The Peru Gazette

Source: Applications for community projects through Tobacco Settlement Funding now open | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | The Clinton County Legislature is pleased to announce Tobacco Settlement Funding will reopen this year to assist with community projects for

Source: $1M to help transform Plattsburgh Air Force Base passes House | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | The House Appropriations Package for Fiscal Year 2022, which included $1.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed the House of Representatives this week.

Source: New York closes 6 prisons as inmate numbers drop, including Moriah Shock

Source: Cross-border trade poised for growth between U.S. and Canada, but travel remains down | NCPR News

Source: Travel mask mandate extended from March 18 to April 18 : NPR

Source: Few U.S. cities are more Ukrainian than Syracuse. United here, they’ve joined the battle – syracuse.com

Source: New York woman accused of withholding money for group trip that never happened

Source: New York woman accused of withholding money for group trip that never happened

Source: Replacing Newcomb’s physician assistant won’t be easy as Adirondacks face health care challenges | NCPR News

Source: Sen. Stec helps pass agricultural package | Sun Community News ALBANY | Sen. Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) has helped pass a package of 10 bills designed to boost our agriculture industry. Four of the bills, which Stec co-sponsored, address major issues like l

“Adirondacks region stands out as conservation leader on national biodiversity map.”

Source: A bright spot on a bleak map – Adirondack Explorer

Source: Vermont weather: Weekend storm to drop heavy snow across region

Town Hall COVID Restrictions Reduced:  Effective March 1, 2022, the town will not lock the town hall doors during regular office hours. Anyone entering who is not vaccinated is requested to wear a mask.

Youth Commission:  The Youth Commission sometimes has had a problem getting seven of its nine members present at meetings, the number its by-laws require for a quorum. At Town Attorney Matt Favro’s suggestion, the board asked the Youth Commission to propose reducing its membership from nine to seven with the quorum being 51% or four members. The board’s liaison to the Youth Commission, Councilman Melvin Irwin, said he thinks more people would like to become members. If volunteers step forward, the board could increase the number of Youth Commission members.

Heyworth-Mason Park:

Summer music concerts begin on the last weekend in June.

A historic bell should soon be installed on a twelve-foot-high bell tower at Heyworth-Mason Park if all goes as planned. The park was once home to a starch factory operated by the Heyworth family. The bell was located high atop the Heyworth house. When it was time for the factory’s workers to have lunch, someone sounded the bell. Councilman Rick Barber is donating the bell to the town. Jeffords Steel and Engineering is contributing the steel beams for the tower. Karl Schweikert, the owner of K&S Body Works, volunteered to paint the beams, and Richard Arnold, the owner of Arnold’s Welding, offered up to $500 of free labor to construct the tower.

The board is also considering purchasing a stage cover and increasing available parking. Discussions are ongoing.

Every event at Heyworth-Mason Park costs the town a few dollars for prepping, cleanup, etc.; therefore, the board discussed charging a reasonable user fee. However, the board will investigate other towns’ policies before introducing fees.

Highway Department: Superintendent Michael Farrell reported that town snowplows had broken several mailboxes. Farrell said the breakage is inevitable when plows move large amounts of snow and ice. However, Farrell said state law doesn’t require the town to replace the mailboxes.

Planning Board: The board reappointed Mark Lukens to a seven-year term on the Planning Board effective January 1, 2022.

Route 22 Solar Farm: – The Town of Peru recently approved RENUA Energy’s construction of a 5 Megawatt solar farm situated on a 27 to 28 acre Moffat property at 3831 Route 22. RENUA recently transferred ownership to Nexamp, a major solar energy developer. Ryan M.McCune, a Nexamp Business Development Manager, responded to questions and discussed two pending contracts between Nexamp and the Town of Peru. Peru’s Solar Farm law requires that a solar farm developer make a so-called environmental contribution to the town based on a percentage of the project’s total. Nexamp proposed contributing $14,126 for sidewalks, electric vehicle charging stations, park improvements, street lights, bike racks, etc. It also offered a $175,000 decommissioning bond subject to be renegotiated every five years. Most solar farms have a useful life of about 25 to 35 years. After a brief discussion, the board approved both contracts.

David Byrne, President of RENUA EnergyRENUA, stated that construction would begin this spring. However, McCune told the Peru Gazette that construction would not start until next year. Instead, project planning will take place this year. He mentioned equipment supply chain delays as one of the issues. The legal name for this project is Northway Solar LLC.

Sewer System Upgrade Phase #1: The board amended its contract with Tedford Consulting to pay $39,753 related to extra paperwork pertaining to the ongoing sewer system upgrade project.

Sewer System Upgrade Phase #2: The town has advertised bids for the Phase #2 sewer upgrade project along Elm Street. The bid opening is scheduled for March 22 at 10 a.m. at the town hall.

Water Treatment Plant Upgrades: The board approved the emergency purchase of a polychem chain and sludge collection system from Brentwood Industries at an estimated cost of $55,900. Councilman Kregg Bruno asked why an emergency (no-bid) purchase was necessary. Water-Sewer Department Superintendent Courtney Tetrault said it was essential to move quickly because there are issues with the present equipment. A system failure would result in environmental regulation violations.

Source: Essex County reaps rewards of shared services projects that save taxpayers money  – The Adirondack Almanack

New York’s Per Capita Balance of Payments Rank Among States Rises to 40th from Near Last Place

NY Received $1.59 for Every Tax Dollar Sent to DC in Federal Fiscal Year 2020, Still Below National Average of $1.92

Historic relief funds from the federal government, provided in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, boosted New York’s per capita balance of payments from Washington from second-to-last in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2019 to 40th in FFY 2020 among states, according to a report released by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. New York received $146 billion, or $7,236 per capita, more in federal spending than residents paid in total taxes to the federal government in FFY 2020. Overall, the state received 6.4% of total federal spending compared to 5.9% it received last FFY. He noted that all states had a positive balance of payments for FFY 2020 due to the unprecedented influx of federal relief aid.

Prior to FFY 2020, the gap between the taxes New Yorkers paid and the spending the state received has fluctuated, but it remained consistently negative over DiNapoli’s five previous fiscal analyses, ranging from $19.9 billion in FFY 2013 and up to $40.9 billion in FFY 2016. The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan pioneered the concept of this balance of payments analysis when he represented New York in the U.S. Senate, believing that this work could help produce a more equitable outcome for all Americans.

“The influx of federal relief funds was critical to helping states manage through the pandemic, but the money is temporary,” DiNapoli said. “Federal aid helped stabilize New York’s economy, but it is finite and will not resolve the long-standing imbalance of payments among the states. As federal pandemic spending winds down, the underlying trends we saw pre-pandemic are likely to return, with New York giving more to Washington than it gets back. As our rebuilding process continues, more must be done to achieve a more equitable distribution of federal funds to New York.”

For every tax dollar paid to Washington, New York received $1.59, an increase from 91 cents the prior year, but still below the national average of $1.92. Under this measurement, New York ranks 44th for FFY 2020. New Jersey received the least amount for every tax dollar paid at $1.36, while at $3.66, New Mexico netted the biggest return, as it has for the last five years. Read more »

Source: State officials seek to resolve dispute threatening health coverage for 1,800 Vermonters – VTDigger

Source: Spent big on your home office during Covid? You probably won’t get a federal income tax deduction – syracuse.com

Source: Masks no longer recommended in all 62 NY counties, according to CDC – syracuse.com

Source: You can order free home Covid tests from the federal government again – syracuse.com

Source: Challenge to NY’s congressional and state redistricting lines continues | NCPR News

Source: Senate passes fire department ambulance reimbursement bill | Sun Community News ALBANY | A bill co-sponsored by Sen. Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) to allow fire departments to bill and be reimbursed for providing life-saving emergency ambulance services has pa