The Peru Gazette

Source: Mazdzer’s next act: Dancing with the Stars – LakePlacidNews.com | News and information on the Lake Placid and Essex County region of New York – Lake Placid News

The Babbie Rural & Farm Learning Museum is a nonprofit organization that is run 100% by volunteers. If you have a special skill or have some time that you could offer, we would love to have you join us. Some volunteer opportunities might include data input, being a docent, volunteer coordinator, managing our website, fundraising, running membership drives, producing newsletters, cashier, handy man…..all skills and fresh ideas are welcome.

We are especially in need of volunteers to help with our School Field Trip Program in May and June. Training will be provided and this is a wonderful opportunity to help keep our local history alive.

If you are interested in volunteering at the museum, please contact Carol at volunteer@babbiemuseum.org. Hope to hear from you!!!
—
Carol Rock, Volunteer
Babbie Rural & Farm Learning Museum

Source: State Police: Misinformation fueled furor over dog shooting | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Peru Central School District will hold Budget Workshop #5 at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, April 17, 2018.  The meeting will be held in the District’s Community Room, adjacent to the main entrance of Peru Jr/Sr High School.

The main topic of the meeting is establishment of a 2018-2019 District budget.

The full agenda is available on the District’s website.

All are welcome.

With the hazardous weather conditions that are predicted for Saturday, April 14, we decided to postpone our fundraiser. The VFW was very gracious about our last-minute cancellation and we will be booking a new date with them as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you have a chance to support their efforts in the community, please do.

We’ll be announcing our new date soon. Please stay tuned and help spread the word. We would also love to have you join us at our next committee meeting at 7pm on April 26th at Peru Town Hall.

The Women of Distinction Awards recognizes amazing women who have continuously served our district in fields such as education, business, health care, volunteerism, military service and community service. All of the winners reside in the 115th Assembly District, which includes Clinton and Franklin counties, as well as the towns of Brasher, Lawrence, Piercefield and Hopkinton in St. Lawrence County.

United Way of the Adirondack Region, Inc. is seeking volunteers for the 2018 Day of Caring on Saturday, April 21st. There are multiple volunteer opportunities throughout Clinton, Essex, and Franklin Counties that range from raking yards for local seniors to projects that require painting and carpentry skills. If you would like to volunteer on this special day, please call us at (518) 563-0028 or stop into our office at 45 Tom Miller Road in Plattsburgh. Make a difference in your community by doing some spring cleaning or painting for a senior or other meaningful projects throughout the region.

Thank you for making a difference!

By Marque Moffett 

Any visitor to Peru Free Library’s basement during recent months would have found the space practically bursting at the seams with activity as Homebots 3.0, the local Homeschool Robotics team, prepared for a series of First Lego League competitions.

First Lego League is a program that encourages kids to discover the excitement of science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on experiences. In preparing for competitions, FLL teams spend time researching a real-world problem and designing solutions to address the problem. They also use Lego Mindstorms technology to design, build, and program their own robots for use in competition against other teams. The FLL has been turning kids on to STEM disciplines since 1998 and now has over 32,000 teams in 88 countries around the world.

Here in Peru, the Homebots 3.0 team’s six students, ranging in age from 9-12, work under the guidance of their adult coaches, Melissa Sayward and Tammy Neureuther, to meet the challenges set forth by FLL for the year. This year’s focus: Hydrodynamics – ways of finding, using, transporting, or disposing of water. The Homebots 3.0 leapt to the challenge, designing and implementing innovative plans for all three aspects of the FLL competition: development of a Project, competition in the Robot Game, and demonstration of Core Values.

For their project, Homebots 3.0 focused on an important local problem: the pollution of water by road salt. Through their own research and discussions with a biology professor, they learned about some serious impacts of salt pollution, including detrimental effects on wildlife and pollution of drinking water. For the FLL competition, it’s not merely enough to learn about a problem; students are tasked with proposing a possible solution. After considering all they’d learned, the team targeted the root of the problem: our current method of clearing snow and ice from winter roads. Homebots 3.0 gathered practical information from some experts in the field, including a plow specialist from the Viking-Cives company and a town highway foreman. Ultimately, the team proposed a modified plow design that included a “living edge” plow to remove more ice and snow from roadways, and the use of coffee grounds on roadways as a substitute for road salt.

Kaitlyn Neureuther & the Lego Mindstorm Robot 

Team members prepare for the Robot Game on a practice table

The Robot Game aspect of the FLL challenge is quite different from the Project aspect. For the Robot Game, students had to design a robot that could complete a set of tasks that were specified by competition organizers. Imagine a small obstacle course on a large tabletop and you’ll be on the right track to understanding the Robot Game. Students used Lego Mindstorms technology to design, program, and build a robot that was compact and easy to maneuver. During the actual competition, teams can swap out attachments on their robots in order to complete different tasks, so team members worked hard to design innovative attachments that could easily be swapped out and reliably complete tasks at hand.

While the Project and Robot Game aspects of the FLL challenge emphasized learning and innovation, the Core Values aspect focuses more on the idea that teamwork, cooperation, and good sportsmanship are the foundation of good competition. To highlight their integration of Core Values, the Homebots 3.0 team wrote and performed a song for the judges.

Overall, Homebots 3.0 did very well. Advancing through two levels of competition, the team was thrilled to have made it to Finals for the first time ever. Equally important, though, were the experiences the students gained. In the months leading up to competitions, team members learned a lot about local hydrology, both through their own research and by speaking to several experts, including a biology professor, a plow specialist from the Viking-Cives company, and a town highway foreman. Ultimately, the students who work together as Homebots 3.0 gained enough confidence in their work that they were able to proudly present their proposal for modifying snow removal methods to the Lake Placid Village Council. Team members also further expanded their horizons as they traveled to various parts of NY state for competitions and met teams from all over the region. Having an opportunity to see other teams in action gave the Homebots 3.0 several of the “I hadn’t thought of that” moments that are so crucial for growth and progress.

Source: PFCU to begin construction on second branch | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Source: It’s Official, The Complete AIM 2018 Music Festival Lineup Is Here – MTL Blog

Source: Dog shooting unleashes anger | Local News | pressrepublican.com

I am looking for old pictures of the original building where the little pizza shop is. It used to be called Burnell‘s. We are starting to finish our lobby and would love to put up some pictures of the original building. If anyone could help or knows someone that could help that would be great. Call 518-643-0552.

From the Office of Assemblyman Billy Jones

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) announced that the 2018-19 state budget increases funding for North Country hospitals by $100 million over the next two years, including an additional $60 million for safety net hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals and Sole Community Hospitals.

“Providing affordable, quality health care in rural parts of our state can be a challenge,” said Assemblyman Jones. “This funding will assist local hospitals and ensure they can continue to provide the high-quality health care that North Country families have received throughout the years. This funding will ultimately help give the employees of our regional hospitals the resources to perform their jobs at the highest capacity, thereby creating a better patient experience and an overall healthier community.”

Stephens Mundy, President and CEO of The University of Vermont Health Network Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, shared his appreciation for the Assemblyman’s commitment to adequately funding quality health care initiatives throughout the North Country.

“CVPH and AHMC are grateful for the Assemblyman’s understanding of their complex issues as Community Safety Net providers, and we strongly support the funding he helped secure for both organizations,” said Mundy.  “We know that the Assemblyman is eager to learn more about the issues that affect us and we appreciate his willingness to help us address those issues.”

The budget included a measure that Assemblyman Jones introduced with Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried (D/WFP-Manhattan) during the last legislative session to establish a safety net program. The program creates a payment rate adjustment in order to ensure the financial viability of safety net providers, support the vital services they provide and acknowledge their benefit to our state, particularly the North Country. With the inclusion of this language in the budget, North Country hospitals will receive additional funding to help them provide high quality health care to their patients.

Source: Royal flush trumps flooded house | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Source: North Country power in Albany hangs in balance as GOP control of Senate weakens | NCPR News

Source: Can a revived Frontier Town open a new gateway to the Adirondacks? | NCPR News

Source: How does NY go about turning a regular person into a judge? | NCPR News

Source: County transit poised to kickstart deviation service – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: Cuomo’s office quietly launches one-stop shop for FOIL requests – Capitol Confidential

Source: Scott signs major gun bills into law

Source: Price increase coming to Lake Champlain Ferries

Source: Champlain College to Offer Discounts in Bid to Boost Online Enrollment | Off Message

By John T. Ryan

The Town’s sewer upgrade received at least a temporary setback. USDA denied the Town’s application for a low interest loan. USDA offered a loan guarantee package through a commercial bank which would result in a higher interest rate. The Board authorized Supervisor McDonald to appeal the denial. The project has been estimated to cost $4.1 million. The Town was awarded a 25% USDA grant. The remaining 75% will be financed by a long-term bond.

Sewer Superintendent Courtney Tetrault recommended that the Board authorize expenditure of $100,000 to keep the sewer project moving forward with construction in 2020. The Board will decide on this request at its next meeting.

The Board approved a contract with PLACE Alliance to prepare bids for the Main Street Project at a cost not to exceed $14,750, plus $1,200 for each on-site visit. Town officials previously indicated that these expenses should be covered by the grant funding.

Erection of a sign prohibiting tractor-trailers on Davey Drive was approved. Truckers traveling to Peru Town Court have been trapped because there is no turnaround area. Henceforth, tractor-trailers will have to park along the Bear Swamp Road.

A trailer filled with 100 to 200 tires was deserted along the Jabez Allen Road. State Police claimed they were unable to identify the owner. The trailer was scrapped and $162 was received by the Town. Two Town dump rucks will transport the tires to a facility in Hudson Falls.

Code Enforcement Officer Bob Guynup reported pending court actions against residents violating junk car and other ordinances. Violators are given a warning. If no response is received Guynup asks the Clinton County Sheriff to issue a warrant directing offenders to appear in Peru Town Court.

Jabez Allen Road resident John Hart asked the Board if any action could be taken with regard to feral cats. He said a neighbor is feeding at least a dozen feral cats. The cats hide in his hedge rows and enter his garage. He said one cat jumped and scratched his face and attacked his dog. He said to the Board, “I respectfully ask you to consider this matter. The stench is overwhelming.” Supervisor Brandy McDonald said he would make phone calls in an attempt to resolve the issue. He said, “We’ve been through this issue with feral cats year after year and there’s not a lot that we can do.”

Resident John Ryan suggested that appreciation letters be sent from the Town Supervisor to people who have served on town bodies such as the Youth Commission and the Planning and Zoning Boards. He specifically mentioned the Youth Commission outgoing Chairman Greg Mills. Supervisor McDonald said he had verbally thanked Mills, but he thought sending a letter was a good suggestion.

Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell reported that Tyler Jarvis successfully completed his 90-day probationary period. He said, “Jarvis an excellent employee.” The Highway Department still has one open position.

Michael Farrell reported that the cold weather and rain has delayed street sweeping. Highway personnel will do their best to catch up.

MARCH 2018 DEPT. REPORTS

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. – Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, is pleased to launch its 25th year of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Campaign. Over the year’s TOPS has raised over $11.1 million dollars for the cause with TOPS fund-raising efforts putting the company in the top 10 fund-raisers in the country for many years.

This year TOPS Annual Spring JDRF Sneaker Campaign will begin Sunday, April 15 and run through Saturday, May 5, 2018. The goal is to raise money to help fund research to help find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. The paper sneaker, which was designed by a TOPS associate back in 1993 and is now widely used nationally as well as internally in JDRF fundraising campaigns, will be sold at TOPS registers for a $1.00 donation. Read more »