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Weekend in review
Sep 06, 2016 5:00 am
Some of the stories that made the news, Fri., Sept. 2 through Mon., Sept. 5:
The Times-Union reported Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration announced Thu., Sept. 1, the state will award $500,000 in grants to help schools increase the amount and variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables served to students. Last year, a similar round of grants got 45 school districts to increase the amount of local produce on school lunch trays.
Greg Hudson reported in The Daily Mail volunteer firefighter John Farrell of Athens has been elected second vice president of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York at the organization's annual convention in Albany. Farrell is director of Greene County Emergency Services. FASNY was founded in 1872 and represents more than 110,000 volunteer firefighters in New York. As second vice president, Farrell will play a major role in setting the group's agenda. Farrell joined the Catskill Fire Department in 1971. He joined the West Athens-Lime Street Fire Company, serving as chief from 1987 to 1991. He has been the department's commissioner since 1993.
Matthew Hamilton reported at Capitol Confidential state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Democrat of Manhattan, has urged his Republican colleagues to subpoena companies that have been identified as the likely polluters of Rensselaer County water supplies. Hoylman wants the chairmen of both the Senate Health, and Environmental Conservation committees to compel Saint-Gobain North America, Taconic Plastics and Honeywell International to appear at the next round of water quality hearings. Representatives of those companies skipped the first hearing held last week in Hoosick Falls. In a statement released Fri., Sept. 2, Hoylman called it “an insult to the people of the beleaguered community and all New Yorkers” that those companies did not testify. Area residents also called for subpoenas to be issued in a letter to Republican Sen. Kathy Marchione of Halfmoon. Marchione represents the Hoosick Falls area. The despite the various calls for compelling company testimony, the Senate Republican Majority has not indicated that subpoenas will be issued anytime soon.
Emilia Teasdale reported in The Columbia Paper the Chatham Village Planning Board has approved the site plan for the former Blue Seal feeds building on Hudson Avenue. Under the new plan four tenants will use the buildings located on the property for two separate storage areas, a display area for marble countertops and a bakery. Kurt Kneller, the owner of the six-acre site, presented the plan to the planning board last week. One building will be rented by Aaron Gaylord to house construction equipment and the other building will be rented by New Leaf Tree Service for its tree maintenance equipment. The retail space will have two tenants. Our Daily Bread will use the space as a bakery, and the second retail space will be rented to Marveled Designs, Inc. as a retail kitchen and bathroom showroom.
Jimmy Vielkind reported at Politico New York U.S. Sen. Kirsten [KEER-sten] Gillibrand [JILL-ah-brand] says she has no interest in being governor of New York, even if Andrew Cuomo decides not to seek a third term. The Democrat, and former Greenport resident, said she is very grateful to serve in the U.S. Senate. She said, "...I really love my job and love the fact that I can work on issues related to agriculture on the ag committee and I can work on issues related to national security on the Armed Services Committee. I get to work on a panoply of issues.” Gillibrand’s current term expires in 2018. She spoke to reporters while touring the New York State Fair with Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul late last week.
Katie Kocijanski reported in the Register-Star the Hudson-based Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood Foundation has been awarded $250,000 by the Galvan Foundation. The grant will be distributed over a five-year period. Promise is a project of the Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties. The funds awarded will provide general operating support for Promise Neighborhood’s efforts to expand and improve early childhood educational services in the city of Hudson. Joan Hunt, the organization’s executive director, said Promise is “very grateful for the generous support” from the Galvan Foundation. She said the grant would “support to further develop the organization’s infrastructure in order to help its overall goals.”
Greg Hudson reported in The Daily Mail Greene County crews have begun work on the replacement radio tower at Hunter Mountain. Construction began last week with the installation of a platform and foundation for the modern, state-of-the-art structure. The county received a grant of $3.5 million to replace a 40-year-old transmission tower, the county's oldest, according the County Administrator Shaun Groden. The new tower is located on a parcel of land given to the county by the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort. The new structure is one of 10 towers the county intends to install to support a new digital 911 response system. That system is designed to shorten response time by improving radio communication for emergency responders. The grant received also provides for the construction of a second tower in New Baltimore, on an actual site to be determined.
Roger Hannigan Gilson reported in the Register-Star a new bus route from Philmont to Greenport and Hudson will make its first run Mon., Sept. 12. The bus will operate on Mondays, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Riders will be transported from Philmont and Claverack to shopping plazas along Fairview Avenue in Greenport and to stores on Warren Street in Hudson. Pick-ups begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Philmont Terrace Apartments, then stop at Richardson Hall, Claverack Town Hall, the Mellenville Post Office and the Claverack Post Office. The bus will travel north on Fairview Avenue in Greenport, stopping at shopping centers, do a loop on Warren Street in Hudson, then repeat the sequence, before returning to Claverack and Philmont. The same route will be followed on the afternoon run, as well. Information is available at the Johnston and Pulcher Facebook page, Facebook [dot] com [slash] Johnston and Pulcher.
The Times-Union reported Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration announced Thu., Sept. 1, the state will award $500,000 in grants to help schools increase the amount and variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables served to students. Last year, a similar round of grants got 45 school districts to increase the amount of local produce on school lunch trays.
Greg Hudson reported in The Daily Mail volunteer firefighter John Farrell of Athens has been elected second vice president of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York at the organization's annual convention in Albany. Farrell is director of Greene County Emergency Services. FASNY was founded in 1872 and represents more than 110,000 volunteer firefighters in New York. As second vice president, Farrell will play a major role in setting the group's agenda. Farrell joined the Catskill Fire Department in 1971. He joined the West Athens-Lime Street Fire Company, serving as chief from 1987 to 1991. He has been the department's commissioner since 1993.
Matthew Hamilton reported at Capitol Confidential state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Democrat of Manhattan, has urged his Republican colleagues to subpoena companies that have been identified as the likely polluters of Rensselaer County water supplies. Hoylman wants the chairmen of both the Senate Health, and Environmental Conservation committees to compel Saint-Gobain North America, Taconic Plastics and Honeywell International to appear at the next round of water quality hearings. Representatives of those companies skipped the first hearing held last week in Hoosick Falls. In a statement released Fri., Sept. 2, Hoylman called it “an insult to the people of the beleaguered community and all New Yorkers” that those companies did not testify. Area residents also called for subpoenas to be issued in a letter to Republican Sen. Kathy Marchione of Halfmoon. Marchione represents the Hoosick Falls area. The despite the various calls for compelling company testimony, the Senate Republican Majority has not indicated that subpoenas will be issued anytime soon.
Emilia Teasdale reported in The Columbia Paper the Chatham Village Planning Board has approved the site plan for the former Blue Seal feeds building on Hudson Avenue. Under the new plan four tenants will use the buildings located on the property for two separate storage areas, a display area for marble countertops and a bakery. Kurt Kneller, the owner of the six-acre site, presented the plan to the planning board last week. One building will be rented by Aaron Gaylord to house construction equipment and the other building will be rented by New Leaf Tree Service for its tree maintenance equipment. The retail space will have two tenants. Our Daily Bread will use the space as a bakery, and the second retail space will be rented to Marveled Designs, Inc. as a retail kitchen and bathroom showroom.
Jimmy Vielkind reported at Politico New York U.S. Sen. Kirsten [KEER-sten] Gillibrand [JILL-ah-brand] says she has no interest in being governor of New York, even if Andrew Cuomo decides not to seek a third term. The Democrat, and former Greenport resident, said she is very grateful to serve in the U.S. Senate. She said, "...I really love my job and love the fact that I can work on issues related to agriculture on the ag committee and I can work on issues related to national security on the Armed Services Committee. I get to work on a panoply of issues.” Gillibrand’s current term expires in 2018. She spoke to reporters while touring the New York State Fair with Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul late last week.
Katie Kocijanski reported in the Register-Star the Hudson-based Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood Foundation has been awarded $250,000 by the Galvan Foundation. The grant will be distributed over a five-year period. Promise is a project of the Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties. The funds awarded will provide general operating support for Promise Neighborhood’s efforts to expand and improve early childhood educational services in the city of Hudson. Joan Hunt, the organization’s executive director, said Promise is “very grateful for the generous support” from the Galvan Foundation. She said the grant would “support to further develop the organization’s infrastructure in order to help its overall goals.”
Greg Hudson reported in The Daily Mail Greene County crews have begun work on the replacement radio tower at Hunter Mountain. Construction began last week with the installation of a platform and foundation for the modern, state-of-the-art structure. The county received a grant of $3.5 million to replace a 40-year-old transmission tower, the county's oldest, according the County Administrator Shaun Groden. The new tower is located on a parcel of land given to the county by the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort. The new structure is one of 10 towers the county intends to install to support a new digital 911 response system. That system is designed to shorten response time by improving radio communication for emergency responders. The grant received also provides for the construction of a second tower in New Baltimore, on an actual site to be determined.
Roger Hannigan Gilson reported in the Register-Star a new bus route from Philmont to Greenport and Hudson will make its first run Mon., Sept. 12. The bus will operate on Mondays, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Riders will be transported from Philmont and Claverack to shopping plazas along Fairview Avenue in Greenport and to stores on Warren Street in Hudson. Pick-ups begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Philmont Terrace Apartments, then stop at Richardson Hall, Claverack Town Hall, the Mellenville Post Office and the Claverack Post Office. The bus will travel north on Fairview Avenue in Greenport, stopping at shopping centers, do a loop on Warren Street in Hudson, then repeat the sequence, before returning to Claverack and Philmont. The same route will be followed on the afternoon run, as well. Information is available at the Johnston and Pulcher Facebook page, Facebook [dot] com [slash] Johnston and Pulcher.