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Saturday,ÊA ugustÊ27 ,Ê2016
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In CROWN POINT | pg. 20
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Penfield Heritage Day
In OPINION | pg. 6
Pay raise? Earn it!
Event shows off new exhibit
Legislative salary increase excessive
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In SCHROON | pg. 18
Golf course eyes renovations Irrigation upgrades on links
Port Henry village hikes some pay rates The code officer and building cleaner got raises to $20 an hour By Lohr McKinstry
lohr@suncommunitynews.com
PORT HENRY – The last Port Henry Village Board meeting was a great time to give out raises to $20 a hour. Village Code Enforcement Officer William Ball and building cleaner Kellie Valentine both got them.
Valentine started the broom sweeping by writing a letter asking for an increase from $10 an hour to $20. She works three hours a month in the summer, and five in the winter. The board noted she does an excellent job and voted unanimously to grant the raise. Trustees said the dollar amount of the increase will be minimal, because she works so few hours. That irked Ball, who said he’s been asking for a raise for three years. “You know what I want,” said Ball, who was
at the meeting to report on building permits he’d issued for the month. “If you pay a cleaning lady $20 (an hour), I want $20.” So he got a raise, too. The board voted unanimously to increase Ball’s pay to $20 an hour. Mayor Ernest Guerin said $15 an hour was budgeted for the code officer, but Ball hadn’t drawn his wages in protest because he believed they were too low. “For three years, he’s done it free, gratis,” Guerin said. Ball is employed as a full-time code officer
for the Town of Ticonderoga, and does the village work part-time. He agreed to check on an allegedly rundown property at 43 Brook St., which is believed to be in bank foreclosure. Ball said he’d cite the bank claiming ownership if the situation warrants it, but that many times banks will not sign for such letters. The bank may be located in a distant state, so personal service of a property maintenance complaint is not possible, he said. He said he’ll check on ownership of 43 Brook St.
CyclistsÊ convergeÊ onÊ Ti
Bicentennial Park was ground zero for more than 300 bike riders as part of Cycle Adirondacks By Lohr McKinstry
lohr@suncommunitynews.com
Pictured is a portion of the Newcomb to Minerva snowmobile trail that has been completed, seeded with grass seed and covered with hay.
ConnectorÊ curtailedÊ again Appellate Court ordered second injunction last Friday, pending decision in Albany Supreme Court. By Kim Dedam
kim@suncommunitynews.com
NORTH HUDSON — Off-and-on construction of the multi-use Community Connector Trail on state Forest Preserve land between Newcomb and Minerva was stopped again last Friday. An Appellate Court overturned the Albany Supreme Court decision that had restarted work on the trail mid-August. In July, Protect the Adirondacks successfully won its first injunction from the Appellate Court against the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on planning and >> See TRAIL | pg. 21
TICONDEROGA – With wheels spinning, they arrived in pairs, in groups, and singly last weekend as the Cycle Adirondacks weeklong bike ride came to Ticonderoga. More than 300 cyclists converged on Percy Thompson Bicentennial Park for a day of camaraderie, musical entertainment, food, and camping. A sea of tents stretched across the park, with service tents on all sides providing information, food, and even charging of electronic devices. The tour was sponsored by the Wilderness Conservation Society as a means of introducing the Adirondack Park to people from out of the re-
gion and the state. Cycle Adirondacks spokesman Doug Hanley said they were encouraging riders to visit Fort Ticonderoga, the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour and other at-
tractions in town. “Day two has been awesome,” he said. “You’re rewarded by riders’ smiles when they’re having fun, and >> See CYCLE | pg. 3