Lake Champlain as it was seen this past week from Route 22 as it crosses into Whitehall.
January Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the January 2019 meeting of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website. There are many interesting news items: including a commemorative stamp for Clemons and the breakdown of a town truck.
Senator Little Begins Ninth Term
State Senator Betty Little sworn in for her ninth term. (Click image for larger view.)
State Senator Betty Little is administered the oath of office by Janet DiFiore, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, in the New York State Senate Chamber on Wednesday, January 9. Little was joined her son, David, and grandson, Matthew, holding the Bible. Little begins her 9th term in the State Senate, where she serves as the ranking member on the Education Committee, as well as on the Rules, Finance, Health, Environmental Conservation and Housing Committees.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) Officially Sworn In
Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (left), officially swears in Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) (right). (Click image to see full-scale.)
Thursday, January 3, 2019, 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 116th Congress.
Economic Development Grants Announced by Governor
Today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that more than $763 million in economic and community development funding has been awarded through Round VIII of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. A number of worthwhile local projects received funding:
File photo of Rogers Memorial Park in Bolton. The Town of Bolton will be receiving funds from the Regional Economic Development Council initiative for additional improvements to Rogers Memorial Park.
Town of Bolton: $600,000 for Rogers Memorial Park Waterfront Sustainability improvements.
Town of Bolton: $1,000,000 for improvements to the Town’s wastewater treatment process.
Town of Granville: $250,000 to construct a northern segment of the Slate Valley Rail Trail linking miles of family friendly, accessible trail with points north and south of the Village of Granville. The trail is envisioned as an indispensable link that will ultimately connect northeastern Washington County with the Empire State Trail in Whitehall, New York; and with the D&H rail Trail north linking in through Hampton New York to Poultney/Castleton and south to Pawlet/Rupert Vermont.
Town of Hague: $230,625, to install new control systems and perform other upgrades at their Dodd Hill and Cape Cod pumping stations. These wastewater treatment improvements will help prevent nutrients entering nearby waterways, including phosphorus that may lead to harmful algal blooms.
Town of Lake George: $657,028 to consolidate two of their pump stations, making upgrades to the lower pump station and installing sewer pipes and force mains. The benefit of this project includes protecting Lake George from additional phosphorus that can lead to harmful algal blooms.
Village of Lake George: $100,000 to complete a study on groundwater infiltration into the sanitary sewer collection system.
Town of Ticonderoga: $30,000 for upgrades to the Town’s wastewater treatment plant’s HVAC system.
Village of Whitehall: $300,000 to be used to remove debris, and design and construct a public parking facility on the site of the former Flat Iron Building.
Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District: $65,200 to expand its county-wide roadside erosion and sediment control program by stabilizing 15-20 acres of bare roadside ditches. The project will improve water quality by reducing sediment and debris runoff entering water bodies from roadside ditch erosion.
November Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the November 2018 meeting of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
September & October Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the September and October 2018 meetings of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
July & August Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the July and August 2018 meetings of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
New LGLC Leeming Jelliffe Preserve Opens in Huletts Landing
From left to right, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of new Leeming Jelliffe Preserve in Huletts Landing: LGLC Development Manager Helen Barton Benedict, Paul Lawler, LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown, LGLC Board President Mike O’Reilly, Sylvia Jelliffe Lawler, and LGLC Board Member Patty HasBrouck.
On Friday, September 7th, 2018 the Lake George Land Conservancy marked the opening of the Leeming Jelliffe Preserve in Hulett’s Landing with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by nearly 40 community members and key supporters of the project.
Visitors and guests enjoying the new trail system.
The 33.3-acre upland preserve was purchased by the LGLC in April. Over the summer, LGLC staff and volunteers blazed a short, easy trail to the preserve’s viewpoint overlooking the narrows and Silver Bay on the western shore. There is currently a small road-front area for parking; a larger parking lot may be created, if needed.
The purchase was made thanks to the willingness of the Wilkening family to work to protect it, and to a timely and generous donation by Paul and Sylvia Jelliffe Lawler, which was matched by Paul’s past employer, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The donation also made possible the purchase of a conservation easement on an adjoining house lot with over 600 feet of Lake George shorefront.
The Lawlers joined LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown to cut the ceremonial ribbon at the preserve’s entrance on Bluff Head Road. Sylvia then spoke about her family’s roots at Lake George, and specifically, Hulett’s Landing.
Sylvia’s great-grandparents, and Helena “Bunny” Wilkening’s grandparents, Dr. Smith Ely Jelliffe and Helena Dewey Leeming Jelliffe, bought 125 acres of land in Hulett’s Landing in the early 1900’s. Over time the land was divided between their children; Bunny’s mother, Winifred, was given land that Bunny then inherited, including the property which is now the Leeming Jelliffe Preserve. The Preserve is named after Winifred’s brother, and Sylvia’s grandfather, William Leeming Jelliffe.
A reception followed the ribbon cutting at “The White House”, hosted by Paul and Sylvia Lawler.
“My grandfather, Leeming, died before my dad was born. He was a dearly beloved brother and he loved the lake. Dad was able to connect with his Aunts and Uncle here when I was young, and Lake George continues to be the strong thread that keeps us together. There is really something magical and comforting about this place, and its ability to keep people together.”
The LGLC also announced a new campaign, launched with a challenge pledge of $1 million from the Lawlers and Kellogg Foundation for conservation in the Hulett’s Landing area. The LGLC will be fundraising to match the generous pledge, so that $2 million in total will be available for permanent land protection in the region.
The view from the new Leeming Jelliffe Preserve.
Bits of Everything
Adirondack Life Magazine Profile: The Firehouse in Hague
Adirondack Life magazine has a great piece on the Firehouse, a unique dining experience in Hague, that many folks from Huletts like to visit.
New Propane Facility Opens in Nearby Hampton
Ray Energy has a press release on their website, which documents their new rail facility in Washington County that will serve the Northeast with propane.
Aggressive Bear Killed By DEC
A bear was killed by the DEC in Saranac Lake Island Campground recently as described by the Adirondack Explorer. I saw a bear once in Dresden but I didn’t get a good look because I was looking over my shoulder as I was running in the opposite direction.
More Asian Clams Found in Lake George
The Lake George Park Commission has released their final report for 2018 that details Asian Clam growth in Lake George
June Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the June 2018 meeting of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
May Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the May 2018 meeting of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website. There are many interesting items in this months minutes.
The June minutes will not be approved until July and so on.
January and February Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the January and February 2018 meetings of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website. There are many interesting facts in these notes – including salaries of town officials for 2018 and an update on the proposed power transmission project down state route 22.
The March minutes will not be approved until April and so on.
Champlain Power Express Hopes to Lay Power Line Through Dresden
The Champlain Power Express is a project you will hear about over the next few months as the developers hope to run an underground electricity transmission line 333 miles from a substation in Canada to a substation in Queens New York, with the goal of supplying additional power to New York City.
The project has been years in the works, starting in 2009. The proposed route would take the line underground through Dresden along state Route 22. It would only carry electricity that would be generated almost exclusively in hydroelectric plants in Canada. It would not carry gas, fuel oil or other hazardous materials.
The proposed route would take the planned transmission line underground through Dresden to Whitehall near the South Bay bridge.
The project would bring additional tax revenue to the Town of Dresden, Washington county and the Whitehall school district because the transmission line becomes a taxable asset when it is placed in the ground. More details coming soon.