The Peru Gazette

The adirondack almanack reports

The Peru Town Board will hold a special meeting on Thursday, December 31st at 8:00 a.m. to complete fund transfers and possibly conduct other business. The Town Council will hold its organizational meeting at 6:30 p.m. on January 11th. The regular meeting will follow.

The Post-Standard reports

The Watertown Times reports

By Donald McBrayer

The Regular Town Board Meeting was held on Monday, December 28 at 7 P.M. In attendance was Supervisor Peter Glushko, Councilors Tom Powers, Brandy McDonald, and James Douglass, and Town Clerk Kathleen Flynn. Town Attorney Don Biggs and Councilor Kregg Bruno were absent.

This meeting marked the final Town Board Meeting for Tom Powers who completed his four-year term. Recently elected Susan Polhemus will be taking the position the 1st of January. Mr. Glushko marked the occasion by presenting Powers and retiring Town Justice Peter Keenan with the key to the town in honor of their service. Both men received a standing ovation.

The remaining agenda items included:

• A passed resolution for 9 minor adjustments to the recently passed budget.
• A passed motion setting the time and date for final end-of-year transfers and bill paying to Wednesday, December 31 at 8:00 A.M.
• A passed motion setting the time and date for the organizational meeting to Monday, January 11 at 6:30 P.M. to precede the scheduled regular meeting.
• A passed resolution authorizing $1500 from the 2009 budget to begin construction on a new set of tables for the town hall.
• A discussion to increase health insurance buyouts to eventually reach $3000 in two years.
• A discussion on the progress regarding of selection of a new IT support service for the town.
  

The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 P.M.

The Watertown Times reports

The Press Republican reports

The Times Union reports

The adirondack almanack reports

On November 21, 2009 Ernest E. Rock of the Hallock Hill Road passed away at age 84. A retired corrections officer and farmer, Ernie was a World War II Navy veteran serving as an aircraft carrier tail gunner. At Ernie’s funeral his daughter Rebecca Drollette read a letter which Ernie, at age 18, wrote home to his Aunt Ruth Rock as he was completing his Navy training. We are pleased to reprint this letter believing that it exemplifies a wonderful example of an American patriot’s faith in God, country, family and community. That same spirit continues today. Please keep all our soldiers around the world in your thoughts and prayers during this Christmas season. 

December 19, 1943

Dear Aunt Ruth,

I’ve been to Church and we have a wonderful chaplain. The Mass was beautiful. Christmas night the 12:00 Mass that I’ll attend will be broadcast all over the United States.

They are going to make our Christmas as good and entertaining as possible, but there is nothing in comparison with a beautiful Christmas at home. No matter how humble it is, home is the most wonderful place in the whole world especially to a sailor. We are all here for a purpose, for the purpose of eliminating the enemy and making a lasting and permanent peace. We are here for that job. We are going to give everything we have for that job so that in the future we can spend all our happy years at home. I know we are not at home and that our job is dangerous and necessary and in the event we don’t come back what we did will live on. But we are not all going to die and some of us are going to come back to share the peace we fought for.

Here in my company all kinds of men are put together and we are all one. No one man is better than the other. We are Americans and for America. We shall fight and for America we shall die.

This year at Christmas we can’t be together in body, but in spirit we are combined in both. When we go to the railing Christmas Eve we will all be combined with the aid of God.

Now we are being taught to kill and destroy, but we are also being taught to live. To live as Americans should and can. This is a battle and this battle will be won by the strong of mind and the strong of heart.

I’ve got a little friend here from Puerto Rico and I’m teaching him to speak English. He is a nice boy and a real American. He can talk pretty good by now and his nice black curly hair is all gone. We had our regulation hair cuts yesterday and we were clipped bald, but it will grow.

Maybe this letter sounds like a sermon or maybe just plain nuts but our chaplain told us to write home a Christmas letter something like this and I hope I’ve done a good job.

We have a swell time here. A guy is playing a mouth organ and we are raising hell. We do all day. I’ve gained about 5 lbs. A lot of food and not much work. I hope everything is OK at home and around.

                                                            Love,

                                                            Ernest

A Syracuse woman was just arrested for driving drunk with a person under 18 years of age in her vehicle. This is a felony under a recently passed NYS law referred to as Leandra’s Law. Many people seem unaware of this law so the Gazette is publishing these pertinent links: NY Daily News Story      Post-Standard story

The adirondack almanack reports

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports

On August 7th, 2009 Peru Town Historian Ron Allen and his wife Carol presided over the dedication of historical markers for Peru Landing and Port Jackson. The dedication ceremonies at the Valcour Conference Center took place at the exact place where Port Jackson was located. It was the point where many of our ancestors arrived in the North Country and it became their economic link to the outside world. The remarks Ron Allen made that August day taught a valuable historical lesson and should be preserved. Therefore, the Peru Gazette asked his permission to publish them online. Read more »

By John T. Ryan

The Zoning Board of Appeals had acted on its agenda December 16, 2009 when Board Chairman Walter Russell announced that he will resign as Board Chairman effective January 1, 2010.  Reading from a letter addressed to Town Supervisor Peter Glushko Russell said, “It has been my great pleasure to serve on the ZBA since 1991. The time has come for new people to take over the reigns of the board.”  After a brief discussion, the board elected Vice-Chairman Leon Blair as the board’s next Chairman and board member James Falvo as Vice-Chairman. Read more »

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports (Includes a great photo representation)

By Adele Douglas

You no longer need to drive to Staples to make color copies.  There’s a new color copier in town, at the Peru Free Library. Color copies will cost you 50 cents, black and white copies 10 cents.  You can either bring in your print job or send it from the six public computers in the library.  The copier can handle paper up to 11” by 17” and can also be used as a scanner.  For more of your communication needs, the library also hosts a fax machine ($1 per copy, with a $3 maximum charge).  These services are all part of the library’s ongoing effort to better serve the needs of the community.  Please call librarian Becky Pace if you have any questions, 643-8618.

The Press Republican reports

By Donald McBrayer

The Regular Town Board Meeting was held at 7PM on Monday, December 14. This marks the first Regular Meeting for newly seated Town Supervisor Peter Glushko, and Councilors Kregg Bruno and James Douglass. Also in attendance were Councilor Tom Powers, Town Clerk Kathy Flynn, and Town Attorney Don Biggs. Councilor Brandy McDonald was excused. Read more »

The Watertown Daily Times reports (Interesting story in light of today’s Press Republican supplement on Clinton County agriculture)

By John T. Ryan (Undated 12/20/09) 

Judge Keenan's family & colleagues surprised him with a Dec. 16th party!

One of Peru’s longest serving elected officials will be stepping down from his position on December 31^st. Town Justice Peter Keenan will be retiring after twenty-four years of service to our community. Keenan was first elected in 1985 and was Peru’s only elected Democrat for about fifteen of those twenty-four years. He ran unopposed for his last five terms of office. Even more important, in all those years he never received a single complaint regarding his performance in office from the New York State Judicial Conduct Commission.  Read more »

By John T. Ryan

The Keeseville-Peru Ecumenical Choir presented its 44^th Annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 13^th at St. Augustine’s Church in Peru before a large crowd of appreciative listeners. (Click here to see several photos) The sixty-one member choir conducted by Jeanette Woodruff encircled the audience for its opening song, a beautiful rendition of “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” It was an emotional beginning for the evening. Sixteen more beautiful songs followed ranging from “This Christmastide” also known as “Jessye’s Carol” to “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The concert closed with a very uplifting rendition of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Reverend Alan Shnob, Pastor of St. Augustine’s Church welcomed everyone to the concert and gave a final Benediction. Reverend Robert Svenson, Pastor of the Peru Community Church delivered a Christmas Message. Carol Bachand was the concert accompanist, Steve Woodruff was the organist and Andre Gratto played the French horn.

The Peru Music Booster Club will be hosting a Holiday Gift Wrapping Event on Thursday, December 17 from 6 to 8 p.m.  Read more »

The Post-Standard reports (A great story on the rewards and pitfalls of extracting New York’s natural gas)

AGENDA TOWN BOARD REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 14, 2009 7:00 PM Read more »