News Of Interest: Oct. 22, 2016

North Country Chamber participating in International Tourism Show

PLATTSBURGH — The Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, a division of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, has a presence this weekend at the International Tourism and Travel (ITT) Show at Place Bonaventure in Montreal.

This marks the bureau’s 10th consecutive year participating as one of 400 exhibitors in this three-day show that typically attracts more than 33,000 Canadian visitors, including potential travelers, tour operators and travel agents from over a hundred countries.

“People attending this show are interested in outdoor recreation, history and agritourism, making it a great opportunity to share our story and remind them of all the experiences available on the Adirondack Coast,” chamber Vice President of Marketing Kristy Kennedy said in a news release.

“We’ve attended this show for a decade now, and it continues to serve as a way for us to build upon our aggressive outreach to the Montreal market and beyond.”

Volunteers and donations sought for Thanksgiving Day community meal

PLATTSBURGH — The Salvation Army and Plattsburgh Elks Lodge are lining up donations and volunteers for their annual Thanksgiving Day Community Meal, set for noon to 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov.24.

Seating begins at the Elks Lodge, 56 Cumberland Ave., Plattsburgh, at 11:30 a.m.

“We expect to serve about 350 meals,” a press release from the Salvation Army in Plattsburgh said.

The meal is free and open to all; takeouts are not available.

Many community partners help make this meal possible, the release said, including Lake Champlain Turkey Talkers (National Wild Turkey Federation), plus Pepsi and Hood, who provide refreshments, and Prays Farmers Market and Duquette’s Farm, who provide food items.

“And, of course, we would like to thank the entire community for their support,” the release said.

To volunteer or make a donation for the meal, contact Toni Anderson at the Salvation Army at 561-2951, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Final congressional debate set for Oct. 24 on Mountain Lake PBS

PLATTSBURGH — The three candidates for the North Country’s seat in Congress will meet for their third and final broadcast debate at 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, on Mountain Lake PBS.

In the live broadcast, incumbent Republican Elise Stefanik, Democrat Mike Derrick and Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello will make their cases directly to the voters of New York’s 21st Congressional District and then answer questions from a panel of journalists: Joe LoTemplio, reporter for the Press-Republican; Zach Hirsch, reporter for North Country Public Radio; and Matt Ryan, managing editor and host of New York NOW from WMHT.

The candidates will be asked questions about both national issues and those specific to the North Country, PBS said in a news release.

The debate will also be available online at mountainlake.org.

Chateaugay School Board to discuss auditor’s report

CHATEAUGAY — The Chateaugay Central School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, in the superintendent’s office.

Agenda items include insurance policy review, the external auditor’s report and the senior trip.

The meeting is open to the public.

Village of Champlain to flush hydrants next week

CHAMPLAIN — The Village of Champlain will be flushing hydrants Monday, Oct. 24, through Friday, Oct. 28.

The hours of flushing are between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Some discoloration and water pressure fluctuations can be expected.

ORDA to consider renewing line of credit

LAKE PLACID — The Olympic Regional Development Authority Board of Directors will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Olympic Training Center.

Agenda items include a financial report and a resolution approving a line of credit renewal with a banking institution.

The public is welcome.

Plattsburgh School Board to meet Wednesday

PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh City School Board will hold a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Duken School Building.

If an executive session is needed it will be brief and held at 4:30 p.m. Public session will resume immediately after, at which time the board will act on personnel and miscellaneous items.

The public is welcome to attend.

Clinton County Legislature sets meeting for Wednesday

PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton County Legislature will at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the Legislative Chambers on the second floor of the Government Center, 137 Margaret Street.

Among the resolutions to be acted upon are: Authorizing Contract with MJ Engineering and Land Surveying P.C., Authorizing Contract with Marcy Excavation Services LLC, and Authorizing Distribution of Mortgage Tax for the Period April 1, 2016, through September 30, 2016.

Meetings are open to the public.

Search for missing Troy hunter continuing in Warren County

RAY BROOK — State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers are asking hunters in northeastern Warren County to be alert for any signs or clues of the whereabouts of a hunter from Troy who went missing last November.

Thomas Messick was last seen on Nov. 15, 2015, while hunting a short distance from Lily Pond Road near Brant Lake in the Town of Horicon.

Despite a massive two-month-long search effort by Forest Rangers, Environmental Conservation Officers, State Police, other state and county agencies and hundreds of volunteers, no sign of Messick or his belongings has been located, DEC said.

Anyone hunting in the general area between State Route 8 and State Route 9N and State Route 8 and Schroon Lake is asked to be especially alert.

Hunters have been helpful in the past locating and reporting signs of lost or missing persons in the woods, the release said.

Forest rangers and the Messick family are still searching for Messick under a limited continuous protocol, the release said.

Messick, 82, is 5-foot-10-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket, coveralls and a red-and-black plaid hat.

Anyone who finds any evidence of Messick is asked to contact DEC Ray Brook Dispatch at 897-1300.

Some St. Lawrence docks, buoys to be removed

MASSENA— New York Power Authority crews will remove the docks and buoys along the St. Lawrence River in the vicinity of its St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project beginning the week of Oct. 24.

Docks and buoys will be removed from:

The Town and Village of Waddington: Howard Park docks, Whitaker Park docks and Old Milk Factory buoys.

Town of Massena: Massena intake docks, Hawkins Point dock and buoy, South Channel buoy and Massena Country Club.

Town of Louisville: Sand Island.

This action is taken to ensure the safety of workers and to avert damage to boats, docks and buoys during spells of sub-freezing temperatures.

New York Power Authority officials will notify the public when the docks and buoys are to be reinstalled, sometime next spring.

Essex County Board of Elections to hold extended hours

ELIZABETHTOWN — The Essex County Board of Elections is preparing for the Nov. 8 general election by extending office hours on various days.

The office will be open beyond regular hours as follows: Wednesday, Oct. 26 until 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to noon; Wednesday, Nov. 2 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to noon.

Voters can also apply for absentee ballots and vote by absentee ballot at the office at 7551 Court St., Elizabethtown during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For further information call the Essex County Board of Elections at 873-3474.

Police shootings around US prompts PSU “call for action”

PLATTSBURGH — SUNY Plattsburgh will host a Teach-In and day of dialogue on social justice Wednesday, Oct. 26, beginning at noon in venues across campus.

President John Ettling said in an email to faculty and staff that the event comes as a call for action on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus, prompted by police shootings across the country.

Faculty will lead discussions, participate in panels and give short talks on issues pertaining to diversity, civil rights, the Black Lives Matter movement and social justice through 2:30 p.m. in the Cardinal Lounge and Alumni Conference Room in the Angell College Center, and Krinovitz Recital Hall, Hawkins Hall.

At 3 p.m., Jonathan Kozol, an award-winning author of numerous books on education, race, poverty and social justice, will speak on “Savage Inequalities: The Struggle Goes On” in E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium, Hawkins Hall.

The talk discusses the persistent inequality and resurgent segregation in U.S. public schools and why it is so important to build strong support systems for those who win against the odds to attend colleges and universities, the college said in a press release.

Deadline approaching for FASNY HELP tuition reimbursement

ALBANY — The deadline is Friday, Oct. 28, to apply for 2016 spring semester tuition reimbursement through the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York’s Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP).

The statewide community college tuition reimbursement program is geared towards recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters throughout New York State.

Under FASNY HELP, any active volunteer firefighter in good standing who hasn’t already achieved a college degree is eligible for up to 100 percent tuition reimbursement. The reimbursement is in exchange for maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements in one of New York’s volunteer fire companies.

There is no restriction on the type of academic courses that the HELP student-volunteer can pursue, either on a full-time or part-time basis. FASNY HELP also covers online courses taken through Empire State College.

For more information visit: https://fasny.com/resources/fasny-help.

North Elba/Lake Placid ZBA meeting changed to Nov. 9

NORTH ELBA — The Town of North Elba/Village of Lake Placid Zoning Board of Appeals meeting set for Oct. 31 has been rescheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9.

On the agenda is an appeal and interpretation/public hearing on Case #162, Northwood School Inc.

The meeting is open to the public.

Clinton County Christmas Bureau accepting applications

PLATTSBURGH — The Christmas Bureau, serving all of Clinton County, is now taking applications for help.

City of Plattsburgh residents seeking assistance must call the Salvation Army offices, at 561-2951, for an appointment.

The names and phone numbers used in the past are no longer usable, a press release from the Christmas Bureau said.

Those who live in the towns of Beekmantown, Mooers or Schuyler Falls must call their town offices for instructions.

Residents in the towns of Plattsburgh, AuSable, Chazy, Ellenburg, Altona, Black Brook, Clinton, Peru, Saranac and Dannemora must contact the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity outreach center in the town where they live.

Applicants are asked to bring wish-list suggestions for their children to their Christmas Bureau appointment.

Here are the guidelines to qualify:

• The program is only open to Clinton County residents.

• Children in the household age 16 or younger

• Applicants must provide all household income figures for all adults in the household.

• Applicants must have a photo ID.

Scholarship now open to all seniors from Essex, Willsboro

ESSEX — Essex Community Fund has made a change in qualifications for its Lawson and Clint Allen Leadership and Academic Scholarship.

After a news brief appeared in the Press-Republican on Oct. 10 saying the scholarship would expand to include residents and graduating seniors from the towns of Essex and Willsboro who attended Willsboro Central School, the Essex Community Fund experienced “a concerned reaction,” fund Secretary H. Nicholas Muller III said in an email.

“Several individuals pointed out that those eligibility requirements would preclude Essex and Willsboro students who attend other schools.

“After a thoughtful discussion, the committee that manages the scholarship decided to remove the requirement of graduating from WSC, making the scholarship available to all high school seniors with a residence in Essex or Willsboro.”

The Allen Scholarship awards one scholarship each year and will track students through either a four- or two-year institution or a trade school. It expects to provide a $5,000 scholarship for the academic year of 2017-18 and continue at that level as long as the recipient makes steady progress toward a degree or completing a trade certificate.

People interested in applying for the Allen Scholarship or one of the grants awarded by the fund may contact: Essex Community Fund, P.O. Box 101, Essex, NY 12936.

Hearing on housing rehab scheduled in Black Brook

BLACK BROOK — A public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at the Black Brook Town Hall, 18 North Main Street, AuSable Forks to summarize the activities and progress of the town’s Housing Rehabilitation Program.

It will be an opportunity for public discussion and comments about the program.

The public hearing will include an overview of the program, the amount of CDBG funds awarded, the type of activity funded and the progress towards beneficiary goals and program objectives,

For anyone unable to attend, written questions and comments can be sent to: Jon Douglass, Supervisor, Town of Black Brook, PO Box 715, AuSable Forks, NY 12912 or to Scott Campbell, Executive Director, Friends of the North Country, Inc., PO Box 446, Keeseville, NY 12944.

Plattsburgh Housing Authority sets deadline for Voucher Program

PLATTSBURGH — Friday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. is the deadline to be added to the waiting list for the Plattsburgh Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Public notice will be provided when the the Housing Authority reopens the waiting list for this program.

And while the wait list will be closed, public housing applications continue to be available at the administrative office located at 4817 South Catherine St.

Business hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.