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Dresden 2013 Budget: 1.53% Increase in Taxes

At the November meeting of the Dresden town board, the 2013 town budget was finalized. The amount to be raised by taxes is only $5,800 more than 2012. This translates into an increase of 1.53% in taxes from 2012 to 2013. The town board should be congratulated for keeping the town budget in excellent shape during these trying fiscal times.

In another bit of good news, the total debt of Sewer District #1 is now $ 94,560, down from $140,586 a year ago.

The fire protection budget stays the same as it was last year.

You can see a summary of the 2013 town budget here. (Note: This is the preliminary budget report, which was adopted by the town board and is now final.)

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Huletts Christmas Party: December 1st

On Saturday, December 1st at 5 pm the annual Christmas party will be held in the Huletts Landing firehouse.

RSVP to Carol Borin @ 518-499-2755

Participants are asked to bring an entree, appetizer, salad or dessert.

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New Map Shows Huletts Detail


A map of Huletts Landing from Open Street Map.

Many thanks to Jim McAndrew who created the following map of Huletts Landing including street names and a high level of detail. I don’t think there’s another map out there detailing all the individual street names in Huletts.

There is also quite a bit of useful detail on other portions of the map, showing camping islands, picnic areas, buoys and trails around the lake.

This is such a helpful resource, I’m going to include it on the left sidebar.

Thanks Jim!

Click on the picture to see map.

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Support the Huletts Post Office


A postage paid order form to buy stamps by mail from the Huletts Post Office.

Pam Stragnell recently mailed out her October newsletter with order forms to purchase stamps by mail. Please remember to support the Huletts Post Office even if you are not in Huletts. Ordering stamps by mail is a great way to support the Huletts Post Office.

View Pam’s October newsletter here.

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Foster Brook Stream Restoration


The Lake George Association worked this fall on a lake saving stream restoration project on a small section of Foster Brook. The project included construction of a rock vane, cleaning out an off-line sediment basin (shown here), and stabilizing the stream banks with large 36- to-48-inch stone.

This fall the Lake George Association completed a project to stabilize a small section of Foster Brook in the hamlet of Huletts Landing. The brook was severely eroded during last year’s Tropical Storm Irene. Lots of unwanted material was deposited along the banks and within the stream, interrupting the natural flow of the water. This material was removed, and some was used, along with stone that was purchased, to stabilize the streambanks.

Rock vanes were constructed to help direct storm flow and keep downstream banks protected. Large 36-to-48- inch stone was brought in to create the rock vane. An off-line sediment basin along the stream was cleaned out; an estimated 35 cubic yards of material were removed. (Off-line sediment basins are designed to take excess flow during storm events.) Areas that were disturbed were graded and covered with straw and seed.

Just downstream of the basin where a secondary stream enters Foster Brook, a large amount of material was deposited. The northern downstream bank had major undercutting as the streams location had been altered. The deposited material was pulled back against the eroding bank to stabilize it and open the stream channel. A second rock vane was installed to keep the flow of the stream in the middle of the channel and protect the other shoreline.

The project was funded through grant awards received from the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation. Construction was completed by Nims Outdoor Services with some assistance from the Dresden Town Highway Department. Many thanks to all those involved.

(Click picture to see full-scale.)

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Sandy Updates

Conditions in Huletts

Tuesday: October 30th

10:20 AM – Unlike Irene, which hit Huletts pretty hard last year, Sandy so far, is a non-event in Huletts. It blew steadily at about 25-30 mph from the north yesterday, rained overnight, but dawned this morning at a balmy 60 degrees. The power did not go off, which is good because I think the crews will be needed elsewhere. Let’s just hope that when the remnants of Sandy turn north, they miss us also. To our friends in the NY metropolitan area, our thoughts are with you!

8:30 AM – Light rain and fog, very little wind, No Calls for Assistance to the Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Co.

5:55 AM – Wind Now Gusting (but lessened) from the Southeast, expect occasional thunderstorms to continue for the next several hours,
Wind Advisory in effect until 6 PM this evening — High Wind Warning Issued Yesterday Morning Canceled
A Wind Advisory means that winds of 31 to 39 MPH are expected or Wind Gusts of 46 to 57 MPH are expected.
Power/Phones Remain On

Monday: October 29th

7:40 PM – Wind Gusting Strong from North (25-30 MPH), Intermittent Rain
Power/Phones Remain On

4:20 PM – Wind Blowing Strong from North (20-25 MPH), Some Limbs Down, No Rain Yet
Power/Phones Remain On

11:55 AM – Overcast, No Rain Yet, Wind Getting Stronger from the North
Power/Phones Remain On
Flood Watch Warning Issued from Monday 12:00 PM until Wednesday 6:00 AM EDT

6:00 AM – Cloudy, Wind from the North is getting stronger
High Wind Warning Issued from Monday, 9am until Tuesday, 11am EDT

Sunday: October 28th

8:00 PM – Still No Appreciable Rain, Slight Breeze from the North. 50 degrees.

3:30 PM – Partly cloudy or mostly light gray, calm, 50 degrees. Nice.

1:00 PM – No significant rainfall, a bit cloudy. All quiet at this time.

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Sandy’s on the Way

While I’ve never intended the Huletts Current to be a “weather site,” it looks like Hurricane Sandy is going to be quite a storm. So I will do my best to bring you live updates and what is actually going on in Huletts as it happens. I will also post pictures when I can. The problem that I encountered during Hurricane Irene was that when the power went off, so did my connection into and out of the Landing.

This is what I can report so far:

New York

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo directed the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Sandy and prepare for potential storm impacts. Although the storm track is still uncertain, Hurricane Sandy has the potential to affect many parts of New York State with a variety of threats, including heavy rain, high winds, flooding, tornadoes, coastal surges, and widespread power outages.

The governor has cautioned New Yorkers to pay close attention to TV and radio for the latest information on the storm and especially for Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages that carry local emergency orders, such as evacuation or travel restrictions.

A storm emergency kit should include items such as non-perishable food, water, cash, filled prescriptions, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, first aid kit, flashlights and extra batteries.

Vermont

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture is advising farmers to harvest crops still in the fields. For those who need power for milking cows or cooling milk tanks, the agency warns to prepare for power outages by making sure generators are working. Farmers also are advised to purchase sufficient fuel to operate generators and equipment.

More as Sandy approaches.

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NY State Museum ~ Seneca Ray Stoddard Exhibition


Horicon Sketching Club, 1882 ~ Seneca Ray Stoddard: Capturing the Adirondacks: Photo courtesy of the New York State Museum

The New York State Museum will celebrate the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain on Saturday, November 3rd with “Adirondack Day,” an inaugural daylong event that will complement the Museum’s exhibition on iconic Adirondack photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard.

The FREE event, from 10am to 4pm, will include a concert, lectures, displays, tours and films presented by the New York State Museum and many of the North Country’s leading educational and cultural institutions. The Adirondack Council is a supporter of the event.

Guided tours will be offered of the Seneca Ray Stoddard: Capturing the Adirondacks exhibition. The exhibition includes over 100 of Stoddard’s photographs, an Adirondack guide boat, freight boat, camera, copies of Stoddard’s books and several of his paintings.

Further information about “Adirondack Day” can be obtained by calling 518.474.5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Note: There are three pictures of Huletts Landing. Go to: Explore Virtual Exhibit / Adapting the Land / Pictures 15, 16 & 17.

Explore Virtual Exhibit Here

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Rare Photo Shows 1898 Washington County “I” Company


A rare photograph of Washington County’s Company “I” which fought in the Spanish-American War. (Click image to see full-scale.)

This is one of those rare historical finds which is one of the reasons I started the Huletts Current.

It is a picture of Washington County’s Company “I” which fought in the Spanish-American War. The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States. It resulted in American control of Cuba and, following their purchase from Spain, indefinite authority over Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

It was given to me by Don Hart. Don’s wife, Pamela, is the granddaughter of Ruth Foote. Ruth was the sister of Earle Foote of Huletts Landing.

Don Hart’s great-grandfather, Patrick Hart, is pictured holding the razor and giving the man in the chair a shave. Don’s great-uncle, Bernard Hart, (Patrick’s brother) is also pictured sitting behind the left shoulder of the man lying on the ground with the apron. Bernard is the one with the ring of bullets around his neck. Don could not identify any of the other men in the picture.

I love this particular shot because it looks like the men were rounded up for the photograph while they were just doing their normal routines. It gives some insight into what the daily life of a local soldier was like in 1898.

Don said that both his great-grandfather and great-uncle were pretty tough fellows who were not known to back down from a fight. All these guys look rough and ready though, and this photo is certainly a great historical find. Many thanks to Don Hart for providing it.

(To really appreciate the image, click on it to see it full-scale.)

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Scenes from the Day


Ice cream being handed out in front of the Casino after the children’s parade.


The season ends on a fun note (especially for the kids).


Off-season construction has begun already.

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Columbus Day Weekend Events

The Casino will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, with the Halloween costume party happening on Saturday night.

The children’s parade will start at the Post Office and end at the Soda Fountain between 2 and 3 pm on Saturday afternoon.

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Supervisors Consider Transfering Transfer Stations

By a vote of 10 to 5, a resolution passed the Washington County Board of Supervisors on September 21st, to retain an attorney and spend roughly $3,000 on a request for proposals for the sale or lease of the five county owned transfer stations including the one located in Whitehall. Supervisor Robert Banks of Dresden was one of the five votes against the resolution.

This could lead to the stations either being sold or leased to a private garbage collection company. Other options could include changing the way the county presently runs them or making no changes and running them as they have been in the past.

The county has been losing money for years on the transfer stations as more and more county residents have been opting to hire private trash haulers who bypass the county facilities.