Posted on

February 23, 1455 and the Huletts Current

February 23, 1455 is the traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg bible, the first Western book printed with movable type. It was a revolution in the dissemination of information and it encouraged reading on a scale never before seen.

What does this have to do with this blog? I have tried an experiment over the last two years that I think bodes poorly for the newspaper industry. When I meet someone younger than 25, I ask them if they read newspapers. Their answer has always been: “No”. Why? They all tell me they get their information strictly from online sources.

The Internet is as fundamental a change, if not greater a change, than the Gutenberg bible in the dissemination of information. The fact that you’re reading this shows the point. Things that we all once read in the newspaper, we can now get quicker online without the cost of a printing press. My little experiment over the last two years is one of the reasons I started this blog. Hopefully, you’ll keep reading. That’s one thing that will never go out of style.

Posted on

Public Service Announcement

Please know that the General Election is now tentatively set for Tuesday, March 31st for the purpose of electing a Congressman from the 20th District to replace Kirsten Gillibrad. Huletts residents who are registered as voters will have to send in applications for Absentee ballots ASAP in order to receive a ballot to elect either Scott Murphy (D) or James Tedesco (R). Let your voice be heard.

Posted on

All Environmentalists Are NOT The Same


Growing up we had a dog named Freckles who was a wonderful dog in all regards. He was loyal and friendly and just a great dog. At our home in NJ we kept him in our backyard and he was always on a chain where he could roam around half the backyard. Well we had a neighbor kid who would cut through our yard on the way home. He was the type of kid who had no friends and no one liked. As he went through the yard he would throw small stones at Freckles and annoy the dog and then run away. He did it intentionally and was real mean spirited about it. When confronted he would run. This went on for a few months.

Well one Sunday, they had a blessing of pets on the feast of St. Francis and I took the dog down to the church and he was so happy to get blessed and have some holy water sprinkled over him. He licked everyone and I never forgot what a nice day it was with all the other people with animals, etc. If you’ve ever gone to one of these, it’s quite an experience.

Well St. Francis must have smiled on Freckles that day because the very next week the dog’s daily torture of being hit by stones ended abruptly when his chain snapped as he was being hit by stones. Freckles, who never hurt anyone in his entire life, went after that kid like a lightening bolt. I will phrase this as kindly as I can. I witnessed first hand, a dog clamp on to an ass’s ass and that put an end to the stone throwing. Even St. Francis would have smiled.

The moral of the story: when you throw stones – sometimes you get what you deserve.

You will remember that we worked almost two years with the Lake George Association to clean up the mouth of Foster Brook. This was at no cost to anyone and the LGA was going to pick up all expenses. Their representative spoke to the HLPOCA at the July 4th meeting.

When the project didn’t start in the fall. I emailed the LGA, and this was part of the response I got back.

“As per Foster Dredging- the permit has not been issued yet. The Park Commission took some time to respond, they said there was no issue with the permit application and it followed what was outlined in the Environmental Impact Statement. There has been a delay due to some comments from the Waterkeeper. DEC is addressing them and should issued later this fall. Another issue is that DEC will not allow any dredging to take place after Oct 1st. The earliest we can do it is May 1st …”

(The dates of May 1st thru Oct 1st are problematic because of the issues with increased traffic on the road and the dock being occupied but we will try to work through these also. So the Lake George Waterkeeper, has in part, (the LGA is also trying to raise the funds in a down economy) halted this project for at least one year and maybe more with their opposition.)

So I emailed the Waterkeeper at the time and asked for their objections. I never heard back but found their objections on their website and published this post.

What I ask today is that you make a distinction in your mind between environmental groups that want to help the environment and groups that are simply interested in “throwing stones.” All environment groups working in the Lake George area are not equal.

The Lake George Association is the oldest environmental organization on the Lake. They were willing to fund two projects in Huletts totaling almost $100,000 last year and worked to make it happen.

The Lake George Waterkeeper likes to object to projects but when asked what projects it is in favor of, they refuse to respond. They have partnered with another extreme group, the Fund for Lake George, to support the new stream corridor regulations.

I wrote a letter to the Post Star this week where I attempted to point out the radical nature of these two groups. You should know what these groups are all about and what they are advocating. To read my letter click here.

It was only after my letter ran in the Post Star this week that I heard from the Waterkeeper. He finally told me that he will respond to my email from about four months ago. I hope he will go further. I hope he will begin to work with us and the LGA for the good of the community and cease his objections to the Foster Brook project that the LGA is willing and attempting to fund. Until we hear otherwise, I ask that you do not support the FUND for Lake George or the Waterkeeper.

If you want to support an environmental group that is interested in accomplishing something, the Lake George Association is the better choice.

Posted on

A View From Across The Lake

In our quest to bring you unique pictures of Huletts, we ventured across the lake to the scenic overlook on Route 9N close to Sabbath Day Point. Looking back toward Huletts in the winter is a bit different than the view in summer.

Posted on

Now There Are 4

We can now confirm that 4 towns around the lake have officially passed resolutions against the proposed stream corridor regulations that the LGPC is proposing.

The town boards of Lake George, Warrensburg and Hague all voted last week to officially oppose the proposed stream corridor regulations. The Town of Bolton Landing passed a similar resolution the week before. On Wednesday, the Warrensburg Town Board voted unanimously against the setback rules, following Tuesday’s vote in Hague’s and the Lake George Town Board’s “No” vote on Monday.

Why is this? Because the rules are extreme and have no common-sense exemptions. Here is a link to a previous post on how they might impact the golf course.

Posted on

Bits of Everything

There’s Proof – The Air is Cleaner

Here is a good article from the Watertown Daily Times which cites an EPA study that shows that decreased emissions from the nation’s power plants have led to cleaner air and water in the Adirondacks.

Election Date Set for Congressional Election

The Albany Times Union, reports that the Governor has set a date for the special election to fill the empty congressional seat in the 20th district.

AMD Plant Snags

The proposed AMD computer chip plant has run into a few snags, the Post Star reports. While not unexpected, these may slow down the plant’s development.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Winter 2009

Many times we get the question; “What is Huletts like in the winter?” So I thought this picture would be appropriate. It’s cold, there’s a lot of snow and it gets dark with very little cloud cover. Oh what a difference a few months makes!

A Winter Day in Huletts
A Winter Day in Huletts

Posted on

Preview – Coming Soon

It’s been quiet this week, but we’re working on some stories and some new features which you’ll find interesting.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be adding some original historic videos, which we’re going to be calling our video time traveler series. We’re also exploring some connections that Huletts has to NCAA Basketball and Major League Baseball.

We’re going to start a feature in the weeks ahead about what some of our friends do in the winter when they leave Huletts and we’ve also got a couple of unique interviews in the pipeline. We’re going to start another feature called; “Where are They Now” which will focus on some friends who have not been in Huletts for awhile.

We’ll continue to bring you the local news, and our popular historic items but we’re also going to be expanding our topics and posts. Full speed ahead!

Posted on

Budget Deal Reached

Gov. David Paterson and Democratic legislative leaders have reached a deal to reduce the state’s budget for the current fiscal year. This $1.6B deal closed the deficit for the current fiscal year.

With this year’s budget finished, the Governor and state legislators will start on the 2009-2010 budget that begins with a roughly $13 billion difference between spending and projected revenue.

The proposal to cap the amount the state pays in real estate taxes on forest preserve land was not not being considered for this years budget but has been proposed by the Governor for next year’s budget.

“We will pretty much be throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this budget deficit,” Gov. Paterson said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Posted on

What a Black Swan Means to the Governor’s Tax Cap Proposal on State Land

In his 2007 best selling book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, explores an idea which is relevant to the current debate on whether NY state should pay their full share of taxes on their forest preserve land.

“The book explores one big idea: that history is dominated by rare, unpredictable and extreme events. The author calls these black swans, alluding to the fact that Europeans had seen only white swans until black swans were found in Australia. The Great Depression, the 1987 stock market collapse, and the current financial crisis are examples. Black swans don’t have to be negative. Biotech firms that stumble upon breakthrough cures are black swans.

The human mind, evolved to cope with everyday tasks, deals poorly with rare but consequential events. People assume that the future will be like the recent past but in fact, the most consequential events may not have recent precedents.”

For example: NY state attempting to change how it has paid taxes on its public forest preserve land since the 1880’s. If they stop paying their full share, property taxes will go through the roof. No one really understands the consequences of this because it has never been tried before. However, all readers of the Huletts Current; if this happens, you’ve seen the black swan here already. This will be devastating to the private property owners of the Adirondacks. Please contact your downstate, state representatives. Don’t let the Governor get away with this proposal.

*Book Synopsis – Forbes Magazine February 2, 2009

Posted on

Supervisor Banks Named to Committees

Town Supervisor, Robert Banks, was recently named to a number of committees at the county level. He was picked to serve on the Adirondack Community College, Health, Human Services, Public Safety, and Public Works committees.

Many important decisions are made at the committee level and we commend Supervisor Banks for these important assignments.