The Peru Gazette

Source: Introducing “Climate Matters” – – The Adirondack Almanack

Jim was a longtime Peru resident. Source: Former P-R editor Jim Dynko dies at 74 | News | pressrepublican.com

Source: Quick City Police response nabs alleged bank robber | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | A Mooers man was quickly taken into custody after he allegedly robbed a downtown bank.

Source: Family resource day highlights addiction services | Sun Community News In 2021 there were 135 successful overdose reversals and 92 so far in 2022 in the six counties Alliance for Positive Health serves for Harm Reduction Services Justin Bryant, a harm redu

Peru Girl Scouts request permission to plant flowering plants along the Walking Trail

Sullivan Park has new topsoil and is graded and seeded

Peru Town Board Meeting of April 25, 2022

Edited at 10:45 a.m. on 4/29/22 to include paragraphs on the Renadette Road speed limit reduction and Peru’s new stop sign.

Community News: Following an informative presentation by the Peru Girl Scouts, the town board enthusiastically agreed to the scouts’ request to plant one hundred flowering plants along the Peru Walking Trail. Several scouts explained the flowers’ environmental benefits to bees and water sources. 

Town Clerk Dianne Miller plans to host a Saturday dog licensing clinic as a convenience to local dog owners. New York State requires licensing of all dogs over four months of age. To obtain this license, owners must provide proof of current rabies vaccination and proof of the dog being spayed or neutered (only if applicable).

Counselor Melvin Irwin reported that Sullivan Park has a new, seeded topsoil surface. He thanked Adirondack Farms and  Forrence Orchard for their help in completing the project.

Code Enforcement News: At the board’s April 11 meeting, John Ryan (your Peru Gazette reporter) addressed zoning law enforcement, especially regarding derelict homes and when alleged violators fail to appear in Peru Town Court. At this meeting, Ryan asked Town Attorney Matt Favro Ryan if Town Court can’t take action on an alleged violation could the town board petition New York Supreme Court when a resident fails to comply with the zoning law. Favro said, “I don’t know the answer to that question, but if it were my court and a person doesn’t show up a couple of times, I would have the trial without the person being there.” Noting that zoning violations are civil, not criminal matters, Favro thought the town could take action stating, “You have to go through a slew of requirements, but generally, you can.” Ryan pointed out that Peru Zoning Law Section 705, paragraph 5, states the board can petition New York State Supreme Court. Favro noted that the COVID pandemic and bail reform have made persecutions more difficult, but there are still ways to enforce the law.

Peru has not been charging commercial solar farm developers a permit fee. However, Monday night, the board approved a $2,000 permit fee for all future commercial solar farms. Most communities charge developers a similar fee. It covers the cost of the code enforcement inspections that solar farms require. 

Highway Department News: Following up on Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell’s plans to reduce road salt usage, the board approved a Road Salt Reduction Memorandum of Understanding with Adk Action. Peru joined at least 27 other Adirondack cities and towns that committed to the MOU. Farrell said he plans to contact other larger communities, such as the Town and City of Plattsburgh, urging them to participate. Farrell believes the communities would learn from each other’s experiences, noting, “It will be trial and error, at first.” 

Highway Superintendent Farrell also told the board that New York State would be sending the town just over $350,000 in highway improvements (CHIPS) funding. However, he cautioned that his department would need the money because of increasing material costs. 

Only three of the town’s seven tandems were still outfitted with snowplows when the April 19 snowstorm dropped up to 16 inches of snow. So Farrell used the three tandems trucks, three water-sewer department pickups, and two highway department pickups to get the job done.  

The town’s street sweeping was on hold as of Monday’s meeting.  Michael Farrell said a machine part is on order; however, even the manufacturer doesn’t have the part. Note – Thursday, Farrell told the Gazette the sweeper is back in operation. Sweeping should resume on Monday, May 2nd.  

Water-Sewer Department News: Rifenburg Construction plans to complete phase #1 of the sewer line upgrade project this week. At its last meeting, the board accepted Luck Brothers’ bid of $1,000,505 for phase 2 or the Elm Street portion of the project.  

NYS recently notified Peru that it would receive a $1,897,033 grant for the planned wastewater plant upgrade project.

At 6:55 p.m., the board adjourned to an executive session to discuss pending litigation. 

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“The state’s Court of Appeals agreed in a ruling with a group of Republican voters who sued, saying that the district boundaries had been unconstitutionally gerrymandered and that the Legislature hadn’t followed proper procedure in passing the maps.”

Source: New York court rejects congressional maps drawn by Democrats

CVPH program supplies blood, blood products to hospitals across our region 

PLATTSBURGH, NY (04/27/2022) –The Adirondack Regional Blood Center, a program of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), is conducting several blood drives open to the community this month and asks all eligible donors to consider donating.

Here are several opportunities to give blood in May:

• Monday, May 2, Champlain EMS station, co-sponsor Knights of Columbus, 3 to 7 p.m.
  Tuesday, May 3, Lake Side Coffee, Rouses Point, 8 a.m. to Noon
• Wednesday, May 4, Massena Neighborhood Center, Noon to 3 p.m.
• Thursday,  May 5, NCCC Saranac Lake Campus, 11am-3pm
• Friday, May 6 Boquet Valley High School, Elizabethtown, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Monday, May 9, Essex Fire Department, co-sponsor Masonic Lodge, 4 to 7 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 10, Chateaugay High School, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 11, Altona Fire Department, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 12, Beekmantown Fire Department, 4 to 7 p.m.
• Monday, May 16, St. Augustine Parrish Center Peru, 3 to 6:30 p.m. 
• Tuesday, May 17, Franklin Academy, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 18, Bloomingdale Fire Department, co-sponsor Knights of Columbus, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Monday, May 23, West Chazy Fire Department, 4 to 7 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 24, Malone Callfiremen, 2 to 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 25, Alice Hyde Medical Center, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, May 26, Westport Federated Church, 3 to 6 p.m.
• Friday, May 27, CVPH Auditoriums A+B, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 31, Brushton-Moira American Legion Post #939, 4 to 7 p.m.

Blood donors are registered electronically and must have a donor card or another form of identification. To protect the safety of the donors and the donor team during a community drive, a number of safety measures are in place. Donors undergo a COVID-19 screening and phlebotomists limit close contact while still providing exceptional care. Phlebotomists and donors are masked and cots are placed an appropriate distance apart.

Located at 85 Plaza Blvd., the Adirondack Regional Donor Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk ins are welcome.

Blood collected by the Adirondack Regional Blood Center stays in the North Country, helping hundreds of people in this region. Its success rests on the generosity of donors and sponsors.

Learn more about the Adirondack Regional Blood Center, giving blood and becoming a sponsor at UVMHealth.org/GiveBlood or call (518) 562-7406.

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Source: Casella’s dominance in the Northeast leads to monopoly concerns in Vermont | Vermont Public Radio

Source: Best High Schools in Plattsburgh, NY Area – US News

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By John T. Ryan

Peru – Anyone who travels the River Road on cold winter days must have noticed the small apple orchard at the corner of the River and Jarvis Rd and thought, “What’s that crazy man doing at the top of that long ladder on a day like this?” That man is Melvin “Mel” Irwin, who’s been climbing a long ladder for forty-five years and loves it. A lifelong dairy farmer, Irwin loves growing all sorts of things, whether apples, vegetables, flowers or hay. He said, “I’ve always liked growing things; I took after my mother.” Irwin has five vegetable gardens – four plots next to Irwin’s Laflure Lane Orchard and the other at his Union Road home. 

Son of Kermit and Bertha “Bert” Irwin, Mel and his brothers Jim and Bob have been farmers all their lives. In 2017 they sold their cows; today, they’re crop farmers. All the brothers tend to their forage crops; however, Mel is the one people notice working amongst the apple trees. Mel said, “We have about five hundred to six hundred trees. They’re mostly Macs along with a few Cortlands and Red Delicious.” Pruning begins in late December or early January and continues through March. Irwins planted many of the trees in the 1980’s, so they’re much taller than trees planted today. Mel said, “I’ve fallen a couple of times. I usually fall once or twice a year, but I’ve never been hurt.” In early fall, he gets his reward when the orchard yields about 2,500 to 3,000 bushels of good-tasting apples. 

After about three hours of pruning, probably interrupted by a bit of conversation with his friend Seth Forrence, Irwin breaks for lunch. After lunch, he descends into his cellar to work on another avocation – crafting wooden bowls and cutting boards. Mel commented, “I have to keep busy. I bought an old lathe and started making wooden bowls about two years ago. You can find his bowls and other items for sale at the Black Brook Store, Rulfs Orchard, and the Cactus Flower in Plattsburgh.

When spring arrives, Irwin tends the beautiful tulips and daffodils bordering the shiny white fence and other beautiful plants surrounding his home. Pollination isn’t a problem because Mel raises bees, even selling a little honey. He also raises goldfish in a large backyard pond. Ospreys and hawks sometimes dive down for an afternoon goldfish snack.

During summer, Melvin Irwin works with his brothers Jim and Bob, planting, caring for, and harvesting corn and hay. Five years ago, voters elected him to the Peru Town Board. He commented, “I got talked into running. My mother and father always encouraged us to give back to our community, so it wasn’t a difficult decision.” Serving in any public body can be challenging; however, Irwin enjoys it. He doesn’t mind if people interrupt his busy schedule to discuss town matters.  

Mel Irwin appears to be a fortunate person. He enjoys keeping busy and looks forward to the joy each day brings. 

Source: Gov. Hochul tours Nova Bus in North Country visit | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | Gov. Kathy Hochul made a stop in Plattsburgh April 26 to highlight regional investments in the FY 2023 budget and tour Nova Bus, the area’s internationally leading electri

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“…they expect in 2024 to actually do the cable installation at the bottom of Lake Champlain, which is going to take five months or so as they have massive barges and down the lake at about two miles per day, laying this cable under the water.”

Source: A $4B powerline will run under Lake Champlain, power NYC, and impact Quebec | NCPR News

A news story will follow. One bit of news – Peru street sweeping is delayed because of a machine parts issue. The sweeper replacement part is on order, but not available. Sweeping will resume as soon as possible.