The Peru Gazette

Peru Central School District’s Board of Education will have a brief, special meeting on the morning of Thursday, April 23rd at 7:30 AM in the Jr/Sr High School Community Room.

Thursday morning’s brief special meeting will focus exclusively on consideration of the
BOCES administrative budget for the 2015‐2016 school year and consideration of candidates running for seats on this region’s BOCES.

No other school board or school district business is slated for Thursday morning.

The full agenda is available at www.perucsd.org.

4th Sunday Breakfast

April 26th, 2015 9 a.m. – Noon

Peru VFW & Ladies Auxiliary
710 Pleasant St, Peru, NY 12901

Bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits & sausage gravy, corned beef hash, pancakes, juice & coffee. ONLY $8.00

All proceeds to benefit veterans and their families.

LAST BREAKFAST of the SEASON.

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/manure-a-key-for-soil-respect-for-neighbors-a-part-of-the-mix-20150419

By John T. Ryan

Children, parents and staff walking or biking to the Peru Central School should have a safer route to travel in a few months. On Monday, April 13, 2015 the Peru Town Board approved a $143,729 bid from Branon Construction Company Inc. of Plattsburg to implement a second Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) Project. Work will begin as soon as summer vacation begins and should be completed by September 5^th.

The objective is to improve walking and biking safety to school, with a focus on students in grades K to 8. There are 5 components to SRTS projects: encouragement, education, enforcement, evaluation and engineering (the 5 “E”s).

For the construction (Engineering) part, Branon Construction will install a new crosswalk across route 22B with push button activated flashing crosswalk beacons. They will also install additional sidewalks to improve the walkability of the campus on both the Route 22B side and the School Street side of the campus.

The encouragement, education and enforcement components are being coordinated by the elementary school’s physical education teacher Nancy Thompson and the School’s Wellness Committee.  Christa Vancour of the Clinton County Health Dept. and Sergeant Frank Mercier of the Clinton County Sheriffs Dept have given them additional support.  The Health Department funded bike racks to help the Town stay within budget for the project and the Sheriff’s Department conducted assemblies about pedestrian safety and set-up speed read-out equipment along Route 22B. A previous $85,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant financed the School Street sidewalk.

Dog owner respect for their neighbors continues to be an issue. The board asked Dog Control Officer David Drollette to step up enforcement of the dog waste disposal provisions of the Dog Control Law. Supervisor Peter Glushko and Counselor Brandy McDonald both reported seeing significant waste adjacent to sidewalks and roads in the hamlet. Counselor McDonald stated that a few residents appear to pick up waste when being observed, but they do not pick up waste when they believe they are out of sight. Dog Control Officer Drollette will offer these offenders a choice of accepting and using a free waste bag or being issued a ticket.

The board accepted the AES Engineering’s comprehensive grant-funded sewer system report. AES analyzed the system north of the Little Ausable River, much of which was constructed during the 1930’s. There are several reasons for upgrading the system. The 2013 NYS “Sewage Pollution Right to Know Law” requires that any sewage overflow be reported and published. Over time the sewer pipes and manholes have deteriorated, the pumping station is overtaxed and some trunk lines do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate community growth. AES estimated the total cost at $4 million, but Supervisor Glushko said that the project would probably be done in phases. The town will submit applications for grant monies or low interest loans. The extent of the project will be determined once fund availability is determined.

Peru’s walking trail should be even more attractive thanks to TD Bank’s tree planting program that has donated 275 trees of various species to the town. On May 2^nd beginning at 10 a.m. volunteers are invited to help plant the trees along the walking trail. If would like to volunteer Adele Douglas would appreciate if you call her at 643-7863. She would like to know beforehand how many volunteers she will have on hand.

Personal safety is also a primary concern for everyone utilizing the walking trail. Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell reminded the board that a fence should be erected adjacent to the trail beneath the Route 22 Bridge. Farrell pointed out that someone could fall a considerable distance from the trail to the rocks along the Little Ausable River. He recommended that the fence be elevated to a high priority item.

A few weeks ago town representatives traveled to Albany to lobby for increased highway paving monies (CHIPS). They were optimistic when they returned, but their optimism appears to have been misplaced. Highway Superintendent Farrell said the town would only be receiving about $25,000 in additional CHIPS monies. He said, “That’s not even a half-mile of blacktop.” This summer Farrell plans to pave part of the Dashnaw Road, part of the Laphams Mills Road to Route 22 and the newer part of Washington Street. Holden Avenue might be paved, but only if funds are available.

The Board adjourned to Executive Session to discuss the ongoing Dashnaw vs. Town of Peru lawsuit and the work history of two employees.

Counselor Kregg Bruno was excused from the meeting. Since January 1, 2015, Bruno has been excused from at least seven town board meetings.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) voted in support of H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015. This bipartisan legislation that Congresswoman Stefanik cosponsored would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer tax, commonly referred to as the “death tax”.

“Whenever I travel throughout our district, one of the key tax issues that I have heard about from small businesses and the agriculture community is the negative impact that the Death Tax continues to have on our economy,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “I remain committed to working to achieve comprehensive tax reform to make our tax code flatter, fairer and simpler, and repealing the death tax is one commonsense reform we can make to protect North Country small businesses and family farms.”

Under current law, the Federal Government takes 40% from taxable estates when a person dies. The death tax is a major reason why family farms and businesses are not able to be passed down from generation to generation. Repealing this tax would allow more North Country farms and businesses to stay in North Country families. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 240-179 and will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.

Peru School budget calls for additional principal – Press-Republican: Education.

Each year our weather transition seems to be from winter to summer; spring no longer exists or if it does only very briefly.  Last Thursday morning, April 9, 2015 Peru had about 4″ of snow on the ground. Yesterday, the Peru High baseball team was playing a home game against Saranac in 74 degree temperatures.  The Indians won 9-2.  Thanks to Jim Neyenhouse for submitting these great photos. Click here for larger photo version.  

Fabian Dopping, a German Exchange student at Peru Central

Youth Group students and chaperones

They couldn’t wait for the muffins to bake!

By John T. Ryan

Spring Break is a time for many North Country residents to travel south to enjoy the warm of sun. Each year the Peru Community Church Senior High Youth Group also travels, but not quite as far south as most people. The group stops in Washington D.C. where they serve the homeless and take some time to experience the sites of Washington D.C. Based on the photos, this year’s trip appears to have been five days of hard work, fun and learning! (Click here on a PC for a slideshow with music.  Thanks to DonYo (Donald McBrayer) for compiling the music)

Each day the students worked at a different site preparing and serving lunches or evening meals. One day they set-up tables along sidewalks and parks for Mckenna’s Wagon, a program that serves the homeless from vans parked near sidewalks and parks. At Martha’s Table they chopped vegetables and mixed huge batches for muffins for the evening meal. At the Capital Area Food Bank they sorted and packaged over 15,000 pounds of food during their shift. At SOME (So Others Might Eat), a soup kitchen that serves over 1,000 meals daily, they served 700 lunches and participated in a social justice exercise where they put themselves in the place of a person who is facing the prospect of being homeless. Faith Long, one of the chaperons said, “Our group is always invited back each year because they are hard workers with a great attitude.”

The Youth Group is a mix of students from the Peru Community Church, St. Augustine’s Church and other churches including the Christian Alliance Church and St. John the Baptist Churches in Keeseville and Plattsburgh. This year’s Youth Group members include Abigail St. Louis, Alaina Bazzano, Andrew Thew, Benjamin Morgan, Brady Terry, Brooke Desautels, Cole Ives, Connor Douglass, Devin Wood, Erika Cross, Fabian Dopping, Gabrielle, Dion, Grace Sullivan, Hannah Osborne, Jack Dubay, Lucas Frenyea, Megan Zmijewski, Nathan Kennedy, Shauna Fliss, Tyler Andre. Chaperones included Cheryl Remillard, Faith Long, Brian Raymond, Lisa Zmijewski and Patrick Knight.

Peru – St. Augustine’s Knights of Columbus Council 7273 will host a spaghetti dinner on Saturday, April 18^th at the St. Augustine’s Parish Center. “ALL YOU CAN EAT” spaghetti, salad, Italian bread and a delicious dessert will be served from 4:30 to 6:30 PM for only $7.50 per person, $2.50 for children 6 to 12, free for children 5 and under and a $20 per family maximum. Take-outs are available.

St. Augustine’s Knights of Columbus Council 7273 donates to St. Augustine’s Parish and numerous local organizations each year including the North Country Mission of Hope, The Peru Community Church Youth Group trip to assist the homeless in Washington D.C., the Peru Youth Commission, the Ecumenical Choir Choir refreshments, “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster contests, and many more.  Community dinners are a very important part of its fund-raising program.

Do you or anyone you know possess a photo of the Peru Grange Hall which once located at the site of current Peru Town Hall? Town Historian Ron Allen needs the photo to complete the town’s historical collection and to include it on one of the historical signs to be placed along Main Street. Ron can arrange to copy the photo or he would be happy to add the photo to the town’s collection. Ron Allen can be reached at 561-0038.

Peru Central’s Board of Education launches its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 5:30 PM at the school district’s Community Room, adjacent to the main entrance of Peru Jr/Sr High School. An executive session associated with particular personnel matters will take place immediately following the 5:30 PM start. The school board is slated to reconvene for public session business at approximately 7:00 PM. Anticipated topics include:

· 2015-2016 budget for voter consideration in May
· Athletics handbook
· Acceptable use policy
· 2015-2016 academic calendar

The full Board agenda is available on the District’s website at www.perucsd.org.
All are welcome.

The Peru Central School District is seeking candidates to fill two (2) vacancies on the Board of Education, due to the expiration of the terms of Ms. Cynthia Mills and Ms. Jill Folsom.

Both seats are at large for a five-year term from July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2020.

The ‘Petition for Nomination of Candidate’ is available in the District Office at 17 School Street on Mondays through Fridays, except school holidays, or via the web at http://www.perucsd.org. Petitions must be directed to the School District Clerk, shall be signed by at least 25 qualified voters of the District, and shall state the name, residence and phone number of the candidate. Petitions must be returned no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, April 20, 2015.

The School Board Election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2015.

Entrepreneur George Moore dies – Press-Republican: Local News.

Bassett won’t seek re-election – Press-Republican: Local News.

Young man dies in workplace accident – Press-Republican: Local News.

AGENDA TOWN BOARD REGULAR MEETING, April 13, 2015, 7:00 PM 

1. Call Meeting To Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

4. MOTION: Approval of Minutes for the Town Board Regular Meeting of January 26, 2015 and for the Regular Board Meeting of March 23, 2015.

5. DISCUSSION/MOTION: Reports from all Departments: (Water/Sewer/Valcour; Highway; Town Clerk; Dog Control; Youth Department; Code/Zoning; Supervisor’s Report; Court; Website; and Banking Reports)

6. Community Input

7. DISCUSSION: Student Angler Federation Presentation.

Read more »

By John T. Ryan

When the Peru Gazette arrived at the Peru Volunteer Fire Department on Monday, April 8, 2015 to take a photo of the department’s 2015 officers, firefighters John Stafford and Amelia Brelia were demonstrating ambulance and firefighting procedures to Tiger Scouts from Peru Cub Scout Pack 49. This is just one of the many, many ways the department’s members sacrifice their time and dedicate their skills in service of our community.

L-R Lt. Shawn Perkins, Captain Lloyd Provost, Asst. Chief Kevin O’Neil, Chief Tyler Williams, Asst. Chief Bryan Duprey, Lt. Sam Dimock, EMS Captain Cher Hanlon (Click photo for a close-up view) 

By John T. Ryan

Peru –  The Department’s 2015 officers include Chief Tyler Williams, Asst. Chief Kevin O’Neil, Asst. Chief Bryan Duprey, Lt. Shawn Perkins, Lt. Sam Dimock and EMS Captain Cher Hanlon.

Chief Williams, who is beginning his second year as chief, has been a firefighter for 19 years. He joined the department not long after his 18th birthday. Williams said the Peru Department is strong with 44 active members; however, more members are needed as older members retire or become less active.

Anyone interested in learning more about being a firefighter is welcome to attend the department’s April 25th Open House. Members will be conducting live fire and jaws of life demonstrations and will be available to answer questions. Applicants must be at last 18 years of age, out of high school and have a valid NYS driver’s license.  The Open House will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m.

Correction: Spelling on “Hanlon.” Author’s name added. 

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) announced the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for New York’s 21st district. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in the 21st District.

“The North Country is home to many gifted students and the Congressional Art Competition is a great opportunity for them to showcase their talents,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “The winner of this competition will have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year where it will be seen by visitors from around the world. I look forward to seeing what our students can create!”

Artwork entered in the contest must be original in execution, may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches, 4 inches in depth and cannot weigh more than 15 pounds. The artwork may be:

Paintings – including oil, acrylics and watercolor
Drawings – including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
Collage (must be 2 dimensional)
Prints – including lithographs, silkscreen and block prints
Mixed Media – use of two or more mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor
Computer Generated Art
Photography

Art submissions along with a Congressional release form must be submitted to one of Congresswoman Stefanik’s district office locations no later than April 24, 2015. The Congressional release form can be found here and more information about the competitions rules and guidelines is posted here.

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (April 2, 2015) – The Strand Center for the Arts announces auditions for Jason Robert Brown’s musical ‘The Last Five Years’ at the historic Strand Theatre on Sunday, April 12 from 2 to 6 pm. The musical will be produced in association with Adirondack Regional Theatre.

There are two sides to every love story. From first date to final good-bye, ‘The Last Five Years’ chronicles the highs and lows of modern marriage in an intimate, honest and richly moving musical portrait. Read more »

PLATTSBURGH, NY – The Best Western Plus the Inn at Smithfield and the Strand Center for the Arts are pleased to announce that artist Susan Whiteman’s latest artwork will be on view at The Best Western Plus Gallery from April through the end of June, 2015. The public is invited to attend a free reception in the gallery located at 446 Route 3 in Plattsburgh, on Tuesday, April 28th from 5:00 -6:00 P.M.

Susan Whitman began painting when she was fifteen Read more »

The Peru Central School Board of Education will gather Thursday, April 9th at 5:45 PM in the Jr/Sr High School Community Room for their fifth public session budget workshop. An executive session associated with collective negotiations will take place immediately following the 5:45 PM start. The school board is slated to reconvene for public session business at approximately 6:00 PM. Anticipated topics include:

State Budget status.
Draft summary of proposed expenditure plan.
Proposed expenditures and revenue totals.

The full agenda is available on the Peru CSD website at www.perucsd.org.

The meeting is open to all.

Babbie Museum Spring 2015 Newsletter

Lance Falcon tells the Peru Town Board about WEP’s

By John T. Ryan

WEP’s: A student link to the businesses and non-profits; a guided hands-on environment; a tool for the community with no academic or income restrictions. Those are just a few of the words Lance Falcon uses to describe WEP’s (Work Experience Program). Falcon and a small group of volunteers have been working for over 3 years to launch WEP’s. The program has received its Not-For Profit Incorporation from New York State. Falcon is the CEO, Peru Middle and High School Teacher James Testo is the President. Other board members include Rick Laurin, President of the Adirondack Coast Cultural Alliance (ACCA), student Felica Duchene and Falcon’s wife Veronika.

Lance Falcon recognized the need for a work experience program while working as a volunteer farrier at the Babbie Rural and Farm Learning Museum. When students volunteered to assist with museum events two things stood out: they had great ideas and enthusiasm, but they needed training and confidence. He said, “We started an orientation program to teach the students to deal with the artifacts and the museum’s visitors. We got very good comments from the board members and we realized the great potential of the students.”

Falcon believes that WEP’s is a tool to build student confidence, respect and self-esteem while at the same time assisting local non-profits and businesses. The students will come up with project ideas, develop a project business plan including a budget and submit the plan to WEPs for review and approval. If a project has merit the students will be given a loan to conduct the event. Mentors will guide the students throughout the process. Falcon emphasized that student safety is WEP’s highest priority. All mentors will undergo background checks and will be properly trained.

James Testo has business experience as well as being a long-time teacher. He explained, “Students need help with their career choices. Employers want employees with work readiness skills. By participating in WEP’s, the students will be ready when they go to their first interview.”

Students, parents and the community members can learn more about the WEP’s program on Wednesday, April 15^th at 7 p.m. on the lower level of the Peru Town Hall. Lance Falcon can be reached at 534-0488 or lancefalcon@ymail.com

Cuomo Gets Timely New York Budget but Pays Price – NYTimes.com.