Deposit Softball Section IV Class D Champs
Upgrades To Walton Park Sought By Scouts
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VOLUME 135 — WHOLE 7168
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019
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Office For the Aging Director To Retire In August Staff Report DELHI- Director of the Delaware County Office for the Aging, Wayne Shepard, will retire on Aug. 21 after eight years with the agency. A new director has yet to be appointed. The Office For the Aging is an agency that aims to improve the quality of life of Delaware County’s senior citizens. According to Shepard, the agency is important because by the year 2020, 32 percent of Delaware County’s population will be over the age of 60. Shepard said that the Office For the Aging is successful in serving this large population because of its passionate staff. “Our staff is really caring,” Shepard said. “They care about our seniors, they care about their needs - we’re always there for
them to serve and figure out how to serve our seniors the best we can.” Shepard has worked with seniors in one capacity or another for 40 years and has “enjoyed it very much.” During Shepard’s time as director, the agency has undergone a few major changes including the relocation of the office from Delhi Square to its current location: 97 Main Street, Suite 2. Shepard said that this relocation has positively impacted the success of the agency because the building is now more accessible to the community. “That was the best decision that the board of supervisors were able to make,” Shepard said. “Compared to the building we were in before, this is like the See OFA Director page 3
East Meredith Native With Cerebral Palsy Patents Adaptive Wheelchair
Devin Hamilton in his RapAdapt workshop.
Lillian Browne/The Reporter
The ‘Walton Armory,’ South Street in Walton, across from the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
Walton CEO Issues Stop Work Order To National Guard By Lillian Browne WALTON - Walton Village Code Enforcement Officer Steve Dutcher has issued a “Stop Work” order to the New York National Guard, he announced, at a meeting of the Walton Trustees on June 3. The order was issued, Dutcher said, for two reasons. The first reason, he explained, was because the Armory has “dumped” several loads of soil excavated from behind the Armory onto the Delaware County Fairgrounds - located across South Street, from the Armory. “That’s a no-no,” Dutcher said, referring to the fairgrounds’ location in the flood zone. The soil is being excavated, Dutcher said, to make
room to construct a vehicle wash station. As part of the wash station project, the Armory intended to connect into the village’s sewer lines, Dutcher said. Though no permit from the village is required for the building project, Dutcher continued, it is required that the Armory advise the village of the projected increase in usage for water and sewer, including the types of chemicals the facility will use, if any, that would find their way into the wastewater treatment plant. “I can’t control construction, but I can stop them from hooking into the wastewater treatment plant,” Dutcher told trustees. Dutcher awaits a projected use report from the Armory’s engineer.
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By Rosie Cunningham EAST MEREDITH - If you have a goal or want to do something and you have a disability - or even if you don’t - there is a man that can make it happen. Devin Hamilton, born and raised in East Meredith, is always thinking, planning, creating, engineering and adapting. Hamilton, who has cerebral palsy, grew up on a dairy farm with his parents, Roger Hamilton and Penny Hamilton. According to his website, the 30-yearold and his father built hitches and plows that attached to his power chair, and modified farm equipment so he was able to help with farm chores. He knows the challenges that people with disabilities face and he wanted to put his ingenuity and education to good use help them overcome their challenges, large or small. Simple tasks for some can be monumental for an individual with a disability. Hamilton said helping
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The Turning Point is now open at 84 Main Street in Delhi.
Rosie Cunningham/The Reporter
The Turning Point Recovery Center Relocates In Delhi By Rosie Cunningham
DELHI - The Turning Point center in Delhi is now open at 84 Main Street - the location was formerly a framing and art shop. According to peer services coordinator Kayliegh Riordan, who will be managing the center, Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego (FOR-DO) counties opened the new recovery center Thursday. “FOR-DO was awarded a $350,000 grant from the state Of-
fice of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services,” she said. “In addition to $87,500 for renovations.” Riordan said she is “very happy” with the move and location which has “great visibility.” During an open house Monday, June 3, Riordan said there was a “constant stream” of guests throughout the day. The opioid epidemic is a serious one in Delaware County in 2018 there were 10 overdose deaths. At the previous Turning Point
location, 167 Main Street, the staff was all volunteer from 2011 until 2017 when Riordan was hired on. “Currently, we have four employees and we will have five when we are fully staffed,” said Riordan. “I am really excited about having more staff - we can do a better job with outreach when you have more people. Peer Support Specialist Abigail Kennedy graduated from SUNY Delhi in May. She said The TurnSee The Turning Point page 5