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Saturday,ÊJ ulyÊ30,Ê2016
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In PHOTOS| pg. 11-12
Clinton County Fair festivities
68th annual event filled with fun for all ages
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In FEATURES | pg. 2-3
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In NEWS | pg. 4-5
Pokemon Go Derrick, Stefanik locally popular and trade policy
New app makes its way into downtown
TPP comes up in congressional race
Village exploring several ambulance options Village may partner with Champlain-Mooers EMS to cover shifts By Teah Dowling
teah@suncommunitynews.com
ROUSES POINT — Village officials are exploring supplementing their volunteer ambulance squad with paid professionals. The Rouses Point EMS, which is currently run by the Rouses Point Volunteer Fire Department, has about 10 volunteers, including four critical care techs. But like other squads across the region, their numbers are dwindling. Other jobs and responsibilities make it difficult for the
TheÊ beauty
volunteers to cover all shifts, said Mayor Daniel Letourneau, leaving residents to depend on Clinton County’s automatic mutual aid system that dispatches ambulances from neighboring municipalities. This often delays response time. Some calls even go unanswered. Volunteers, Letourneau said, are no longer stepping forward due to extensive training requirements. “You can’t get people to do this anymore, especially on a volunteer basis,” Letourneau said. Village officials are examining a number of options to alleviate the burden, including entering a contract with Champlain-Mooers EMS to cover 12-hour night shifts. The village pays nearly $30,000 a year, taken from general
Rouses Point denies water rate appeal
New event to feature local talent and historic homes
>> See Porch Music | pg. 15
Photo by Teah Dowling
>> See Village EMS | pg. 15
of Ê aÊ porch
CHAMPLAIN — Paul and Amy Gehrig take much pride in their spacious, oldfashioned porch that wraps around their 150-year-old home. “It’s a magnificent porch,” Amy said. “I believe I have the best porch in the vilTeah lage.” Dowling Writer But that wasn’t always the case. The pillars took a beating in the 1998 Ice Storm. During renovations, the couple discovered an old sketch. The drawing showed a schematic using stick figures to depict where each person would stand or sit for a possible wedding. The couple decided to preserve that history by putting the old sketch back in the ceiling, That same year, the Gehrig’s adopted four children and held a celebration on their porch. The couple saved an invitation from that day and put it in the ceiling along with the sketch. One wedding and a celebration later, the proud homeowners are ready to keep the good times going by participating in the first ever Champlain Porch Music. On Sunday, Aug. 7, residents and visitors will be able to visit three porches each hour and watch musical performances
Village officials are exploring supplementing the Rouses Point EMS, which is currently run by the Rouses Point Volunteer Fire Department, for paid professionals.
Jurisdictional issue has one local resident paying double By Teah Dowling
teah@suncommunitynews.com
Paul and Amy Gehrig take much pride in their spacious, old-fashioned porch that wraps around their 150-year-old home. Photo by Teah Dowling
ROUSES POINT — One local resident will continue to pay double for water rates. The village board denied Clifford Sterling’s request to reduce his recently doubled water rate at last week’s board meeting. For six years, Sterling has been paying the village rate since a quarter-acre of his three-acre parcel on Prospect Street is within the village boundary lines. His home, however, sits in the town of Champlain. The village discovered this error and changed his billing two months ago. Village residents pay a flat rate of $46 per month. Town of Champlain residents near the existing pipes could request to hook up to village water — but they would have to pay double according to village law. Fourteen people pay that doubled rate. Officials said giving Sterling a pass would set a precedent. >> See Water Rates | pg. 15