DUANESBURG Ex-area resident buys local airfield Private airport includes a big hangar BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
Noah’s Place, a private airport straddling the Schoharie and Schenectady county line, was purchased last week by an aeronautical consultant from the West Coast. Anthony Wiederkehr, a former Capital Region resident and owner of the Washington-based AeroMech Inc., paid $653,000 for the 105-acre airport located off Kimmy Road on the edge of Duanesburg. The property boasts a 6,000-squarefoot hangar and a 2,700-foot grass runway, making it one of the area’s larger airstrips. “This has a good-sized runway,” said F. Michael Boehne, a broker at Prudential Blake-Atlantic Realtors in Albany, who closed the deal. “You could land a twin-engine plane there.” In addition to having space enough for up to eight planes, Boehne said the property also has a recently constructed, three-bedroom log cabin. The property was formerly owned by the New Jersey-based Milana Corp., which had purchased it in 2002. The airport is one of six private landing strips in Schoharie County, according to a list provided by the state Department of Transportation. Although the airport’s entrance is in Duanesburg, the majority of the field is located in the Schoharie County town of Wright. Boehne said the owners of Milana had intended to operate a helicopter training and repair facility, but never managed to get the operation running. He was unsure of Wiederkehr’s plans for the airstrip, but said the new owner’s father lives in the Saratoga County area and enjoys gliding. An employee at AeroMech said Wiederkerhr was out of the country this week. Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
Friends will stage benefit for victim of brutal assault
DUANESBURG — Friends of a Duanesburg mother badly injured during a domestic assault in December will host a benefit for the family this weekend. The Lees family benefit will be hosted at the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia at 1 p.m. Sunday. Organizers said the event will feature live music, a raffle and silent auction to benefit 49-year-old Deborah Lees, a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam, and her five children. Lees sustained life-threatening injuries when her husband, 50-year-old Raymond Lees, struck her in the head with a baseball bat in the bathroom of their Creek Road residence. Raymond Lees committed suicide after attacking his wife, police confirmed. Deborah Lees remained in critical condition at Albany Medical Center for weeks after the incident. Just before Christmas, Deborah Lees’ condition was reported to be improving and she was expected to be moved to Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady. Sunday’s event will cost $25 and feature a cash bar and a hors d’oeuvres buffet. For tickets, call 357-4746 or email venzianas@yahoo. com; donations to the Lees Family Fund can be made at NBT Bank of Duanesburg, 4957 Western Turnpike, Duanesburg, NY, 12056.
SCOTIA Friends help family devastated by attack Event nets funds to pay bills while mom recovers BY J. JUDE HAZARD Gazette Reporter
Debra Lees sat at a table in the Glen Sanders Mansion on Sunday, talking with friends and eating dinner as her five kids chatted with each other at a nearby table. The laughter and smiles made it hard to believe that these children almost lost their mom in a brutal assault by their father. Lees is now walking, talking and caring for herself at home, less than three months after her husband nearly beat her to death with a baseball bat before killing himself. On Sunday, supporters collected more money for the Lees family at a fundraiser at Glen Sanders Mansion. “The tremendous amount of support and generosity from everyone has been amazing,” Lees said. “Thank you to everyone.” Raymond Lees, 50, struck his wife multiple times in the head with a baseball bat in their Duanesburg home on the afternoon of Dec. 11. Friends became suspicious when he called asking them to pick up the family’s children from school. After the attack, Raymond Lees killed himself by connecting a hose from the exhaust pipe of his running car into the vehicle and putting a bag over his head. Sunday’s event was the third fundraiser for the family since the attack. Event organizer Venziana Stone also held a dinner in December that raised $3,000 and a pancake breakfast last month that raised $1,000. “We’re trying to get her to have a new start in life and to raise these five children to the best of her ability,” Stone said. Organizers are using the money to help Lees with mortgage payments and lost wages while she recovers. Lees worked at St. Mary’s Hospital as a maternity nurse for fi ve years prior to the attack. She was a patient at Albany Medical Center and then Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady before returning home several weeks ago, according to friends. “There are things that still bring her back a few steps, but she is so strong and motivated by her friends and family that she keeps plugging away,” Stone said. “There is a God, because she’s doing so good.” Family and friends are taking turns staying at Lees’ home to help take care of the children that range in age from 7 to 16. “There’s just a lot of great people that we know,” said Lees’ oldest daughter, Anna. “My brothers and sisters and my family are going through it too. It’s easier when there’s more of us.” Shane Connell, 14, who was at Sunday’s fundraiser, plays football with Lees’ 13-year-old son, Ryan. “His mom was pretty much my mom,” Shane said. “I almost cried.” Another one of Ryan’s teammates is Deven Schuppe, 14. Deven said the attack was scary because his own father almost died in a car accident. “I was terrified by what happened,” he said. “Now to see her better brightens up my day.” Donations can be made to the Lees Family Fund at the NBT
DUANESBURG More time for corps Ambulances have 8 minutes to respond BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Town officials will give the Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps a fighting chance. Shortages of volunteers have diminished the company’s ability to respond quickly to calls, forcing the town to rely on neighboring emergency services. The Town Board ordered that if the Duanesburg corps could not staff a response in three minutes, the call would go out to Rotterdam or Schenectady crews. The three-minute rule was considered almost impossible to meet. However, over the past three weeks, the ambulance service has provided the town with rosters showing the availability of its volunteers. In return, Town Board members agreed Thursday to give the company eight minutes to answer calls, rather than the three minutes set last month. On days the ambulance service’s roster shows they don’t have enough volunteers, town Supervisor Rene Merrihew said, all ambulance calls will be automatically diverted to mutual aid companies, such as the Rotterdam Emergency Medical Service or Mohawk Ambulance in Schenectady. She said both ambulance services agreed to the new conditions, which were created with the help of county emergency management offi - cials in accord with the state Department of Health. “If they have a shift covered on the roster, then we will allow eight minutes for them to respond with a crew on the scene,” Merrihew said Thursday. “If no one is covering [the station], then it will automatically go to mutual aid.” Merrihew said the company is still facing an uphill battle. She said last week, the ambulance service had adequate staff for only three of the 28 available slots. “They’re very sparse,” she said. But members of the Town Board acknowledged Thursday the service was making an effort. Board member Martin White said providing the roster each week was a significant step in the right direction. “We’ve made a lot of progress since last month,” he said. In February, the ambulance corps came under fire after a dramatic increase in missed calls, as well as an overall slowing of response times. Whenever the ambulance service is unable to respond to a call, it can take more than 20 minutes for another company to arrive under mutual aid. Company officials blamed a lack of volunteers for the slow response times. Some former volunteers blamed this shortage on Bruce Smith, the ambulance service’s former captain, who they described as persistently undercutting the company’s leadership. The ambulance service is now under the leadership of Marc DeBraccio, a senior crew chief, until a full-time replacement is found, said Charles Leoni, who recently replaced Sharon Smith as chairman of the Board of Directors. Though Smith is still serving on the board and her husband is with the ambulance service, he said the organization is trying to turn over a new leaf. He urged any former members or interested volunteers to contact him at 895-8816. “We’re exhorting all past members to come in and talk to us and participate again,” he said. Leoni said the ambulance service has never stopped answering calls, even under the town’s three-minute resolution. He said crews responded to calls and then called off mutual aid companies once they arrived on scene. “The ambulances are responding to calls as we speak,” he said.
SENIOR CITIZEN EVENTS DUANESBURG — The Duanesburg Senior Citizens will meet at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Duanesburg Fire Hall on Route 7. Lunch will be served at noon. Participants are asked to bring place settings. Christine Crowley, Duanesburg School District superintendent, will present the program, “What can the students do for the seniors?” at 1 p.m. A business meeting will follow at 1:45 p.m. Participants are asked to bring a donation for the food pantry. Reservations are now being taken for trips to Cape Cod, Hyannis and Martha’s Vineyard, set for May 18 through May 21. A trip to Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and the Badlands of South Dakota will take place from Sept. 8 through 17.
DUANESBURG DAY DUANESBURG — Celebrate Duanesburg’s history and culture at Duanesburg Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Duanesburg Middle/ High School, 163 School Drive, Delanson. The free event includes a mystery raffle, silent auction, used dress and accessories sale, cotton candy, live music, student exhibits, community booths and more. There will be a free bus tour of Quaker Street starting at 10:45 and a tour of Duanesburg Episcopal Church at 1:15. Sign up at the event. Breakfast and lunch will be available, so make a day of it.
If you have some time, come on out and celebrate Duanesburg Day with the town residents. It's an indoor event. The early spring snowfall can't dampen the spirit or chill the warmth of the town residents.
Full-day kindergarten neither necessary nor affordable
In Duanesburg, the school board is going to implement full-day kindergarten. I am opposed to this. I have to wonder, why now? Our nation is bordering on recession, and everyone is feeling the effects. Duanesburg has no tax base to support this. The school budget is calling for the elimination of several paraprofessionals, they are cutting back hours of bus drivers and looking into eliminating a high school career program, but we can afford full-day kindergarten now! Neighboring school districts with large tax bases don’t have full-day kindergarten, and kindergarten is not state-mandated. As a concerned parent of a future kindergarten student, I am wondering what happened to the transition period for these children. My other children have gone through the half-day kindergarten program successfully, providing a good transition from preschool to first grade. Are our children failing to meet the expectations in fi rst grade and beyond? As stated two years ago by a current school board member who teaches childhood development, children don’t have the cognitive ability to retain information taught to them any more for a full day than a half day. Recent census figures show there will be fewer children entering the school district. Due to this decline in enrollment, one first-grade teaching position must be eliminated. The school board now wishes to start a full-day kindergarten which will require a third teacher — in essence, robbing Peter to pay Paul! How is it fair that paraprofessionals, school bus drivers and a high school career program can be eliminated while a teaching position is created? I’m certain many residents of the town are not aware of this or any future tax repercussions. In the profit-driven private sector, lack of work often means layoffs. Is the Duanesburg school board being fiscally responsible to the community? As a taxpayer, I will be thinking of this as I fill up my gas tank. DAN LACHANSKI Delanson
The only reason why the public crys for full day kindergarten is so the parents can get back to work....and it is supposedly 'cheaper' to use other peoples money to pay for 'daycare' than to either stay home and suck it up or to pay for an outside worker......but, as we all know a tax/budget approved never gets repealed....spend spend spend.....this type of paying for 'luxuries' is shredding the foundation of our society (if it hasn't been done already)
I'm sorry----did I hear someone say I didn't know how I had children????
maybe planned parenthood can explain this......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
I disagree with the Duanesburg Central school board in implementing full day kindergarten. I believe that such a program benefits the parents more so than the children.
What hasn't been reported is that to support the costs incurred by a full day kindergarten program and to keep the proposed increase in the school tax rate for 2008-2009 at 4.8% (in addition to the purchase of three new buses), many programs that address the needs of students who excel academically are being eliminated. These include New Visions (a professional career internship/experience program), GATE (enrichment program at the elementary school level), and distance learning classes. The failure of our public education system results, in part, from gearing the instruction and academics to the needs of the academically challenged, not the gifted.
The proposed budget will include the hiring of an additional P.E. teacher and a Technology support position.
I will be voting AGAINST the school budget in May. The annual 4% to 6% increase in school tax rate and the elimination of enrichment programs are unacceptable. The school board must address educating our youth, particularly those who excel academically, so as to prepare them for professional, not trade, careers.
I totally agree with Mr. Littfield's post. First, Duanesburg is paying high taxes already. Second, I also believe that all day kindergarten is also nothing more than an expensive day care paid for by the masses. Thirdly, I also believe that if you have a child that is academically challenged, you have two choices....either pay for a private tutor OR move to the city of Schenectady where they have um-teen government tax-paid programs, or non profits out there to fill the need. And if there is not a program out there to fit your child's needs, Mr. Kosiur will be more than glad to create one at the taxpayer's expense for you.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
DUANESBURG Work experience school program cut Budget calls for $14.8M in spending BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
Aspiring journalist Natasha De-Giule isn’t happy about the Duanesburg Central School District’s proposed 2008-2009 budget. Though Duanesburg High School will be a memory for the senior set to attend the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, she’s upset the district slashed the program that has helped her explore her field. Next year, Duanesburg will no longer offer New Visions, a program through the Capital District BOCES that allowed a select group of students to gain workplace experience in journalism, law and health professions. “There’s no other program that offers something like that,” she said Monday. District officials approved the 2008-2009 budget last week, proposing $14.8 million in spending. This reflects an increase of $867,267 over the 2007-2008 budget and would result in an estimated tax rate increase of 3.98 percent, according to figures released by the district last week. A public hearing on the budget is set for 7:30 p.m. May 6 at the high school; the district vote on the budget is May 20. Superintendent Christine Crowley said most of the increase resulted from contract increases in salaries and benefits, in addition to special education and other BOCES services. She said the district is also facing a debt service associated with capital projects. “With this budget, we have made every effort to balance the needs of our students while trying to minimize the tax impact for our residents,” Crowley said. Crowley said the New Visions program was among several cuts made by the Board of Education, including the elimination of eight teacher aide positions. The program is a one-year, honors-level course offered through BOCES to high school seniors, who can earn up to nine college credits. Crowley said cutting New Visions was a method of reducing the burgeoning cost of out-of-district programs, which were costing about $150,000 more than expected this year. She said the high school is crafting an in-house program that would essentially create a New Visions at the Duanesburg campus for students that had applied for the class before it was cut. “I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised,” she said. But DeGiule doubts the district could match New Visions. She and a classmate have spent the year with 11 other students from area high schools, learning from the editors and publisher of the Albany Times Union. In addition to working within the paper’s newsroom, the students have traveled to other area media outlets, such as radio’s WAMC and television’s WMHT. She said learning alongside professionals and with peers of similar interest provided her with a good idea of what to expect in the workplace. “They’re saying that [the new program] will be the same experience, but it clearly won’t.” KINDERGARTEN PLAN Some district residents are also upset about additions proposed in the 2008-2009 budget. Next year, the district has proposed a merger between the three half-day kindergarten classes into a full-day session taught by a first grade teacher from the elementary school. Crowley said the change will actually save the district money. She said the district will receive about $245,000 in state aid during the fi rst year, in addition to securing about $13,240 in transportation savings by merging the classes. “We finally have the resources available to make this happen,” she said. “This program will actually help us save money both in next year’s budget and in the future.” But Linda Lachanski, a concerned parent, doesn’t think the district has fully considered the fiscal implications of having a full-day kindergarten class. She found it ironic that the district would consider a full-day kindergarten for toddlers while cutting a program that gives workplace experience to motivated high school seniors. “We’re frustrated and we’re disappointed,” she said.
Though Duanesburg High School will be a memory for the senior set to attend the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, she’s upset the district slashed the program that has helped her explore her field. Next year, Duanesburg will no longer offer New Visions, a program through the Capital District BOCES that allowed a select group of students to gain workplace experience in journalism, law and health professions.
Although I think this was a 'nice addition' to the education curriculum, I don't see it as a 'necessity' to high school education. I think it would be great if the Gazette, or TU or Spotlight offered this same service at no charge to the taxpayers. Same for attorneys/court systems and health care. And not connected to any school system.
Remember 'candy strippers' at hospitals? Same idea in both the law and journalism field. I would be of no cost to the taxpayers. It would attract only those kids with those particular interests. And it would hopefully bring interest to the field to guarentee future employment.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Although I think this was a 'nice addition' to the education curriculum, I don't see it as a 'necessity' to high school education. I think it would be great if the Gazette, or TU or Spotlight offered this same service at no charge to the taxpayers. Same for attorneys/court systems and health care. And not connected to any school system.
Bumble,
I'll agree with you provided that the entire BOCES program funding is cut. New Visions is a BOCES program that is targeted to those interested in professional careers (medical, journalism, law, etc.). The remainder of the BOCES program is intended for those with interest in trades. Eliminating the former while retaining the latter amounts to discrimination against the academically gifted students. What renders the education and training of a hair stylist as being more important or worthy of support than the training and experience provided by the New Visions program for those students who excel academically?
As for the Superintendent's assertion that the school is working to develop an in-house program that will provide the same benefits, I don't have confidence that this will be done. This would require either additional staff or that the existing staff support additional programs and work more hours. Will the teachers' union support such measures? Are the teachers dedicated to providing this opportunity to their students? Further, the training should come from those employed in the professions, not from career educators.
The cause(s) of the increases in our school tax rates is best summed up by Superintendent Crowley's quote:
"Superintendent Christine Crowley said most of the increase resulted from contract increases in salaries and benefits, in addition to special education and other BOCES services."
While we are on the topic of public education and school taxes, let's begin a thread citing the reasons for runaway spending in our public schools, the unacceptable results of the public education system, and make proposals to make our educational system more effective and efficient.
Quoted from Brad Littlefield: I'll agree with you provided that the entire BOCES program funding is cut. New Visions is a BOCES program that is targeted to those interested in professional careers (medical, journalism, law, etc.). The remainder of the BOCES program is intended for those with interest in trades. Eliminating the former while retaining the latter amounts to discrimination against the academically gifted students. What renders the education and training of a hair stylist as being more important or worthy of support than the training and experience provided by the New Visions program for those students who excel academically?
I was contacted by a friend this evening who expressed displeasure with me based on my comments posted on April 15th (see above).
As he correctly asserted, pursuit of a vocational trade, versus what is typically considered a "white collar" profession such as a physician, an attorney, an engineer, etc. is a choice made by students based on their interests. This choice is independent of scholastic aptitude.
His interpretation of my comments was that those students who are not academically gifted are left to careers in vocational trades and that academically gifted and talented students elect only careers in "white collar" professions. Indeed, academically gifted students do pursue careers in trade professions.
As Superintendent Crowley was quoted to say, the New Visions program is a one-year, honors-level course offered through BOCES to high school seniors, who can earn up to nine college credits. My statement that the program was targeted to those students with high scholastic aptitude could have been better stated as describing the program as an honors level offering.
There was no disparagement intended by my comments. Upon rereading the sentence structure of my post, however, it certainly does lend itself to that interpretation.
The point that I was (and am) trying to make is that Duanesburg Central School Board should not place greater emphasis or provide greater support for those students who elect to train for a vocation than they do for those who chose to enter into professions such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc. There should be equal opportunities provided by our public school system. If the expenditures must be cut, then the BOCES program should be cut across the board and not target specific training opportunities/programs. Or, alternatively, other areas in the budget should be examined for reductions in spending.
I offer my sincere apology to those who may have been offended by my careless remarks. As for the proposed 2008-2009 school budget, I will cast my vote in opposition unless the New Visions program is restored. After all, it is the role of our education system to provide an education for ALL students in preparation for their careers.
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