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They’ll Take Your Land & Not Pay Their Taxes

This may seem like a strange headline but here is a press release we received from the Lake George Property Owner’s Group, where they call the proposed stream corridor regulations being considered by the Lake George Park Commission a confiscation of private property. Many of their arguments are valid and worthy of discussion.

Additionally, here are two links from the Adirondack Journal and the Times of Ti to stories about the Governor’s proposal to alter the payment of real estate taxes on state forest preserve land.

These stories may combine to make a funny headline but they should be taken very seriously. If they both come to pass in their present form, they will cause property taxes to explode.

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Where Are They Now?

Richard and Edie Cerosky have lived on Bluff Head Road for many years. Their sons, Scott and Bruce along with their daughter, Lyn, were always big water-skiers and for many years they had a water skiing course in front of their house. The Cerosky’s were always very kind in letting novice water skiers use their course and helping them with advice.

It seems that after 9/11, Bruce Cerosky was looking to return to a simpler way of life and he and his family relocated to Bolton Landing. Recently the Huletts Current had a chance to catch up with Bruce Cerosky and his wife, Kathy, to learn about their business endeavors in Bolton Landing.

For those familiar with Bolton Landing, the Cerosky’s own both the Sagamore Pub and the Fins & Claws Seafood Shop on Route 9N. Both of these are easy to get to by boat from Huletts in the summer. You would simply dock your boat at the public dock at Rogers Park, and walk up through the park, to Route 9N. (The public dock is just south of the bridge which leads to the Sagamore Resort and is next to the public beach in Bolton Landing.)

The Sagamore Pub is located at 4983 County Route 9N, at the entrance to the Sagamore resort, and Fins & Claws is located at 4933 County Route 9N. (County Route 9N is also known as Lake Shore Drive.) Both restaurants are within about 100 yards of each other. “We bought Fins & Claws in the summer of ’07 and we opened the Sagamore Pub on April 23, 2008,” Kathy Cerosky recalled. “We love Huletts and we would be very happy to have people come down.”

To give you a feel for both restaurants, we were given a tour by the Cerosky’s. The Sagamore Pub is decorated in classic Adirondack style and you’ll want to check out the magnificant winter picture of Lake George which hangs above the bar. Lake George history books are readily available in a fascinating book display. Fins & Claws is a great place for fresh seafood and is a nice summer getaway.

“Please tell people from Huletts that if they stop down, to tell us that they are from Huletts,” the Cerosky’s said. “Richard and Edie have had their house there for over 30 years and we consider it home also. Any person from Huletts is a friend of ours.”

So now you know where Bruce Cerosky is today and you learned it here on the Huletts Current. Stop in and say hello to the Cerosky’s and tell them you’re from Huletts. You’ll be glad you did.

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Bits of Everything

This Deal is Pure Garbage

Here is a good article from the Post Star about the Hudson Falls trash burn plant. All of our garbage from Huletts goes to the trash burn plant. It has always operated at a deficit and Washington County has always lost money on it. When it was constructed, it was believed Washington County would make money every year on its waste disposal. However, this never happened because the state allowed other landfills to remain open and accept trash. This has resulted in increased competition for garbage from other counties. The result is that the plant doesn’t get the amount of trash that it was expected to receive and thus loses money. So instead of making money, it has been a terrible deal for Washington County. The agreement is up in 2 years.

Bolton Landing Says No to Proposed Stream Rules

The Bolton Landing Town Board has just passed a resolution against the draft proposed stream corridor rules that the Lake George Park Commission is accepting comments on. It is expected that other municipalities around the lake will be opposing them also. Common sense exemptions are no where to be found in the proposed rules. Read more about Bolton Landing’s resolution in the Albany Times Union.

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Safe from an Icy Doom

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Neal Vandorsten pictured with his faithful dog, says he will never go on the frozen Lake again without having an ice axe with him. Neal shares his story about falling through the ice on one of the coldest nights of the winter.

Many readers of the Huletts Current know longtime Huletts resident and developer Neal Vandorsten. Neal emailed this story to us about an encounter with the lake he had a few weeks ago that he will never forget.

“Made an illconcieved plan to walk across the lake to an island with (son) Keating and visit some folks we know that live there … It is called Three Brothers Island and sits about a half mile from Bolton. Keating and I put our headlamps and gear on and took the dog and off we went. It was a beautiful night and the lake creaked a little, but seemed firm enough. We arrived at the island and had a nice visit with our friends. On our return we lost our tracks and took a different route.. Keating was ahead, the dog was way off, when suddenly I went thru the ice, into the freezing abyss.

The temp was minus 15 and I couldn’t get back out of the water. Every time I tried to climb onto the ice I was back in to the dark and frozen water. I screamed to Keating to stay away, as I didn’t want two of us to expire, but he came closer and closer. My large winter boots acted like anchors pulling me beneath the black waters, I struggled to get up, again and again. Finally, Keating risked all and made a mad dash toward me and pulled me out. We stayed on our bellies for a bit, then got up and ran off the weak ice toward land. We thought for sure we would both go back in but it was luck that put us on some thicker ice. The trip back to the mainland is a blur as I lost my senses for a bit and next I knew we were on terra firma, but I was thinking I was still in the lake. Keating ripped my top clothes off and put his jacket and gloves on me and I began to get reoriented.. We then walked back to the house. Our only salvation is providence. That was the case that night. Anyway, in the morning I went back to the beach to retrieve some of my clothing and looked out across the frozen lake and saw the big hole from the night before.. I was a little beat up on the face and knees from the ice, but the next day felt pretty good..”

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Winter Carnival Fun

We took Saturday off and went down to the Winter Carnival in Lake George Village. Here are some pictures.


The winter carnival continues on weekends until March 1st in Lake George Village.

Learn more about it here.

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You Won’t Find These on the APA Website

9 Counties and 11 Towns Sue Adirondack Park Agency

Nine counties and eleven towns have filed suit against the Adirondack Park Agency to try to reverse new rules that have been implemented, including shoreline building prohibitions on structures that pre-date the APA. Shorefront property owners take note. Hear about it here.

Lewis Family Farm v. APA

“At 1,200 acres, Lewis Family Farm has conserved hundreds of acres of organic soils and removed thousands of tons of accumulated waste, including 15 decrepit, moldy, broken farmhouses. The documents on this site tell how the APA, a regional land use board within the blue line, violated New York State law, and engaged in an abusive, aggressive and frequently dishonest strategy to intimidate the Lewis Family Farm.”

Read about the whole case here. The Lewis family just won their case, but the APA has appealed.

Nothing about either of these on the APA site.

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Hold the Salt

With all the recent snow, it seems like the perfect time to discuss other options for salting the roads in the Lake George basin. Salt runoff is one of the primary pollutants reaching the lake.

Here is a product called Magic Salt, which bills itself “as less corrosive, biodegradable and environmentally friendly,” than regular salt. Here is a .pdf file of an area coated on one side with regular salt and coated on another side with magic salt. Notice how the grass is burned on the regular salt side.

Here is a product called Ice B’Gone® that is made of a molasses-like liquid that can be mixed with regular rock salt. It “contains no algae-forming phosphorus”.

These are the types of products that will bring us into the future. There are most likely many others. We’ll bring to your attention a new technology that is being studied in Maryland that can lengthen the life of an existing drain field with plain old regular air.

You never thought salt was so cool.

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Do This for a Green Playable Golf Course

Letters, Faxes, Emails needed by February 28, 2009

The Lake George Park Commission is accepting comments on their proposed stream corridor regulations until February 28, 2009

We have read the regulations and historically more regulations have always meant more costs. We believe these proposed rules will impact two areas that are important to the Huletts Golf Course. The proposed rules require that any work in a stream bed requires a permit; this would impact the yearly cleaning of the reservoir which only supplies water to the golf course. Secondly, any footbridge crossing a stream would need a permit. Any environmental organization could object when a permit was applied for. This would mean that any environmental group, such as the Lake George Waterkeeper, which objected to the dredging of the mouth of Foster Brook, could impact the use of the Golf Course.

I have excerpted my comments that I submitted to the LGPC (with a copy to the HLPOCA) that deal with these two issues:

“The Huletts Golf Course is a uniquely special property. It is the only golf course within walking distance of Lake George. The water source for the Huletts Golf Course is the reservoir/dam on Fairy Creek. The Huletts Landing Property Owners Civic Association is entirely responsible for paying for the upkeep of this water source. Your proposed regulations should exempt all dams/reservoirs that require yearly maintenance. The federal government under a program launched by former Vice President, Al Gore, learned that periodic flushing of the dams on the Colorado River helped marine life downstream. Any work and/or yearly maintenance on existing reservoirs/dams should be exempted.

Likewise, the Huletts Golf Course has many crossings of Fairy Brook for people playing golf. The Huletts Landing Property Owners Civic Association maintains the course at great expense and with much volunteer labor. It would be unreasonable for existing or new pedestrian crossings to be subject to these regulations. Golf Courses in the Lake George basin should be exempted from these rules because they may at time change the location of their natural water obstacle crossings.”

Please submit your comments by February 28, 2009 telling the LGPC that these two activities that benefit the Huletts Golf Course should be exempted from their proposed stream regulations, and state the reason why; pedestrian stream crossings for people playing golf and annual maintenance on the dam that feeds the golf course should not be activities that require a permit. Tell them extreme environmental organizations that object to all human activity should not be given undo weight in this process. Send comments to:

Mr. Michael White, Executive Director of the Lake George Park Commission, PO Box 749, Lake George, NY 12845; By Fax: 518.668.5001; By email: info@lgpc.state.ny.us

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Bits of Everything

Snowy Owl Seen in Area

The Saratogian has a good article about the snowy owl appearing in our area. This is a perfect article to read today because Huletts is under a winter storm advisory, with lots of snow expected.

Ice Fishing Better Understood

This is a story which I missed that came out about two weeks ago which aired on North Country Public Radio. It’s about the start of the ice fishing season and they interview some ice fishermen on Lake George. You can learn something about ice fishing while sitting inside, nice and warm.

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Paulist Fathers Offer Summer 09 Programs

We received the following press release from our friends, the Paulist fathers.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 26, 2009

Paulist Fathers to offer exciting retreat program during June and July at Lake George, NY

As they have done for the past 12 years the Paulist Fathers will offer a series of retreats during June and July 2009 at their summer home at St. Mary’s on the Lake, located on Lake George in New York. Fr. Isaac Hecker, the Paulist Founder, established the foundation in 1868. The retreats are open to anyone. More information can be found at www.lakegeorge.paulist.org

June 12-14 Fr. Ken McGuire, CSP: RE – MEMBERING RETREAT: Bring all your parts!
Your body and soul, humanity and divinity,
color and orientation, sorrows and joys.
Don’t wait for other to recognize you in your goodness:
God already does.
Don’t let other confer power: God has done that.
If we listen, the God of the universe is acting in the ordinariness of our lives.
Let us get together and re-member ourselves and each other.

June 19-21 Fr. Vinny McKiernan, CSP : Praying Your Life Weekend
A weekend to learn and experience Centering Prayer and the practice of Lectio Divina, the prayerful practice of praying the Scriptures.

June 22-26 Fr. Vinny McKiernan, CSP : Praying Your Life 5 day retreat
Praying Your Life:contemplating and celebrating your life, past, present and future in the the context of God’s Providence. The week will be anchored by daily periods and Centering Prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist in the beauty of the Adirondacks. Fr. Vinny McKiernan, CSP is Campus Minister at The Ohio State University and an experienced Spiritual Director and Retreat Master.

June 26-28 Fr. Ken McGuire, CSP : Spiritual Discovery Through Movies
Spirituality and values portrayed through movies have a huge effect, maybe more than 10 minute sermons on Sunday. We will explore themes, values and spirituality of films like Whale Rider, Into the Wild, Brokeback Mountain and Inherit the Wind, Notebook and Stand and Deliver. Ken McGuire is a Paulist Priest and Cultural Anthropologist. He has served many years as a campus minister, pastor, director of St. Mary’s on the Lake and taught Cultural Orientation for International Priests and Nuns, COPIM at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

July 6-10 Br. Michael Moran, CP “Windows to Heaven: An Icon Painting Retreat”Brother Michael Moran, C.P., an artist who specializes in the painting of icons will lead the participants in the painting of an icon of the Mother of God. The daily schedule of the week will consist of two large blocks of time for painting, as well as “teachings” relevant to the spirituality of seeing and of icons. There will also be daily prayer, opportunties for discussion, as well as quiet time. No experience is necessary and art supplies will be provided. The goal is for each participant to have painted his/her own icon by the end of the retreat.

July 10-12 Brett Hoover, CSP “Here Comes Everybody: Catholic unity amidst our different opinions, cultures and theologies.”Brett Hoover is the author of “Loosing Your Religion, Finding your Faith” and “Soundbyte Spirituality” as well as numerous articles. He was the founder of Busted Halo, the Paulist Fathers program for young adults and is currently a Ph.D candidate in theology with a focus on the multicultural church at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

July 24-26 Fr. Lawrence Boadt, CSP “Exploring the Major Insights of St. Paul for Modern Spirituality.”
Noted Old Testament scholar, Fr. Lawrence Boadt will examine the ten most important aspects in Paul’s understanding of life in Christ, with an in depth look at some key Pauline passages in his Letters. Lawrence Boadt, CSP, is an ordained priest in the Paulist Fathers, and professor emeritus of Scripture Studies at the Washington Theological Union. He has written and spoken widely on Old Testament topics, and currently serves as the president and publisher of Paulist Press in Mahwah, NJ. He is author of “Reading the Old Testament” by Paulist Press.

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Bits of Everything

The Governor Doesn’t Want to Pay Taxes Either

While upstate legislators and groups are fighting the proposed cap on NY state paying property taxes on its forest preserve, the Governor for the time being is standing behind the proposal.

GOP Chairmen Weighted Votes Explained

The Governor will also, sometime soon, issue a proclamation calling for a special election to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat being vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand who will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday to replace Hillary Clinton. In a special election, like this, there will be no primary. Republican chairmen from the 10 counties in the 20th Congressional District will meet this week to discuss how they will select the Republican nominee. Here is an look at how each County Chairman will have their vote weighted.

See Some Great Stuff This Summer

Here is an interesting story about the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake getting a surprise donation to put on a show, starting in May, where some of the earliest known pictures, paintings and artifacts of the Adirondacks will be on display. The Adirondack Museum is a great day trip from Huletts.

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She Beat Them Out of the Gate

With the announcement today that Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) has been appointed to fill Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat, this in turn opens up the Congressional seat which Huletts is a part of. Within hours of this announcement, we received this press release from Senator Betty Little’s (R) office announcing her candidacy for the House of Representatives.

Senator Little has always been a fierce advocate for lower taxes in the Adirondacks, and while we are not endorsing a candidate for Congress at this time, the fact that the Huletts Current was notified so quickly bespeaks a winning campaign operation that is organized and up and running already. You heard it here first, because Senator Little was the first. The Current likes people who move.

SENATOR LITTLE ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDACY

State Senator Betty Little (R,C,I-Queensbury) today announced she is a candidate for the 20th Congressional District. The popular upstate senator well known for her accessibility and hands-on approach has a strong record of experience in local and state government.

“I have a proven record of fighting and winning for the people I represent,” said Little. “I am eager to put that experience to work for the residents of the 20th Congressional District and look forward to traveling the district and talking with voters to earn their support over the course of this campaign.”

Prior to first winning election to the State Senate in November 2002, Senator Little served in the New York State Assembly for seven years. Little is a proven vote-getter and has consistently led the ballot on Election Day.

Little’s legislative successes include: creation of a program that encourages greater government efficiency to save tax dollars; reform of the adverse possession law to protect private property rights; and an affordable housing program to help low- and middle-income families.

The mother of a combat veteran, active duty Navy pilot, Little was honored to sponsor Patriot Plans I and II, which expanded benefits and services available to New York’s military personnel and their families.

Little first began public service as a member and later Chair of the Town of Queensbury Recreation Commission. In 1986, she was elected to serve as an At-Large-Supervisor to the Warren County Board of Supervisors for the Town of Queensbury, where she served on various committees, including the Warren County Recycling Advisory Committee which she organized and chaired, and as County Budget Officer in 1990 and 1991.

Born in Glens Falls, New York, Senator Little has lived in upstate New York most of her life. The former teacher and realtor now resides in Queensbury and has six children and thirteen grandchildren

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Bits of Everything

How a Sunken Boat Became a National Treasure

Here is a piece from the Saratogian that details the story of the Forward, a boat which sank in Lake George in the the 1930’s, which was just added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is an interesting story.

Senator Little Fights NY Property Tax Cap Proposal

As a followup to yesterday’s post about the proposal to cap NY state payments on their forest reserve property, Senator Little has posted what she is doing to stop this on her website. Keep those emails and calls coming to our elected officials.

Clean Air Increases Longevity

Here is a short article from National Public Radio about something which seems so simple: breathing clean air lets you live longer. No wonder people like it in Huletts.