The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Stephentown

Early Morning Dam Break Causes Road Closure

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Courtesy of the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department
At 5:48 am on the morning of July 24th, the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department (SVFED) was paged out for a service call for a flooded roadway in the area of 1315 Garfield Rd. Car 1 was on scene to find that a large barrage of water was coming down off the adjacent hill and running directly into the residence owned by Fire Police Lt. Ian Lanier. A beaver dam had become unstable at the edge of an approximately 44 acre pond above the residence and ultimately gave way from the pressure. Garfield Rd was closed between Joe Ward Rd and Gentile Rd. Car 1 and a Rensselaer County Highway Superintendent gained access to the pond area and found the source and the breach in the dam. Garfield Rd sustained damage from the hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that made its way down the hill and ultimately into the Kinderhook Creek. The SVFD would like to thank the members of the Rensselaer County Highway Department for working to get the roadway reopened as soon as they can. Additional thanks goes out to NYS DEC and members of the Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety for their assistance throughout the afternoon. 

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Richard T. Smith – Obituary

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Richard Tilden Smith passed away June 23rd, 2023 after an extended illness. He was born February 9th, 1937 in New York City. He was predeceased by his parents Glady and Harold Smith, and brothers Thomas and Peter. Richard is survived by his wife Milli Smith, daughter Denise (Thomas), son Jeffrey (Tricia), and 3 grandchildren Daniel, Emma, and Jack. 

He was active in the Naval Reserve, graduating from Adelphi University and was activated by the Navy serving on the U.S.S. Harris during the Cuban Crisis. Afterwards, he worked for Philips Medical North America supervising the installation of medical x-ray equipment in hospitals across Upstate NY. The family moved to Stephentown in 1989. He volunteered at Red Cross and Tanglewood for over 25 years.  [Read more…] about Richard T. Smith – Obituary

Stephentown Town Board Highlights

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by Denise Wright
The June 19th meeting of the Stephentown Board was brief but busy. During the claims audit, it was mentioned that the Solutions by Design claim was for increasing the cyber-security at the town hall using ARPA funds. Supervisor Roder said that they had finished upgrading the security at the town hall, which was why the live stream did not work last month. Roger assured me it had been corrected, so the live stream is now working. 

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Upcoming Community Forums

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Berlin Central School District

Submitted by BCS Communications
Berlin Central School District (BCSD) has announced a series of four upcoming community forums. The forums will discuss such topics as changes to arrival and dismissal times, availability of after school programs, impact on student learning and Berlin-New Lebanon (BNL) athletics, and a reduction in the number of students on afternoon bus runs. 

The four forum locations and start times are as follows: [Read more…] about Upcoming Community Forums

Myron W. Adams Jr. – Obituary

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Stephentown – Myron Wesley Adams, Jr. “Junie” passed away on June 5th, 2023 after a battle with cancer. He was born May 15th, 1950 and was the son of the late Wesley and Marion (Thomas) Adams of Cherry Plain, NY. 

Wesley grew up on the family farm and took great pride in the house his father built for him there, which was lost to a fire in February. Wesley faced many hardships after an accident at the age of 18. He received an honorable discharge from the armed services and worked at Zwack Inc. for a short time. His love of horse racing [Read more…] about Myron W. Adams Jr. – Obituary

Celebrating Customer Loyalty

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Braveheart Books, 874 State Route 43 in Stephentown, is now Braveheart Books & Bazaar with the opening of a clothing, retro treasures, vinyl records, art, and handmade crafts store next to the bookstore. The bookstore, which originally opened in 1987 under the name Down in Denver Books, was bought in 2015 and rebranded by Scottish native Louise Hendry. Braveheart Bazaar is a marketplace for more than 20 regional small businesses and artists. It is open the same hours as the bookstore, Fridays through Mondays, from 11 am to 6 pm.

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Tobias J. Cornell – Obituary

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Stephentown – Tobias J. “Toby” Cornell, 42, of Calvin Cole Road, passed away suddenly on Friday, May 5th, 2023 at the Samaritan Hospital in Troy after being stricken ill on Thursday. Born in Pittsfield, Toby was a lifelong resident of Stephentown. He was a 1998 graduate of the Berlin High School. Toby started his working career at XCA Composite Mfg. in Stephentown and at the time of his passing had worked for 10 years at Evonik in Waterford where he was a Chemical Mixer. In his spare time Toby enjoyed Star Trek and anything related to space adventure, computer gaming, listening to music, nature and could be found at home cooking great food. [Read more…] about Tobias J. Cornell – Obituary

Stephentown Town Board Highlights

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By Denise Wright
The Clean-up day for the town has been scheduled for Friday, June 9th, from 10 am to 8 pm, and the Hazardous Waste Day has been slated for April 29th in Schaghticoke. Councilmember Jennings stressed that residents must register on the website if they want to take part in Hazardous Waste Day. He also noted that the transfer station still takes paint cans and invites residents to use the program. 

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Open House and Recruiting Day

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STEPHENTOWN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

Submitted by Bob Adler
The Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) will hold an open house and recruitment drive at the fire station on State Route 43 on Saturday, April 22nd, from 10 am to 2 pm. The event will highlight the duties and rewards that come with being a volunteer. Students can join at age 16-17 as junior members. With no upper age limit, we welcome retirees, especially as drivers. Veterans, scouts, and scouters are a natural fit. Multi-generation organizations enrich the lives of all members.

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Stephentown Town Board Highlights 

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By Denise Wright
The March 20th Town Board meeting was active, with lots of discussion about spring projects and proposals. 

After approving the bills, the transfer station reported that the Hazardous Waste Day had been scheduled for Saturday, April 29th, in Schaghticoke, and the Clean-up Day for the village had been scheduled for June 9th, from 10 am to 8 pm. The same rules will apply as last year. A new electronic service is under review because the individual who used to collect the appliances and electronics has gone out of business. Because of a new service, changes are most likely anticipated. 

Some residents asked questions about the transfer station and potential changes that could be happening in the future. Because of inflation, there has been a 7-8 percent increase in hauling fees, impacting the station's budget. Bids for hauling contracts will assist with that problem. A concern for recyclables was raised, and

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