The Peru Gazette

Bids came in higher than expected 

Peru, April 17, 2026 – On September 3, 2024, Peru voters approved, by a margin of 121 to 70, the Fire Department’s plan to expand and upgrade its fire station. At the time, Architectural Engineering and Design Associates (AEDA) estimated having to borrow no more than $5 million. However, when contractor bids were opened on April 7, the project cost totaled $6.65 million—significantly higher than anticipated. 

To help cover the gap, the department can use its $710,000 Building Reserve and $340,000 in district funds, but will still need to borrow an additional $600,000. Chad Frechette, Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, noted that AEDA now projects a tax rate increase of 51 cents per thousand of taxable value, which is lower than last September’s estimate of 72 cents per thousand dollars of taxable value. Falling interest rates should also help reduce borrowing costs. If the estimates hold, property taxes on a $300,000 home would rise by $153 over the 25-year loan term.

Voter approval is required for the department to borrow the additional $600,000 needed to move the project forward. A special election will take place at the fire station on May 5, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

A public hearing to answer questions will be held on Tuesday, April 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the fire station. Frechette said the commissioners will meet before the hearing to discuss whether further cost savings can be identified.

The renovation replaces the wood structural members with steel, extends the truck bays by 40 feet toward Bear Swamp Road, and replaces the bay flooring, roofing, engine bay doors, and most sprinkler, electrical, and HVAC systems. New facilities include an equipment storage area, a fitness room, a locker room, a decontamination room, an updated social room, space for the historic Brockway truck, an expanded EMS area, and larger eastside parking.

Notice of May 5, 2026 vote

Link to Peru Gazette story prior to the September 2024 vote  

In September, 2024 Greg Timmons explained why the changes are needed 

September 2024 vote results story 

Assessment estimates solar panels will offset forest’s carbon sequestration in less than one year

Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

Peru, April 16, 2026 – Peru Central School District is proud to announce that senior Sarah Guay has been named a winner in the “A Day in the Life of a School Bus” statewide art competition with her painting, titled “First Odyssey,” sponsored by Leonard Bus Sales.

The competition challenges New York high schoolers to capture the essence of school transportation. Sarah’s winning entry—a stunning acrylic painting on wood panel—depicts a school bus nestled in autumn foliage as a young boy prepares to board.

As a winner, Sarah will receive a $1,000 educational scholarship to support her art studies when she enters college this fall. Additionally, her painting will be reproduced as a professional-quality print and distributed to school transportation departments throughout New York State.

Serves as a One-Stop Shop To Enhance Building Performance, Deliver Utility Bill Savings and Improve Quality of Life 

Albany, April 16, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $125 million is available to upgrade affordable multifamily housing in upstate New York. The State’s new Affordable Multifamily Program Upstate (AMP Up) provides support for a wide range of cost-effective energy efficiency and electrification improvements in these residential buildings and serves as a one-stop shop to enhance building performance, deliver utility bill savings, and improve comfort and quality of life for New Yorkers.  

“The launch of this new program marks a significant step forward in how New York delivers clean energy solutions to low-to-moderate income communities while prioritizing affordability,” Governor Hochul said. “Today, we are making it easier to implement critical building upgrades and improve the living experience for families and residents in upstate multifamily buildings.”  

The Affordable Multifamily Program Upstate (AMP Up), administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), provides incentives for a wide range of projects in multifamily buildings, including simple upgrades like energy efficient appliances, air sealing and insulation to more substantive upgrades such as window replacements, heating system upgrades, and comprehensive modernization efforts. Owners of existing multifamily buildings north of Con Edison’s service area that contain five or more households, and in which at least 25% of households earn at or below 80% of area or state median income, whichever is higher, are eligible to apply. Additional information about the program, incentive levels, and how to access and submit an application can be found on the AMP Up website here. 

Additionally, AMP Up includes funding for resilience enhancements for projects facing climate change hazards to help protect New Yorkers from flooding and extreme heat as part of a first-of-its-kind resiliency pilot. The program also provides a complimentary concierge service that guides owners through the project from planning through construction and commissioning. The concierge service includes application assistance, building assessments, project scoping, funding guidance, construction monitoring, and project close-out. 

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “AMP Up is designed to meet building owners and residents where they are by offering flexible incentives that scale with the ambition of each project. Through an efficiency-first approach and a complimentary concierge service that provides assistance from assessment to completion, NYSERDA is reducing barriers to lowering energy costs and helping upstate multifamily buildings make lasting clean energy improvements.”

Building owners can partner with participating contractors to assist with program applications and guide projects through implementation. The participating contractor is responsible for submitting the application and all required documentation, and confirming that program minimum requirements are met.

To learn more about the new program, NYSERDA will host an informational webinar on April 28, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Interested participants can register here. 

A 10-mile spring bike loop through daffodils and history from Willsboro to Essex 

Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

Adirondack hotel groups face state and local tax warrants totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars

Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

Click here for the NBC News 5 story 

The arrest comes two years after a state prosecutor in Addison County was similarly arrested for drunken driving. 

Click here for the vtdigger story 

Treadwells Mills bridge over Saranac River to be rehabilitated, traffic flow will be maintained    

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

“It’s really about communication, accessibility, accountability,” Smith said. Transparency is not just good practice in his line of work – it is essential.

Click here for the Spectrum News 1 story 

The SEQR debate: Does the Adirondack Park need extra environmental red tape?

Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

Click here for the Adirondack Almanac story 

Click here for the Vermont Public story 

Click here for the Vermont Public story 

Source: https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/new-usps-postmark-rules-and-your-mailed-tax-return

An IRS rule change taking affect in 2026 resulted in this advice: 

1. At the postal facility. Go to the counter and ask the clerk to “round-date stamp” or “hand cancel” your item (this assumes you’ve already affixed the proper postage). This is the circular, manual stamp most of us are familiar with. To avoid legibility issues cropping up during processing, ask the clerk to place the stamp in a clean area of the envelope.
2. At the retail counter. Get a postage validation imprint (PVI). After you pay for postage, the clerk prints a white rectangular sticker (the PVI) and affixes it to your envelope. Like the hand stamp, the IRS accepts the date on a PVI label as the official postmark and proof of when USPS took possession of your return.
3. Send your return via certified mail. This is sometimes called “the gold standard.” With certified mail, you get a receipt with the date stamped on it. If the IRS claims they never received the return or that it was late, this piece of paper is physical proof that a USPS employee held your tax return in their hands on April 15.

Hopefully, these tips on mailing your tax returns on time will give you a little peace of mind.

Tense international relations are also impacting tourism. The state comptroller says travel from Canada into New York fell by 21% last year.

Click here for the NCPR story 

Plattsburgh operation has 374 more innovative double-decker cars on order

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Photo provided

Photo provided

Photo provided

PLATTSBURGH, NY, April 14, 2026  – Garrett Monette, alongside seven other volunteers, removed roughly 100 pounds of garbage from the Saranac River Trail cleaning an area from Seltzer Road to behind Clinton Dining Hall on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus. Much of the garbage consisted of single-use plastics, beer bottles, cigarette butts, and numerous other household items. Among the garbage was a pint of bleach that was properly removed and disposed of.

The efforts focused on the shoreline in a successful attempt to limit waste from entering the Saranac River. Even one cigarette butt can pollute an entire gallon of water. A pint of bleach can pollute hundreds of gallons of water. The single-use plastics removed could have leached billions of toxic microplastics into the local Saranac River. Garrett Monette cites that “Through our collective efforts, we helped preserve and protect the Saranac River, protect our community, and help, even if that impact is small, promote safe drinking water for the North Country. Imagine the impact we could have if we all devoted ourselves to protecting our communities, and took actual action. I love the phrase, ‘action not words,’ and it is representative of our efforts here.”

Garrett Monette also runs the local non-partisan community organization Unitary America, which also focuses on such environmentally-focused projects and on encouraging environmental stewardship, among many other programs and initiatives. The cleanup was not associated with his organization. Unitary America is, however, holding a trash cleanup focusing again alongside the Saranac River, on Saturday, May 2^nd, from 9:30 to 3:00, meeting by the footbridge at the end of George Angell Drive in Plattsburgh (at the junction with the Saranac River Trail). All community members and college students alike are welcome.