The Peru Gazette

The Post Star reports 

The adirondack almanac reports 

The Watertown Daily Times reports 

This weekend’s St. Augustine’s Applefest was a great success thanks to the support of thousands of visitors, beautiful weather, the support of local businesses, all the parade units and the work of hundreds of volunteers.  Final figures have yet to be announced, but based on previous years the Applefest should raise about $25,000 for the parish.  In case you missed it here are some of the pictures taken by Leonard Jozwiak, Bob Woods and John Ryan. Click here to view the Applefest slideshow

The Press Republican reports

Grand Marshalls Patti Hamilton, Neil Hamilton, Ruth Hamilton LaClair, Mark Hamilton

By John T. Ryan

The St. Augustine’s Applefest drew record crowds yesterday for the parade and afternoon food, games and entertainment.  Festivities will begin at noon today with a chicken BBQ, great entertainment, food, games, crafts and a variety of products being sold by vendors on the grounds. Come one, come all to the Peru Applefest!

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports 

The Free Press reports 

The Watertown Daily Times reports 

The Watertown Daily Times reports 

The Press Republican reports 

The Press Republican reports 

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports 

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports 

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports 

The Post Star reports 

The Press Republican reports 

The Times Union reports 

By John T. Ryan

Infrastructure spending is often mentioned as necessary for our nation’s future well-being. The Town of Peru will complete a major improvement to its infrastructure this week when the new 3,000 foot long River Road water line is connected to the Main Street line. When the connection is made Peru will have modern, twelve inch pipes delivering water from the Reservoir Rd. filtration plant to the Cross Street water tower. Water Superintendent Greg Timmons says the new lines are very important.  He commented, “The line will bring more water to the hamlet as the community grows. It will also mean less overtime, because we’ll have fewer line breaks. Also, the cost of cast iron pipe is always increasing. The longer we wait, the higher the cost will be.”

Ed Garrow and Sons Construction of Plattsburgh was awarded a $307,390 contract in October of 2010 to perform the River Rd. work. Timmons said the water line being replaced was installed in 1926.  New lines were installed along Elm Street in the mid- 1970’s with other portions of the line being installed in 2000, 2003 and 2008.

The Town Board continues to allocate monies to infrastructure improvements.  This week they authorized advertising of bids for the installation of new water lines on McDonald Place and new sewer lines on Locust Drive and the North Bend Street Extension.

The Times Union reports 

By Donald McBrayer

Democrats Brandy McDonald & Kregg Bruno won both the Conservative & Independence lines in Peru’s September 13th primary elections. Republican Candidate Geoffrey Spear was on the Conservative ballot, but came up short in a write-in campaign. There were no Independence Party names on the ballot making that primary an all write-in campaign.

The unofficial breakdown is as follows:
Conservative – 3 total voters with 6 total votes –  3 for McDonald, 3 for Bruno, and 0 for Spear.
Independence – 16 total voters with 25 total votes – 11 for McDonald, 11 for Bruno, and 3 for Spear
Each voter could vote for two, however, some voted for only one. Winners are the top two vote-getters for both parties.

Final tallies and absentee ballots will be available from the Board of Elections in coming days.
The Board of Elections can be found at: http://www.clintoncountygov.com/Departments/BoardOfElections/BOEHomePage.html

James Downs receives congratulations from Supervisor Peter Glushko

By John T. Ryan

The Peru Town Board recognized Boy Scout James Downs at its September 12, 2011 meeting. Town Supervisor Peter Glushko thanked Downs for completing his Eagle Scout project in which he constructed attractive flower boxes, filled them with beautiful flowers and attached them to the four welcome signs entering Peru.  Downs addressed the Town Board thanking the Board for giving him the opportunity to do his project. Downs is the son of John and Robin Downs of Peru and is a member of Peru Troop 149.  Downs’ parents and Scout Master Thomas Gwinn were present to witness the occasion.

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports 

The adirondack almanac reports 

By John T. Ryan

Town Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell told town counselors at last night’s town board meeting that road repairs following Hurricane Irene flooding will cost the town about $300,000.  Farrell hopes that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse the town for at least part of those expenses, but FEMA still has to assess Peru’s damages.  The roads requiring extensive repairs include the Reservoir Road, the Patent Road, The Mud Pond Road and the McGarr Road.  Two culvert replacements on the Patent Road were very expensive.

The Board approved the seeking of bids for three water and sewer projects.  A new water line will be installed on McDonald Place and sewer lines will be replaced on Locust Drive and the North Bend Street Extension.  Bid opening will take place at 10 a.m. on September 23, 2011 and work will begin on October 4, 2011.

The Town Board recognized Eagle Scout candidate James Downs for his Eagle Scout project. Downs constructed attractive flower boxes, filled them with flowers and attached them to the four signs on Route 22, Route 22B and the Bear Swamp Road. Downs thanked the Board for giving him the opportunity to do his project.

Elmore SPCA representatives Carol Solari-Rusco and Laurie Parsons brought the Board up to date on the organization’s mission, accomplishments and goals.  The SPCA plans to relocate from the Arthur Road to its former Telegraph Street building during October.  Phase I renovations are underway at this time.  Phase II will begin after the shelter is operating smoothly on Telegraph Street. Ultimately the SPCA needs more space, especially for the larger dogs.

Several towns, including the Town of Peru, contract with Elmore SPCA for its animal rescue services. However, the town contracts only cover about 25% of SPCA expenses.  Other revenue comes from fund-raising, donations, adoption fees and redemption fees.  It costs an average $200 to house each animal. The towns pay for the first ten days of care. Elmore pays for all the remaining days. Animals are housed for an average of 30 days. Staff, food and veterinarian charges are the shelter’s primary expenses.  All animals are neutered and receive rabies shots before adoption.

In other actions the Board:

• Adopted a Records Management Plan and Guidebook.  They were part of the town’s recently completed records management project.
• Reviewed two thank you letters from town residents for the excellent work done by the Highway department and the Water and Sewer Department following Hurricane Irene.
• Conducted an Executive Session to discuss the work history of a town employee.
• Set dates for developing and approving the 2012 town budget. A tentative budget will be ready for September 30. Budget workshops will be held on October 5 (Water and Sewer); October 12 (Highway); October 17 (General); October 19 (Salaries and Benefits); October 26 (an additional meeting if needed). A public hearing must be held by November 3^rd. The Board plans to adopt the budget on November 14.
• Approved renaming the Taylor Rd. in the Quaker Springs subdivision to Denali Drive.  This road no longer connects to the Taylor Rd.

The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m.