DUANESBURG Fire, vandals cause damage to park Police charge four young people; a fifth cited with providing alcohol BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
State police investigating vandalism and a fire that leveled a large pavilion in Van Patten Mill Park arrested three young men and a young woman Wednesday, charging them with arson. Duanesburg Fire Chief Ken Griffin said the fire ripped through a 24-foot by 45-foot pavilion sometime between the evening hours Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. He said the blaze also consumed a 10-by-12-foot storage area in the structure, which houses the pavilion’s water pump and a few park games. “It’s going to be hard for them to recover even with insurance,” he said. “It’s a pretty big blow to a small town.” Police estimated the damage as exceeding $30,000. Police charged the following individuals: Patrick Emery, 18, of Guilderland Avenue, Schenectady; Randall Anderson, 21, of Youngs Road, Delanson; Christopher M. Olson, 20, of Vanpatten Road, Duanesburg; and Rhiannon Gati, 17, of Okara Drive, Schenectady. All were charged with 3rd degree arson, a felony, and Gati, the female, was also charged with criminal mischief, a felony. All were sent to the Schenectady County Jail on $10,000 bail. The investigation also resulted in a charge against Ann Marie Roberts, 25, of Guilderland Avenue. She was charged with obtaining alcohol for underage persons, a misdemeanor. She was issued an appearance ticket for Rotterdam Town Court. Griffin said the fire was first discovered by a pair of neighbors around 8:30 a.m. But by the time it was noticed, flames had already consumed the bulk of the pavilion. “It was ashes by the morning,” he said. Schenectady County Fire Coordinator John Nuzback visited the site with county investigators. In addition to the fire, the park off Depot Road also suffered vandalism. Griffin said someone apparently drove a vehicle in circles around a pair of baseball fields adjacent to the pavilion. “They rutted it up pretty bad,” he said. Town Supervisor Rene Merrihew was stunned by the park damage. She estimated the damage to exceed $75,000. “It’s really disheartening,” she said. “I don’t understand why people would do this.” In addition to losing the pavilion and damage to the fields, Merrihew said some equipment that the town recently purchased for Shafer Park also was destroyed. She said the pavilion is insured but was unsure of when the town could rebuild the structure. “It’s not in the cards for this season,” she said. Merrihew hopes to save a bronze plaque that was hung in the pavilion after it was constructed by the Duanesburg Lions Club during the late 80s. “It survived the fire,” she said. “It’s the only thing.”
And don't think for a minute that if Rotterdam 'insists' on building this magnificant park...that what happened in Duanesburg and worse will happen in Rotterdam.
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
never....there are always the railroad overpasses,,,,the walmart fence and,,, right now Schalmont school,,just to mention a few...there is just so much more to do here....
I think there should be a law for "grafitti/vandal offenders"....not the waste of time law they are working on now....but how about folks caught drawing grafitti or vandalizing are now relegated to live atleast 2000yards from any public place where there could be a wall or sign or fence etc, and they are only allowed to purchase food/clothes etc via the internet and the only place they can recreate would be in a supervised caged in area,,,like the skate board park in Rotterdam.....yeah, that's it.....
...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
DUANESBURG Spirit still alive after 29 years Thousands attend Harley Rendezvous BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Every year, someone asks Frank Potter to describe the Harley Rendezvous. And every time, the longtime organizer of the motorcycle rally finds himself searching for words. “They ask me to describe the rendezvous with words,” he said, scanning the bustling grounds of the Indian Lookout Country Club Thursday, “Well, I really can’t.” The event Kemp O’Connell started as a parts swap 29 years ago rolled into the hamlet of Mariaville again this week, bringing with it thousands of custom bikes, droves of leather-clad riders and a large extended family. “We’ve been doing it for so many years, it’s like a family,” said Steve Salerno, a food vendor from Cobleskill who has attended the rally for nearly two decades. Having grown from the about 1,200 riders who first attended the event in 1979, the rendezvous now attracts upwards of 6,000 aficionados and a roaring carnival-onwheels atmosphere that is — as Potter insists — almost indescribable. But despite its throngs of bikers and raucous reputation, the rendezvous is run like a tight ship. Potter says for every 100 rendezvous attendees, there will be at least one person on his support staff. “This is like a big ship that’s coming to port,” he explained. “Without [the volunteers], it ain’t coming to port.” Campers and riders enter the event through what Potter calls his “holding field,” where they wait to file through a security checkpoint about a quarter-mile away. At the checkpoint, nearly two dozen security volunteers are directed to search every bike, camper and vehicle. Potter said he has a zero-tolerance policy toward drugs, weapons and explosives at the rally. Those found with contraband surrender them or in some cases get their money back and leave. “We want to assemble in an orderly fashion,” he said. “We don’t need police because we police ourselves.” Once inside, patrons are treated to what has made the event renowned among bikers. Dozens of bands flood Indian Lookout with rock music throughout the weekend, including acts like King Noris, Blackfoot and Edgar Winter. The rally also features motorcycle pulls, bike rodeos and an assortment of Harley-related events that any gearhead could appreciate. The idea for a rally first came after an infamous 1973 meet-up in Westfield, Mass., turned violent, recalled Chuck Schmidt, a biker from northern Massachusetts who has attended the rendezvous since its inception. He said O’Connell and a group of bikers decided to seek a more peaceful place to gather. “We decided there had to be a better way to enjoy ourselves,” he said. O’Connell eventually purchased the 177-acre plot of land from a pair of Duanesburg farmers and dedicated the property to hosting the rally. During the early days, Potter said, the rendezvous was focused on trading motorcycle parts and making new friends. “It was a place for us to come together during a time when bikers weren’t exactly socially acceptable,” he said. O’Connell, suffering from cancer, passed the torch to Potter shortly before his death in 1994. In his memory, Potter pledged to run the event for as long as he can. “I promised I’d do my very best to make sure his dream stays a reality for as long as it can,” he said. Nearly three decades after the first event, most veterans agree the riders are a bit older, the beards a bit shorter and there are fewer people concerned with swapping parts. But still, Schmidt said the group carries on the same feeling of camaraderie that brought them all to Indian Lookout many years ago. “The spirit is still here,” he said.
There was also an accident with a couple of these riders involved last night right by the Stewart's, at Burdeck St. and Mariaville Rd. I think they were turning to head to the mall when one rider stopped and the other rider didn't see him and ran into him, the second getting thrown and shook up a bit. I left before they figured exactly what was going on, figured I was better out of the way than being another onlooker.
DUANESBURG Town appeals for park donations Recreation program gear destroyed by fire BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Town officials are hoping an appeal to the community will help repair some of the damage caused when fire ripped through the pavilion at Van Patten Mill Park last month. In addition to destroying the town’s largest public pavilion, the fire also consumed a storage shed containing all the supplies used for the town’s youth recreation program. The program will be moved to Shaffer Park, about 3 miles away, but the town still lacks much of the sports equipment and art supplies destroyed. “Right now, it hasn’t been in the town budget to do this,” Parks Commission Chairman Peter Watrous said Tuesday. “The town is trying to recover what it can, but we’re also looking for donations.” And with less than three weeks to go before the program begins, Recreation Director Caitlin Kremler said the donations could be anything from sports equipment to construction paper and scissors. She said donated equipment, such as croquet sets or basketballs, doesn’t need to be new. “Pretty much everything you can think of was lost in the storage unit,” she said. For more than twenty years the town has hosted the mid-summer program at the park off Depot Road. The large pavilion, ball courts, playground and baseball field proved ideal for the three-week session, which can draw upwards of 80 elementary and middle school children. “With the loss of the park we’re used to having, the program that was routine, we’re now having to plan differently,” Watrous said. “It will mean quite a change for the park program.” The park has been closed since the fire. Little remains of the pavilion and storage shed, save for a half-filled dumpster of charred wood and a soot-stained concrete slab. State police arrested Patrick Emery, 18, of Schenectady, Randall Anderson, 21, of Delanson, Christopher Olson, 20, of Duanesburg and Rhiannon Gati, 17, of Schenectady and charged them with felony 3rd degree arson. Investigators estimated the damages to the park at more than $30,000. Watrous said the amount of coverage on the pavilion doesn’t appear to be enough to cover the cost of the damage. “The allotment in the insurance for pavilions is rather small,” he said. Meanwhile, the Duanesburg Lions Club is organizing a fundraiser later this month to rebuild the pavilion, which they built during the 1980s. Club President Mary Grimm said the Lions will raise money for the effort at a “Firefighter Muster” slated for July 21 at the Indian Lookout Country Club. “[The park] is very important to us,” she said. “Our main goal is to do things for the community,” Grimm said the Lions are hoping to raise enough money to start rebuilding the structure sometime before next summer, as long as the town gives consent. However, she didn’t rule out a project later this summer, provided there’s enough community support. “If they could give us the goahead and we could get the money, then we’ll do it,” she said. “I learned along time ago, never say never.”
DUANESBURG PICNIC DUANESBURG — The public is invited to the Duanesburg Historical Society’s annual picnic at 6 p.m. Monday at the Collins home, 147 Larson Lane off Schoharie Turnpike. Participants are asked to bring their own place setting, a drink and a dish to share. Meat and rolls will be provided. Those planning to attend should contact the Collins in advance at 895-2328
DUANESBURG Couple sues to block photo supply business BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
A Duanesburg couple has filed a lawsuit against the town in an attempt to block a wholesale photography supply business from establishing in a vacant garage off Esperance Station Road. Ronald and Laura Shepard fi led the lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Schenectady County last month, claiming that the town and its Planning Board unlawfully issued a special use permit for Michael Jacobson’s business. The town unanimously granted Jacobson a permit to establish a professional office at 140 Esperance Station Road in what was previously a garage. In the lawsuit, the Shepards claim the town approved a business that should have been designated for a manufacturing or light industrial zone because of the toxicity of the products Jacobson is proposing to sell. Among other allegations, the couple claims the town failed to interpret the municipal zoning ordinance, the comprehensive plan or the state Environmental Quality Review Act in approving the business in a residential area. “There is no reasonable interpretation of ordinance which would permit the storage, repackaging or sale of chemicals by anything close to a ‘professional’ use,” Ron Shepard stated in court documents. “Any other interpretation would lay the town open to a precedent where virtually any use could be a professional office, which would have a seriously detrimental effect on land use and codes in the town.” Town attorney Jeffrey Siegel said he could not comment on pending litigation. In April, Jacobson told the Planning Board that 95 percent of the chemicals he sells are not regulated and are nonhazardous, according to town records. He said the chemicals, which are used for black-and-white photography, would all be prepackaged and kept in small amounts. Five months after Jacobson’s initial application, the board unanimously approved the special use permit, stipulating that Jacobson install both a water well and a septic tank on the property, which lacks both. But the Shepards argue Jacobson misrepresented his business to the planners. They claim he intends to sell up to 216 different chemicals at a site that is within the Schoharie Creek watershed.
A friend of mine used to decontamination work, traveling all over the country.....'cleaning up' radioactive garbage.....and all those drive thru photomats were on that list.......also for info pulonium is used to remove static electricity from the plastic use on disposable diapers during assembly........
...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
Sounds like the Shepard's have a strong case. Duanesburg is just a simple little township, where most people move and live there to have a simple little life and the board perhaps thought this was just a simple little business.
I think that perhaps Jacobson should try the city of Schenectady to set up business and perhaps he can get a loan from the Metroplex!
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 Firefighters to compete for community causes BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.
Check out an array of fire equipment and enjoy an afternoon of live music. The event is open to the public and the competition to any company that can muster a squad of firefighters at the country club. “We will take people from every fire department there is,” she said. “It’s an open invitation. Show with trucks or just show up.” One competition will have teams of fi ve firefighters transfer 50 gallons of water 20 feet in the fastest time. The crews will use 2-gallon buckets to pass the water from hand to hand. During the “waterball joust,” crews will train their hoses on a ball suspended in the air. The winner will be the team that pushes it past a red flag tied to a cable. There will also be a tug-of-war competition, where the victorious team wins both bragging rights and remains dry, while the losing team will end up taking a dip in a stock pond. Other competitions include a “best truck” contest and a race to see who can suit up the fastest in protective gear. “We just want to have a lot of fun,” Grimm said. The events are free. There is a $5-per-car admission to the country club. The gates will open at 9 a.m., and the competitions will run until 4 p.m. Besides several live musical acts, the muster will also feature an assortment of vendors and demonstrations. Some of the proceeds will go to help Jennifer Davis, a mother who has battled brain cancer since 1999. Davis, who has a young son, found that the tumor had spread last year and has been struggling to cover her expenses ever since. The Ruthers will also receive some of the money raised during the muster. Though the family was able to rebuild their barn, Grimm said, they lost a significant number of their cows from health afflictions related to the fire. Grimm said the Lions also plan to help replace anything torched in the pavilion fire last month and not covered by the town’s insurance. The Lions built the structure during the 1980s and donated it to the town. But above all, Grimm said, she wants area residents to enjoy a day of fun. “We want the community to come together,” she said. “Hopefully, this will get bigger and bigger every year.” When the Duanesburg Lions Club decided to host its first Firefighters’ Muster, it didn’t take long to find a worthy cause to support with the proceeds. The Lions quickly decided any revenue from the muster, a series of skills competitions among fi refighters, would go to benefit the Ruthers. The local family has struggled to recover ever since fire ripped through their main dairy barn in January. But just a few weeks into the planning, another worthy cause came up. And then another. Now, the inaugural event will raise money for three benevolent causes — the Ruther farm, a young cancer-stricken mother and rebuilding the pavilion at Van Patten Mill Park. It may sound like a lot to take on for the first event, but that’s what the Lions do, explained Mary Grimm, the club’s president. “That’s what we’re here for, and that’s what we want to do,” she said. Ten fire companies and hundreds of area fi refighters are scheduled to gather at the Indian Lookout Country Club on Saturday to compete,
By MICHAEL LISI, Special to the Times Union First published: Sunday, June 3, 2007
There's no Quaker Street in the historic Duanesburg hamlet known as Quaker Street.
There's Quaker Lane and, on Duanesburg Road, the Quaker Meeting House -- which was built in 1807 and still hosts monthly Quaker meetings. A few Quakers even still live in the area, which more than 50 Quaker families called home after moving here from Dutchess County in the late 1700s.
But you won't find a Quaker Street in Quaker Street.
"Quaker Street is a misnomer," said Duanesburg Town Historian Arthur D. Willis, a Quaker and a longtime Quaker Street resident. "When the Quakers came up in the 1780s, they settled on what is now Quaker Lane. The term Quaker Street came because so many Quakers lived along the avenue."
These days, Quaker Street is a quiet rural neighborhood, its streets dotted with century-old farmhouses and rolling lawns landscaped with colorful spring flowers. A flagpole circled by small flowers sits on a small grass island at the hamlet's only intersection, at the junction of Quaker Lane, Duanesburg Road, and Darby Hill Road.
In 1984, the Quaker Street Historic District -- the area bounded by the Schoharie Turnpike, and Gallupville and Darby Hill roads -- was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
A mix of older residents and young families live in the hamlet, which stretches about two miles along Quaker Lane and Duanesburg Road, taking in the cross streets of Maple and Bull streets, and Darby Hill, Gallupville, and Thousand Acre roads. Parents and grandparents waited for the school bus with their kids on a recent weekday morning.
Schools
Children who live in Quaker Street are enrolled in the Duanesburg Central School District; the Duanesburg Elementary School is located a few miles northeast of the hamlet, on Chadwick Road. Pupils attend the Duanesburg Elementary School from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Sixth- through eighth-graders go to the Duanesburg Middle School and graduate to the Duanesburg High School, with which had 319 students enrolled in the 2005-06 school year. According to the 2005-06 Report Card on the Schools, 77 percent of students graduating from Duanesburg High School earned a Regents diploma.
Commuting
Quaker Street is served by several thoroughfares -- Duanesburg Road, the Schoharie Turnpike (Route 74), Route 395 (Main Street, Delanson) that leads into the village of Delanson, and Darby Hill Road (Route 133).
Route 7 heading northeast leads to the Exit 24 of Interstate 88, which links with the state Thruway; the exit is located about five miles away. Quaker Street is about a 5-mile drive from I-88 Exit 23, which leads to Cobleskill (about a 25-minute drive) and points south and west.
Shopping and recreation
Wolfe's Market & Pizza sits on the north side of Duanesburg Road, across from Quaker Lane. The shop is attached to the Quaker Street Post Office -- the hamlet's one-room postal facility. From there, you can walk across Route 395 to the Quaker Street Volunteer Fire Department. Gibby's Diner, a retro 1940s-style diner, and the Quaker Inn tavern, are a short drive away. A Stewart's Shop is close by, as is a Dunkin' Donuts and a selection of small restaurants and shops located along Route 7 heading east into Quaker Street. Route 395 north leads to the village of Delanson, where more shops and restaurants can be found. A Hannaford supermarket is on Western Turnpike in Duanesburg, about 10 minutes away.
The Robert B. Shafer Memorial Park, at Duanesburg and East Shore roads, has three tennis courts, two basketball courts, soccer and softball fields, and a nature trail. The Community Playground, a wooden playground for grade schoolers, is set across the street at Duanesburg Elementary School.
The Quaker Street Library, a branch of the Schenectady County Library system, is located at the intersection of Bull Street and Route 7 in the hamlet.
Mortgages and rents
One- and two-family houses can be found in Quaker Street. A two-family, 2,500-square-foot home at 129 Darby Hill Road is selling for $169,000; it has been on the market since April 30. Both units have two bedrooms and one bathroom. Rents are $775 for the lower unit, and $675 for the upper unit.
A single-family, 2,000-square-foot home at 121 Quaker Lane sold for $157,900 -- about $3,000 below its asking price -- in May. The 130-year-old farmhouse is renovated, with three bedrooms, a computer room, two bathrooms, and a detached garage/barn.
Taxes
Homeowners pay $27.31 per $1,000 of assessed value (currently 31.7 percent) for town, county and special district property taxes; they pay $49.26 per $1,000 for school taxes. For a home valued at $100,000, the yearly tax bill will be about $2,430.
Michael Lisi is a freelance writer from Schenectady and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.
I love Gibby's Diner. We go there frequently for breakfast. It's home made, you get tons of it and it is the best. My favorite time of the year to go is in the fall when we the leaves are at their peak. Even though the drive isn't that long, it is breath taking. And when you go into Gibby's, you can see that everyone just knows everyone and you really see and get the feeling of community there. Nice place...for sure!
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
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