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April 12, 2014
Editorial Recalls and take downs
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2014
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A Denton Publication
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LIBRARY TROUT?
Grant for ‘Greener’ Minerva
This Week NORTH CREEK
By Mike Corey
denpubs@denpubs.com MINERVA Ñ The Minerva Town Board met for its first (of two) regular meetings for the month on April 3 with a crowd of about a dozen citizens in attendance. On the agenda were several project updates, including one on the townÕ s Cleaner, Greener Community Grant, awarded to the town in 2013. This NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) program empowers communities and encourages them to be more sustainable by implementing smart growth practices. The grant ties in with an effort to develop projects that lead to the creation of regional sustainability plans. The town received a grant of $50,875 to update its 2004 Comprehensive Plan and to develop a town-wide facilities plan. The work would result in a plan to reduce energy use, integrate the use of renewable energy, and encourage the use of renewables. To fully take advantage of the grant, the town would dedicate $16,875 of funds to the project as a match. Councilman LaBar suggested that the town modify the existing Comprehensive Plan to develop a scaled-down version of the plan, hiring a consultant to assist with the update. Councilman McCall felt that the update would not be a complicated process and the town could complete the update without hiring a consultant. The board was hesitant to make a $16,875 commitment toward the project - which includes a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, because it was not budgeted for 2014. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
JOHNSBURG
Art pieces sought for exhibition PAGE 3
Indian Lake Superintendent Mark Brand gives a fishing lesson to students in the library. Photo provided
Local non-profit needs a lifeline By Pete DeMola pete@denpubs.com
INDIAN LAKE Ñ H elping Hands needs a helping hand. Faced with increases in state-mandated training for their staff, the Indian Lake-based elderly care providers are turning to Adirondack Gives, a regional crowd-funding website designed to help raise money for struggling non-profit agencies. With all of the little rising costs in business, itÕ s becoming harder to stay afloat and to maintain the quality of care provided by their staff, said Helping Hands office manager Nina Dickinson. Materials that were once provided at little or low-cost now have to be charged, like audio materials for basic training, webinars and
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professional digests, many of which clock in at $150 per employee. ÒT his is due to the ever-changing legal aspects of providing care in a digital world,Ó said Dickinson. ÒS ometimes this ends up accumulating to $1000 just to do minimal training.Ó These costs put the agency, which serves about 35 elderly residents of Hamilton County throughout 13 settlements, between a rock and a hard place because it forces them to choose between the training and direct licensed care. Dickinson said the situation is magnified because health care within the county, which is the least populated in the state, is confined to several small centers that are satellites of larger organizations, like the Hamilton County Public Health Nursing Service. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
MINERVA
MCS students perform musical ‘Annie’ PAGE 6
Signal strength: Long Lake gears up for high-speed Internet pete@denpubs.com
EDITORIAL
AUTOMOTIVE
PAGE 2
By Pete DeMola
Index
LEGALS
Pastel Society to present first awards
LONG LAKE Ñ Residents emerged from their dens on Tuesday, April 1 to receive an update on a tech project that will eventually deliver shiny new highspeed Internet access to their homes and businesses by late-summer. Joe Hockey, an engineer with SLIC, the St. Lawrence County-based company who landed the contract for the project, said the final grants should go through by April 15 Ñ that will allow for the construction of a 21-mile backbone from the Wild Center in Tupper Lake to Long Lake Ñ before the buildout
to Long Lake on June 1 and the final phase of running fiber service directly to homes, an installation process that the company hopes will be ready by August 1. The project, which was made possible through funds secured through state grants, will see service expanded to 683 households and 67 businesses. In town, a broadband committee has been meeting since November to determine how to best utilize the service. Ò We plan on sending out a survey to residents and homeowners to hear their thoughts,Ó said Parks and Recs Director Alex Roalsvig, who is also the committee chief. Ò We look forward to educating and getting people excited about this new opportunity.Ó
Roalsvig said residents should expect the surveys at the end of April or the beginning of May. Online versions, provided residents have access, will also be available. Business owners seemed pleased at the progress. Ò We have an online presence and weÕ d surely benefit from highspeed access,” said Bill Sandiford, owner of ADK Trading Post, a specialty grocery store. Sandiford said the possible wi-fi hotspots that the town is exploring would be particularly useful for the campers from Lake Eaton who patronize his shop during the summer. Ò The faster the better.Ó
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