I apologize for my naivety. Not a technology with which I have much experience or knowledge.
Don't apologize Brad, I find myself in the same boat. I have spent the better part of a year pouring through legislation from other communites in the state, the NYSERDA website, and other resources and came to the determination that I am not, will not be, and don't want to become an expert. Our Planning Board attorney, Todd Mathes, IS an expert and I finally had the good sense to throw up my hands and put it in his lap. The Board let him know what our goals were for defining the law and asked him to craft it. The question you and JoAnn bring up about the lightning issue is a good one. I recall during an intense review of the law we discussed that.....sadly, I don't remember the answer, I believe it was not an issue due to the material the towers are made of etc. I will get the exact answer for you. Burtonsville Mothers Day brunch was fantastic but I have to say the service provided by our own Brad Littlefield was a tad "off". I think I found something he sucks at!
Quoted from Rene: ... Burtonsville Mothers Day brunch was fantastic but I have to say the service provided by our own Brad Littlefield was a tad "off". I think I found something he sucks at!
Not nice, Rene.
As you know, I was NOT the server for your table. Steve L. was assigned your table. I had responsibility for the table where the patrons who tip well were seated.
It was nice to see your husband Bob and your in-laws.
Seriously, though, thanks for coming and supporting the fire department.
DUANESBURG — State police found an 11-year-old autistic boy unharmed about two hours after he was reported missing Sunday night on Route 30. Police said the boy was reported missing from a home on Route 30 where he had been visiting. They were unable to provide much information about the child, but said he had last been seen about 8 p.m. They concentrated their search on Route 30 in the area of the Duanesburg-Esperance town line. He was found just before 10 p.m. in a nearby residence and was reported to be in good condition.
Thanks Michael.....we try to be proactive. Quite frankly I'm embarassed I did not have it done before now. Make sure you introduce yourself if you come to the hearing. Is your friend pro or con on wind power? I know there has been quite a battle out in the Cherry Valley area over this subject.
My friend is con. I don't have a concrete opinion yet but I am most concerned with the lack of guidelines in place. Without knowing much at all, I'm initially impressed with the setbacks you're aiming for. I'm hoping Rotterdam moves swiftly to adopt regs of their own. I'll definitely introduce myself if I'm able to attend.
DUANESBURG Members to decide future of ambulance corps BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Almost out of money and still lacking volunteers, the Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps members are hoping to make the changes necessary to keep the organization running. Members of the corps’ board of directors are to meet at 7:30 tonight at the station off Cole Road. Duanesburg officials said last week the meeting is a last ditch effort to correct membership issues so that the town will restore funding support for the service. “Our finances are such that we’re beyond the brink of insolvency,” said Board Chairman Charles Leoni. “We need to make some radical decisions to get us back on the straight and narrow.” The ambulance corps received $43,000 from the town, which was a little more than a quarter of its overall spending in 2007. Town officials budgeted $50,000 for the service this year, in addition to $20,000 in an escrow account to reimburse the corps for new medical equipment. “I do know they’re just about out of money,” said town Supervisor Rene Merrihew. “I don’t know if they have enough to make it through the month.” But the town has refused to release the money to the corps after learning of its continuing recruitment issues. The lack of volunteers prompted the ambulance company to miss a number of calls in January. Some former volunteers have blamed this shortage on Bruce Smith, the ambulance service’s former captain, who they described as persistently undercutting the company’s leadership. Smith stepped down as the company’s captain, but has remained an active volunteer. In February, town officials informed state police dispatchers in Princetown to stop alerting the unit for emergencies until the administration could produce a schedule of when volunteers were available. They later amended this request to allow the ambulance corps three minutes to be en route to an emergency before dispatchers would call crews from Rotterdam or Schenectady. Town Board members extended this time to eight minutes in March, after the ambulance corps provided the rosters they had requested. Since that time, Merrihew said there have been missed calls, even during times when the roster suggested the ambulance corps had available crews. Jean Frisbee, a member of the Duanesburg Town Board and volunteer with the corps, said the service has since pulled two of its ambulances off the road as a costsaving measure. The corps’ Web site was no longer functioning Monday. Earlier this month, the town hired Albany attorney Terrance Hannigan to prepare an expert report about the corps and make a recommendation for its future. Merrihew said Hannigan’s legal advice will also be needed in the event the ambulance service is dissolved. Calls placed to Hannigan’s office were not returned Monday. Merrihew said the town could provide the ambulance corps with emergency funding this month if it is able to provide evidence of a turnaround. “Basically, anything that gets done must come from the ambulance service itself,” she said. Leoni declined to elaborate on the decisions the ambulance corps might make tonight. But he said an important factor will be to see if there is enough support from volunteers to refill the company’s dwindling ranks. “If we don’t have the right support from the members, we might as well close the door,” he said.
Duanesburg Ambulance Corps shakeup Tuesday, May 13, 2008 By Justin Mason (Contact) Gazette Reporter
DUANESBURG — Facing membership losses and insolvency, the Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps' Board of Directors Tuesday declared more than dozen members inactive. Bruce Smith, the ambulance corps' former captain blamed for membership unrest, was among the 13 members effectively expelled from the organization. Chairman Charles Leoni read the resolution, which was affirmed by three of four board members at the meeting. "Their presence on DVAC property is no longer permitted and they are ordered to return any equipment," he said during an emergency board meeting. Board member Sharon Smith, Bruce Smith’s wife, did not attend the meeting. The fourth board member, Tammy Nunez, abstained from the vote because her name was among those expelled. Crew Chief Marc DeBraccio, also among those volunteers declared inactive, threw down his keys in disgust and stripped off an ambulance corps shirt he was wearing before storming out of the meeting. Outside the meeting, he said the board's move left him shocked and dumbfounded. "This totally blind-sided me," he said. "I had no idea this was coming." But the abrupt expulsions was followed by an influx of new volunteers. The ambulance corps enlisted 25 new volunteers during the meeting, including some who swore a return to the organization if there were a change in leadership.
DUANESBURG Ambulance corps expels 13 members Board of directors takes action to alleviate membership crisis BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Facing a membership crisis and looming insolvency, the Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ Board of Directors Tuesday declared more than dozen members inactive, including the former captain many had faulted for the company’s unrest. Bruce Smith was among the 13 members effectively expelled from the organization during an emergency board meeting. Chairman Charles Leoni read the resolution, which was affirmed by three of four board members present. “Their presence on DVAC property is no longer permitted and they are ordered to return any equipment,” he said. Board member Sharon Smith, Bruce Smith’s wife, did not attend the meeting. The fourth board member, Tammy Nunez, abstained from the vote because her name was among those expelled. Crew Chief Marc DeBraccio, also among those volunteers declared inactive, threw down his keys in disgust and stripped off an ambulance corps shirt before abruptly leaving. Outside the station, he said the board’s move left him shocked and dumbfounded. “This totally blindsided me,” he said. “I had no idea this was coming.” Nunez was equally caught off guard by the move. Her only inclination of the pending resolution came when she was unable to use her swipe card to enter the station. “If they need crews, then why are they cutting these people from the roster,” she asked. “I hope they know what they’re doing.” But the abrupt expulsion of former members was followed by an influx of new volunteers. The ambulance corps enlisted 25 during the meeting, including some who swore a return to the organization if there were a change in leadership. “Hopefully, with this new group, we can establish a new roster,” said Bill Grimm, president of the company’s support members. Leoni said the removal of the inactive members demonstrates the ambulance corps’ renewed interest in adhering to its bylaws. He said some of the recent troubles have stemmed from a lack of cohesion when it came to following the rules. “If you volunteer, you have to volunteer by the rules of the organization,” he said. In February, Duanesburg officials informed State Police dispatchers in Princetown to stop calling the ambulance corps for emergencies until they could produce a schedule of when volunteers were available. They later amended this request to give the ambulance corps three minutes to be en route to an emergency before dispatchers would call crews from Rotterdam or Schenectady. The Town Board extended this time to eight minutes in March, after the ambulance corps provided the rosters they had requested. Since that time, the ambulance corps has continued to miss calls, even during times when rosters submitted to the town suggested they had available crews. The board decision to remove the members came under the recommendations of a town-hired attorney, Terry Hannigan, and Gerry Dwyer, a local lawyer who advises the corps. Dwyer said he realized the company needed a marked change in direction after reviewing some of the slow response times in March. “At that point, it became evident that something needed to be done,” he said. Dwyer said the members determined to be inactive hadn’t included their names as part of the rosters submitted to the town over the past two months. He said those members declared inactive could only return if the organization voted to accept them back in. The membership turnover also opens the possibility for funding from the town, which provided $43,000 to the ambulance service last year. Supervisor Rene Merrihew expects to meet with the Town Board in the next week to discuss emergency funding to keep the ambulance corps solvent. “It would benefit all of us to get some funds to the ambulance corps at least on a life-support basis,” she said following the meeting.
Woman charged with providing beer for underage party Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Kathryn J. Guilden
DELANSON — A Delanson woman has been accused of providing beer for an underage drinking party in her home. State troopers in Princetown said they responded about 11 p.m. Friday to a complaint of a loud party on Maple Avenue and observed about 20 teenagers drinking in the home. Troopers said the homeowner, Kathryn J. Goulden provided several cases of beer for the party and was charged with 22 counts of unlawfully dealing with a child. Goulden was released on an appearance ticket and will appear at 7:30 p.m. May 21 in Duanesburg Town Court.
To answer Joann and Brads question of the effect lightening has on wind towers. The law requires that the towers be installed in accordance with the National Electrical Code Standards. These standards regulate for the safety and control of lightning strike events for all power transmission lines. Lightning strikes are apparently as likely to occur with wind towers as they are the power lines and this has been taken into account. I hope this helps.
EDITORIALS The liberation of Duanesburg’s ambulance co.
If it were a plane, one might say the Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps (DVAC) had been hijacked for the past few years. But since it is a ground-based form of transportation, let’s just say it was taken over by former Captain Bruce Smith, his wife Sharon (former chairwoman of the board of directors), and other members of their clique. Tuesday night, with a move that was at once technical but also went to the heart of the matter, the corps freed itself from these people’s grip. The town now should reward DVAC by providing some badly needed temporary financial support and then working with it to ensure its long-term survival. Although knowledgeable about and dedicated to emergency services, Smith is a control freak and martinet who drove away members and would-be members and poisoned relations with emergency crews from other jurisdictions. He and his group acted like the corps was their private plaything, with their ultimate loyalty being to one another rather than to the organization or town. That was made amply clear earlier this year when the town, reacting to lack of coverage, missed calls and poor response times (average 20 minutes), got involved. It cut off funding for the corps and told state police dispatchers to call emergency crews from Rotterdam or Schenectady instead. These actions were taken not only to ensure public safety, but to force the issue and get the corps to dump Smith and his wife. It didn’t happen, because the Smiths were so firmly in control. What did happen was that, thumbing their noses at the town, Smith and a dozen of his followers refused to sign the active roster the town had asked for to determine if there were enough committed volunteers to start using DVAC again. Although enough other existing and new volunteers did eventually sign for the town to relent, the clique members never did. This turned out to be their undoing, because lawyers working for DVAC and the town scoured the by-laws and found that their signature on the roster was required. And so, at an emergency meeting of the board of directors Tuesday, 13 members were given the boot, including Smith. They were told they could reapply for membership, but it isn’t guaranteed. The only ones allowed back in should be those who show a real willingness to put the interests of DVAC and the town first, and to follow all the rules. Meanwhile, around 25 people have come forward and expressed interest in joining, including five already-trained EMTs who are good to go immediately. Supervisor Rene Merrihew says the town board is ready at a special meeting this coming Wednesday to give them enough money to operate for 90 days — during which time, she says, the town “would need to see some pretty serious results.” That means the corps needs to start changing its operations and culture, and fast.
To answer Joann and Brads question of the effect lightening has on wind towers. The law requires that the towers be installed in accordance with the National Electrical Code Standards. These standards regulate for the safety and control of lightning strike events for all power transmission lines. Lightning strikes are apparently as likely to occur with wind towers as they are the power lines and this has been taken into account. I hope this helps.
would it be illegal to access these towers via a Delorean as in Back to the Future?????
...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
Hazmat teams called to Delanson for report of leaking freight cars; roads being blocked Saturday, May 17, 2008
DELANSON - State police said they are investigating reports of a leak coming from cars carried by a Delaware and Hudson freight train at this hour.
Police were issuing warnings about hazardous material, but it could not be immediately determined what the substance is and where it is located. A command center was being established in the area, which is near Interstate 88. Police and fire officials are blocking roads in the area, according to scanner reports.
Never a dull moment these days. Turned out to be a false alarm, thankfully. The response was incredible. I took many "incident command" training courses last year and took a great deal of interest in todays response. It was a sight to see, our County EMS, Schenectady hazmat, Sheriffs, State Troopers, Duanesburg Fire, Delanson Fire, Pine Grove Fire and railroad police were all on scene. It was like watching a well oiled machine at work. I am lucky to have had a birds eye view of our local teams in action.
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