August 10, 2023 – Adirondack Center for Writing and Adirondack Voters for Change are proud and excited to present the nine winners of this past spring’s “My Dreams for My Community” Essays Contest at a celebratory event and reading at Adirondack Center for Writing (15 Broadway, Saranac Lake) on Monday, August 28th at 7 PM.
The first, second, and third-place winners and several honorable mentions will receive their cash awards from Adirondack Voters for Change and then recite their short essays aloud for the audience. Light refreshments will be provided. The event is free and open to the public
The contest was presented in two categories: Youth (Ages 13 – 18) and Young Adult (Ages 19 – 25), and was open to any person in those age groups living in the North Country. The winners of the contest are:
Jacob Andre (Peru) – 1st place, Young Adult – $400 prize
Lee Ames (Canton) – 2nd place, Young Adult – $200 prize
Adalynne Perryman (Lake Placid) – Hon Mention, Young Adult – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card
Emma Anand (Warrensburg) – 1st place, Youth – $400
Kaidence Spooner (Keeseville) – 2nd place, Youth – $200
Evan Beech (Westport) – 3rd place, Youth – $100
Rebecca Cook-Chevier (Brushton) – Hon. Mention, Youth – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card
Thea Kennedy (Bolton Landing) – Honorable Mention, Youth – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card
Delphine Mann (Troy) – Honorable Mention, Youth – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card
Andre (1st place, Young Adult) and Ames (2nd place, Young Adult) will not be present at the reading but will read their pieces over video for the audience. The rest of the above winners will be in attendance and read their short essays. The judges of the contest will also be in attendance at the event. The contest judges were: writer and professor Shir Filler of North Country Community College, author and reporter Tim Rowland of Adirondack Explorer, author and reporter Adam Federman, author and editor Andy Flynn of Lake Placid News, teacher Joy McCabe, and author Ed Kanze.
This contest aims to amplify the voices and concerns of young people living in the North Country region. The essay guidelines directed writers to “Define your community; say what you are about; and offer ideas for change”. To support writers as they draft their essays, ACW provided guiding questions such as, “What concerns does your community have?” “What would you and your community like to see changed about politics or culture?”, “If you could run things, how would you do it differently?” and “When you dream of the world you want, what do you see?” Answering each of these questions was not a requirement; the prompts were simply meant to get writers thinking about a subject, a perspective, and a central argument.
To learn more about this event and the contest it is celebrating, contact Tyler Barton at Adirondack Center for Writing – info@adirondackcenterforwriting.org / 717-332-8137
Posted: August 15th, 2023 under Adirondack Region News, Education News, Northern NY News, Peru News, Peru School News, Youth News.
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By John T Ryan
Peru – August 15, 2023 – The Peru Town Board passed a resolution to go out to bid construction of a new culvert on Cook Rd. at a Special Meeting conducted Monday morning at 8 a.m. There’s only one residence on the road, and the project will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The highway department installed a steel plate on the existing culvert to keep the road passable.
Highway Department superintendent Michael Farrell said the 14 ft. wide, 4.5 ft. high culvert structure will cost $129,000. It’s so heavy that the contractor must use a crane to put it in place. The NYS DEC has approved the project, but it’s awaiting the U.S. Corp. of Engineers’ approval. Farrell said having the culvert installed before the first snowfall is essential.
Click here for a meeting video
Posted: August 15th, 2023 under General News, Highway Dept. News, Town Board News.
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By John T. Ryan
Peru – The process has taken longer than anticipated. Still, if progress continues as hoped, the Hamilson Community Solar Farm will be functioning at 286 Mannix Rd. by the end of next year. Unlike traditional solar, where an array is installed on your roof or property, community solar is installed at an offsite location. People can subscribe to the community solar project and receive credits on their electric bill for the clean energy produced. Everyone, including renters and co-op/condo owners, is eligible. A ten percent savings on electricity cost (not electricity delivery) is typical of most community solar projects.
The Hamilton family is the project co-developer. The family’s first thought was to develop the project themselves; however, they quickly discovered it made sense to work with a party familiar with solar farm financing, regulatory requirements, and construction. The result is that the Sunvestment Group, Apex Energy, and RER EnergyGroup are co-developers.
Family spokesman Mark Hamilton commented, “A few years ago, a solar farm developer approached us. We were intrigued by the idea, but we didn’t want to lose control of the land.” We’re doing this because we think it’s the right thing to do with the land, a good thing for the community and the environment. It’s smaller than most solar farms, but I’m not sure our community would support a solar farm twice the size as this one in such a visible area. We want to be good neighbors. It sits lower than the road. It’s not going to block any sight lines.”
The 2.6-megawatt farm will be located on 12.5 acres, a few hundred yards east of the Hamilton Funeral Home, on land that wasn’t part of the orchard. It’s one-half the size of most farms; nevertheless, an estimated 400 to 450 homes and one or two businesses in Clinton County and parts of Essex and Franklin counties will be eligible to subscribe.
Hamilton emphasized that the solar project is unrelated to the recent removal of the large orchard surrounding the funeral home. He explained. “We leased the orchard to a local orchard for the past 40+ years, but they notified us that they didn’t want to maintain it any longer. Leaving the trees unattended could have resulted in blight and insect infestation that could have affected neighboring crops.” A local farmer is leasing the land for field crops for the foreseeable future.
Project Site Plan
hamilton-environmental-assessment-document-package-for-submission-updated-6272023.pdf
Posted: August 15th, 2023 under Business News, Environmental News, General News, Northern NY News, Peru News, Peru/Regional History.
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St. Clair looks forward to leading the sports department with reinvigorated local coverage
Click here for the Sun Community News story
Posted: August 15th, 2023 under Adirondack Region News, Business News, Northern NY News, Sports News.
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Peru August 15, 2023 – Peru residents reported to the Peru Gazette that the Subway Restaurant co-located at the Maplefields Convenience Store at 654 Bear Swamp Rd. closed on or about August 1. Otto Hansen, an R.L. Vallee/Maplefields spokesman, stated, “The closure is in litigation. I am not able to comment.” The Gazette hasn’t been able to contact the Subway franchisee. The closure affects many people, including area residents, I87 Adirondack Northway users, and the many young people traditionally working there.
Posted: August 15th, 2023 under Business News, General News, Peru News, Peru/Regional History.
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Emergency crews rescued a 23-year-old hiker from Canada in the Adirondack high peaks after a 40-foot fall
Click here for MYNBC5 story
Posted: August 15th, 2023 under Adirondack Region News, Environmental News, Law Enforcement News, Northern NY News.
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Cheezy Macaroni & Cheese
Green Beans
Bread
Dessert
Served take-out only, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St., Peru, NY 12972
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Posted: August 15th, 2023 under Community Events, Northern NY News, Peru News.
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Peru – August 13, 2023 Doug Brown (102) and his brother Cliff (a kid at 91) each drove to the concert tonight. Cliff said he’s played golf 85 times this year. Doug played outstanding golf well into his 90s.
Posted: August 14th, 2023 under Arts and Entertainment, Community Events, General News, Northern NY News, Peru News, Peru resident news/accomplishments.
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August 13, 2023 The Town of Peru sponsors the Sunday evening concerts (6-8 p.m.) It’s a great place to see old friends. People were scattered throughout the park.
Posted: August 13th, 2023 under Arts and Entertainment, Community Events, General News, Peru News.
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Yesterday the Peru Gazette photographed the very impressive Town of Schuyler Falls’s 175th Anniversary Parade. The Fire Dept. had a significant presence; it’s a very active department. The firefighters demonstrated their experience through the ease with which they backed their vehicles into the fire station. It was amazing! Please take the time to watch the 1-minute, 40-second video.
Unfortunately, my many parade photos may be lost. I put my Digital Sony camera behind my parked park to get my iPhone to video the trucks. Then I hurriedly drove away, forgetting my Sony digital camera adjacent to Route 22B. Thus far, as far as I know, it has yet to be found.
Posted: August 13th, 2023 under Community Events, Fire Department News, General News, Northern NY News, Peru/Regional History.
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Wednesday, August 16, 2023
7:00 PM
Keeseville Fire Department
8 Pleasant Street, Keeseville, NY
Free Admission– Public Welcome!
Program Summary: The North Country was integral to the Underground Railroad, the secretive network that guided people to freedom, before the Civil War. This presentation starts in the late eighteenth century with freedom seekers, moves into the twentieth century with Chinese Americans and ends in the twentieth-first century with individuals seeking a better way of life. Attendees will learn about individuals who came through the Lake Champlain region, those who helped or hindered their travels, and the outcome of their Underground Railroad experience.
Guest Speaker:
JACQUELINE MADISON is the President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association which oversees the North Star Underground Railroad Museum. Jackie has degrees in Chemistry and in Library and Information Management. She is the President of the Women’s Rights Alliance of NYS , is a Vietnam Veteran. a Rotarian, and a member in Delta Kappa Gamma and Phi Kappa Phi. In 2022, she received the Outstanding Librarian Award for the North Country. In 2023, she will be receiving the Woman of Distinction award.
www.andersonfalls.org (518) 834-9219
Posted: August 12th, 2023 under Adirondack Region News, Border News, Community Events, Northern NY News, Peru/Regional History.
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Issued Date
August 04, 2023
Audit Objective
Determine whether the Town of Ticonderoga (Town) Town Board (Board) provided adequate oversight and management of capital projects.
Key Findings
The Board did not provide adequate oversight and management of capital projects. As a result, Town officials did not:
- Monitor capital projects activity for eight projects reviewed, with Board-authorized budgets totaling $20.8 million, to ensure that costs were kept within the authorized budget.
- Maintain complete and adequate capital project accounting records or prepare monthly itemized capital project budget-to-actual reports for the Board. For example, budget modifications totaling $3.2 million were not recorded in the accounting records.
- Close seven completed capital projects in the accounting records.
While we did not observe any instances where a project’s authorized budget was exceeded, without adequate procedures for monitoring all capital project expenditures, there is an increased risk of recording errors going undetected and exceeding the project budget and authorized financing.
Key Recommendations
- Monitor capital projects activity by requiring reports on a monthly basis.
- Maintain complete and accurate accounting records and provide monthly reports to the Board to monitor budget-to-actual project activity.
- Close completed capital projects in a timely manner.
Town officials generally agreed with our recommendations and indicated they planned to initiate corrective action.
Posted: August 12th, 2023 under Adirondack Region News, General News, Northern NY News, Upstate New York.
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Grand Isle, VT – Join the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) for a summer edition of their Love the Lake series! Glenn McClure, an eco-composer from the Adirondacks, and LCBP Associate Scientist Mae Kate Campbell will present “Watershed Voices: Giving the Lake a Musical Voice” on Wednesday, August 16th, 6-7:30 PM at the Barn at Goodsell Ridge Preserve located at 69 Pine St. Isle La Motte, VT 05463. This event is free and the LCBP will provide desserts.
Glenn McClure and Mae Kate Campbell will take the audience on a Music-Science journey that explores “Watershed Voices,” LCBP’s Artist-in-Residence program. This Artist-in-Residence program, led by Glenn McClure, will engage three composers in writing new music based on scientific data sets from the Lake Champlain watershed. This presentation will explore how musicians and scientists can work together to understand more deeply the urgent messages coming from the natural world. Glenn and Mae Kate will lead attendees through converting scientific data into melodies. Learn the background story of the creative process that will create new music over the next two years.
The Artist-in-Residence program is an initiative of the Lake Champlain Basin Program and this project is possible by a partnership with ANCA and the Adirondack Diversity Initiative. Next year, the compositions will be performed by partners including the Northern Lights Choir under the direction of Helen Demong, the Choeur Classique de l’Outaouais of Québec under the direction of Tiphaine LeGrand, and the Orchestra of Northern New York. The US Environmental Protection Agency and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission support the 2023 LCBP Artist-in-Residence Program.
Posted: August 12th, 2023 under Arts and Entertainment, Environmental News, Lake Champlain News, Northern NY News, Regional NY-VT News.
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Free concerts offer unique venue for families and friends to enjoy an evening together
PLATTSBURGH, NY The final act of The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) annual Summer Concert Series features Ursa and the Major Key. The event, which is free of charge, will take place on the hospital’s front lawn on Wednesday, August 16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., weather permitting.
Ursa and the Major Key is an indie/psychedelic rock band, with the group stating on its website that it has cultivated a 1960s and 1970s inspired sound in much of their music.
The concert will benefit MHAB. The hospital will make a $500 donation to the agency. A food drive benefiting the JCEO Food Shelf will also take place at the event.
Attendees can enjoy an ice cream sundae bar for $3 per person, with the proceeds going to The Foundation’s Janice McLean Employee Assistance Fund, which was established to support hospital employees in crisis.
Parking is conveniently located at the CVPH Medical Office Building on the Main Campus near the front lawn at 206 Cornelia Street. Lawn chairs and picnic blankets are welcome. No alcohol, smoking or glass containers are permitted.
For more information, contact The Foundation of CVPH Events & Special Projects Manager Michelle Senecal at (518) 314-3359 or email her: msenecal@cvph.org
Posted: August 12th, 2023 under Arts and Entertainment, City News, Heathcare News, Northern NY News.
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