The Game
The North Country SBDC celebrates 25 years of helping local businesses.
Morrisonville man writes book examining a local history of baseball called “The Only Game in Town.”
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Happy holidays fr om all of us at the...
December 26, 2009
Longtime principal Outdoor bike retiring at end of ranch eyes the school year ways to take fun indoors By Jeremiah S. Papineau jeremiah@denpubs.com
MORRISONVILLE — Morrisonville Elementary School is losing a familiar face. Principal Bradley J. Ott will retire at the end of the school year this June. The administrator made his intentions known to the Saranac Central School District Board of Education Dec. 1, but it’s a decision that’s bittersweet. The decision to bring to a close his 38-year career with
Morrisonville Elementary School principal Bradley J. Ott, known for his reading of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” sits at his desk with a stuffed version of The Grinch. Ott recently announced he will retire at the end of the school year. Photo by Jeremiah S. Papineau
the district — 21 years of which have been at the helm of Morrisonville Elementary — was prompted by the retirement of his wife, Dolores, a speech therapist of 30 years with Champlain Valley Educational Services in Plattsburgh. When she decided to retire, it left Ott questioning what his next move would be as well. “I don’t believe, realistically, that I could say to this team, that I would commit to three to five years,” said Ott. See OTT, page 8
Retiring Warming gesture town justice reflects By Jeremiah S. Papineau jeremiah@denpubs.com PERU — The first of January will mark the start of a new year and the start of a new chapter in the life of the Hon. Peter Keenan. Keenan will officially step down as Peru Town Justice after serving the position for the past 24 years. Earlier this year, the Peru native decided not to seek reelection to a seventh fouryear term, citing a desire to spend more time with family and to simply “not be as tied down.” “I just felt it was time,” said Keenan. “Twenty-four years is a long time.” Keenan found the town See KEENAN, page 8
Rose Oliver, right, helps Jean Blair prepare a meal during a free Christmas dinner at Benji’s Café and Bakery in downtown Plattsburgh Dec. 20. The meal was hosted for senior citizens and the underprivileged, with more than 200 served through the event. Photo by Jeremiah S. Papineau
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By Sarah L. Cronk sarah@denpubs.com WEST CHAZY — After a successful year of clearing trails and hosting mountain bike races, the Adirondack Bike Ranch works toward moving inside. Bike ranch organizer Paul Maggy is spending the cold winter months turning an old miniature horse arena into an indoor bike park, which is located on the same land as the Adirondack Bike Ranch, at 90 Blue Chip Way. “A year ago we really started planning it, but we actually started putting physical labor into taking it apart, grading it down to dirt, getting it level and ready to start building a ... terrain park about two months ago,” Maggy explained. Maggy’s plan for the indoor park is to have a pump track, which is designed for flow a mountain bike up and over hills and around corners, instead of pedaling, man-made bridges, teeter-totters, and dirt jumps, “Right now we are privately-funded,” he explained. “Everything that we have done has been out of pocket.” However, Maggy is currently awaiting news that could change that. “We have applied for a regional trails program grant through the state of New York,” he said. “We met all the criteria ... and now we are being ranked as far as points on the economy in the area, the need for it, the community’s backing behind it, how much we are working with the community to get it out there.” If approved for the grant, Maggy said they will receive $600,000, which will help speed up the process to completing the bike park. “We’re working on all of this without the grant,” he said. “Because it is still our project, whether we get a grant to do it or not. We’re still working every day to make it happen.” As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Maggy is also looking to the community for more support. “We’ve got to get the community behind us,” he explained. “We’ve got to get See INDOORS, page 12
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