ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS
THIS WEEK Warrensburg ....................2-5 Opinion ..........................6 Health and Fitness ..........7-11 House-a-Home ................12-13 Thurman ........................16 Outdoor ..........................18 Calendar ........................18 Classified........................19
P.O. BOX 338 ELIZABETHTOWN, NY 12932 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Denton Publications
FREE
August 29, 2009
Business
Taking a Hike
Coupon Queen
Warrensburg’s newest restaurant in River Street Plaza steeped in local history.
4-H Adirondack Guides lead an expedition in the mountains.
Jill Cataldo informs readers how loyalty programs can yield big pay days.
Page 5
Page 6
Officials: broadband access crucial to survival of Adirondack communities
Local officials object to destruction of state historic structures
Page 3
By Thom Randall
By Jonathan Alexander
thom@denpubs.com
denpubs@denpubs.com
QUEENSBURY — Local citizens, business owners and local officials in remote upstate regions should join together in lobbying the state and federal legislators to bankroll rural broadband infrastructure, government officials said this week. At a broadband conference convened Aug. 19 by U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy (DGlens Falls), a panel of government technology officials, politicians and communications technology developers agreed that broadband access is critical to not only the economic vitality of the Adirondacks, but for the very survival of rural communities across upstate New York. Howard Lowe, president of not-for-profit broadband developer CBN Connect, told the audience that his company had submitted an application Aug. 19 for $22 million of federal stimulus money to fund their project providing core broadband infrastructure in a 425-mile loop through Essex, Franklin and Clinton counties, serving 22 communities. This optic-cable circuit would stretch in an arch across northern New York from the St. Regis Mohawk reservation eastward through Malone and Routes Point, then south to Plattsburgh and Ticonderoga. This circuit is expected to be extended through rural War-
RAY BROOK — While the state Department of Environmental Conservation is defending itself against arguments from environmentalists who claim the agency is not being aggressive enough in removing structures from state wilderness, local officials are decrying that such destruction of 100year old buildings lacks respect for Adirondack culture and history. Under a mandate of the State Land Master Plan, the DEC has for years been removing or destroying fire towers, leantos and ATV trails. The practice has gained prominence as the state continues to acquire additional land for the Forest Preserve. But for local officials, the practice of burning down 100year old structures is nothing short of ethnocide – robbing the local population of their heritage simply to conform to a vague notion of “wilderness character.”
After the broadband conference at Adirondack Community College, panel members discuss pending grants that would bring high-speed internet and data services deep into the Adirondacks. (Left to right): Warren County Board of Supervisors Fred Monroe, CBN Connect President Howard Lowe, Congressman Murphy aide Mark Luciano, and Adirondack Park economic development official Stephen Erman. Photo by Thom Randall
ren and Hamilton counties in a forthcoming second phase of the proposed buildout, according to a contract the counties signed just weeks ago with CBN Connect. This initial circuit includes a spur serving Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. Lowe estimated that if the $22 million stimulus grant is approved, this initial broadband circuit could be operating as soon as spring 2011, and the Warren County extension six months or more later. Served first would be the public entities, including libraries educational institutions, hospitals and clinics, and public safety authori-
R & D TRANSMISSIONS AND AUTO REPAIR 518-623-4645
ACROSS FROM THE GRIST MILL •Oil Changes •Brakes •Exhaust •Transmission Rebuilds •Tune-Ups
The
COZY CABIN Stove & Fireplace Shop
RT. 28 WARRENSBURG, NY 12885 • (518) 623-4349 HOURS: TUES. - FRI. 9:00-4:30, SAT. 9:00-4:00 www.cozycabin.net 20849
WARRENSBURG CAR CARE
BODY SHOP & SERVICE CENTER “Quality Service at a Fair Price Since 1982”
KEN DUELL ROY E ROSE
Still Family Owned & Operated
21555
Red Mountain Storage Rt. 9 Chestertown, N.Y.
• Full Service Mechanical • NYS Inspections • 24 Hour Towing 3985 Main St. Warrensburg NY
623-2135
95 RIVER STREET WARRENSBURG, NEW YORK 12885
20861
494-5000
NEW! We Now Accept
Visa & Mastercard
20851
ties. Various broadband carriers, Lowe said, would use this infrastructure — most all of it high-capacity 144strand fiber-optic cable strung along utility poles — to carry their customers, both commercial and residential. The participating commercial carriers — cable companies and telecoms — would build out the “last mile” to the homes and businesses they’d service, he said.
APA official vows cooperation Although many view the Adirondack Park Agency as a major obstacle of this
TIRED OF THE COLD? CALL 623-3613
Fuel Oil • K-1 Kerosene Diesel • Automatic Delivery Heating Equipment • Sales Installation • Cleaning • Repairs 24 Hour Emergency Service
Main St., Warrensburg
20855
County job cuts may now extend to management
buildout — as they’ve vetoed or delayed the construction of many wireless telecom towers — an APA official said Wednesday they’d be fully cooperating with the broadband initiative. In fact, the agency has already written a letter — submitted with the grant application — expressing strong support for the buildout, APA Special Assistant for Economic Affairs Stephen Erman said. “The Park Agency is solidly behind this effort to get broadband throughout the Park,” he said. “The extension of broadband is critical to the future of the Park’s economy.”
QUEENSBURY — Several new rounds of job cuts in Warren County government are now under consideration, as county leaders continue to struggle with attempts to keep 2010 tax increases near zero. County Board of Supervisors Chairman Fred Monroe told the full board Friday that further job cuts were needed to prevent a 9 to 13 percent tax increase, unless other ways of trimming expenses were devised. County Administrator Hal Payne told the group he had identified 21 county jobs for possible elimination, for a savings of about $950,000. Monroe said that eliminating 40 more county jobs would bring the projected 2010 tax increase down to about 3 percent. Payne said up to two additional rounds of job cuts beyond the 20 proposed would be necessary to keep the tax increase at zero. Johnsburg Supervisor Sterling Goodspeed objected, suggesting it was time to consider axing upper management —
See BROADBAND, page 15
See CUTS, page 17
Serious Personal Injury
HOMETOWN OIL
See STRUCTURES, page 17
Muller & Mannix PLLC ATTORNEYS
AT LAW 257 Bay Road, Queensbury, NY
793-2535
45843
By Thom Randall thom@denpubs.com
an’s amily B uckm F uel co.
I NC. FUEL OIL • KEROSENE • DIESEL • GASOLINE
Rt. 9, Chestertown, NY
• Senior Discounts • Automatic Delivery
494-4999 • 800-242-0617 • 24 Hour Service • • Automatic Delivery • • Senior Discounts • • HEAP Vendor • • Budget Programs •
ALWAYS HERE TO KEEP YOU WARM
®
20848 20850
Heating Oil Propane Generators Air Conditioning Service 24/7 Flexible Payments
494-2428 • 668-2035 14291
Warrensburg 518-623-9000
Automotive Service, Inc.
S E A S O N S PROPANE & HEATING OIL
Full Service Premium Home Heating Oil, Kerosene & Diesel Fuel
STORAGE & RENTALS LLC
SIZES FROM 5X5 TO 10X30
• Full Service Facility • Computer Diagnostics • 24 Hour Towing New York • State
• 24 HOUR ACCESS EVERYDAY • • YOU LOCK IT •
518-623-2135
3985 MAIN STREET • WARRENSBURG, NY BEHIND WARRENSBURG CAR CARE 20862
Inspections
3943 Main St., Warrensburg, NY 12885 45801
518-623-5588
20860