The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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Grafton’s Cabin Fever at GLSP 

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by Amy Modesti
Extreme cold? Check. Swimmers in crazy costumes jumping into Long Pond? Check. Petting huskies, Newfoundlands, bloodhounds, exotic animals and horses? Check. What do all these things symbolize? Cabin Fever! 

Single digit temperatures didn’t stop visitors from attending and taking part in this year’s Cabin Fever at Grafton Lakes State Park (GLSP). Gutsy swimmers dressed in costumes, active wear and bathing suits braved the elements to dive into

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Man Charged With Drug and Weapons Possession in Brunswick

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Submitted by the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office

On Tuesday, January 25, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 659 Church Street in the Town of Brunswick. The search warrant yielded an amount of methamphetamine, U.S. currency and several firearms. The Deputies report Kenneth R. Lozo, 36, was arrested and charged with:

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Berlin Central School District Board Meeting

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Contradictory Information

by Chris Tergliafera

At the January 18 regular meeting of the Berlin Central School District Board, Superintendent Joseph Dhara discussed some contradictory information the District has received from the State of New York regarding contact tracing for COVID-19. The State is telling schools they no longer need to contact trace, however they also told districts they need to do their due diligence and notify parents when their child has come in close contact with someone who is infected, which would require contact tracing. The District will look to get some clarification on the matter.

In other COVID-19 news, the number of days required to quarantine after being in close contact with someone who’s tested positive has been reduced from ten to five.

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Grafton Town Council and RPA Go Face to Face

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by Doug La Rocque

After several members of the Town Council expressed surprise about the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance’s (RPA) plans to open a Community Forest on land situated between Stuffle Street and Foster Road, the Council invited RPA Executive Director Jim Bonesteel to their Workshop meeting on Monday, January 24 to explain what the Community Forest is and answer their questions. And many questions there were.

School Loses Out

As to whether the Town would lose tax revenue on this land purchase (the RPA is a not-for-profit entity) the answer is yes and no. While the 394-acre parcel would apparently go off the tax roles, the RPA’s governing body has voted to make annual payments to the Town in lieu of taxes. According to Mr. Bonesteel, these would be paid to the Town’s general and highway funds as well as the fire department. Not included in this so-called PILOT program are the Berlin and Brunswick School Districts or Rensselaer County. They would apparently lose their tax revenue on this parcel.

Traffic and Parking

One of the concerns brought forth at the regular Town Council meeting two weeks ago was

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Agriculture Education Is Popular at HFCS

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by Alex Brooks

High School Teacher Brandon Trinkle gave a presentation on new agriculture education programs to the Hoosick Falls School Board at its January 20 meeting. Trinkle was hired as a business teacher, but has also offered agricultural classes this year, and the student response has been enthusiastic. 80 to 100 students are in agriculture classes this year. Trinkle has also revived the Future Farmers of America (FFA) at Hoosick Falls and there are about 30 students involved in that. The District has secured a grant

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Area Legislators Rail Against Proposed Wood Stove Ban

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by Doug La Rocque

District 5 County Legislators Bruce Patire of Eagle Bridge and Jeff Wysocki of Hoosick are proposing a resolution to be considered at the next County Legislative meeting, going on record as opposed to the NYS Climate Action Council’s potential ban on wood burning stoves. Legislators Patire and Wysocki point out in their resolution that electrical and natural gas prices are climbing around the region while wood burning provides residents with a more cost efficient way to heat their homes. They also point out that wood burning is a sustainable and carbon neutral way to heat and that modern technology has drastically limited emissions and as a result made this cheap energy source cleaner.

The Climate Action Council is a 22-member committee created to prepare a Scoping Plan to achieve a new clean energy and climate agenda for the State. Banning wood burning stoves is before the Committee for consideration.

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Edward E. Fredricks – Obituary

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Grafton - Edward E. (Birdman) Fredricks, III, age 68 of Grafton, NY passed away peacefully, Wednesday January 19, 2022 surrounded by his loving family. Survived by his wife of 48 years Debra L. (Minkler) Fredricks.

Born in Troy, NY he was the son of the late Edward Fredricks Jr. and Eva A (Smith) Fredricks. He attended Troy City Schools. He was employed with Tek Hughes in South Troy, George Washington School, retired from Averill Park School District. He was currently employed with Rensselaer County. He served for many years as a Grafton Fire Commissioner and also a Grafton Town Councilman. He enjoyed playing softball, bowling and playing cards. He was an avid fan of the NY Giants and NY Mets. His passion was spending time with his family and grandchildren. He enjoyed traveling down south every year.

Survived by his sons Edward Fredricks IV and Rollin Fredricks (Ashley Fegley) and daughter Sherrie Akin (Fredricks). Three Grandsons Landon Akin, Derrick and Eli Fredricks. Also survived by brothers William (Barb) Fredricks, Cameron (Karen) Fredricks, Arthur Fredricks (Sandy), Robert Fredricks (Diane) and Thomas "Tucker" Fredricks. Sisters Debra (Lou) Desso, Betty (Norm) Lester, Denise (Ron) Dawson, Bonnie (Ted) Ritrovato, predeceased by Carol (Scott) Selby and Mary Theresa Fredricks. He leaves behind his special friends Bill (Donna) Denue, John Farrell, and predeceased by his best friend Dan Tobin.

Special thanks to the Samaritan Hospital ICU staff and comfort care.

At Edwards wishes there will be no services. Memorial contributions can be made to the: Hudson Mohawk Humane Society, 3 Oakland Ave., Menands, NY 12204 or The Grafton Volunteer Fire Dept., PO Box 134, Grafton NY 12082. The arrangements are under the direction of the Morris – Stebbins – Miner & Sanvidge Funeral Home, 312 Hoosick Street, Troy, NY 12180. Phone: 518-272-5802. For complete obituary, or to express your on-line condolences, please visit: MorrisStebbinsMinerSanvidgefuneralhome.com

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Tamarac Boys Basketball #1 in the State

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by Doug La Rocque

A mere three weeks ago, those in the Wasaren League knew the Tamarac Boys Varsity Basketball team was good; now the entire State knows it. In a tournament in Rome, NY, the Bengals defeated what was then the top team in the whole State, Utica Academy of Science. Since then, they have also knocked off one of the perennial basketball powers in the Capital Region, the Class AA Shaker Bison. That and their continued dominance in the league has made people take notice, so much so that in the weekly ratings of all teams in the State (including parochial and New York City schools) the Bengals were labeled

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One New PFOA Sample Found in Residential Property in Poestenkill

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Contributed by Rensselaer County

An eighth round of sampling of properties in Poestenkill for PFOA has been concluded, with one new property found to have above State-permitted levels, County officials announced on Tuesday.

Twelve properties were sampled during the eighth round of testing. Samples were taken from Weatherwax Road and locations that had been previously offered sampling from around the area of the middle school. 

Of the twelve samples, six showed non-detections and five showed detections of PFOA/PFOS below the State maximum contaminant level standards for public drinking water, along with the one over the MCL.

With the conclusion of the eighth round of testing, a source for the contamination has

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