The Casino will be closed until Friday, June 14th. After two busy weekends, and lots of rain in the forecast, the Casino will return to its June hours in time for Father’s Day weekend. In the meantime, here is Chris Janson singing Fix A Drink.
Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Company Fund Drive
Please support our Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Company with a generous donation.
The Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Company recently mailed out their 2019 fund drive letter which can also be found here.
Last year the fire company petitioned the town board on 3 occasions for an increase in the amount the fire department receives through taxes. While a small $5,000 increase was agreed to by the board, this amount was still less than the fire department requested. So the fire company is still short the funds they need to operate as they deem necessary.
The donations the community gives, are essential to see that our wonderful Huletts volunteers have the support, equipment and training they need to protect us all. Please give as much as you can as soon as you can.
School District Election Results
The vote totals for the recent school budget and board seats were:
Budget Proposition to approve $16,849,365 budget for 2019-2020:
Yes – 145
No – 16
Bus Proposition to approve $258,500 to purchase a 65-passenger bus and a 41-passenger bus and a van:
Yes – 143
No – 18
Board Of Education Election (Top 2 candidates)
Carrianne Arquette: 147 votes – Winner 3 year term
Roxanne Waters: 128 votes – Winner 3 year term
Memorial Day: 2019
Washington County Park & Beach Hours
Liam Ballantyne Graduates from U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Ensign Liam Ballantyne (left) receives his U.S. Coast Guard Academy commission from the National Security Advisor of the United States, John Bolton (right) on May 22, 2019.
Congratulations to Liam Ballantyne, son of Peter and Angela Ballantyne, who will be attending flight school later this summer after receiving his commission from the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Whitehall School Enrollment Continues Long Decline
School enrollment figures for school districts across the state were updated recently for the 2017-2018 school year (last year) and the Whitehall School District’s total enrollment fell to 708 students. This was a drop of 50 students from the 758 enrolled during the 2016-2017 year.
The complete enrollment figures for 2017-2018 school year can be found here.
I have been tracking and reporting on the enrollment for a number of years. To put this number of 708 students into historical context I have updated my yearly enrollment chart below:
| School Year | 04-05 | 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | 10-11 | 11-12 | 12-13 |
| Students | 885 | 860 | 858 | 845 | 815 | 779 | 753 | 742 | 755 |
| School Year | 13-14 | 14-15 | 15-16 | 16-17 | 17-18 | ||||
| Students | 757 | 736 | 736 | 758 | 708 |
Total overall enrollment is now down 20% since the 2004-2005 school year. While there was a short-lived increase in students between 2012 and 2017, the trend is quite persistent. The district has now reached the lowest enrollment since I have been tracking this.
During this time, local property taxes have increased every year. The Board of Education has not passed on any savings from this plummeting enrollment to the local taxpayers, in spite of increased state aid during the same time period.
For far too long this has not been discussed in planning for the district. A large building campaign has begun and another year of tax increases is being voted on. Now is the time to start planning for more enrollment decreases because that has been the trend for the last 14 years.
April Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the April 2019 meeting of the Dresden Town Board were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
Dresden Democrats Hold Caucus
The Dresden Democratic Party held their caucus on Wednesday night and George Gang was selected to be the Democratic nominee for Town Supervisor.
No other individuals were selected to run for any other local offices.
Dresden Republicans Pick Local Candidates
The Dresden Republican Party recently held its caucus to pick candidates for the general election in November. A large crowd turned out and the following individuals were selected to run on the Republican line:
Town Supervisor: Paul Ferguson
Town Board Members (2): John Barber & Allen Wilbur
Town Justice: Jack Eggleston
Town Clerk: Marci Wilbur
Highway Superintendent: Rick Hobus
The Dresden Democratic Party will hold their caucus on Wednesday, May 15th.
Free Recycling to End at Transfer Station
The company that runs the Whitehall Transfer Station has announced that recycling taken from trash haulers will no longer be free.
A 15 lb bag or bin of recycling will now cost $2.25 and a 30 lb bag or bin will cost $4.50.
The company sites “increasing costs” and “loss of global recycling markets” for these new charges.
Finn Wedding Was ‘Awesome’
I received this charming picture from the happy parents, Tom and Marybeth (Miller) Finn (left), at the wedding of their daughter, Alyssa Finn, to Charles Coons. The wedding took place in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina on Saturday, May 4th. The bride’s sister, Jay-quelin Finn, and brother, Blaise Finn, appear to the right of Mrs. and Mr. Coons.
Congratulations to the happy couple and the Finn and Coons families!
School Board Election Uncontested as Two Run for Two Seats
The deadline for submitting petitions to run for the Whitehall School board has passed. The two incumbents, who have their terms expiring, both submitted petitions to seek three year terms.
Carrianne Arquette and Roxanne Waters are the only two candidates who will have their names on the ballot. This does not prevent a write-in candidate from running, but as of this time, only two candidates will be running for the two open seats. The election will be held on Tuesday, May 21st.
The voters will also vote on the district’s proposed $16,894,365 budget.
Now For Some History: 1948
Individuals standing between the Hulett hotel and store around 1948. (Behind the back corner of the Post Office.)