Petersburgh

by Alex Brooks

The Petersburgh Town Board met December 30 for its end of the year meeting. There was about $49,000 of overspending in various accounts, and transfers were made from various underspent accounts so that none of the accounts would be overspent at the close of the year.

Supervisor Siegfried Krahforst said the Town had received its CHIPS money for the year, which was about $66,000, and a reimbursement check for expenses on the Broken Wheel bridge. He said over $100,000 had come in recently and he was expecting to have an unexpended balance at the close of 2014 of twenty to thirty thousand dollars.

Monolith Pulls Out

Krahforst also said he had a meeting with a representative from Monolith Solar, who told him that the solar electricity project planned for the hill next to the water tower was too small and they will not be able to do it. Krahforst told him he wished they had said that before the Town had all the trees on that hillside cut down in preparation for the installation of the solar panels.

He then discussed with Monolith the possibility of participating in a “community metering” project in which Monolith puts up a large solar project somewhere else and the Town agrees to buy electricity from it at a discounted rate.

Krahforst also told the Town Board that he is working with a free-lance grant writer named Julie Smith. He said the arrangement with her is that her services do not cost the Town anything. She gets a percentage of the grant if it is awarded. He said the Town is trying to get a grant for the Water District to replace all the meters.

Plowing Private Roads

There was a discussion about the Town trucks plowing private roads and driveways. Highway Superintendent Rob Cottrell said the Town has been plowing some private roads and driveways for many years, but he is concerned about it because the County Engineer told him he should never do private roads or driveways. The Board agreed that in general the Town should not do private roads unless it was necessary for the trucks to turn around. They suggested he talk with members of the Highway Liaison Committee about specific cases where it has been the practice to plow private roads.

Come to the Petersburgh Veterans Memorial Community Center, 71 Main Street, Petersburgh, for a magical, musical evening with Vonnie Estes on keyboard, John Guay on the hammered dulcimer and Steve Fry on mandolin. This event takes place on Friday, January 9, at 7 pm.

Due to the nature of their instruments, the trio sometimes calls themselves The Twinkletones. As a trio, they share a mutual interest in French Canadian music and play in public sessions in the Northeast and in Quebec, at community dances, farmer’s markets and DanceFlurry events in the Capital District.

Alone, and in conjunction with three other musicians as Set Americain, they play area contradances, French Canadian Heritage events in Holyoke, MA, the Flurry Festival of Saratoga Springs, The Jam & Sing Thing in Albany and the Gottagetgon Festival in Ballston Spa.

Just Desserts

Join us for homemade organic desserts by chef Justin Rice of Starry Ridge Farm…..and great music.

Admission costs $5 for an adult and is free to those under 18, courtesy of the Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Grant.

The State University of New York at Potsdam recently named 925 students to the President’s List in recognition of their academic excellence in the Fall 2014 semester. The SUNY Potsdam students were honored for earning top marks by President Kristin G. Esterberg.

The honorees included two students from Petersburgh – Mihael Gerkman, whose major is Chemistry, and Caitlyn Hungerford, whose major is Psychology.

To achieve the honor of being on the President’s List, each student must have satisfactorily completed 12 numerically graded semester hours, with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

SUNY Potsdam has a strong focus on academics, with its long history of excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. To learn more about what makes the campus community so unique, visit http://www.potsdam.edu.

Erika Pelletier of Petersburgh, a senior at Hudson Valley Community College majoring in Early Childhood Education, was recently selected as a winner of a $1,000 scholarship from Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society as a 2014 Coca-Cola Leader of Promise Scholar.

One of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members to be awarded a total of $207,000 in scholarships, Pelletier will complete her studies at Hudson Valley at the end of the 2015 fall semester and plans to transfer to Russell Sage College where she will major in Childhood Education/Special Education. She is a 2013 graduate of Berlin High School.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, MS, is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,285 chapters on college campuses

PTK students, chosen from more than 900 applicants worldwide, receive scholarships of $1,000 each to further their associate degree studies. Independent judges evaluate the applications based on scholastic achievement, community service and leadership potential.

Pelletier is currently a senior senator on the college’s Student Senate and was selected to attend the National Conference on Student Leadership in Orlando, Florida, in November. A member of PTK since April of 2014, she volunteers at many college events for students and the public and is a member of the Student Life Committee and co-chairperson of the Early Childhood Club. Pelletier belongs to the College’s recently re-established Cheer and Dance team.

Hudson Valley was her first choice for college, Pelletier said, for the sense of community that exists here. “We are truly like a family, and the staff is top notch and always go out of their way to support students,” she said. Cost was also a huge factor, according to Pelletier, who looks forward to graduating with an associate degree debt free.

The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program provides new PTK members with financial resources to help defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars also are encouraged to assume leadership roles by participating in society programs.

“These funds not only aid college completion but provide students with the opportunity to engage in society programs and develop leadership skills to become future leaders in Phi Theta Kappa. So the funds are not only an investment in our students, they are an investment in the future of our organization and the colleges and communities we serve,” said Dr. Rod Risley, Executive Director and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation provides $200,000 in funding for the scholarships, with $25,000 set aside for members who are veterans or active members of the U.S. military. The remaining amount is supported by donations to the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation and provides Leaders of Promise Global Scholarships, earmarked for international students.

Webster Jr.’s first book, Bounce, is a children’s book that follows a young girl named Ruby as she bounces through a variety of places, meeting new people and experiencing fun and challenges along the way. The book is illustrated by Emily Dorr and designed by Lee Dixon and is available on Amazon or by contacting the author at awebster@websterstoneworks.com.

Alan Webster Jr. lives in Petersburgh. In addition to writing he is the owner of Webster Stone Works.

Pieces and Puzzles is Alan Webster Sr.’s first book of poetry. It has been described as “a celebration of life, from love and concern for the land, to the joys of family and community…for that never-ending search to find harmony with one’s place on earth.”

Webster is a lifelong resident of Petersburgh. A retired high school English teacher, he now devotes much of his time to writing and organic gardening on a piece of the family farm where he grew up. His book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or by contacting the author at awebster0519@gmail.com.