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Top News Story of Huletts: 2023

As we complete another circle around our sun, it’s my habit to reflect on our past year. I’ve always believed that it’s good to reflect on what happened over the last year and what might shape the future. I also like to move into the new year by taking one last look back at what I consider the top “news” story of Huletts Landing from the past year.

I have been posting and writing here on the Huletts Current since November 2007. I have done this annually since then and I usually get feedback one way or another.

So here it is for 2023. While it may have happened on the other side of the mountain, I am naming the actual installation of the Champlain Hudson Power Express cable down Route 22, through our beautiful Town of Dresden, as the Top News Story of Huletts for 2023. My rationale is below.


Seen here in June 2023, the cable bringing power from Canada to New York city was actually installed along state Route 22 in Dresden during 2023.

The project has been in the works for many years, but during 2023 the actual cable was installed along state Route 22 here in Dresden. It will carry electricity that will be generated almost exclusively in hydroelectric plants in Canada down to the New York city metropolitan area. It will not carry gas, oil or other hazardous materials. It will carry a lot of power though. The CHPE is expected to be fully operational in the spring of 2026, delivering 1,250 MW of renewable power directly into the New York Metro area. This $6B project ensures that generations of New Yorkers will benefit. Wide support exists from communities up and down the line, as well as labor and environmental groups. The buried line also ensures reliable power delivery in extreme weather.

It will have an an enormous future impact on Huletts in that it will bring revenue to Dresden, the Whitehall school district and Washington county for many years. The developers of the project estimate that it will bring $1.4 billion in tax revenue to communities throughout New York State over 30 years. The payments to local jurisdictions are expected to start in 2025 in the form of payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements. The early estimates are that the Whitehall Central school district will receive combined payments of $750,000 for the first year, growing to about $2 million in the 30th and final year. The Town of Dresden is estimated to receive $3.27 million in total PILOT funds over 30 years. Our locally elected office holders will decide how these funds will be appropriated. Every voter should ask; “how is this money going to benefit us?”

There will be much more on this in the years to come, making the installation of the Champlain Hudson Power Express cable down Route 22, through our beautiful Town of Dresden, as the Top News Story of Huletts for 2023. Happy New Year!

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Whitehall Board of Education Proposal to Repurpose the Current Pool Space Headed to District Vote February 6th


Architectural renderings of what a new STEM space would look like if the current area where the school’s pool is located is replaced with numerous new facilities.

The Whitehall School Board voted unanimously in March 2023 to repurpose the space currently occupied by the pool located inside the Whitehall School.

Ultimately it will be up to the voters who will decide by vote on February 6, 2024.

There is a big difference in the total cost and the percentage to be borne by the taxpayers between Option #1 (repurposing the space) and Option # 2 (refurbishing the pool).

Here is the entire capital project described by the school system on Railroaders.net.

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School Budget Passes / Board Remains Same Size


The Whitehall School Budget of $20.1 million was approved by the voters recently by a vote of 140 to 27.

The tax levy will only increase about $28,000 because state aid sees an increase also from this year’s budget.

The proposal to decrease the size of the school board ultimately failed because of an 86-86 tie vote.

All five candidates who filed petitions were elected to terms of varying length.

Next year’s school spending will be $20.1 million dollars for our district, which had a total enrollment of 672 K-12 students for the 2022-2023 school year.

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Stiling Ferguson Knight: August 28, 1926 – April 20, 2023


Stiling Ferguson (Ty) Knight, 96, resident of Huletts Landing, NY, passed away peacefully on April 20, 2023, surrounded by family.

Ty was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on August 28, 1926. As a boy, he attended the one-room Red Schoolhouse in Huletts Landing, NY, and was always an avid reader. He graduated from Whitehall High School in 1943. At seventeen years old, Ty enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in Europe, as a Browning Automatic Rifle specialist, with the 4th Infantry Division. He was awarded medals and citations, including Bronze Service Stars for campaigns in Germany and Central Europe, the Combat Infantry Badge, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Belgian Fourragère and Presidential Unit Citation for his unit’s action in the Battle of the Bulge demonstrating exceptional heroism in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions. After serving in World War II, Ty graduated from Columbia University, School of General Studies, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. He had a successful career as a research chemist for Best Foods, a division of CPC International. Ty was an organic chemist and held several patents on edible oils that were essential to the development of Best Foods’ products such as Mazola® corn oil.

Ty met his beloved wife of 66 years, Delphine (Del) Wagner Knight, in Huletts Landing, when they were teenagers. After Ty returned from serving in World War II, Del and Ty married on June 4, 1955. They raised their family in Forest Hills, NY, and Huletts Landing. Ty was a devoted, loving and supportive son, husband, father and grandfather. He was a protector and champion of his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends listening, advising and encouraging them to succeed in their endeavors and try new adventures. Ty loved reading books, especially on military history and politics, researching, writing, sharing ideas, playing golf, swimming and boating on Lake George, walking in the woods and gazing out at the Lake, as well as visiting with friends and neighbors.

Ty was predeceased by his beloved wife, Del, his parents, Winthrop Proctor and Edith Babb Knight, his brother, David Winthrop Knight, and his sister, Molly Knight Minon. He is survived by his children Delphine Knight (Sean) Brown of Darien, CT, and Dr. William Stiling Gerard (Emia) Knight of Port Washington, NY; his grandchildren Derek William Chan Knight, Ian Wagner Brown, Caitlin Chan Knight and Delphine Marie Brown; as well as many treasured nieces and nephews.

Calling hours: Friday, April 28, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Jillson Funeral Home, 46 Williams Street, Whitehall, NY.
Funeral Mass: Saturday, April 29, at 10:00 am at Our Lady of Hope Church, 9 Wheeler Avenue, Whitehall, NY.
Interment: Friday, May 26, at 1:00 pm at Clemons Cemetery, in Clemons, NY.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Skenesborough Emergency Squad or the Wounded Warrior Project, in memory of Ty Knight.

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Senator Stec Announces Resumption of Amtrak Adirondack Line Rail Service

Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) announced on Friday, March 10, 2023, that Amtrak has committed to fully reopening the Adirondack Line by April 3. Closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Adirondack Line provides a crucial service to North Country residents and runs from Albany to Montreal, including stops in Plattsburgh, Whitehall, Ticonderoga, Rensselaer, Port Henry, and Rouses Point.

Earlier this year, Stec called officials from the state Department of Transportation to highlight the importance of the Adirondack Line to our region and to advocate for service to resume. He hailed the announcement that service will soon resume as welcome news for residents and businesses alike.

“The Adirondack Line is a crucial resource for the North Country. It’s a transportation service for our residents and with its ability to connect visitors from Canada and across out state to this region, a major economic driver,” said Stec. “Its closure had a major impact on our ability to move forward from the pandemic and get our economy back on track.

“Given the importance of the Adirondack Line on our communities, reopening service was a major priority,” he continued. “I’m glad to see the efforts made by me and other officials to lobby for service to resume has paid off. The reopening of the Adirondack Line on April 3 is a major victory for the North Country.”

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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.

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Ernest ‘Tim’ Soothcage, Rest in Peace


I’m very sorry to report that Ernest ‘Tim’ Soothcage, 83, passed away on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 after a long illness.

‘Tim’ as he was known to many, did a lot of work in Huletts Landing in the 1980’s and 1990’s. He was an extraordinary contractor and an expert dock builder. I had many conversations with him where he explained how a dock can shift in the winter, and how a dock should be properly constructed. He had extremely high standards and everything he built for us, is working well. He worked for many people in Huletts Landing and had a wonderful laugh. He will be missed. Our condolences go out to his family.

He and his brothers ran Soothcage Brothers Construction and Arctic Cat Sales and Service. If you were fortunate enough to have work done by Tim, you had quality work done that was built to last. He expected perfection in anything he did.

In his retirement, he very much enjoyed his monthly breakfast get-together with his nephew Don Lee, and long-time friends William Pike, Ted Plude and Nick Sabo (deceased).

He was predeceased by his mother Hazel Rathbun and his father Leslie Soothcage and also his brothers Albert and Leslie Soothcage.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Janice; his daughter Tammy Kirshon (Steve), grandchildren Christopher (Amanda) and Carolyn Pepper (Scott) and great-grandson Miles; his daughter Terry Brooks and grandsons Derek and Ryan, his daughter Tonya Dudley (Chris) and grandchildren Olivia, Logan and Christopher Jr. (Courtney) and great-grandson Christopher III.

The family will conduct a graveside service in the spring. Tim’s arrangements are under the care of the Jillson Funeral Home, Inc. Online condolences may be made at jillsonfuneralhomes.com

“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.”

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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.

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Sign on Whitehall Transfer Station


A sign appeared on the gate of the Whitehall transfer station this week indicating that it was “Closed Until Further Notice.”

The Whitehall transfer station is privately operated and is not run by either the town or county. The sign says “Closed Until Further Notice.” No further explanation at this time.

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School Board Election & Budget Vote: May 17th

Voting for five open seats on the Whitehall school board, adoption of the annual school budget and a school bus purchase resolution will take place on Monday, May 17th between 12:00 noon and 8:00 pm at the Large Group Instruction Room of the Junior-Senior high school building on Buckley Road in Whitehall.

Voters will also be asked to approve the purchase of a sixty-five person school bus, not to exceed the cost of $127,040.

A public hearing will be held on Monday, May 9th at 6:00 pm for the presentation of the budget.