falls having the Village Police extend their coverage area to include the school so that there is a police agency that can respond quickly if need be. It takes quite a while for County Sheriffs or State Police to come out to the Hoosick Falls school property because they have so far to travel to get out here. He cited two examples of recent incidents that illustrate his point. One was an incident about a month ago in which a sexual predator in the Village tried to get two young girls into his car. They ran and called for help, and the police arrived quickly and arrested the guy. If such an incident happened at the school and the County Sheriff or State Police were called, the offender would have plenty of time to get away. Another incident involved a man standing across the road from the school looking through binoculars in the general direction of the school. The Village Police asked him what he was doing, and it turned out he was looking at deer on the hillside above the school. Facin said if a State Trooper drove out here to respond to such a call, it would be a waste of Police resources.

Facin said he is not looking for police patrols or greater police presence on campus. The agreement would only be for responding to calls from the school.

Smooth Start

Many school officials told stories about the first week of school and how it went, and all seemed to agree that it went very well. The new bus schedule and staggered start went very smoothly; a new orientation program for kindergarteners called “Kindergarten Camp” was a fun introduction to the school for the youngsters; the new early morning day care program has gone very well.  Elementary Principal Patrick Dailey said there are 20 to 25 kids participating in the morning day care program. Parents who need to get to work early drop them off starting at 7:15 am, and, with the activities provided, the program has had a calm and productive atmosphere. There are four teachers running it, which exceeds State requirements for staff to student ratios. Dailey said they are staffing on the basis of two teachers for every 15 kids and they are currently set up for up to 30 kids. The State required minimum for school age children is one teacher for every ten kids.

In Other Business:

• The Board tabled a motion to appoint nine sports volunteers because three of the applications were incomplete. Many of these volunteers have been volunteering for these particular duties for many years. Having volunteers complete applications is a new policy, and there were apparently a few glitches in the process.

• The Board changed the date of the November meeting from November 18 to Thursday, November 13, at 7 pm.

• After the meeting, the Board went into executive session to discuss negotiations with the Managerial/Confidential staff.

The next regular meeting of the Hoosick Falls School Board will be Tuesday, October 21 at 7 pm.

Hinsdale Shines At Stephentown Muster Event

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The water polo contest is hotly contested at the Stephentown Muster. Photo by Chuck Riccardi.
The water polo contest is hotly contested at the Stephentown Muster. Photo by Chuck Riccardi.

 

 

by David Flint

The Hinsdale Fire Department was the shining star at the annual Stephentown Fireman’s Muster & Community Day on Sunday, grabbing first place in three of the events. Hinsdale won the Dry Hose, the Midnight Alarm and the Rotary Pump competitions and took third place in the Moving Motor Hose event. 

In the Dry Hose event, Hinsdale with a time of 14.03 seconds was followed by Lee with 14.5 seconds and Whately with a time of 14.9. Hinsdale did the Midnight Alarm in 30.4 seconds, followed again by Lee with 36.8 seconds and Lenoxdale with 38.5. Following on Hinsdale’s leading time of 29.31 seconds in the Rotary Pump competition was Whately with 32.9 seconds. The only other team in that event was Bisselville which did not succeed in getting a recorded time. 

Lee took first place in the Centrifugal Pump competition with a time of 31.7 seconds,

Doug Rontey (Yellow Helmet) and Mark Mazzeo (Black Helmet) of the Stephentown Fire Dept. competing in the Oil Fire Competition. Photo by Chuck Riccardi.
Doug Rontey (Yellow Helmet) and Mark Mazzeo (Black Helmet) of the Stephentown Fire Dept. competing in the Oil Fire Competition. Photo by Chuck Riccardi.

followed by Lebanon Valley with 40.5 and Lenoxdale with 44.7. Lee was also first in the Oil Fire event, dousing the flames in 19.6 seconds. Stephentown took second place in that event with a time of 22.6 seconds. Whately was third with 23.6 seconds. 

 

Whately won the Moving Motor Hose event with a time of 26.6 seconds. Lenoxdale came in second with 28.3 seconds followed by Hinsdale with 29.1 seconds. 

Though they didn’t lead in the Muster events, Stephentown was not to be trifled with in Friday night’s Water Polo contest. Their #2  team in men’s competition came out on top in that event. Stephentown has swept the Water Polo contest in at least two of the past three years. Second place this year was taken by Hancock. In the Women’s competition, Bisselville placed first and Stephentown was second.

 

On The Nozzle. Renee Baker and John Zwack, both of the Stephentown Fire Dept.) on the nozzle during the Moving Motor Hose” event at the Stephentown Fire Department Muster last Saturday. Photo by Chuck Riccardi.
On The Nozzle: Renee Baker and John Zwack, both of the Stephentown Fire Dept., on the nozzle during the Moving Motor Hose event at the Stephentown Fire Department Muster last Saturday. Photo by Chuck Riccardi.