The Peru Gazette

Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County, Wilderness Rescue: On Nov. 28 at 10:30 a.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received an SOS activation from a satellite device on the southeast shoreline of Little Tupper Lake. At 12:05 p.m., Forest Rangers Curcio, Nahor, and O’Connor located the 80-year-old subject who had overturned his canoe. Rangers brought the subject to DEC’s Little Tupper Lake Headquarters at Mount Whitney and warmed him. Once warmed, the subject declined further medical attention. Resources were clear at 3:05 p.m.

Town of North Elba, Essex County, Wilderness Search: On Nov. 30 at 4:55 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a subject reporting his wife and a friend had become lost while hiking Street and Nye mountains. Forest Rangers Curcio, Odell, and Ordway responded. At 6:06 p.m., Ranger Curcio reached the subjects and assisted them back to their vehicle. Resources were clear at 7:18 p.m.

$10 Pre-Packed Bags Available for Purchase through January 5 

(Schenectady, N.Y.)  Market 32/Price Chopper is inviting guests in all its stores to support local food pantries and nourish local communities by purchasing a $10 bag containing PICS brand items most in need by food banks and pantries: a 16-ounce box of elbow macaroni, 16-ounce jar of peanut butter, 10.5-ounce can of chicken noodle soup, 5-ounce can of tuna, 15.5-ounce can of kidney beans, and 5-ounce can of chunk chicken. The purchased bags will be donated to a food pantry local to each store, allowing guests to make an immediate impact on people who may be their friends and neighbors.

The bags will be available on displays at the front of each store, where signage will identify the name of the benefitting organization.

“At a time when most of us are celebrating and enjoying an abundance of food choices, the number of people experiencing nutrition insecurity is increasing, and local food pantries continue to provide assistance at record-breaking service levels,” said Pam Cerrone, Market 32/Price Chopper director of community relations. “In every community, there are people who experience food insecurity. Market 32 and Price Chopper are grateful to our guests, who are who are generous and happy to join with us in supporting local food pantries and the people they serve with this drive.”

Grand Isle, VT – The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) seeks proposals for projects that will support increased organizational capacity and long-term effectiveness of watershed organizations working in the Lake Champlain watershed.

Funding requests of up to $20,000 will be considered. Approximately $250,000 is available to support awarded projects under this Request for Proposals. The LCBP anticipates supporting multiple projects through this funding opportunity.

This grant opportunity will support watershed organizations in the early stages of their development or assist established organizations in strengthening their capacity. Funding is not intended to support the development of new programming; this funding can be requested through other LCBP grant programs.

Dr. Eric Howe, NEIWPCC Program Director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program, said, “Local watershed organizations throughout the Lake Champlain Basin take on an incredible amount of work to restore our waterways. Our goal with Organizational Support funding is to help ensure these groups have the administrative tools and processes they need to carry out this essential work.”

The awarded grants will support projects that advance the goals of the long-term Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action. These projects are supported by funds awarded to NEIWPCC on behalf of the LCBP by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Proposals are due at 5:00 PM EST on January 6, 2025. Awarded projects will begin work in May 2025. More information, including grant guidelines and applications, is available on the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s website at lcbp.org/grants.

The Peru CSD Board of Education’s Policy Committee will meet on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 8:00 AM. The meeting will take place in the High School Community Room. The purpose of the meeting is for policy development of its 0000 – 9000 series.

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

Click here for the Adirondack Alanmac story 

Click here for the Adirondack Almanac story 

The Peru Central School District Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for potential candidates.  The District Hall of Fame is designed to recognize individuals who have made a significant impact on our school or achieved an outstanding contribution(s) to society as a graduate of Peru CSD. The candidate must have attended, been employed, served, or contributed to Peru CSD in some capacity and must have been retired for at least five (5) years.

The following criteria will be used when considering an individual to the Hall of Fame – outstanding contributions to Peru CSD, outstanding contribution to society, outstanding career, participation and/or leadership in community activities, and a significant impact on an individual’s life while associated with Peru.

Deadline for applications will be Friday, March 14, 2025. Applications are available at the High School Office or the District’s website at https://www.perucsd.org/peru-csd-hall-of-fame/.

St. Augustine’s Soup Kitchen will not be serving Thanksgiving week. On December 4, meatloaf will be served. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

By Melissa Hart

Peru, NY – Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 – Peru Girl Scout Troop #4183 members toured the water treatment facility on Reservoir Road tonight. Water district superintendent Courtney Tetrault explained where our water comes from and walked the girls through how it is treated and delivered to our homes. Special thanks to Courtney for taking the time with us!

(Photos by me, Melissa Hart)

Submitted by Melissa Hart – THANK YOU, Melissa! 

More than 800,000 children enrolled in Medicaid and Child Health Plus will benefit

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

New schedules between Albany and NYC to take effect Dec. 2

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

L-R Mason Wilson, Store Manager Greg Mills and Maddox Wilson

Dick’s Sporting Goods believes that sports can change lives and that kids who take part in sports will learn essential life skills such as leadership, discipline and integrity. Dicks Sporting Goods Store Manager, Greg Mills, presented the North Country Cougars Hockey Club with one of this year’s $4,000 Sports Matter Grants. The Cougar’s Hockey Club has used this grant to make needed repairs to their snack bar. Through the Dicks Sporting Goods Foundation, the Sports Matter grants aim to address the growing issue of underfunded youth athletics nationwide.

L-R Melissa Wiggins, Judy Lefevre, Lorelei Wiggins

Lorelei Wiggins received the Youth Patriotic Award Citation.

Peru Girl Scout Unit #446 received the National Youth Group Supporting Our Veterans Citation. 

VFW Auxillary President Judy Lefevre made the following remarks.

Lorelei Wiggins has an extensive list of accomplishments and activities.  She dances at Center Stage in Plattsburgh, where she is a member of the Lake City Players.  As a junior at Peru High School, her activities include Select Chorus and All-State Chorus. She was selected to perform solos at the New York State School Music Association and has been a member of the Drama Club.

At St. Augustine’s Applefest, where Lorelei sells her canning products to help her parents pay the costs of her extracurricular activities, she promoted the VFW Auxiliary and our youth scholarship programs to anyone and everyone who will listen. She was terrific, even though she is not currently a member of our Auxiliary.

Lorelei is an Ambassador Girl School and Peru Community Delegate at State Conferences.  For the past two (2) summers, she has served as a Councilor in Training, learning, and practicing her leadership style to become a Camp Councilor.

We have witnessed Lorelei’s leadership skills as she mentored the younger Peru Community Girl Scouts and called the commands as the younger girls posted our nation’s colors during both Memorial and Veterans Day ceremonies. I am honored to present Lorelei Wiggins with a Youth Patriotic Award Citation for her dedication to veterans.

Tonight’s second (2nd) award is to Melissa Wiggins as a representative of Unit # 446 Girl Scout leaders. Before Memorial Day, the Peru Community Girl Scouts cleaned and re-planted the flower beds around our building and in front of the Veterans Memorial Wall. On Flag Day, they performed a beautiful flag-burning ceremony. In September, before our 50th Anniversary Dinner, the girls met here and did a fall cleanup around the building and the Memorial Wall. These activities were a tribute to our veterans.

I am honored to present The National Youth Group Supporting Our Veterans Citation to Peru Community Girl Scout Unit # 446 in “Recognition and appreciation of your support of our veterans and their families.”  Congratulations!  Thank you for all you, your fellow leaders, and the girls do for our veterans, their families, and this community.

1. Call Meeting to Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call 

4. MOTION:  Acceptance of Minutes for the Regular Meeting of November 12 and Special Meeting on November 14, 2024. 

5. Community Input. 

6. DISCUSSION:  Christmas Tree Lighting Details.

7. DISCUSSION:  Tax Collection Hours/Schedule.

8. DISCUSSION: Signature for Warranty Deed for Orchard View Phase II Roadway and Detention Area.

9. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Approval of Sand Bed Decommissioning (Brand Hollow) – Engineering Design Contract from AES, Northeast.

10. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Approval of Layer Eight proposal to purchase Microsoft SQL Server. 

11. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION.  Approval of Contract from Auctions International.

12. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Approval of the Hiring of MEO for the Highway Dept.

13. DISCUSSION:  Other Business.

14. DISCUSSION:  Department Head Comments.

15. DISCUSSION:  Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

16. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: November 2024 Bills.

17. MOTION:  Adjourn to Executive Session.

18. MOTION:  Return from Executive Session. 

19. MOTION: Adjourn Meeting.

Schuyler Falls/Peru, NY—“Kissing Ball Christmas” will be held at the Kickin’ Up Dust Farm, 362 Peasleeville Road, through December 7. The event aims to raise money for Thera-Pets, Inc., a local charitable organization dedicated to improving human health through farm animals. In addition to donkeys, the farm also has goats, horses, Alpacas, and various birds. It is a recognized 501 (c)(3) organization.

The Kickin Up Dust Shop is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  You’ll find kissing balls, wreaths, crosses, candy canes, gnomes, and swags. The primary Kissing Ball Christmas activities occur on November 30 and December 1. There’ll be pony rides from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a bouncy house, Buddy the Elf, Yukon Cornelius, and the Bumble. Santa will visit from 1 to 3 p.m. with a gift for each child, and Grinch might show up. Free hot chocolate will be available on weekends. 

The Kickin’ Up Dust Farm welcomes school groups and families by appointment. Its donkeys visit nursing homes, facilities for people with disabilities, and schools and assist other non-profit groups. Ken and Holly Besaw run the Kickin Up Dust Farm with support from many benefactors and volunteers.

For more information, call 518-569—1263 or go to the Thera-Pets Facebook page. You can also make donations on the Thera-Pets Inc. Facebook page or mail them to Thera-Pets, Inc., P. O. Box 319, Peru, NY 12972. 

Grand Isle, VT – A new video series launched by the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program in partnership with Peregrine Productions and NEIWPCC celebrates the beauty of the Lake Champlain basin and efforts in several communities to protect and restore our shared waters.

With the web-based Summit to Shore StoryMap as a guide, viewers can digitally explore the landscape around Lake Champlain, from distant mountain peaks in the headwaters to wetlands on the lake’s shoreline. The videos include breathtaking drone imagery, intimate portraits of streams and rivers, and panoramic 360-degree video.

The map and videos feature three of the major rivers that flow to Lake Champlain.

The Winooski River, Lake Champlain’s largest tributary, flows through the largest population center in the basin before emptying into the lake in Burlington.

The Ausable River begins in the High Peaks of New York’s Adirondack Park, one of the oldest, largest, and most unique protected areas in the United States.

The binational Missisquoi River ties Quebec’s rich French heritage with English tradition and includes the only federally designated Wild and Scenic River in the Lake Champlain basin.

Ryan Mitchell, Communications and Publications Coordinator for the Lake Champlain Basin Program, said, “We are fortunate to live in an extraordinarily beautiful place. We wanted to share that beauty and the stories of communities that are working to protect and restore these lands and waters. Our hope is to inspire others to get involved.”

Vince Franke of Peregrine Productions said, “As a videographer, it was a joy to capture the beauty of our local rivers and our connections to them. From the stunning but often inaccessible headwaters, I was struck by the expansive views of the rivers as they flow through such a variety of rich habitats and communities on their way to Lake Champlain.”

Organizations in these communities are invaluable sources of knowledge and information. They provide many opportunities for individuals to get involved as stewards of the natural and cultural heritage in their own backyard. 

The Summit to Shore stories include an artist-in-residence program that connected students to their watershed; a collaboration between private landowners and their local watershed organization to remove a dam; improvement of public river access points; and a partnership between a researchers and town officials to reduce the amount of road salt entering a local lake.

To experience Summit to Shore, tour the video collection.

For more information, please contact Ryan Mitchell

(Posted in the order received)

Assemblyman Billy Jones: Reduced Border Hours will negatively impact the North Country

“I am disappointed and dismayed by the recent decision from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency to reduce the hours at border crossings across the North Country. This will have a negative impact on families and businesses along the border who rely on these crossings and now must travel further to get to their desired destinations. Some of the ports of entry affected like the one at Chateaugay are commercial ports, which will lead to delays for commerce coming through the North Country. This is a huge inconvenience and I have heard from many businesses and residents who will be negatively impacted by this decision. I encourage folks to reach out to our federal representatives- Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand- to make sure your voices are heard regarding this important issue.”

STEC TO U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: “YOU CAN’T HAVE A PART-TIME BORDER!”

Senator blasts federal decision to reduce operating hours at four northern border crossings

Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) today expressed his outrage over the decision by United States Customs and Border Protection to reduce operating hours at four northern border crossings in New York State. Given the unique relationship between communities on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border, as well as the turmoil created in this region by the illegal immigration crisis, the move to reduce these operating hours will have a major impact on the safety and well-being of thousands of New Yorkers.

“Communities along the U.S.-Canadian border have a special bond, with residents on each side serving to assist the other as firefighters and EMS first responders,” said Stec. “Just today because of this mutual assistance pact, two Canadian fire companies used one of these crossings to respond to a structure fire in Chateaugay. Emergencies don’t happen on a planned timetable; if a community along the border is in need of assistance, a closed crossing means emergency crews will have to take substantive, lengthy detours to provide aid. It can quite literally be the difference between life and death. In less than a day, I’ve already heard from multiple fire departments and first responders about how much more difficult this will make emergency response in our rural communities.

“Someone needs to tell federal officials and Democrat leaders that you can’t have a part-time border.”

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) will once again host a toy drive to benefit the Christmas Bureau. For the past seven years, Jones has collected toys from the North Country community to ensure that every kid is able to open a present this holiday season.

            “The North Country is always willing to give to their neighbors in need and I look forward to my toy drive every year due to the overwhelming response from the local community,” said Jones. “By the end of the drive, it’s difficult to maneuver around the office because of all the toys- and honestly, that is a problem I am happy to have. I want to thank Tammy and all the volunteers at the Christmas Bureau for all their hard work every holiday season and the community for their gracious donations. Let’s make this year the biggest drive yet!”

            “I want to thank Assemblyman Jones and the community for always supporting us during the holiday season,” said Tammy Perrotte Sears. “Getting toys to every child during the holiday season would not be possible without all of you.”

            You can drop off new unwrapped toys and monetary donations at Assemblyman Jones’s office at 202 US Oval in Plattsburgh starting Monday, November 25th. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The drive ends Friday, December 13th.