Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper
To the Editor:
In reference to the article in The Eastwick Press on 9/29/15 Conflict Over ADA Compliance In Petersburgh: The issues of ADA compliance were brought to the Town’s attention almost three years ago. The Town Supervisor has steadfastly denied the Town is in violation of the ADA codes. [Read more…] about How Long Must We Wait?
To the Editor:
This letter is to announce that I will not seek a third term as Berlin’s Town Justice in November. I have served two full terms, and part of a prior, and have been able to appreciate both the Justice System and the needs of the defendants and complainants who have appeared before me. While I have no need to retire, I feel very strongly that two terms is only fair and appropriate for my service to the community, and that it is time for a new party to come forward and contribute their time and ability. [Read more…] about Joe Rechen Declines To Run Again For Berlin Town Justice
To The Editor:
At the Petersburgh Town Board Meeting held on July 20, 2015, the Town Supervisor Sigfried Krahforst announced that the Town did not need a Code Enforcement Official (CEO), because a “Building Inspector” can do the exact same work as a CEO. Additionally, the Town Supervisor stated that he checked the legality of this decision with the NYS Association of Towns regarding a “building inspector” vs “CEO”, and was told that a “building inspector” was preferred because “the CEO is a civil service title.” [Read more…] about Building Inspector And Code Enforcement Official Are Not The Same
To the Editor:
The flower beds at the Petersburgh Town Hall, Veterans’ Hall, and Library have more interesting and beautiful perennials this year thanks to Ruth Sutton of Elhannon Nursery in Petersburgh. Ruth donated plants as a thanks to the community for supporting her nursery. [Read more…] about Letter To The Editor
Dear Berlin Residents and Business Owners,
In past years, the Town of Berlin has purchased American flags to be displayed throughout the Town. However, in an effort to lessen the tax increase for 2015, this item was removed from our budget. This year, we are asking for donations to purchase these flags.
Thirty flags are required to replace the flags that are now in disrepair. Flags will be displayed every year from Memorial Day through July 4th until they are no longer serviceable (about three years).
Please know that your donation of $30 will purchase an American flag, pole and bracket and help demonstrate the pride of Berlin, its businesses, and residents. Your tax deductible donation will be acknowledged in the Eastwick Press as well as at our July Board Meeting.
Please make checks payable to the Town of Berlin Flag Fund.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Tara Fisher
Deputy Supervisor/Town Council
June 2015
To The Editor:
Losing Helen Ellett was a heartbreaking event in the lives of Helen’s family. Reading the article submitted by the Grafton Trail Riders was also heartbreaking. In recent years they pursued a lawsuit against Helen and her family. I believe their sorrow should have at least extended to the family with a simple sympathy card or maybe a phone call to her daughter Connie, but instead they made no effort to extend any “deep sorrow” as they wrote. On their own website they make absolutely no mention of Helen and how she had a great vision to start a riding club that she has now left to them.
Personally, I don’t believe that “Helen will be riding with them in spirit” as they wrote. She was discouraged, confused and heartbroken that a club she founded in 1947 was now sending her legal documents to appear in court over a land dispute. It was us, the family that held her hand as she read through the thick stack of legal documents, attempting to understand the reality of how The Grafton Trail Riders, what was once her passion, turned into her nightmare.
The majority of members never even had an opportunity to meet Helen as she wasn’t one of the land owners that they invited to their annual fall pig roast. She was ignored by the club’s members until this article of last week. Helen never believed in riding, camping, and campfires as they wrote – she believed in riding!
She will be missed, she will be missed by many acquaintances and by the many close friends she made and most of all by her family.
Linda Laveway
Granddaughter of Helen Ellett
To the Editor:
With heavy hearts, the current members of the Grafton Trail Riders feel a deep sorrow about the passing on April 12 of Helen Ellett. Helen, Chet (her husband) and a few friends were the inspiration in creating the Grafton Trail Riders horse club. Since it was incorporated in 1950, there have been hundreds of members who have enjoyed the camaraderie of horse people. I am sure Helen and the other members who have passed, will be with us in spirit as we trail ride, camp out and tell our stories around the campfire.
Keep the Lord as your riding partner and you will never ride alone.
-Connie Madigan, on behalf of Grafton Trail Riders
To The Editor:
On Thursday, February 5, a public informational forum was held at the SVFD Hall where about 180 attendees listened to each other’s concerns, viewed a presentation and directed questions to volunteer citizens knowledgeable about the issues surrounding the fracked gas pipeline proposed for Schodack, Nassau, Stephentown and beyond. It was affirming and energizing to witness the number of residents opposed to this project. A project that would put our safety at risk, pollute our air and water with volatile organic compounds,devalue all surrounding real estate and violate the property rights of abutters to the utility corridor. At a time when renewable energy has gained such momentum, expanding carbon-based energy infrastructure at the expense of the public’s well-being seems rather preposterous. It will take our concerted efforts to defeat the pipeline proposed by energy transport giant Kinder Morgan – an entity that cares for nothing more than profits – and adding to the concentration of wealth into the hands of a few. It is imperative to have our voices heard – there is no other course of action and it must be done in large numbers. So I urge all of us to commit to taking one or all of the following steps –
1. Voice your concerns in writing to FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, www.ferc.gov.
2. Voice your concerns in writing to your local, state and federal elected officials
3. For landowners with property abutting the pipeline route, deny Kinder Morgan survey access. If you already submitted permission, you can rescind it in writing
4. Refuse to sign an easement with Kinder Morgan
5. Display an anti-pipeline sign at your home
6. Share your concerns with your neighbors and community organizations
7. Help out and get involved with an action group in your area
8. Donate money to an anti-pipeline action group in your area.
For more information on how to do the above go to stopnypipeline.org or any other anti-pipeline action group.
Thom Pecoraro
Stephentown, NY
To the Editor:
In 1962 an horrific event occurred in the Town of Berlin and made national news when a propane tanker truck lost its brakes on the Plank Road.
Today, in the Town of Berlin’s firehouse, there is a sample piece of the propane tanker truck that shows the faulty welding of the tank wall. This sample is part of several that were taken to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute metallurgical lab for testing to determine why the propane tank ruptured. The tank was supposed to be ultra-safe and was guaranteed to be Fail Safe. However, with human error, poor quality control, no serious government oversight; the impossible occurred, the tank ruptured.
Part of the Town of Berlin was instantaneously filled with a giant fog blossom of explosive propane gas. It was suppertime in this community and someone cooking supper on a gas stove or burning papers or with any open flame set this gas cloud off. It had filled every nook and cranny, including the residents homes, and when it blew it laid all four walls of some of the houses on the ground and killed some of the residents.
Both of my parents perished in this devastation, one living for two days and the other three. They were in horrific pain – a memory that has never left me. To my knowledge the driver and eleven or twelve people were also killed.
Anyone who wishes to view the sample at the firehouse should contact Ivan Wager, he was in the Berlin Fire Department when this occurred and is in charge of the display.
If the proposed Stephentown liquefied fracked gas line, under a very high pressure of 1460 PSI (pounds per square inch), were to rupture, it would create a similar cloud of gas many times larger, with devastating results. Most of the new jobs will be for morticians picking up the bodies. Our rural volunteer fire departments and rescue squads if anyone survived would be overwhelmed.
These are gigantic, foreign owned corporations, National Grid is owned by the British, New York State Electric and Gas is owned by the Spanish. Kinder Morgan plans to ship its gas product through Stephentown on its way to Boston to sell to overseas buyers. Stephentown is considered by them a wasteland. We will have to wait and see if they, the citizens of Stephentown have enough courage and community spirit to defeat this threat.
My personal concern, even though I no longer live in Stephentown, is for two of my sons, their wives and my granddaughter who all live in very close proximity to this proposed pipeline. I also have many friends and acquaintances there. We should band together and not let this giant corporation determine what should be done with our beautiful valley.
Sincerely,
Daniel McCumber
Petersburgh, NY
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the attack made upon me by Mrs. Cathy Goyer in her letter to the editor published in last week’s Eastwick Press.
I wish to assure our residents that the allegations & statements made by Mrs. Goyer are false & self serving. She called me a liar & stated that I “con” people with my statements, anyone who knows me or has dealt with me knows this is very far from truthful. Friends have suggested that I file a defamation suit against Mrs. Goyer for these accusations, I want our residents to know that I am not going to do so, if I did I would have to file against the town as well because Mrs. Goyer is an appointed town official, I will not penalize the town for her poor repetitive actions. It was her actions as Deputy Town Supervisor that resulted in our former supervisor Mr. Sawyer suing the town & obtaining a lucrative settlement in Mr. Sawyer’s favor. I believe that the letter was written in an ongoing attempt by Mrs. Goyer to discredit me in any manner available to her. The actions of Mrs. Goyer & her husband during the past year bear this out, Mrs. Goyer went to the town bank & attempted to declare me a forger, her husband has verbally accosted me twice (once during a town board meeting) in the past few months using false accusations, Mrs. Goyer has filed a false report with PESH against me, again using false accusations & now last week’s letter to the editor. I believe the reasons for this to be twofold, first, upon appointment I had to replace one of her family members as town bookkeeper resulting in the vindictive actions she & her family have demonstrated.
The replacement was necessary to improve services to the town & make our vendor payments in a timely manner thus reducing late charges on invoices.
Secondly, I suspect she is party to a small clique of people in town who are attempting to influence our voters, their members are easily identified, just read their nonsense on facebook, watch their actions at the town board meetings & read the letters sent in by their “wives”.
The town clerk’s office issues are many, I listed them publicly during the December town board meeting, the Eastwick published several of them in their article covering that meeting, unfortunately Mrs. Goyer the acting deputy town clerk choose to omit them from the meeting’s minutes even though she was given a copy of them.
The reason for all these issues ? Mrs. Putnam our elected town clerk hasn’t performed her full duties for several years, many of our residents who have had need of the services usually provided by the clerk’s office can attest to this, additionally, sporting license’s are no longer available which places the town in violation of Environmental law.
Mrs. Putnam & Mrs. Goyer do not keep posted hours making it very difficult for resident’s to obtain services. Revenue’s generated by the clerk’s office are down as well resulting in an increased tax burden on our residents.
I have been asked by many residents why the town board hasn’t done something about the lack of service by our Town Clerk.
The answer is the town board cannot take action because the clerk is elected, to have the clerk removed a citizen / resident must file a petition with the State Supreme Court Appellate Division proving misconduct, malfeasance, malversion or maladministration. Unfortunately the law manual further states that the court is reluctant to reverse the will of the electorate so this becomes an expensive time consuming process. Mrs. Putnam is very aware of this, so she continues to fail to perform most of her duties yet she continues to draw her full salary every pay period, a truly sad way for such a beloved long tenured individual to end her lengthy career.
I sincerely hope that both of these women either come to their senses or get whatever help they may need in resolving their issues, our residents deserve much better.
In closing I wish to assure all our residents that I will continue to make the best decisions possible for the benefit of all our residents & I will not allow attacks by vindictive self serving people to sway my actions for our residents.
Frank Higgins
Grafton Town Supervisor
Editor’s Note: This letter is unedited at the request of the writer. It also marks the last time letters about the claims and counterclaims by the Grafton Deputy Town Clerk and the Grafton Town Supervisor will be published in this paper. The squabble is not determinative and serves no useful purpose.
Stephen Schwarz of the firm Faraci Lange spoke at an informational meeting in Petersburgh on Monday evening about the class action lawsuit against Taconic for compensation for PFOA contamination. Taconic has agreed to pay a total of $23.5 million in compensation. Those who are eligible include homeowners of houses in the Water District or houses […]
Two More Wells in Poestenkill Test Positive For Higher than Permitted Levels of PFOA This brings it to four, the number of private wells found to have been contaminated along with the Algonquin Middle School. No source of the contamination has been determined yet and more testing is underway. Read the complete story here. The […]
On Friday morning, October 1, New York State conducted its final inspection and gave the new Berlin Ambulance, operated by Taconic Valley Ambulance, the go ahead. The ambulance was placed in service at midday Friday, and will begin to answer calls
Contributed by Coach Paul Slaver A great team win from BNL varsity volleyball! The girls played as a team, moving around the court and defeating Cambridge in 3 sets. The girls kept serving up aces with 5 from Macayla Roberts and 3 from both Bailey Catlin and Ciera Jaegar. Alexis Rifenburg, Riley Smith, Acsha Bray and Jayelyn Goodermote […]
Budget Passes With 1.36% Tax Levy Increase by Alex Brooks The final version of the Budget for the 2019-20 school year was approved by the Hoosick Falls School board at its April 18 meeting. You must be logged in to view this article.
HFCS Unveils First Draft of 2019-20 Budget by Alex Brooks Hoosick Falls Central Schools Business Administrator Emily Sanders presented a first draft of next year’s budget, which showed a total increase in spending of 0.4%, or $102,097. You must be logged in to view this article.