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Peru, NY – July 19, 2024—If all goes as planned, eight electric vehicle Superchargers will operate 24 hours daily at Stewart’s Main St Shop sometime this fall. The Zoning Board of Appeals approved Tesla Corp.’s setback variance application on July 17, 2024. Tesla has partnered with Stewart’s at several shops, and several more installations are planned. The chargers in Peru will accommodate both Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicles. Charging times should range between fifteen and thirty minutes.
There will be 1,600 feet of new paved surface. Downcast, shielded lights on 16-foot-high poles will illuminate the charging area. Tesla will landscape and plant two trees behind the chargers to minimize impact on adjacent property owners. If Stewart’s -Tesla relationship ceases for any reason, Tesla representative Scott Austin said Tesla would remove the chargers and light poles, and the Zoning Board of Appeals also set a condition whereby the property owner appears before the Planning Board to discuss any remaining issues.
Thursday morning at Ausable Point, the Peru Gazette encountered two artists participating in the July 19 and 20 Keeseville Community Arts Festival. Catherine LaPointe-Vollmer from Potsdam and Patrick McPhee from Binghamton. They are just two of dozens of talented artists whose works will be on display and for sale.
The 2024 schedule of events for the Community Arts Festival has plenty to offer
Friday, July 19th
Morning Children’s Programming at the Keeseville Free Library
Plein Air Show & Sale Opening Reception at the Old Stone Mill – Sponsored by AdkAction ($10 at the door) 5 pm to 8 pm
Live Music in Riverside Park – Sponsored by the Keeseville Business Association, 7 pm to 9 pm
Live Music at Ausable Brewing Company – 765 Mace Chasm Rd 6 pm to 8 pm
Saturday, July 20th
Color Walk/Run (5k and 1 Mile Fun Run) – Sponsored by Dynamix Fitness & Wellness. Registration 8 am at Dynamix Fitness & Wellness Studio, 1701 Front Street. The run begins at 9 am at the walking bridge. $10 Registration fee.
Plein Air Show & Sale, Brunch with the Artists at the Stone Mill 126 Ausable Street, Keeseville – Sponsored by AdkAction. The show opens from 10 am to 4 pm; Brunch is available from 10 am to 1 pm, Performance by Meadowmount School of Music from 12 pm to 2 pm.
Arts in the Park & Free Kids Arts Activities – Location: Lawn outside the Old Stone Mill and at the Ausable Valley Grange 10 am to 3 pm
Outdoor Painting for Kids at the Keeseville Community Garden10 am to 12 pm
Anderson Falls Heritage Society Scavenger Hunt for Kids – 96 Clinton St – 1 pm to 3 pm
Live Music at Ausable Brewing Company – 765 Mace Chasm Rd — 1 pm to 3 pm
For more information, visit the Keeseville Community Arts Festival Facebook page.
The announcement that the board plans to appoint Craig Randall as interim town supervisor wasn’t the only news at the Peru Town Board’s Thursday, July 11 meeting.
Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell reported bad and good news about the closed Telegraph Road bridge. NYS formally emailed him that the project did not qualify for a Bridge NY grant. Since grant funding isn’t pending, Farrell hopes construction can begin about March 2025 rather than in 2026 and be completed by September 2025. He emphasized that his hope depends on approvals by NYS DEC and the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers. Farrell said he filed construction permit applications with the two agencies on Monday, July 9.
Two years from now, the town will have to replace an even larger bridge on Westcott Road. Farrell notified town engineers Engineering Ventures to begin planning that $1 million+ project. Farrell doesn’t expect Bridge NY funding.
Bruce Drive resident Karyn Langlais presented photos of badly deteriorated road shoulders and pavement issues on Bruce Drive and Telegraph Road. She asked Michael Farrell how he determines his road paving schedule. Farrell said he evaluates road conditions and his available funds. This year, he plans to complete paving John Boswell Road, Davern Road between Union Road and Route 22, and, if there’s money, Rock Road and Alexander Road. He’s already paved Knob Hill Road and Locust Drive. Farrell said he plans to pave Telegraph Road after the bridge is reopened.
A four-way stop should be erected at Sullivan Road and Fuller Road intersection in the next 30 days. Telegraph Road’s partial closure has increased traffic on Fuller Road.
The town will be buying something other than a 2025 Freightliner plow truck. Over the past 18 months, parts shortages have upped the delivery date to sometime in 2025. NYS mandated that beginning January 1, 2025, Mike Farrell expects the state will be rescending the electric mandate, but not until sometime in 2025. Users have discovered that cold weather severely impacts electric snow plow hydraulics, making their use unfeasible. The seller can deliver a 2025 Western Star 47X truck by December 2024; therefore, the board authorized its purchase at $351,946, $13,000 more than the Freightliner would have cost.
Longtime planning board member Mark Robinson asked to step down, but he will continue serving as an alternate member. Jerry McGovern will move from alternate to regular member.
The box culvert structure recently installed on Cook Road cost the town $129,000. The board authorized the transfer of $176,319 to that account to pay that bill and other costs. Installation of the box culvert by Ed Garrow & Sons cost the town $142,936.
The Peru Gazette thanks Bill Baggs for starting and stopping the video camera for this meeting.
July 17, 2024—Rick Curry beat the heat and humidity early this morning. At 6:50 AM, he was up a ladder painting the Lakeshore Pediatric Dental building on Main Street. Rick’s company, A-Blake Enterprises, is renovating the building.
July 17, 2024 – Bonnie Mahnk didn’t let today’s high humidity deter her from her painting task. At 6:45 AM, she had already painted the front porch and was beginning to paint the mailbox post. WAY TO GO BONNIE!
Who’s ready for less humidity? We’ve got one more muggy day with dew points close to 70°F, and then a cold front will bring drier and much more comfortable conditions for the end of the week.
Peru – July 16, 2024 – A few weeks ago, Brandy McDonald announced that he was moving to Plattsburgh and would, therefore, be stepping down as Peru Town Supervisor. At the town board’s Thursday, July 11 meeting, Councilman Melvin Irwin announced that the board has agreed to appoint Craig Randall as interim town supervisor from August 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025. A vote to approve his appointment will be on the July 29 meeting agenda.
Craig Randall and his wife, Cheryl “Woodward” Breen Randall, a Peru native, moved here from Lake Placid in 2021. Randall brings forty-four years of banking and twelve years of government leadership experience to our community. In 2007, he retired as NBT Regional Vice-President of Commercial Lending, specializing in small business loans. In March 2009, Lake Placid voters elected him a village mayor, where he served three successful four-year terms until term limits sidelined him in April 2021. Since moving to Peru, he’s joined the Peru Lions Club and the Keeseville Elks Lodge.
As Lake Placid’s mayor, Randall developed a $20 million budget. He oversaw all aspects of village operations, including accounting, finance, code enforcement, the fire department, highway department, municipal electric department, water and sewer department, and village court. Two of his most memorable accomplishments were working to bring the International Children’s Games to Lake Placid in 2019 and the World University Games to Lake Placid in 2023.
Peru town board members are enthusiastic about working with Randall. Deputy Supervisor Jim Douglass told the Gazette, “Craig was a successful mayor. It will be good to get an outsider’s perspective. He’s got the time to be in the office every day. We have a lot of projects going on. Let him come forward and see what he can do for us. I think he will be good for the town.” Douglass said the board talked to one other well-qualified person, but it came down to how much time they could devote to the position. There are no mandated hours for the town supervisor position; however, the board wants a person in the town hall to supervise finances and interact with personnel and the public.
Counselor Melvin Irwin stated, “I like his financial experience, especially since we’re likely to spend about $30 million on water and sewer projects over the next couple of years.” Kregg Bruno commented, “I was impressed not only with his political background but also with the fact that he worked in banking. He’s very knowledgeable and has a lot of experience with grants. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”
Eric Duquette also cited Randall’s mayoral experience: “He’s dealt with multiple unions and a water department. He knows the avenues for grants that might help us. He’s familiar with people in Albany. His banking experience should be helpful in budgeting. We want someone to sit in that seat three or four hours daily to keep a handle on and steer the ship. People I’ve spoken with say he’s a true gentleman, very business-oriented, and ready to reach across the table and to make sure everyone’s happy.”
Gregory Robert Timmons, 68, of Peru, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 15, 2024, at the UVM Health Network – CVPH, Plattsburgh, with his loving family by his side.
He was born in Plattsburgh on August 17, 1955, the son of Robert and Loretta (McGee) Timmons.
Please check back for a full obituary.
Relatives and friends are invited to call on Sunday, July 21, 2024, from Noon to 4 PM at Hamilton Funeral Home, 294 Mannix Road, Peru. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, July 22, 2024, at 11 AM at St. Augustine’s Church, 3035 Main Street, Peru, with Rev. William G. Reamer celebrating. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery.
ADIRONDACK REGIONAL THEATRE
PRODUCTION OF ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA JR.
NOW AT PERU HS JULY 13 AT 6:30PM
Sometimes, You Have to Be a Little Bit Naughty if You Want to Change Your Story
Peru will be filled by the smell of rebellion when Adirondack Regional Theatre’s Young Director Series presents Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. The show has been moved from Heyworth Mason Park to the Peru HS Auditorium. It was announced today due to the possibility of a storm on Saturday. Roald Dahl’sMatilda The Musical JR. tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. The Young Director Series consists of actors 8-17 years of age.
Matilda, a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers, lives with cruel parents who find her to be a nuisance, a lousy little worm, and a bore. When Matilda enters her first term at school, she captures the attention of Miss Honey, a kind teacher, and the two form a wonderful friendship. Unfortunately, the school is ruled by a tempestuous and mean headmistress named Miss Trunchbull, who hates children and delivers cruel and unjust punishments to all her charges. Matilda is determined to change her story, but will her cleverness and courage be enough to withstand the reign of Miss Trunchbull?
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and New York State Legislature and administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized materials are supplied by Music Theatre International 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019,212-541-4684, mtishows.com.
4. MOTION/DISCUSSION: To Accept Reports from all Departments: (Water/Sewer/Valcour; Highway; Town Clerk; Dog Control; Youth Department; Code/Zoning; Supervisor’s Report; Court; Website; Banking Reports, and JCEO);
5. MOTION: Acceptance of Minutes for the Regular Meeting of June 24, 2024.
6. Community Input.
7. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:Deputy Town Clerk Duties Clarification for Clinton County Personnel.
8. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:Erection of a 4–Way Stop at Sullivan and Telegraph Road Intersection.
9. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:Rescind Resolution #23.08.28-4 for the Pre-order/Purchase of the 2025 Freightliner Plow Truck.
10. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:Resolution to Pre-order/Purchase a Replacement 2025 Western Star 47X Truck.
11. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:Acceptance of Jerry McGovern as Planning Board Member and seating Mark Robinson as Alternate Member.
12. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:Allow the Transfer of Hwy. Debt Service.Monies to H-33 Culvert Project
13. DISCUSSION/MOTION: Letter Allowing the Use of The Peru Town Parking Lot for the Applefest.
14. DISCUSSION: Other Business.
15. DISCUSSION: Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.
July 14 – 1 – 3 pm. Visit the Bluff Point Lighthouse on Valcour Island. Three floors of exhibits on island history. Your own transportation is required.
July 19 – 12:30 pm.Plattsburgh Senior Center, 5139 North Catherine Street, Plattsburgh. The History of Railroads in Clinton County – Part 1. Inspired by CCHA photo albums of early area trains and the recently acquired collection of rail enthusiast Lawrence Duffina, Transportation Historian Dick Soper will share the history of rail development, which opened up Clinton County to new markets and eventually to new tourism and a past we now take for granted. This is the 1st of a multi-part series that will span the period from 1833 to the present and include photographs, newspaper articles, and information from our large collection of railroad books recently added to our research library.
July 21 – 1 – 3 pm. Visit the Bluff Point Lighthouse on Valcour Island. Three floors of exhibits on island history. Your own transportation is required.
July 25 – 6:30 pm, Clinton County Historical Association, 98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh. Booming Blueberry Business on the Altona Flat Rock with Steve Frederick sharing the legacy of the Flat Rock community of local pickers who supplied blueberries throughout the East Coast and into Canada.
July 28 – 1 – 3 pm. Visit the Bluff Point Lighthouse on Valcour Island. Three floors of exhibits on island history. Your own transportation is required.
August 4 – Sunday on the Island. Visit the Bluff Point Lighthouse and explore the trails on Valcour Island.Transportation to the Island begins at 9:20. $30 per person. Call 518-561-0340 to reserve your spot.
August 10, 9:30 am. Walking tour of Riverside Cemetery. Visit the graves of Plattsburgh pioneers and notables with narrations by Anne Bailey, Helen Nerska, Kit Booth and Jackie Madison.
Except for August 4th, all events are free and open to the public.
On June 20, the owner of a property management company in Montgomery County accepted a plea agreement in Canajoharie Town Court for illegally dumping solid waste on private property earlier this year. On Feb. 6, 2024, workers with the Canajoharie Department of Public Works observed and recorded video of a dark pickup truck carrying a dump trailer filled with solid waste entering a bank-owned property off West Ames Road in Canajoharie and offloading the waste at the location. The workers reported the incident to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which contacted ECO Willson for assistance. Working with Sheriff’s Deputy Emery, Officer Willson identified and contacted the pickup truck’s owner for an interview.
During the interview, the owner admitted to being contracted to clean out a residence on Reed Street in Canajoharie and claimed to be “temporarily storing” multiple loads of garbage at the property off West Ames Road until he could bring the trash to Utica, where disposal fees are cheaper.
ECO Willson advised the property management owner that it’s illegal to dump solid waste on private property without authorization or use property as a transfer station and issued four tickets to the owner for each separate pile of garbage discovered at the property off West Ames Road.
The owner accepted a plea to one count of illegal disposal of solid waste, which resulted in a $1500 fine and a $90 surcharge.
On June 20, ECOs Thibodeau and Kelley were attending a training course in Lake George on the safe handling of rattlesnakes when they received a call reporting a rattlesnake had made its way into the common area of a local hotel on the lake, just five minutes away from the training site. The Officers responded to the location, successfully caught the young timber rattlesnake, and relocated it into the wild. Lake George and the South Bay area on Lake Champlain contain a large breeding population of timber rattlesnakes.
Thursday morning at Ausable Point, the Peru Gazette encountered two artists participating in the July 19 and 20 Keeseville Community Arts Festival. Catherine LaPointe-Vollmer from Potsdam and Patrick McPhee from Binghamton. They are just two of dozens of talented artists whose works will be on display and for sale.
July 17, 2024—Rick Curry beat the heat and humidity early this morning. At 6:50 AM, he was up a ladder painting the Lakeshore Pediatric Dental building on Main Street. Rick’s company, A-Blake Enterprises, is renovating the building.
Gregory Robert Timmons Obituary
Chicken & Stuffing Casserole
July 14 – 1 – 3 pm. Visit the Bluff Point Lighthouse on Valcour Island. Three floors of exhibits on island history. Your own transportation is required.
On June 20, the owner of a property management company in Montgomery County accepted a plea agreement in Canajoharie Town Court for illegally dumping solid waste on private property earlier this year. On Feb. 6, 2024, workers with the Canajoharie Department of Public Works observed and recorded video of a dark pickup truck carrying a dump trailer filled with solid waste entering a bank-owned property off West Ames Road in Canajoharie and offloading the waste at the location. The workers reported the incident to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which contacted ECO Willson for assistance. Working with Sheriff’s Deputy Emery, Officer Willson identified and contacted the pickup truck’s owner for an interview.
TOWN OF PERU
Stuffed Shells