The minutes for the February school board meeting of the Whitehall Central School district were recently finalized. Here is a link to the February minutes.
Five School Board Seats Up for Election This Year
Five school board seats will be up for election in 2017. School board President, Jeremy Putorti resigned in March, making a four-year seat available. Two other current members, James Brooks and Samantha Kingsley, will have their terms end this year. Those seats are three-year terms. Two two-year terms will also be up for a vote as Anthony Scrimo passed away and Any Austin resigned in 2016. Petitions of those seeking these seats must be returned to the district clerk by April 17th no later than 5:00 pm.
I will be covering these contests and will be sending out questionnaires to all those who enter the race. Stay tuned.
Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Department Practices Ice Drill
The Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Company was able to test their new reach and rescue pole recently on the ice on Lake George. It extends from 9 to 60 feet long. Here it is being tested at the Marina.
A simulated ice rescue drill was done recently by the the Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Department. Below are pictures from the day’s training.
A “person in the water” was dragged toward solid ice.
The fearless volunteer got a bit cold even with his protective gear on.
The “drowning person” was saved successfully.
All in all – a very good training day for our Huletts volunteers.
Many thanks to Fire Chief, Jay VanderPlaat, for coordinating this training as well as all the volunteers who made the day a success.
February Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the Febraury 2017 Dresden Town Board meeting were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
Additionally a Public Notice setting forth Dresden’s snow and ice policy was also posted.
The March minutes will not be approved until April and so on.
Whitehall School Board: January Meeting Minutes
The Whitehall School Board has begun to put the minutes to their monthly meetings online. The Board should be commended for this.
Here is a link to the minutes for the Regular Board Meeting from Wednesday, January 18, 2017. I will begin to post these. (There is no easy way to link directly to these. They have to be printed out and saved as a pdf.)
Please note the following budget items where discussed by the Superintendent in his remarks (Item # 4 Superintendent Comments):
Patrick Dee stated that the State Aid Budget runs will be approximately 1.7% increase in aid. The Governor’s budget: Approximately $124,000 present budget runs for Whitehall.
Patrick Dee stated that there will be an approximate 15% budget increase (approximately $300.000 budget increase) in health insurance for 2017-2018. Whitehall is part of a consortium, which includes twenty eight out of thirty districts within WSWHE BOCES.
NY State Comptroller’s Audit of Dresden Released
The NY State Comptroller has completed its audit of the Town of Dresden and the operations of the Town Clerk. That audit, as well as the Town’s initial response, is included in the report. The Town’s complete response is due to the state within 90-days.
This was a comprehensive undertaking that encompasses the financial health of the entire town, including the general and highways budgets, as well as the overall health of both sewer districts.
January Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the January 2017 Dresden Town Board meetings were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website. This meeting set the salaries for town officials and which members of the Town Board would serve on which committees.
Additionally a Public Notice setting the standard work day for certain town employees was also posted.
The February minutes will not be approved until March and so on.
Please Buy Postage in Huletts
A postage paid order form to buy stamps by mail from the Huletts Post Office.
OK, so while things are very quiet in Huletts right now, there is one constant of activity on the Landing. The Huletts Post Office. So if you’re going to be “in town” for a long weekend or even if you’re not, please consider purchasing your postage from the Post Office.
One thing we can all do, (even if you are not in Huletts) is to buy postage from our local Post Office. Ordering stamps by mail is a great way to support the Huletts Post Office. It’s free and incredibly easy. The order form comes in a return postage paid envelope and the stamps arrive at your door within a few days. It’s that simple and it helps.
If you don’t have a pre-addressed envelope, you can just write your order on a piece of paper and mail a check to:
Huletts Post Office
962 County Route 6
Huletts Landing, NY 12841-9998
It helps to have a Post Office in Huletts, so please support it.
December Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the December 2016 Dresden Town Board meetings were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
The January minutes will not be approved until February and so on.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) Officially Sworn In
Rep. Elise Stefanik being sworn in by Speaker Paul Ryan. (Click image to see full-scale.)
Tuesday, January 3, 2017, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) was officially sworn in to represent New York’s 21st district in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 115th Congress.
Top News Story of Huletts: 2016
Washington County highway department workers placing the new deck on the 6B bridge in Huletts Landing during June 2016. (Click image to see full-scale.)
Since I’ve been writing here on the Huletts Current, I’ve gotten in the habit of recapping at the end of the year what I consider to be the top news story of Huletts Landing from the past year. This is sometimes obvious, sometimes it is not. A lot happened this past year but the story that stood out to me, and was obvious to all in the Landing, was the county replacing the entire 6B bridge.
This work started in the Spring, continued into the Summer and was not finally completed until the Fall. The old bridge was entirely removed, the abutments were re-poured and a new deck and railings were added. The construction even impacted the water line to the golf course for a few weeks.
So for 2016, I’ve selected the rebuilding of the Washington County 6B bridge, as the: Top News Story of Huletts for 2016.
(Click images to see larger view.)
So for me, 2016 will ultimately be remembered as the year that the infrastructure in the center of the Landing was vastly improved even if it meant some minor inconveniences getting around. It took some time but hopefully it will last!
Now on to 2017!
Now for Some History: 1919
The NY State Archives has an image in their collection of William C. Noble, fire observer, sitting in the doorway of a wooden shack used for observing the outbreak of forest fires on Black Mountain in 1919. It can be enlarged to see full-scale.
Dresden Christmas Party Enjoyed by Many
Mrs. and Mr. Santa Claus (played by Town Councilman John Barber, Jr.) with the Honorable Jack Eggleston.
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus came early this year to the 2016 Dresden holiday party on Saturday because so many children have been good in Dresden this year. A large crowd attended and enjoyed the festivities.
Linda Barber (left – above picture) who every year works diligently to make this party happen, including going out and purchasing the presents, drinks, and whatever else is needed, making sure the Town Hall is set up, and lastly, bringing Santa to the Party.
The Honorable Town Justice Jack Eggleston, (center – above picture) (who every year somehow manages to get a room full of parents and kids to enjoy the festivities including cookies and juices, reads the “Twas’ the Night Before Christmas”, leads the singing of Christmas Carols and introduces Santa Claus. This Christmas, Mrs. Claus came to the party as well.
Julie Barber, (right – above picture) wife of Councilman, John Barber, Jr. and part-owner of Apple Hill Orchards, who managed to help Mrs. Claus give Santa the presents for the kids (Mrs. Claus is getting so old, she had a hard time remembering which child got which toy) plus, Julie also jumped back and took pictures of each child with Santa.
Some of the decorations.
Mrs. Santa Claus, (portrayed by Helen Goodwin) when the original Mrs. Claus could not get to the annual Dresden Christmas party due to the inclement weather, stands with the presents given to the children at the party.
Reading of “The Night Before Christmas.”
Town Councilman Allen Wilbur with wife (and Town Clerk) Marcie Wilbur and their grandchildren.
Children who won door prizes received a 2016 Teddy Bear with $$ in a card and adults received a gift certificate to Historic Grounds restaurant in Whitehall in a Christmas coffee mug.
Many thanks to those who made this party such a huge success!!
2016 Lake George Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention / Boat Inspection Program Report
The Lake George Park Commission has released the 2016 Lake George Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention / Boat Inspection Program Report. 2016 was the busiest year to date under the program, with a fairly significant increase in the number of boater contacts over the previous two years due to the fantastic weather this past summer. (Click image to read.)
