The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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DWI Victims Memorialized

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Poestenkill Victim Latest Name on the List

by Doug La Rocque
Families of those killed by a drunk driver, County and local officials gathered at the Rensselaer County DWI  Memorial Tuesday, April 26, to remember those whose names are on the memorial wall and to plead with people not to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly conducted the yearly ceremony reminding all it is important to share our concerns about people’s awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and touched on another topic as well: marijuana. She noted the recent legalization of marijuana has opened a new door for law enforcement with the ramifications of smoking and driving still undefined. Unlike alcohol use, which can be measured with a breathalyzer, there is no such yardstick for marijuana use. She again touched on the awareness factor, pointing to the sign in front of the speaker’s podium that said “If you feel different you drive different.”

Ms. Donnelly remarked about the horrific accident in Poestenkill last Thursday night that took the life of a local man and saw the driver of the second vehicle charged with Driving While Intoxicated. Please see the related story on page 4.

County Executive Steve McLaughlin also read a proclamation marking the annual event, held every year since the memorial was dedicated on September 8 of 2000. The Memorial is located on a strip of land on Congress Street in Troy, opposite Prospect Park, the very site where a popular Troy teenage girl was struck and killed by a drunk driver.

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Aldi Site Change Deemed a Major Revision

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by Doug La Rocque
When the developer of the new Aldi store site currently under construction along Hoosick Road first approached the Brunswick Planning Board at their April 7 meeting, they proposed what they considered to be a minor buildout change. At the Planners’ Thursday, April 21 meeting, they informed David Leon’s representatives that changing the size of the Wendy’s fast food restaurant, modifying the parking, adding for electric vehicle charging stations and sticking an Aroma Joe’s drive thru coffee site between the Aldi and Planet Fitness building was indeed a major site change, and would require reviewing the environmental effects of the proposal, as well as another public hearing. Some of the prosed parking lot changes would also require a new review by the Zoning Board of Appeals, which would also dictate a public hearing.

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Cox Guilty of Second Degree Murder of a Child

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Submitted by the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office
Following a nearly two-week long trial, a Rensselaer County Court Jury on Wednesday, April 27, convicted 42-year old Kevin Cox on two counts of Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the First Degree. The charges stem from the February 11, 2020 death of six-year-old Davonte Paul of Lansingburgh. 

District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly confirmed that according to the evidence, Davonte was found after a 911 call by his mother stating that he had drowned in the bath tub, although no water was found in the child’s lungs.

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Hoosick Falls Central School Budget Approved

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by Chris Tergliafera
At the April 21 regular meeting of the Hoosick Falls Central School District Board of Education, the 2022-2023 budget was approved. The new budget will see an overall increase of 5.3%, with a tax levy increase of 1.96%. There will also be a large increase in state aid for special education. Board President Joseph Patire stated how happy he was with the budget, and that the district was able to stay under the 2.65% tax levy increase limit, while still providing a budget that will have the district in good shape moving forward. This sentiment was echoed by fellow Board members, as well as Superintendent Patrick Dailey. 

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Petersburgh Bridge Project Progressing

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by Chris Tergliafera
At the April 18 regular meeting of the Petersburgh Town Council, more was revealed about the upcoming project to replace the bridge on Rt. 2 and 22. Engineers have said the bridge can be taken down in one day if the crew is allowed to work through the night, which would require special approval from the Town. Otherwise deconstruction would take roughly two days. How traffic will be rerouted is still to be determined. Efforts are being made to ensure the design of the new bridge will fit with the current bridge’s look. It’s believed that the project will fall within the $4.5 million budget. A presentation to the Town will be scheduled once the next design of the bridge is completed. Once started, the project will likely take about five months to complete. More details should be available by early summer.

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Brunswick Town Council Meeting

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Ready to Review Code Changes

by Doug La Rocque

More than a year into a moratorium on two-family and multi-family construction in the Town, Supervisor Phil Herrington announced at the Thursday, April 14 Town Council meeting, the proposed changes are nearly complete, and scheduled a Council Workshop for Tuesday, April 26 at 6 pm. This workshop is open to the public, but no comments will be entertained — those will be heard when a public hearing is scheduled.

The moratorium came to be because of many complaints about overcrowding in some areas of the Town along with comments that these multi-family dwellings were being proposed for some rural and agricultural areas. Since the moratorium’s enactment, a group of public officials and Town attorneys and the LaBerge Group have been meeting on a weekly basis to identify the issues that needed to be addressed and put together proposed solutions. That work is now complete.

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Brunswick Planning Board Meeting

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Developer Unveils Plans for Additional Business at Aldi Site

At the Brunswick Planning Board meeting Thursday, April 7, David Leon’s representatives asked the Board to approve what they labeled a minor build out change for the site of the proposed Aldi, Wendy’s and KFC, now under construction along Hoosick Road (NYS Route 7). The change, however, now includes the construction of a fifth building on the site for an Aroma Joe’s Drive-Thru Coffee (the Planet Fitness building already exists). Other proposed changes include a redesign of the Wendy’s building and parking space alterations and the installation of four electric vehicle charging stations.

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