Fact Finder, vol. 3, No. 4, Sept 15, 2012

THE PORT HENRY FACT FINDER

Reporting the News and Needs of Port Henry and Vicinity

vol. 3, issue #4 September 15, 2012
This issue has been made possible by the generous support of the following:

Skip and Louise Belden, Carmen De Paoli, and Tom and Bernadette Trow

LABOR DAY REMEMBERED

Saturday, September 1st, a fantastically beautiful day and Labor Day Festivities began with an absolutely wonderful beginning - a hula-hoop contest sponsored by the pH7 committee. The contest was to be at 10 am but contestants-to-be began showing up at 9:30, 10 girls and two boys. Two of the participants had made their own hoops out of PVC pipe and wrapped them with duct tape and put beads inside the pipe so they would rattle as they whirled. The prize of a half-hour riding lesson, donated by the Black Watch Farm, was to be given to the contestant remaining hula-hooping the longest, without stopping or dropping his/her hoop, through two long pieces of taped music. A problem began to develop as all contestants, except one of the boys and youngest of the group, were still going strong, moving with gentle circular motions as hoops circled waists and necks, up and down, with seeming little attention to what was happening. I was particularly fascinated by an older girl whose hoop was whirling around much faster than any of the others and a very small girl calmly gyrating effortlessly. Then I realized just how much attention was needed for hula-hooping. The small girl's calm expression changed slightly as her attention was caught by something other than her hoop and it slipped down. She just pulled it up and began again. This happened three times. Her mother tried to coax her out of the group, but she just shook her head and continued. The music and the hooping went on and on, then the older girl became too tired, dropped her hoop and left the contest, but by the end of the officially required two pieces everyone else was still going. There was much applause from a large crowd gathered around the hoopers as the judges announced the contest had to be decided by draw. Names were written down, put in the sequined cap of one of the contestants and a young bystander was asked to pick a name. The winner was Maddie Cochran. When asked if she had ever ridden, she said "No." but looked very excited by the prospect. The other contestants were given ice cream certificates from Stewarts.

Those people who were lucky enough to be able to get to the Mutton Hollow Road parade said that it just gets better and better each year as everyone tries to out-do the other paraders and the year before. Through all the years it has been able to maintain the charm of its original casual spontaneity. Viewers find a place along Mutton Hollow Road, park their cars and wait for the fun to begin.

Seemingly as a prediction and promise of a fine Labor Day holiday to come, a rare blue moon shone bright and beautiful Friday night the 31st. The promise was kept and Saturday and Sunday's weather just shouted "holiday time" as did the huge, wonderful flag reigning over Sunday's festivities for the third year in a row.

Saturday's events, after the hula-hoop contest in the morning was a lively live concert at the band stand and then the fireworks, which were unusually spectacular, said by many to be the best in many years.

There were many vendors, seemingly doing a brisk business, selling tee-shirts (and more tee-shirts), jewelry, hand knitted items (blankets, pillows), wooden hand-carved walking sticks, bird houses and small decorative canoes. The Bible Fellowship Church sold donated bake goods, gave away many, many packets of school items and offered gently used fall and winter clothing for the taking. As expected, the amusement area was one of the busiest places, as was the barbequed chicken, back by popular demand as everyone missed it last year. It was well cooked, very tasty and a realbargain at $9.00 for a half chicken, coleslaw, an ear of roasted corn, a baked potato, a roll and a drink! The pH7 committee sold Champ tee shirts at the Info Booth. These are newly designed tee shirts sporting an old design of Champ created by Bonnie Clonen some years ago. Now to the Big Parade and it was BIG this year! Many fire departments that had not participated in years proudly rolled down Main Street showing off their mirror-polished prized equipment. There was music only at the beginning and end and this seemed a bit of a lack because there is nothing quite like music to say "parade", but Fact Finder understands that, unfortunately, a Canadian band had to cancel only just weeks before the parade. There were about 50 different groups, organizations and fire equipment participating. In other words, everything was just as it should be.

BOARD NOTES

The monthly meeting of the Village Board was held Monday, September 10th at 7 pm at Village Hall. John Tromblee reported that College Street should be open to traffic by the end of the week. There were some rather heated concerns expressed by an Elizabeth Street home owner as to whether this repair was going to really stop the problems he has been having with excess water running off onto his property. It was noted that a lot of water flows down Main Street and then into Elizabeth Street and could be part of his problem. It was then decided to check this and if so, find a way to solve the problem.

Other concerns from the public were about the Stockwell home, which was destroyed by fire, and a vacant lot that is a jungle of weeds. It is good to see that residents bring their problems to a Board meeting, that is exactly as it should be, but even better would be if villagers would come to Board meetings bringing their ideas for improving the village and therefore life in the village - big ideas: how to bring business to Port Henry or small doable ideas for small improvements, any and everything that might improve life in our village for everyone.

The Proposed Local Law No. 3 if 2012 - "Unsafe Structure Law of the Village of Port Henry" was passed into law and the purpose reads as such: "PURPOSE Unsafe Structures pose a threat to life and property in the Village of Port Henry. Buildings and structures may become unsafe by reason of damage by fire, the elements, age or general deterioration. Vacant buildings not properly secured at doorways and windows also serve as an attractive nuisance for young children who may be injured therein, as well as a point of congregation by vagrants and transients. A dilapidated building may also serve as a place of rodent infestation, thereby creating a health menace to the community. It is the purpose of the Local Law to provide for the safety, health, protection and general welfare of person and property in the Village of Port Henry by requiring such unsafe buildings be repaired or demolished and removed." A complete copy of the law may be read or obtained at the Village Hall.

It is not totally settled, but it seems Port Henry may be getting its own Franken-pine, AKA a cell tower, those huge monstrosities trying to disguise themselves as trees, to be placed close to the old water tower.

The Moratorium on Street Level Residential Development is due to expire on October 15, 2012 and must be extended to pursue the drafting of zoning recommendations to be presented to the Board. It is believed that zoning would be a wise move to protect buildings, particularly Main Street buildings and particularly those with historic storefronts. The original plan was to zone only Main Street and Broad Street up to College Street, but the law saysall must be zoned or nothing can be zoned. Therefore a commission of at least five citizens must be appointed to carry out a study and draft recommendations to be presented to the Board so they may decide whether to pursue zoning or not. With a complete and careful study, zoning does not have to disturb the way people are living now, it would just make it possible to protect those buildings important to the whole village. The commission will be appointed for this task and this task only and when it is completed the commission will be disbanded and a planning board will be set up.. If this interests you, apply by letter to be sent to or dropped off at the Village Hall.

A very positive announcement was made by Trustee Ruth McDonough: Mayor Ernie Guerin, she, Supervisor Tom Scozzafava and EDGe's Tim Garrison met to discuss possible ways to reduce existing joint expenses of the Village and the Town. This was just an exploratory effort to decrease the normal "them-us" tensions existing between closely dependent governing groups, rather like States and States Rights and the US Government. If this first meeting has seemed helpful, more meetings will be scheduled and when it seems a resulting idea can become a doable fact, this possibility will be brought to the full Board and EDGe meetings for further discussion and more ideas.

In a two-or-three people, after-board-meeting, on-the-sidewalk chat, Fire Chief Hughes came up with the idea of sending out a challenge to other villages of similar size and have a water-tasting contest. Our water does taste good. Good idea and it would bring people here for a fun reason. If that proved successful, then other challenges could be sent out on other things - bake-offs, tugs-of-war, horse shoes - Port Henry could become a gathering place for old-fashioned fun.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The Farmers' Market is closed until next Summer. It had to close - because of lack of produce. One vendor simply sold out all his produce, another had to cease participating because of unforeseen personal commitments. What is a Farmers' Market without a lot of farm produce, so other vendors decided to close down. However, it was quite successful while in operation and plans are for a much bigger market next year. A hearty thanks to vendors and buyers who made it a success, oh, and thanks to the weather also, mostly very fair.

The following was emailed to me by a friend. Fact Finder has not checked these accusations, so readers are on their own to discover whether the article's statements are indeed facts. IF they are, then a potentially real problem exists.

FEDERAL BENEFIT PAYMENT ENTITLEMENT!

Have you noticed, your Social security check is now referred to as a "Federal Benefit Payment"? I am forwarding this because it touches a nerve in me, and I hope it will in you. Please keep passing it on until everyone in our country has read it. The government is now referring to our Social Security checks as a "Federal Benefit Payment." This isn't a benefit – its earned income! Not only did we all contribute to Social Security but our employers did too. It totaled 15% of our income before taxes. If you averaged $30Kper year over your working life, that's close to $180,000 invested in Social Security. If you calculate the future value of your monthly investment in social security ($375/month, including both your and your employer's contributions) at a meager 1% interest rate compounded monthly, after 40 years of working you'd have more than $1.3+ million dollars saved! This is your personal investment.

Upon retirement, if you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $39,318 per year, or $3,277 per month. That's almost three times more than today's average Social Security benefit of $1,230 per month, according to the Social Security Administration (Google it - it's a fact). And your retirement fund would last more than 33 years (until you're 98 if you retire at age 65.

I can only imagine how much better most average-income people could live in retirement if our government had just invested our money in low-risk interest-earning accounts. Instead, the folks in Washington pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madoff ever did. They took our money and used it elsewhere. They "forgot" that it was OUR money they were taking. They didn't have a referendum to ask us if we wanted to lend the money to them. And they didn't pay interest on the debt they assumed.

And recently, they've told us that the money won't support us for very much longer. But is it our fault they misused our investments? And now, to add insult to injury, they're calling it a "benefit," as if we never worked to earn every penny of it. Just because they "borrowed" the money, doesn't mean that our investments were a charity! Let's take a stand. We have earned our right to Social Security and Medicare. Demand that our legislators bring some sense into our government – Find a way to keep Social Security and Medicare going, for the sake of that 92% of our population who need it.

Here's a novel idea: Get out of the countries who don't want us there. Bring our soldiers home and invest some of the $700B+ in giving them new careers building roads and parks, teaching our children, creating new technologies, discovering cures for illness.

Then take the rest and begin to pay back Social Security, and call it what it is: Our Earned Retirement Income.

INTERESTING QUOTES

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy...in order to give their children the right to study painting, poetry and music." - President John Adams

"With acting, the most important thing is honesty and if you can fake that, you've got it made! - George Burns

"All our words from loose using have lost their edge." (editor's examples: "for whom" and "that which") - Ernest Hemingway

"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work, I want to achieve immortality through not dying." - Woody Allen

"The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile, but that it is indifferent, but if we can come to terms with this indifference; then our existence as a species can have real meaning. However, in the darkness we must supply our own light." - Stanley Kubrick

"I am not part of the problem. I am a Republican." - George W. Bush

"A goal: to see our envisioned self reflected from others' eyes." - Unknown

"I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up. They have no holidays." - Henny Youngman

"Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other." - the Dalai Lama

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." - George W. Bush

ENDING WORDS

I hope everyone who reads this was able to experience the amazing, the fantastic, the glorious double rainbow that appeared last Saturday and lasted in full color and beauty for a very long time. I was driving to Plattsburgh and glanced over to my right and there is was, at least one side, brilliant, deep colors and to its left a soft but quite discernable mirroring of it in all its colors. I tried to check to see the other side, but couldn't until I turned off on exit 37 and there it was! This huge bow of color and there was I driving on Cornelia street, dead middle of this marvelous bow and just waiting to go under it. Of course that did not happen, but to drive the whole of Cornelia street down to Margaret, truly chasing a rainbow, and a double one at that, well... I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat the whole way.

Look for the next issue of the Fact Finder on Saturday, September 29th at Adirondack Hair Associates, Macs and Moriah Pharmacy; also you may find copies to read at the Sherman Free Library.