Shore Lines the Saratoga Lake Association P.O

Shore Lines The Saratoga Lake Association P.O. Box 2152 Ballston Spa, NY 12020 www.saratogalake.org www.facebook.com/saratogalake/ November 3, 2014

Julie Annotto, co-editor Sharon Urban, co-editor [email protected] [email protected]

What is taking so long to fill that bird feeder? Falling Into Winter

A Message from the President Annual Holiday Party Panza's Restaurant I visited the Waterfront Park in the City of Saratoga Thursday, December 11, 2014 Springs which is closed for construction and am happy Carol Dooley – [email protected] to report that significant construction is occurring. Cathy McKenna—[email protected] Our Holiday Party will be at Panza's on Wednesday, Dianne Fedoronko—[email protected] December 11th. Ed Kinowski, Town of Stillwater Supervisor, will discuss plans for a Winterfest at Brown's Beach. Cash Bar for Entire Event We are still seeking a Chair of the Events Commit- 5:30-6:30PM tee. This is a very important role within SLA. Please let Chef’s Selection of Butler Served Hors D’oeuvres me know if you are interested or know of qualified candi- 6:30PM dates. Holiday Buffet Served Chopped Salad continued page 2 Warm Dinner Rolls and Creamery Butter Rigatoni a’La Jillian Another Membership Season Begins Soon (penne with broccoli, sundried tomatoes, reggiano, EVO) Chicken Franchaise Dear Members, Seafood Fra Diablo Please watch for your membership letters and forms Chef Carved Roast Beef Fingerling Potato in your mailbox during November. Seasonal Vegetables We are a fairly large organization and while making Holiday Dessert sure we comply with our legal and fiduciary responsibili- Brewed Regular and Decaffeinated Coffee and Herbal Teas ties it may appear some things have changed. Be as- Price Per Person sured we are the same concerned organization with a $35.00 Inclusive commitment to our community who also likes to get together and have some fun! Send your reservation and check to Dianne Fedoronko, continued page 2 c/o SLA, PO Box 2152, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. The deadline for reservations is November 21st.

BRIGHT IDEAS, photos, news, information, adventures and your creative inspirations are what we would like MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO SLA from you. Submissions to [email protected]. Next Shore Lines deadline is November 21. 2 President, continued Membership, continued

At our October Board meeting, we had a guest speaker, Our dues remain the same. Our commitment to our Blue R. Neils. Blue wears many hats. He is employed by mission statement remains the same. We encourage family both Saratoga County and the Cornell Cooperative Exten- involvement as always. To clarify voting privileges, we have sion. He leads the Inter-municipal Storm Water Manage- individual memberships. We would like to try adding ment Program for the County and is Chair of the Saratoga speakers to our events which further supports our mission. County Water Quality Coordinating Committee, CPESC, Being a new membership chair person, I have much to CNS4S. Blue is the Saratoga County Storm Water Man- learn and am looking forward to speaking with you regard- agement Program Coordinating. In addition he is a mem- ing any ideas you have. Thanks again to Sharon for all of ber of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the your work as past membership chair. I certainly appreciate Kayderosseras and works closely with Saratoga Plan. the amount of effort it takes. Blue focused his presentation on the Saratoga Lake Wa- I look forward to seeing all of you as we move into an tershed, the on-going, burgeoning efforts of coordination exciting new year. and cross-pollination among the County Water Quality Coordinating Committee, Friends of the Kayderosseras, Georgia Hinchman the Saratoga Lake Association and Saratoga Lake Protec- Membership Chair Person tion and Improvement District. He spoke about where he sees these partnerships paying dividends and where they Beware of Microsoft Scammers can continue to do so in the future. Blue explained how by Steve Bleznyk were are all interconnected and provided an example of how pollution in one part of the watershed will eventually “I’ve been getting a lot of calls from customers lately make its way to the rest of the watershed. Please see the who say someone from Microsoft (or "Windows" or some article that Blue has contributed for this edition of Shore variation) is calling them to say they have a virus on their Lines. computer. This is a scam. Microsoft will NEVER call you. SLA and SLPID will be meeting to discuss projects If you follow along with them, they ask you to allow them where we can collaborate. One specific example is the Citi- to connect to your computer, where zen's Statewide Lake Assessment ("CSLAP") where water they then try to fool you into believing quality samples are taken and sent to the NYS DEC. Some your computer is infected. Once they of the concrete actions that came out of our discussion in- have access, they demand money for it clude developing a common date among the various organ- to be fixed, or offer a “warranty” for izations for road-side clean-ups and chestnut weed-pulls and upwards of $300. No such warranty doing joint press releases. We are going to reach out to exists, and the website they ask you to other significant organizations that use the Lake to seek use for payments is a fake site that does more volunteers to make these programs more success- nothing but collect your credit card number for them to ful. SLA is also investigating a tire recycling pro- abuse. gram. Please contact me if you are aware of a significant Unfortunately for some, they fell for it and the scam- number of tires around the lake and believe this is a pro- mers starting helping themselves to money whenever they gram that we should pursue. wanted. If you receive a call like this, tell them you do Beau Stallard, owner of the Fish Creek Marina and the not have a computer. Tell them you've never had a com- Kayak Shack was elected to the SLA Board of Direc- puter. They will know they are being caught in a lie, and tors. Beau has already hit the ground running by coordi- will hang up.” nating a paddle safety course for May of 2015. Because of the Holidays, the Board will not be meeting Steve Bleznyk, Computer Repair Tech in either November and December. On behalf of the (518) 701-9058, [email protected] Officers and Board Members, I would like to wish you all an early very cheerful and wonderful holiday season.

All my best, A “Timely” Reminder By now you have set all the clocks in your home back Alan one hour. Did you remember to replace the batter- ies in your smoke detector? If not, please do so im-

mediately. It could save your and your family’s life!! 3

FAB 8 OPEN HOUSE Join us on November 11 — 5:30-8 p.m. The Fab 8 Open House will provide an interactive educational experi- ence to learn about the Company, the Fab 8 Campus and the semiconductor industry. Exhibits will include:  Show & Tell: Get an up-close look at patterned wafers, packaged chips and reticles used in the manufacturing process. Try on the cleanroom "bunny suits" our employees wear in the Fab 8 cleanroom. Fab 8 "Where are we Now?": Learn more about the construction and operation of the most leading-edge semiconductor foundry manufacturing facility in the US.  FIRST® Robotics Demonstration: The Shenendehowa and Ballston Spa High School robotics teams Parking is recommended at the TEC-SMART lot at 345 Hermes will showcase the robots they design, build and compete with around Road where a shuttle bus will be provided. Handicap parking will be the country. The GLOBALFOUNDRIES-Town of Malta Founda- available at the Fab 8 campus. tion is proud to support these local teams. 4

Donna Bove writes, “My family at the Mechanicville Stillwater Breast Cancer Walk on the 12th. We were all there to support my daughter, Tina, who is a 5 year breast cancer survivor! G.A. Bove was a corpo- rate sponsor and Tina had her own team 'Positive Power' which was her mantra going through every- thing 5 years ago. Tina won 3rd place, having 99 people on her team. It was a beautiful day and such a worthy cause! Pic-John and I, Tina, Dee, Justin and Abby Pugliese and John, Tracy, Michael and Matthew Bove!”

SLPID Building

Neal Kramer submitted this picture of a flock of cormorants — at least 60 strong.

The structure to house the weed harvesting equipment is progressing quickly. Thanks to Ed Dweck for keeping us updated with photographs! 5

Town of Saratoga News Revenues are about the same and costs are being kept Thomas N. Wood, III under control. Town tax rate has actually gone down Supervisor over the last 10 years. The property tax cap for 2015 is 1.56% and the Governor's office is requiring that the Warm Greetings to Everyone! town creates a multiyear plan for reducing the costs of The holidays of November remind us to be thank- government by early next year. The state will be con- ful for and appreciative of the good fortune and many ducting a training session on developing this plan in blessings that each of us in our town has received over this December. Unemployment is still lower here in Sarato- past year. ga County than in other areas of the state and nation, The November meeting of the Town Board will fuel costs are dropping. Saratoga County property taxes be conducted on Thursday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m. A will remain the same. Property owners have told us no public hearing on the 2015 budget will be conducted and new taxes and reduce the current taxes if possible. Sen- the budget adopted. The budget is lean and responsible. ior citizens receiving social security will receive a mini- Our budget goal was to have no tax increase and maintain mum raise of 1.7% for the next year. Most companies the level of services to residents. To accomplish this there and businesses are barely holding their own. will be a 1.5% pay increase for town employees during Make no doubt about it - We are still in tough 2015. Cuts were made in many departments. There were times. Tough times call for tough actions. As a board a few areas of increase to cover higher expenses in areas we approached the budgeting process with the goal of such as salaries (1.5%) and insurance. Using additional controlling expenses and maintaining the current level revenues and available fund balance the town tax rate will of services to residents. We made cuts and yet provided increase by $.0068 per 1000 assessment to $1.1269. If revenue for needed services and anticipated cost increas- your home is assessed at $200,000. Your town taxes will es such as insurance. increase by $1.20. The Town of Saratoga tax rate is lower We have proposed salary increases of 1.5% to town em- than that of our neighboring towns. The complete 2015 ployees. WE cut spending from many departments, Town Budget is on the town web site. We are using more of our fund balance. When you The town offices will be closed Tuesday, Novem- budget closer, you end up with less money left over at ber 11th in observance of Veterans’ Day. In addition the the end of the year. WE budgeted closer to actual costs Town offices will be closed November 27th and 28th for the with less slack figuring that there would not be any unex- Thanksgiving holiday. pected costs. There were a few areas of increases. We moved items to the appropriate budget codes and in Town Budget Message some cases this will save the town some money. WE We begin the public hearing on the proposed 2015 have revised the budget several times looking for more Town of Saratoga Budget I would like to review some ways to find savings. We are staying under the property basic information about the budget process and back- tax cap of 1.56% ground information that influenced our actions regarding This is a lean budget. It is a responsible budget. The the development of this budget. total town budget increased 37,059 or 1.5% . We are A Budget is our best estimate of appropriations and using more of our fund balance so the actual tax levy receipts for the coming year. Budget preparation is a pro- increased by only $9,049. Or 1.5% . the total taxable cess and not a single event. It has been ongoing since Au- assessed value of property in the town of Saratoga in- gust. Department Heads provided input regarding their creased $4,893,720. The net impact of this increase is needs for next year, prior years’ expenses were reviewed, The town tax rate will increase by an estimated $.0068 and the town board met on two occasions to work on the or .6% per thousand of assessment. The estimated tax budget. The formula for a good budget begins with the rate will be $1.1269. the rate in 2014 was $1.1201. establishment of sound goals and a vision, supported by This represents an increase of 6 tenths of one cent per the involvement of the stakeholders, careful analysis of thousand dollars of assessed valuation. revenues and expenses, followed by a review and adjust- ment of the governing body. Goals for this year’s budget News from the Assessor’s Office included having no or minimum tax increase and main- The Assessor’s Office continues update our file for taining the level of services to the residents. the 2015 Assessment Roll.. If you have a concern about It should be of no great surprise to anyone that we are still your property, now is the time to come in and discuss it in challenging times in regards to the economic recovery. with the Assessor. If you have questions or concerns,

continued continued next page 6 Wood, continued development of a SPA Solar Park. We expect to break ground next year at the Weibel Avenue Landfill on a 2 please do not hesitate to contact our office at 695-3644, mega watt solar array that will help stabilize our energy cost ext. 312. Our office is located at 12 Spring Street on and will most likely save tax payers with a reduction in city nd the 2 floor. The Assessor’s Office is currently open energy costs. I am also in the process of investigating hy- Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. dro energy options. There are many exciting developments Exemption renewal forms will be mailed in early De- happening with wind, solar and hydro and I enjoy working cember and will be due to the Assessor by March 1, on energy projects that will help stabilize our costs and save 2015. If you receive Basic STAR and receive a request money for taxpayers. to register with NYS Department of Tax and Finance, In addition to my work as your Finance Commissioner, please follow the directions on the mailing. You do not in May of 2014 I started working at the Saratoga Springs need to re-apply with the Town Assessor. If you are new Public Library as your Financial Literacy Coordinator, and to the Town, please submit all applications for exemp- have been designing a program called Common Cents @ tions before March 1, 2015. Your Library. I have been scheduling programs at the library on a variety of topics having to do with the basics of financial literacy: how to start a small business, basics of budgeting, understanding your credit and your credit rat- News from the City of Saratoga Springs ing, the basics of investing, etc. I’ve built up the collection Commissioner of Finance, Michele Madigan with books and databases for these programs available at the library, and also designed a financial literacy website - The City Finance Department has been busy this year. check out http://guides.sspl.org/financialliteracy. The At this time, the 2015 city budget process is in full swing Common Cents @ Your Library programs will run through and I hope to have it unanimously passed by the City July 2015. Council sometime in November. This Budget represents a Please do not hesitate to contact me at City Hall. I can 0% tax increase for the taxpayers of Saratoga Springs, and be reached by email or telephone and my contact infor- if you happen to live in the “outside” tax district you will mation can be found at http://www.saratoga-springs.org see a slight reduction in your taxes for 2015. under the Finance Department. Public input is a crucial The “Budget” is the aggregation of all City budgets. part of the all our city processes. Please let me know your Each budget addresses the funding needed to complete its ideas and priorities for the City. particular task. The largest of these is the Operations Budget, the budget for the City’s day-to-day operations during the year. We also have a Capital Budget for proposed capital projects, mostly funded via municipal bonds; the Debt Service Budget for interest and principal payments on debt issued in support of the Capital Budget; and the Subsidiary Budgets for Water, Sewer, the City Center, and the Special Assessment Districts. As you know, Finance has ensured funds are included in the Capital Budget to enable the City to continue moving forward on Fire / EMS services to the Eastern Plateau. In addition, to working on a budget that has no tax increase for 2015, the Finance Department recently re- financed several of our yearly bonds this year. The refinancing of these bonds resulted in a savings of 2.3M dollars for taxpayers over the next 20 years. This was a very successful refinancing project and was a direct result of our excellent AA+ bond rating, something we attained and have maintained under my tenure as Finance Commission- er. This beautiful splash of color is a smoke bush located at Nick Another successful project for Finance was the news and Julie Annotto’s home. The picture was taken today, that we received grant funding from NYSERDA for the just when the bush had its brightest foliage. continued 7 Honda Commercial Produced in our Area News from Saratoga Plan

A Honda commercial that used a heavy lift drone, pictured below, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today an- to film aerial sequences, is now airing in regular rotation in our area. nounced $17.6 million to protect more than The D.C. based production company that produced the spot is using 6,400 acres of farmland across New York drones and member and aerial photographer Bob Eastman joined State, which will maintain the land’s use for them for a chance to observe the technology in action. agricultural purposes and keep the land free Shot in Albany, Lake George and at the 9P Boat launch, the com- from future development. The funds, which mercial features a short (but nice) shot of a Honda SUV driving south are made available through the Farmland across the 9P bridge. A screen shot is attached at the bottom. Protection Implementation Program, will help preserve 21 farms in 12 counties across Thanks, Bob, for sharing this news and photos. Now we can all keep the state, and bring the total acreage under watch for this commercial! the program to approximately 59,000 acres. The Farmland Protection Implementation Program provides funds to protect viable farmland from conversion to non-farm uses through the use of perpetual conservation easements or shorter-term lease of development rights. Since 1996, New York has awarded nearly $195 million for farmland protection projects, assisting 223 projects with local partners in 29 counties. Below are the two land trusts in our area.

Town of Stillwater, Saratoga County - $844,613 - This land trust will permanently protect property as part of Welcome Stock Farm, a 556-acre dairy operation that bor- ders the Saratoga National Historic Park and a portion of the Old Champlain Canal. The Open Space Institute will contribute $260,000 and the Town of Stillwater will contribute an additional $22,000 towards this project.

Town of Ballston, Saratoga County - $968,471 - This land trust will permanently protect the Wm. H. Buckley Farm, a 260- acre livestock operation, which includes an onsite farm-store, café, and butcher shop. 8

Saratoga Sailing School

Photos by Hunter Currin And Ann Siedman

Giving Thanks for the Breeze By Laura Rappaport As Thanksgiving approaches, the sailors among us give thanks for the fresh breezes that propel our boats; the sunshine that warms our backs; the life jackets that keep us afloat – and the awesome in- struction at the Saratoga Sailing School, a program of the Saratoga Lake Sailing Club. The schedule of Summer 2015 will be up on our website by the middle of November: www.saratogasailingschool.org. There will be something for every sailor on your gifting list this year – from beginners to racers -- kids, teens, and adults. Contact us at [email protected]. Stillwater Area Community Center A Sailing School Gift Certificate is a great way to share your love of the water with the water bugs your First Aid/CPR Class — Two classes will be available for life! persons interested in taking the National Safety Council And for more general information about the course. Both classes will take place Wednesday, Novem- Sailing Club, please visit www.sailsaratoga.org ber 12 and 19 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (must attend both classes to receive certification). There is a $60 registra- tion fee. Please sign up as soon as possible (telephone: 664-2515).

Craft Fair — The annual Community Center Craft Fair is scheduled for De- cember 6. There will be 25 vendors/ crafters and light fare will be offered.

Breakfast With Santa — Saturday, December 13 is the Annual Breakfast with Santa. Please mark your calendar and follow our web site for more details (www.stillwaterareacommunitycenter.org). 9 News from the Watershed By Blue R Neils, Chair Saratoga County Water Quality Coordinating Committee A subcommittee of Saratoga County Soil & Water Conservation District

In Saratoga County there are 6,816 bodies of water catalogued in the National Hydrol- ogy Dataset (NHD) by the US Geologic Survey (USGS). 5,374 Stream & River segments and 1,442 Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. This survey does not include wetlands or vlys, vernal pools, first-order streams and Spring runs. Of all of these waters only 1.08% are officially “impaired” (polluted). Clearly, we are rich with water resources. This also means, of course, we are rich with responsibility for the stewardship of these resources. The County can be divided into three (3) major basins –the Upper Hudson River, the Sacandaga, and the Mohawk River- and 45-50 subwatersheds, depending on how you div- vy things up. Saratoga Lake is located in the Upper Hudson River Basin. The Kayadeross- eras Creek (KC) watershed is the primary tributary to Saratoga Lake. The Kayaderosseras Watershed is approximately 192 sq.mi. and includes the City of Saratoga Springs, Village of Ballston Spa, and the Towns of Ballston, Corinth, Galway, Greenfield, Charlton, Prov- idence, Malta, Milton, and Wilton. 11 municipalities. 11 communities. 11 places. 100’s of hamlets and neighborhoods, 10,000’s of people… all living, working, playing in just this one watershed. But how much do of any of us really know about the complex community-chemistry that makes up such an organism? Yes, we certainly know the major sta- tistics, like those which I quoted. The big physical geography of this one place. But, as we grow and develop as a county of communities, how much do we understand about the effects this is having on our waters? That is an important question. Fortunately, we can answer that question by studying the waters; by creating a network of partners and prac- tices to gather critical data and assessments to tell us if we are living up to our responsibility of stewardship. It is also important to note that disregarding this question is not with- out its own perils and consequences. For those of us with enough longevity, you may re- call when the Saratoga County Sewer District 1 was created to save the Lake, victimized by ignorance and the turning of a blind eye. I have the privilege to serve on the Saratoga County Water Quality Coordinating Committee since 2004 and be the Chair since 2009. For those of you that don’t know, the mission of the Committee is as a repository of data and information about our local waterbodies, watersheds, and water quality; is a conduit for public education about local water quality and stewardship; receives and supports grants for research and improvement projects; is a forum for partnerships, cooperation, and resource-pooling for problem- solving. It is an important constituent of that community-chemistry I mentioned. Sarato- ga Lake is no exception. We are working towards answering that one important question. It’s been four years since I shared in Shore Lines. I thought now would be a good time to share news of that work and its progress. In 2012, after years of work locally and plotting and scheming with a fellow alum and colleague at DEC, that Department launched the WAVE Program –Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators. This is a program to enlist citizen-scientists to capture samples, annually, which are then analyzed by NYS DEC, providing a 3-tiered evaluation of the 10 Water shed, continued streams that were sampled: No Known Impact, No Conclusion, Possibly Impacted. There are 2 key elements to this program. First, it engages anyone with a will or interest to serve and provides a meaningful outlet for that service. Second, it provides an accu- rate and scientifically defensible assessment of water quality. In the three years that we’ve conducted the program we have grown from 12 sites and zero volunteers to 13 sites and 10 volunteers and we are hoping to expand even more next year. Scientifically speaking, the assessments are pretty good. Macroinvertebrates (insects) are collected, jarred, and sent to NYS DEC for identification. The types of bugs present provides the indication of water quality. Many “good” bugs = unpolluted water. A mix of “good” and “bad” bugs = No Conclusion. Many “bad” bugs = probably polluted. The bugs present in a stream tell us a lot about the chemistry and concentration of pollutants in the water. More importantly, they are the best indicator of the long-term trend. I know it is cliché to say, but, they are the canary in the coal mine. When the “good” bugs are gone…Houston, we have a problem. So far we have set up 2 programs the BioMAK and the BioMAD; Biological Moni- toring of the Kayaderosseras and Dwaas Kill, respectively. Both watersheds are among the most-urbanized in the County and both contain stream segments that are listed as “impaired” by NYS DEC. Eventually, we would like to establish a program extensive enough to cover those 45-50 subwatersheds across the County, but, for now, we re- mained focused on the two. In the Saratoga Lake watershed, we have 11 sample-sites, but, we need more…and we need more volunteers to cover them. Spring Run, Bog Meadow Brook, Geyser Brook, Slade Creek, Sesselman Brook and a host of other truly local streams are currently not being assessed, by anyone. So we will be looking at new sites through the Winter and putting the call out in the Spring for new volunteers. We are hopeful some of you reading this now, will be there to answer that call next Spring. On another front, we are working on creating a remote monitoring network on the KC. 3 sites, 3 monitors, each connected, via cellular telemetry, to the internet post- ing real-time data on the temperature, rate/volume/depth of flow, and conductivity (the concentration of ions; a barometer, of sorts, for pollution in the stream). The network is being created through a 4-way partnership between the Saratoga County Inter- municipal Stormwater Program (ISWM, my day job), the WQCC, The Friends of the Kayaderosseras, and Skidmore College. Eventually, the data gathered by these sensors will be an in-class real-time & -world teaching tool and enable myself and others to build models of flow in each of the 3 main divisions of the watershed. We will understand the flow and pollutant-load of the Creek and, therefore, understand what im- pacts we are having and where they are occurring, and what that means to Saratoga Lake which receives all that flows through the Kayaderosseras. Now, there are some that say if you look for trouble you are going to find it. I would tend to agree with that. Unpleasant task though it may be, sometimes, finding that trouble when it is small and manageable turns out to be a much better deal than making the discovery when it has become large and out-of-control.

Head of the Fish 2014

Once again, this popular event drew thousands to the lake. We encourage those of you interested in this annual event to read the following article. Too much of a good thing as Head of the Fish regatta continues to grow. (photos by SLA Board member Bob Eastman)

News from the Stillwater Fire Department are mandated by law or by generally accepted standards which Understanding Today’s Volunteer Fire drive a lot of activity in the fire service to avoid libelous situa- Service Challenges tions. In addition we have to sustain equipment and facilities through long range planning and the budgeting of reserve funds While there are approximately 96,000 volunteers out of the to insure minimum standards. Someone once said this business estimated 114,000 event or fire with the intention of returning is not getting any easier, indeed it’s not, it has to be run as a the favor when a major fire occurred in one’s home district. business. The effect of daytime or 24-hour mutual aid is that those resi- Recently, the Association of Fire Districts of the State of dents in the district receiving assistance are not providing tax New York and the New York State Association of Fire Districts funding to maintain the district that is providing the mutual aid held a symposium in Clifton Park on supplementing volunteer assistance. Rather, the full burden of funding is being borne by resources and in November the International Association of the residents in the district providing the aid. Fire Chiefs is having a round table discussion on the same sub- The Stillwater Fire District has an annual budget of approxi- ject at their conference in Florida. mately $700,000, which goes toward outfitting firefighters at It comes down to simple facts, if we cannot maintain a min- approximately $8,000 each, maintaining and rotating a fleet of imum staffing standard with volunteers the fire service will need vehicles, maintenance of four stations, insurance, heating, elec- to resort to other methods to obtain the needed staffing. tric, vehicle fuel which is a shared resource with the town high- (Tom Rinaldi, Commissioner Stillwater Fire District) way department, snow plowing, grass mowing, replacement of equipment and a myriad of activities and requirements that 12

Family trick-or-treating was a fun night for Danny Porrazzo, Tonya Trombley, and daughter Takoda. They sure went all Tom Clark of Lake Side Acres received a birthday out with their costumes and Santa even encouraged passing cake from his granddaughter, Kayla, which was the cars to slow down. Photo by Julie Annotto. same day as her wedding, October 18th. The wedding was in Carrollton, Georgia. (photo by Virginia Clark)

A Remembrance of Armistice Day, November 11th

World War I, known at the time as the Great War, was thought to be the war that would end all future wars... All sides suffered an incredibly high number of needless deaths, and the war devastated an entire gen- eration. In fact, the sheer amount of destruction and death has only been eclipsed by World War II..... Since it ended, all countries involved have held memorials to remember their fallen dead who sacri- ficed their lives for the good of their country. This fact is all the more so in England, where nearly a million people lost their lives... What they've done to com- memorate their fallen soldiers is truly beautiful, while also helping us understand the true scope of these soldiers' sacrifice. Even a hundred years later, we should not forget their incredible acts of heroism and dedication... The ‘moat’ that surrounds the Tower of London has long stood empty and dry, but now, what may look like blood .. is actually something beautiful. This summer, the moat has been filled with 888,246 red ceramic poppies, one for each British and Colonial soldier who perished during World War I. Armistice day is a day for all of us to remember those who perished in all wars …. A day we should never forget. 13 Stillwater Library Ladies Night

LADIES NIGHT, the library fundraiser, was a huge success thanks to everyone who lent their support! Over 300 entered to win one of the 175 raffles raising $11,000.

Busy library volunteers …. Tonya Trombley, Tina Pamper, The bonus after a much needed rain was this photo of a double rainbow Marla Scarchilli and Jane Travis worked hard to make the taken by Barbara Wennik from her deck in Lakeside Acres. night a success.

Pictured in center, Diana Miller of Saratoga Glenn, was the winner of the VIP raffle. The VIP raffle entitled her to a reserved table for Photo taken by Mary O’Brien on Route 9P in the Palmer eight, along with some extra goodies. Heights area. 14

MALTA HIGHWAY REPORT As members of the New York State Federation of by Roger Crandall, Highway Superintendent Lake Associations (NYSFOLA), you have the oppor- tunity to share your ideas and opinions with regard We paved VanAernem, Phillip, Locust, Raspberry, to the AIS Management Plan. Northwood, Scott, Sonja (North and South), Basswood, Rockrose, Thistle, Coneflower, Lupine, Twinflower and DEC has released its draft AIS Management Plan for public Old Post Road this summer! We replaced the culvert on comment and announced this in the new Environmental Old Post Road, many sections in the Country Knolls area Notice Bulletin and has issued a Press Release which is at- and throughout the Town. There is continual work on tached. catch basins and checking the areas of beaver activity throughout the summer. As always, we appreciate your pa- Link to ENB http://www.dec.ny.gov/ tience when doing these projects. We would like to remind enb/20141029_not0.html everyone that the flagmen are there for your and our work- ers safety, PLEASE show courtesy toward them. Link to Draft AIS Plan and information on how to submit comments are here http://www.dec.ny.gov/ CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP will be the week of January th animals/99053.html 5 . You may also drop them off at the Highway Garage. The New York State Department of Environmental SNOWY DAYS ON GARBAGE PICK-UP DAY: When Conservation (DEC) today released its Draft Aquatic Inva- plows will be out during garbage pick-up day PLEASE keep sive Species (AIS) strategy to prevent the introduction and the buckets back at least 2’ from the edge of the road. The spread of AIS in New York State for public comment. Com- Waste Removal Trucks can reach at least 3’! ments will be accepted through December 15. Aquatic Invasive Species threaten the ecology of New YEARLY REMINDERS: York’s rich abundance of waters and can harm water-based ~ No parking on the streets or 4 feet from the shoulder st st recreational opportunities and economies. New York is par- of the roads from Nov. 1 through April 1 . Your vehicle ticularly vulnerable to AIS due to its vast marine and fresh may be towed and a possible fine of up to $100. water resources, major commercial ports and the easy access that ocean-going vessels have to the Great ~ Remove ALL objects that are in the Town’s Right-of- Lakes via the State’s canal system. Managing an infestation Way (ROW) for snow removal. These objects include: is extremely costly, so prevention is the most cost-effective sprinkler systems, basketball/hoops, rocks and landscaping. strategy. “Prevention of aquatic invasive species is critical to The ROW is about 30 feet from the center of the road. the long-term vitality of waterways across New York State,” The Town will NOT be responsible for replacing or re- said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. “This strategic plan pairing any objects left within that ROW. details proposals to further our efforts to help ensure AIS- free waters remain free and additional AIS are ~ Also, it is against the law to plow snow into town not introduced to other waters. We welcome the public’s roads or across the street onto someone else’s property. ideas and feedback on the draft strategy.” Aquatic invasive species arrive by many pathways includ- ~ If there is a major storm and you have fallen trees/limbs, ing direct introduction, live animal trade, the nursery and we will make a trip throughout the town to pick these up – landscape trade, recreational boating and cargo transporta- have them out by the curbside as soon as you can! tion. Northern Snakehead, Sea Lamprey, Round Goby, Hy- drilla and the New Zealand Mudsnail are examples of aquat- ~ There is a shed with salt/sand mix located toward the ic invasive species present in some New York waters, which back of the Highway Garage parking area. You are welcome can prey upon or displace native species, alter habitat or to bring a bucket and shovel to take what you need (it is otherwise harm native species. not for commercial use-residents only). The Plan can be viewed on DEC’s website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/99053.html. Public com- If you have any concerns or questions, do not hesitate to ment will be accepted from October 30 through December call us at 899-2818. Please keep in mind that we are out on 15. You can send comments to the address below or email the road often and our secretary is part time so if you get them to [email protected] – enter “AIS Management Plan” the machine PLEASE leave a message, we will return your in the subject line. call quickly. Plus, all this information is on our website!