The Peru Gazette

May 19 at the Strand

The Coastal Suite stands as a significant achievement in the notable career of composer-pianist Alan Blackman. A New Jazz Works commission by Chamber Music America with funding awarded by the Doris Duke Foundation, the full-length, multi-media work was premiered live in Baltimore and New York in 2014 and featured on NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. Performances of The Coastal Suite have met with widespread acclaim by audiences and jazz pundits alike. “There is something here, a beauty, that is captivating,” said renowned jazz artist Joe Locke. “An absolutely gorgeous album, which communicates its waterside vision with stunning resonance,” said Dave Sumner from Bird is the Worm.com.

Alan Blackman has created an evocative concept piece that explores a 24-hour tidal cycle from pre-dawn through the night at a remote ocean beach. Highly programmatic, The Coastal Suite conjures the sound universe of the seashore as the musicians create nautical sounds through extended techniques, expanding the vocabulary of their instruments’ sonic capabilities. Augmenting Blackman’s regular Baltimore-based trio of bassist Max Murray and drummer Frank Russo are Canadian saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk and Brazilian percussionist Rogerio Boccato.  

Alan Blackman Jazz performs The Coastal Suite on Sunday, May 19 at 3:00 pm at the historic Strand Theater in Plattsburgh, New York.  Tickets are available online at strandcenter.org/theatre-events  and also at the Strand Arts Center during their regular business hours. For further information, telephone 518-293-7613, e-mail ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com or visit hillandhollowmusic.org Read more »

1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. ROLL CALL
4. APPROVAL of April 17, 2024 minutes
5. OPEN FLOOR to public hearing 
6. APPLICATIONS:
   1. 1. 1. Z2024-009 Area Variance;  for placement of car chargers

                                    Tesla Corp

      280.1-9-21.2

      2997 Main St

6. 0. 0. 2. Z2024-091  Area Variance for construction of garage

       Blakely and Rubin Remillard

        279.-3-7

        2 Pinewood Drive

6. 0. 0. 3. Z2024-092 Area Variance for construction of garage

        Karl Costin

        280.-1-37

        2714 State Rt 22

7. AN FURTHER BUSINESS               
8. CEO REPORT
9. ADJOURNMENT

CALL MEETING TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
APPROVAL April 10, 2024 minutes
OPEN FLOOR to public hearing

APPLICATIONS:

P2024-004 Site Plan Approval with SEQRA, Keystone Novelties
280.-1-30.11
729 Bear Swamp Rd

P2024-005 Site Plan Approval with SEQRA
Jake Menard
258.-2-8.2
3999 US Route 9

P2024-006 Site Plan Approval with SEQRA, Peru Community Church
280.1-8-61, 13 Elm St

P2024-007 Site Plan Review-Sign
Peru Memorial Post 309
256.-5-5.5-1
710 Route 22B

P2024-008 2-Lot Minor Subdivision with SEQRA,
Bonner Tree Farm and Nursery
291.-2-1
599 Calkins Rd

6. P2024-009 Merge, Bonner Tree Farm and Nursery 291.-2-1 & 291.-3-2-3
Calkins Rd

7. P2024-010 Merge, Joseph Stemper, 280.-1-61.1 & 280.-1-61.3, 662 Union Rd

ANY FURTHER BUSINESS
CEO REPORT
ADJOURNMENT

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From the office of NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie 

Speaker Carl Heastie, Education Committee Chair Michael Benedetto and Assemblymember Nily Rozic announced the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25 Budget invests $500,000 to review and update curriculum on the Holocaust as antisemitism continues to rise across the state. The Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents rose by 110 percent last year, with incidents of harassment up 226 percent in New York.

“With antisemitic attacks on the rise across our state, this funding arrives at a critical time for our children,” said Speaker Heastie. “This review will ensure that our students are accurately and completely taught the lessons of the Holocaust so we can ensure history never repeats itself.”

“We cannot properly prepare our students for the future without ensuring they’ve learned the lessons of our past,” said Assemblymember Benedetto. “This money will provide additional support to our public schools across the state as they work to provide students the skills needed to combat misinformation and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

“With the latest wave of antisemitism and disinformation, it’s imperative that New York’s educational system provide students with accurate and comprehensive information and knowledge on how quickly hate can spread,” said Assemblymember Rozic. “As we stand by our call for ‘Never Again’ we must ensure the next generation understands our collective history and has the tools needed to fight back misinformation and the antisemitism that grows out of it.”

“Hate does not exist in a vacuum; it is the result of ignorance and misinformation. This vital funding will help ensure that our state curriculum represents a true and accurate account of Holocaust history,” said Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein. “Now more than ever, it is essential that we educate our young people about the horrors of the past. Only then can we ensure a more tolerant future. I thank Speaker Heastie for recognizing the significance of Holocaust education, especially during these troubling times.”

Assemblymember Sam Berger said, “The stories my grandparents shared with me about their experience surviving the Holocaust continue to guide me to this day. It is incumbent upon leaders to never allow humanity’s capacity for evil to be forgotten. Now, more than ever, the next generation must be educated on the horrors of the past so that they learn to distinguish between right and wrong.”

“Too many people remain ignorant of the indiscriminate wholesale murder of more than 6 million Jews by the Nazis during World War II. Thank you to Speaker Heastie and the Assembly Majority for including funding in the budget to review and update curriculum on the Holocaust. The best way to fight antisemitism, and all forms of hate for that matter, is through education,” said Assemblymember and President of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators Charles D. Lavine.

“With the number of Holocaust survivors dwindling, it is imperative that New York memorializes the horrific events of the Holocaust,” said Assemblymember David Weprin. “According to a recent poll, one in five Americans aged 18-39 think the Holocaust was a myth. We need to bring a standards-based curriculum to all New York public schools. Learning about the Holocaust can promote kindness in our youngest students while our middle schoolers can learn about words and symbols connected to hate, and our high schoolers learn about historical events and antisemitism. We cannot raise a generation of Holocaust deniers. There are lessons from the Holocaust that are applicable in all areas of our lives. We must remember so we can be better.”

This funding will ensure New York’s Holocaust curriculum is fully reviewed and updated to adequately prepare our students for the future.

“I realized I enjoy my life,” Parkinson’s patients share the impact boxing has had on their lives

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May 11 – 10 am to 3 pm, Clinton County Historical Association Museum. Celebrating National Train Day. CCHA will be celebrating National Train Day at the Museum with a one-day-only exhibit of trains of all sizes – N scale, G Scale, O scale, and HO scale.  Plus a special showing of Gary Brandstetter’s HO scale train dioramas. Also available will be a selection of books on the Rutland and D&H Railroads donated by Lawrence Duffina’s estate and a map of the United States showing all the railroads that existed in 1861.

May 14 – 2:30 pm, Meadowbrook Healthcare, 154 Prospect Avenue, Plattsburgh. Early Tourists Visiting the North Country in style. Photos of the grand hotels, the recreational venues and the modes of transportation used by the early tourists to Clinton County. 

May 17 – 12:30 pm, Plattsburgh Senior Center, 5139 North Catherine Street, Plattsburgh. Portraits from the turn of the 19^th century and the stories they might tell with CCHA Director Helen Nerska. CCHA has 17,000 portraits in their collection, and some of the most unusual and interesting will be shared along with the known and/or speculated background behind the photo.

May 21 – 6:45 pm, Lake Forest Retirement Community, 8 Lake Forest Drive, Plattsburgh. . The Golden Age of the Cigar Trade in Downtown Plattsburgh with CCHA Director Helen Nerska. For over 75 years thousands of cigars were produced in downtown Plattsburgh. Hear the story of our own flourishing cigar industry and the families that managed it using photos and artifacts from the CCHA Collection. 

May 23 – 6:30 pm, CCHA, 98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh. The History of Railroads in Clinton County – Part 1 with Transportation Historian Dick Soper.  Inspired by CCHA photo albums of early area trains and the recently acquired collection of rail enthusiast Lawrence Duffina, Transportation Historian Dick Soper will begin to share the history of rail development which opened up Clinton County to new markets and eventually to new tourism and a past we now take for granted. The multi-part series will span the period from 1833 to present and include photographs, newspaper articles, and information from our large collection of railroad books recently added to our research library.

May 28 – 2:30 pm, Meadowbrook Healthcare, 154 Prospect Avenue, Plattsburgh. Discovering the Town of Peru with CCHA Director and Peru Historian Helen Nerska. First settled by Europeans in 1772 and established as a town in 1792, Peru’s history timeline reflects how small north country towns were created and developed into thriving villages. 

A Special Meeting was held; he was appointed. 

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L-R Living Environment/A.P. Biology Teacher Richard Hathway, Students Jacob Crawford, Ophelia Breen, Jacob Mitchell, Lauren Davey, and Josie Sabella. Thank you to Sarah Mitchell for this photo

“All five students put in much work beyond the school day.”

By John T Ryan 

Over the past twenty years, American schools have strived to strengthen their science programs. The emphasis on science followed a 2005 report titled Rising Above the Gathering Storm issued by the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. The report pointed out that our nation’s students were not progressing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the same rate as students in other countries. It linked our nation’s prosperity to knowledge-intensive jobs dependent on science and technology and continued innovation to address societal problems.

Peru High School’s Chapter of the Science National Honor Society is one of the responses to the STEM challenge. The Society seeks to strengthen the science program and expand students’ interest in science. Richard Hathaway, the school’s Living Environment/A.P. Biology Teacher, commented, “The Society introduces students to self-directed, independent research similar to the university level. Upon completing the study, they are responsible for writing a research paper and creating a presentation board to be represented and judged at the Champlain Valley Regional Science Fair (CVPSF).” The CVRSF is a joint event sponsored and hosted by Clinton Community College and Plattsburgh State—the location of the fair alternates between the two sites each year.

On April 20, five Peru High School National Honor Society students participated in the 2024 CVRSF at Clinton Community College: Jacob Mitchell, Ophelia Breen, Jacob Crawford, Josie Sabella, and Lauren Davey. Hathaway stated, “All five students put in much work beyond the school day.” 

Jacob Mitchell measured the caloric content of three pre-workout mixes and examined whether the caloric content impacted performance during the weightlifting workout. He was trying to determine whether pre-workouts with high caloric content provide longer, sustainable energy during an exercise.

In a glass-tube model, Ophelia Breen and Jacob Crawford determined the effects of different rock salt concentrations on capillary action to understand road salts’ possible effects on water movement through plant tubes.

Josie Sabella and Lauren Davey studied the effects of repeatedly using the same lipstick. They wanted to understand whether repeatedly using the same lipstick over and over causes an increased accumulation of bacteria on lipstick and then apply this knowledge to the use of personal lipsticks and store “sampler/demo” lipsticks.

Lauren Davey and Josie Sabella took first place in the High School Research category. Ophelia Breen and Jacob Crawford took third place.

Because of their first-place finish at the  Champlain Valley Regional Science Fair, Josie and Lauren will travel to Syracuse on June 9, 2024, to present at the NYS Science Congress (https://stanys.org/Science-Congress/), where all local science fair winners from across N.Y. will present and compete.

Two other officers also injured during April 19 assault at the maximum-security prison

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Program aimed at helping to address skilled health care shortages

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Speaker Carl Heastie, Labor Committee Chair Harry Bronson and Human Services Committee Chair Maritza Davila today announced that the Enacted State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25 Budget includes $55 million for the Summer Youth Employment Program, which provides work opportunities to thousands of young people every year.

“The Summer Youth Employment Program gives young people across New York the opportunity to earn a real income and gain vital skills that will serve them well in their education and in the workforce,” Speaker Heastie said. “The Assembly Majority will continue working to give our kids the tools and resources they need to succeed.”

“The Summer Youth Employment Program provides pivotal and foundational experience to young people throughout the state. It connects them with the community while teaching them real world experience and skills that will serve them as they embark upon their future education and careers. Most importantly, is the opportunity to earn money while learning these skills, setting them on the pathway to success,” said Assemblymember Bronson.

“Increasing the funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program will give more young people the opportunity to earn a real wage and get real on the job experience,” Assemblymember Davila said. “This program provides thousands of New Yorkers every summer with the chance to get important experience and skills that will serve them both academically and as they get older and enter the workforce.”

The Assembly Majority fought to include an additional $5 million for the Summer Youth Employment Program in the enacted budget, bringing the total for the program to $55 million. The program connects youth across the state between the ages of 14 and 20 from low income families with summer employment and educational experiences, typically entry level positions where they earn at least minimum wage for their region. Between 2016 and 2021, the program served approximately 100,000 youth across the state.

The budget also includes $38.8 million for additional youth employment programming in localities that are also involved in the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative.

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“…students at the University of Vermont called for further protest if the school did not cancel its commencement speaker, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.”

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Scott’s Brother Dennis and mother Beverly

Sunday ceremony renamed Chesterfield bridge on Rt. 22 for fallen hero

From the office of NYS Senator Dan Stec

Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury), Assemblyman Matt Simpson and Chesterfield Town Supervisor Clayton Barber took part in an official ceremony on Sunday renaming the bridge in Chesterfield over state route 22 in memory of late Lance Corporal Scott Lee Schultz. Last year, Stec and Simpson sponsored and helped pass the Senate and Assembly legislation commemorating Lance Corporal Schultz, a lifelong Chesterfield resident who died at the age of 19 in the terrorist attack on the U.S. military barracks in Lebanon on October 23, 1983.

“It was an honor to join local officials and the family of Lance Corporal Schultz at a ceremony dedicating and renaming a bridge in his memory,” said Stec. “Scott Lee Schultz lost his life tragically while defending our nation and our freedoms abroad, and it’s so important that we acknowledge his service and heroism. I deeply appreciated spending time with his mother Beverly and pay tribute to the sacrifices she and her family have made. Renaming the bridge over route 22 in his hometown is a small, yet profound, way to ensure his memory and Beverly’s son’s name are always remembered.”

            “There is no greater commitment one can make to their fellow Americans than to serve as a defender of our shared values of freedom. Lance Corporal Scott Lee Schultz voluntarily made this commitment and honorably paid the ultimate sacrifice abroad so that those values would endure,” Simpson remarked. “I will be forever honored to play a small part in working with fellow officials and family members to ensure his sacrifice and memory lasts for years and decades to come.”

Chicken and Biscuits 

Butternut Squash 

Fruit 

Dessert

Served 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St., Peru, NY 12972 

All are invited and welcome!

“When Cole Kachejian was diagnosed with leukemia in late 2021, he had no guarantee he would make it to where he is today.”

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A painful story to report! 

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L-R Keegan Hartman, Welding Expert and Technical Services, Alstom; Padraic Bean, Weld Process Consultant, The Lincoln Electric Company and Former Bombardier/Alstom Employee; Brett Hughes, Student and Current Alstom Employee; Ryan Bombard, Student and Current Alstom Employee; Sienna Brooks, Student; James Hammons, Student; Nilazjah Moore, Student; Marshall Turner, Student; Chuck Taylor, Welding Instructor and Former Bombardier Employee; Gavin Barber-Spoor, Student; Michael LeBeau, Student; Daniel Thompson, Student and Current Alstom Employee; Nick Strickland, Student; Derren Duke, Student (Missing from Photo: Austin Bradish, Student)

By John T Ryan

Over the past several years, the Plattsburgh region has become a manufacturing hub, especially in the transportation industry. With that success, there’s a need for special skills, such as welding. On Friday, April 26, North Country Welding Academy held its third graduation ceremony at Clinton Community College’s Institute of Advanced Manufacturing (IAM). It awarded certificates of completion to 12 more graduates, bringing the program’s total graduates to 36.

L-R Lincoln Electric instructor Padraic Bean congratulates 2018 Peru High School grad Marshall Turner

Marshall Turner, a 2018 Peru High School graduate, was one of the students. A family member told him about the welding program, saying, “We could use a welder in the family.”  Turner commented, “The camaraderie among the students was the best thing about the course. The teachers gave us a lot of information in a short period. I wanted to learn a trade I could go anywhere with.”

The program is unique because grants and local support pay all student costs, including tuition, support services, stipends, transportation, and childcare assistance. Graduates even get help writing a resume and applying for a job if they ask. Students have 120 hours of instruction, one week of intense classroom training, and two weeks in the shop. Instructor Padraic Bean remarked, “We had several students in this class go from zero welding experience to passing a code quality welding exam.”

The program’s success thrilled North Country President Garry Douglas. He commented, “I’ve been with the Chamber for 32 years… I take pride in many things we’ve accomplished…, but there’s nothing I take more pride in than this program. It impacts the lives of people here in the North Country and their future ability to have meaningful and fulfilling careers.”

Douglas is also proud of the program’s partnership between the business community, the federal and state governments, and Clinton Community College. The Chamber of Commerce secured a $285,000 Northern Border Regional Commission grant for training 50 individuals in partnership with Lincoln Electric and Clinton Community College. Another $200,000 in funding, equipment, and supplies came from various agencies and organizations, such as Empire State Development’s Office of Strategic Workforce Development, the Workforce Development Institute, Assemblyman Billy Jones, and local private employers. For example, Alstom, our local commuter/subway car manufacturer, and Jeffords Steel donated $30,000 in time and equipment.

Institute of Advanced Manufacturing’s impressive shop

Along with Garry Douglas, several other business and community leaders addressed the students, family members, and friends. They included Chris Saunders (Federal Co-Chair of the Northern Border Regional Commission), Mark Henry (Chairman of the Clinton County Board of Legislators), John Kowal (Clinton Community College President), Jeff Lambert (Alstom Plattsburgh Site Manager), Joel Wood (North Country Chamber of Commerce VP of Strategic Initiatives) Jon Carman (Representing Congresswoman Elise Stefank),  and Brandon Menard (Representing Assemblyman Billy Jones). Padraic Bean, Lincoln Electric’s Weld Process Consultant, one of the course’s three teachers, presented the graduation certificates.

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