The Peru Gazette

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By John T. Ryan

Heyworth Mason Park, Peru, NY- It was about two years year ago when town councilman Melvin Irwin asked Peru Middle School art teacher Greg Badger if he’d be interested in utilizing his art talents at Heyworth/Mason Park—the town needed to replace the rotting plywood covering the window of the park’s 1836-era stone building. Irwin had an idea: why not replace the plywood with paintings depicting Peru’s rich history, especially its historic buildings? Irwin recalls, “I was raised listening to stories of Peru in its glory years, especially Masons Mill and its employees.” Badger responded “yes” to Irwin’s question, so over the past several months, using black and white photographs as a source, Badger has completed twenty-seven images that are the talk of the town. He commented, “Mel was the spark that lit the flame.”

Greg Badger wasn’t interested in local history until he got involved in this project. Last year, he told the Peru Gazette, “I’ve been doing some of the paintings at school. I’m a little shocked to see how interested middle schoolers are in community history. They had many questions, especially about all the changes along Elm Street.” To answer their questions, Badger invited longtime Peru residents Sherry Dobbs and Larry Shanley into his classroom to share memories, and he even arranged to have the sessions taped for YouTube viewing.

Badger brought his easel, paints, and brushes to the Peru Town Market this summer. He recalls, “I was working on the painting of Marsha’s Pharmacy. People would come up and want to talk about it, how they went there after school for a penny candy or a root beer float.” Comments like those combined with his students’ curiosity changed Badger’s feelings about preserving local history. He explained, “When I started, my thought was to make this building pretty. Now, I’m entrenched in history. Instead of popping out a painting quickly, I’m researching, reviewing historical documents, reading books on Peru’s history, and talking to more people.” When people look at Badger’s most recent paintings, they’ll see accurate colors and details, such as the blue gas pump in front of Bosworth’s General Store and a yellow sign ‘Old Gold’ at Marsha’s Pharmacy. Now, it takes Badger about thirty hours to draw an image and compile its history versus the previous ten hours; however, he’s convinced it’s worth the effort.

There are still about ten open spots at the Heyworth-Mason Park building. Individuals, families, and businesses interested in sponsoring a painting should email Greg at gregbadgerart@gmail.com or visit visuallegacyproject.com.

Councilman Melvin Irwin is still involved. He applies a preservative coating to the paintings and climbs high on his ladder to place them in the open windows. Purchasing plywood backing and fiberboard is the only cost to the town. Sponsorships pay Badger’s time, talent, paint, and material costs. 

The Granny’s Attic Unique Boutique sale is this Saturday, September 30, from 9a – 4p, and Sunday, October 1, from 10a-2p at the Peru Community Church Fellowship Center, 13 Elm St, at the corner of Routes 22 and 22B in the heart of Peru.   All are welcome!!

A huge number and variety of items are for sale this Fall.   Uniquely included are an Air Hockey Table, vintage children’s roll-top desk, cross-stitch kits, original artwork and more.    From kitchenware, dishes & glassware to holiday decor, books, toys, games & puzzles, bed linens and blankets, to small furniture & appliances, jewelry, and picture frames — There is something for everyone!   (No clothing or computers or TVs, though…)

Doors open promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 30 (and on Sunday at 10 a.m.).   Items are priced reasonably, with most half-price on Sunday, plus an additional sale day on Friday, October 6, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., where most everything you can fit in a shopping bag will be $2.00.

We thank the church family and greater community for donating such wonderful treasures.  Come and bring a friend to see (and buy) all the unique and interesting items available for you and your home.  All proceeds benefit the Church missions, programs, and general fund.

The Peru Community Church is celebrating over 200 years of ministry to Peru and the surrounding areas.  The church is a federation of the United Methodist and Presbyterian USA Protestant denominations. These earliest churches in Peru began in 1802-1811 (Methodist Episcopal) and 1822 (Presbyterian & Congregational).  www,perucommunitychurch.com.  Office 518-643-8641.

Questions or need more information on the Granny’s Attic Unique Boutique sale?  Please call or text Barb Benkwitt, sale coordinator, at 518-565-6263, or email barbbenkwitt@charter.net.

1. Call Meeting to Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

4. MOTION/DISCUSSION:  To Accept Reports from all Departments: (Water/Sewer/Valcour; Highway; Town Clerk; Dog Control; Youth Department; Code/Zoning; Supervisor’s Report; Court; Website; JCEO; and Banking Reports.

5. MOTION:  Acceptance of Minutes for the Public Hearing and Regular Meeting of September 11,

2023 and the Special Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2023.

6. Community Input.

7. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Call for A Public Hearing on the Recommendation to Change a Portion of Davey Drive to Neighborhood-Commercial.

8. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   Accept Recommendation for Justin Wilson to Join the Planning Board.

9. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Accept the Recommendation for Jane Brelia to be Reappointed to the Board of Assessment Review.

10. DISCUSSION/MOTION: Call for A Public Hearing on October 4 at 5:45 to Pass Local Law #1 of 2023 for Flood Damage Protection.

11. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   To Accept Clinton County Health Department’s Memorandum of Understanding for WIC Clinic Services.

12. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   To Go Out to Bid for Temporary Fix on Telegraph Rd.

13. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   To Possibly Award the Bid of the Cook Rd. Culvert Project.

14. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  To Go Out to Bid for Forestry Attachment for 312 Excavator.

15. DISCUSSION:  Other Business.

16. DISCUSSION:  Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

17. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Pay September 2023 Bills.

18. MOTION: Adjourn Meeting.

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First Presbyterian Church – Peru Gazette File Photo

Chazy Central Student Jordan Juneau

Standing next to one of the unrestored clock faces, Building and Grounds Committee Member Bob Davis said the clock the E. Howard Clock Company of Boston made the 1873 clock.

Church members after the unveiling. Very happy!

L-R Bill Merrill, Mike Drew of CV-TEC, Rollie McGree, Herb Cottrell and Bob Davis

The beautiful restored clock face takes its place in the church’s rich history.

By John T. Ryan

Plattsburgh – September 24, 2023  Members of the First Presbyterian Church gathered Sunday morning to thank CV-TEC for restoring one of the three clock faces that adorned the church’s tall spire from 1873 to 1950. Building and Grounds Committee member Bill Merrill unveiled the impressive 54-inch diameter clock face to the delight of everyone. It stood in stark contrast to the nearby unrestored face. Merrill joked that the Church was deliberate in its decision-making, having placed the three clock faces in storage for some seventy years. He thanked the church’s Building and Grounds Committee, especially Rollie McGee, who asked his neighbor Mike Drew, a CV-TEC Construction Trades Instructor if his students would be interested in the project and later coordinated the project.

Mike Drew commented, “Thank you for bringing CV-TEC into this community partnership. It was a great school project; the kids had to devise a plan. They had a lot of fun.” Drew said two students, Chazy Central student Jordan Juneau and Peru Central student Zach Harblin Bowlby, took over the project. They used sandpaper and applied polyurethane stain to the massive clock face. Jordan Juneau commented, “It was great to work on. We sanded it over about three months and tried to fix the clock hands as much as possible. It was an honor to work on it.” Zach Harbin Bowlby graduated from Peru Central last June and wasn’t present for Sunday’s presentation.

Church Pastor Rev. Dr. Timothy Luoma expressed his thanks for the CV-TEC partnership. He commented, “The restoration shows that we value those who came before us.” The restored clock face will remain in the church’s fellowship hall, where church members and visitors can reflect on it and the First Presbyterian Church’s history as Plattsburgh’s first congregation, founded in 1797. The original church burned in 1867. The church that stands today was dedicated in July 1873.

Peru – CVPH Donor Center Blood Brive, Monday, October 9, from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St. in Peru. 

All blood collected is utilized in our local trl-county region.  Your neighbors appreciate and need your support. 

The blood drive is coordinated by St. Augustine’s Knights of Columbus Council 7273. 

1. Call Meeting to Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call 

4. MOTION/DISCUSSION:  To Accept Reports from all Departments: (Water/Sewer/Valcour; Highway; Town Clerk; Dog Control; Youth Department; Code/Zoning; Supervisor’s Report; Court; Website; JCEO; and Banking Reports.

5. MOTION:  Acceptance of Minutes for the Public Hearing and Regular Meeting of September 11, 

2023 and the Special Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2023.

6. Community Input.

7. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Call for A Public Hearing on the Recommendation to Change a Portion of Davey Drive to Neighborhood-Commercial. 

8. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   Accept Recommendation for Justin Wilson to Join the Planning Board. 

9. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Accept the Recommendation for Jane Brelia to be Reappointed to the Board of Assessment Review.

10. DISCUSSION/MOTION:  Call for A Public Hearing on October 4 at 5:45 to Pass Local Law #1 of 2023 for Flood Damage Protection. 

11. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   To Accept Clinton County Health Department’s Memorandum of Understanding for WIC Clinic Services.

12. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   To Go Out to Bid for Temporary Fix on Telegraph Rd.

13. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   To Possibly Award the Bid of the Cook Rd. Culvert Project. 

14. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  To Go Out to Bid for Forestry Attachment for 312 Excavator.

15. DISCUSSION:  Other Business.

16. DISCUSSION:  Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

17. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Pay September 2023 Bills.

18. MOTION: Adjourn Meeting.

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Funding will pay for a new research vessel and graduate and undergraduate assistants

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It will occupy former Best Buy location

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Ensures energy service companies obtain consent from consumers prior to price increases

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Clinton County Historical Association

Tuesday, September 26, 2:30 pm. Abolitionists and Freedom Seekers on the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad with Jackie Madison, President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association. The Grand Room, Meadowbrook Healthcare, 154 Prospect Ave, Plattsburgh.

Starting in the late eighteenth century with freedom seekers, moving into the twentieth century with Chinese Americans and ending in the twentieth-first century with individuals seeking a better way of life, the presentation will include stories of the individuals who came through the Lake Champlain region, those who helped or hindered their travels, and the outcome of their Underground Railroad experience.

The public is invited to attend.

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Chazy, NY – The Alice T. Miner Museum will host the 2nd Annual Cultivating Hope Event: A Healing Grace Center for Hope & Healing fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 5 p.m. at the museum in Chazy. The event will raise funds for Healing Grace, a nonprofit organization that provides grief support and other services for families who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss. All proceeds from the event will benefit Healing Grace and its mission of providing support, love, guidance, and community to families who have suffered the tragic loss of a child. 

“We can’t walk this walk without having the support of someone who has gone before us,” Munn Wojtaszek noted, adding that connecting with other families is mutually beneficial for her and the families she works with. “That’s the whole model of Healing Grace. It’s connection through shared loss.” 

In 1902, Alice and William Miner suffered the loss of their two-week-old son William Henry Miner, Jr. The legacy of philanthropy initiated by William and Alice Miner inspired a partnership in 2022 between The Alice T. Miner Museum, Miner Institute and Healing Grace. 

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at www.healinggraceph.org.

A short program, live music performed by Taylor LaValley, and light refreshments will be provided. 

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(Plattsburgh) October 11th marks the 247th Anniversary of the Battle of Valcour, one of the first naval battles of the American Revolution, fought between the shores of Valcour Island and New York State. A commemoration of this event will be held on the 2nd-floor lobby and veranda in the Main Building at Clinton Community College on Rt 9 S, Plattsburgh, NY, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm on October 11th, hosted by the Saranac Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Valcour Battle Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.  

Ed Scollon, Co-founder and Co-Principal Investigator of the Valcour Bay Research Project, an eight-year underwater survey of the 1776 Battle of Valcour Island battle site, will speak on “Arnold’s Gondolas.”  Music is provided by Cathie Davenport, Katherine Duesberg, Stanley Ransom, and the Plattsburgh Police Pipes and Drums band members Kim Matthews and Peggy Staats Brown. Colors will be posted and taps and salutes will be given by the American Legion Post 1619 Honor Guard members. Craig Russell and members of the Valcour Battle Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will provide a cannonade. This is the 128th year that the DAR has coordinated the event.

The event is free and open to the public.

After seeing a 100% increase in reported car thefts

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