Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper
submitted by Mary Lou Walters
At the base of the Taconic Trail in Petersburgh there is a memorial to man who surely never saw the Taconic mountains. However, to John Parkinson, the man who lives at the home there, the memory of Robert E. Devins has been there since he moved in ten years ago. In fact, ever since John Parkinson, now 86, turned 21 Sergeant Devins has been a constant presence.
The TRACs (Together Reducing drugs and Alcohol in our CommunitieS) regular monthly meeting will be held on April 22 at 6:30 pm at Stephentown Memorial Library. Come join us as we collaborate in order to make a difference in the lives of the youth in the Berlin and New Lebanon School Districts in our effort to reduce youth use of alcohol and drugs.
Our mission statement, “to encourage a drug-free lifestyle for youth, support families and provide community-based pro-social alternatives,” requires the support of many community members, organizations and businesses. We look forward to your participation.
submitted by Andy Zlotnick
On April 26 Boy Scout Troop 222 will assemble Scouts, parents, family and our community friends to attempt the cleanup of Depot Park along the Little Hoosic River in Petersburgh. The clean-up will start about 9 am and run through 1 pm on Saturday, rain or shine. The Troop will need tools like rakes grass whips, wheel barrels and lawn carts. It will need lawn bags and the Town to help remove the unwanted materials that are cleaned up.
This project is a small part of a larger District-wide Scouting attempt to make a difference on Earth Day. The Twin Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Mahakin District are completing similar projects from Columbia County all the way to the Canadian Border this year. Thousands of volunteers will be working toward one goal – of leaving the land better than we found it.
Troop 222 will form groups or teams of Scouts and volunteers which will work down the access road, working the right and left of the road, picking up all garbage and cans. The teams will spread out to cover the park area and the playground area. The Troop will separate the cans and recyclables, returning the cans to their regular can recycling at the Redemption Center in Hoosick. The remaining trash and recyclables will be placed in bags for the Town to remove. There are a few larger items that were dumped like a TV and some metal items. They will be brought up to the parking lot for the Town to remove.
“The Troop is looking for community involvement and support with this project. We anticipate that this project may incur some small costs to the Troop and at this time the Troop is expecting to cover the cost but, as with all organizations, we have limited funds to cover this kind of work and would like to invite the public to help with unanticipated costs. The Troop will try to offer a small lunch at the park after the work is complete. We will be providing hot dogs, chips and a large container of flavored drink. If anyone would like to help with food, in kind donations will be acceptable; they just need to let the Troop know by contacting the Scoutmaster Andy Zlotnick at azlotnick_40@yahoo.com or by calling 658-9066.
It is the practice of Troop 222 to give back to the community that has given so much to us. The Troop believes that to be good stewards of our environment and to follow the ideals of The BSA outdoor code the Troop should complete projects of this kind. We ask for your participation and support.
Drop-In Craft
The Petersburgh Public Library will be sponsoring a rubber band drop-in craft during spring break on Wednesday, April 16, between 2 and 4 pm. Stop by during that time and take home a ring, bracelet or other items made from colorful rubber bands. All materials will be provided. Children of all ages are invited to join in this activity.
Spring Foraging
The Vanishing Skills series of the Petersburgh Public Library kicks off with its first installment, “Spring Foraging,” on Saturday, May 3, at 10 am. The new series will offer instruction and knowledge sharing from local residents on country skills and self sufficiency that have been neglected in our fast moving digital age. However, more people are seeing that keeping the knowledge current will prove even more valuable in an uncertain future.
On May 3 from 10 to noon Danny Schnoop and Mary Lou Walters will lead a spring foraging workshop. They will lead a group to places where baby dandelion greens, fiddlehead ferns and other spring plants can be foraged. Afterward, the group will return to the PVMCC for some pointers in preparing and preserving its finds. Please sign-up at the library if you will be attending since space in the kitchen is limited.
Book Group
The next book discussion will take place on Wednesday, May 14, at 7 pm. The book to be discussed is Savage Beauty: the Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford. Copies of the book are available at the library for everyone who would like to join in the book discussion.
Plant, Bake, Book and Tag Sale
The annual Plant, Bake, Book and Tag Sale will be held on Saturday, May 17, from 9 am to 1 pm. Donations of plants and baked goods would be greatly appreciated.
Petersburgh – Rose Mary Gerstel Hewitt died April 2, 2014, in the home that she cherished on Hewitt Road in Petersburgh, NY, with her devoted daughter Margaret by her side. She was born March 6, 1912, and had recently celebrated her 102nd birthday. In addition to her parents she was pre-deceased by her husband, Lloyd Hewitt, her sister, Katie Gerstel Doyle, and her brother, Adolph Gerstel.
by Alex Brooks
A joint meeting of the Petersburgh and Berlin Town Boards on March 27 began with Supervisor Rob Jaeger of Berlin asking Supervisor Siegfried Krahforst of Petersburgh what the Petersburgh Board wanted to discuss. Krahforst replied that they wanted to meet to renegotiate the contract for the use of the Berlin Transfer Station. He said the sticking point is the monthly rent of $1,000.
[Read more…] about Discussion Begins On Berlin Transfer Station Contract
To the Editor:
I would like to publicly thank Tom Berry for his presentation and educational handouts provided to Ray Harrison, Highway Superintendent, and Town Board members at the March 17 Petersburgh Town Board meeting.
Mr. Berry presented the Town with informational handouts on gravel specs, road building materials and various workshops offered at minimal or no cost to the Town.
Supervisor Krahforst was clearly not happy with Mr. Berry’s presentation. Krahforst was defensive and rudely interrupted Berry twice during his presentation. At the closing of Berry’s presentation Krahforst’s’ only response was “we can access that information from the internet!”
As a Town leader, Supervisor Krahforst should at the very least show some respect. Mr. Berry obviously spent hours on researching data. Krahforst and Harrison should be appreciative and thankful that a Town resident has taken the initiative to provide valuable information.
The old adage is “Knowledge is Power.” No one is beyond room for improvement.
Thank you Tom Berry for your efforts and time spent.
Respectfully submitted,
Priscilla Maxon
William Jones Road,
Petersburgh
Dear Editor,
Congratulations on an excellent, thorough and balanced depiction of the Corkscrew trail developments. Some of us in Petersburgh have been following these with interest, since there had been a parallel flurry of low key meetings last year called by our Petersburgh town supervisor and spurred also by Jim Bonesteel of the RPA. As a dissenting member of that committee, I was nonetheless privy to local reactions and research that might be relevant to the grand (or some would say, grandiose) plan to run the trail from Chatham to Bennington.
In a nutshell, from my perspective, it ain’t going to happen. First, our supervisor, who initially wisely attempted to enlist some local landowners in the possible path of the trail before making the plan generally known to the public, was, as far as I know, unable to enlist one single landowner to offer his/her land for trail use. In a happenstance neighborly chat with two such landowners with critical land in the trail’s path, a member of our committee was told that they were unalterably opposed to the trail’s using their land.
Second, unlike our Stephentown friends, there is virtually no local interest or support from the critical mass or people who ostensibly would use, run, and police the trail — hikers and bikers. Of the committee that was formed, only three people could be characterized as active outdoorspeople, and all three were opposed to the trail. It is precisely this kind of grass roots structure that is absolutely crucial to any forward movement on a trail proposal.
Third, the cost. A recent dinner with Barbara and Bob Murdock, who were involved in the initial stages of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, gave me indigestion … the initial engineering cost was $200,000 according to Bob, and the actual construction cost c. 11 million dollars, or roughly 1 million per mile. With the county’s complete inability to manage event the most basic road infrastructure such as Route 22 south of Petersburgh, where do the Corkscrew people think they are going to get this kind of money?
Due to the devastation of Irene, any rail trail that comes anywhere near the Little Hoosick will need additional mitigation that in itself will put it out of reach of any proposal.
The concern for Stephentown folks should be that, should you bind with Petersburgh in a joint grant proposal, we would be so needful (since we would be going from scratch) that we would drain an inordinate amount of funding that would take away from your own funding.
Fourth, after doing some research, knowing the history and culture of Petersburgh, and seeing the impossibility of implementing it here without significant motorized use and noise (legally or illegally), the project will only cause a major uproar in the town similar to the one that occurred when they tried to install a motocross track here a few years ago.
Our situation is nearly directly opposite from Stephentown’s:
• In Stephentown, the motorized use is already there and will remain. There might be more of an upside to expanding it as a multiple use facility. Petersburgh, on the other hand, enjoys relative peace and quiet along the route. The trail will open it up to noise and misuse that didn’t exist.
• In Stephentown, there is already a force in place to maintain the trail, with the snowmobile club, with heavy equipment and a ready cadre of people ready to help, involving relatively little extra effort required to make this into a hike bike use as well. But even with this body of dedicated snowmobilers, I noticed on their web site’s Facebook page a continual thread of the problem of ATV and other non-authorized motorized use. If these responsible people, who have a larger community of support which is already well organized, can not stop this motorized use, what makes you think that Petersburgh, with virtually no infrastructure, no policing capability, and a culture of unlawful motorized use all over the area will be able to restrict this in any way? No property owner in his (her) right mind would agree to opening their land to such potential abuse. Just look at what has happened to the Taconic Trail south of Petersburgh around Berlin Mountain. Totally ruined by ATV use and no discernible policing.
• The acoustic sound problem is a significant difference. Anyone who is living along the Rt. 22 corridor in Petersburgh/Berlin knows that motorized noise has an echo/amplification effect, unlike the relatively flatter area around Stephentown.
Any promises by an official that, once built, trail abuse can be prevented and policed just do not ring true if one examines the culture and the budgets of this area. That is why it is so important for us to very closely examine the long term implications of this trail and its potential to severely impact the peace and quiet of our rural valley, and the resultant abuse and lowering of property values along the route. Any statements to the contrary by officials promoting the project should be viewed skeptically.
Barton McLean
Petersburgh
There have been a fair number of inquiries about the 2013 history/cookbook, “Remembrances and Recipes of the Petersburgh Sunshine Seniors”. These sold out quite quickly. The seniors have decided to do another print of 100 copies if there is enough interest. In order to break even, there needs to be a commitment from folks to buy at least 50 copies. If you are interested in a book contact Marion Manchester at 658-2073.
Another “Rememberances and Recipe” Book will be published in the future.
Mary Lou Walters would like to meet with any Petersburgh Senior who is willing to share their stories and/or recipes. This will be a 2014-15 winter project. However, she would like to meet right away with any senior who is ailing or very elderly. It is hoped that no memories will slip away before they are shared. Please call her at 658-0136 to set up a visit.
