Daily Archives: March 10, 2011

Growing up Adirondack by Mitch Lee

Agony of Defeat

In March of 1970 a brave fellow named Vinko Bogataj crashed during a ski jumping championship in Germany. His image became that “Agony of defeat guy” in the opening credits of ABC’s Wide World of Sports. They played his crash several times during the Saturday sports features and it thrilled me to see this.

At five years old this image sunk into my brain in a very unnatural way. I wanted to go out to my now stockpiled snow pile and do some sliding on my saucer. It was snowing a thick wet snow that was calling me out the door into the last of winter’s glory. I shoved on my boots and was soon out the door. The flakes were thick and large each one trembling as it fell stacking up on the significant snow we already had.

Once in the garage I wedged myself between a pile of firewood and our car which were both parked inside to avoid the snow. It was dark and I couldn’t find nor could I reach the light switch, so I did a blind man shuffle with my arms and mitten covered hands extended. Boom, my shins ran into the air compressor, then a ladder but eventually I found the red round saucer with the webbed cotton handles. It was unwieldy as I tried to wedge it and myself back out of the garage but I found that by giving it a push by rolling it on its edge the saucer would bounce back and forth off the wood pile and the car and eventually out into the driveway.

The snow was falling so heavy I could only see a few feet away from me. Formidable snow piles were surrounding the driveway on all sides. Choosing the one that was in the middle of the driveway I made my assent dragging the saucer behind me. From the top looking down I thought only for a moment that it was pretty steep. Positioning the saucer under me I wobbled forward and then plunged screaming at the top of my lungs then my voice left because of fright as the driveway took hold of the forward edge of the saucer and flipped it and me with a sudden jerk that threw me sprawling across the snow covered pavement. The saucer made a terrible clatter as it banged and bounced to a stop.

I had bit my tongue and lost my mitten but was in one piece. I spent most of the afternoon plunging off every snow bank reenacting the agony of defeat.

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Gary Lee’s Daybreak to Twilight

More freak weather after March came in like a lamb the first day it’s been lion like since then. The one nice sunny day gave us all false hope that things were going to improve this month but not so far. Winds, Snow, rain, sleet and -18 have all hit us this week and if the rain had been all snow it would have been up to our eyes balls for sure. It’s just a reminder that winter doesn’t end here until mid April, sometimes mid May.

My Evening Grosbeaks moved out on the 2nd and haven’t returned. Peg Flora in Okara Lake still has her big flock of Grosbeaks to fed and some still hanging around Long Lake. I did have a record number of Common Redpolls-80 on Saturday during the heaviest part of the rain event. They were all over the snow and probably more than 100 but I never got to count them all on the snow at the same time. One of my Blue Jays has a Red-tailed Hawk call that it gives when it flies in and spooks them all into flight. He does it nearly every time he comes trying to make room for himself at the feeder. This seems to work for him as everyone else leaves for a few minutes. I’ve put bands on nearly 150 Redpolls and a few Hoary Redpolls. The males are so blood red on their breast you would think they are bleeding when you take them out of the net. I caught two Grosbeaks before they left, two Hairy Woodpeckers, two Downy Woodpeckers , two White Breasted Nuthatches and one new Black-capped Chickadee.

When you get a couple of warmer days in March the Red-winged Blackbirds normally move north. They don’t know we still have two feet of snow on the ground, they just are thinking about getting a good spot on territory no matter what the weather. My daughter Erin called today and she had two Red-wings at her feeder yesterday in Livonia so they are on the move.

The tom Turkeys have been battling each morning but the hens are paying them no mind as it’s a little early to sit on eggs. A Coyote came in one morning and tried to catch the Turkeys in the deep snow but they all flew up in the trees and talked to him. I had a couple Redpolls in the Potter Trap and the Coyote thought he would snatch them but that didn’t happen. He had been in eating suet under the feeder in the moonlight one night. I tried to get his picture but he wouldn’t hold for the light. He would run back behind the tree and hide in the shadow. When I would turn it off, he would come back out so I never did get a picture.

I believe Syracuse snow fall got into the record book this winter as one of the five snowiest winters for that city. Just today they only needed seven inches and I think they got that and more. They will probably get even more before this winter is over as they could get snow well into April also.

Many farmers used to call this poor man’s fertilizer as that’s all they had. The snow does take many elements out the atmosphere as it falls. When acid rain was falling on us so heavily, it was also coming in the snow fall. The rain events would run off causing a short time event but snow would build up all winter. When this melted in the spring this event (runoff) could take a month or more. In areas that got larger accumulations of snow like the Stillwater area the lakes and streams had no relief and the fish died from this pollution. The lakes became so acidic that they wouldn’t support any fish life. Many of these lakes were treated with lime every couple years to make them habitable for fish again. With the partial cleaning of acids from the air many of these lakes have recovered, on their own and again will support fish life. So poor man’s fertilizer on the land might be a good thing but falling in smaller doses.

Signs of spring, the sap is running but that’s another story. See ya.

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Just Call me Mrs. Lucky by Jan From Woodgate

Truth be told, it’s been a good ten years since I’ve been afflicted with a cold virus.  Alas it struck me like a speeding locomotive and brought back all those pleasant cold related memories that I had neatly tucked away in some obscure pocket of brain tissue.  The abundance of fluid in the head, dizziness, coughing,  chills.  Sheesh.

Of course, we all know that a girl cold is way, waaayy different than a boy cold.  We females tend to pretty much carry on with our daily routines, albeit sniffling and coughing along the way, but nonetheless continuing with our daily chores as usual.  Laundry does not wash itself, dishes do not magically clean themselves, and meals don’t appear out of thin air.

Woman just keep going.  Specifically in my case, where one lives with a “sympathy sufferer”, I try to keep going in absolute silence, cuz for sure he’s gonna get whatever ails me.

Now men, on the other hand, are a completely different story.  The mere fact that I’m writing this will no doubt ensure that Lucky will be starting to sniffle by day’s end, because in twenty something years I’ve never, ever, not even ONE TIME, harbored my own illness.  He always gets it, no matter what “it” is.  Guaranteed every single ache or pain I’ve suffered becomes OURS.

Darned if he wasn’t doubled right over when we had some female surgery.  Boy he handled those cramps like a trooper I tell ya.  Good thing I managed the vacuuming – post op – cuz he could’ve ruptured something on the spot.

Believe it or not – I don’t really care – he even tried to cash in on my night sweats.  That’s right, you heard me.  All of a sudden he was waking up in the middle of the night, all drippy and hot, complaining that “honey, I think I’ve got the same thing as you going on”.

Really Rock?  You’re menopausal?  Well let’s call Guinness and get ya in the Big Book, because there just might be some money to be made here.  Now wouldn’t it just be fair game to share those funds with me, the wife with the true hot flashes so severe that global warming tried to interview me?

So again, I give it maybe twenty four hours tops before his first sniffle appears.  This will be followed by boy-with-a-cold noises, more specifically “sniff, cough, moan, sniff, moan again.”  There’s just no such thing as suffering in silence in a man’s world.

Guess I’d best get the chicken a’boilin in preparation, which I guess really is minor, considering his uterus is still intact (even tho he’s sure he’s already had that surgery….!!!).  P.S. – All readers are forbidden to show this to my husband.  Traitors will be punished as I see fit.  I can assure you it will not be pretty, so back off.

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Statement- Patrick Russell

Does it make sense to bind Herkimer County property taxpayers with $2 million of perpetual debt? Is it wise to allow Webb homeowners to pay almost 39% of that bill forever? I don’t think so but that’s what the Citizens for a Better Herkimer County want. They’re an organization based in Herkimer and chaired by Joe Chilleli, a one-term legislator who lost in his re-election bid. Mr. Chilleli and his group, want the sheriff to board out all county prisoners at the expense of Webb and the rest of the property taxpaying citizens of Herkimer County, instead of building a new correctional facility that would actually save property taxpayers money

DO WE BUILD A NEW JAIL OR DON’T WE

The discussion has been going on for the twelve years I have been in office and I am told for a few years before that. Although the New York State Commission of Correction (NYSCOC) has worked with the county for many years in anticipation that the county legislators will approve the construction of a new jail, they finally formally told us in the last few months that we better decide on construction, or the present correctional facility was going to be closed, and could only be used as a temporary holding facility. Having to board out all the prisoners because of the NYSCOC’s order, would cost about $2 million per year, paid for by the property taxpayers. It costs about $950,000 now per year since only about half of the prisoners need to be relocated because of the lack of room in the county facility.

OUR VISION

We’ve listened to those for and against a new jail for many years. The bottom line is that our property owning constituents are tired of paying the county’s bills based on the value of their land and home. Not wanting to burden our homeowners with anymore taxes, the Ways and Means committee, which I chair, sponsored a resolution a few years ago, to collect an additional .25% in sales tax revenue to help defray the costs of building a new correctional area. The people utilizing the jail aren’t all citizens of the county, and they aren’t all homeowners. Most legislators, in a 14-2 vote, felt that the fairest thing to do was to collect money from everyone, visitor and resident alike, and not put the onus strictly on the property taxpayer. Through 2012, approximately $7.2 million will have been collected through the special sales tax, and it’s anticipated, based on experience, that $1.5 million per year will be raised thereafter.

BONDING & DOWN PAYMENT

With a 14-3 vote, county legislators approved a bond of “up to” $19.75 million to be used for jail construction. The initial drawings called for a $34.5 million facility.

With about $5.5 million of tobacco money, which the county can use only for capital construction projects, and the sales tax revenues, only to be used for jail construction, the county has almost $13 million in funds to put down as a down payment, reducing the bonding costs for the project. Anticipating the use of about $2.1 in general fund balance money the legislature approved the bonding resolution.

HOW DOES THIS SAVE THE PROPERTY TAXPAYERS MONEY

With the sales tax revenues generating about $1.5 million per year, and the bonding costs of $19.75 million to be about $1.5 million per year over a 20 year period, the sales taxes generated will almost pay the bill. Presently property taxpayers are subsidizing the budget for boarding out cost at about $950,000 per year. Since there would be no more boarding, those costs would be saved. If the NYSCOC closes the jail down, the boarding out bill would be about $2 million. That cost would be saved as well under that scenario. We do believe, additional costs will be incurred with a much larger building, but the savings will still be substantial since the jail now is so inefficient and antiquated. However, not a single legislator wants to spend $35 million and we are working to get the construction costs down to about $30 million. We are also considering a 15 year term for the bond since the interest rate is lower versus a 20 year term. (Mr. Chilleli failed to mention that in his article).

Next column, I will talk about our fund balance, why building on to the present facility won’t work, what we anticipate going into 2012, and how federal prisoners could create revenue for the county. If you have any questions please call me at 315-369-3594. I plan on setting up an “office hours” meeting in Old Forge soon and hopefully will be able to announce that date next time.

Mr. Russell is the Majority Leader of the Herkimer County legislature. He also chairs the Ways and means committee.

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Public meeting set to discuss McCauley Mountain’s future

Town of Webb Councilwoman Kate Russell and Councilman Richard Risley have formed a committee whose purpose is to explore possible changes to the McCauley Mountain chalet in hopes of improving the McCauley experience, Russell said.

To that end, the committee will be hosting a public meeting on Thursday, March 24 at 6 p.m. to hear comments and suggestions from the community.

The informal, information-gathering meeting will be held at McCauley Mountain.

Other than the two councilpersons, the committee consists of McCauley Manager Steve Uzdavinis and community members Loretta Gaffney and Dave Kleps.

The plan is to gather suggestions for creating a chalet renovation plan that would improve the building’s convenience and functionality. Continue reading

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Old Forge Legion Post 893 recognized for ongoing charitable work

To most people, the value of an empty soda or beer can is a nickel. But to members of Old Forge American Legion Post #893, a small portion of a discarded can is worth a great deal more.

For the last six years local legion members have been collecting pop-tops of cans for an on-going national fundraising effort to support the work of Shriners Burns Hospital – Boston.

The pop-tops—the only part of a can made of aluminum—are packed and sold by the pound for recycling with all proceeds directed to the Hospital.

Mike Tigue, chairman of the effort, proposed the idea to the Old Forge Post shortly after moving to the area and becoming a member.

“It was a successful Legion project I was involved in while living in Connecticut—and it’s been very well received here as well,” Tigue said. Continue reading

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Elise Carlson tapped for Arts Center events and facilities post

Elise Carlson of Hamilton, NY has been selected as the Events and Facilities Manager of the new Arts Center in Old Forge.

“I’m thrilled to be joining such an inspiring and talented group of people. I aim to add a myriad of new events that will reflect the art of the Adirondacks but that will also push boundaries in an effort to attract a wider audience outside of the Adirondack Park,” Elise said.

“As a lifelong summer resident of Old Forge, I’m delighted to be working in one of the places I consider to be the most beautiful in the country.”

Elise is a 2005 graduate of Boston University College of Communications where she majored in Public Relations. Continue reading

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