Residents were asked to envision Princetown 15 years into the future, while taking into consideration the positives and negatives they perceive today. The workshop was split into six groups and then asked to reduce their visions for the town into a statement.
Let's see how far they get...probably further than the Hamburg Street folks did in Rotterdam....we all know the West and East story....it's an old one....
sham sham sham.....
...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
Maura said the reduction in salary was aimed specifically at chasing him out of office. He said he plans to contact the state Attorney General’s Office and may seek legal action to secure back pay. “I’m going to sue the town and everybody involved in this.”
He should just walk away....do what you do because you do what you do....let them take the bag and he can keep himself....
...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
LANDMARKS A tunnel to the past Kelly’s Station structure a reminder of railroad ties BY BILL BUELL Gazette Reporter
PRINCETOWN There hasn’t been a whole lot of excitement lately at Kelly’s Station, a now-defunct hamlet in the town of Princetown about halfway between Schenectady and Duanesburg. The only noise you might hear is the running water of the Bonny Brook and the nearby Normanskill, the traffic speeding along Route 7, and perhaps the occasional blaring horn as motorists cautiously enter the Kelly’s Station Road tunnel. There was a day, however, back in the early 20th century, when the place was a beehive of activity. It had a railroad station, a post office, a blacksmith shop and a general store, as well as a cheese factory, a sawmill and a small airstrip. Ernie Tulloch, now 91, can remember those days, and things like a particularly foulsmelling Delaware and Hudson Railway steam engine nicknamed “The Skunk,” or the time an argument between two D&H employees resulted in an exchange of gunfire, or the time his father, Otis Tulloch, nearly ran over his mother-inlaw while landing a small biplane. The tunnel, built in 1885 just 12 years after the railroad laid the tracks in 1873, is the only indication that Kelly’s Station’s past might have been a bit more exciting than the present. “It was built during the horse and buggy days, and sometimes we’d walk down through the tunnel, and other times we’d walk down over the bank if we were going to the store,” said Tulloch, whose farm is a few hundred yards up Kelly’s Station Road just north of Route 7. “There used to be a lot going on there, but it all pretty much died during the Depression.” TWO CULVERTS Tulloch worked on the railroad for 50 years, nearly as long as his father served as station agent at the D&H whistle stop, situated about 200 feet nearly directly above the tunnel. There was originally a trestle there in 1873 when the D & H built the railroad, but 12 years later they decided to fill in the area and create a huge bank with one culvert for the Bonny Brook and another parallel to it for the tunnel. Both were made with a Roman arch from cut limestone, and the tunnel for Kelly Station Road is about 150 feet long and only wide enough for one vehicle. Motorists heading north through the tunnel and those approaching from that end are urged to sound their horns because as you leave the tunnel the road takes a sharp turn to the left, causing line-of-sight problems. “It can be dangerous going through there because of the turn so you can’t see around the corner,” said Tulloch. “If they built it today, they would have made it straight so when you were on Route 7 you could look right through it and then right up the road. But they designed it for wagons in mind, not cars.” The railroad is responsible for Kelly’s Station being on the map, although it was also a convenient stop for travelers making their way from Duanesburg to Schenectady. It was one of four hamlets in the town of Princetown and like Kelly’s Station, the others, Rynex Corners, Giffords and Scotch Church, are no longer the meeting places they once were. “Princetown had four hamlets and they all had post offices and stores and a blacksmith shop so people didn’t have to go all the way into Schenectady to get what they needed,” said Irma Mastrean, Princetown town historian. “Kelly’s Station was a great place to stop for people on their way to Schenectady. The store there was the only one between Duanesburg and Schenectady.” A LOT GOING ON While Tulloch remembers things starting to slow down during the Depression, there was still some life in Kelly’s Station through World War II, according to Mary Gordon, whose grandmother, Jennie Kelly Vedder, ran the post office. Vedder died in 1980 at the age of 104. “We lived right next door to her and she was a wonderful grandmother,” said Gordon. “The post office was in the general store where they lived, and there was also a ballroom upstairs with a beautiful stairway. It was a great place to grow up right after World War II, and I’ll always have some wonderful memories.” Dominic DeCocco’s farm in Kelly’s Station has been in the family for 81 years, and he can also remember growing up there during World War II. “I’ll never forget the day the war was over and this steam engine came through Kelly’s Station with its whistle blowing wide open the whole way,” said DeCocco, whose father worked on the railroad for 30 years. “Back when they had steam engines, they needed a lot of workers, and my father would walk the tracks, tightening up rails and cleaning the switches. Up by the station, there was a section house where workers on the track would spend the night. There was a lot going on back then.” While freight trains still run through what was the station stop high atop the embankment, the last D & H passenger train to roll through the area was in 1958, according to railroad historian James Shaughnessy of Troy. “It was never a major route for passenger traffic, but they did have service up until the late 1950s,” said Shaughnessy. “It was built back in the early 1870s so that the D & H could ship its anthracite coal from the mountains of Pennsylvania to the Northeast. If you look at the map, the Delanson to Albany line and the Albany to Ballston Spa line were two sides of a triangle. It was the Delanson to Schenectady line that completed the triangle. It was a shortcut.” Americans eventually stopped using coal as their primary heating source and that factor, along with several others, started to h ave a negative impact on railroads. “Delanson had a huge coal storage facility, and they would stockpile the stuff there and distribute it throughout the Northeast,” said Shaughnessy. “Things were going well up until World War II. Then people started switching to fuel oil for their home heating and that, along with updates in transportation — the interstate highway system really changed things — started to change the picture we had of freight trains.” NO NEED TO SLOW DOWN These days, when trains rumble through Kelly’s Station, they don’t even slow down. There is nothing there to meet them, no station, no section house, no water tower. Only the tunnel below. “What that is is a very unique railroad overpass,” said Albany train historian Dick Barrett. “There’s only room for one car, and it’s got that crazy dogleg so you can’t really see all the way through. There’s a pretty significant railroad tunnel near Binghamton, but there aren’t too many other overpasses like the one you see at Kelly’s Station. I can’t think of too many like it.” MEREDITH L. KAISER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Town of Princetown historian Irma Mastrean stands along Route 7 and displays a historic photograph taken in 1885 of the area behind her in the former hamlet of Kelly’s Station. A small pickup truck drives by all the pertinent road signage as it enters into the Kelly’s Station Road tunnel from Route 7 in the town of Princetown. All motorists are urged to their horns as they enter the oneway structure. MEREDITH L. KAISER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Town of Princetown historian Irma Mastrean stands outside the former general store and post office in the now-defunct hamlet of Kelly’s Station on Route 7.
SCHENECTADY COUNTY Court security bill to be considered BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Schenectady County Legislator Angelo Santabarbara received a shock Saturday after he opened his agenda packet for Monday night’s meeting: it contained legislation he is sponsoring. His legislation allows Princetown to contract with the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Department for deputies to provide weekly security at Town Court. It is one of the few Republicansponsored pieces of legislation — not related to the budget or amending a Democratic bill — to reach the legislative floor since Democrats took control in 2003. County Attorney Chris Gardner said the initial request did not address “numerous details … and it was critically important that all parties fully understood precisely the services which are to be provided, the cost of such services and the terms of the agreement, including the apportionment of liability.” Democrats said they spent several weeks working out the issues with town officials, with Gardner holding his last meeting with Maura on March 26. County Legislator Joseph Suhrada, R-Rotterdam, said his understanding is that Princetown Democrats “were so outraged with the political games, they raised a stink with Democrats and they didn’t want to hurt Judy Dagostino’s reelection bid next year.” Dagostino, D-Rotterdam, is vice chairwoman of the Legislature. Said Suhrada: “This is a huge victory for Angelo, who is our fresh-“I was surprised when I saw it, but I heard there was a lot of arm twisting,” Santabarbara said. Santabarbara submitted the legislation weeks ago at the request of Princetown Supervisor Nicholas Maura Jr., a Democrat. Maura said the town does not have a police department and relies on the State Police and the Schenectady County Sheriff’s road patrol for public protection. Town officials are concerned about safety due to the increased number of cases appearing in the small court, which lacks a metal detector. After Santabarbara submitted his initiative, Democrats said Maura should have contacted them directly rather than go through a freshman legislator from an opposing party. In a memo to the legislation, man legislator and who knows more about getting things done then some of our senior legislators.” Gardner denied county Democrats were pressured by Princetown Democrats to pass the legislation. “We were not squeezed,” he said. Santabarbara said he is “happy to see it getting done. I heard stories of how things worked in past but for me this is the way the process should work. You put forward legislation that helps the community.” Maura did not return a phone call for comment. Under the proposed legislation, the county will provide one offi - cer to Princetown each Wednesday from the start of court at 6 p.m. until it concludes. The town will pay the cost based on a four-hour minimum at the overtime rate, including fringes. The cost is estimated at $200 per week; the service is expected to begin April 9.
DEAL WOULD BRING ADDED SECURITY TO PRINCETOWN COURTS
Posted on: 04/04/08 Written by: Ross Marvin, Spotlight Staff email: marvinr@spotlightnews.com
A tentative agreement with Schenectady County would allow the town of Princetown to contract security through the County Sheriff’s office, effectively putting an end to the town’s longstanding problem with limited court security.
A resolution on the County Legislature’s agenda for its meeting on Tuesday, April 8, would provide for the provision of sheriff’s deputies to serve as court protection officers at Princetown’s court.
The resolution, sponsored by Legislator Angelo Santabarbara, R-Rotterdam, is the first Republican-sponsored piece of legislation that has made it onto a county agenda this year. Democrats hold an 11-to-4 majority on the Legislature.
Santabarbara calls the initiative an example of bipartisan and intergovernmental cooperation. Princetown Supervisor Nick Maura is a Democrat, but Santabarbara said that when Maura came to him with his problem, he didn’t see it as a political issue.
This is the way government is supposed to work,” said Santabarbara. “Regardless of the political party affiliation of me and the town supervisor, we got together to try and get something accomplished.”
Maura and Town Judge Michelle Van Woeart addressed the Legislature earlier this year. Maura said that the town has never had its own security, but relied on municipal police and state troopers who were in attendance to enforce traffic tickets.
Maura said the town had an incident in the past where a man brought a weapon into the courtroom and that to ensure safety at an affordable price, he needed the county’s help.
Van Woeart echoed Maura’s comments, adding that without additional security she felt that she and her staff were unsafe.
Van Woeart’s comments brought a response from Susan E. Savage, D-Niskayuna, chairwoman of the Schenectady County Legislature. At the time, she said the Legislature was moving toward a resolution of the problem and was gathering insurance information that would help the county attorney negotiate a contract.
According to County Attorney Chris Gardner, he recently met with Maura and other Princetown officials to foster an agreement.
The tentative agreement would allow for a sheriff’s deputy to be dispatched from the County Sheriff’s department on nights when court is in session. Princetown’s court meets every Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.
Under the proposed agreement, the sheriff’s deputy would be compensated at an overtime rate for a minimum of four hours with the same fringe benefit and indirect cost rate used in other intermunicipal agreements. The deputy would also be paid for mileage to and from the Schenectady County Jail and the Princetown Town Court.
Gardner said the cost to the town would be approximately $200 per night.
Gardner also said he is still negotiating an indemnification provision that would require the town to carry a general liability insurance policy at the $1-to-$2 million level and a law enforcement liability policy at the $1 million level. He said the town would also be required to reimburse the county for any expenses incurred for on-the-job injuries as required under the Workers Compensation Law.
Maura said that in addition to seeking the assistance of the county, he is currently seeking grants for the implementation of metal detectors in the courthouse. He said he would also look to contract with private security companies on an as-needed basis.
Minority Leader Robert Farley, R-Scotia, said he thought it was important that the county pass the resolution to insure that Princetown had well-trained security officers from the County Sheriff’s department.
“A deputy sheriff is a trained officer under the law,” said Farley. “They can make arrests.”
Gardner said that if the resolution is passed by the Legislature, the contract could go into effect on Wednesday, April 9, and would continue for a full year.
“It’s just a matter of getting everyone together to sign the contract,” he said.
Gardner also said the Legislature could renew the contract in the future.
PRINCETOWN Town to poll residents BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Princetown wants to hear from its residents. Members of the Comprehensive Plan Committee have sent mailers out to 760 households across the town, asking them to comment on how the community should develop. Chairman Joe Jurczynski said the anonymous surveys will provide information the committee will then compile into the update. “We want people to kind of express themselves and come up with some ideas,” he said Tuesday. The survey’s 35 short-answer and multiple-choice questions are broken down into segments. Aside from requesting basic information about demographics, the survey seeks thoughts about housing, recreation and commercial and development, promoting a town center, the need for agriculture or open space and community services. Last week, the committee issued a mailing to all Princetown households detailing the survey process. Residents can either take the survey online or request a printed version. Each household was issued a set of three unique user names and passwords, which will allow them to access the survey online.
Princetown is currently updating its comprehensive plan. It’s important that residents have a voice in their vision of the town’s growth and development. A letter was mailed recently to residents encouraging them to participate in the planning process and take part in a survey. Do the survey online or call the town clerk and have a survey mailed to you. Planning for the future is extremely important for municipalities to meet the vision of residents. Often, in many communities, a business will apply for a permit and residents become upset and complain that the town or village was wrong to allow it. Recently, an application to allow an adult business on Route 7 created a lot of concern. That application was finally withdrawn, but we are vulnerable to this and many other types of businesses or development that may affect your property. Residents often state they want Princetown to remain rural. To do this, we must plan for the future, which requires participation from residents. The survey requests your opinions on community character agriculture, open space, housing and development, a town center, recreation, commercial development, community services and general concerns or opinions. The deadline is June 7. Make your voice heard now, when it will make a difference, not later when it won’t! NORMAN L. MILLER Princetown
So why doesn't Rotterdam do this? I give Princetown credit for 'planning' for their future.
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
Anyone from Princetown who reads this forum NEEDS to answer the questionaire and be a part of the process. We completed and adopted our new comp plan in July 2007 after two years of hard work. We also sent out a questionaire and received a 34% response, which was incredible. The answers and especially the comments were very telling of the direction residents want D'burg to go in. We really appreciated the input and ALL the answers played a huge part in developing the plan. I also need to add that Schenectady County Planning, Steve Feeney in particular, were an integral part in the whole process. He attended meetings and helped with wording and layout.
PRINCETOWN Board told of support for building inspector BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
Nearly 60 residents submitted a petition to the Town Board this week asking that building inspector Stan Lenic be permitted to keep his job. Supervisor Nick Maura provided the petition during a board meeting Tuesday evening that was attended by roughly two dozen residents. During the public comment period, several of the residents spoke favorably of Lenic, a two-year employee, and asked the board to keep him as building inspector. Board members discussed removing Lenic from the part-time position during an executive session in June. The board even contacted the neighboring towns of Rotterdam and Duanesburg to see if they could provide an interim building inspector, were Lenic removed this summer. Prior to the meeting, Maura said some people have made an issue of Lenic’s hours with the town — two hours during late Tuesday and Thursday mornings — but that he’s never had a problem getting in touch with him when there is a need. He offered support for Lenic and suggested the motive behind the board’s discussions was political. “I’m playing politics and I’m on the losing end,” he said. Though not in attendance, Lenic issued a written statement to the board urging them to discuss his future with the town in open session. He defended his job history with the town and alluded to words of encouragement he has received since the board first considered terminating his job. “I feel as though I’ve done my job properly and, based on my interaction with the public, they feel the same,” he said in the statement, which Maura read. Board member Richard Kietlinski said it was inappropriate to discuss a matter of town employment in open session, but contested the idea that the rift was over “a beef” with Lenic. He cited New York’s municipal law and the town’s history of conducting employment discussions in private during his 12-year tenure on the board. “That’s the way we’ve always done that part of town business as long as I’ve been here,” he said. Deputy Supervisor Eric Plura warned the board against firing Lenic before having a replacement in mind. He suggested the town consider hiring an assistant to help Lenic. “July is a bad time to get rid of a building inspector,” he said.
PRINCETOWN Pair pushing forward with warehouse plan despite lack of tenant BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Timothy Larned and Robert Iovinella might not have a tenant for the 168,000-square-foot warehouse they’ve proposed on the Rotterdam and Princetown border, but they’re moving forward with the project anyway. The developers are pushing for a final approval on the project with Princetown’s Planning Board, even though McLane Food Service Inc. has decided against moving its distribution center to the property. Board members spent more than an hour reviewing the project Thursday but decided to table a decision until their next meeting. “We promise by August we’ll be done,” said Chairwoman Patricia Bishop. Some of the language contained in the town’s conditions of approval was changed to reflect the circumstances surrounding the project. However, the changes didn’t broaden the scope of businesses that could fit the project. “Under this proposal, if they don’t build an exact replica of the McLane building, they don’t have a project,” explained board member Doug Thorpe. McLane had proposed moving its distribution center in Guilderland to the 27-acre gravel pit off Feuz Road, near the Interstate 88 interchange. The company proposed employing about 175 workers once the project was completed. The project faced criticism from Rotterdam residents when it was before Princetown’s Planning Board in March. This criticism prompted questions about the number of tractor-trailers that would use the facility and noise impact the warehouse would have in the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Less than a month later, a project engineer representing McLane informed both towns that the company was no longer interested in the project. Company officials later cited overall project delays and a recent economic downturn. In May, board members granted the project a 60-day extension after it was requested in writing by an attorney representing the developers. The 15 acres of the project in Rotterdam have already received the approvals from the town. Andy Brick, an attorney representing the developers, told the Planning Board members he was content with the changes and urged them to act on the project, which was first proposed nearly three years ago. “It’s not critical, but it would be nice to have some finality,” he said.
Does anybody know when the town board meetings are for Duanesburg? And I assume they're at town hall, which is by the new State Trooper barracks? I don't know how many residents of Princetown know about this website, but I would at least like to let some of the board members know that they can use it to view how some people are feeling. Maybe we can start getting some input on town / county issues from the people that live in Princetown. I know we have our friends from other areas of the county.
PRINCETOWN Town clerk post will see rare contest McClaine, Nilsen cite past experience BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
For the first time in recent memory, Princetown voters will have a choice for their next town clerk. For more than a decade, the position of clerk and tax collector was unopposed. But when former Clerk Cathy Hasbrouk retired last December, her departure sparked interest from two former town officials. In January, former Town Board member Carole McClaine was appointed to the position for 2008 but needs to be elected to serve out the remaining year on Hasbrouk’s term. Meanwhile, former town Assessor Kathy Nilsen decided she was interested in running for clerk. “I had thought about it a bit and expressed those thoughts to people and they supported it,” Nilsen said of her run. “People will have a choice.” The clerk’s position is normally a four-year term and pays $29,111 annually. Princetown’s proposed 2009 budget includes a 3 percent increase in the salary, bringing it to $29,882 per year. However, the election this year won’t mean four years in office of the winner. The election is only for the one remaining year on Hasbrouk’s term, meaning whoever wins will need to run again in 2009. McClaine is running on the Republican and Conservative lines but doesn’t want to make her campaign partisan. She said her desire to serve in the position for another year stems from her passion for connecting with town residents. “I truly enjoy being town clerk,” she said. “I love dealing with people.” McClaine runs a small business with her husband. She served on the Town Board from 1992 until 2007, when she decided against seeking re-election. Originally from South Colonie, she has lived in Princetown for 32 years and is a graduate of the University at Albany. McClaine said her position with the board gave her great insight into the demands of the clerk’s position. Since her appointment, she’s worked to overhaul the town’s Web site in addition to her normal duties as clerk. Nilsen now works in the town of Niskayuna’s Assessor’s Offi ce and serves on Princetown’s environmental board. She is a lifelong resident of Princetown and graduated from the Schalmont school district. Nilsen, who is running as an independent and was endorsed by the Democrats, said she would be responsive to the needs of the people if elected clerk. She said her experience in public service while she was an assessor would help her in her duties as clerk. “You’re kind of a liaison,” she said of the position. “You’ve got to work with the people and you’ve got to work with the board.”
PRINCETOWN Town spending for 2009 won’t require tax BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Despite anticipated declines in revenue, Princetown officials said they’ll continue to have no town property tax next year. Town officials completed revisions to the 2009 spending plan Thursday. In total, the budget includes about $767,000 in the highway and general fund accounts, all of which will be covered without a tax levy. Supervisor Nick Maura Jr. said the budget anticipates about $30,000 less in sales tax revenue than this year, which means some of the town’s fund balance will be used. “There’s no town tax,” he said after the meeting. “And we plan to try and keep it that way.” Town property owners pay county and school taxes. The budget will include a line item for the Rotterdam Emergency Medical Service, which asked the town for a $32,000 contribution in August. Maura said the board is now reviewing a proposed contract with the ambulance service. Town Board members discussed increasing several municipal salaries and briefly considered creating Princetown’s first full-time municipal position. They instead decided to give a blanket 3 percent raise for all employees and to consider hiring additional part-time workers. The budget includes funds for the town to hire an additional building inspector to aid Stan Lenic, who works two days per week. Maura said the new hire will likely work during the evenings. Maura said the budget includes a marked increase in the highway fund this year to compensate for several local roads that need paving. The budget has a $110,000 line item for paving, which is about $71,000 more than the current figure. Princetown did see a marked drop in the debt service allocation. In August, the town made its fi nal payment on its municipal building off Route 7. The building was completed in 2001 at a cost of about $730,000. Town officials will conduct their budget hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday.
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