ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron
Saturday,ÊO ctoberÊ10,Ê2015
>>
www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 22-24
Soccer in full swing
PLUS: Moriah completes sweep of champs
>>
In OPINION | pg. 6
Small govt. big problems
Unfunded mandates hurt municipalities
>>
In TICONDEROGA | pg. 8
Hall of Fame
Ti alums to be inducted Friday
Lawmakers okay bed tax expansion
Tax to go into effect on Jan. 1 By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — Essex County lawmakers approved an expansion of the bed tax to vacation rental units Monday. The law, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, is estimated to bring in $250,000 in revenue the first year. Lawmakers signed off 17-1, with Supervisor Shaun Gillilland voting against the measure. “A tax is a tax is a tax,” said Gilliland. The law wasn’t well thought-out, he said. The lawmaker said he was concerned about the county’s ability to enforce the law, which will he said will create a potential new administrative burden. Should homeowners fail to register their units, they may fall into a bureaucratic thicket. “Like the SAFE Act, all of a sudden we’re turning law abiding citizens into criminals,” said Gillilland. County officials have said they do not anticipate enforcement being an issue and will use a blend of public relations and goodwill to bring the units into compliance.
Kickin’ it to Cancer The Schroon Lake girls varsity soccer team hosted the Westport/Elizabethtown-Lewis Lady Griffins in the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game Oct. 6. The tradition, which started between the Widlcats and then Westport Eagles, continued in 2015 and included special pink uniforms for each team along with a fundraising by each team. For the first year, players from the two modified teams also took part in the event. Photo by Jill Lobdell
>> Story Continued | pg. 14
Ticonderoga food co-op adding products, expanding ranks New membership plan could widen access to locally produced foods By Christopher Pratt
christopher@suncommunitynews.com
TICONDEROGA — As the Ticonderoga Natural Foods Co-op was ramping up for its grand opening in July, manager Erin Kelley had a vision for the bare shelves and open cooler space located in its new home on Montcalm Street. Kelley said in an interview last week that the community has been very responsive since the doors opened this summer. There’s a whole lot of people who are connecting with the co-op’s vision of having good access to locally-produced foods at a decent price. That’s“really exciting,” Kelley said. The co-op is open to the public. The shelves and coolers are now stocked tightly in the main street store. With steady customer traffic, the group has worked to expand its inventory, forging new relationships with local farmers and producers. There’s probably 20 vendors affiliated with the group, and “we’ll just be adding on more every week,” Kelley said. Surrounded by fruits and vegetables brought in during the fall harvest, Kelley said the group is poised for growth in the next few months. In its early stages, the co-op sought to bring in members at a $250 annual rate. At that rate, members receive significant deals on products and
>> Story Continued | pg. 9