Amelia Earhart & Huletts

In this book, written by Amelia Earhart’s sister, there is one brief mention of Huletts.

“In the spring of 1919, Mother came to Northhampton from Kansas City. … Mother saw the move from California as another major ordeal that she did not look forward to. We rented a summer home at Huletts’s Landing on Lake George where Amelia, Mother, and I enjoyed the entire summer.”

“Amelia became especially friendly with the New York Stabler family who owned the cottage next door to the one we rented. Another neighbor was a young poet, Mark Turbyfill. Marian Stabler and her brother Frank, Amelia, and I formed a critical yet friendly audience for Mark. Mark’s poetry appealed to us because it broke from traditional poetry both in form and subject.”

That’s all folks. The next paragraph goes on to deal with their father and Amelia’s college career. If anyone knows anything about the people mentioned I’d appreciate hearing from you and I’ll share it here.

Now you know, Amelia Earhart was here in the summer of 1919, exactly 90 years ago!

Americade is Coming

The Saratogian has a good article on the upcoming Americade weekend. Please don’t become hysterical if you see motorcycles in Huletts this week. These are motorcycle enthusiasts simply out enjoying themselves. They are not a threat to public safety. These folks are on licensed vehicles bringing in much needed tourist dollars to the area. If you stop and talk to them, they love talking about their motorcycles. So if you see a motorcycle this weekend, please don’t become alarmed. They are just normal folks out enjoying themselves. Please welcome them as you would welcome any new friend.

The Teachers Contract

Previously I posted the Whitehall teachers contract online here. Today, I thought I would give my analysis of it.

Overall I believe the contract is fair but it could be improved. The problem that I have had with the district does not involve the teachers contract but revolves around the yearly budgets being padded and the excess being put into reserve accounts only to be spent later. The taxpayer is simply viewed as a deep pocketed dupe and never are any excesses returned in the form of lower taxes or lower budgets the following year. When coupled with falling enrollments, even in a year where there are no tax increases, per-pupil spending rises.

I have always had the utmost respect for teachers. It is more work than most people realize and the pressures to deal with students and parents can be overwhelming at times. Students have a lot of energy and teachers deserve our appreciation and support.

I’ve compared the Whitehall teachers contract to those in nearby districts and I would say it compares relatively favorably to those of nearby districts. Some districts have higher starting salaries than Whitehall but lower ending salaries after many years of service. However, while the current teacher’s contract is not extravagant, it is generous and it is certainly not frugal.

The original teacher’s contract was from June 1, 2005 to June 30, 2009 and the agreement was extended with a memorandum of agreement from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011.

The biggest thing I noticed is that there is no anti-nepotism language or policy in effect. This allows for all types of inter-connectiveness in the hiring and staffing of positions. Almost all districts are moving to these types of policies to prevent relatives from hiring and recommending other relatives. Whitehall has been criticized in the past as being a “good old boys network”. This type of language and/or policy would go a long way in blunting this type of criticism.

The second thing I noticed is that in the first agreement the percentage the school district was paying for medical, surgical, hospital, and dental costs for the teachers was declining.

2005-06 – 92%
2006-07 – 91%
2007-08 – 90%
2008-09 – 89%

However, in the extension (for the next two years) the percentage goes up.

2009-10 – 90%
2010-11 – 90%

This seems a bit odd in so far as the teachers had already agreed to lowering this percentage and it appears to be a major concession on the part of the District. It would seem that with a concession such as this, the District would ask for other concessions in return.

However, the district agreed to 4% annual increases for the next two years in the memorandum (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2011) which seem exceeding generous in these bad economic times.

I was also a bit surprised at the amount of compensation being paid to club moderators and team coaches. The athletic director’s salary was increased 33% from the original agreement to the memorandum for the next two years (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2011).

One criticism that I have heard repeatedly is that the school system needs to do more to crack down on unruly or misbehaving students. The one policy that has been shown to work and which many private schools use is academic, behavioral and/or attendance probation. This denies students the ability to participate in interscholastic or after-school activities who are failing, exhibit behavioral problems and/or who refuse to attend school regularly.

However if the teacher’s union views these clubs as a quick source of extra cash, there is no incentive to crack down and discipline students. You have a cycle where misbehaving students are needed for clubs so that a moderator can collect extra income.

Finally the number of clubs and paid positions should be evaluated in light of Whitehall’s falling enrollment. Hopefully the school board and the teachers will realize these types of positions are funded by hard-earned taxpayer dollars and that not everyone can afford these types of increases and that if the district doesn’t have an academic, behavioral and/or attendance probation policy it will continue to have disciplinary problems.

Hopefully the Board will think carefully about these types of increases and policies as they negotiate the next contract. Until they are able to reduce taxes and spending, I’m afraid Whitehall will continue to suffer from continued declines in enrollment, population and business as it has experienced over the last 15 years.

I believe the biggest problem the taxpayers face is the continued overcharging of the taxpayers by the district to fund reserve accounts which are earmarked for future building projects. These make little or no sense in a district which is losing students and population. What’s the point of having a new school and no people left in the Town?

Bits of Everything

National Grid Says Enough

While National Grid says they have enough electricity for the summer season, please conserve when you can.

DEC Decides High Profile Road Case

The Lake Placid News reports that the DEC has ruled in the interesting case of Lake Placid Snowmobile Club President, Jim McCulley, driving his truck on an old Town Road.

Jimmy Hoffa Would Be Proud

The Post Star reports that Washington County recycling station workers have joined the Teamsters. I will not make a joke about about the mafia and the trash hauling business!

Hopefully, They Won’t Look in the Garbage.

This is the story about trash hauling.

Leann Says Thanks

Leann asked that I post the following message from her:

Please post a huge thank you to everyone – the opening weekend of the new Casino was a great success. People were very happy and the new Casino “culture” was well received. Now that we’re open, I’ll look forward to seeing everyone again soon. If anyone has any ideas on things they would like to see – please call the Casino anytime: 499-0361

I hope everyone traveling had a safe trip home but know we’ll be working over the next few weeks to make the Casino even nicer for you when you return.

Foster Brook Delta Update

We have received an update from the Lake George Association that the DEC has issued a draft permit to remove the delta from the mouth of Foster Brook. That is the good news. Presently though, the LGA only has partial funding to undertake this project. This means that it will be a little while longer before the project can proceed.

Read the Lake George Association’s update.

Springtime is Golf Time!


The Golf Course Needs You

We received the following flyer from Mr. Quick and wanted to encourage everyone to join for this ’09 season.

There’s no better value than Huletts Golf.

Shut off that TV and get out there and play!

School District Vote Results

Yes     No
Budget – No Tax Increase or Decrease 215     39
Prop # 1 – $184,000 for Two School Buses 197     39
Prop # 2 – $500,000 Surplus to Reserve / No Tax Decrease 188     47
Prop # 3 – $15,000 for the Whitehall Library 197     41


Budget and all 3 Propositions Pass
No Tax Decrease Next Year

Memorial Day Weekend 2009


Just wanted to let everyone know:

The Casino will have an informal “open house” on Thursday, May 21st and will formally open on Friday May 22nd.

The Huletts Landing Property Owners Civic Association meeting will be on Sunday, May 24th at 10 a.m.

What do they say? “Be there or be square!”

Proposition # 2


The School Budget vote and election will be held on Tuesday, May 19th between 12:00 noon and 9:00 p.m. in the large group instruction room in the high-school on Buckley Road.

One of the things to be considered is Proposition # 2. What is this?

Here is the wording of the legal notice which the district ran in the paper.

Proposition # 2
“Resolved that the Board of Education of the Whitehall Central School District is authorized and directed to increase the ultimate amount of the capital reserve fund known as the “Future Renovations to the Elementary and Jr./Sr. High School Buildings Capital Reserve Fund”, which Capital Reserve Fund was approved by the voters on May 20, 2003, from the original sum of $1,500,000 to be increased (to the) sum of $3,500,000. A sum not to exceed $500,000 shall be transferred from the current general fund into this Capital Reserve Fund as part of the increased ultimate amount authorized by the proposition. The original term of such Fund shall remain at ten (10) years from May 20, 2003.”

What is this really all about? It’s about our tax dollars being frivolously wasted.

In 2005, the school spent over $ 2 million dollars from a reserve account to build an addition on the school and tennis courts. Now the district is building up the account again by overcharging the taxpayers on the yearly budget, putting the excess into reserve accounts and planning future construction projects. All the while, enrollment is dropping!

This year $500,000 is proposed to be put away and the reserve account is proposed to grow to $3.5 million. This would seem to indicate that the district is planning on putting $500,000 away for 4 years before they spend it.

When they go to spend it, they will claim it will have no effect on taxes. When in fact, the district has already taken it out of our pockets.

The problem Whitehall is having is that the town is dying because of the school district’s taxing policy. Dresden has actually cut taxes two years in a row, and increased spending at the same time because Dresden has grown its tax base. The school district could do the same; put money in reserve, cut taxes and improve the tax base of the town.

Whitehall is doing exactly the opposite. I keep a list of businesses that have left Whitehall over the last 10 years and every year it continues to grow. Dunkin Donuts left last year.

Sadly the good news is, you can’t miss the problem any more. Recent local headlines about Whitehall all show a town in significant decline; water problems unresolved, a former police chief who couldn’t pass the civil service exam, a low-income subsidized housing center which can’t attract enough residents, the municipal offices being located in a state facility which doesn’t want them there. Do I have to list more?

Dresden on the other hand, and especially Huletts, is growing and thriving because of low spending and wise stewardship. Every year positive change is happening in Huletts.

While the Huletts Current recommends a “NO” vote on Proposition 2 this Tuesday, Whitehall will most likely continue to go down the declining path it has chosen. The real news is that enrollment will plummet in the years ahead and the district will have put itself and the town of Whitehall out of business. They might build a fancy new school with our tax dollars, but at this pace it will be empty because there won’t be any children or businesses left in Whitehall.

The Problem With The Stream Rules: Video

The Lake George Park Commission is scheduled to say something at their May meeting this week, regarding their proposed stream rules.

I took this video a few weeks ago which demonstrates the loophole which I have been talking about.

The proposed regulations don’t accomplish what they set out to accomplish in so far as they exempt State, County and Town highway crews from cutting drainage ditches allowing salt and road runoff to flow directly into streams along their highway right of ways. The rules will effectively take 5000 acres of private property off the tax rolls but will do nothing to stop this.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1xFbJ7iQe8

What Exactly is a Catamount?

The NCAA basketball tournament is over for this year but I finally got a chance to sit down with my friend Mike Lonergan and talk about what life is like for the Vermont basketball coach. As we head into our “summer season”, his year is winding down and we finally had a chance to get caught up.

If you see Mike on the beach this summer, he’ll talk basketball all day long.

We go back to our days at Catholic University when we were both students. You would go on to become the head coach there and actually won the NCAA Div III championship in 2001. Could you tell our readers a little bit about that experience?

“Coaching at my alma mater was a great experience and it was very rewarding. We built the most successful Division III men’s basketball program in the country and did it with true student athletes. The last 3 seasons I coached at Catholic University my wife was the women’s basketball coach which was kind of cool. We were actually able to help each other recruit. We didn’t just talk about the CUA Basketball Family we actually lived it!”

After that you moved on to the University of Maryland as an assistant coach, do you have any good stories about your days at Maryland that you could share?

“I was a lifelong Maryland fan and a Gary Williams fan. I had a great time during my 1 season coaching at Maryland but it was a little difficult being an assistant coach again after being a head coach the previous 12 seasons. It was a great experience working for Gary but I can’t tell you any stories about Gary. You wouldn’t believe them anyways! He is a great coach and quite a character.”

You are now the head coach at the University of Vermont and have had good success there. What is the life of a NCAA coach like? Do you spend most of the year recruiting? Is there alot of travel?

“We have been fortunate to have had a lot of success here at UVM. It is truly a special place. I can’t think of a better place for my wife, Maggie, and I to raise our 4 children. Coaching is not an easy life. I spend a lot of time on the road and it makes my wife’s life tougher but the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices my family has made. I actually recruit less at UVM than I did at Catholic University because of the NCAA rules. There are certain times of the year that are “dead” periods when we are not allowed off campus to recruit. At DIII you could recruit 365 days/year! The best time of the year for DI basketball coaches is August. We are not allowed to recruit and our students are home most of that month. I love August because my family can go for a nice vacation at our favorite place – Hulett’s Landing! People always tell me I don’t know how to relax but I finally found a place where even I can relax and enjoy, and that’s Hulett’s Landing!”

You probably get this a lot, but what exactly is a Catamount?

“A Catamount is a type of Mountain wild cat. It is supposedly extinct but there have been some reported sightings in the last few years. I actually like that our mascot is a Catamount because it is not a common nickname.”

Mike – I know a lot of your friends in Huletts were disappointed when Vermont lost the America East tournament this year. Could you give us your thoughts?

“We had a very good year (24-9, America East regular season co champions) but didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully next season will be even better. I hope some of the people from Huletts can come up to Burlington next winter and see us play. It is a great atmosphere at Patrick Gym. We have one of the best players in the country in 2 time America East Player of the Year Marqus Blakely. He is fun to watch!”

Mike thanks for taking the time to tell our readers about Vermont basketball and how great Huletts Landing is!

Smiles all around.