by Kieron Kramer
The family of Charles Hamill of Grafton entered the well of the Rensselaer County Legislature on Tuesday night to receive copies of the resolution passed last month that memorialized him. Charles J. “Charlie” Hamill died on January 23, 2012.
[private]Legislators Lester Goodermote and Stan Brownell made the presentation to the family. Goodermote read the resolution and then said a few words. Among other things, Hamill was employed by the Berlin Central School District as a bus driver and was always willing to go the “extra mile” for his students. Previously he was employed by the Ale House in Troy and the Operating Engineers Union. Charlie was a founding member and current President of the “Chippi Club” at Babcock Lake. Goodermote said, “I’ve known Charlie Hamill around Babcock Lake for 30 years, I guess, and I’ve known Jenny, his wife, and Theresa more than that; we grew up together in Hoosick Falls. I always enjoyed seeing him around Babcock Lake; he was a fun guy to be around. He will be sorely missed.”
Tom Hamill, Charlie’s brother, said, “It really is wonderful that you give this nice tribute to my brother. Charlie did a lot for people in the Rensselaer County area.”
Democratic Legislator Peter Grimm from Troy said, “I don’t have a memory in life without a Hamill in it. He was a great friend to everyone at Babcock Lake. He was a remarkable man, a great neighbor and, I would be remiss not to say, a great Democrat.”
Brownell said, “He was definitely known in eastern Rensselaer County.” Then Brownell added some facts that were not included in the resolution. Hamill was an assessor in Grafton for 10 or 12 years, he said. And Hamill was Secretary of the Highway Superintendents Association even though he had never been a highway superintendent.
Mrs. Hamill was the last to speak. Jenny said tearfully and with great emotion, “Thank you, it has been very hard for everyone.”
In Memoriam Of Joan Rogers
A resident of Hoosick Falls, Joan Rogers, was also memorialized at Tuesday’s Legislative session. She died on January 22, 2012.
The resolution passed at this meeting says, “It is customary for this Legislative Body to pay honor and respect to persons who have had a great impact and influence on the citizens of this County; it is with particularly deep sadness that we conclude this evening’s deliberations in honor of Joan Rogers.”
According to the resolution Joan Rogers was born in Troy, NY. She was the daughter of the late James and Dora (Gooden) Hewson. She worked at the Hoosick Falls Undergarment until the time of her marriage, and she was a valued member of the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad since its inception. She served as the Squad’s Secretary for many years. Active in her community, she was the first woman elected to serve on the Hoosick Falls Village Board. Joan Rogers also served on the Hoosick Town Council, was a Past President of the St. Mary’s Academy (SMA) Home School Association, a past member and Grand Regent of the Catholic Daughters, a member of the Elks Auxiliary, a past coach for Hoosick Misses Softball and a past den mother of Boy Scout Troop 64. She volunteered at the SMA Funtastik Fair and was a communicant of the Immaculate Conception Church and a 1948 graduate of St. Mary’s Academy in Hoosick Falls.
The resolution says, “Joan Rogers will be missed by her family: her children, Dodie (John), Terri (John), Joni, Rosemarie (Rick), Faye (Gary) and Mickey (Stacy); her seventeen grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews. Joan was pre-deceased by her husband, Raymond, son, James, and her sister, Mary…the Rensselaer County Legislature concludes its deliberations in memory of Joan Rogers and extends its deepest sympathy to her family, fully confident that her contributions to her community will live on to serve as a legacy for all.”
The Clerk of the Legislature will transmit a copy of the resolution, suitably engrossed, to the family of Joan Rogers.
Kenney Causeway
The Legislature passed a resolution urging the New York State Legislature to enact a Senate Bill and an Assembly Bill naming a portion of State Route Seven, the causeway over the Tomhannock Reservoir, after Brigadier General James J. Kenney of Hoosick Falls.
This portion of New York State Route Seven lies in the County of Rensselaer, and the County Legislature would like to rename this portion the Brigadier General James Kenney Memorial Highway.
James Kenney began his military career at age 15. It lasted over 45 years. Working for the State Division of Military and Naval Affairs in the Adjutant General’s Office he rose through the ranks to the level of Colonel. Between 1954 and 1977 he was responsible for 90 N.Y.S. armories and 11 air bases. He retired in 1977 from the New York Army National Guard and was later honored with a brevet promotion to Brigadier General.
Kenney also worked for the N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation for more than 54 years, dating back to 1955. His patrol covered Rensselaer County, but, according to the resolution, his favorite work detail was patrolling the Tomhannock Reservoir. It is appropriate, then, to honor his service by naming the causeway over the reservoir he loved to patrol. In an interview after the meeting, Legislator Stan Brownell, who, along with Lester Goodermote, represents District 5 which includes the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Petersburgh, Grafton, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls, said that the idea to name the causeway after Kenney came from Kenney’s daughter, Stacy Flynn. She suggested it at the County Honoring A Deceased Veteran ceremony which honored Kenney on February 13.
Local Farms Get Funds For Storm Damage
At this meeting the Legislature passed a resolution approving the distribution of $199,878 in funding from the 2011 State of New York Agriculture Recovery and Community Fund Small Cities Program Grant to provide financial assistance to farms for costs incurred due to Hurricane Irene. Of the funding, $25,645 was already accepted by the Legislature at its last meeting on February 14. The resolution passed at this meeting accepts $174,232 in an additional grant from the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation and Office for Community Renewal and adjusts the amounts awarded to the farms as well as authorizing contracts for payment of grant funds to eligible farmers. The County Bureau of Economic Development and Planning will administer this grant program. According to the resolution, the program will be fully funded through Federal monies and will therefore produce no fiscal impact on Rensselaer County.
Local farms will receive money in the following amounts.
The Wagner Farm on Garfield Road in Poestenkill will receive $40,524.
Anthony Maier of Kingman Road in Nassau will receive $2,850.
The Evergreen Farm on Green Road in Petersburgh will receive $44,280.
The Wysocki Farm on NY Route 22 in Hoosick Falls will receive $50,000.
Timothy Marbot of Pine Valley Road in Hoosick Falls will receive $10,000.
Land Given To Stewart’s
The Legislature passed a resolution requesting the NYS Department of Transportation to release maintenance jurisdiction over a portion of the Town of Hoosick at the intersection of Routes 22 and 67 in North Hoosick.
Stewart’s Shops Corp. has represented their real property as encumbered by certain abandoned highway rights-of-way, including but not limited to a portion of State Route 67 and State Route 22. Stewart’s has represented itself as the owner in fee of real property located there.
Maintenance jurisdiction of the parcel is currently held by the New York State Department of Transportation, which has agreed to abandon such jurisdiction to the County of Rensselaer in anticipation of a conveyance of the parcel by the County to Stewart’s. The parcel consists of approximately 2,021 square feet and will be conveyed by quit claim deed to Stewart’s.
Other Business
In business concerning eastern Rensselaer County the Legislature passed a resolution authorizing the extension of cost reimbursement agreements with five municipalities. The Legislature had accepted a grant from the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for $250,500 in 2009. The funds were rolled into the 2010 and then the 2011 budgets. This grant term was for the period ending September 1, 2011 and was extended by the New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Services until August 31, 2012. The grant is for the purpose of training personnel to respond to events involving weapons of mass destruction.
The Legislature authorized part of the original grant to be used for reimbursement agreements with five cities and towns in the County. Troy will get up to $25,000, Rensselaer up to $8,000, the Towns of East Greenbush and North Greenbush up to $6,000 each and the Village of Hoosick Falls up to $4,000 for the purpose of reimbursing salaries of employees paid to attend and/or back fill for those employees attending the training.
The Legislature reappointed Denise Jacon Church of Taconic Trail in Petersburgh, among others, to the Rensselaer County Environmental Management Council for a term to commence immediately and to expire December 31, 2013. Omer Brenenstuhl of Hoosick, as Chairman of the County Soil and Water Conservation District, will also serve on the Council.
A resolution passed correcting the 2012 Grafton tax roll. Two parcels located in the Town of Grafton for the year 2012 were inadvertently shown as taxable. The Friends of the Dyken Pond Center, Ltd., the owner of the parcels, is a non-profit organization. The Friends had filed for a non-profit exemption, but the exemption was omitted from the tax roll due to a clerical error. This resolution resolves that the tax is rendered permanently unenforceable and uncollectable on these two parcels and that both are wholly exempt from taxes.
Ruth Wheeler Commended On Her 90th Birthday
Ruth Wheeler was commended by the Legislature on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday as “a milestone in the life of a member of the community.”
The resolution says, “Ruth was born on January 14, 1922, to her late parents John Schillinger and Harriet Schillinger, in a house on Main Avenue in Wynantskill… Ruth’s two siblings are Henry Schillinger and Grace Goodermote…Ruth and her husband, George S. Wheeler, together had three children: Ruth M. Teal, John Wheeler and Ann Wheeler; and Ruth has seven grandchildren: Karen Cronin, David Teal, Brian Teal, Andrew Lanesey, Annmarie Payette, Jacob Scott Wheeler and Rebecca Pursell…Ruth’s ten great-grandchildren are: Danilyn Cronin, Meghan Cronin, Aidan Teal, Connor Teal, Kara Teal, Zachary Teal, Anthony Lanesey, Angela Lanesey, Declon Pursell and Charlotte Pursell…She was a high school graduate and was employed as an Audit Clerk for New York State. Ruth also worked for the Rensselaer County Board of Elections for thirty years, as a poll worker on election day…Active in her community she was a Past President and Secretary for 27 Division Women’s Auxiliary from 1950 until it disbanded in mid-90s, a member of the Wynantskill Seniors since 1979, serving as President and Trip Secretary, a member of First Reformed Church of Wynantskill, serving as a past elder, deacon and Sunday School teacher. She was also the second female to be elected to the consistory. Ruth was a member of the Christian Women of Troy for fifteen years, a member of the Poestenkill Seniors for fifteen years and a member of the Rensselaer County Home Bureau for fifty years and served as Chairman for several years…With a wisdom and vision befitting her rich and purposeful years, Ruth continues her pursuit of life, enriching the lives of those around her through her quiescent charm, her sincere love for others and through a sageness which comes from experience and a fullness of life.”
The Clerk of the Legislature will transmit a copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, to Ruth Wheeler.
Bauer Fills Last Open Seat
The Rensselaer County Legislature approved the appointment of Henry R. Bauer, a Republican, to the vacant seat in the County Legislature representing Troy. Bauer has served on the Troy City Council as Council President and has served as City Court Judge. In 2004, while on his way to re-election, Bauer’s service as judge was ended due to a close and controversial ruling from the Court of Appeals regarding Bauer’s handling of certain cases. Bauer’s wife, Laura, also served three terms as a member of the County Legislature.
“Hank’s experience and knowledge of Troy and its residents will be a definite asset in the County Legislature. We look forward to the opportunity to work with Hank in the coming months,” said Vice Chairman of the Legislature Stan Brownell. Bauer’s appointment was approved by 14-4 vote along party lines. He was sworn in by County Clerk Frank Merola.
Two legislative vacancies were created by the election of Democratic Legislator Louis Rosamilia as Troy Mayor and the appointment of Democratic Legislator Peter Ryan as his Deputy Mayor last fall. Republican Harry Tutunjian, the former Mayor of Troy, who lost to Rosamilia, was appointed in January to fill one of the vacancies. With Bauer’s appointment there are now four Democrats and 15 Republicans in the Legislature.
Before the presentation period at Tuesday’s Legislative session, County Executive Kathleen Jimino delivered her annual State of the County address.[/private]