The Peru Gazette

The adirondack almanac reports

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The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports

Clinton County December single-family home sales decline by 40%

Clinton County December median December single-family home prices increase by 40%

Clinton County 2010 sales decline by a modest 6.9%

Clinton County 2010 median prices decline only slightly

Comments on 2010 from the CEO of the NYS Association of Realtors

Leon Blair, Chairman of the Town of Peru Zoning Board of Appeals, called the meeting of December 15^th, 2010 to order at 7:00 pm. Read more »

WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Owens announced today his appointment to two House Agriculture subcommittees.  While serving with his colleagues on the federal panel influential in decisions critical to the farming community, Owens will sit on the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry as well as the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.

“I’m looking forward to becoming even more involved through these subcommittees in some of the issues that matter most to the North Country, including dairy, forestry and renewable energy products like biomass.” said Owens. “Upstate family farmers remain a major driver of New York’s economy, and I am pleased with the opportunity to represent their interests on these critical subcommittees.”

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry holds jurisdiction over soil, water, and resource conservation, small watershed programs, energy and bio-based energy production, rural electrification, forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain.

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry oversees inspections, marketing, and promotion of livestock, dairy, poultry, meat and seafood.

The Town Of Peru Tax Collection Office will be extending the hours on Monday January 31, 2011.  The Tax Office will be open from 8:00AM-3:00PM.  Residents are also invited to use the new lock box (checks or money orders only) located on the outside of the Town Hall at 3036 Main Street, Peru.
For further questions, please contact Kathy Flynn at 643-2745 ext.#2.

Peru Central School District and Peru Central’s budget advisory committee will host a public forum at 6 PM on Monday, February 14^th at 6 PM in the community room, adjacent to the main entrance of Peru High School. Monday’s 6 PM public forum will actively engage district residents by soliciting ideas and perceptions regarding school finances, cost reductions, forecasted impacts of the Governor’s executive budget proposal and key budget factors for constructing a spring 2011 proposed budget plan. The intent is to help Peru Central respond thoughtfully to the fiscal challenges facing New York State. This public forum will be the first in a series of winter 2011 public forums at Peru Central focused on school budget factors. Individuals who participate will receive a briefing packet at the public forum. One year ago, Peru Central employees and district residents generated nearly one hundred suggestions to  reduce costs, operate even more efficiently and streamline programs, while maintaining strong instructional programs for students. Many of those suggestions were put into practice this school year, either fully or in part. The February 14^th public forum will start with distribution and discussion of pertinent facts. Next, district residents who attend will engage in small group discussions focused on fiscal challenges ahead and how to best respond to those challenges. The last segment of Monday’s public forum will feature a brief stakeholder survey,
intended to generate ideas for Peru Central to continue reducing costs while maintaining strong programs, according to A. Paul Scott, Peru Central Superintendent of Schools.

The Press Republican reports

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From the office of Congressman Owens

WASHINGTON – Tonight, Congressman Bill Owens will join a bipartisan delegation of Upstate New York Members of Congress to sit together during the President’s annual State of the Union address.  Members of the delegation will include Representatives Brian Higgins (NY-27), Chris Lee (NY-26), Paul Tonko (NY-21), Tom Reed (NY-29), Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-25), Chris Gibson (NY-20), and Richard Hanna (NY-24). Read more »

North Country Public Radio’s Brian Mann comments

Please note the generally thoughtful reader comments

By Adele Douglas

They can be cold and miserable but our winters do provide some fun and unique opportunities for outdoor activities. My idea of a great day is an outing with friends and/or family, near home, that doesn’t take more than a few hours, then heading home (often with a stop at Rulf’s for treats and coffee) to enjoy a book, content that I got my healthy outdoor exercise out of the way. Some of our recent outings have included skating at the outdoor rinks in Keeseville and Cliff Haven, (I see that Peru’s pond is being well used this year as well); sledding at Peru’s Little Ausable Park and Macomb Reservation State Park (both bring you onto the ice); and walking the dog (hooked up to a sled pulling daughter Emily) at Ausable Point State Park and Macomb. Last time we were at Macomb some hearty soul was out snow blowing a skating rink on Davis pond. We’ve also been cross-country skiing at Ausable Chasm’s newly re-opened cross-country ski trails (834-7454). They have new ski equipment to rent ($10) and charge $5 for the use of the trails, maps of the three loops are provided. The Outer Loop (7 km) wasn’t groomed when we went but had tracks laid down by an earlier skier and was easy to ski, mostly flat and attractive. You check in and pay at the main welcome center then drive to park closer to the entrance of the campground, where the trails begin. I hope they consider plowing and allowing parking in the campground next year as the set-up now requires you to cross two roads and ski through an open field before reaching the trailhead, to me a very awkward way to start, and especially unpleasant on windy days. Downhill skiing at Beartown and a little further a field at Whiteface with the Town of Peru Ski Club, has rounded out our typical winter activities to date.

But for something a little different last Saturday night we went tubing. At its annual Taste of the North Country event the Chamber of Commerce President bid for and won an evening at Beartown Ski Area. Staff and board members and their families were invited and about 30 people showed up, not bad for an evening that promised a low of –3 degrees. People enjoyed the facilities in a number of ways. One group pretty much stayed in the cozy lodge near the fireplace playing games around the big wooden table, another took advantage of the T-bar and went skiing and snow boarding and a third climbed up and tubed down the hill. Hill Manager Eric Pabst and staff had another fire roaring outside near the stream, it was very picturesque and much appreciated in between runs. Back in the lodge everyone enjoyed the hot cocoa and food, catered by Dino’s Gourmet Pizza and Pasta restaurant. The last run was at 9 pm and then everyone went home happy. Beartown (561-3938) can be rented out for three hours of evening tubing for $250 or, if you add skiing and snowboarding, for $350, providing another close to home opportunity to enjoy and survive the winter.

I’d love to hear about more local places for fun outdoor winter activities, especially cross country skiing, please send in a comment with your favorites.

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports

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Newsweek reports

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The Press Republican reports

By Donald McBrayer

As I gaze out upon the thermometer beyond the window this morning, I see it is 25 degrees below zero. Then I wonder — How are my pipes doing?

Even if you haven’t had a broken or frozen water pipe in years, the chance of seeing one today is very good. These temperatures added to a little wind will allow the fingers of Old Jack Frost to seek out weak spots in the home plumbing you may not know ever existed.

Why do pipes break when they freeze? We all remember our third-grade science class. When water freezes it expands. If water is sealed in a container, the expansion from freezing will cause that container to burst. Our internal home plumbing is a sealed container, and will certainly bust if allowed to freeze. To prevent this we have two choices: One: don’t allow the pipes to freeze by keeping them warm. Two: allow someplace for the expansion to go.

Copper pipes are more likely to break when frozen than the newer Pex (cross-linked polyethylene tubing) plumbing systems. Don’t think you’re off the hook with Pex however. Pex piping may be far more resilient to breaks from freezing than traditional copper, but it isn’t foolproof. Pex joints are a weak point when freezing, and should be watched closely when it’s this cold. Read more »

The Watertown Daily Times reports