The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosick

Hoosick Falls Soccer Club to Host Adult Soccer Games

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The Hoosick Falls Soccer Club will be hosting Adult Soccer Games through the Fall. Games will be played every Sunday at 5 pm at the George Helft Soccer Complex on South Street in Hoosick. Directions can be found online at http://www.hoosickfallssoccer.org/directions.html.  

Teams will be selected each week based on experience. Club Trainer Gareth Isaac will be overseeing the program and help organize the weekly teams.

No experience is necessary. The intent of this program is to provide the community and surrounding areas an outlet to enjoy a physically enriching activity. Adults are encouraged to learn the beautiful game while enjoying the benefits of exercising and meeting new people in a great atmosphere.

To learn more about the Hoosick Falls Soccer Club or our Adult Soccer Games call Gareth Isaac at 518-686-9505.

Hoosick Draft Land Use Law Presented

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Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas addressed the dozen people attending the Land Use Law Meeting. Members of the Zoning Commission in attendance were (l-r) John Cooney, Marianne Zwicklbauer (hidden), consultant Linda von der Heide from Rensselaer County, Gail Delurey, John Smith, Ellen Scott and Wally Sheffer, Sr. (Bea Peterson photo)
Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas addressed the dozen people attending the Land Use Law Meeting. Members of the Zoning Commission in attendance were (l-r) John Cooney, Marianne Zwicklbauer (hidden), consultant Linda von der Heide from Rensselaer County, Gail Delurey, John Smith, Ellen Scott and Wally Sheffer, Sr. (Bea Peterson photo)

by Bea Peterson

On Wednesday evening the Zoning Commission of the Town of Hoosick presented a first draft of the Land Use Law of the Town of Hoosick. In her opening remarks Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas said Hoosick is one of three towns in Rensselaer County that do not have zoning. The other two are Grafton and Petersburgh. This new plan will complement the Comprehensive Plan that was adopted by the Town in 2004. Some laws, she said, such as the cell tower law have been piecemealed together over time. The draft presented to the public Wednesday has been reviewed by the Highway Superintendent, the Building Inspector, the Town Attorney and the Town Board. “We want you to look it over,” she told everyone at the meeting. “We want your involvement.”

Marianne Zwicklbauer, a member of the Commission addressed the group. “We all love it here,” she began. “Six year ago I was not in favor of zoning,” she said. What has happened in the Town during those six years has changed my mind.” She expressed the importance of encouraging development in appropriate places and seeing that water quality is maintained. Individuals and businesses look for land use laws, she continued. “Reputable businesses do not fear land use laws.” She believes the Commission can implement laws without impinging on individual rights.

Linda von der Heide, Principal Planner with Rensselaer County Economic Development then went over the Land Use draft chapter by chapter.

Chapter one states the purpose of the Land Use Law is to encourage: 

• The management of agriculture resources; 

• The rural character of the Town;

• The opportunities for growth recognizing the constraints of the natural resources; 

• Economic development; and to

• Support hamlets as centers for commerce and new residential development;

• Protect key natural features that create the feeling of openness and natural beauty;

• Gradually eliminate non-conforming uses;

• Assure privacy for residences and protection against loud, unsightly, obtrusive or unneighborly land uses or operations;

• Recognize the residents of the Town of Hoosick have a personal and monetary investment in their property and that they need to protect the value of their investment;

• Assure adequate sites of residential, agricultural, industrial and commercial uses;

• Facilitate the efficient, economical and adequate provision of public utilities and services;

• Prevent and reduce traffic congestion, to promote efficient and safe circulation of vehicles and pedestrians.

Chapter two will establish districts in the Town. No maps have been developed at this time. They will be put together at the Public Workshop Meetings to be held during September and October.

Chapter three establishes use regulations, Chapter four covers acreage amounts for various uses. Chapter five covers non-conforming uses and non-complying structures. Chapter six covers supplemental regulations, chapter seven deals with special permits, chapters eight, nine and ten cover laws already in use. Chapter eleven covers special district requirements, Chapter twelve deals with administration and enforcement, Chapter thirteen covers definitions and other terms used in the regulations. Chapter fourteen discusses amendments and applicability. 

Von der Heide said this plan was better than most communities have. Copies of the draft are available at the Town Hall and a copy can be read at the Cheney Library.

Workshops And 

Meetings

The first Public Workshop meeting will be next Thursday, September 11, at the Town Hall at 7 pm. Comments were already forthcoming from those at this meeting before they left the first session. The text will be reviewed next week. The following meetings will include review of the text and map plans.

• September 18 – Buskirk Fire Hall

• October 6 – North Hoosick Fire Hall

• October 15 – Hoosick Fire Hall

• October 22 – West Hoosick Fire Hall

After these meetings the Commission will review the material and in December or January another Public Hearing will be held.

Going Green

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by Bea Peterson

The Riverside Laundromat & Car Wash on Church St. has ten solar panels on the roof of the car wash. They began hooking the system up for the laundromat in October 2007 and finished in January 2008. “Since January we’ve saved 1,100 gallons of propane,” said Bill Wyman. He and his wife Kristen have owned the facility for nine years. “We’ve been saving money for this for five years. Luckily we hit in front of the curve.”  During those years Bill read all he could on solar panels then perused the internet for a contractor. Pete Skinner of E2G Solar in West Sand Lake emailed and offered to set up a system for them. The Wymans looked at panels he had put together on a goat farm in Shushan and were impressed. 

Skinner, who has more than 30 years of experience in the field, knew NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) was offering a half million dollars to ten small NYS businesses that wanted to convert to solar energy. He wrote a grant for the Wymans that was accepted by the Authority. He designed the laundromat system with input from RPI students and NYSERDA. The total cost of the project was $44,000. The Wyman’s investment was $27,000 and the NYSERDA grant covered $17,000. The couple saved close to $3,000 on the project with the help of Kirsten’s father Bill Grennan, Bill’s brother Don Wyman and the Wyman’s neighbor Steve Bellemare. “Pete thought we would get three panels up in a day. With the help of Bill, Don and Steve, we got all ten up in one day,” said Bill. After that Pete would leave them a list of things he wanted completed before his next visit, and Bill would see they were done. “It was a lot of work because we had to do everything after hours, after we closed, but it was worth it.”

The energy from the solar panels heats three 110 gallon water tanks and one 120 gallon tank off the furnace for a capacity of 450 gallons. The average water temperature is 150 degrees. “The system shuts off for safety at 170 degrees,” said Bill. NYSERDA monitors the temperature and humidity of the tanks at all times. 

Two years ago the Wymans replaced the 1968 steam boilers, which had been converted to oil,

Four hot water storage tanks and the Munchkin furnaces take up less space than the former heating system. (Bea Peterson photo)
Four hot water storage tanks and the Munchkin furnaces take up less space than the former heating system. (Bea Peterson photo)

and replaced them with two Munchkin propane heaters that are as small as their name implies. The system was designed and installed by Joe Magisano and JP Conway. “When the State boiler inspector came in, he said he’d never seen such a clean job,” said Bill. He added, the new system is very efficient. “It used to cost us $4,000 a month for heat and hot water. Now our propane bill is cut in half.”

 

The water temperature from the storage tank is controlled by the Munchkins. If the water comes in at more than 120 degrees, a valve automatically mixes cold water in with the hot until it reaches the lower temperature. Should something go wrong with the system a monitor on the roof sets off an alarm that goes directly to NYSERDA.

Bill said the solar panel project “was costly, but I’m glad we did it.” His propane price increased 70 cents a gallon this year. “When we began the project, it was estimated it would take five years to pay for itself. Now, with prices going up, they’re saying it may only take four to four and a half years to reach that goal.” He’s glad they started the project last year because he believes they would have a long wait if they wanted to start it now since more companies are trying to cut rising energy costs.

Bill said, “Basically we’ve been trying to go kind of green all along without realizing that’s what we were doing.” Two years ago he replaced all the 20-year old car wash equipment. “With the new system we cut water consumption in half,” he said. 

They recently replaced all the dryers in the laundromat with Swedish made Wascomat dryers. They have two 50 pound dryers for sleeping bags and comforters and fourteen 30 pound commercial dryers. The machines are rated 25 to 28 percent more efficient than the old ones. “They’ve only been in about a month,” said Bill. “We’re down about 80 gallons of propane. It’s hard to tell yet. I’m hoping it will be much more than that.” The price to use the dryers has remained the same.

The next project is to replace the 18 top load 30 to 35 pound capacity washing machines with front load low water usage machines that will hold 30 to 50 pounds. “We can get three larger capacity machines in the space of two we have now,” said Bill. The washers are Swedish made. “I’d like to buy American, but these are better quality. Other countries are so far ahead of us in conserving energy.” The basic cost to use a machine will remain the same for a cold water wash but will increase for warm water and again for hot water wash. 

The solar panels have become a showcase for other businesses. Even more inspiring is the 50 percent tax break the  government

Jim Sutton Home On Leave

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Jim Sutton with his mom and dad, Jim and Ruth Sutton. On Sunday, August 24, family and friends gathered to celebrate his safe return from Iraq. (Bea Peterson photo)
Jim Sutton with his mom and dad, Jim and Ruth Sutton. On Sunday, August 24, family and friends gathered to celebrate his safe return from Iraq. (Bea Peterson photo)

by Bea Peterson

Jim Sutton of Hoosick is a specialist E-4 serving in Army Aviation. He is home on leave for 18 days. He recently completed 16 months in Baghdad repairing Blackhawk helicopters. This was his second tour in Iraq. He was stationed in Taji for a year in 2005.

Jim hasn’t been home since Christmas time 2006. He has spent some of his leave just driving around town. “You feel like you to have to catch up,” he said, noting it took him a couple of days to realize the Mechanic St. Bridge was finished.

In Bagdad he lived in a 20 man tent. It didn’t allow for much privacy. “Everybody is just one big family,” said Jim. “I made a lot of friends.” He believes the tours are harder on the families at home than they are on the soldiers. “All in all they take care of us,” he said. “We had a gym and basketball and organized events.” He missed everything from home, television, food, cell phones…

“We were constantly building stuff,” he added, “like schools and water mains. We did a lot of infrastructure work.”

Based near the airport Jim said the noise pollution was bad. “There were always generators running or airplanes coming in and taking off. And there was dust everywhere!”

Weather-wise, he said it was cold in the winter, getting down into the thirties. “They had snow last year for the first time in years,” he said. In the summer the temperature climbs into the 120s. “Whenever we go out we have to wear body armor and that adds 15 degrees to the outside temperature.”

Jim didn’t feel he and his unit were in a lot of danger. They had a couple of close calls though, and bombings were frequent. He said it was subjective if conditions were better or worse than during his first tour. “We’re just a giant police force. We’ve been here a long time, and it’s been a huge financial burden on our country,” he said. 

“The country [Iraq] is very slowly starting to come around. They have no middle class and a high unemployment rate.” He believes Iraq will be an autonomous country in the next decade or so, once they settle some of their differences among themselves. “It will be fun to go back for a visit ten years from now,” he said.

While in Iraq Jim toured Saddam Hussein’s palace in Al-Faw. It contains the second largest chandelier in the world. It’s still intact, he said. He saw other palaces, too. One has a picture of President Bush on the floor with the phrase Victory Over America written near it. A leftover from the Gulf War. Jim said Saddam loved the Flintstones and had a Bedrock Village built that was impressive.

Besides serving twice in Iraq, Jim spent a year in South Korea in a city north of Seoul. He has visited Kuwait, and another time spent 18 days traveling by train from Germany to Greece. 

Jim’s company is now based in Savannah, GA, where they are resetting and overhauling or replacing all their equipment to be ready for their next assignment.

Returning home from a war zone has its effects. Jim finds it a little difficult meeting new people. Big groups of people, especially in airports and train stations are intimidating. “We always traveled in small groups in Iraq,” he said. 

Jim joined the Army, he said, “to do something interesting while I was young.” He enjoys repairing Blackhawks. He has met people he never would have met otherwise. He expects to leave the Army in a year and a half. He’ll go for a college degree under the new GI bill. “There’s been a lot of support for the troops, and it’s really appreciated,” he said. His military experience hasn’t given him any more than he bargained for… not yet, he said.

Hoosick Grange News

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Hoosick Grange met on August 27 with Master David Cornell. They had the election of officers. There were only two changes in the officers, Marion Hynick was elected Pomona and Marion Cipperly was elected Chaplain. The fair committee reported that the fair booth was done but they didn’t know the scores. Since that time we found out Hoosick Grange came in first with the theme Heating With Firewood. The Master thanked the fair committee for their work. 

Betty Kipp was in charge of the program for the evening. She said she would try to do a tribute to Walter Cottrell Baker. He was a wonderful friend, neighbor and also a gentleman. She said she couldn’t do it justice at this short time. 

Betty had three jokes and one of them was – A husband wanted his wife to fix the breakfast coffee every morning. She said no she couldn’t, the bible says in several chapters that He-brews. She also had a couple of readings about Al (Scarface) Capone and about his lawyer Eddie. Eddie got feeling guilty about some of the things he had done for Capone, so he decided to testify against him, which had a very surprising ending. Betty also told the story about a boy who told how he had a drug problem when he was young. He was drug to get up in the morning, drug to go to church, drug to go to school, drug to pull weeds and drug to the woodshed when he disobeyed. He said those drugs are still in his veins and affect his behavior in everything be does, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place. 

Betty told us the signs of a stroke-crooked smile, slur in talk, can’t raise both arms and tongue to the side. If you see any of these signs call 911. She told us what WD 40 was good for. WD 40 stands for Water Displacement Compound. They put it on burns, on drawers, locks, sticky doors that don’t work good and on the Statue of Liberty. Betty had a game like bingo and had prizes. There were six lucky winners. Her closing thought was – Friends are like stars – you don’t always see them, but you know they are always there. 

The Lecturer thanked Betty for a very good, fun program. The Lecturer announced that Elsie Marpe will be in charge of the program on September 10 and Edna and Allen Cornell are in charge of the refreshments. Marion and Omer Brenenstuhl were in charge of the refreshments for this evening. They had an assortment of goodies.

Girls Raise Over $100 For SOCS

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Mkayla Sonnet, Lexi Martin and Brittany Poitras love animals. Together they organized a bottle fund drive and held a home baked dog cookie sale at Pawfection on August 23 to benefit SOCS (Support Our Canine Strays). SOCS coordinator and Pawfection owner Aimee Allen said, “These three girls took it upon themselves to put this event together.” They made signs, baked and spent from 9 am until 2 pm on Saturday, raising over $100. “They are great role models for other kids,” said Allen.

Karen McGovern Memorial Co-Ed Volleyball Tournament

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The ninth annual Karen McGovern Memorial Co-Ed Volleyball Tournament will be held Saturday, September 13, at the Sand Bar, on Lyman St. in Hoosick Falls.

Registration will begin at 8 am, and play will commence at 9 am. A round robin format will be played for both Division A (competitive) and Division B (recreational) players. Engraved beer mugs and glasses will be awarded to members of the winning teams in both divisions, and the Division A team’s name will be engraved on the permanent plaque maintained at the Sand Bar.

The donation per team is $150 and non-players are asked to make a $25 donation to the fund. The fund has raised over $100,000 to help local residents battling cancer and other serious illnesses. Food, keg beer and music will be provided throughout the day. 

Call Matt Philpott at 802-384-0262 or Bill McGovern at 518-686-9371 to reserve a spot for your team. Join us for a day to remember our friend  Karen.

Chris’ Wish

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On June 10 at 3:30 pm Chris Luciano left work with a few friends and went to their regular swimming spot in North Hoosick. There they were jumping off a platform that had been built over the years and where many folks jump and dive into the river. This particular day was not Chris’ day. Somehow when he went off the platform something went terribly wrong, and he never made it to the water. Instead he hit rocks 35 foot below. The result is that Chris was left paralyzed from the waist down.  

Chris is a 19 year old HFCS 2007 graduate who loves being outdoors. He is a hard worker and has held a number of jobs over the last five years. Those jobs have included playing guitar in a couple of rock bands, fixing bikes at All Seasons Outdoor Sports, prep cooking at Helvi’s and a number of labor jobs. But his real passion was teaching snow boarding, which he has done every winter since he was 15.  He was recently nationally certified at Level II (a difficult feat) as an instructor. He had been toying with making this a major part of his career path, and he had a number of mountains recruiting him. While there is no reason that this dream cannot happen, it may be very different than what he envisioned. 

While Chris can no longer walk, his ultimate wish is to get out of the wheel chair and snowboard again. Project Walk (www.projectwalk.org) an organization in San Diego offers an opportunity to help get him out of this chair.  It is a boot camp designed to regain any movement. Chris and his family would like to send him to this program.

A committee has been formed to help raise money to send Chris and a trainer to San Diego to learn this proven methodology and to work on Chris’ legs with the hope of regaining some movement or feeling in his lower body. The first event will be a bottle drive this Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm.  Bottles can be dropped at the Rite Aid parking lot or at Nickel Back in Chris’ name. If you would like your bottles picked up, please call Karen Smith at 686-9036.   

If you would like to follow in Chris’ progress or find more information see www.eenable.net/chris.

The Legacy Lives On! – Tribute To Football Coach Legend Baker To Be Shared By Rival Schools

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by Irene Baldwin

Longtime sports rivals and neighboring schools, Cambridge Central and Hoosick Falls Central, will begin a new football tradition on September 5 at 7 pm, a Friday evening under the lights on the football field on the campus of HFCS. The Indians and Panthers varsity football teams will face off and, as usual, play hard, the victors taking home a tangible reward for winning, The Ken Baker Jug. The Jug will remain on display throughout the coming school year inside the victorious school’s trophy case. Next year the KBJ may or may not make a trip up or down Route 22. Wherever the Ken Baker Jug holds court, the honor it represents will be a coveted one.

Although Coach Baker will not be physically present for the auspicious football match-up, his indomitable spirit, which has imbued the CCS and HFCS football programs since 1972, will surely be felt on this night by all who knew and loved him. Former students and players of Coach Baker are invited to assemble on the football field during the game’s half time to offer a solemn moment of silence in his memory. Ken Baker, a member of the State High School Football Hall of Fame, is known and respected as one of the best coaches Section II has ever produced.

Since the unexpected, untimely and sad passing of Coach Ken Baker in the spring of 2008, HFCS Superintendent Ken Facin and CCS Superintendent Dan Severson have collaborated to create a special and meaningful way to offer tribute to the man who was integral in creating success within both schools’ football programs. 

Coach Baker was the varsity football coach at Hoosick Falls from 1972 to 1986 and then at Cambridge from 1986 to 1995. Baker’s philosophy, which both schools continue to follow in their programs, is a simple but powerful one – respect your opponent; be physical; hustle.

The Jug, produced in the area over 110 years ago, has been donated by Jack’s Outback Antiques of Main Street, Cambridge. The large ceramic vessel features paintings of the two school mascots, a fearsome black panther on one side and a majestic Indian on the other, symbolizing two diverse but connected teams. Around the top of the vessel are emblazoned the words, Ken Baker Jug.

Each football player will be given a commemorative Route 22 Rivalry T-shirt featuring both the blue and white Panthers and the orange and black Indians. How fitting that Ken Baker’s love of healthy competition and positive play will be exemplified in the yearly awarding of The Ken Baker Jug.

Nearly 600 Signatures On Petition To Strengthen VT Sex Offender Laws

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According to County Legislators Lester Goodermote and Stan Brownell the Rensselaer County Legislature has collected nearly 600 signatures in support of efforts to change sex offender laws in Vermont and will be submitting the signatures to Vermont Lt. Governor Brian Dubie this weekend.

 The collection of the signatures follows a resolution that was adopted by the County Legislature calling for a strengthening of sex offender laws in Vermont. The resolution came after the killing of a young girl in Vermont and the attempted abduction of two young girls by a Vermont man in Hoosick Falls.

 “We were able to collect a significant number of signatures from New York State and Rensselaer County residents who recognize the need to strengthen sex offender laws in Vermont. We believe this will help efforts to enact tougher and more effective laws,” said Goodermote.

 The signatures were collected during the month of August on the petition, which is titled: “Help Make Vermont Safer For Our Children Now!” The petition supports legislation introduced by Dubie to strengthen sex offender laws in Vermont, including longer sentences for repeat offenders, civil confinement, new policies for monitoring of sex offenders and tougher requirements for parole of offenders.

Goodermote and Brownell noted that some of the proposals by Lt. Gov. Dubie mirror legislation enacted in New York State to protect children and families from sex offenders.

 “A significant portion of Rensselaer County borders Vermont. It makes sense for both New York and Vermont to have laws and restrictions that are compatible because that kind of an approach strengthens the defense against sex offenders,” said Brownell.

 Goodermote and Brownell said they expect to meet personally with Vermont state officials to discuss joint efforts to improve the safety of children and families and enacting the legislation proposed by Lt. Gov. Dubie.