The Altamont Enterprise - New Scotland http://www.altamontenterprise.com/location/new-scotland en Library seeks two trustees and refreshes its lens http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/library-seeks-two-trustees-and-refreshes-its-lens <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/jo-e-prout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jo E. Prout</a></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Two seats are open for the Voorheesville Public Library Board of Trustees, and petitions for nominations are due April 20.</p> <p>Voters will head to the polls on May 19 to elect new library trustees and to decide on the library’s budget, which staff pared down to $1.1 million for 2014-15; updated budget figures will be available in April, according to library Director Gail Alter Sacco. </p> <h3><strong>Trustees</strong></h3> <p>Incumbent trustees David Gibson and Lance Moore have picked up nominating petitions, Sacco said. At least two other community members have also taken petitions at this early date, she said, and there is still time for other interested residents to get the forms.</p> <p>Each candidate’s petition must have 25 qualified voters’ signatures in order for the candidate to make the ballot, Sacco said. </p> <p>Gibson was elected to the board in 2013 to complete an unfulfilled term.</p> <p>“I was a write-in,” Gibson told The Enterprise. “I was filling an opening.” At that time, he recalled, two board members left but no one filed a petition to run.</p> <p>“I thought it was a real pity,” he said. He and Clifford Erickson let the community know after the deadline for petitions had passed that they would serve, and they were elected, he said.</p> <p>“I think it’s important. The library is a resource. It brings people together,” Gibson said.</p> <p>Gibson, who declined to give his age, has a degree in economics and management, and founded a local technology company, among other endeavors.</p> <p>“I understand making goals and making tough trade-offs,” he said, noting that he came on the board at a time when there were “hard feelings” soon after the library bond for an expansion failed. “You can never have everything,” he said.</p> <p>Trustee Lance Moore was appointed to the library board two weeks ago.</p> <p>“The position was open. I applied for it,” Moore said. He interviewed for the seat and was then appointed to fill a seat vacated by former Trustee Robert Kent, who resigned Dec. 31, 2014.</p> <p>Sacco said that the trustees spoke with several people who were interested in the position, then interviewed two, ultimately choosing Moore.</p> <p>According to Sacco, Kent was on the board for 10 years, and had served as its president until July last year. Kent did not return calls for comment.</p> <p>The candidate receiving the highest number of votes would win Gibson’s open seat on the library board, with a full five-year term. The candidate with the next highest number of votes would win Moore’s open seat and fulfill the remainder of Kent’s term, which ends in four years.</p> <p>Moore said that his parents and he and his wife have been involved with the library for decades. Moore’s two daughters also worked as pages at the library, he said.</p> <p>“I am an ardent supporter of the library. It’s a real asset to the community,” Moore said. “It performs a real needed service.”</p> <p>Moore, 65, also serves on the New Scotland Zoning Board of Appeals.</p> <p>“You make time for the important things in your life,” he said. “I’m at the stage that I’m looking down the road at retirement.”</p> <p>Moore is a local contractor and also an executive chef.</p> <p>“I’ve always had two professions,” he said. “One is a creation you create for people’s pleasure. You hope they enjoy it,” he said of his work in restaurants. “One is static,” he said of carpentry. “What you do, you leave a mark.”</p> <p>The Voorheesville Public Library, he said, “is a crown jewel of what New Scotland offers.”</p> <h3><strong>Library redesign</strong></h3> <p>“The library is going through a strategic redesign,” Sacco said. The redesign is not about the building, she said, but about the library’s programs and services.</p> <p>The board hired Nancy Meyers Preston, Ltd., a Latham consultant who offers strategic planning for not-for-profits, to guide the board in deciding “what the library should be doing in services for the next three years,” Sacco said.</p> <p>The board set five strategic goals, she said. The planning should evaluate library administration; collaborative community partnership; programs and services; governance and leadership; and marketing, Sacco said.</p> <p>Regarding governance and leadership, she said, the board hopes to find out some of the ways the “library framework could be…improved — what trustee responsibilities are, and if they’re still appropriate.”</p> <p>Preston is “guiding them through the development of the strategic plan,” Sacco said. Preston’s fee is $6,000, and is paid out of the consultant piece of the library budget, Sacco said.</p> <p>The board pursued the evaluation after two new members said they heard mixed responses from the community about what people want from the library, she said.</p> <p>Rather than start from scratch, Sacco said, the trustees hired a consultant with experience in strategic planning, who would be an outsider to keep the plan objective and inclusive.</p> <p>“Three years is a time where you can get something accomplished, but it doesn’t get you started on a road that’s difficult to move from,” Sacco said.</p> <p>The process, which includes community input, is a way of “refreshing our lens, and cleaning the lens off,” she said.</p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 26, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville-public-library" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville public library</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/candidates" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">candidates</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/library-seeks-two-trustees-and-refreshes-its-lens" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Library seeks two trustees and refreshes its lens">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/library-seeks-two-trustees-and-refreshes-its-lens&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/library-seeks-two-trustees-and-refreshes-its-lens"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03262015/library-seeks-two-trustees-and-refreshes-its-lens" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:09:32 +0000 reporter 5509 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com VCSD may "go to the cap" http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-may-go-cap-0 <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/jo-e-prout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jo E. Prout</a></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — A week before the state budget is due, the school district here is fine-tuning its budget draft. The school board Monday resolved to adopt three bond proposals for voters to decide on in May.</p> <p>“We have no state-aid information,” said the district’s business official, Sarita Winchell. “It’s going to be up, not down. We just don’t know how much.”</p> <p>The projected shortfall in revenues under the tax-levy limit for the $22.8 million budget is a relatively small $71,000, she said last month.</p> <p>“Nothing has changed in revenues,” Winchell said Monday. The district has a $16,746,414 cap for the amount of money it can raise in taxes. The tax levy amount proposed is up $308,000 from last year, which is an increase in the tax levy of 1.88 percent, Winchell said recently.</p> <p>In 2011, the state’s property tax cap for municipalities and school districts was signed into law; the school levy limit is based on an eight-step formula.</p> <p>“We have filed this with the state,” Winchell said. District numbers were due to the state March 1, she said.</p> <p>Since the first look at the budget earlier this month, Winchell said, the budget has been reduced by almost $300,000, based on lower amounts the district is expected to pay for the teachers’ retirement system and for workers’ compensation.</p> <p>Also, the loss of the need to pay for tuition for a Board of Cooperative Educational Services special education student with an expected 2015 graduation date reduced the budget by $39,000, and lower rates for health and pharmacy payments decreased the budget by $196,000, she said. Those numbers for health insurance, which dropped since the first estimate three weeks ago, affect the overarching budget from last year to this year by $55,000, she said.</p> <p>Some expenses are expected to rise, as all salaries combine for a $131,000 increase, she said. BOCES special education and English for new learners requirements are expected to go up by $134,000 and $82,000, respectively, according to the draft budget.</p> <p>Overall, Winchell said, “We actually have a budget with an increase of only $104,000.”</p> <p>Winchell counseled the board to plan to use $158,000 of excess revenue over its expenses in order to keep below the state-set tax levy limit. If a budget goes over that limit, it must be passed by a supermajority or 60 percent of the vote; below the limit, the budget passes by a simple majority or 50 percent of the vote.</p> <p>“I absolutely endorse going to the cap,” she said. Winchell suggested adding items to the budget to address health and safety issues, like a new pedestrian bridge, and to align budget needs with student enrollment, like adding back staff for classes at the elementary school.</p> <h3><strong>Propositions</strong></h3> <p>The board resolved to offer three propositions for May voters: the replacement of two buses, according to a regular schedule of maintenance and replacement that Voorheesville has followed for over a decade; the use of funds to wipe out a $100,000 school-lunch fund deficit; and, the repair of a pedestrian bridge at the elementary school along with some reconstruction and window repair at the school and its bus garage.</p> <p>The first proposition is to replace two school buses at a combined cost of $230,000.</p> <p>Winchell said earlier that the district must wipe out its $100,000 school lunch fund deficit using money from the general fund.</p> <p>The deficit is cumulative over several years, Winchell said, and would not be repeated on a large scale.</p> <p>The third proposition is the repair or replacement of the footbridge at the elementary school. Repair or replacement will require the removal of the bridge and repair of its abutments, and will trigger a state environmental review, which must be completed before a voter referendum, Winchell said.</p> <p>Costs for a wooden bridge could be $142,000, while galvanized steel could run up to $162,000, she said. The project may also include rigging, trucking, and abutment repair costs.</p> <p>Board members on Monday discussed concerns about fluctuating construction estimates for the bridgework.</p> <p>“Is anyone's fees contingent on the estimate?” school board President Timothy Blow asked.</p> <p>“Those are not percentages of the project,” Winchell said.</p> <p>“Is any of this not subject to open bid?” Blow asked.</p> <p>Winchell said that the architect’s fee is a flat $6,000.</p> <p>“We will bid every piece of this project,” she said about the remainder.</p> <p>Board members Diana Straut and Doreen Saia asked about the reliability of and the excess engineering costs included in the estimates.</p> <p>“No one is saying we don't want this project to happen — we do,” Saia said.</p> <p>Later, Blow told The Enterprise, “I'm comfortable that everything will be competitively bid.”</p> <p>Also in the proposition for the bridgework is reconstruction at the bus garage and repair of windows installed in 1948, Winchell said. She said that the windows have been “leaking like a sieve.”</p> <p>New construction for both the building and the bridge would be eligible for state aid, Winchell said.</p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 26, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/school-budget" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">school budget</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-may-go-cap-0" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="VCSD may "go to the cap"">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-may-go-cap-0&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-may-go-cap-0"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03262015/vcsd-may-go-cap-0" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:01:41 +0000 reporter 5508 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com VCSD looks for answers for state-test rebels http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-looks-answers-state-test-rebels <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/jo-e-prout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jo E. Prout</a></div><div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4358" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/IMG_1100.JPG?itok=kNAOuIFM" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/IMG_1100.JPG?itok=dDvMWekO" width="300" height="277" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff</p> <p><strong>Graduation is a goal</strong> for Voorheesville students and parents alike but the path to commencement has gotten thornier with the recent introduction of Common Core standards.</p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Parents and teachers spoke out against mandated state testing and its link to teacher performance at the school board meeting here Monday.</p> <p>The board, however, passed over its own discussion item and a chance to parse Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2015 Opportunity Agenda.</p> <p>“I’m disappointed in the board,” Voorheesville Teachers Association President Kathy Fiero told The Enterprise. “They have a responsibility to know what’s going on. I’ve brought this up on a weekly basis for two months,” she said.  </p> <p>The board meeting ended with a suggestion by school board President Timothy Blow that the district could host a forum about the testing, which was met with interest by Fiero and the audience.</p> <p>“I think that would be great,” Fiero said,</p> <p>Blow said Tuesday, however, that there may not be value in a forum and he wants to “reach out” to teachers for more information, instead.</p> <p>Fiero called Cuomo’s pledge to overhaul education in New York, including a plan to link student test scores to teachers’ job rating and also to make tenure harder to get, the biggest obstacle she has faced in her career.</p> <p>While she appreciated the concept of a public discussion in Voorheesville, she noted Monday that a forum at this point in the school year might be too late for many people to make decisions about going ahead with testing or opposing linking teacher performance to test scores.</p> <h3><strong>Differing opinions</strong></h3> <p>“I’m not going to make a motion to withdraw from ELA [English language arts] testing,” Blow said at the board meeting.</p> <p>He later told The Enterprise that information discussed at the meeting “may not be factually correct.” He said he had learned that the district does get about 50 percent of the questions from ELA tests returned to it.</p> <p>A spokeswoman for the State Education Department, Jeanne Beattie, referred to a press release from August 2014 that said that approximately 50 percent of the questions used on the 2014 grades 3 through 8 assessments were available online.</p> <p>“The released questions will help students, families, educators, and the public understand the breadth and depth with which the state tests measure college and career readiness...[and] represent a range of difficulty and illustrate how student performance is assessed in accordance with the learning expectations and instructional shifts established by the New York State Common Core Learning Standards,” the statement said. </p> <p>About concerns mentioned at the Voorheesville board meeting by parents and teachers, Blow said, “They are two separate issues, in my viewpoint. Other people may not share that viewpoint.” The two issues are to consider both the appropriateness of standardized testing, and whether or how tenure or employment should be linked to teacher evaluations based on testing, he said.</p> <p>“I think everyone should be taking the test,” he said. “Standardized tests have been with us for decades. I want to take a deep breath and separate things where they need to be separated.”</p> <p>Parent Kerry Connolly told the board about regional forums to discuss how state testing is or is not used, and that she has a background in education.</p> <p>“Our children will not be taking the New York State English language arts or math tests this spring,” Connolly said in a statement she read to the board. (See “Letters to the Editor.”) “We are refusing the tests on behalf of our children.</p> <p>“What’s the point of tests that don’t inform instruction?” she continued. Connolly said that the tests are poorly written, and that teachers are not given information about the test before it is given or afterward so that teachers know what areas need improvement.</p> <p>According to the news release by the State Education Department, “The 3-8 assessments are only one indicator among multiple measures of student performance and are intended to be used in conjunction with other tools to gauge student performance, educator effectiveness, and school accountability. All Regional Information Centers (RICs) offer reports that allow educators to see the percentage of students that answered each test question correctly and (for released test questions) the percentage of students who selected each incorrect response.”</p> <p>The State Education Department did not respond when asked if individual students' exams or teachers' results were returned for personal analysis.</p> <p>“We can’t suggest improvements, because we can’t talk about the tests,” said district Superintendent Teresa Thayer Snyder.</p> <p>Beattie said that the idea of a gag order on administrators mixes up two ideas.</p> <p>“They can't discuss tests after they're given,” Beattie said, but she said that some test results were available online, with explanations for the released questions of why questions would be considered correct or incorrect.</p> <p>“Released questions can help inform classroom instruction and local assessment practices,” according to the State Education Department news statement.</p> <p>Released questions can be seen at <a href="https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-common-core-sample-questions">engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-common-core-sample-questions.</a></p> <p>At the school board meeting Monday, Blow asked if the State Education Department has been told about the limits of the tests, and Snyder said that it has.</p> <p>“What was the response?” Blow asked.</p> <p>“Nothing,” said Snyder. “It’s useless testing in terms of the information I get about my students and my teachers. I’m a good soldier,” Snyder said of administering the state exams, but she reiterated, “It’s useless data.”</p> <p>“Where are all the professional organizations?” asked board member James C. Coffin, who retired after a career with the education department.</p> <p>“They’ve got to raise hell. They’ve got to lead this stuff,” Coffin said. “It can’t be a disparate group. This is a terrible mess that we’re in. That we can’t get the tests back in our building…to use them to evaluate our teachers is insane. Evaluating people has got to be done by the people in the building.”</p> <p>“They’re all down there [at the Capitol] fighting,” Fiero said of large organizations like the teachers’ unions. “There is a lot of noise. The budget hasn’t come out. The whole thing isn’t done yet.”</p> <p>“Losing local control of public schools is extremely unnerving,” Snyder said.</p> <p>One parent said that her fourth-grader hates school, and says that all they do is math, math, math.</p> <p>“Are we teaching to the test?” Blow asked.</p> <p>“Absolutely,” chorused parents and teachers.</p> <p>Blow said that the board might schedule a forum for further discussion about the testing for two weeks ahead.</p> <p>“I’ll talk to the board members and see if we want to,” he said.</p> <p>Later, he told The Enterprise, “I’d rather have my facts before I go into a community forum. I want to make sure we are completely comfortable with facts before talking about them in a community forum.”</p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 26, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/state-testing" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">state testing</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-looks-answers-state-test-rebels" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="VCSD looks for answers for state-test rebels">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-looks-answers-state-test-rebels&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03262015/vcsd-looks-answers-state-test-rebels"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03262015/vcsd-looks-answers-state-test-rebels" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 26 Mar 2015 16:54:40 +0000 reporter 5507 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com Public asked to help plan for the future of Main Street http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/public-asked-help-plan-future-main-street <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/elizabeth-floyd-mair" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Elizabeth Floyd Mair</a></div><div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4324" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/IMG_0081_2.JPG?itok=kXgz4lja" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/IMG_0081_2.JPG?itok=3jroe4rf" width="300" height="283" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The Enterprise — Michael Koff</p> <p><strong>Curbside parking</strong> is now the norm in Voorheesville’s business district. One idea that engineer Richard Straut of Barton and Loguidice, a firm hired by the village to work on revitalization, mentioned would be to build a new parking area along Main Street on the other side of the railroad tracks from the businesses.</p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Village officials and the committee known as All Aboard: Voorheesville Main Street Master Plan Project hope many local residents and business owners will turn out for a public workshop on Tuesday, March 31, at the firehouse to hear the committee’s recommendations on ways to revitalize the Main Street business district. </p> <p>At the public workshop, the engineering firm that has been working on the project since late in 2014, Barton and Loguidice, will present its suggestions for beginning to revitalize the so-called Main Street “triangle” that runs along Grove Street to Main Street and Voorheesville Avenue, committee head and village Trustee Brett Hotaling said.</p> <p>The committee and the village board members hope to get insight, questions, comments, and suggestions from the public that will help them shape these initial plans and recommendations into a more final form.</p> <p>“No one knows Main Street better than those who live and work there,” reads a flyer distributed by the village, requesting public participation in the workshop. The flyer promises that “public input and discussion will play a key role in the planning process.”</p> <p>Once suggestions have been received and incorporated, Hotaling said, the village will set about trying to get grant money to begin to “actually get these things done,” with the hope that this will have a positive impact on economic development and streetscape amenities on the Main Street area — and by extension on the wider Voorheesville community — for years to come.</p> <p>“There has never been a Main Street Master Plan before,” said Hotaling, who has been reporting back to the village board on the committee’s findings.</p> <p>The committee includes residents and a couple of business owners from Main Street — the owners of the hair salon and the laundry — as well as a representative of the Voorheesville Community and School Foundation.</p> <p>Mayor Robert Conway told The Enterprise in December that the village received a grant of $8,500 in November from the Hudson River Valley Greenway to help identify design opportunities and zoning code improvements.</p> <p>Conway said at the time, “This dovetails with the Rail Trail. We hope to tie the two together, using the Rail Trail as a driver to bring business into the Main Street area.”      </p> <p>It is these funds that the committee put toward employing the engineering firm to draw up some ideas, Hotaling said recently.</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/IMG_0077.JPG?itok=CTe2wGfd" /></p> <address><sup><strong>Main Street</strong> in Voorheesville is dominated by homes on one side and businesses on the other.  The Enterprise — Michael Koff</sup></address> <hr /><p> </p> <p>Barton and Loguidice will make a presentation at the March 31 meeting, and residents can interact and discuss specific details and steps directly with members of the All Aboard committee and with consultant representatives throughout the evening.</p> <p>Engineer Richard Straut of Barton and Loguidice told The Enterprise that some of the recommendations would be for improvements to buildings and for better signage that will direct people toward the business center.</p> <p>The plan also calls for improving access on foot or bike by finding grants that would help the village to take charge of opening the portion of the Rail Trail that leads into the triangle. Albany County, which owns the trail, is supporting the village in its efforts to find grants for that development. Straut mentioned that the not-for-profit Voorheesville Community and School Foundation has been helping the village to look for sources of grant money.    </p> <p>One idea that Straut mentioned would be to build a new parking area along Main Street, on the other side of the tracks from the businesses. Another would be to build a pavilion, near that proposed parking area, that would include some visual themes related to the old train station.</p> <p>“The Rail Trail, as we like to say in Voorheesville,” Straut said, “starts in Voorheesville. We want to get people, when they do come to Voorheesville, to take a little time to explore.”</p> <p>The flyer mentions that at the public workshop, base mapping of Voorheesville and the Main Street target area will be generated in multiple forms and will be provided for viewing. What this means, Straut explained, is that the different elements being proposed—improved signage, storefronts, etcetera—will be shown on separate maps that are overlain onto maps of the area as it is now, “to keep things from getting cluttered.”</p> <p>Those attending the workshop, Straut said, do not need any technical expertise.</p> <p>Hotaling said that the committee has also discussed resolving some lighting issues, to make the area more attractive to visitors.</p> <p>“Our hope,” Hotaling said, “is that people who come to the Main Street area will stay to look around and maybe get a bite to eat.”</p> <p>Currently, Hotaling said, the eateries include Jaycee’s Pizza Depot; the bakery and cooking school Gio Culinary Studio; and the Voorheesville Diner, just across Voorheesville Avenue. There is also a Stewart’s.</p> <p>“We want to beautify the existing buildings,” Hotaling concluded, “and along with that we’re hoping for some not just restaurants but new business opportunities, whatever they may be.”</p> <p>****</p> <p><em>The village of Voorheesville invites the public to attend a workshop and respond to the preliminary plans for the All Aboard: Voorheesville Main Street Master Plan Project. The workshop will be held at the Voorheesville firehouse at 12 Altamont Road on March 31, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 19, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/main-street" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Main Street</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/barton-and-loguidice" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Barton and Loguidice</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/public-asked-help-plan-future-main-street" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Public asked to help plan for the future of Main Street">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/public-asked-help-plan-future-main-street&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/public-asked-help-plan-future-main-street"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03192015/public-asked-help-plan-future-main-street" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 19 Mar 2015 22:12:47 +0000 admin 5478 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com After fire, Advanced Car Wash will re-open as soon as possible http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/after-fire-advanced-car-wash-will-re-open-soon-possible <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>To the Editor:</p> <p>We would like to thank everyone for your support and concern in the aftermath of our fire. Although the fire was confined to our equipment room thanks to the Voorheesville fire department, the resulting damage was more severe than originally thought, with equipment and controls for the automatic and self-service bays compromised beyond repair.</p> <p>At this time, we are working with our insurance company and its adjuster. Unfortunately, with the amount of claims due to the severe winter, this puts us in line with a lot of other people making claims.</p> <p>Work is progressing with the damaged equipment moved out and the fire restoration cleanup to hopefully be completed this week. We anticipate being able to order the new equipment within the next week. This is specialty equipment that has to be made to order (unfortunately not sitting on a shelf somewhere) and will take some time to arrive and then be installed.</p> <p>We do not have a timetable for completion right now, but we are trying to move things along as quickly as possible. We're very sorry for any inconvenience, as this has happened during the busy washing season and we thank you for your continued patience and support. We will reopen as soon as possible!</p> <p>Again, we would like to thank the Voorheesville Volunteer Fire Department for its fast response enabling them to control the situation.</p> <p><strong>Timm Baldauf and</strong></p> <p><strong>The crew from Advanced Car Wash</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 19, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/letters-editor" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">letters to the editor</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/after-fire-advanced-car-wash-will-re-open-soon-possible" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="After fire, Advanced Car Wash will re-open as soon as possible">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/after-fire-advanced-car-wash-will-re-open-soon-possible&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/after-fire-advanced-car-wash-will-re-open-soon-possible"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03192015/after-fire-advanced-car-wash-will-re-open-soon-possible" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 19 Mar 2015 22:11:02 +0000 admin 5477 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com No contests, low turnout in village elections http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/no-contests-low-turnout-village-elections <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/elizabeth-floyd-mair" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Elizabeth Floyd Mair</a></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>On Wednesday, turnout in Altamont and Voorheesville was low for village elections — all of them uncontested. The longtime judge in Altamont got the most votes there, and the villages’ two incumbent trustees garnered more — just a few more— votes than did the relative newcomers.</p> <p>In Altamont, with a population of about 1,720, Christine Marshall was the trustee candidate with the most votes — 46 votes.</p> <p>Marshall, 67, of Whipple Way, a retired Civil Service administrator, recently told The Enterprise that she was running for a third four-year term because she is proud of the achievements that the board has made and because she believes there is “still some good work to be done.”  </p> <p>Cathy Glass, 48, a homemaker on Bozenkill Road, received 44 votes. She ran for the first time because she “hoped to make a little bit of a difference” in the village where she has lived for nearly 30 years.</p> <p>Marshall and Glass will each be in office as trustee for four years. Last year, the salary for a village trustee in Altamont was $2,784.</p> <p>Rebecca Morse-Hout, too, was unopposed for her next term as village justice, a post she has held for over 21 years. She received 48 votes.</p> <p>Total turnout in Altamont was 49 ballots.</p> <p>The village of Altamont normally has two justices, but Hout had been fulfilling the duties of two since the resignation in January of Lesley Stefan, who cited an impending move out of the village.</p> <p>“If I can continue to serve the community, then I’m willing to do so,” Hout, an attorney, said before the election.</p> <p>There will be another village justice joining Hout on the bench, but he was appointed rather than being elected. In March, Mayor James Gaughan announced the appointment of James R. Greene to the post vacated by Stefan, effective April 1.       </p> <p>Greene, a long-time village resident who is also an attorney with experience in both public service and private practice, has not been a judge. He is currently employed by the New York State United Teachers.</p> <p>Last year, the salary for a village justice in Altamont was $4,623, which is the same as that earned by the mayor.</p> <p>Hout’s term will run for four years. Greene will need to run for election to his office in March 2016.</p> <p>Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy will swear in the newly elected or appointed Altamont officials at the village board meeting, on April 7.</p> <h3><strong>Voorheesville</strong></h3> <p>In Voorheesville, which has about 2,790 residents, the total turnout was 67 votes, which includes two absentee ballots.</p> <p>Incumbent Trustee Brett Hotaling garnered the most votes — 64 — and Florence A. Reddy got 63.</p> <p>Hotaling, who was originally appointed to the board in 2011 to fill the seat vacated when his father, William F. Hotaling, died, was then elected in 2012 to fill out the remainder of the term.</p> <p>Hotaling, 48, of the Scotch Pine development, is the owner of Hotaling Landscaping and Voorheesville Self Storage. He told The Enterprise recently that he wanted to run again because he enjoys “being part of the decision-making process” and wants to continue working, for instance, on the Rail Trail extension and the revitalization of Main Street in the village.</p> <p>Reddy, 54, of Scotch Pine Drive, works as the office manager of the real estate firm Berkshire Hathaway Home Services (formerly Prudential) and owns Reddy’s Deli in Guilderland Center together with her husband, William Reddy. She has served in the post since being appointed in October following the resignation of 10-year trustee David Cardona, who cited personal changes and the purchase of a home in Guilderland. Reddy ran for the seat because, she said, she looked forward to being part of the decision-making process for another four years.</p> <p>Trustees in Voorheesville received a salary in fiscal year 2014 of $6,306. The trustee term is for four years.</p> <p>Deputy Clerk Treasurer Karen Finnessey remarked that Voorheesville’s races have been uncontested for some time. She said, “I’ve been here for 10 years, and we’ve never had a contested race since I’ve been here.”</p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 19, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/rebecca-hout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rebecca Hout</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/christine-marshall" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christine Marshall</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/brett-hotaling" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Brett Hotaling</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/florence-reddy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Florence Reddy</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/no-contests-low-turnout-village-elections" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="No contests, low turnout in village elections">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/no-contests-low-turnout-village-elections&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/no-contests-low-turnout-village-elections"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03192015/no-contests-low-turnout-village-elections" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 19 Mar 2015 22:04:12 +0000 admin 5474 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com Ruth Vincent http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/ruth-vincent <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Ruth Vincent, a small woman with a large personality, died in the home she had built, the home where she had lived most of her life.</p> <p>She died on Tuesday, March 17, 2015.  She was 92.</p> <p>“She was a teeny, tiny little firecracker of a person,” said her granddaughter, Rhonda Doherty.</p> <p>Mrs. Vincent stood 4 feet, 10 inches tall.</p> <p>“She was tiny but her personality was big,” said her granddaughter. “She was bold and active and energetic.”</p> <p>The daughter of Frank and Beatrice Bouton, Mrs. Vincent grew up in the Bethlehem area. She was the wife of the late Franklin G. “Tony” Vincent. “They married very young,” said her granddaughter, and were married for a long time. “He was an excellent mechanic,” she said.</p> <p>They raised two sons, Thomas and Robert, and Mrs. Vincent enjoyed hunting and fishing with them, said Ms. Doherty. “She loved the outdoors,” said her granddaughter.</p> <p>Mrs. Vincent also was creative and, for example, made wreaths out of pinecones.</p> <p>She made more than crafts with her hands. “She built the house herself,” said Ms. Doherty,” and lived there all these years.” The house is on State Farm Road in Voorheesville.</p> <p>“She had horses,” said her granddaughter. “She loved animals.” Over the years, in addition to the horses that she loved to ride, she had goats, dogs, and cats, said Ms. Doherty.</p> <p>She passed her love of horses, as well as the offspring of her horses, on to her granddaughter.</p> <p>“She was a very good grandmother,” said Ms. Doherty. “She did a lot to help raise her grandchildren.”</p> <p>Mrs. Vincent taught her granddaughter to cook. A specialty of hers was roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. Mrs. Doherty concluded, “She knew how to make a home-cooked country meal.”</p> <p>****</p> <p><em>Ruth Vincent is survived by a son and seven grandchildren.  Private interment will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in New Salem in the spring.</em></p> <p><em>Arrangements are by the Applebee Funeral Home in Delmar. Mourners may leave condolences online at <a href="http://www.applebeefuneralhome.com">www.applebeefuneralhome.com</a>.</em></p> <p><em>— Melissa Hale-Spencer</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 19, 2015</div></div></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/ruth-vincent" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Ruth Vincent">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/ruth-vincent&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03192015/ruth-vincent"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03192015/ruth-vincent" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 19 Mar 2015 21:50:04 +0000 admin 5471 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com Photo: Engineering a career http://www.altamontenterprise.com/image/03192015/photo-engineering-career <div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div about="/field-collection/field-images/4328" typeof="" class="ds-1col entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images view-mode-full clearfix"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/AspiringEngineerChrisBrumley_Voor.jpg?itok=FntzAoFo" width="723" height="550" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>— Photo from the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Educational Services</p> <p><strong>Career pathways:</strong> Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical School student Chris Brumley, a junior from Voorheesville, is constructing a vice using a milling machine and other tools in the shop of the Alternative Energy and Advanced Construction Technology classroom. He is planning on a career in engineering and is using career pathways skills he is learning at CTE to achieve that goal. "I am creative and I like building stuff," said Brumley. More than 90 percent of CTE students pursue higher education upon graduation, many of whom use the skills they learned at CTE to advance quickly through the college ranks.</p> </div></div></div></div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 19, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tags/boces" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">BOCES</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tags/engineering" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">engineering</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tags/education" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">education</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/image/03192015/photo-engineering-career" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Photo: Engineering a career">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/image/03192015/photo-engineering-career&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/image/03192015/photo-engineering-career"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=image/03192015/photo-engineering-career" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div> Thu, 19 Mar 2015 17:00:13 +0000 admin 5483 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com 'Fiddler on the Roof' plays a new tune http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/fiddler-roof-plays-new-tune <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/jo-e-prout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jo E. Prout</a></div><div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4296" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/IMG_0108_0.JPG?itok=msv0gwmK" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/IMG_0108_0.JPG?itok=ocSyY81w" width="300" height="273" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The Enterprise — Michael Koff</p> <p><strong>Do you love me? </strong>Junior Grace Hotapp, as Golde, scolds Carl Treiber, as Tevye, as the characters examine their lives together in Voorheesville’s high school production of “Fiddler on the Roof” playing this weekend.</p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — The Voorheesville Dionysians will tread the boards this weekend, bringing “Fiddler on the Roof” to life at the Lydia C. Tobler Performing Arts Center.</p> <p>“We’re trying to do some things a little different,” said Director Matthew Robinson of the well-known show. “It’s familiar enough that people like it. It’s been done a lot, but it hasn’t been done great enough.”</p> <p>Robinson said that the cast is young, and share a more serious nature than students from previous years when the school produced comedies.</p> <p>“Fiddler” “fit the cast that we had,” he said. “We were due for a serious show. It’s a serious show with some humorous moments.”</p> <p>“We looked at the possibility of which students might audition, and chose a show that might fit those students,” said Portia Hubert, the musical’s producer.</p> <p>“We have some very talented men and women, and ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ has really good roles for women, as well as for men,” she said. “The under roles are very strong roles.”</p> <p>“I am very, very proud of this cast,” said music director and Voorheesville chorus teacher Mary Abba-Gleason. “This is not easy music to learn.” Abba-Gleason said that the music — written for a show set in a Jewish community in Russia at the turn of the previous century — has tonalities and language that are challenging for the students.</p> <p>“I’m really excited to see what they will produce,” she said. “They sound great — vocally, very strong. I’m happy. I’m excited.”</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/IMG_0099.JPG?itok=ttuFlUOt" /></p> <address> <address><sup><strong style="line-height: 1.6em;">Carl Treiber sings of being a rich man:</strong><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> The sophomore will tackle his first lead role, as Tevye, in “Fiddler on the Roof” this weekend as the Voorheesville Dionysians take the stage at the Lydia C. Tobler Performing Arts Center. </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Enterprise — Michael Koff</span></sup></address> </address> <hr /><p> </p> <p>The cast found an acting coach in teacher assistant Matt MacArevey.</p> <p>“I used to be an actor before I started working in the district,” he said. “I worked in London for two years.”</p> <p>MacArevey coached students in basic acting principles and helped them develop their characters, he said.</p> <p>“This show is a little heavier than other shows,” he said. “The audience can expect a very technically sound show. The kids know their marks. It’s a very crisp show for the acting.”</p> <p>MacArevey praised Robinson’s direction of the famous “Fiddler on the Roof.”</p> <p>“He’s done a very good job distinguishing it on its own,” MacArevey said of Robinson. “No one is up there imitating someone else.”</p> <p><strong>Student strengths</strong></p> <p>Brianna Beck, a freshman, plays a villager in the show.</p> <p>“The dreams are good,” she said, describing scenes the audience should watch for. Beck is in her first high school show, after three years of acting in middle school.</p> <p>Max Kent, the returning stage manager, is a sophomore.</p> <p>“I’m the boss. It’s my fault if something doesn’t go right,” Kent said.</p> <p>“We all have to work together for this,” said senior Jasmine Wiest, who is part of the stage crew.</p> <p>Senior Eileen Thompson is working her fourth year on stage crew.</p> <p>“I acted and did stage crew freshman year,” she said. “Being onstage really wasn’t my thing. I love working with everybody. We’re like a family.”</p> <p>The students shared camaraderie while suiting up in costume and waiting to rehearse last week. Freshman Aaron Saia, wearing a stage beard, walked past a group.</p> <p>“He says it’s itchy,” Wiest said.</p> <p>“Yes. It’s awful,” Saia said. He plays a villager, and a constable.</p> <p>“I get to yell,” he said. “My character is anti-semitic.”</p> <p>Asked if that characterization was difficult to play and hear, Saia said, “Sometimes.”</p> <p>“Yes,” answered his peers.</p> <p>Freshman Sarah Bracken gestured to the set and said, “I’m stage crew, left. I’m in charge of moving that house. Isn’t it beautiful?”</p> <p>Bracken was one of several set designers who painted the show’s sets. She will be glad for the show to be over, she said, so she can get back to other activities she chooses. Her mother made her join the crew, Bracken said. She prefers mock trial, the science Olympiad, and Key Club, she said.</p> <p>“We’re making toys for the animal shelter,” she said of her clubs. Most of the cast, however, is enjoying the show, she said.</p> <p>Bracken, who attends a temple in Albany, said that she is one of the few Jewish students in Voorheesville. Some of the actors mispronounce the words in the play, she said.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">“You must roll the –‘ch’-es,” she said. The actors pronounce “L’chaim” with a soft H sound, she said giving an example, rather than a more proper lightly guttural –ch sound.</span></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/IMG_0129_0.JPG?itok=KWQ1xz5Q" /></p> <address><sup><strong style="line-height: 1.6em;">Chava, Tzeitel, and Hodel sing of their futures</strong><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> in "Fiddler on the Roof.” Abby Goldfarb, left, Rebecca Belenchia, center, and Stefanie DeFronzo will portray the girls this weekend. </span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Enterprise — Michael Koff</span></sup></address> <hr /><p> </p> <p>Student choreographer Stefanie DeFronzo, a junior, has done “Fiddler” twice before with other groups, she said.</p> <p> “I’m really proud of the boys in the show,” DeFronzo said. The show is heavy on male dancing roles. DeFronzo said that she hopes to major in theater, and maybe also science.</p> <p>“I don’t think I will ever become tired of this show,” DeFronzo said of the musical. “It’s one of my favorites.”</p> <p>Speaking of DeFronzo, director Robinson said, “It’s like working with an adult.”</p> <p>“The kids have put in a lot of effort in this show,” he said.</p> <p>“It’s a hard show,” Robinson concluded. “I think it’s going to be powerful.”</p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 18, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville-dionysians" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville Dionysians</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/fiddler-roof" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Fiddler on the Roof</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/fiddler-roof-plays-new-tune" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="'Fiddler on the Roof' plays a new tune">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/fiddler-roof-plays-new-tune&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/fiddler-roof-plays-new-tune"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03182015/fiddler-roof-plays-new-tune" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Wed, 18 Mar 2015 20:53:20 +0000 reporter 5428 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com Robert A. Meilinger http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/robert-meilinger <div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4292" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/obit%2C%20Robert%20A.%20Meilinger.jpg?itok=s3GUE26C" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/obit%2C%20Robert%20A.%20Meilinger.jpg?itok=caqnwPtK" width="300" height="389" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><strong>Robert A. Meilinger</strong></p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Robert A. Meilinger was a forthright family man with a dry sense of humor. He died Monday, March 16, 2015, at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady. He was 72.</p> <p>“He was a very honest person. If you asked him a question, he answered it,” said his wife, Anne Meilinger.</p> <p>“He will be remembered for his dry-sense of humor and forthright manner,” his family wrote in a tribute.</p> <p>Mr. Meilinger, known as Bobby, was a lifelong resident of Voorheesville, born to Edward and Portia Meilinger. He graduated from Voorheesville’s high school and joined the United States Air Force as a parachute rigger. He wed Anne Dedrick; the couple celebrated 52 years of marriage.</p> <p>After his national service, Mr. Meilinger worked in roofing and with sheet metal. He worked on many projects, including Martin VanBuren’s home and the dome on the city hall in Schenectady. He later joined the New York State Department of Health.</p> <p>Mr. Meilinger was a member of the Voorheesville Fire Department and the American Legion.</p> <p>“He made slates for our daughter,” Mrs. Meilinger said of Mr. Meilinger’s hobby. “He made her trees and deer that are all in her kitchen. It was sort of like continuing [the sheet metal work] he couldn’t do. It was like keeping on doing that by doing things here.”</p> <p>Mr. Meilinger enjoyed history, vintage country music, and camping. He spent time with his grandchildren, attending ball games and recitals.</p> <p>“He was a lot of fun,” his wife said. “He made sure we were all OK.”</p> <p>“Bob was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and will be missed by many of his friends,” his family wrote.</p> <p><em>****</em></p> <p><em>Mr. Meilinger is survived by his wife, Anne Dedrick Meilinger; his daughter, Jennifer Petherbridge, and her husband, William; his daughter, Alison Brennan, and her husband, Michael; and his grandchildren, Nicholas and Catelynn Brennan, and Nathan Petherbridge. He is also survived by his siblings, Edward Meilinger, and his wife, Wendy; Ronald Meilinger, and his wife, Barbara; Richard Meilinger, and his wife, Paula; Carol Tashjian, and her husband, Bill; by his wife’s family, Mark Dedrick and his wife, Dolly; Karl Dedrick and his wife, Audrey; Erik Dedrick and his wife, Deana; Mimi Kazukenus and her husband, Peter; Kris Goodman and her husband, Jeff; and many nieces and nephews.</em></p> <p><em>His son, John Meilinger; his sisters, Audrey Meilinger, Diane Church, and Nancy Mosher; and his wife’s parents, John and Joan Dedrick, died before him.</em></p> <p><em>Services will be held privately at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are by Reilly &amp; Son Funeral Home, reillyandson.com.</em></p> <p><em>Memorial contributions may be made to the Voorhesville American Legion, 31 Voorheesville Ave., Voorheesville, NY 12186. </em></p> <p><em></em></p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 18, 2015</div></div></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/robert-meilinger" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Robert A. Meilinger">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/robert-meilinger&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03182015/robert-meilinger"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03182015/robert-meilinger" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Wed, 18 Mar 2015 18:52:42 +0000 reporter 5425 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com Frank W. Warner http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03172015/frank-w-warner <div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4289" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/obit%2C%20Frank%20W.%20Warner_0.jpg?itok=5RdEqQpB" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/obit%2C%20Frank%20W.%20Warner_0.jpg?itok=mgLiOfF_" width="246" height="407" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><strong>Frank W. Warner</strong></p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Frank W. Warner was a loving husband and father, and a leader among industrial photographers. He died Thursday, March 12, 2015, at the age of 94.</p> <p>“He was my loving father for 60 years,” said his son, Brian.</p> <p>Mr. Frank Warner was born in East Berne to Aaron and Dora Deitz Warner. He graduated from East Berne School. At the age of 22, Mr. Warner was drafted into the United States Army, where he served in the Air Corps during World War II.</p> <p>According to an Enterprise interview from 2001, Mr. Warner trained as an Army photographer. He traveled to 12 European countries from 1942 to 1945, recording World War II in sharp black-and-white pictures. He served in the European, African, and Asian theaters doing aerial reconnaissance. Some of his subjects included B-17 bombers displayed beneath the Eiffel Tower in France; French General Charles de Gaulle; Adolf Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Germany; and Munich, Germany after being bombed out.</p> <p>In the interview, Mr. Warner told The Enterprise that he did not approve of war because of the waste and killing involved, but said that he did not resent being drafted into service. World War II was a time in which people accepted their responsibilities, and were filled with great pride in their country, he said.</p> <p>“You have to just accept being drafted, because it is a good experience,” Mr. Warner said then. “Anyone who does not accept it, misses out.”</p> <p>After the war, Mr. Warner worked for General Electric and for Niagara Mohawk as an industrial photographer. In his private life, he served as the president of both the Professional Photographers of New York, and the Professional Photographers of America.</p> <p>“That was his ambition,” said his son, Brian Warner. “When I was growing up, he was busy.” His father, he said, photographed any subject but weddings.</p> <p>Mr. Warner married Grace May Gerard Warner when he was still a young soldier.</p> <p>“It was a long, successful marriage of 70 years,” Brian Warner said. Mrs. Warner died two years ago of Alzheimer’s disease, and Mr. Warner did not want to live without her, their son said. Mr. Warner suffered from dementia, his son said. Following his wishes, Mr. Warner stayed in his home until only recently, when he went to St. Peter’s Hospice Inn.</p> <p>“Both of his granddaughters always liked to visit with him,” his son said. When Mr. Warner grew ill last week, his granddaughter, Anastasia Warner, flew in from her home in the Netherlands and took a taxi to St. Peter’s.</p> <p>“In five minutes,” Brian Warner said, “he was gone.” He told his daughter, “It looks like he was waiting for you.”</p> <p>Frank Warner and his son, Brian, did not share many things in common, but lived next door to one another, Brian Warner said.</p> <p>Mr. Warner was a member of the Voorheesville American Legion, a 32nd-degree Mason, and a Shriner. Mr. Warner was also an avid gardener.</p> <p>“He had his life. I had mine,” his son said. “He always cared about what I was doing, his family, his granddaughters, and his great-granddaughter.”</p> <p><em>****</em></p> <p><em>Frank W. Warner is survived by his son, Brian Gerard Warner and his wife, Barbara Mary Perkins Warner; his granddaughter, Anastasia Marie Warner; his granddaughter, Stephany Lynn Warner McKinley, and her husband, Robert; his great-granddaughter, Layla Marie McKinley; his twin brother, Francis Warner; and his sister, Lillian Bellinger.</em></p> <p><em>His wife, Grace May Gerard Warner; his daughter, Deborah Jean Warner; and his sister, Helen Crosier, died before him.</em></p> <p><em>Calling hours are on Tuesday, March 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. at New Comer Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Road, Colonie. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 18, at 11 a.m. at the New Scotland Presbyterian Church, 2010 New Scotland Road, Slingerlands.</em></p> <p><em>Following the service, his body will be interred with military honors at Memory Gardens, Colonie, at 2 p.m. Arrangements are by the New Comer Funeral Home in Colonie. Mourners may leave a message online at <a href="http://www.NewcomerAlbany.com">www.NewcomerAlbany.com</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Memorial contributions may be made to the New Scotland Presbyterian Church, 2010 New Scotland Road, Slingerlands. </em></p> <p><em>— Jo E. Prout</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 17, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/frank-w-warner" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Frank W. Warner</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/obituary" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">obituary</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03172015/frank-w-warner" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Frank W. Warner">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03172015/frank-w-warner&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03172015/frank-w-warner"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03172015/frank-w-warner" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Tue, 17 Mar 2015 16:50:52 +0000 reporter 5423 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com Two current trustees run for Voorheesville board http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03132015/two-current-trustees-run-voorheesville-board <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/elizabeth-floyd-mair" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Elizabeth Floyd Mair</a></div><div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4287" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/Brett%20Hotaling_1.JPG?itok=aHOvhyhh" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Brett%20Hotaling_1.JPG?itok=S4KcgB_V" width="250" height="367" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><strong>Brett J. Hotaling</strong></p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div><div class="field-item odd"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4288" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/Voorheesville%2C%20Florence%20Reddy_0.JPG?itok=11pxLSJE" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Voorheesville%2C%20Florence%20Reddy_0.JPG?itok=TF8Vk7my" width="250" height="352" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><strong>Florence Reddy</strong></p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Florence Reddy, appointed as a village trustee last year, is making her first run for office on March 18. She and incumbent Brett J. Hotaling face no challengers.</p> <p>Brett J. Hotaling, 48, who lives in the Scotch Pine development, was appointed to the board four years ago by Mayor Robert Conway, to fill the seat that was vacated upon the death in May 2011 of Hotaling’s father, William F. Hotaling.</p> <p>Hotaling has lived in Voorheesville for his whole life. He and his wife have raised two children in the village — a son, who is 19, and a daughter, 15.</p> <p>Hotaling owns two businesses in the village, Hotaling Landscaping and Voorheesville Self Storage.</p> <p>He said that he is running because he has deep roots in the village and he is glad that he “can be part of the decision-making process.”</p> <p>Reddy, too, was appointed as trustee by Conway, in October 2014. She replaced David Cardona, who cited personal changes and his purchase of a home in Guilderland when he resigned in October.</p> <p>Reddy, 54, is a long-time village resident. She and her husband, William Reddy — who in January was appointed chief of the village fire department — raised three children in Voorheesville and also own Reddy’s Deli in Guilderland Center.</p> <p>Reddy, the first woman to serve on the board in over a decade, has been serving on the village’s zoning and planning boards. She has “a little bit of a real estate background,” as she has been working in the field of real estate for 10 years — not as an agent, but as an office manager, she is quick to point out. She was with Prudential for almost all of that time, until it was recently bought out by her current company, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.           </p> <p>Reddy told The Enterprise that she is running because, having been in the position for about five months, she really enjoys being part of the decision-making process and is “just looking forward to doing it for another four years.”</p> <p>“My goals,” Hotaling said, “are to keep working on the projects I’ve been involved with the last year or two, which I enjoy.” These are the extension of the Rail Trail along Grove Street, and the Main Street Master Plan Project, focusing on the revitalization of Main Street. Hotaling said that he is also in charge of the Parks and Recreation Department and hopes to continue in that capacity. </p> <p>“I’m pretty new, so I’m just kind of learning still,” said Reddy when asked about her goals for the upcoming four-year term. “So I don’t know if I have any specific goals right at the moment.”</p> <h3><strong>Consolidation</strong></h3> <p>With the governor pushing for consolidation, Voorheesville has already given up its village court, with cases heard now in the New Scotland Town Court. Candidates were asked how much money would be saved if the village government were to consolidate with the town, whether that system would be more efficient, and what would be lost.</p> <p>“I don’t think we would benefit,” Hotaling said. “Our taxes are in the ballpark of $250 a household. You get a lot of services for that: your trash picked up, your streets plowed, brush cleanup, and so there’s some good benefits there.” He stated that Voorheesville has one of the lowest tax rates in the state, and reiterated that he doesn’t think consolidation would benefit Voorheesville as a municipality.</p> <p>“I think the village taxes are relatively cheap,” Reddy said. “I actually did a little homework,” she continued, “and I know it’s only like $125 per household per thousand.” She said that she doesn’t think Voorheesville would benefit in any way if it were to merge with New Scotland. She concluded, “I think Voorheesville is perfect just the way it is.”</p> <p>The $2 million budget adopted by the village board last spring had a proposed tax rate is $1.255 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Figuring an average home is valued at $200,000, the annual taxes would be $251.</p> <h3><strong>Taxes</strong></h3> <p>Last year, Voorheesville went over the state-set levy limit. Candidates were asked if they anticipated doing the same again this year; whether the services provided warranted the increase; and what, if anything, could be cut or reduced this year to keep taxes down.</p> <p>Reddy said that she believes that Trustee Stevens touched on the budget a little bit at the last meeting, on Feb. 24, and that she is under the impression that everything’s going to remain pretty much the same. “I don’t know that it’s going to really vary all that much,” she said.</p> <p>Hotaling said that he does not work directly with the budget. “Trustee Jack Stevens does a lot of that,” he said. He noted that various issues are involved, including “our lighting, which gets raised each year,” and he said that it’s very hard for a village of Voorheesville’s size to stay under the cap. He said that he thinks the village and Stevens do a great job with the budget, but that he prefers not to dive too deeply into the issue, but to leave it to those who are more directly involved.</p> <h3><strong>Quiet zone</strong></h3> <p>As a grassroots group of citizens has worked to establish a train “quiet zone” in the village, the candidates were asked how much would it cost, how those costs should be borne, and if they support having a quiet zone.</p> <p>“I am in favor of the quiet zone,” Reddy said. She suggested that reducing noise levels would definitely improve the quality of life for the residents.</p> <p>She said that the cost was still being determined and added, “I guess it all would depend on what the end result, the cost, would be. We would have to wait for that information before we could really make a decision.”</p> <p>Hotaling said that he supports the idea “if the people are behind it and the people want it.” He said that the cost is still up in the air, since the board is still running studies to see what the costs would be. “When we get those,” he said, “then we can decide if it’s a good move or a bad move.”</p> <h3><strong>VAAS</strong></h3> <p>The town and village now share expenses for the Voorheesville Area Ambulance Service staffed largely by volunteers but with paid county EMTs for weekdays, when volunteers are scarce. The candidates were asked what the village should do to try to resolve the issue of the ambulance contract, if the contract should be entirely with the town, and if the service should move to more paid workers.</p> <p>“I’m a volunteer,” Hotaling said, “a volunteer fireman.” He said he has nothing but respect for the ambulance volunteers and EMTs, who do a great job. “You know, who wants to wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and respond to a car accident? I’m glad that we have the volunteers that we do.”</p> <p>He said that it’s a long answer, as to what would be best. Mainly, he said, “You’ve got to get some people in a room, as far as the ambulance, and the village, and the town, and the sheriff’s department, to go over the pros and cons, and come up with a solution.”</p> <p>He stressed that the village is lucky to have the volunteers it has — “that’s for sure.”</p> <p>Reddy said that she believes that the process of trying to work things out is ongoing. “I'm not really sure in which direction that’s going to go,” she said. She added that Mayor Conway and Trustee Jack Stevens are the ones who are directly in charge of handling the VAAS contract.</p> <p>“I know that they’re talking to people, working on it,” she said, “and trying to get a contract in place.”</p> <hr /><p><em>Clarified on March 13, 2015: The second sentence of the print version of this story said that Florence Reddy "and fellow appointee Brett J. Hotaling face no challengers."</em></p> <p><em>While it is true Hotaling was appointed a trustee in May 2011 by the mayor, to fill the seat left vacant by the death of his father, he then retained his seat in a special election the following March and so is more accurately termed an incumbent.</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 13, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elections</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/candidates" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">candidates</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03132015/two-current-trustees-run-voorheesville-board" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Two current trustees run for Voorheesville board">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03132015/two-current-trustees-run-voorheesville-board&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03132015/two-current-trustees-run-voorheesville-board"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03132015/two-current-trustees-run-voorheesville-board" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Fri, 13 Mar 2015 20:37:56 +0000 admin 5418 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com Monday Meals are back at Voorheesville church http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/monday-meals-are-back-voorheesville-church <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Homemade take-out meals are available at the First United Methodist Church, 68 Maple Ave., and include dessert.</p> <p>Here’s the menu for six weeks:</p> <p>— March 23: Beef pot roast;</p> <p>— March 30: Spaghetti pie, a new item;</p> <p>— April 6: Swedish meatballs;</p> <p>— April 13: Turkey, which is very popular;</p> <p>— April 20: Chicken parmesan, another favorite; and</p> <p>— April 27: Ham.</p> <p>Meals, which cost $8 ecah can be picked up between 4:30 and 6 p.m.</p> <p>Reservations are suggested by calling the church office at 765-2985 or cell phones at 765-4206 or 368-5159.</p> <p>When customers drive up, the  hot meals are brought to their cars.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 12, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/church" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">church</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">food</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/monday-meals-are-back-voorheesville-church" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="Monday Meals are back at Voorheesville church">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/monday-meals-are-back-voorheesville-church&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/monday-meals-are-back-voorheesville-church"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03122015/monday-meals-are-back-voorheesville-church" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Fri, 13 Mar 2015 02:39:28 +0000 admin 5414 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com AP physics students reach for the stars http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/ap-physics-students-reach-stars <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/jo-e-prout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jo E. Prout</a></div><div class="field field-name-field-images field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4254" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/3-D%20model.jpg?itok=CizO9mA5" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/3-D%20model.jpg?itok=0ZLBi2W_" width="300" height="533" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Image submitted by Erik Patak</p> <p><strong>This 3-D model of a weather balloon</strong> attached to a rig that could hold and protect cameras and atmospheric equipment was created by Voorheesville senior Erik Patak as part of an Advanced Placement physics project. </p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div><div class="field-item odd"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-images clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-images/4255" typeof=""> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/Hands-on%20design.jpg?itok=T4M03atx" rel="lightbox[field_image][]" title=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Hands-on%20design.jpg?itok=hwtR-EM_" width="300" height="260" alt="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-description field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Image submitted by Alexandra Cunningham</p> <p><strong>Hands-on design</strong>: Advanced Placement physics seniors at Clayton A. Bouton High School plan to launch monitoring equipment into near space in June. The students will use this tracking device, which they assembled on their own.</p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Voorheesville teacher Ted Simons’s Advanced Placement physics students hope to complete their year-long project this June, as they launch a camera-laden weather balloon into near space to measure the curvature of the Earth.</p> <p>“To reach 100,000 feet with our balloon is our ultimate goal,” high school senior Alexandra Cunningham told The Enterprise.</p> <p>Simons said that he had not assigned a project of this magnitude to students before.</p> <p>“It’s uncharted waters,” he told The Enterprise. AP students doing college-level work, take their final test in May, and then usually finish the year out with smaller projects and papers, he said.</p> <p>“It’s dry and horrible,” Simons said of the usual tasks. For this year’s project, he said, “I introduced it Day One. They’ve chipped away at it all year.”</p> <p>Simons left all other explanations to his students, as he did at the school board meeting Monday. Students gave a presentation about their assignment, called Project Icarus, to the board, and informed the board about their proposed mid-June launch date and budget, while requesting permission for a field trip to go retrieve their equipment.</p> <p>Board member Doreen Saia, an attorney, asked the students specifics about plans to recover, and possibly abort, the launch depending on conditions that could hold the district liable. Students assured Saia they have a plan.</p> <p>“I wish you all the success with it,” said board member Diana Straut.</p> <p>The board asked the students to share their results at its June meeting.</p> <h3><strong>Project Icarus</strong></h3> <p>The students’ task was to design an experiment to send up in a balloon, they said.</p> <p>“We decided what our strengths were as a group,” Cunningham told The Enterprise. “I identified as public relations.” Cunningham returned calls, gathered responses from her classmates, and compiled the information ready for outreach.</p> <p>The group separated into teams handling the experiment, its design, radio and communications, and finance.</p> <p>Schuyler King, of the finance group, “created a spreadsheet online, and everyone put the amounts for materials they thought they needed,” Cunningham said. The final estimate for the project is around $3,000.</p> <p>“We have been approved for a Voorheesville Community and School Foundation grant,” Cunningham said. The students asked the foundation for the bulk of the costs — $2,750 — on Tuesday. The class received a $400 grant for a camera from the Voorheesville Parent Teacher Association. They also received grants from the Voorheesville Fire Department, and United Employees of Voorheesville, Cunningham said.</p> <p>“We have also been in contact with local families who are considering donations for the project,” she said.</p> <h3><strong>Student input</strong></h3> <p>“We have already started to conduct tests on our radio equipment and a camera we have,” said Erik Patak, of the design and radio teams. Patak and his classmate, Braeden Morrison, hold ham-radio licenses, Cunningham said.</p> <p>“They’re currently working on the GPS and the radio-tracking system,” she said. They hope to have two-way communication with the balloon via radio, students said.</p> <p>“Our set date isn’t set yet,” she said of the proposed launch date. “We have to analyze weather patterns” to find the optimal conditions, she said.</p> <p>According to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, a launch needs a 5-mile radius of clear skies, Cunningham said. The students hope to send up their balloon during the first two weeks of June. Their former ninth-grade Earth science teacher, Kenneth Young, is helping them with weather tracking, she said.</p> <p>“Much of this [launch] depends on the day itself,” Patak said. “The prevailing winds are not consistent every day, so we won’t know exactly where it will land until closer to the launch date. We expect it to land in western Massachusetts or southern Vermont.”</p> <p>They estimate that the balloon will ascend for 60 minutes, and descend in 30 minutes. They will track it with a GPS device in the payload, students said.</p> <p>“We’re hoping to be able to retrieve it successfully,” Cunningham said.</p> <p>The class is using Garmin and GoPros camera equipment to get video footage during the flight, Patak said. Cunningham said that the group may use three cameras, to allow coverage below and at the level of the balloon, and to record the curvature of the earth.</p> <p>The students hope to gather data on temperature and other features of the ozone using an ozonesonde instrument, Patak said.</p> <p>The meteorological balloon will have a diameter of 7 feet on the ground, but will stretch to 40 feet in the air before it pops, Cunningham said.</p> <p>“The pressure will cause it to pop, and it will fall back to the Earth,” she said. The class is ordering two weather balloons online, she said.</p> <p>Students said that the casement holding their equipment must be soft enough to survive a landing, but rigid enough to protect the cameras.</p> <p>The group may need to seek help from police, they said, in case the balloon comes down on a highway or on private property. As seniors, most drive, and they hope to follow the flight of the balloon.</p> <p>“In school labs, everything is set up for you and everything has a specific purpose and is laid out in a concise procedure,” Patak said. “Here, we have to engineer ways to make our electronics work with one another for a real-life situation that holds some weight, not only for us, but for the community.” </p> <p>Elementary school and sixth-grade students in Voorheesville will also participate in the project.</p> <p>“Our younger peers will be asked to design and construct experiments to be part of the payload,” said physics student Ben Mackay, of the outreach and design teams. The experiments will offer “a valuable, hands-on experience in engineering and science,” he said.</p> <p>“As graduating seniors in AP physics, most of us will go on to pursue science-related careers,” said Hanna Suib, who worked on the public relations team. “A hands-on project of this scale — dealing with everything real scientists deal with, [like] budgeting and public relations — is probably better preparation than any science experiment we've done in school before.”</p> <p>“I think the best part of the project is that Mr. Simons really insisted that we figure it all out by ourselves. In a typical high school class, this kind of freedom is rare,” Suib said.</p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 12, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/ap-physics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">AP physics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/project-icarus" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Project Icarus</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/science" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">science</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville-central-school-district" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville Central School District</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/ap-physics-students-reach-stars" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="AP physics students reach for the stars">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/ap-physics-students-reach-stars&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/ap-physics-students-reach-stars"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03122015/ap-physics-students-reach-stars" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 12 Mar 2015 15:59:24 +0000 reporter 5385 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com VCSD board race open: Hubert steps down http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/vcsd-board-race-open-hubert-steps-down <div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">by <a href="/author/jo-e-prout" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Jo E. Prout</a></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>VOORHEESVILLE — Nominating petitions are available for Voorheesville district residents interested in running for the school board.  </p> <p>Board member Gary Hubert’s four-year term expires this June. Former board member Kristine Gravino unexpectedly resigned from her four-year term last year; Saia filled the position in November. Her seat is open for a three-year term.</p> <p>“The person with the most votes gets the four-year position,” said board president Timothy Blow of candidates. “The person with the next highest amount gets the three-year position.”</p> <p>Hubert told The Enterprise that he will not seek another term.</p> <p>“Having been retired two years, I want to enjoy my time off. Having served nine years, it’s about time to let other people take over.”</p> <p>Asked what he had accomplished while on the board, Hubert said, “I tried to do what was best for the students of the district.”</p> <p>Saia said that she had committed to running for the school board when she filled Gravino’s spot last year.</p> <p>“I have learned a lot. There’s a lot to be done,” she said. “I do plan to run. I have two sons in the district.</p> <p>“I think it does help to have a lawyer on the board, because it brings a different skill set to the board,” Saia said.</p> <p>Petitions may be obtained in the district office, and the deadline for filing petitions is Monday, April 20.</p> </div></div></div><div class="nopremium-message"><p>To continue reading this article, you must have a paid <strong>online</strong> subscription.</p> <p><a href="/user">Log in</a>, or <a href="/content/subscription">check out our Subscription page for more information »</a></p> </div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Post date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 12, 2015</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/doreen-saia" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Doreen Saia</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/voorheesville-central-school-district" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voorheesville Central School District</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/school-board" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">school board</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/election" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">election</a></li></ul></div><div class="easy_social_box clearfix vertical easy_social_lang_und"> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-twitter first"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/vcsd-board-race-open-hubert-steps-down" data-count="vertical" data-lang = "en" data-via="" data-related=":" data-text="VCSD board race open: Hubert steps down">Tweet</a></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-facebook"><iframe src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?locale=en_US&amp;href=http%3A//www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/vcsd-board-race-open-hubert-steps-down&amp;send=false&amp;layout=box_count&amp;width=48&amp;show_faces=true&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;font=&amp;height=90&amp;appId=" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:48px; height:90px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe></div> <div class="easy_social-widget easy_social-widget-googleplus last"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-annotation="bubble" data-href="http://www.altamontenterprise.com/03122015/vcsd-board-race-open-hubert-steps-down"></div></div> </div> <!-- /.easy_social_box --><div class="field field-name-forward-ds-field field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/forward?path=03122015/vcsd-board-race-open-hubert-steps-down" title="Forward this page to a friend" class="forward-page">Email this page</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-print-this-page field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="javascript:window.print()">Print this page</a></p> </div></div></div> Thu, 12 Mar 2015 15:47:57 +0000 reporter 5384 at http://www.altamontenterprise.com
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