by Kieron Kramer
Last month the Rensselaer County Legislature passed a resolution honoring the Evergreen Farm in Petersburgh for being the recipient of the 2013 Conservation Farm of the Year Award presented by the Rensselaer County Soil and Water Conservation District. The resolution says that David and Leslie Green are honored for being true caretakers of their land.
[private]According to the resolution, Evergreen Farm was established in 1848 and has a rich history with David Green’s great, great, grandfather purchasing the farm located in the Town of Petersburgh. David is the fifth generation to operate the Evergreen Farm. He has worked with the Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service applying conservation on his lands, and he has been a constant District co-operator with conservation plans since 1951. The Greens worked with the Agriculture Stewardship Association and were able to secure a New York State Farmland Protection Easement on the priority farmland. They were also able to obtain funding because they needed to address manure runoff and State concerns on manure runoff. In 2012, the farm installed a 6 month, 2 million gallon manure storage facility for the 325 plus cow operation, and, in 2013, David Green completed a major roof water management project by covering the open heifer yard on the farm. He is saving his prime farm soils from washing away by installing several river bank protection projects.
The presentation of the resolution recognizing the Evergreen Farm was made at the County Legislative meeting on Tuesday, October 14.
Legislature Hires Broker To Sell WCW Building In Hoosick Falls
A resolution that passed unanimously on Tuesday says, “Occasionally the County acquires title to real property through the in rem tax foreclosure process or other means, which parcels have value or characteristics that may make it advantageous to market them through a professional real estate broker as opposed to disposing of them through the general public auction process…The County has acquired title to the former WCW, Inc. manufacturing facility located at One Mechanic Street in the Village of Hoosick Falls, and…The County desires to market this property to manufacturers or other potential owners in an effort to create an economic development opportunity in the Village of Hoosick Falls, as well as maximize the sale proceeds to Rensselaer County to offset delinquent taxes.”
According to the resolution a request for proposals was issued to four brokers for the purposes of selecting a firm to represent the County marketing this and other similarly situated parcels in the future. Of the two responses that were received, that of the firm of Prudential Blake Commercial Realtors of 8 Airline Drive, Suite 104, Albany, is being recommended for this particular sale based on their experience and knowledge of the Hoosick Falls and Capital District real estate market and their commission rates. Hoosick Falls real estate broker Rick Tinkham is a member of this firm.
The Legislature will have an opportunity to approve any sale of the parcel before it is final, and the real estate broker’s commission will be netted from the sale price upon sale closing.
Mason Hubbard And Marion Manchester Of Petersburgh Honored For Receiving The 2014 Senior Lifetime Achievement Award
Another resolution passed Tuesday says, “On Wednesday, the fifteenth day of October of the year Two thousand fourteen the 17th Senior Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony will take place…Those individuals from Rensselaer County that will be honored at this ceremony are Jean Hayes, James (Mason) Hubbard, Marion Manchester and Guinevere Thaler…the Rensselaer County Legislature…compliments and congratulations these individuals for their personal character, interests, volunteer activities, successful careers, accomplishments, and/or hobbies which led them to receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Budget Hearing
There will be a budget hearing on the proposed 2015 County budget on Friday, October 17, at 10:30 am in the County Office Building.
District Five Legislators Lester Goodermote and Stan Brownell will be attending the Berlin Fire Department Lobster Bake on Saturday at the Berlin Fire House.
November Meeting Date Changed
The November meeting of the County Legislature would have fallen on Veterans Day, a legal holiday, so the Legislature voted at this meeting to reschedule the November meeting for November 12 with presentations to begin at 5:30 pm.[/private]