by Bea Peterson
The New Business portion of the Town of Hoosick Board meeting on Monday, September 21, included information on new businesses in the Town. Supervisor Marilyn Douglas reported that Delaney’s Hotel on Routes 67 and 22 has been sold. The new owner intends to open it as a bed and breakfast.
The people who are interested in purchasing the former Mobil station on Route 7 spent more than an hour talking with Supervisor Douglas and Councilman Kevin O’Malley. They plan to sell Sunoco gasoline. They feel it would be a good fit in the area in conjunction with the Price Chopper program that offers cents off per gallon at Sunoco stations. They will have a mini-mart and hope to expand it in the future. Dunkin’ Donuts will stay on the premises. They expect to open within two months. Supervisor Douglas said the new owner lives in Rensselaer County and has other similar gas station/stores.
In conjunction with that news, Councilman Bob Ryan said that Brown’s Brewery in North Hoosick recently purchased vats and equipment from another brewery. Ryan said they will be growing leaps and bounds and they will be employing more and more people. He said several Hannaford stores now carry their beer.
Supervisor Douglas said the relocated from Troy state of the art VPS Control Systems on Hill Road has invited the Board to an Open House on Friday, October 2, from 1 to 5 pm.
Thank You
Young Joel Senecal-Moseley expressed his appreciation to the Board for allowing him to put a collection box in the Town Hall for items he would take to Uganda. He
showed the large duffle bag, as tall and as wide as he was, that he filled with the donated items he took with him on his missionary building trip in August. He described his experience to the Board and those attending the meeting. Supervisor Douglas said he did a great job and “we couldn’t have had a better ambassador.”
Railroads
Town Historian Phil Leonard displayed the latest board he has put together with photos of the railroad. He said Hoosick Falls was nothing before the railroad came through in the early 1900s. The pictures show the old train depots in the area. Hoosick Falls had three at one time. One had upper and lower levels, one level for trains going east, the other for trains going west. The board includes the 1965 train accident where a propane tank landed in a back yard on Willow St. and other train accidents. It also shows rail construction, the creameries that benefitted from the early refrigerator cars that had sides filled with ice, and there is a beautiful photo of a night train traversing the trestle bridge over the Walloomsac River.
Taste Of Hoosick
Supervisor Douglas thanked the restaurants, musicians, the Hoosick Falls Country Club, the Hoosick Falls Police, donors and sponsors who made the Taste o
f Hoosick event on Sunday which benefitted the Hoosick Area Church Association Food Closet such a huge success. Over 200 people attended the food tasting and silent auction that showcased Hoosick area restaurants and raised $8,000 for the Closet. “One of the biggest assets of this community is that people care about people,” said the Supervisor. Ryan agreed, noting the success of the Karen McGovern Volleyball Tournament and the Carknard Golf Tournament. The Carknard fund sees that youngsters from families without the financial means can participate in sports programs in Town. This year the tournament raised $4,500.
Councilman Mark Cottrell said area farmers are working together to buy fuel for their farms in bulk, like the towns are doing. He said they got started too late to lock in a price for this year but they are organizing for next year.
Funds For Bandstand
Supervisor Douglas said Community Band Leader Bill Gaillard was requesting funds to rebuild the floor of the bandstand in Wood Park. She said they have had a donation of some wood for the project but must purchase more, and other supplies. Band members will do the construction. She added that there were funds to support this project. The Board approved giving the Band $1,295 for floor replacement.
Supervisor Douglas said the bridge over the Walloomsac River near the Barnett House is gone. Work is underway on the new bridge and, she noted, local people have been hired for some of the jobs involved in the project. She reported that the White Creek bridge has been flagged again. Engineer Charles Tutunjian of Creighton Manning, who worked on the Caretaker’s Bridge, will do a study of the White Creek bridge. Leftover stimulus or other federal money may be available to replace it with 85 percent coming from federal funds, 10 percent from State funds and five percent from the Town.
New Chairs
The Supervisor pointed out the new chairs at the meeting table. They were received through a grant from the Court System.
Appointment And Reappointments
The Board approved the reappointment of Tom Lemon to the Assessment Review Board to 2014. His term expires September 30. The Board also approved the appointment of Joyce Whalen to the Town of Hoosick Housing Authority to fill the term of Mike Barber, who has moved from the Town. That term expires September 30, 2013. Marilyn Douglas was also reappointed to the Housing Authority Board until September 30, 2014.
Upcoming Events
Pumpkinpalooza will be held all day Saturday, October 26, at the Town of Hoosick Athletic Field. The Harvest Fest, to benefit the Youth Mentoring Program and the Hoosick Falls Health Center will be in the skating rink in the evening. The Hoosick Area Partnership for Parents and Youth (HAPPY) is handling all the details and getting the appropriate insurance and permits for these events.
The Farmers Market on Route 7 is shortening its hours to 3 to 6 pm on Fridays. During Columbus Day weekend it will be open on October 9 from 3 to 6:30 pm and on Monday, October 12, from 11 am to 3 pm.
A murder mystery will be presented at the Barnett House on Saturday, October 24, at 2 and 4 pm. There is an admission charge, and reservations are recommended. Call 686-4438 or 802-442-8472.
The Town of Hoosick Halloween Parade will be Friday, October 30. O’Malley said that last year over 300 kids participated. He hopes there will be that many again this year.
The Corn Maze on Route 7 is open for the season.
The next meeting of the Hoosick Town Board will be Tuesday, October 13, at 7 pm since Monday is Columbus Day.
More Taste of Hoosick – Full Tummies Help Feed Empty Tummies
More that 200 people enjoyed a delicious and wide variety of foods from 16 different Hoosick area restaurants, caterers and super market Sunday afternoon at the Hoosick Falls Country Club. The event was A Taste of Hoosick. Besides the food, attendees were treated to terrific music by vonSchilgen, Green & Webster and the HFCS Jazz Band. Fortunately the weather was absolutely beautiful so folks could eat outside in the sunshine as well as indoors. Besides the food and music the bidding was lively on the 38 silent auction items.
Organizers Dianne Hosterman of the Hoosick Area Church Association (HACA) and Hoosick Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas were overwhelmed by the turnout to benefit the HACA Food Closet, which has seen a huge increase in the number of families needing help putting food on their tables. The increase from 2007 to 2008 was 19 percent. Last year 267 families counted on help from the Food Closet which provided 34,000 pounds of food to them. Already this year requests are ahead of last year.
Many volunteers from HACA worked diligently to put the event together. Donors and sponsors and those who came to the Taste of Hoosick made it a success. Preliminary figures show the event raised over $8,000. Hosterman would like to thank the donors and sponsors for their generosity, especially the Hoosick Falls Federal Credit Union and the Town of Hoosick Lions Club. She is grateful to the Hoosick Falls Fire Police for assisting with the parking, which extended down to the ball field with people being shuttled up to the Country Club. She is also grateful to the restaurants and musicians that made the day special and the Hoosick Falls Country Club for use of the facility.
Taste of Hoosick Pix: