The Peru Gazette

There will be a concert by the After Thoughts on Sunday, March 21, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. at St. John The Baptist Church in Keeseville.  Special guests at the concert will be Lita Kelly and Jay Lesage.  Admission to the concert will be non perishable items or cash donation.  All proceeds will be given to the local food shelf.

After Thoughts is a vocal ensemble who performs for the benefit of area charities.  After Thoughts sings a wide range of choral repertoire tailored to their audiences. The musical director is Jeanette Woodruff and the accompanist is Carol Bachand. 

Lincoln Cahill became an Eagle Scout on Saturday, February 27^th in Boy Scouts of America Eagle Court of Honor Ceremonies conducted at the Peru Community Church Fellowship Center. Cahill is the old son of Stephen and Wendi Cahill of Peru and a member of Boy Scout Troop 49. He received the award before a large gathering of fellow scouts, supporters, family and friends. (See previous story) 

The Watertown Daily Times reports    (Good story about officers taking downstate promotions with little hope of returning to the North Country.)

AGENDA  PERU PLANNING BOARD Wednesday March 10, 2010 at 7:00 pm Peru Town Read more »

Richard Williams, Chair of the Town of Peru Planning Board, called the meeting of Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 7:01pm, to order. Read more »

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports

See Blog update

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports 

By: Donald McBrayer

The Regular Town Board Meeting was held on Monday, February 22 at 7:10 PM.
Minutes for the February 8 meeting were approved and can be found at: http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/min10/02-08-2010-RM.pdf

In action the Board:

• Set a Public Hearing date for the Backflow Prevention Device Ordinance for Monday, March 22 at 6:30 PM. Any inquires on the device or proposed ordinance can be directed to Water/Sewer Superintendent Greg Timmons at (518) 643-8125.
• Set the second Public Hearing date on March 8 at 6:00 PM for the Community Development Block Grant, as it will be applied to South Acres Mobile Home Park septic system replacement.
• Discussed enacting an enforceable town wide noise ordinance. Currently Peru’s noise ordinance states that sound levels cannot exceed 81 decibels, but lacks any stated fines or actions that can be taken in the event of a violation. The board want to “put teeth” into the ordinance to make it enforceable. Town Supervisor Pete Glushko distributed a copy of Plattsburgh’s noise ordinance as a guide to the board as they begin the process of developing a similar law for Peru. During the discussion some concern about over-reacting to common noises such as lawn mowers and back yard parties were raised. There was also a question about car audio systems equipped with sub-woofers. Glushko stated all these concerns will be addressed, and a Public Hearing will be scheduled once the board has time to develop the ordinance.
• Approved a contract with the town’s website administrator, Donald McBrayer.
• Ratified the Clinton County Health Department Memorandum of Understanding.
• Conducted three 2009 Budget Fund Transfers.
• Discussed the Employee Computer and Internet Use Policy that will be enacted soon. This policy will set in place enforceable actions that can be taken if town employees abuse set regulations on computer and Internet use on town computers.
• Discussed extending the hours of operation at the Town Hall one night a week till 7PM to better accommodate public access to services.
• Approved a Dog Control Report for January 2010. This was the first Dog Control Report submitted since January 2009.
• Compared offers from NCCS and Security Concepts of New York to install new security systems at the Town Garage, and Water/Sewer Department. The Board decided on Security Concepts to provide the systems. A final cost still needs to be obtained and will be put to vote in a future meeting.
  

The meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM.

History & Freedom:  Herstory

March 19, 2010. 7:00 pm. Peru Community Church, 13 Elm Street

$10 adults, $8 children and seniors.

 Music by:  Sounds of the Northway

March is women’s history month.  The North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association will host a celebration of the role of women in humanity’s great moments, from Miriam at the Red Sea to Catherine Keese who hid fugitives from slavery in Peru, New York, during the Underground Railroad era.

Music and song will be provided by Sounds of the Northway, a trio of local women:  Ann Ruzow Holland, Cathie Davenport and Jennifer Van Benschoten who sing and play guitar, piano, flute and violin.

Proceeds will provide the materials necessary for the stabilization of Peru’s most recognized Underground Railroad hiding place, the Smith-Keese barn, located at the former Stafford property on Union Road.   All labor is being donated for this project.

The evening will include short presentations on women prominent in the success of the underground railroad and a photo journal of the Smith-Keese barn project narrated by the local restoration, history and archeological specialists who are donating their time and skills to the stabilization.

For more information contact: Helen Allen Nerska @ 643-0938.

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports

By: Donald McBrayer

A Public Hearing date for the Backflow Prevention Device Ordinance has been set for Monday, March 22 at 6:30 PM.
The Town of Peru, mandated by the state, will soon enact a Backflow Prevention Device Ordinance. Under this new law any commercial property and residential property larger than a duplex that is hooked to town water will be required to have a backflow prevention device installed. Single-family homes and duplexes are exempt. This devise will prevent possibly contaminated water from reentering the town water system from private water systems in the event of a pressure drop. The device must be engineer approved to meet town specs, be professionally installed, and be inspected annually. The property owner will be responsible for the cost of the device, installation, and inspections.

The proposed ordinance can be found at:
http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/towndocs/BackflowPreventionDeviceOrdinance.pdf
Any inquires on the device or proposed ordinance can be directed to Water/Sewer Superintendent Greg Timmons at (518) 643-8125.

By: Donald McBrayer

A Public Hearing on the Community Development Block Grant was held on Monday, February 22.

During the Public Hearing, Lorette Oswald from Laberge Group, reiterated the general principals of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and how it could be applied to the South Acres Mobile Home Park for septic system replacements. Oswald reminded the Town Board that failure to repair the septic systems at South Acres could lead to closure of the park. There are 82 residences sharing 41 septic systems in South Acres at this time.

Public Comments included:

• Several concerns were expressed on the potential cost to the town. Oswald indicated the town would only cover the cost of Public Hearing notices, and have the responsibility of holding the paperwork involved in the grant process. Oswald also indicated Mr. Phung, owner of South Acres, would pay the 8% administrative fees so the entire amount of the grant could be applied to the septic system upgrade.
• Jean Schiffler reminded the Board that the total cost of the project could cost as much as $700,000, of which the grant would only cover $400,000. She asked how the balance of the cost would be covered. The Board indicated they would be certain Mr. Phung would have the funding in place for the balance of the cost before any grant money is rewarded.
• John Kanoza from the Health Department indicated that several septic systems in the park have already been addressed over the past three years, but sees a looming situation that will lead to the balance of the systems failing to meet Health Department standards within the next few years.
• Residences from South Acres expressed concern over the potential of losing their homes if the Town Board doesn’t apply for the grant.
  

The Town Board indicated the Laberge Group offered a quicker grant process than that being offered by the Friend of the North Country, which would require a town wide survey to determine if Peru would even qualify. A decision during the Regular Town Board Meeting later that evening determined The Laberge Group’s Community Development Block Grant would be the grant pursued for the South Acres issue.

The second required Public Hearing for the CDBG is scheduled for Monday, March 8 at 6:00 PM to precede the Regular Town Board Meeting.

This morning, February, 23, 2010, the Holy See announced that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Reverend Terry LaValley, currently Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, as the fourteenth Bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg to succeed the Most Reverend Robert J. Cunningham, Bishop of Syracuse, NY Read more »

By Donald McBrayer

The Town Board sat a little prouder at this week’s Town Board Meeting as they showed off the new conference table that was installed this past week.

A few months back Peru Craftsman Thom Longware offered to build a new conference table for the Peru Town Hall. He didn’t let anyone down. The new table is actually three beautifully crafted solid oak units with black formica insets. The main table is higher with a 6” seating platform added by Greg Timmons. The platform is equipped with power and Internet ports. The two side tables are built on a pivot with the ability to swing to any number of degrees. This feature allows the tables to be set up as a “U” for small meetings or widened out for larger public functions.

Owens Unveils New Congressional Website

WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Owens today announced the launch of his new Congressional website.  “My four district offices and our location in Washington have served a great number of Upstate New Yorkers, and I am glad to see a place on the internet where everyone back home can contact me with questions or comments.” said Owens.  

Features of the website include assistance with federal agencies, voting record, press releases, positions on issues, federal grant assistance, military academy nominations, flag requests, tour information for Washington, and a schedule request to meet with Rep. Owens.  

Additional constituent services can be found at Rep. Owens’ website at http://owens.house.gov.

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The Watertown Daily Times reports

AGENDA TOWN BOARD REGULAR MEETING

February 22, 2010 @ 7:00 PM Read more »

Legislation goes into effect today, enacts unprecedented consumer protection

WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Owens today praised the implementation of H.R. 627, the CARD Act, which contains several strict protections for consumers – banning unfair interest rate increases and forbidding abusive fees and penalties by credit card companies.  
 
“This is an important step toward helping middle-class families in Upstate New York pay off their debt,” said Owens.  “For too long the credit card companies have been able to charge exorbitant interest rates which greatly impact a family’s budget.  I hope these increased protections will make things a little bit easier for the hardworking families in Upstate New York.” Read more »

The Time Union reports (Good column on the state parks closure issue. The author points out that parks did not even close during the Great Depression.)

The Times Union reports (A great story about the fiscal cuts to the state-wide park system)

The Times Union reports 

The Post-Standard reports (Very interesting story on a bitterly divided community)

• Old photos of one room school houses in the Peru area (there were 19 of them in Peru in 1869).
• Names of students who attended and teachers who taught in these one room schools.
• One room school house artifacts such as teacher’s hand bells, desks, textbooks, inkwells, etc.
• Old photos of A. Mason & Sons Lumber Co.  Would particularly like photos of Mason’s employees actively working at the mill.
• Any items from A. mason & Sons Lumber Co.
• Old photos of the stone industrial buildings in Lapham’s Mills before they were torn down.
• Native American artifacts found in the Peru area (arrowheads, spear points, knives, tools, etc.
• Information on Peru’s early starch and tanning industries.
• Peru Central School yearbooks:  1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1964, 1965, 1980, 2003.
• Any items related to Peru’s history.

North Country Public Radio reports

Children in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade are invited to join in Peru Community Church’s Wednesday cooking classes. They will be held on March 3,10, 17 and 24 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Fellowship Center kitchen. The cost is $5.00 per child. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. Call 643- 8641 to enroll.