TOWN BUDGET Controversy

If anyone has read today’s Waterville Times, you too would wonder why all the noise is being made over the Town budget, compared to the $5.5 MILLION School budget: The school budget has a $350,000 shortfall … approximately 35% of last year’s LOCAL tax payer portion ($1,019,000). If this gap is not filled, we are looking at a tax rate of approximately $18+ per $1,000 of assessed value! ( Last year’s rate $13.54 + 35% or $4.75 increase = $18.29 per thousand. Instead, a former Supervisor appears to be making the Town budget a personal vendetta.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Area volunteer fire departments are opening their doors to residents so they can learn about what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter in their community. On Saturday, April 9, from noon to 2 p.m. and Sunday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, the Leonardsville Fire Department, located at 11306 Mill St., Leonardsville, will join the initiative with other volunteer fire departments across the state as part of National Volunteer Week 2011. The event is part of a statewide program to promote public awareness of the job volunteer firefighters do. Rogers Environmental Education Center will resume programming in May, according to a media release from the not-for-profit volunteer group Friends of Rogers Inc. The Friends group has reached an agreement with the Department of Environmental Conservation to operate the Sherburne environmental center. Friends of Rogers will continue to offer educational activities and public programs at the center.and will manage some agricultural activities. See: http://thedailystar.com/breakingnews/x300775839/Rogers-Center-to-re-open

APRIL 7, 2011 - Thursday

COMMUNITY ACTIVITY: BCS & Optimists - Community Clean up! Saturday, April 9 - 11am-2pm (weather permitting). Those interested in volunteering to clean up the area & get ready for SPRING should meet at the Academy Street Park, Brookfield. REMODELING AT THE OLD "DEERPATH" - Rt. 8 - Check out the improvements being made to this local landmark. Front porch and new roof in process. Understand Roaches? now owns. Food and liquor license pending. GAS NEWS: Pennsylvania seeks more tests to determine if hydrofracking contaminates drinking water. Pennsylvania is expanding the scope of water tests to screen for radioactive pollutants and other contaminants from the state’s booming natural gas drilling industry. The tests would check for radium, uranium and the salty dissolved solids that could potentially make drilling wastewater environmentally damaging. Pennsylvania allows partially treated drilling wastewater to be discharged into rivers from which communities draw drinking water. Most treatment facilities are unable to remove many of the pollutants in the often-toxic drilling water. See the full article at: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011 FARMING & BUSINESS NEWS: In the New York’s Creative Core’s $250,000 Emerging Business Competition today. Fisher Electric, of Munnsville in Madison County, won a $15,000 Innovations in Agri-Business prize. Fisher has developed a working prototype for a small-scale mechanical hops harvester. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011 AUBERTINE - Agriculture Commissioner Confirmed - The state Senate confirmed Darrel J. Aubertine as Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Markets. Aubertine owned and operated the sixth-generation heritage Triple-A Farm in Cape Vincent. He has been a member of numerous farm cooperatives and organizations, Most recently he served as state Senator of the 48th Senate District in Central and Northern New York comprised of Oswego, Jefferson and part of St. Lawrence counties. He served as chair of both the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Rural Resources Commission.

TUESDAY - April 6, 2011

It has been a sad few weeks with news of Bill Beach and Azor Owens passing. On an equally sad, but uplifting side, is the on Chad Wilcox whose memory is being honored this week in Ocala, FL. On April 7, his parents and fiancée will travel to Ocala, Fla., where a brick has been placed in Wilcox’s honor in the Walk of Fame of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. He joins seven others at the museum who lost their lives while drag-racing last year. We also note the passing of SPEAK IT FREE, Brookfield’s public forum in cyberspace. Thanks to Aaron Boise for his time, energy and financial commitment in bringing Brookfield into the 21st Century, braving the wrath of local “politicos” and giving us a forum for community exchange. Unfortunately, there are some out there who will be breathing a sign of relief (…but don’t get too comfortable!). Horse Owners Beware: This week, Two cases of Equine Herpesvirus 1 have been confirmed at the EQuine Hospital at Cornell University. Nearly all horses in their lifetime will be exposed to EHV-1 at some point, and therefore it is difficult to detect as it takes on a wide range of manifestations, from a complete lack of clinical symptoms, to pneumonia, to abortion in mares, to full-blown fatal neurological cases. PUBLIC HEARING – April 11 (MONDAY) - Don’t forget…it starts at 6:30 PM at the NORTH BROOKFIELD FIRE HOUSE – Purpose: Subdivision regulation changes. Followed by the REGULAR Town Board meeting. JUNK DROP OFF DAYS – SATURDAY – APRIL 16 is just around the corner. One day only and one location: Brookfield Highway Dept. Barn. Questions? Contact Rod Jennison at 899-5878 or check out the Madison Courier/Waterville Times LEGAL NOTICE section. BROOKFIELD PLANNING & APPEALS BOARD – looking for new Board members. Submit your resume to Sherri Kabana before SATURDAY… or call 899-3364 Sherry Kabana – Town Clerk. BROOKFIELD GAS COMMITTEE – The Board is looking for members to serve on an advisory only type of committee to keep the Board and community advised of developments in the gas industry and their impact on the community. Looking for FAIR & INFORMATIVE information from BOTH SIDES of the fence – so to speak. Contact Sherry Kabana or John Salka with your interest. SCHOOL BUDGET – UPDATES - Mark your calendars! May 3 (Tuesday) – Copy of Budget Available May 10 (Tuesday) – Public Hearing on the proposed BUDGET May 17 (Tuesday) - VOTE on Budget With the demise of SPEAK IT FREE, we will make a more concerted effort to bring articles of local interest to you on a daily basis. Chad Wilcox remembered - Post Standard: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/man_killed_in_cicero_snowmobil.html EHV-1 Horse Virus – Post Standard http://blog.syracuse.com/farms/2011/04/two_cases_of_possibly_deadly_v.html

GAS SEMINAR: Sat - March 26 - The Gas Company & You

THE GAS COMPANY AND YOU
9:30 AM Saturday March 26, 2011
STUAC Theater at Morrisville State College

What is compulsory integration? How are gas pipelines regulated and sited? What should I look out for in a lease? These questions and more will be addressed at a public meeting: THE GAS COMPANY AND YOU on Saturday March 26 from 9:30 – 11:30 AM at the STUAC Theater at Morrisville College.

Madison County Citizens for Safe Energy (CSE) promotes implementation of best practices for safe natural gas development in Madison County and is sponsoring the event. The guest speakers, Ken Holden and Jane Welsh, both attorneys, and Dave Palmerton, an environmental services consultant, will address the topic and answer questions.

Please join CSE in its efforts to secure a safe and prosperous future for Madison County.

Congratulations - ENDLESS TRAILS!!!

Congratulations to....

David and Pam Williams of Endless Trails Farm who have earned the 2011 Conservation Farm of the Year designation from Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Soil and Water Conservation District News.

(Brookfield, Hamilton, NY – March 2011) The Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District welcomes all area farmers, friends and conservation enthusiasts to a complimentary luncheon in celebration of Endless Trails Farm, LLC, owned by David and Pam Williams for being awarded the prestigious 2011 Conservation Farm of the Year for Madison County.

This special day will take place Thursday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton, which will highlight local grass-fed meat from Sunnybrook Farm, owned by Dan and Melissa Williams.

This 31st annual conservation award embodies the hard work, commitment and passion of the Williams family that founded the Endless Trails Farm in 2003 on the premise of turning the land back to an all-grass system, highlighting the farm’s interest in agri-tourism opportunities and in the words of Pam, “preserving a local treasure.”

The town of Brookfield farm encompasses 336 acres of certified organic land intertwined with woodlands, horse trails, hedgerows, ponds and riparian areas adjacent to Pleasant Brook and the Brookfield Trail System.

The grasslands are in hay production and a planned 30-paddock grazing system that feeds a 55-head cow/calf beef herd, 20 yearlings and 30 head of custom-grazed organic dairy heifers.
It is also home to a thriving agri-tourism venture featuring a six-bedroom guesthouse, accompanied by an enclosed 12-horse stall barn, outdoor event pavilion, wagon and sleigh rides with the caveat of eating beef directly from the farm.

Since 2003, the family has maintained a steady, long-term approach to implementing common-sense conservation practices that include a comprehensive nutrient management plan, a grazing management system, more than 30,000 feet of fence, 4,000 feet of waterline, spring developments, reinforced stream crossings, watering facilities, animal walkways, wetland and wildlife habitat enhancements and riparian buffers with more than 2,000 trees planted.
These measures have enhanced water quality throughout the property, with program funding and technical assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, the state Agricultural Environmental Management Program, the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition.

“In the beginning we joked about calling it the ‘Endless Work Farm’ but realize now how fruitful the journey has been to meet our longterm goals and create an enjoyable environment for ourselves, our customers and our community,” said Dave and Pam. “Receiving this award just enhances all the sweat equity put forth on behalf of protecting and conserving our local resources for future generations.”

To join for the luncheon to honor the Williams family, call the Madison County SWCD office at (315) 824-9849 to secure your reservation.

GAS: NY Times Series: Waste Water Treatment Failure to Regulate by EPA & PA

Below is a link to the NYTimes series on gas drilling in Central NY with excellent interactive slideshows that explain the procedure and issues... takes 5 minutes! Definitely worth the INVESTMENT in understanding this hot topic.

Part 3 of the series, ("Drilling Down"), focuses on the Gas industry's efforts to undermine studies of the "hydrofracking", "waste water" treatment, and environmental laws in neighboring PENNSYLVANNIA.

Due to its political $influence$, the Gas industry does not need to comply with our most basic anti-pollution laws that regulate most other heavy industries and were written to protect air and drinking water from radioactive and hazardous chemicals. For example, Coal mine operators that want to inject toxic wastewater into the ground must get permission from the federal authorities. But when natural gas companies want to inject chemical-laced water and sand into the ground during hydrofracking, they do not have to follow the same rules.

WASTE WATER TREATMENT Pennsylvania officials have acknowledged that sewage treatment plants are not able to treat drilling waste fully before it is discharged into rivers, sometimes just a few miles upstream from drinking water intake plants. Pennsylvania, has staunchly resisted calls to stop issuing permits to treatment plants handling drilling waste.

Drillers throughout the country are watching Pennsylvania to see whether the EPA/federal agency will overrule the state’s decisions on how to dispose of drilling waste. The central question on this issue: Should drillers in Pennsylvania be allowed to dump “mystery liquids” into public waterways? Under federal law, certain basic rules govern sewage treatment plants. At their core, these rules say two things: operators have to know what is in the waste they receive, and they have to treat this waste to make it safe before discharging it into waterways. We need to watch developments in PA to see our future... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/us/04gas.html?ref=drillingdown&pagewanted=all