The Peru Gazette

Peru – June 1, 2016 A very beautiful along the Jarvis and Union Roads tonight.

Click here to see more Peru Gazette photos 

Kick-Off Workshop to Take Place in the Stafford Science Building atrium at Clinton Community College

June 15 from 5:30-7:30PM 

Solarize Adirondack Coast is taking part in Community Solar NY, a program that will make investing in solar power easier and more affordable for local residents and businesses throughout Clinton and northern Essex Counties.

Community Solar NY makes implementing solar easier and more affordable by supporting locally-organized community outreach aimed at getting a critical mass of area homes and businesses to install solar and obtain competitive pricing, thereby lowering the cost. Historically, Solarize campaigns have lowered the cost of solar 10 to 20 percent.

After a thorough pre-qualification process, the Town of Plattsburgh, ANCA and the local solarize planning team, has selected Apex Solar and Triangle Electric as their designated solar installers. Residents and businesses that sign up for solar installations by October 31, 2016 will be able to take advantage of competitive rates, free site assessments, and a streamlined installation process. Read more »

Tony Andrews learned about varying degrees of luck on popular TV game show.

Source: Peru man wins trip, cash on “Wheel of Fortune” | Local News | pressrepublican.com

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The Town of Peru, will be holding an Emergency Meeting, on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at 6:30 PM, at the Town Hall.    The purpose of the meeting will be to hire a temporary employee for the Water/Sewer/Parks Department.

Town Board Schedules Workshop to Clarify Costs and Priorities 

By John T. Ryan

Candidates for national office often talk about the need to rebuild America’s infrastructure. Peru’s sewer line infrastructure is a good example. Last March former Water-Sewer Department Superintendent Greg Timmons reported that an AES Engineering long-range study commissioned by the Town Board had been completed. The voluminous report recommended in excess of $4.5 million in repairs and upgrades over the next ten years. At that time Timmons said, “Our timing is good. Grant money should be available.” Unfortunately, grant monies do not appear to be available because Peru’s household income exceeds current grant guidelines. The $4.5 million figure does not include needed upgrades to the sewage treatment plant.

On Tuesday, June 7^th at 6:30 p.m. the Peru Town Board will conduct a workshop on the sewer issue. (Downstairs in the Town Hall if Town Court is still in session) AES Engineering personnel are expected to be present a PowerPoint overview of the project. The Board will consider its options and priorities. The public is welcome to attend.

About 60 people attended the impressive Memorial Day Ceremonies today at the Peru Memorial VFW Post 309. Area 5 County Legislator Peter Keenan and Town Counselor Donald McBrayer were the guest speakers. Lynn Wilke sounded Taps for the 42nd consecutive year. The James P. O’Connor Composite Squad Color Guard Civil Air Patrol posted Colors.

Click here to view more Peru Gazette photos.

Tony Andrews can’t reveal how he did on the show that airs tonight – Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBC, not CBS as stated in the story. 

Source: Peru man to compete on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Peru Memorial VFW Post 309 Commander Rick Cornish presents Lynn Wilke with a Recognition Award for Sounding Memorial Day Service Taps. Mr. Wilke said he has Sounded Taps for the past 42 years.

Click here to hear the 2016 year’s rendition.  Please Note – The Peru Gazette missed the first few notes.

Click here to view four-minute video 

Many have pondered the age old question of whether a dream delayed is a dream denied. In Matt Ray’s case, his lifelong dream, had been to create a brewery that he could call his very own. Entering his eleventh year as owner, restaurateur and now brewer at Livingoods Restaurant and Brewery in Peru, New York read more

Source: Strictly Business – Living the Dream

The Adirondack region means different things to different people. For Eli and Emily Schwartzberg the affection they have for the area has brought the couple full circle. Both attended Northwood School, a college preparatory school in Lake Placid. Emily, originally from Gloversville, was a competitive skier and a resident boarder, spending as much time as read more

Source: Strictly Business – Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Keeseville, NY  – Twenty-six members of nine Knights of Columbus Councils participated in Knighthood Degree (3^rd Degree) ceremonies on Thursday, May 26, 2016 conducted at Keeseville Council 4689. The members included Reverend Adrian Gallagher (Center), Pastor of St. Ann’s Church in Mooers Forks and St. Joseph’s Church in Mooers. The other candidates are members of Plattsburgh Council 255 (8), Keeseville Council 4689 (4), Port Henry Council 384 (4), Morrisonville Council 6067 (3), Rouses Point Council 6136 (3), AuSable Forks Council 2166 (1), Plattsburgh OLV Council 13137 (1) and Peru Council 7273 (1). The Knights of Columbus’ core principles are charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. The Knighthood Degree (3rd Degree) is dedicated to the principle of fraternity. 

JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF MUSIC AT THE LITTLE AUSABLE PARK GAZEBO 

EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT FROM 6:00 TO 8:00 PM – JULY 3 THROUGH AUGUST 28 

JULY 3

TAYLOR AND THE INTANGIBLES – CLASSIC & CONTEMPORARY ROCK 

JULY 10

incaHOOTS – ROCK, SOUTHERN ROCK, NEW COUNTRY 

JULY 17

BOOTLEG BAND – COUNTRY, TOP 40 VARIETY, 60’S ROCK TO TODAY 

JULY 24

FROZEN SUNSHINE – CLASSIC ROCK 

JULY 31

NIGHT HAWK – ROCK AND POP, 70’S TO TODAY 

AUGUST 7

THE LOU ALLEN COUNTRY EXPERIENCE – OLDER COUNTRY & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL 

AUGUST 14

THE DUO – ROCK, COUNTRY & A LITTLE BIT OF JAZZ 

AUGUST 21

ON-3 BAND – CLASSIC ROCK 

AUGUST 28

THE CASTAWAYS – COUNTRY, CLASSIC ROCK, FOLK, 50’S – PRESENT 

IN CASE OF RAIN, CONCERT WILL BE HELD @ THE PERU COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP CENTER.    **BRING CHAIRS & BLANKETS, NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE ALLOWED** 

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE TOWN OF PERU 643-2745 x 7

May 26, 2015 – Editor’s Correction:  Any member of the public with an idea or opinion on the pickle ball issue should contact one or more of the Town Board members prior to the June 9th workshop. Members of the general public may attend this June 9th workshop or any Town Board workshop; however, workshops are not the place to voice your opinion. A workshop permits  counselors to hold detailed discussions on a specific issue among themselves. 

The Peru Town Board workshop has scheduled for Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 6:30 PM at the Peru Town Hall.  The purpose of the workshop is to discuss grant options for pickle ball courts.

At the Town Board’s May 10th meeting counselors discussed several courses of action including building a dual use skating rink/pickle ball court at Sullivan Park, constructing a court at Laphams Mills Park and utilizing the Jenkins Street tennis courts. Each option has advantages and disadvantages in the grant application process. 

On May 19, 2014 The Peru Gazette published a story on Art Ford’s beautiful garden along the Clintonville Rd. Earlier this week Joanne Kennedy stopped by to take spring 2016 photos and was kind enough to send a few to us. Peru Gazette reader Shirley Evans reported today that the tulips are still out and very beautiful. Click here to view our 2014 story. 

Airman Berhard Jakobitz – Military Police Graduate – 1953

Bernard Jakobetz – Old Smokey Hill, Korea 1954-55

Bernhard Jakobetz – Nakhon Phanon (NKP) Thailand 1966-67

By John T. Ryan

Peru/AuSable/Harkness – Each one of the fourteen veterans who participated in the May 14^th North Country Honor Flight has his own unique story. Bernhard “Bernie” Jakobetz’s story began in Czerowitz, Romania. 1932, the year of his birth, was a turbulent time in world history. The Great Depression was beginning, Nazism was growing in influence and Romania was caught between Axis and Allied Powers. Bernie’s stepfather Joseph Massim and his mother Lydia accompanied by Bernhard and his sister Joland eventually moved from Czerowitz to Bucharest and later to Vienna, Austria just before World War II began. When the Germans assumed control in Austria, hunger was common and Allied bombers targeted the family’s Vienna neighborhood.

When World War II ended, Bernie’s father Joseph got a job as a mechanic in the U.S. Occupation Force motor pool. His boss, a Rochester, NY car dealer prior to entering the service, was so impressed with Joseph’s mechanical skills that he offered to sponsor his family’s immigration to the United States if Joseph would agree to work for him at least one year. So in 1952, the family left Austria for the United States as participants in the Post World War II Displaced Persons (DP) program.

It didn’t take long for 18 year-old Bernie to appreciate the opportunities in this country. He said, “I was impressed by life here compared to Europe. I liked it. After only six months in the states I bought myself a used car.” He was so amazed with the opportunities in the United States that he wanted to become a citizen. He recalled, “A guy talked me into joining the service. He said I would be able to become a citizen in six months or a year.” On January 15, 1953, less than a year after leaving Europe, Bernie Jakobetz became a member of the United States Air Force.

Basic training at Sampson Air Force Base just south of Rochester and military police school at Camp Gordon, Georgia followed. His first assignment was the Naval Air Station at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. He said, “I was on shore patrol making sure the guys behaved themselves in New York City.”

1954 was a very volatile period in Korea following the signing of the Armistice. That’s when Bernie was shipped to the 606th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (AC&W) on Old Smokey Hill near Kimpo, Korea. He still recalls sleeping in a tent warmed by a potbelly stove during the long Korean winter. In 1955 he returned to Shepherd AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas where he attained his goal of becoming a United States citizen.

From 1966 to 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, Bernie served at the Nakhon Phanon (NKP) AFB in Thailand. At the time, the U.S. Government did not want the world to know it was conducting air operations out of Thailand and denied that such a base existed.

In 1967 Bernie was assigned to Plattsburgh AFB where he was a member of the Air Police Squadron guarding the base’s nuclear weapons. In 1969, he married Plattsburgh native Dawn Joyce Miller. In 1971 he was assigned to Upper Heyford AFB, England, an assignment the couple loved. Following Bernie’s retirement in 1973, the couple  and their children settled in the Peru area along the Clintonville Road.

After his retirement from the Air Force, Bill McBride Chevrolet hired Bernie as a car washer. He was quickly promoted to service advisor, a job he disliked. When he announced that he was quitting, Bill McBride asked if there was any other job he’d like. He responded, “mechanic” and the rest is history. Over the next several years he attended many training schools and became a respected Chevrolet and Subaru technician. After working at Bill McBride’s for about 11 years he worked at the Plattsburgh Sears Service Center for 5 years and retired at age 63.

Even though many people are worried about this country’s future Bernie Jakobetz still views the United States as a land of opportunity. He said, “It was a great thing for my family to have a much better life than we had in Europe.” He wishes the American people would have a little more respect for their country. He remarked, “Everyone should be spending at least two years in the military. It would encourage discipline and pride. They would see what I saw in Korea and Thailand with poor children eating out of garbage cans.”

Bernie Jakobetz also expressed his appreciation to everyone associated with the North Country Honor Flight, especially Flight Leader Christine Coryea who went out of her way to assist the veterans. He described the trip as the experience of a lifetime. He said, “It began at 6 a.m. when 50 to 75 guys on motorcycles and the sheriff’s department arrived at my house. They put me in the sheriff’s car and brought me to the U.S. Oval for the wonderful send-off. It was impressive!” The excitement resumed at the Baltimore-Washington Airport. Bernie recalled, “As soon as we got on the bus they said, ‘You guys brace yourselves. This trip to downtown D.C. normally takes 2 to 2 ½ hours at this time of day. Today with the special escorts it will take us 30 to 40 minutes.’” Motorcycle police cleared the way with sirens sounding and lights flashing as cars pulled off the highway to make way for the honored veterans.

The National World War II and Korean War Veterans Memorials impressed Bernie. He said, “They told us that each wreath at the World War II Memorial weighs two tons.” The realism portrayed by the Korean War Veterans Memorial was something he’ll never forget. When the veterans arrived at the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier rain began falling; nevertheless, the guards carried out their duty. Carrying out a duty is something very familiar to the North Country Honor Flight Veterans.

From Don McBrayer, Town Councilor:

I’m very excited about about the Main Street Revitalization Plan and have been working hard with the Main Street Plan Committee as we develop a strategy to keep our town pedestrian friendly and a place that will appeal to both small businesses & families.

We held our Stakeholders Meeting on May 16th where the plan was well received.

I’m very interested in hearing what you think as we continue to develop it.

Click the link to see a summery of what we’re proposing:

http://www.perutown.com/PeruMainStreetPlanPresentation.pdf

Those close to Geoffrey Brenno and Joseph Congelosi lamented the loss of the Plattsburgh men’s energy, joy, passion for their work.

Peru Gazette Note: Both men had close ties in Peru. Joseph was the son of Marguerite “Meg” Clark Congelosi and Joseph Congelosi Sr. and grandson of Karlene and the late Datus Clark. Geoffrey was a longtime Livingoods employee.

Source: Fire victims loved life, much loved | News | pressrepublican.com

Blaze destroyed apartment complex at 220 Margaret St.

Source: Two dead in Plattsburgh fire | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Board meeting rescheduled from May 23 to May 25th.

AGENDA TOWN BOARD REGULAR MEETING – May 25 @ 7:00 PM 

1. Call Meeting To Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

4. MOTION: Approval of Minutes of the May 9, 2016 Regular Board Meeting.

5. Community Input

6. DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Lyon Road Schoolhouse Repairs 

7. DISCUSSION: Town Tennis Courts. 

8. DISCUSSION: Town Court J Cap Grant. 

9. DISCUSSION: Seminar for Local Officials. 

10. DISCUSSION: Memorial Day Ceremony at Peru VFW. 

11. DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Essex County Snow Removal Contract. 

12. DISCUSSION: Town Dog Park.

13. DISCUSSION: Sewer Line Repair Financing.

14. DISCUSSION: Illegal Trash on Town Roads.

15. DISCUSSION: Other Business. 

16. DISCUSSION: Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

17. DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Approve/Pay Bills. 

 MOTION:    Adjourn

The Clinton County Republican Committee held their endorsement meeting for State & County candidates last night (May 19).

State Senator Betty Little was present and received a unanimous endorsement.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was unable to attend but was also endorsed unanimously.

Surrogate Judge Candidate, William Favreau & County Court Judge Candidate, Mark Anderson were present and received  unanimous endorsements as well.

Janet Duprey received a standing ovation as she spoke of her decision to retire. Duprey also introduced Franklin County Sheriff, Kevin Mulverhill who spoke to the committee and was well received.

In other business Chairman Donald McBrayer and his wife Kara were appointed to be the Clinton County Representatives on the State Committee.

McBrayer also spoke of the Area 4 Legislative race, stating that a number or people are being approached as the committee finds a strong candidate for that position.

Another committee meeting is being scheduled for June 1st to follow up on the Area 4 and Assembly candidate selection process.

Petitions for all the above races will be circulated starting June 7th.

Stores, not including Lowe’s in Plattsburgh, violated Nutrient Runoff Law, AG says.

Source: Lowe’s, Home Depot fined after fertilizer violation | Local News | pressrepublican.com