Posted on

Stefanik Makes Formal Request for Amtrak’s Timeline to Reopen Adirondack Line

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik sent a letter to Chief Executive Officer Stephen J. Gardner formally calling on Amtrak to commit to a timeline for fully reopening the Adirondack line.

“I write to you today again urging Amtrak to publicly commit to a timeline for reopening full rail operations on the Adirondack line. The Adirondack line runs through the 21st Congressional District of New York has been closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. To this point, Amtrak has failed to provide a specific date or details indicating when it will resume service along the Adirondack line. The Adirondack line is a significant economic driver for Upstate New York and the North Country. The continued delays to resume service are causing significant harm to citizens throughout New York State and the North Country, many of whom rely on passenger rail service for critical transportation,” Stefanik wrote. Read the full letter here.

Posted on

DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Highlights

Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wilderness Recovery: On Nov. 27 at 9:30 a.m., Forest Rangers were notified about a hunter having cardiac issues walking down the Pilot Knob trail to the Buck Mountain trailhead. When Rangers and Pilot Knob Fire arrived, the hunter was unconscious. Other hunters, hikers, and fire department personnel were performing CPR on the hunter. Rangers and EMS personnel continued these efforts. At 10:18 a.m., the hunter was declared deceased by the lead Fort Ann EMS Paramedic. DEC Investigator Goodrich also responded.

Posted on

Notice of the Start of Construction for Segments 1 & 2 of the Champlain Hudson Power Express Project (through Dresden)


The Champlain Hudson Power Express Project will run down route 22 through the Town of Dresden.

On or about November 18, 2022, construction activities for certain parts of Segments 1 and 2 of the Champlain Hudson Power Express Project (“CHPE”) are anticipated to begin. The Construction Zone for Segments 1 and 2 consist of a 17.6-mile overland cable route running from the western shore of Lake Champlain in the Town of Putnam to the Canadian Pacific (“CP”) Railroad right-of-way (“ROW”) in the Village of Whitehall. This underground transmission line segment runs through the Towns of Putnam, Dresden and Whitehall, as well as the Village of Whitehall, via County Route 3, Lake Road, New York State Route 22 and Bellamy Street to the CP Railroad ROW, as shown on the enclosed map. The initial construction work will commence at the Project’s construction laydown area located off of Ryder Road in Whitehall.

On October 13, 2022, the New York State Public Service Commission approved CHPE’s Environmental Management & Construction Plan (“EM&CP”) for Segments 1 and 2 of the Project. Upon receipt of a Notice to Proceed with Construction letter sent by the New York State Department of Public Service’s Office of Electric, Gas and Water, CHPE will be authorized to commence construction activities for the approved Segments.

CHPE has established a toll-free number for questions regarding the Project, including a complaint resolution plan for issues arising during construction: 1-800-991-CHPE (2473).

Questions or requests for further information can be directed to: publicoutreach@chpexpress.com or by mail to Molly Hollister, WSP USA, One Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, New York 10119. Facility construction falls under the jurisdiction of the Commission, which is responsible for enforcing compliance with environmental and construction conditions, and which may be contacted through Matthew Smith, Office of Electric, Gas and Water, New York State Department of Public Service, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223, via telephone at (518)474-8702
or email at matthew.smith@dps.ny.gov.

Details of the planned work locations, including construction drawings showing in detail the approved Segments, are available on the Project website at: https://chpexpress.com/overviewof-public-documents/environmental-management-construction-plan/. The full Commission docket for the Project can be accessed via the Commission’s website at:
http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=10-T0139.

Paper copies of the EM&CP for Segments 1 and 2 will be available for viewing at the following local document repositories: Black Watch Memorial Library, 99 Montcalm St., Ticonderoga, NY 12883; Whitehall Free Library, 12 Williams Street, Whitehall, NY 12887; Dresden Town Hall, 1 Lillians Way, Clemons, NY 12819; and Putnam Town Hall, 14 Putnam Center Rd, Putnam Station, NY 12861.

Posted on

Joseph R. Rota, R.I.P.

I am sorry to report that Joseph R. Rota, 89, the former Town Supervisor of Dresden, passed away on September 5, 2022. Mr. Rota served numerous terms as the Town Supervisor of Dresden during the 1980’s and was instrumental in the creation of the Town Sewer District #1 in Huletts Landing.

In addition to serving as Dresden Town Supervisor, Mr. Rota also served many years as Executive Director of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board. Demonstrating the importance of every vote, he won his first election as Dresden Supervisor by one vote.

On a personal note, I found Mr. Rota to always be fair and an extremely hard worker. I once delivered documents to him as he boarded a train to leave on vacation. A vocal defender for private property rights, he was instrumental in the formation of the first Huletts Sewer District, working with many local citizens, elected state officials and different state agencies to guide the project through a myriad of obstacles.

Our condolences go out his family.

His full obituary and online condolences may be found here: www.carletonfuneralhome.net/joseph-thomas-rota/

“May God support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest and peace at the last.”

Posted on

DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Highlights

Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 19 at 2:30 p.m., Forest Rangers Kabrehl and Morehouse responded by boat to a report of an injured hiker on First Peak in the Tongue Mountain Range, not far from Northwest Bay. Rangers reached the hikers by 4:30 p.m., and determined the 55-year-old from Tupper Lake couldn’t put any weight on his knee. Five Rangers helped carry the hiker to the boat. The group reached Green Island by 7:48 p.m., and the hiker sought further medical attention on his own.

Hiker rescued in Bolton


Hiker rescued in Bolton

Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 18 at 12:47 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance after two hikers called for help advising they were dehydrated and lacked energy as they were summitting Buck Mountain. Forest Ranger St. Claire responded and reached the pair, who were in good condition, by 3:17 p.m. Ranger St. Claire walked the hikers down and out of the woods to safety by approximately 5 p.m.

Posted on

Comptroller Releases Review of Recently Adopted $220.5 Billion State Budget

The New York state comptroller’s office released its analysis of the recently enacted record-breaking $220.5 billion state budget passed on April 9th. The state’s coffers this year were bolstered by higher-than-expected tax revenues, as well as federal pandemic aid.

While the State’s financial position currently appears strong, sustaining new recurring commitments over a longer time period may be difficult, as new economic risks emerge, federal funds are spent down, and temporary tax revenues sunset. Bolstering reserve funds is essential for ensuring services New Yorkers rely on can be preserved through economic challenges and fiscal uncertainties, and every opportunity should be taken to maximize deposits to the State’s statutory rainy day reserve funds.

The entire report can be read here.

Posted on

Brush Burn Ban Starts: March 16th

From March 16 through May 14, New York’s annual statewide ban prohibiting brush burning is in effect. Since 2009, DEC has enforced the ban to prevent wildfires and protect communities during heightened conditions for wildfires each spring. Backyard fire pits and campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width, or diameter are allowed. Small cooking fires are allowed, but only charcoal or dry, clean, untreated, or unpainted wood can be burned. People should never leave these or any fires unattended and must extinguish them. Burning garbage or leaves is prohibited year-round. For more information about fire safety and prevention, go to the DEC’s FIREWISE New York website.

Posted on

Senator Stec: End of School Mask Mandate Long Overdue

State Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) today issued the following statement concerning Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement that she’s finally lifting the mask mandate on schools, effective Wednesday, March 2:

“For too long, our officials have been making COVID-related decisions based on political science, instead of the actual science. Repeated studies have shown that long-term mask wearing has had a detrimental impact on our students, stunting their educational, emotional and social development and making it that much harder for them to overcome the pandemic.

“It’s for those reasons that I’ve repeatedly joined our local school districts in urging the governor and state Department of Health to provide clear guidance and an off-ramp to the end of the mask mandate. I’m glad that Governor Hochul finally listened to our voices and ended it. This is a big win for our educators and our children, who can finally get back to normal after the chaos and disruption of the past two years.

“This mandate was yet another example of the Executive overreach that has marred our state’s ability to address the pandemic and chart the best path forward. Instead of unilateral decisions that need to be rescinded after widespread public outcry, the Legislature must assert itself as an equal partner in government.”

Posted on

Governor to Lift Mask Mandate for Schools This Week

Mask mandates in public schools across New York will be lifted this Wednesday, March 2nd, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday.

Governor Hochul said local governments would be empowered to set their own school mask requirements in accordance with new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Friday that reclassified much of the state as “low risk” for COVID infection.