The Peru Gazette

Jan. 3 game honored longtime teacher and hockey mom Aimee McLane

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New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that the former treasurer of the Morley Volunteer Fire Co., Cindi Perkins, was yesterday ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution and sentenced to serve five years of probation for stealing from the fire company. Perkins, 58, previously pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree in November 2023.

“Ms. Perkins diverted money meant to protect her community to line her own pockets,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to my partnership with District Attorney Greg Pasqua and the State Police, she has now been held accountable and restitution ordered.”

During the last three years that she was Treasurer  for the fire company, from 2016 to 2019, investigators found she had made unauthorized cash withdrawals at ATMs in the Del Lago Resort & Casino and the Turning Stone Resort Casino. She also wrote checks to herself from the fire company’s account and pocketed money, including some from fundraisers, that she was supposed to deposit.

Investigators were able to match Perkins’ deposits into her personal account with similar cash amounts that had been paid to the fire company. She paid for groceries and other personal expenses with the money.

Perkins was sentenced in St. Lawrence County Court by Judge Gregory P. Storie.

Photo caption/names (left-right). Back: Suburban Propane Assistant VP of Product Supply Craig Palleschi, Adirondack Farms Co-Owner Shane St. Cyr, JCEO of Clinton and Franklin Counties Development Director Ellie Jent, and JCEO Community Outreach Program Director Lisa Gardner-Goodrow. Front: Craig’s wife, Jill Palleschi, and their three sons, Anthony, Luca, and James.

PLATTSBURGH | Adirondack Farms and Suburban Propane recently presented a $1,000 check donation to the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity of Clinton and Franklin Counties, Inc. (JCEO) to support their local food pantry programs, which works to improve community health by distributing donated, recovered, and farmed food to those in need.

Adirondack Farms Co-Owner Shane St. Cyr and Suburban Propane’s Assistant Vice President of Product Supply Craig Palleschi presented the check last week on December 28 to Development Director Ellie Jent and Community Outreach Program Director Lisa Gardner-Goodrow at the JCEO location in Plattsburgh. Also joining the check presentation were Craig’s wife, Jill, and their three sons.

On Giving Tuesday, Adirondack Farms hosted a fundraiser on its Facebook page (Adirondack Farms), encouraging community members to help raise funds for the JCEO food pantry. For each share of their Giving Tuesday Facebook post, Adirondack Farms committed to donating $5, up to a $500 donation. Suburban Propane committed to matching the funds raised. In total, $1,000 was donated to the JCEO.

2024 REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE

Monday, January 8, 2024, 6:00 PM

Thursday, January 25, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, February 5, 2024 6:00 PM

Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, March 11, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, March 25, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, April 8, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, April 22, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, May 13, 2024, 6:00 PM

Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, June 10, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, June 24, 2024, 6:00 PM

Thursday, July 11, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, July 29, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, August 12, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, August 26, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, September 9, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, September 23, 2024, 6:00 PM

Thursday, October 10, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, October 28, 2024, 6:00 PM

Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, November 25, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, December 9, 2024, 6:00 PM

Monday, December 30, 2024, 10:00 AM

Dianne Miller

Town Clerk

Click here for a very interesting MYNBC5 story 

The Peru CSD Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the High School Community Room. It is anticipated that an executive session will take place immediately following the 6:30 PM start, and that the Board will reconvene for public session business at approximately 7:00 PM. The meeting will be recorded and will be available on the District’s website at www.perucsd.org.

The meeting is open to the public, and current District, County, State, and Federal safety procedures and protocols will be followed.

Currently, two (2) public comment opportunities are planned as follows:

First public comment:  Related to items on the agenda.  Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.

Second public comment:  Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.

Individuals who are unable to attend the regular meeting in person may submit public comments by emailing perucomments@perucsd.org no later than 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, January 9^th.  Online comments are also subject to the conditions stated above.

Anticipated topics include:

• Mileage Rate
• Academic Calendar
• Personnel Appointments
• Donations
• Multi-Year Financial Plan
• 24-25 Budget Development Meeting #1

The complete agenda will be available on the District’s website (perucsd.org).

Click here for the WCAX story 

Published by Syracuse.com based on 2022 U.S. Census data

The numbers come from the Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates Program. The estimates, released in December, are for 2022.

Rangers rescued hiker after hours in frigid, wet conditions

Click here for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise story 

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State Police also detained and later arrested a Plattsburgh man on an active arrest warrant thanks to the investigation

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Click here for the NCPR story 

Editor’s Note – More names will undoubtedly be added to this list.

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Click here for the MYNBC5 story 

As of Wednesday, January 3, 2024, the JCEO will be staffing its office in the Peru Town Hall. Personnel shortages resulted in the office being closed for the past few weeks. Rihanna Warren will be the new Peru JCEO Coordinator.

The board will advertise bids to replace a small bridge on Cook Rd. Only one contractor bid last year with a bid higher than the town had budgeted. This year the board is hopeful that more bidders will come forward this year. The recent heavy rains washed out the bridge, forcing the Highway Superintendent to hire Fuller Contracting to perform temporary repairs. The bridge serves only one homeowner.  The bid opening is scheduled for January 29 at 10 a.m.

Longtime planning and zoning board members were reappointed to the following positions:
Richard Williams, as Planning Board Chairman
Ryan Davies, as Planning Board Vice-Chairman
James Falvo, as Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals
Sean Lukas, as Vice-Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals

Thursday’s meeting was Councilman Rick Barber’s last board meeting. He did not seek reelection. Barber plans to continue serving as a County’s America 250 Committee member. Barber said NY state plans to construct a pathway and install benches at the Peru Dock, which overlooks the site of the Battle of Valcour, the Revolutionary War’s first battle. The state asked Barber if Peru would do the excavation work needed for the path. Peru will also install an aluminum flagpole. The state’s plan includes moving the two existing monuments a short distance. Barber thinks it might not be necessary to move the monuments. See discussion on the video beginning at the 23:10 mark and ending at the 31:00 mark.

The board appointed three staff members to the position of Deputy Town Clerk
Judy Akey #1 Deputy Town Clerk
Pam Barber – #2 Deputy Town Clerk
Christine Crawford #3 Deputy Town Clerk

Supervisor Brandy McDonald thanked everyone who contributed and assisted with his Christmas toy drive. He said the program served over 200 children this year.

In other actions, the board:

• Scheduled the 2024 Organizational Meeting for Monday, January 8, 2023, followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m.
• Approved its 2024 meeting schedule.
• Approved end-of-fiscal-year fund transfers from budget line items with a surplus to budget line items with a deficit. The transfers totaled about $83,000.

Click here for the Spectrum News story 

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It was very difficult to limit to 65 photos. 

Click here for the photos 

Photos taken near the River Rd. in west Peru.

We’ve received reports of patchy freezing drizzle across the region this afternoon. As road temperatures cool below freezing this evening, additional freezing drizzle or light snow may coat area roadways. Please keep in mind the changing road conditions.