The Altamont Enterprise Feature Story for the week of July 29, 2010:
This week in Guilderland
As three vie for seat, Guilderland School Board united in re-appointing Emilio Genzano
Photo: The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer
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Vying for a single seat, three candidates were interviewed last Thursday for the Guilderland School Board. Emilio Genzano, center, was reappointed in a 7-to-0 vote. He is flanked by newcomers Carlene Pacholczak and James Anderson.
GUILDERLAND — Emilio Genzano is happy to be back on the Guilderland School Board.
“I enjoy passing on the good given to me and my family,” he said last Thursday night. He and his wife, Jill, have three children — Emilio Jr., Joseph, and Maria.
Genzano will now fill the seat vacated by Julie Cuneo in June; she moved to Saratoga with her family after serving one year of a three-year term. Genzano will serve until the next election, on May 17.
Genzano works as the assistant vice president for engineering and construction at Albany Medical Center. He had run unsuccessfully for the school board in 2001 and 2002 before being appointed last year.
Melissa Hale-Spencer
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DOC shifts some tear-gas drills to central New York
GUILDERLAND — After patrons of the Albany Country Club suffered eye and throat irritation from exposure to tear gas on July 5, the state’s Department of Correctional Services has decided to move its chemical smoke exercises to an alternate location.
— Anne Hayden
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Roundabout with fly-over bridge proposed for Fuller Road
Photo supplied by Creighton Manning Engineering
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Sixteen million dollar intersection reconstruction: Creighton Manning Engineering presented the public with its preferred alternative for the reconstruction of the intersection of Fuller Road and Washington Avenue at a meeting on July 22. The project includes pushing the intersection north, and building a two-lane roundabout on Fuller Road, with a four-lane bridge going over Fuller to connect Washington Avenue and Washington Avenue Extension. The proposed project would reduce the number of vehicles going through the intersection by 20,000 per day, and would make the intersection more pedestrian and cyclist friendly.
ALBANY COUNTY — In three years, a roundabout with a bridge over it may ease traffic jams on Fuller Road.
Representatives from Creighton Manning Engineering held a public meeting on July 22 to discuss the preferred alternative for reconstruction of the Fuller Road and Washington Avenue intersection.
The solution presented to the audience of more than 100 people was a two-lane roundabout, with a four-lane bridge over Fuller Road, connecting Washington Avenue with Washington Avenue Extension; the project would cost $16.5 million.
Each day, about 60,000 cars that travel through the intersection, along with the cyclists and pedestrians, causing traffic jams and delays.
The county first identified the need for change at the intersection, which currently has a traffic light and has limited pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, in 2002, according to Jeffrey Pangburn, the project manager of Creighton Manning Engineering’s consulting team. Federal funding for the project was secured in 2005, and the engineering firm was selected for the project in 2007.
— Anne Hayden
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A drop in the bucket?
$500K grant from DOT will start $7M project to ease flooding in McKownville
GUILDERLAND — A $500,000 grant awarded to Guilderland last Friday by the state’s Department of Transportation will begin a $7 million project to ease flooding problems that have plagued McKownville for decades.
The stormwater system has been an issue in McKownville for at least 34 years, the amount of time that Don Reeb, the president of the McKownville Improvement Association, has been involved with the organization. The problem has gotten more urgent over the past four years, as flooding and sinkholes have gotten more frequent and abundant.
In 2008, the Plant family, who live on Providence Street, had a basement wall collapse due to flooding, which resulted in $15,000 of damage. Last year, at least two separate sinkholes appeared in McKownville residents’ driveways. Josh Merlis, who lives on Knowles Terrace, had a sinkhole eight to 12 inches in diameter form in his driveway last summer, and a very similar hole appeared in his neighbor’s driveway.
— By Anne Hayden
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Cops queried by GPD
GUILDERLAND — An internal investigation in the police department here could lead to the suspension of in-car computer use for at least four officers.
The town of about 34,000 residents has approximately 30 officers.
Police cars are equipped with mobile data terminals, which, according to department policy, “provide field officers with independent access to police data.” According to a description of the terminals, they allow individual officers to access data more rapidly.
“They are basically like computers in the cars that allow the officers to message back and forth,” said Carol Lawlor, chief of police.
The recent investigation within the department is based on allegations that certain officers misused the terminals. Regulations for use of the terminals clarify that they should be used for law enforcement purposes only. Lawlor declined to comment on how that terminals had been misused.
— Anne Hayden
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Circle of Champs brightens life for ill children and their families year-round
Photo: The Enterprise — Michael Koff
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Dependent on volunteers: A counselor helps a Circle of Champs participant build sandcastles at the end of a week at Camp Nassau. The Guilderland YMCA’s Circle of Champs program provides seriously ill children and their families with free monthly activities, and a week at Camp Nassau.
GUILDERLAND — The Circle of Champs program gives seriously ill children and their families a chance to make friends, give and receive support, and help each other heal.
One of its founders is Sandra Nardoci; she lost her father to cancer, and said he often told her that she should not feel sorry for him, and that it was the surviving family members who would suffer the most. Nardoci said watching her father handle his illness motivated her to begin volunteering with ill children over 20 years ago.
Circle of Champs was founded nearly 15 years ago by four people who had been volunteers for a day camp called Good Days and Special Times — Nardoci, Rob Nazarian, and Jay and Todd Vandervort.
Nardoci said that, when the day camp ended its program, she and her co-founders wanted to continue providing children and families with support and activities. The group of four set out on their own, but found they had trouble funding the different activities they wanted to organize.
— Anne Hayden
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This week in New Scotland
Krumkill Road reopens
NEW SCOTLAND — Krumkill Road is open again and will likely move slightly to the south.
On June 25, the town closed a section of the road near the Normans Kill because for years the fill beneath that stretch of road has been sliding, creating a scarp, or a break in the pavement.
The town has fixed the surface of the road in the area to serve for the near future and will begin the process to move the road roughly 1,000 feet to the south, said Darrell Duncan, the highway superintendent.
— Saranac Hale Spencer
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Songs to celebrate summer at Thacher Park
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Traditional Strings, as the informal band of more than a dozen local musicians is called, will be playing at an all-day concert at Thacher park this Saturday. Four local acts will take the stage over the course of the day, starting at 11 a.m.
ALBANY COUNTY — Summer’s siren song calls people to the Helderberg escarpment every year. This Saturday, it will be given a defined voice as Thacher Park hosts a day-long concert.
George Robinson, a biology professor at the University at Albany, will play traditional folk music that features natural elements.
“I was into music before I was into biology,” he said — his two interests have become entwined.
Growing up in an Irish family, music was always around. He spent his Friday and Saturday nights in Chicago, singing Celtic music at a Welsh pub, and on Sunday morning he rode his motorcycle to a Presbyterian church to teach old hymns.
“I like to find the roots of music,” he said of learning the hymns.
“If you go back to the roots, you realize why people write songs,” Robinson said. They do it to tell stories, he said — the stories of lives, movements, and the things they love.
The songs he likes best are those that relate to nature and conservation. They aren’t hard to come by, he said, explaining that any love song usually invokes spring, summer, trees, birds, or skies.
— Saranac Hale Spencer
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This week in The Hilltowns
Galway Kinnell to read in Rensselaerville
Photo by Karen Peluso
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Galway Kinnell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet at 83, will be reading his work for an audience of 100 this Saturday at Conkling Hall in Rensselaerville — cheese and wine included.
RENSSELAERVILLE — Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Galway Kinnell will make his way to the Hilltowns this weekend to share his thoughts with an audience of 100.
“I will be reading my work, some of it old, some if it new,” Kinnell told The Enterprise.
At 83, he has written poetry for more than 50 years, and published more than a dozen books of verse.
“I’m always seeking a kind of clarity about things, and about events, and about language,” he said of why, after all these years, he has continued writing. “Sometimes, it’s a thrilling understanding of what I’m talking about. I kind of have to write it to really understand it.”
— Zach Simeone
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End of an era?
Knox Country Store closes its doors
Photo: Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff
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A happier time? For years, the Knox Country Store was as much a social hangout as a convenience store, where bands practiced as customers shopped. Last year, Joseph Best, right, returned to the store to sign copies of his book, Aim for the Red Brick Wall. In the fall of 2007, Best sold the store to his stepson, David Lipper, left. The store closed last week, and is being sold for $350,000.
KNOX — The Knox Country Store, long a social hub for town residents as well as a place of convenience, closed last week and is being sold by its owner. It moved into its current location in the hamlet on Berne Altamont Road in July of 1978.
“Really, it was just due to many different factors,” said David Lipper, the store’s current owner, of why he closed the business. “The economy definitely played in, but there were some personal changes, which I’m not really going to go into, which forced us to close.”
Lipper bought the store from his stepfather, Joseph Best, in the fall of 2007. Best, a former Knox Town Board member, thinks that the store might have survived if it received more local support.
— Zach Simeone
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This week in Regional News
Confounding counterfeiters
ALBANY COUNTY — More fake bills are being passed in Albany County stores than ever before.
“Once it’s been passed to a retailer and is in the cash drawer, it’s useless. It’s theft,” said Ted Potrikus, the vice president of the Retail Council of New York State.
The Albany County District Attorney’s Office is working with the United States Secret Service and local business groups to stop counterfeiters.
There have been 20 arrests of counterfeiters in Albany County in the last year, according to Christopher Baynes, the bureau chief of the financial crimes unit for the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. “That’s more than in my whole career,” said Baynes, who has been on the job for 16 years.
Asked why, he said, “A lot of it is technology. Anyone with a color laser printer can make counterfeit bills.” He went on, “Most people we get are not the creators. They pay pennies on the dollar and pass it on.”
Asked about the redesign of United States currency in recent years to make the bills harder to counterfeit, Baynes said, “The new bills are better but are meant to foil sophisticated counterfeiters. We’re mostly dealing with people not getting super bills from overseas. We have busted people with a printer in their house.”
The Capital District is a magnet for counterfeit bills, Baynes said, because it is fed by both the Northway and Thruway and is close to major metropolitan centers.
“Someone can easily drive from New York City,” he said, “ and hit a couple of stores and go back.”
— Melissa Hale-Spencer
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This week in Sports
Hilltop Hoppers a force
Adirondack wins 11 medals in water sports
Photo: The Enterprise — Michael Koff
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“That was awesome!” said by Rory Taylor of Alplaus, second from front, after her team won a silver medal in the four-person kayak race at the Empire State Games. The other paddlers on the team were Kristen Norray of Berne, in front; Meghan Araldi of Westerlo, third; and Alexandra Loucks of Altamont, in back.
AMHERST — Wind and rain in their faces, the Hilltop Hoppers’ kayak pulls to a sudden stop after a race during the Empire State Games on Friday. Like clockwork, the Adirondack racers sync their motions so the stroke is like one, and, with every young pounding heart, comes two very tired arms.
“Like a clock. Tick…tick… tick,” Coach Jill Norray yells across the water to her teams in the passing boats.
With Norray at the helm, the young Hilltop Hoppers women’s team consists of four girls from ages 8 to 12 in singles, doubles, and four-person kayaks, and canoes.
The Hoppers, which started as a snowshoe program for Helderbergers, also had a number of skilled male paddlers this year. The Staubach brothers each won medals in the 200-meter kayak race — Chad got a bronze and Justin a gold.
— Forest Byrd
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Hannay wins another medal in 19th appearance at Games
Photo: The Enterprise — Michael Koff
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Silver warrior: Scott Hannay, of Westerlo, wins his 12th Javelin medal at the Empire State Games — a silver.
BUFFALO –– Scott Hannay may need to find a bigger drawer for all of his Empire State Summer Games memorabilia after winning his 12th medal in the javelin on Thursday.
Hannay, 46, of Westerlo, took on competitors half his age at the University of Buffalo in the Open Men’s Javelin event. He threw a distance of 52.7 meters to win his eighth silver medal –– adding to a stash that includes three bronze, and one gold from 2006.
“There is a drawer at home full of medals and uniforms,” said Hannay after receiving his silver.
“Our kids like to pull out all the old uniforms to wear them because they look funky,” added Hannay’s wife, Beverly.
It was Hannay’s 19th trip to the Games for javelin and he couldn’t think of any other athlete who had been at it as long. “I can’t think of other throwers here that have competed as long as I have,” he said.
The Greeks used the javelin as a weapon of war. It’s a competition that mixes throwing, running, and jumping.
“It’s an aggressive act and you can’t be subtle,” Hannay said. “People scream and yell because it does nasty things to your body. It’s a rush to say the least.”
Ray Kaplin from Hudson Valley had a throw of 53.04 meters to narrowly beat Hannay for the gold medal. “It was a decent throw,” Hannay said of his own effort. “When you see your name on the big board, it will jack you up a little bit.”
–– Jordan J. Michael
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Adirondack ice hockey team starts slow, improves with time
Photo: The Enterprise — Michael Koff
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Good skate: Tyler Hynes, left, a rising junior at Guilderland High School, takes the puck from a Central New York player to make his move in a game which Hynes’s team, Adirondack, lost, 6 to 0. Hynes did score three goals over the weekend in Adirondack’s wins over Hudson Valley and Western New York.
BUFFALO –– Ice hockey in the middle of the summer?
Seems like strange timing.
Hockey isn’t a summer sport, but young men and women came to the Buffalo area to compete in the Empire State Summer Games. The Scholastic Men’s Adirondack team had its first of five games last Thursday against Central.
“It’s hard to find ice in the summer,” said Tyler Hynes, a rising junior from Guilderland and the only local player on the Adirondack team. “It does feel a little odd to be playing right now, but it’s a nice opportunity.”
Fans were dressed in summer clothing, but it was freezing cold inside the rink.
“At least we’re staying cool,” Hynes said.
What wasn’t cool for Adirondack was the outcome of the game –– a 6-to-0 loss to Central after giving up two goals in the first period. Hynes, a forward, started the game, but spent most of his time in the first period fighting for the puck against the boards.
“The first 10 minutes screwed us pretty bad,” said Hynes after the game. “Central got some bounces.”
–– Jordan J. Michael
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Meyers sisters win bronze in field hockey
Photo: The Enterprise –– Jordan J. Michael
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The stretch: Guilderland’s Megan Meyers (left) tries to get possession back for the Adirondack field hockey team in its game against Hudson Valley on Friday at the Empire State Summer Games in Buffalo. Adirondack won the bronze medal on Sunday, but lost this game, 6-1.
BUFFALO –– Beth Meyers, of Guilderland, tries to stop goals while her younger sister, Megan, tries to score goals.
Megan, a rising junior at Guilderland, scored the winning penalty shot on Sunday against Western that earned the Adirondack field hockey team a bronze medal at the Empire State Summer Games in Buffalo. Beth, who will be attending Siena College next fall, made four saves in goal.
Since Beth and Megan play on opposite sides of the field, they basically have no interaction during a game. Megan focuses on her opponent’s goal and Beth concentrates on her own.
“We don’t talk much at all during a game,” said Beth after a 6-to-1 loss to Hudson Valley on Friday. “We’ll talk about it during the ride home.”
Beth is the only returning player from the 2008 Adirondack team. Megan joined her sister for the Games this summer after the pair played together on Guilderland’s varsity team last fall.
“I didn’t really know what field hockey was before I played, but I saw what Beth was doing,” said Megan. “I tried it out and enjoyed myself. I played some defense and then realized I’d rather score goals.”
–– Jordan J. Michael
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Lady Dutch lacrosse players help Adirondack win first ever medal
Photo: The Enterprise — Michael Koff
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Scooping up: Adirondack and Guilderland High School player Erin Mossop, right, scoops up a loose ball in the first period of Adirondack’s loss to Western in Scholastic Girls Lacrosse at the Empire State Games.
NIAGARA COUNTY –– Lady Dutch lacrosse players love to win. It doesn’t really matter what city they’re in.
Guilderland players Erin Mossop, Jess Madsen, Shelby Iapoce, and Amanda Van Auken went to the Buffalo area for the Empire State Summer Games and helped the Adirondack women’s lacrosse team win its first medal in nine years of competition.
Adirondack beat Central, 11 to 6, on Sunday for the bronze medal. Mossop scored three goals and Madsen had eight saves in goal. Iapoce and Van Auken played defense in all six games for Adirondack.
“We get to interact with all the best players in the state,” said Mossop after a tight 11-to-10 loss to Western on Saturday.
“This is the perfect way to see where you stand,” said Van Auken. “All the best are here.”
In Saturday’s game, Adirondack had a chance to play for the gold medal if it won by four goals. Instead, the team lost by one and settled for the bronze-medal game.
“Our region has grown a lot,” Iapoce said.
“You see much better players out here than usual,” said Madsen. “We have to step our game up. It’s much harder.”
–– Jordan J. Michael
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Nelson runs far and wide for silver and gold
Photo: The Enterprise — Michael Koff
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A silver smile: Zachary Nelson of Knox smiles as he receives his silver medal in the Scholastic Men’s 1500-meter race at the Empire State Games awards ceremony.
BUFFALO –– Zach Nelson, of Knox, runs an average of 56 miles per week. He doesn’t mind the rain, but he overheats quickly.
So, when a rainstorm rolled through Buffalo on Friday during Nelson’s 3000-meter steeplechase race at the Empire State Summer Games, he didn’t fret. Nelson kept a steady pace and won gold with a time of 10:05.
“It rained the whole time and hailed for an entire lap,” said Nelson, who ran cross-country and track at Albany Academy for four years. “I do well in the elements, so I felt good. The adrenaline was pumping and I didn’t want to give up.”
On Saturday, the heat was intense for Nelson’s 1500-meter race. He had the lead with 400 meters to go, but conceded the gold to Austin Lane. Nelson overheated, but still won silver.
“The heat is no good,” Nelson said after the race. He chose to run cross-country and track at St. Lawrence University because the North Country school has cooler weather.
— Jordan J. Michael
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