Bits of Everything

NY State Runs Out of Cash

The NY Post reports on what the state Comptroller says.

Alan Jackson to Appear in Glens Falls

Country artist Alan Jackson is booked to appear at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Sept. 11, says the Post Star.

You Knew Your National Grid Bills Were High

The Adirondack Almanack does a great investigative piece on what the Public Service Commission auditors found.

YMCA Camp on Lake George Proposes Dock for Disabled

See some great drawings of what Camp Chingachgook in Fort Ann is proposing in the Wash Blog.

Underwater Electric Cable from Canada to NY City Moving Forward

The Bottom Line Blog talks about the proposed electric cable down the Hudson.

Local Catholic Church Renovation Plan Presented


A concept drawing of a renovated sanctuary at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Whitehall.

Recently, I received this letter from Fr. Michael Flannery, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church in Whitehall and the Chapel of the Assumption in Huletts Landing. Fr. Flannery is proposing a renovation of Our Lady of Hope Church which will include painting the inside of the church, replacing the floor and re-finishing the pews. To undertake this work, he is proposing a special capital campaign.

On the afternoon of Sunday, June 27th, Fr. Flannery introduced interior designer, John Pierce, who presented his concept drawings of a renovated church to about 100 parishioners. Mr. Pierce has redesigned and renovated over 40 churches throughout the northeast.

“Our Lady of Hope Church is Classic American Gothic Revival architecture,” began Mr. Pierce. “It’s a beautiful church that needs its architecture brought out.” He presented two sets of drawings; side / flat view and perspective / 3D view. In the drawings, the pews and stain glass windows are not shown. “We’re not getting rid of the stain glass windows or pews. They’re just not shown in my sketches.”

Mr. Pierce started by explaining that the current sky blue color of the painted walls would be changed and a “framework” would be painted around the windows to accentuate the architecture. A marble floor would be put in place on the altar and the existing carpet would be removed and a tile floor would be installed in the church.

After Mr. Pierce presented his drawings and proposal, Fr. Flannery discussed the price tag. “The total for the entire work would be $250,000”, stated Fr. Flannery. “The painting of the walls and sanctuary is approximately $115,000, the tile floor is about $75,000, and the other things would make up the difference. The church will need to undertake a special capital campaign to raise the amount. The work would take about 4-6 weeks and the mass schedule would be moved downstairs to the parish center while work was being done.”

Fr. Flannery took questions before adjourning the meeting. He stated that he welcomes opinions, support and encouragement as he plans to present the ideas generated to the entire church community in the weeks ahead. He can be reached at:

Rev. Michael Flannery
Our Lady of Hope
9 Wheeler Avenue
Whitehall, NY 12887
518-499-1656

Bits of Everything

Supermarket Turndown to be Reconsidered

The Wash Blog reports on Whitehall’s bad decision.

We Love Soccer, You Love Soccer, They Really Love Soccer

Google has sponsored a contest entitled: Doodle 4 Google – “I Love Soccer”. Children of 17 countries have designed the Google logo around the theme “I Love Soccer”, for the Doodle 4 Google competition. Each country choses one national winner. Now it is time for you to pick your favorite doodle to be the international winner of “I Love Soccer”. The winning doodle will be displayed internationally on the Google home page in all participating countries for a day, for millions to see. To see the finalists and vote, go here.

Few Women Work in Rock Climbing

The NY Times recently did an article on why so few women work as professional rock-climbing guides.

Whitehall Says NO to Growth, Jobs & Expanded Tax Base


When presented with an option to have a supermarket, bank and restaurant on a vacant piece of property in Whitehall, the Whitehall Town Board voted against growth, jobs and an expanded tax base.

Richard LaChapelle, Farrell Prefountaine and David Hollister. These are the Whitehall Town Board members who voted against a proposal that would have brought a new shopping center, jobs and an expanded tax base to Whitehall.

Recently a company named Donnelly Industries came before the Whitehall Town Board with a proposal to build a new retail center, which would contain a supermarket, bank and restaurant. In order for a major supermarket chain to locate there they needed a building ordnance passed to limit commercial space to less than 75,000 square feet. This would allow a supermarket to be built.

The ordnance was based on the fact that the demographics of Whitehall and the surrounding area can only support one supermarket chain. If a chain moves in, they don’t want a large retail box store like Wal-Mart or K-Mart then coming in and putting them out of business. This was the history behind the proposed ordinance.

Even though this matter had been discussed for months, the three members voting against the proposal did so for vastly different reasons. Mr. Prefountaine was concerned that there had not been enough public input. Mr. LaChapelle was concerned about the liability of flooding from certain adjoining dikes even though the developer had said they would assume responsibility for the dikes. Mr. Hollister voted no on ideological grounds because he didn’t want to limit the size of any commercial property. While certainly a valid argument, no big-box store is even considering coming to Whitehall at this time.

So when given the chance to expand the tax base, bring jobs to Whitehall, and have something positive happen in Whitehall for a change, Mr’s LaChapelle, Prefountaine, & Hollister all voted NO.

Councilman Jim Putorti voted YES and Town Supervisor Richard Gordon would have voted YES if a tie had occurred.

Bookmark Winner Announced

The Lake George Association (LGA), on behalf of the Lake George Watershed Coalition (LGWC), has announced the winner of the third annual Lake George Bookmark Design Contest.

Clare Gillman, a 5th grade student at Lake George Elementary School, was the winner, with a multi-media color design featuring a frog in a marsh “leaping to action.” Her design will be printed on 10,000 bookmarks, distributed to schools, libraries and other locations throughout the Lake George watershed in time for summer reading programs. The reverse side features important facts about the stewardship of Lake George.

Students were asked to focus on lake and watershed issues such as water quality, invasive species, aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals, streams and wetlands, pollution, lake ecology and lake health. Through this activity students encouraged the protection of Lake George as an important natural resource.

The contest was open to students in Grades 4-7 from schools located within the Lake George watershed. There were 179 entries this year from the seven different area schools, including Bolton, Queensbury, Fort Ann, St. Mary’s, Lake George, Ticonderoga and Whitehall.

The contest was sponsored and judged by the Lake George Watershed Coalition through its Public Participation and Education Committee.

Congratulations Clare!

Board of Education Vote

Because of the “issues” with our server this past week, I was not able to report on the final vote on the election of school board members.

Current incumbents Mark DeLuca and Theodore LaRose ran unopposed for reelection.

Mr. DeLuca received 243 votes and Mr. LaRose received 227 votes.

While I provided both candidates with questionnaires, I never received Mr. LaRose’s questionnaire back. I mailed the questionnaires to the addresses listed on each candidate’s nominating petition. I provided multiple ways in which the questionnaire could be returned (either through email or regular mail). I never heard anything from Mr. LaRose.

One of the things I hoped to accomplish with the creation of the Huletts Current was to inform residents and friends of Huletts Landing of ongoing issues that might be of interest. In this regard, the number of comments I have received have been overwhelmingly positive. Additionally, the number of unique pages views, of people reading and checking the site, have risen every month since the site came into existence. So while I am disappointed that I did not receive all the questionnaires back, and could not accurately share with you the views of all those running for the school board, it is ultimately you, the readers of the Huletts Current, who Mr. LaRose ignored.

I congratulate both candidates on their victories and service to the community. I would especially like to thank Mr. DeLuca for taking the time to answer my questionnaire and to inform you about his positions.

School District Vote Results

Budget Passes / Single Proposition Pulled from Ballot
No Tax Decrease Next Year

    Yes     No
Budget – No Tax Decrease     245     53

In one of the strangest occurrences in recent memory, the Proposition to fund $10,000 for the Whitehall Library was pulled from the ballot on Monday night.

The library raised a legal objection that only the library board can set the amount requested. Even though the proposition was announced in the legal section of the newspaper, the school board pulled the proposition at a special board meeting on Monday.

The district’s contribution will remain the same as last year at $15,000, even though it was not voted on this year.

The School District Election

The Whitehall School District will have an election Tuesday, May 18th between 12:00 noon and 9:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Junior/Senior High School on Buckley Road:

1.) To adopt next years budget.
2.) To elect two (2) members of the school board.
3.) To vote on one (1) proposition:

a.) To appropriate and grant the Whitehall library $10,000.

Please remember to vote!

Interview with School Board Candidate, Mark DeLuca

This year there are two vacancies on the Board of Education and two candidates running for these seats. The Huletts Current submitted the following questions to each candidate running for the school board. I explained to each candidate that I would run their answers as they submitted them on the Huletts Current.

Today I present how, Mr. Mark DeLuca, candidate for the school board, replied to my questions.

Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the school board?

“My name is Mark DeLuca. I reside in Whitehall with my wife and children. I have three daughters and I have been employed in the health field for the past 33 years. In addition, I have an interest in music. I have performed in several bands throughout the years. At the present time I am the director of our church choir. For the past 10 years, I have served as a member of the Whitehall Central School Board of Education. It has been my pleasure to be involved in providing opportunities that provide student success and to act in the interest of the taxpayer.”

There are many residents of Huletts Landing who are “seasonal” and who are not in the area year round. Could you share with us, what you see as the successes of the Whitehall School District from the past year?

“Our students continue to excel and gain admittance to area colleges on a par with larger school districts. This year’s graduates will be attending such schools as Drexel, Albany College of Pharmacy, Ithaca College, Union, University of Vermont. Our seniors in Advanced Placement programs can acquire as many as 21 college credits, transferable to almost all colleges.”

The Whitehall School District has held the line on tax increases the last two years. However enrollment has declined over the past several years, so per-pupil spending has continued to increase. When do you expect that falling enrollment will mean lower taxes for all?

“The Board of Education approaches the budget keeping in mind a balance for student success at a reasonable cost. Falling enrollment does not necessarily mean a reduction in taxes. The Board of Education considers class size, educational opportunities and contractual requirements with the local teacher’s association and non-instructional bargaining units. Continued support from the State is necessary to offset mandated requirements in Special Education and pension costs.”

Even with the cuts in state aid this year, state spending on education has increased 45% over the last 5 years. The Governor feels that School Boards aren’t doing enough to halt spending and has started a new website: http://www.straighttalkny.ideascale.com/, where people can share ideas on cutting school spending. Is there a specific idea that you will champion to help save taxpayers money?

“In this year’s budget preparation the Board of Education approved elimination or reduction of 16 positions both in the instructional and non-instructional areas. Staffing will continue to be evaluated on an annual basis.”

It’s obvious that people are really hurting in this economy. There is a lot of property for sale in Whitehall and Dresden and people are leaving the area. Do you feel a responsibility as a school board member to cut taxes to halt this decline?

“My responsibility as a School Board member is to work cooperatively with other board members to provide the best education possible for the students of the school district at the most reasonable cost to the taxpayer, keeping in mind that the education of our young people will have an impact on our whole society in the future.”

2 Candidates, 2 Seats, 2 Questionnaires

The vote to elect two members to the school board and to approve or reject the proposed school budget will be held on May 18, 2010.

Two candidates are running for the two open seats on the school board this year. Mr. Mark DeLuca and Mr. Theodore LaRose are both running for reelection.

I have provided both Mr. DeLuca and Mr. LaRose with candidate questionnaires to explore their views and give the readers of the Huletts Current insight into their positions.

As soon as I hear back from Mr. DeLuca and Mr. LaRose, I will post their answers here.

Bits of Everything

Police, Feds Raid Whitehall Business

The Post Star has an interesting story about a local store.

Bald Eagle Now Healthy, Takes Flight

The Adirondack Journal has a heartwarming story here.

Time Travel Possible Says Famed Astrophysicist

Keep you eyes out for time travelers but to understand the theory read here.

NY Giants to Return to Albany? Maybe

The NY Giants issued a press release regarding their summer camp in Albany and then quickly amended it. Train-a-Thought Blog explores it.

Bits of Everything

Eastern Woods Return / Face New Threats

The Washington Post had a good article documenting the historical changes to eastern forests over the last 400 years and some modern threats that they face. One might not think that deer pose a threat to the forest, but as this video points out, they eat most of the young saplings.

Blight in Whitehall, New Ideas in Lake Luzerne

I missed this Post Star article from a few weeks ago. Here’s what another local town is doing.

Christopher Llyod Coming to Vermont in Late August

This might be worth seeing. The Rutland Herald reports on the Back to Future actor playing Willy Loman.

New Business Opens in Whitehall


Bongos and Bobos opened over the winter next to the Subway restaurant in Whitehall.

Over the winter, a new restaurant, Bongos and Bobos, opened in Whitehall. Operated by Ben and Erik Bernard, it will specialize in burgers, fries, pizza and wings. They also have a very unique phone number, 499-0000, which I must say, caught my attention as I drove by.

When contacted by the Huletts Current, Erik Bernard told me a little bit about the Bernard’s new endeavor. “We opened in the middle of February and business has been really good. We’re going to be opening our drive-through soon. Hopefully in time for the summer.”

The Bernard’s operate Bongo’s and Bobos in Granville, so this restaurant is an expansion of their existing restaurant business. “Our goal is to make Bongos and Bobos a really fun experience. We’re going to be adding more salads and specialty burgers and trying some new things on the menu,” continued Erik Bernard.

So if you’re passing through Whitehall, stop at Bongos and Bobo’s for a bite to eat!

To see a copy of their menu, check out their website here.