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Saturday,ÊA ugustÊ27 ,Ê2016
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In FEATURES | pg. 10
Battle of P’Burgh reenactments Event to bring in new activities Sept. 8-11
www.SunCommunityNews.com
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In NEWS | pg. 3
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In EVENTS | pg. 2
Chazy approves Otis Mountain new marina fest on tap More boats on the lake concern locals
E’town event taking place from Sept. 9-11
Champlain receives $1 million for water infrastructure project Additional funding might be used toward reducing $10.4 million loan, says mayor By Teah Dowling
teah@suncommunitynews.com
CHAMPLAIN — The state awarded the town and village $1 million in grant funds for its municipal water infrastructure project. The project, designed to provide a reliable and safe water supply to customers within the new district, costs $13.4 million. The state funds, announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this month, join a NYS Drinking Water State grant for $2 million, awarded a year ago, leaving a $10.4 million low
interest loan, which has already been awarded, to cover the remainder. The grant, Mayor Greg Martin said, will most likely go toward reducing the $10.4 million bill by 10 percent. The taxpayers within the new water district are responsible for paying down the loan over the course of about 30 years. Town residents pay a fixed rate each quarter based on their EDUs (estimated dwelling units), a unit of measure used to estimate the amount of water used by a residence or business. The village water rate was increased from $2.98 to $4.56 per thousand gallons earlier this year. While villagers are required by village law to hook up to the water, town residents are not. But a portion of them still need to make quarterly payments regardless of whether they hook up if they’re within the new water district where the pipes are being placed.
58thÊM ooers
TACKLING INFRASTRUCTURE The loan covers the design and construction phases of the project. Two water towers were constructed on West Service Road and Prospect Street for $2.5 million. Roughly eight miles of pipe will be placed along Route 11, West Service Road, New Ridge Road and a few side roads, said Martin. Bids went out last Monday for the Water Treatment Plant. Once that closes Sept. 8, the municipalities, Martin said, >> See State Award | pg. 14
Plattsburgh preps for mausoleum takeover
LaborÊ Day Mooers Volunteer Fire Department raising funds for new pumper/tanker
MOOERS — The Mooers Volunteer Fire Department is looking forward to its 58th annual Labor Day celebration next Sunday. The day will kick off with a parade. Th ere will be live entertainment, games, a Teah garden tractor pull and raffles with over Dowling 100 prizes. Writer And who can forget the food? The annual BBQ will feature hot dogs, hamburgers, candy apples, fried dough and more, all of which will be available for eat in or take out. Most of the events will remain the same as previous years except for a performance by Completely Stranded – Plattsburgh’s improv comedy troupe. “People should come because it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Fire Chief Dan Dumas. “Also, they’ll be able to support their local fire department.” All proceeds will go toward replacing the Mooers Volunteer Fire Department’s 1991 firetruck with a new pumper/tanker. Dumas said the truck costs between $250,000 and $300,000. The funding will come from different fundraising efforts and the capital reserve.
The first payment of the three-year-loan with no interest, which will roll over into 30 years, is over $200,000 and due Jan. 8, 2017.
Ahead of transfer, town inks policies for abandoned cemetery properties By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
The 58th annual Mooers Labor Day celebration will take place Sunday, Sept. 4 starting at noon. Photos provided
Dumas is hopeful it will be in service by spring 2018. Other future projects include the installation of a new electronic sign and replacing some 20-year-old equipment. Dumas plans on seeking funding through FEMA to cover the additional improvements. The fire chief is hopeful this event will help cover some of those costs. The Mooers Labor Day celebration will take place Sunday, Sept. 4. Most of the festivities start at noon except for the garden tractor pull, which will begin at 1 p.m. Raffle tickets are available now for $1 per ticket, a book of seven for $5 or three books of seven for $10. For more information, call the Mooers Volunteer Fire Department at 236-5311.
PLATTSBURGH — As the state prepares to hand over an abandoned mausoleum to town ownership, the municipality has adopted a series of rules governing the facility. All crypt sales at the Whispering Maples Memorial Gardens will include an amount for permanent maintenance, which will be deposited into a permanent care fund. The town will not buy back crypts. And in an attempt to curb the fire sale on crypts and niches once the news emerged that the facility was insolvent, all sales and transfers will be subject to town clerk approval. (Burial rights, however, can be donated back to the town.) The rules approved by the town board last week also include measures to regulate access and decorative issues, as well as include provisions for internment. Whispering Maples Memorial Gardens, a former nonprofit, owned and operated two mausoleums and a crematory in Plattsburgh and Ellenburg. All three properties have been under state receivership >> See Mausoleum Update | pg. 17