News & Opinion About Huletts Landing, N.Y.
The 2018 town budget for Dresden has been posted on the town website. It is large download encompassing many pages, but the opening letter on page 2 and the summary on page 3 highlight the most important parts.
In brief, there is a 11.38% increase in the town-wide budget for 2018 and an increase of 3.188 % in the tax levy. The fire protection budget stays the same. Page 13, lists the salaries of all town officials.
The minutes from the October 2017 Dresden Town Board meeting were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
The November minutes will not be approved until December and so on.
Dome Island as seen from Bolton Landing.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has received a grant of $10,000 from The Nature Conservancy via its Dome Island Endowment, in support of the stewardship of Dome Island and other lands in the Lake George watershed.
The Nature Conservancy’s Dome Island Committee meets several times a year to review projects funded by past grants and advise future spending. Funds are sourced from an endowment that was created before John Apperson donated the 16-acre Dome Island in Bolton to The Nature Conservancy in 1956. John Apperson challenged The Nature Conservancy and the Lake George community to raise a $20,000 endowment to support stewardship of the property, which was to be protected in perpetuity.
The people of Lake George responded to this challenge and the endowment has grown over the years to allow for the distribution of generous grants each year for research, stewardship and conservation initiatives on Dome Island and within the watershed. To date, the Committee has granted more than $100,000 to the LGLC, for stewardship of the land that protects the lake, and for specific conservation projects that have significant impact on the water quality.
“We are once again honored to have the support of the Dome Island Committee members and The Nature Conservancy, which oversees the endowment,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown. “John Apperson would be proud to know his donation of Dome Island has resulted in a huge impact on the health of Lake George, for Dome Island and beyond. We thank the Committee for their continued partnership in our efforts to protect the land that protects the lake.”
Today at the Washington County Board of Elections, 20 absentee ballots were counted in the Dresden election. Below are the updated complete totals – which include the machine and absentee ballots. The town board election was decided by one vote when all was said and done.
| Town Supervisor | Votes | ||
| George Gang | 89 | ||
| Paul Ferguson* | 135* | ||
|
Town Board (2 winners) | |||
| Marc J. Brown | 118 | ||
| Donald P. Greenough* | 145 | ||
| Edwin F. Raymond* | 119 | ||
* Projected Winner
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
Judy Garland
I was sorry to learn of the death of Stanley Barber this past week, 44 days shy of his 100th birthday. Stanley was born Dec. 19, 1917 in Dresden, N.Y., he was the last surviving child of the late Royden and Eunice Barber.
Royden Barber, was instrumental in selling the first Hulett hotel to William H. Wyatt. (Which is detailed in my book: The Hulett Hotel Fire on Lake George.) Stanley’s Aunt and Royden’s sister, Cora Barber, was married to Henry Buckell. The Buckell’s owned and operated the original Hulett hotel.
I interviewed Stanley in 2012 about growing up in Dresden in the early 1900’s. His thoughts on aging and never giving up are worth re-reading in his interview with me.
I learned much about the history of Huletts Landing and Dresden from Stanley Barber and found him to be a delightful and engaging fellow. He will be missed by those who knew him.
Well, here it is – another November 9th. Today is the day I celebrate the “birthday” of the Huletts Current. It’s now been exactly nine years since my first post in 2008. Today, when checking the logs – we get readers from all over the United States and the world. I think this comes back to the fact that so many people love Huletts Landing and Lake George and it is truly a community of people who care about each other who want to stay informed. It’s a unique place in this crazy world of ours.
There were times this past year when I couldn’t devote as much time to the blog as I would have liked but don’t fear I’m still going strong. I’m always looking for new ideas, news, and “goings-on” to post. I enjoy learning from you and sharing your thoughts and pictures about Huletts. I count on you – to send in pictures and news that other’s would want to see. I’m thankful for all those who have made the site so successful.
As is my custom, here are the most read posts from the past year.
1.) More Pictures of the HLVFC Response to September 15th Truck Rollover
2.) Megan Kennelly and Greg Leonardi Married in Huletts
3.) Rescue on Black Mountain
4.) Couple Celebrates 60th Wedding Anniversary
5.) Dresden’s New Veteran’s Sign Unveiled
6.) Huletts Landing Volunteer Fire Department Practices Ice Drill
7.) Pictures from the 2016 HLVFC Christmas Party
8.) Third Annual Firemen’s Appreciation Dinner a Great Success
9.) Now For Some History: Arthur Wyatt’s Fay & Bowen Boat
10.) Message from Fire Chief on Sunday Morning Bluff Head Event
So thanks again for reading and now onto year ten!!
Tuesday Machine Vote Totals (Unofficial)
Absentee Ballots still to be counted.
Below are the machine vote totals from Tuesday’s election. As of Wednesday morning, 16 absentee ballots had been returned to the Board of Elections from 21 sent out – these absentee ballots are not included in the totals below. The Town Board race will be only be decided after the absentee votes are counted on Tuesday November 14th. As soon as these are counted next week, I will update the final vote count then.
| Town Supervisor | Votes | ||
| George Gang | 80 | ||
| Paul Ferguson* | 124* | ||
|
Town Board (2 winners) | |||
| Marc J. Brown | 109 | ||
| Donald P. Greenough* | 132 | ||
| Edwin F. Raymond | 106 | ||
|
Town Justice | |||
| Jared N. Eggleston (uncontested)* | 158 | ||
* Projected Winner
All those who ran for office should be commended. Contested races keep our democracy honest and dynamic.
Whitehall Times: Local Vendor May Quit because of ‘Honor System’ Decline
The Whitehall Times reports on a local produce vendor who is about to throw in the towel because of thievery.
Spectrum News Rochester (Article & Video): Golisano Withholding Tax Payment Because of Geese Problem
What do you do when the you have a really bad geese problem? Here is his response.
The Sun Newspapers: New ‘Text Stop’ on 87
New Northway “Text Stop” profiled in the Sun Newspapers.
Just a reminder that polls are open in Dresden from 6:00 am until 9:00 pm on Tuesday, November 7th at the Dresden Town Hall, located at 102 Clemons Center Road.
The local race for Dresden Town Supervisor has Paul Ferguson challenging incumbent George Gang; Jared Eggleston is running for reelection as town justice; and Marc J. Brown, Donald P. Greenough and Edwin F. Raymond are competing for two available town board seats.
There are also three statewide propositions on the ballot and the Washington County District Attorney is also running for reelection.
Today, I post a candidate interview with Paul Ferguson, Republican nominee for Dresden Town Supervisor. Below are my questions and Mr. Ferguson’s responses.
1.) Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for Town Supervisor?
I am a long time resident of Dresden. I have been married for over 25 years and have raised two sons here. I have worked for Washington County for the past 20 years in several levels of the highway department.
2.) Town taxes have gone up significantly in the last few years. Where do you stand on town tax increases in the future?
I do not support increasing taxes at the town or county level. In fact, the increase in taxes year after year is part of the reason I am running.
3.) The Town Supervisor sits on the Washington County Board of Supervisors. Could you name a few areas where you feel things at the county level could be improved? Will you challenge other supervisors from larger towns when you feel they are wrong?
I feel that some of the supervisors are not paying attention and are allowing our tax dollars to be wasted in some cases. Everyone at the table should educate themselves before placing a vote.
On highway level issues alone, there are many ways to save money that supervisors may not be aware of but can be made aware of. I have been with the highway department for 20 years and I have seen frivolous spending that could have been prevented.
4.) There’s a general feeling that people in Huletts Landing and Dresden have that we pay a lot in taxes but we get very little in return. Is this perception correct or incorrect?
Taxpayers pay too much for entire roads in Huletts to be ignored.
For example, this past summer, some trees were knocked down and were partly blocking county route 6 A/B in Huletts. Homeowners were forced to clean this up because the trees were unattended to by county workers for weeks. Shoulders were washed away and not fixed in a timely manner causing more damage to the road resulting in more tax dollars being wasted.
5.) What do you consider your greatest strengths?
I believe that I will bring a new voice to the Board of Supervisors. A voice that listens to the taxpayers of Dresden. I believe in honesty and taking responsibility for your actions.
Editor’s note: I would like to thank Mr. Ferguson for his responses. Interview questions and answers are published in the order in which they are received. Any bolded areas of text outside of the highlighted question were provided to me by the candidate.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) received a grant of $2,000 from the International Paper Foundation for the creation of interpretive signage to be installed at its Cook Mountain Preserve in Ticonderoga.
The signage is part of the LGLC’s watershed-wide effort to increase awareness and educational opportunities along its 35-miles of trails. The Cook Mountain signs will include information such as the natural succession of a beaver pond and the cultural history of northern Lake George.
The Cook Mountain Preserve’s trail system includes a scenic viewpoint overlooking northern Lake George, Lake Champlain, and the mountains of Vermont. The ridgeline visible on the lake’s eastern side includes Mount Defiance, a historic site owned by Fort Ticonderoga. The entire area surrounding Mount Defiance has important historic significance that will be described on the new signage.
“We are grateful for the continued support from our friends at International Paper,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown, “Partnerships like this help the LGLC to increase the positive impact of our land on the community beyond the obvious benefit of protecting water quality. Thanks to IP, visitors to our Cook Mountain Preserve will now learn more about the land, why it’s protected, and be even more motivated to get out and enjoy the outdoors.”
The LGLC also received a donation of paper, valued at $455, from the International Paper’s Ticonderoga Mill, used for the printing of its fall/winter newsletter.
“International Paper, through its corporate Foundation and locally, has been a generous and solid partner over the years,” said LGLC Communications and Outreach Manager Sarah Hoffman. “The local mill has shown great support of our efforts in the Ticonderoga area, for conservation, volunteerism, and educational efforts that enhance the northern Lake George communities. We are grateful for their donations of paper and support of our grant applications for the continuation of these efforts.”