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March 8, 2014
Editorial 518, what’s your emergency?
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2014
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A Denton Publication
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MUSEUM TALK
Payne: Tri-County running well
This Week JOHNSBURG
By Pete DeMola pete@denpubs.com
NORTH CREEK Ñ Adirondack Tri-County Administrator Hal Payne said despite the layoff of 33 employees at Inter-Lakes in Ticonderoga last week, everything is running well at his facility and there are no plans to cut staff or sell the facility. Rumors are rife in the community, said Payne, because Tri-County, like the InterLakes Health-owned Heritage Commons Residential Health Care, is part of the Blue Line Group (BLG), the regional partnership of non-profit nursing homes that was created last year to explore new models of long-term sustainability and streamline operations throughout their facilities. Ò The decisions made by Inter-Lakes will not affect the other members of the Blue Line Group in any way,Ó he said. Ò We wanted to make sure everyone knew the board unanimously voted not to sell,Ó said Tri-County board president Karen Smith. Last December, the New York State Department of Health awarded the BLG a $7.1 million grant, a direct response to the fiscal distress that the four elder care facilities in the network have endured following years of losses accrued by Medicaid reimbursements that have fallen short of actual costs. Both Tri-County officials said theyÕ re working diligently to continue operations until they receive the first state payments at the end of the month and there are no plans to lay off any of the facilityÕ s 120 employees. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
MINERVA
A night sledding under the stars PAGE 3
Assemblyman Dan Stec discusses ideas with Robert Nessle on a possible NYS ski museum in North Creek. Photo by Seth Lang
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LETTERS, COLUMNS
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GIRL SCOUT SALUTE
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OBITUARIES
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SPECIAL
North Creek aims to establish NYS ski museum By Seth Lang
seth@denpubs.com NORTH CREEK Ñ North Country residents gathered at the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek Wednesday, Feb. 26 to discuss plans for a possible New York State ski museum to be built in North Creek. Bob Nessle of Johnsburg thinks New York should have a museum dedicated to skiing in the state.
Ò North Creek would be the perfect location,Ó said Nessle. North Creek has a ski history dating back to the 1930Õ s, when skiers used to climb to the top of Gore Mountain and ski back down. North Creek also had one of the first T-bars in the country, allowing skiers to ride up and ski down. Other states like New Hampshire and Colorado
have similar museums that are successful in attracting visitors year around. Nessle, who managed the Ski Bowl in North Creek for several seasons back in the 1960Õ s, admitted that itÕ s a lofty goal but heÕ s still trying to drum up interest and figure out how other facilities have made similar projects happen. Museums in New York are chartered by the state Board
of Regents. The board must first grant a provisional charter which is good for up to five years. At the end of five years, if the board decides theyÕ ve met the requirements for a museum, a permanent charter will be granted. Although Lake Placid has an Olympic Museum, itÕ s dedicated to the Winter Olympics from 1932 - 1980. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Girl Scouts participate in activities PAGE 6
Thurman’s Jack Wax Party next Saturday has deep local roots thom@denpubs.com
EDITORIAL
CLASSIFIEDS
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By Thom Randall
Index
CALENDAR
All hail the 100th day king!
ATHOL Ñ Folks from near and far will get a hearty helping of savory homemade food as well as a taste of Adirondack community spirit next weekend as they attend the annual Thurman Old-Fashioned Jack Wax Party. Also known as the Sugar Party, the event has been an annual fund-raiser in this rural mountain town since people arrived in sleighs and by horseback. Open to the public, the event is a blend of friendly conversation, hearty home-cooked food and rollicking
mountain music. ItÕ s to be held Saturday March 15 in the Thurman Town Hall. The meal begins at 4 p.m. and lasts until all are served. Since the 1930s and perhaps decades before, townspeople in Thurman have held this event celebrating the end of winter, sharing a meal topped off with Jack Wax. This age-old New England treat is made by ladling fragrant, boiled-down maple syrup Ñ fresh from local Òs ugar bushesÓÑ onto snow or ice shavings, which gives it a taffy-like consistency. But the event is far more than sharing a savory meal together pot-luck style at long tables, swapping tales, listening to home-grown music, and greeting neigh-
bors after a long winter. ItÕ s not only a communal tribute to upcoming spring, but itÕ s also a matter of sharing and caring for others in need. This annual community party represents reaching out to others by raising money for the American Cancer Society both for research and to help families in the area. This has been the partyÕ s main purpose for 55 years, although some local old-timers remember attending Thurman Jack Wax parties in the 1930s Ñ and others tell of the celebrations going back to the late 1800s. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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