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VOLUME 135 — WHOLE 7070
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017
Rod Hillis of Hobart, Father of Seven Daughters Page 5
Wednesday Farmers’ Market Reopens in Delhi By Lillian Browne DELHI - For the past 18 years, Heller Farms has been a mainstay at the Wednesday Farmers’ Market at Courthouse Square in Delhi. The 2017 season opened on Wednesday, June 7, and Laura Heller could be found in her standard place on the Square. Heller said opening day was stellar, with lots of community support and lots of sales for all the vendors. There are many new ven-
dors this year, selling produce, baked goods, cheese, maple and honey products, and artisans with locally made jewelry and a henna artist. The Delhi Farmers’ Market has continuously expanded and brought in competing vendors, which Heller said is a good thing. “Competition makes you better. The more competition there is, the better your product becomes,” she said. See Farmers’ page 4
Lillian Browne/The Reporter
There are new vendors at the Delhi Farmers’ Market, as well as familiar long-time vendors. In addition to fresh, local, seasonal produce, there are baked goods, jewelry, maple syrup, locally made cheese and more for sale.
Children Jump in to Help Local Boy With ASD Get His Service Dog By Rosie Cunningham DELHI – Local boys are learning the value of giving back at a young age. M a s o n Thompson, 4, sold tasty lemonade over the weekend to help raise money for Evan Kruppo. According to Patti Kruppo, Evan’s mother, the dog that the money is being raised
$1.00
Lumberjacks ‘Three-Peat’ Page 18
Downsville Water Rates to Increase 43% By Lillian Browne COLCHESTER - Downsville water district users will see a sharp increase in their water bills, beginning with October’s bill. The Colchester Town Council voted unanimously, after lengthy assessment and discussion, to raise the base rate from $35 per quarter to $50 per quarter and to charge a flat rate of $3 for every 1,000 gallons of water used, at a meeting held on June 7. Supervisor Art Merrill explained that the 221 water district users do not pay enough to pay for the operation of the water system. Each year, he said, money has been taken from reserve surplus to offset operating expenses. However, those funds are nearly depleted, he said. In order to ensure that the water district remains sustainable, rates must be increased. The town’s three largest water users - the school, the fire department and the town, will also see an increase in their rates. The trio are currently charged a flat rate of $5,000 per quarter. Their rate will be increased to $6,000 per quarter.
The rate increase will take effect on July 1 and users will see the results of the increase in their October bill. In other business: • Dakota Fletcher was hired as a seasonal cemetery laborer at the rate of $9.75 per hour, with no benefits. • The community pool is scheduled to open on June 26. Swimming lessons begin on July 5. For more information about lessons or to sign up call 607363-2400. • Rebecca Reed, Kacie Banker, Corra Nocella, Gabrielle Ryan, Mollie Engle, Luccia Martucci, Kenzy Hammond and Mackenzie Burnham were hired as lifeguards for the 2017 season at the rate of $9.75 per hour. Carli Pinner and Rebecca Reed were hired as full-time lifeguards and water safety instructors at the rate of $10.65 per hour. Janice Stickle was reappointed as pool director at the rate of $12.90 per hour, for the 2017 season. • A request to use Pepacton Park for parking for a Colchester Senior Citizens bus trip Aug. 22 and Sept. 13 were approved. • The town clerk’s office will be closed on Tuesday, June 27
for training. • Approval was granted to the Best Dam 5K Committee to hold the 2017 half marathon, 5K run and paddle on Sept. 30. Sarah Hood, representing the committee, requested that there be more of a police presence to help control traffic along the race route, from the Pepacton Dam on state Route 30 to River Road to Shinhopple. The race will start at 8 a.m. • The board accepted the resignation of highway employee Arnold Sherwood effective October 10. Sherwood is a 30-year employee of the town. He will use accumulated sick and vacation time, beginning June 7. The town proclaimed June 5, 2017 as Arnold Sherwood Day, in his honor. • To address future complaints about the cemetery not being maintained before Memorial Day, Councilmember Julie Markert asked that three employees be dedicated to the task next year. • The council denied a request to use a town highway truck to haul sand for the Colchester See Water Rates page 4
Execs Plead Guilty in Delhi Nursing Home Scam By Lillian Browne DELHI - There will be no jail time for the two men who pled guilty to skimming money from the accounts of nursing home residents. A negotiated plea and sentence deal was reached in Delaware County Court on Friday, June 9, that will allow Ralph Reid, 54 of Rockledge, Fla., and Ernest Orts, 53, of Herkimer, to instead pay restitution of $61,118.64. The deal was reached between New York Attorney General Paul Berry and defense lawyers Vincent Accardi and James
Hartmann. The two men were arrested in March 2016 and charged with second-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records. Those charged stemmed from an investigation conducted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors say that during the course of an audit conducted by the attorney general’s office, it was determined that the two men, operators of Leathstocking Healthcare, made false accounting entries in an “at-
tempt to rollover and disguise the theft of funds,” between Dec. 26, 2006 and Oct. 6, 2012. The case against both men was outstanding in Delhi Justice Court until May 30 when the pair were arraigned on a thirddegree grand larceny charge, a felony, in Delaware County Court. In exchange for the guilty plea to the sole charge, the men will both be sentenced to three-year conditional discharges and required to pay restitution. They were both released on their own recognizance, scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7.
Delhi Postal Worker Joins the One Million Mile Club By Rosie Cunningham
Contributed Photo
Mason Thompson, 4, last weekend, holding a sign urging the community to try out his yummy lemonade.
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to acquire for her son is called an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assistance service dog. “We believe this will be an asset to our family because of elopement issues. Evan is often unaware of the hazards posed by water, roads and parking lots,” she said. “Drowning is the leading cause of death for children with ASD. The service dog’s priority will be to assist in maintaining Evan’s safety. Secondly, the dog will be trained to provide calming pressure and See Service Dog page 4
DELHI - United States Postal Service worker Patricia Moody, of Hamden, has accomplished a feat few people can boast logging one million safe miles for the U.S. Postal Service. According to the National Safety Council and the postal service, a “Million Miler” is recognized for one million miles of driving or 30 years of driving without a preventable accident. An “Expert Driver” may be recognized at any work anniversary for driving without a preventable accident. In addition, Delhi Postmaster Joan Greco awarded Wanda Acevedo, Kathy Barnhart and Pete Ackerly with Expert Driver Certificates for exceptionally safe driving performance. Moody has been working for the U.S. Postal Service since 1984 - full time for 13 years. “When I was raising my three children, I only worked 50 to 60 days a year,” she said. “I have worked for 17 years at the Delhi office. Before that, I worked as a substitute, driving 11 different routes, from Hancock to Hobart.” Moody said as a sub (rural carrier associate) an individual is only guaranteed one day a
Rosie Cunningham/The Reporter
Delhi Postmaster Joan Greco (left) presented Patricia Moody, of Hamden, with a plaque for her years of service with the United States Postal Service and reaching the one-million mile mark. week - a Saturday. “My husband Bill liked it much better when I went full time, because my schedule was more consistent,” she laughed.
Bill and Patricia own and operate a dairy farm in Hamden, where they milk about 55 head. See Mile Club page 4