Our Towne Bethlehem April 2023 Issue

Funding is always a challenge for town infrastructure projects, whether we’re replacing a pool, paving roads, or maintaining water pipes. The same goes for equipment, and we use a lot of equipment from big trucks to small hand tools.

Most of our town funding comes from:

• property taxes (although Bethlehem only gets 12 cents of every property tax dollar you pay);

• sales tax (Bethlehem gets 2.2 cents of every dollar of sales tax collected in Albany County – the State of NY takes 50 cents); and

• mortgage tax (Bethlehem gets about 50 cents of every mortgage tax dollar paid in town).

We also work hard to bring in grants and various state and federal funds to bolster these revenues. Fortunately, we’ve been quite successful over the years. Last year, for example, we landed well over $3 million in outside funding.

Because grants and state funds are not predictable or particularly reliable revenue sources, we primarily direct them to cover capital investments rather than staff. In this way, we’re resilient if these funds don’t come in, and we also have real things to show for each dollar we receive.

Here are some of the funds we landed in 2022.

David VanLuven Bethlehem Town Supervisor

Time for financial ‘spring cleaning’

Now that we’ve put winter behind us — at least on the calendar — it’s time for us to think about sprucing up our homes, inside and out. But it also may be time to do some financial spring cleaning.

Some of the same ideas involved in tidying up your home can also be used to help put your financial house in order. Here are a few suggestions:

Dust off your investment strategy. As you look around your home, you might find that many items — tables, desks, bookshelves, and computer and television screens — could benefit from a good dusting. And, once you’ve accomplished this, you’ll get a clearer view of all these objects. Similarly, your investment strategy needs to be “dusted off” every so often, so you can see if it’s still working to help you move toward your financial goals, such as a comfortable retirement. Over time, your personal circumstances and risk tolerance can change, and these changes may lead you to reexamine your future financial and investment decisions.

De-clutter your portfolio. if you took a survey of your home, would you find duplicates or even triplicates of some things — brooms, vacuum cleaners, toasters, and so on? If so, it may be time to do some de-cluttering. And the same could be true of your portfolio — you might have several identical, or substantially identical, investments taking up space. If so, you might want to replace these redundancies with investments that can improve your diversification. While diversification can’t guarantee profits or protect against losses in a declining market, it may help reduce the impact of market volatility on your holdings.

Get organized. If your closets are overstuffed, with clothes and miscellaneous items crammed on shelves and the floor, you may well have trouble

finding what you’re looking for — but with a little straightening up, your searches will become much easier. And when you’re trying to locate financial documents, such as investment statements or insurance policies, you’ll also benefit from having everything organized in one central location. Even if you get most of these documents online, you can save what you need and keep them in a file on your desktop, laptop or tablet. (And it’s also a good idea to tell your spouse, adult child or another close relative how these documents can be accessed, just in case something happens to you.)

Protect yourself from dangers. If you look around your garage, shed or other storage area, you may well find some objects — such as gardening tools, paint thinners, engine fluids and leaning ladders — that could be dangerous if they aren’t stored properly. As part of your spring cleaning, you’ll want to remove these hazards to safeguard yourself and your family. But have you addressed the various financial risks that could threaten your loved ones? For example, if something were to happen to you, could your family members maintain their lifestyle? Could your children still go to college? To guard against this risk, you may want to discuss protection strategies with a financial professional.

Spring cleaning can pay off — in a cleaner, safer home environment and in helping ensure your financial strategy continues to work hard for you.

MARCH CALENDAR

THURSDAY MARCH 2 • 1PM

Lunchtime Documentaries: ‘The Mole Agent’

Join us for an afternoon screening of this Oscar-nominated documentary (2020, not rated, 89 min.) about an 83-year-old Chilean man sent as an undercover spy to a retirement home to investigate suspected neglect.

FRIDAY MARCH 3 • 10AM

Get More From Google

Take an in-depth approach to learning the various ways to search on Google, including using the Advanced Search and Image Search functions. This is a virtual program; registration is required.

MONDAY MARCH 6 • 1:30PM

Day Books

Discuss “The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich. New members welcome.

MONDAYS MARCH 6, 20 AND 27 • 4-5PM

Paws to Read

Learning to read, especially out loud, can be scary. Come to the library and practice reading skills with a gentle, furry friend! A registered therapy dog will listen calmly and quietly, creating a safe space for children to practice reading skills without fear or judgment. For grades K-5.

MONDAY MARCH 6 • 6:30PM

Oscar Trivia Night

Join us for an exciting Academy Awards themed Trivia Night. Compete for bragging rights as an individual or team in a battle of wits.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 8 • 7PM

The Irish in Albany

Six of Jack McEneny’s great grandparents were born in Ireland and came to the U.S., and two were born in Albany of Irish Immigrants who lived the rest of their lives in Albany. He will discuss the Irish immigrant experience in the area. Registration is advised due to limited seating. This series of historical talks is presented through a partnership with the Town of Bethlehem Historical Association.

FRIDAY MARCH 10 • 10AM

Downsizing and Organizing

Learn some important tips in this program presented by a representative from Organize Senior Moves.

FRIDAY MARCH 10

Take and Make: Sha-Sha-Shamrock!

Decorate for St. Patrick’s Day with this fun shamrock craft. *Please register each child individually by March 8. For grades K and younger with caregiver.

FRIDAY MARCH 10

Take and Make: Shamrock Truck

Drive your way into St. Patrick’s Day with this shamrock-themed truck craft. *Please register each child individually by March 8. For grades 1-5.

MARCH 13 • 1PM

Author Talk with David Epstein

The author of “Range” and “The Sports Gene” will take part in a virtual discussion through a partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit libraryc.org/bethlehempubliclibrary for more information or to register for one or more upcoming talks.

TUESDAY MARCH 14 • 6PM

Dungeons and Dragons

All playing materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own dice or D&D 5th Edition Character Sheet. Beginners welcome. Registration is required.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 15 • 6:30PM

CreativeBug Crafts: Japanese Side Sewn Sketchbook

Check out one of the library’s many online resources, CreativeBug, and get started on one of the great projects available there. All supplies will be provided. Registration required.

FRIDAY MARCH 17

Craftapalooza!

Drop by the Children’s Place and get creative with a variety of fun arts and craft projects. For kids and families.

MONDAY MARCH 20 • 11AM

Craft & Color for Adults

Choose between coloring or doing an openended craft activity. This program is specifically designed for adults of all abilities.

MONDAY MARCH 20 • 6:30PM

Upcycled Jewelry: Maker Workshop

Take apart old junk electronics and turn the components into one-of-a-kind wearable art. This program requires the dexterity and discipline to safely use sharp tools and materials. Teens and adults welcome! Registration required.

MARCH 21 • 4PM

Author Talk with Jernard A. Wells

The celebrity chef will take part in a virtual discussion through a partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit libraryc.org/ bethlehempubliclibrary for more information or to register for one or more upcoming talks.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 22 • 7PM

Own Voices Book Group

Discuss “Razorblade Tears” by S. A. Crosby. New members welcome; registration required.

MONDAY MARCH 27 • 2PM

Monday Matinee: ‘Key Largo’

This classic film (1948, not rated, 100 min.) will be shown with subtitles.

MARCH 28 • 7PM

Author Talk with Pam Jenoff

The author of “The Lost Girls of Paris” will take part in a virtual discussion through a partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit libraryc.org/bethlehempubliclibrary for more information or to register for one or more upcoming talks.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 29 • 6PM

Community Yoga

Enjoy a class designed for yoga practitioners of any skill level. Dan May shares Jai Yoga School’s Bhakti yoga practice, which includes song, cultural information and stories.

World Panda Day

Every year on March 16, we celebrate National Panda Day. There are two subspecies of pandas: The Giant, black and white panda, and the Qinling panda, a much smaller, brown subspecies of panda. In the wilderness, giant pandas live only in the remote, mountainous regions of China. As of 2019, due to rapidly growing population numbers, the status of pandas was upgraded from “endangered” species to “vulnerable” species.

Still, it is reported that there are less than 2,000 pandas left in the wild, due to habitat loss, farming, fur hunting, and other factors. Pandas only live about 15 to 20 years in the wild, but those in captivity can live even longer. Panda bears play an important part in the ecosystem of China’s bamboo forests, by spreading seeds, and therefore, growing new vegetation, which serves both humans and animals.

One factor contributing to their endangered status is the low birth rate for pandas. Considering female pandas are only fertile two or three days of the year, it makes sense that reproduction in the wild is more difficult for this species. There are about twenty seven zoos worldwide that protect Giant Pandas, and foster environments to encourage reproduction. The most important factor for preserving wild pandas is to protect their environment, especially bamboo forests, their main source of nutrition.

In 1961, the World Wide Fund for Nature was formed, and created their logo around the Panda, because it is an animal that is beautiful, endangered, and loved by many people around the world. The panda became a symbol of the conservation movement— a call to action to preserve endangered species and our natural wildlife environments for our wild animals. National Panda Day was created to bring awareness to the beauty of pandas, and to help prevent them from going extinct.

Here are some interesting facts about pandas:

Pandas spend 14 hours just eating. This amounts to consuming up to 83 pounds of bamboo every day.

The scientific name for the panda is Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which means black and white cat food!

Newborn pandas are blind. They start to see around 6 weeks old. Throughout their lives, they rely on spatial memory more than visual

memory.

Pandas have five fingers and a pseudo-thumb. They use their enlarged wrist bones to eat, which function as opposable thumbs.

Even though pandas are not pets, we wanted to take this opportunity to share interesting information about this vulnerable animal. Celebrate National Panda Day by helping preserve this amazing animal.

If you have any questions about spaying or neutering your pet, ask your vet!

Please send all your veterinary questions to: