The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

The County Commends Stephentown’s Wes Edwards For His Fifty Years On The Bench

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by Kieron Kramer

In an extremely brief meeting, the Rensselaer County Legislature passed only three resolutions that directly related to eastern Rensselaer County. They began the meeting by honoring Wesley Edwards for his 50 years as Town Justice in Stephentown. They also approved a contract with the Agricultural Stewardship Association which manages Rensselaer County’s Farmland Protection Program in which a number of local farms are involved. And it re-appointed David Huskie of Petersburgh to the County Health Board for a term to expire December 31, 2019.

[Read more…] about The County Commends Stephentown’s Wes Edwards For His Fifty Years On The Bench

Berlin Town Board Action – The Missing Report

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by Kieron Kramer

An oddity at the Berlin Town Board meeting on Thursday, January 9, was that there was no Code Enforcement Officer report even though Allan Yerton was present at the meeting and even though the report appeared on the agenda as usual. No mention was made of it. About 40 minutes later Allan Yerton was re-appointed Code Enforcement Officer by the Board after a thirty minute executive session which Yerton attended. Until this appointment after the executive session there was, technically, no Code Enforcement Officer in Berlin and hence no report. [Read more…] about Berlin Town Board Action – The Missing Report

Berlin’s #511 Post Tappen

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from Rensselaer County Historical Society’s commentary in the Civil War exhibition in the Rensselaer County Legislature’s lobby

Between June of 1884 and 1885, Berlin veterans formed #511 Post Tappen. Following the National Grand Army of the Republic’s (GAR) that began, in 1866, honoring soldiers by decorating their graves, Berlin’s Post Tappen commemorated Decoration Day. [Read more…] about Berlin’s #511 Post Tappen

Petersburgh Organizational Meeting 2014

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by Alex Brooks

The Town of Petersburgh held its organizational meeting for 2014 on January 9. There were many new faces, as Supervisor Krahforst is the only member of the 2013 Town Board who’s still in office. Newly elected Town Board members Jack Barnhill and Denise Church took their places at the table, and the first order of business was to appoint two more members to the Board. They appointed Neil Geary, who ran for a seat on the Board in November and came in third, and Alan Webster Sr., who has served on the Town Board before. Two others offered to serve but were not chosen. These were Rossie Knight and Gene Kluck. Votes were taken for Geary and Webster’s appointments.  Krahforst and Church voted in favor, and Barnhill abstained.

There was a shakeup in the secretarial arrangements. Callie Crisp will continue as Town Clerk, Town Secretary and Registrar of Vital Deeds, but she stepped down as Court Clerk and Water District Tax Collector. Allison Oswald was appointed as Court Clerk, and Callie Crisp was appointed Deputy Court Clerk so she can train and assist Oswald.

Brigitta Schmidt was appointed as Water District Tax Collector, Deputy Town Clerk, and Deputy Registrar. Ann Crisp was appointed as the Supervisor’s Secretary, a position held last year by Schmidt.

Doug Hull let the Town know that he wanted to step down as Building Inspector at the end of 2013. Martin Conboy applied for the job, and will be the new Codes Enforcement Officer and Building Inspector, but while he is getting the required training, Doug Hull agreed to stay on temporarily to ensure that legal requirements are met.

Resolution #1 For 2014

RESOLVED, that the salaries and/or wages of Town Officers, Officials and Employees be as follows:

Town Supervisor: Siegfried Krahforst…………………$ 9,000 per year

Town Councilmen (4)………………………….$1,704.50 (each) per year – Jack Barnhill, Denise Church, Alan Webster and Neil Geary.

Town Clerk: Callie Crisp………………………………….$12,130 per year

Registrar of Vital Statistics: Callie Crisp……………….. $500 per year

Deputy Registrar: Brigitta Schmidt

Superintendent of Highways: Ray Harrison………..$41,257 per year

Deputy Highway Superintendent: Steven Harrison..hours + $950 per year

Highway Department Employees’ pay –  range from $16.13 per hour to $10 per hr

Town Justice (2)…………………………………….. $4,850 (each) per year – Richard Snyder and Amy Manchester

Court Clerk: Allison Oswald……………………………… $7,500 per year

Deputy Court Clerk: Callie Crisp………………………..$10.50 per hour

Tax Collector: Emily Harrison…………………………… $3,500 per year

Assessor: Craig Surprise…………………………………..$15,200 per year

Assessor’s Clerk: Helen Hemendinger………………….. $11 per hour

Board of Assessment Review…………… $100 (each) per year – Dennis Smith, David Miller, Anne Bossoni, Brandon DeWaal, Barbara Snyder

BAR Secretary: Callie Crisp…………………………………$110 per year

Dog Control Officer: Lynne Torello-Burns…………..$3,000 per year

Code Enforcement Officer: Martin Conboy………….$7,500 per year

Town Attorney: Sal Ferlazzo…………………..as req’d up to $4,000/yr.

Town Hall Custodian: Emily Harrison………..$50 per week as req’d

PVMCC Custodian: Katie Dastoli………………$60 per week as req’d

Water District Superintendent: Ben Krahforst……… $9,000 per year

Water District Tax Collector: Brigitta Schmidt………$1,200 per year

Town Secretary: Callie Crisp…………………………….. $8,710 per year

Bookkeeper: Charles Guntner……………………………. $7,800 per year

Other Appointments:

Deputy Supervisor: Mario DiDomenicantonio

Deputy Town Clerk (1): Brigitta Schmidt……… $10.50 per hour

Deputy Town Clerk (2): Barbara Snyder………. $ 9.50 per hour

Town Historian: Peter Schaaphok

Veterans Service Officer: David Alderman

Official Newspaper: The Eastwick Press

Official Funds Depository: Pioneer Bank

Stephentown Organizational Meeting 2014

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compiled by David Flint

The Stephentown Town Board held its annual organizational meeting on Thursday, January 2. The Board made the following appointments:

Zoning Officer – Dean Herrick

Code Enforcement Officer – Dean Herrick

Deputy to Code Enforcement Officer – Owen Cassavaugh

Clerk to the Assessor – Jennifer Van Deusen

Court Clerk – Tammy Whitman

Bookkeeper to Supervisor – Maureen Seel

Deputy Tax Collector – Stephanie DiCarlo

Deputy Town Clerk – Nathaniel Cowen

Dog Control Officer – Lynne Torello-Burns

Transfer Station Custodians

Supervisor – Agnes Hoffman

Senior Attendant – Kenneth (Bob) Olson

Substitutes – Howard Chittenden & Edward Rogers

Planning Board Clerk – Laurie Gilliland

Town Attorneys – Michelina Wojton & Craig Crist

Town Constable – Henry Wagar

Town Historian – Patricia Flint

Youth Commission Chairperson – none

Zoning Board of Appeals Clerk – Laurie Gilliland

ZBA Member (exp. 12/31/2018) – Richard Sime

ZBA Member (exp. 12/31/2015) – Bruce Fairweather

Planning Board Member (exp. 12/31/2018) – Derrick Gardner

Registrar of Vital Statistics – Stephanie Wagar

All appointments are for one year, expiring December 31, 2014, except as indicated.

The Board authorized the Town Clerk to advertise for the vacant positions of Alternate Members of the Planning and Zoning Boards.

The Board made other appointments, policies and pay rates as follows:

Official Publications – Town Website, Troy Record, Eastwick Press

Depository for Town monies – First Niagara Bank

Policy And Pay Rate For Highway Department

Highway Employees are per Union Contract. The Department has three non–elected employees, two Equipment Operators MEOH and one Mechanic MEOL. At the request of the Highway Superintendent, a third MEOH/MEOL position may be added with Town Board approval.

Policy And Pay Rate For Transfer Station Appointees

The Transfer Station Supervisor and Senior Attendant receive one week vacation after one year of service, for a 20 hour work week.
The Transfer Station Supervisor and Senior Attendant with six or more months of service shall be entitled to a total of one paid holiday in 2014 which shall be New Year’s Day January 1, 2014.

Salaries Of Elected And Appointed Officials

Highway Superintendent – $58,113

Supervisor – $8,000

Bookkeeper to Supervisor – $8,880

Town Clerk – $18,808

Deputy Town Clerk – $2,000 or $14.50 per hour

Town Justice – (2 at  $8,823) – $17,646

Councilpersons – (4 at $4,000) – $16,000

Assessor – $16,811.82

Deputy Assessor – $9,474

Court Clerk – $7,853

Tax Collector – $5,610

Deputy Tax Collector – $958

Transfer Station Supervisor – $14.01 per hour

Senior Transfer Station Attendant – $13.59 per hour

Transfer Station Attendant – $10.94 per hour

Zoning Officer – $6,120

Deputy Zoning Officer – $1,640

Code Enforcement Officer – $15,938

Deputy Code Enforcement Officer – $1,640

Dog Control Officer – $4,918

Registrar – $1,000

Constable – $4,918

Planning Board Clerk – $14.50 per hour (max $1,500)

Zoning Board of Appeals Clerk – $14.50 per hour (max $1,500)

Pay For Election Machine Custodians And Clerk

Trip to Troy Primary and Election night – $25

Trips to Town for machine drop off and pickup – $15

Mileage at $0.565 for Election Trips

Pay For Assessment Board Of Review

Each member shall receive $60 for the first day (Chairman $65) and $35 for each additional day thereafter (Chairman $40). The Board of Review will select the secretary who shall take all minutes and make copies; minutes to be filed with the Town Clerk, copies may be retained by the Assessor. The secretary will receive one extra day pay ($35) as this is needed to copy the minutes and do reports.

Town Board Committees (Chairpersons listed first)

Town Hall – Chris Demick, John Meekins

Machinery and Garage – PJ Roder, Chris Demick

Transfer Station – Bill Jennings, PJ Roder

Park – John Meekins, Bill Jennings

Welfare and Safety – Wes Edwards, Cyril Grant

Association of Towns Voting Delegate – Wes Edwards; Cyril Grant Alternate ($900 per person for their attendance at the February 2014 meeting.)

Mileage for Town Officers for use of personal car on official Town business – 56½ cents per mile.

Trading Highway Work – The Highway Superintendent has permission from the Town Board to continue the policy of trading work with other towns, county and states when it is of benefit to the Town.

Health Department Liaison – Larry Eckhardt will act as liaison between the Town and the Rensselaer County Health Department.

Library Contract – The Town Supervisor is authorized to enter into a contract with the Stephentown Library Association and support them in the amount of $43,350.

Museum Contract – The Town Supervisor is authorized to enter into a contract with the Stephentown Museum and support them in the amount of $6,000.

Fire Department Contract – The Town Supervisor is authorized to sign a contract with the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department in the amount of $3,150 to compensate for use of Fire Department facilities by the Stephentown Veterans, the Stephentown Youth Commission and the Stephentown Seniors.

Backup Signatory – The Town Board designates Councilman William Jennings as a backup to the Town Supervisor as signatory on the Town checking accounts.

Workday Hours And Days Per Month For Retirement System Reporting – For purposes of reporting to the State Retirement System, the following shall be the standard workday hours:

Highway Superintendent  and Highway Department employees – 8 hours per day

Council, Town Clerk, Town Supervisor, Tax Collector, Town Justices – 6 hours per day

All other appointed positions –   6 hours per day

The following shall be the standard days per month validated by submission of a Record of Activities (ROA calendar) for at least a three month period:

Highway Superintendent & Highway Dept. employees – 20 days

Supervisor – 10 days

Councilperson – 3 days

Town Clerk – 15 days

Court Clerk – 10 days

Deputy Code Enforcement & Deputy Zoning – 2.5 days

Bookkeeper – 15 days

Town Justice – 5 days

Assessor – 10 days

Clerk to Assessor – 5 days

Refuse Service – based on time sheet hours

From Minks To Sinks Tag Sale At The Armory

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From Minks to Sinks is the ultimate indoor tag sale with offerings plain and fancy, new, barely used and well worn, large and small. And because it’s indoors, whether it rains, snows or the sun shines, whether it’s freezing outside or balmy, the sale will go on at The Armory, 80 Church Street in Hoosick Falls. The event is on February 1, from 9 am to 3 pm.

Need a little extra cash or just want to clean out your closet and de-clutter your house? Is your garage filled to the brim? Then sort through it now and sell what you don’t need. From Minks to Sinks is a great reason to clean out your attic, closets and garages of things you are no longer using. As the saying goes, “Your trash is likely someone else’s treasure.”

At Minks to Sinks, you can sell everything and anything, from furniture, rugs and lawn mowers, kitchen and household items, to gardening and bicycles and sports equipment, kids’ toys, luggage, electronics, clothing, books, electronics, home decor, lamps, artwork, seasonal clothing and much more. You can even sell or buy minks and sinks! From Minks to Sinks is an opportunity to recycle items you have never used or no longer need and turn those goods into cash.

“It’s so rewarding to see stuff go to good use rather than get tossed out,” said Patti Zilinskas of HAYC3. “Everyone’s a winner; sellers go home with some extra bucks in their pockets, buyers leave with new found treasures, and there’s less stuff going into the dump.”

So get ready to clean house, make a few extra bucks and do some serious bargain hunting. From Minks to Sinks will be the biggest treasure hunt in town. It’s not your everyday tag sale!

Tag sale spaces are available for $10 per vendor and are free for non-profits. For more information or to reserve a space, visit hayc3.org, click on the “Community Events” tab and scroll down to “Minks to Sinks,” or call HAYC3 at 518-686-9050 or email us at contacthayc3@gmail.org.

Free Estate Planning Workshop

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An Estate Planning workshop will be held at the Stephentown Town Hall on Saturday, January 18, from 1 to 3 pm for forest landowners in the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Canaan and New Lebanon.

Come get an overview of Estate Planning from an experienced attorney. This workshop will explore the human side of estate planning. It will focus on maintaining family ties to the land from generation to generation, building awareness of key issues facing family woodland owners and motivating families to address these challenges.

Refreshments will be served. Please call 429-8526 to reserve a seat. This project is funded by a grant from the USDA Forest Service.

EBooks Explained At The Grafton Community Library

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Did you receive a Kindle®, Nook® or other ereader over the holidays? Already own an iPad®, iPod®, MP3 or other portable device? Join us at the Everett Wagar Senior Center in Grafton on Thursday, February 6, at 6 pm as we learn how to borrow digital content from the library system. Jo-Ann Benedetti of the Upper Hudson Library System will lead us through the process of downloading books, audiobooks and video to various devices. Bring your device to the program to follow along.

Pre-registration is requested by calling the Library at 279-0580 or by stopping by in person at 2455 NY Route 2. Visit the Library’s website at www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org to keep up with what’s new at the Grafton Library and “like” us on Facebook® too.