The Peru Gazette

Regular Mtg Agenda Sept92013

Video: Cuomo lays down law to sheriffs on gun control « The In Box.

PLATTSBURGH, NY— Today, Congressman Bill Owens congratulated Clinton Community College and SUNY Plattsburgh for earning national recognition from Washington Monthly.

The publication ranked Clinton Community College 49^th on its Best Community Colleges List. SUNY Plattsburgh ranked as the 10^th “Best Bang for the Buck” for Master’s Universities and 30^th under the All Schools list in the same category.

“I congratulate the students, faculty, staff, administrators and trustees at Clinton Community College and SUNY Plattsburgh for earning this well-deserved recognition,” Congressman Bill Owens said. “Today’s announcement from Washington Monthly confirms what we’ve known for a long time: our region’s institutions of higher education belong among the nation’s best. As lawmakers seek ways to help students access and pay for higher education, I will point to Clinton Community College and SUNY Plattsburgh as two examples of institutions that are leading the way to a better higher-education system.”

First-graders and Mesopotamia? New York’s model lesson plan asks too much, critics say | syracuse.com.

Court supports couple in sign display clash – Times Union.

File to keep STAR active – Times Union.

Several Peru residents were in AuSable Forks this morning to enjoy the Holy Name School Labor Day Celebration.  Fire sirens sounded at 10 AM to begin the mile-long parade.  Following the parade hundreds of people enjoyed the music, food, raffles and games behind Holy Name Church. Activities will continue until 6 PM so, it’s not too late to travel to the celebration.

Click here to see a few of our Peru Gazette photos.

Fire damages Peru home » Local News » Press-Republican.

Northern New York – The Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) associations of Northern New York are asking growers to report any findings of leek moth, a pest that prefers onions, garlic, chives, shallots, leeks and other Allium crops. Cornell University and CCE researchers working with a Northern New York Agricultural Development Program grant to trap the pest to identify its range say that if leek moth becomes established in the major onion production areas of New York, the economic damage could be significant to the $54 million industry.

‘The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program grant will help us determine where leek moth is, how fast it is spreading, and will help growers properly time control treatments,’ says Cornell Cooperative Extension of Clinton County Executive Director Amy Ivy, a horticulture specialist. Read more »

Red tape a barrier to school’s opening – Times Union.

Cuomo sees ‘death penalty’ to deal with failing schools – City & Region – The Buffalo News.

One of Peru’s most respected residents, John Roach, was laid to rest today. Family, friends, former students, professional associates and fire fighters attended his funeral mass at St. Augustine’s Church and burial in the parish cemetery. The Peru Gazette photographed part of the wonderful tribute to this outstanding man. Click here for photos.

Peru Fire Department July 11, 2011 practice burn

Here is John Roach’s obituary as it appeared on the Hamilton Funeral Home website.

Lt. Col. John F. Roach
Peru – Lt. Col. John F. Roach, 82, of State Route 22B, Peru, died Saturday, August 24, 2013 at the CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh with his loving family by his side.

John Francis Roach was born in Plattsburgh on January 30, 1931, the eldest child and only son of Francis Daniel and Agnes Cecelia Quinn Roach. He was soon followed by four little sisters, Anne, Marilyn, Margaret and Eleanor. A man of great Catholic faith, pride in his Irish heritage and love for his country John was a graduate of St. John’s Academy Class of 1948, where he was the youngest in his class due to the fact that when he started school in Keeseville, there was no kindergarten section so he went directly to first grade. Read more »

By John T. Ryan

Town leaders learned that 2014 budgeting would be a challenge for Peru as it will likewise be for almost all towns. The New York State property tax cap has been set at 1.66% down from 2%.  Inflation declined; therefore by the tax cap must decrease. Tax increases can exceed the cap, but only if approved by a 60% supermajority vote of a town council.

Referring to limited monies Town Supervisor Peter Glushko told the department heads and staff, “Work with a short pencil. You’ve done a good job before and I ask you to do the same good job.” Proposed budgets should be submitted to Glushko’s office no later than September 10^th.  The Town must complete a tentative budget by September 20^th; submit it to the Town Clerk by September 30^th and have it adopted by November 20^th.

Greg Timmons and Supervisor Glushko informed the Board that the “No Motorized Vehicles” sign at Heyworth-Mason Park has been vandalized and thrown in the Little Ausable River.  The Board discussed placing surveillance cameras in the park.  Deputy Supervisor Brandy McDonald suggested that a local security company be approached for an informal estimate regarding the cost of a surveillance camera system.  Greg Timmons noted that electric power have to be brought into the park.

Supervisor Glushko advised the Board that the New York State Legislature has passed a law prohibiting smoking at playgrounds. The law is effective October 10, 2013.

Two community members addressed the Board. Bruce Germain was concerned with the condition of property located at the corner of Lewis and Pleasant Street. Germain said he had previously complained to the Board. He stated, ”The cleanup just isn’t happening.”  Town Supervisor Peter Glushko said the town had taken every step it could and informed Germain that the matter had been turned over to the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department. Glushko said he would check with the Sheriff and get back to Germain.

David Thomas who resides at 870 Fuller Rd. addressed the Board regarding water that is entering his front lawn from the opposite side of Fuller Road. He said that a ditch on the opposite side of the highway ends in front of his house and that water is coming across the highway into his lawn. He contended that the problem wasn’t severe until a change in water flow occurred following repaving of the highway. Thomas said a large portion of his lawn is spongy and unusable and that he is frustrated having to pay taxes on unusable land.

Supervisor Glushko and Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell told Thomas that his property is located at the lowest point on the road and that water would have to flow uphill not to flow into his lawn. Glushko said that a ditch that is located on adjacent private property has been filled in by trees and other matter over time. He told Thomas that Town engineers will be working on a repaving project on the Fuller Rd. and that he would ask them to take a look at Thomas’ drainage situation.

In other actions the Board:

Closed their meeting with a moment of silence for former Town Supervisor and Town Council member John Roach who passed away on August 24^th.

Scheduled a Comprehensive Plan Workshop for September 16, 2013 at 6:30 PM.

Supervisor Glushko reported that one more person would be interviewed for the open Planning-Zoning secretarial position. CEO Frank Slycord is interviewing the candidates.

The Board passed Water Quality Improvement Contract Amendment #4. Grant monies will finance the change order.

Water Superintendent Greg Timmons reported that the water reservoir has been drained and that there’s more sediment present than he expected.  The sediment will have to be removed. Timmons also reported that the water treatment needed following the recent significant rains resulted in the town failing another Clinton County water quality test. A violation notice was issued.  Timmons is hopeful that the September samples will fall well within limits. Supervisor Glushko asked Timmons to issue a letter to users explaining the reason for the problem and informing them that things are looking better.

The Town Highway Department will soon begin paving miles on the 1.7 miles of the Fuller Rd. from the Bear Swamp Rd. to the Sullivan Rd. Elm St. and the Jarvis Rd from Elm Street to Route 22B were recently repaved (3 miles).  The Department strives to repave 5 miles of town highways annually.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.

What if state funds don’t come through for hotel projects? – AdirondackDailyEnterprise.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Saranac Lake region 

Monarch butterfly population plummets | News from North Country Public Radio.

Adirondack Architectural Heritage Preservation Tours – The Adirondack Almanack 

Capitol Confidential » Local governments will see small dip in pension costs.

Battle of Plattsburgh buttons available now » Local News » Press-Republican.

AuSable Forks man injured in motorcycle accident » Local News » Press-Republican.

Regular Mtg Agenda August 26 2013

By John T. Ryan

The Peru Gazette was present at Forrence Orchards on the Mannix Rd. this afternoon to photograph as much of the “Run for Jon”as we could. What a great cause and wonderful family-community event! Congratulations to the Evans family and all their helpers! Click here for our photos. 

By Jean & John Ryan

Part One of Three Parts  Click here for photos. A short description is included with individual photos.

After learning about others’ trips to our western national parks and viewing photos of that beautiful area since our childhood, we decided to participate in a bus trip to several national parks of the “golden west.”  What a spectacular experience this trip proved to be!

During our first day, we traveled from Las Vegas through the vast expanse of the Mojave Desert to Bakersfield, CA. Our scheduled visit to Death Valley National Park was cancelled as predicted temperatures for the day there were 130 degrees. As we traveled through the very arid Mojave, we felt we were venturing across an almost moonlike surface. As we neared Bakersfield, we observed hundreds of towering wind turbines rising above a treeless mountain range. We learned that these wind turbines generate power for 600,000 southern California homes.

Kings Canyon National Park, located in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, was our first national park to visit. Here we were able to see many, many giant sequoia trees. Photos simply do not do justice to the mass and size of these enormous trees. The most memorable sequoia we saw was the General Grant, a tree that rises 268 feet in height, is 107 feet in circumference and is believed to be 3500 years old. We also learned that the giant sequoia trees are resistant to disease and forest fires and readily observed several sequoias which were charred by fire up to 35 feet high along their trunks and still thriving.

Our next national park in California to visit was Yosemite with its notable rock formations, alpine meadows, sequoia forests and waterfalls. Here we saw the famous Half Dome, the granite dome that rises 5000 feet above the valley floor, El Capitan, the monolith so many rock climbers have scaled, Bridalveil Falls, and Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. As we exited Yosemite, we drove through scenic Tioga Pass, the highest pass in the Sierra Nevadas as it rises to nearly 10,000 feet. This pass is filled with panoramic vistas as it travels through mountainous curves, tight bends and dramatic drop-offs.

Our third day on the bus tour found us in Lake Tahoe. Here we were able to take a lunch cruise on Lake Tahoe where we traversed the waters of this beautiful glacier-carved lake rimmed by the mountains of the Sierra Nevadas and the Carson Range. Later that same day, we visited the once boisterous mining town of Virginia City, a town which looks much as it probably did some 150 years ago. Here the discovery of gold and silver allowed prospectors to become millionaires. Historic buildings including churches, saloons and areas of the former red-light district still remain.

Leaving the Lake Tahoe/Reno area, we traveled east across Nevada. An interesting stop was the California Emigrant Trails Center, near Elko, NV. Through interpretive exhibits, one learns the experiences of a pioneer wagon company heading west on the Oregon/California trail. As we continued eastward, we passed through the salt flats area, the area that we had just learned about at the interpretive center that had proven so troublesome for covered wagons as they became mired in the salty mud.

Part Two of Three will include visits to Salt Lake City, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Capital Reef National Park.

Cigarette may have caused KFC fire » Local News » Press-Republican.

14-year-old charged with manslaughter » Local News » Press-Republican.