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April 3, 2010
Be aware
Low salt
Outdoors
North Warren girl boosts schoolmates awareness of epilepsy.
The saving is in the salt for taxpayers says town leaders.
Trout season arrives as the ice makes an early departure.
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Thurman ponders future of its emergency squad Service, personnel controversy aired By Carol LaGrasse denpubs@denpubs.com ATHOL — The contentious issues of the local emergency squad’s finances, response times and personnel matters were aired Sunday in a special town board meeting. Since January, the Thurman Town Board has been withholding its annual payment of $33,800 to the Thurman Emergency Squad, pending an audit of its books that would explain to the town board’s satisfaction that the squad needs the funds in light of the squad’s existing fund balance. Supervisor Lawrence “Red” Pitkin said at the meeting Sunday that the emergency squad still had $42,000 in its checking account balance at the end of November. “Our concern is there’s a lot of money sitting there and we didn’t see calls being responded to,” he said. The squad’s cash balance might be justified, but in December the directors discharged the treasurer, Suzie Baker who could explain the accounts. The squad’s board also prompted the sheriff ’s department to visit her home several months ago and threaten her with arrest if she did not turn over the books, which she immediately did. Some have criticized the action as groundless. Last month, Baker and her son Dexter Baker, were booted out of the squad, which the Bakers contend was unfounded and conducted without a proper vote. At Sunday’s meeting, squad captain George McKinney said that the squad presently has no treasurer. The audit for the town board was due last month, but when February was up and the squad failed to produce a written audit, the town board extended the deadline to the end of March, when Pitkin called the meeting to discuss matters with the squad. It was apparent, judging from complaints from the crowded audience, that the people of Thurman expected the audit to be produced. There still was no audit. McKinney blamed for the delay of the audit on it being too difficult. “The auditor is going through and trying to figure out where all the checks were spent on what,” he said. Townspeople in the meeting rebutted McKinney’s remark. Jean Coulard, the past treasurer, spoke up emphatically, “Any auditor who can’t work from her books has got a problem. I trained her.” Those who’ve seen Baker ’s books have said that each expense is carefully categorized and tallied neatly, and subtotals are penned for each month. Town officials have questioned more than merely the accumulated fund balance and the delayed audit. Pitkin said that the number of responses by Thurman’s ambulance had recently dropped dramatically, from 9 of 20 received during
See EMERGENCY SQUAD, page 10
Warrensburg Drama Club actresses perform a scene from the musical Evita, in which Eva Peron — portrayed by Laura Corriveau (center) — arrives in Buenes Aries and is caught up in the excitement of city life. Alongside Corriveau onstage are (left to right:)Warrensburg Central students Marissa Perrone, Whitney Galusha, EmmaLee Corlew, Camille, DeLongis, Cathy Flores, Laiken Ovitt and Lydia Hayes. This three-performance production at Warrensburg High drew capacity crowds and prompted critical acclaim. Read about it in next week’s Adirondack Journal. Photo by Tressa Cintora
Bogus crash call prompts investigation By Thom Randall thom@denpubs.com QUEENSBURY — A report of a serious rollover crash over the Warren County emergency two-way radio system about two weeks ago sent firefighters and emergency medical people scrambling, but the call was bogus, county officials said Thursday. Emergency Coordinator Brian LaFlure said a series of three calls reported the crash and they originated from a particular mobile radio installed in a car or truck. The crash supposedly involved a ve-
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