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ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron

Saturday,Ê October 22, 2016

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In SPORTS | pg. 18-20

Peru triumphs gymnastics meet

Freshman wins second straight all-around title

www.SunCommunityNews.com

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In EVEnts | pg. 3

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In NEWS | pg. 5

Customer ETS gives insight Appreciation on new generation

Begor’s Supply hosting event Oct. 22

Millenials taking over the workforce today

Clinton County inks extension agreement with Casella for landfill New changes for residents, including bag fees and convenience station’s hours, days of operation By Teah Dowling

teah@suncommunitynews.com

PLATTSBURGH — The county landfill will remain under ownership of Clinton County until 2021 and residents will have to pay a portion of the price. The county legislature voted unanimously last week to extend Casella’s 25-year contract with Clinton County for another 20 years and make changes to the current agreement. That includes increasing garbage bag fees, which will rise from $2 to $3 per bag within 30 days after the signing of the

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agreement and $3.50 starting the second year. County Administrator Michael Zurlo said he didn’t have an exact date for when the deal will be inked. “It should be soon,” Zurlo said. Casella Vice President and Assistant General Counsel Shelley Field said there hasn’t been a bag fee increase since 2008. The fee was increased due to a decline in recycling revenue and an increase in operating costs and employee benefits. The minimum scale fee at the landfill in Schuyler Falls and the Mooers Transfer Station will also increase from $20 to $25 within 30 days of the agreement execution. The fee will increase to $27.50 in 2018 and $30 in 2020. Residents will notice a change at all the convenience stations throughout Clinton County within 30 days of the agreement being signed. Zurlo said each station will either have their hours or days

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MORE TONNAGE, MORE MONEY The extension will net the county an additional $17.1 million in host fees and recycling payments and $13.3 million to Schuyler Falls in host-community fees and property taxes. The amount of trash by tons in the landfill will increase from 175,000 to 250,000, a change that will take years to com>> See Casella Waste | pg. 9

Students pose questions to state Assembly candidates at town hall forum

Beekmantown fifth-grader Benjamin Giroux’s poem touches local, national hearts

BEEKMANTOWN — It all started with a classroom assignment. Back in April, Benjamin Giroux, along with his other fifth grade classmates at Beekmantown Central School, was assigned to write a poem using the theme Teah “I Am.” Dowling Writer The then 10-year-old’s poem “I Am Odd, I Am New” encompassed his day-to-day struggle with autism. “I just wrote about how I felt at school,” said Benjamin, referring to wanting to fit in instead of feeling like a “castaway” and a “boy in outer space.” The morning after writing the poem, Benjamin’s father, Sonny Giroux, said he suffered from an anxiety attack and decided to stay home. He was then worried that his classmates would laugh at him for being honest about how he felt. “No matter how many times his mother and I told him his poem was amazing,” said Sonny, “he kept saying that we had to say that being his parents.” So, with Benjamin’s permission, Sonny posted the poem on the public section of the National Autism Association’s website to gather feedback from complete strangers. About 15 minutes later, Sonny got an email from the NAA

of operation altered in order to accommodate staff changes. None of the 11 stations will be closed, he said. The exact details, Zurlo said, are currently being mapped out. Zurlo said the two entities will keep the public in the loop: “We don’t want to surprise anyone,” he said. “We want to make sure we get people aware of this.”

ADK P-TECH students say they were pleased with civil tenor of forum, which took place under raging national backdrop “I want my poem to be read by everyone so they understand how I feel and how others like me feel.” — Benjamin Giroux. Photo provided

requesting permission to post the poem on their main page. Sonny agreed and within hours, he said, it got thousands of likes, shares and comments. “I’ve always been proud of my son,” he said. “But for him to express himself so honestly and put himself out there so exposed, he has brought a new level of pride.” Since then, Benjamin has been interviewed by local media and national media, including The Today Show and The Huffington Post. The town of Plattsburgh and Beekmantown Central School District named Benjamin the first-ever Poet Laureate. >> See Benjamin Giroux | pg. 11

By Pete DeMola

pete@suncommunitynews.com

PLATTSBURGH — Students got a crash course in political civility last week as candidates from three local races converged at a town hall-type meeting sponsored by ADK PTECH. In their first joint appearance, state Assembly candidates Billy Jones and Kevin Mulverhill outlined their respective policies using questions posed by the students, who are enrolled in a six-year vocational program that runs concurrent with a degree from Clinton Community College. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT >> See ADK P-Tech | pg. 14


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