Inside Broken glass closes pool Vandals strike at Elm Avenue Park Page 4 T H E www.spotlightnews.com Serving Bethlehem, New Scotland & Guilderland Volumeume LV Number 29 $1.00 July 18, 2012 Eat for free The Bethlehem YMCA has received a grant to provide free Cops: lunches to summer campers. See Page 3. We’re cut to the bone Report tallying potential cuts draws ire of police By MARCY VELTE [email protected] The latest report presented Drumming up by Bethlehem’s Budget Advisory Committee identifi ed about $550,000 interest worth of potential savings in the A Different Drummer’s Kitchen town’s police department, but police has several cooking classes that ca- brass say the force is already limited. ter to kids, including an upcoming “Public safety is expensive,” American Girl Afternoon. said Police Chief Louis Corsi at a Town Board meeting held on See Page 19. Wednesday, July 11, at which the report was discussed. “We have cut Fireman’s fair adds rides everything to the bone. I’m working understaffed and if we continue in Glenmont event rolls on that course, it’s not going to rest with for a 56th year me, it’s going to rest with the board.” Recommendations in the report By MARCY VELTE included freezing police hiring [email protected] for a year, reducing the amount of overtime and response to non- Although the steamed clams are the emergency calls by officers and traditional draw, this year’s 56th annual requiring a 4 percent reduction Glenmont Fireman’s Fair will include in contractual services. Another carnival rides for attendees of all ages. suggestion was to “re-think” the Giant endeavor “We have been asked about adding rides Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program taught in schools After a year away, the New for a while and we did some research to see if it was feasible,” said Shaun Wagner, co- that is mostly paid for by the town. York Giants will soon return to chairman of the event and a fi reman with At $18.2 million, the police UAlbany for training camp. the department for 16 years. “We decided department represents about 43 See Page 32. the rides would be a good idea to give the percent of the town’s general fund public more to do.” budget for 2012. The annual fair is a community event According to the committee’s held behind the Selkirk Fire Department’s report, money could be saved by allowing civilians or other agencies Glenmont station. Wagner said he believes The 56th annual Glenmont Fireman’s Fair will feature to handle the nearly 7,500 calls the fair has continued for more than half a carnival rides for the fi rst time. The community event is INDEX deemed “non-emergencies” that century because it has become a tradition Thursday to Saturday, July 19 to 21, on the grounds of the Editorial Pages .................. 6-7 come in each year. An estimated people look forward to. Selkirk Fire Co. 2 Firehouse in Glenmont. Sports .......................... 30-32 ■ Rides Page 21 Submitted photos ■ Cops Page 21 Entertainment .............. 19-20 Classifi eds .................... 25-26 Crossword ..........................20 Legals .......................... 28-29 Supervisor’s involvement in report questioned Subcommittee members say possibility of applying a ward system for Supervisor John Smolinsky, neither of whom The Spotlight (USPS 396-630) is pub- Town Board positions, changing the terms is on the panel. lished each Wednesday by Community fi nal version of ward system Media Group LLC, 125 Adams St., Del- suggestions altered served by town offi cials and implementing a “I don’t think the supervisor or the deputy mar, N.Y. 12054. Postage paid at Delmar, different way to appoint department heads. It supervisor are on this or any of the citizens N.Y., and at additional mailing offi ces. Postmaster: send address changes to The has been completed and released to the public committees,” Kotary said. “I thought that Spotlight, P.O. Box 100, Delmar, N.Y. By MARCY VELTE on the town’s website. A presentation on the these were citizens committees. … They were 12054. Subscription rates: Albany Coun- report’s contents is to be scheduled for a future meant to be just that, exploratory, research ty, one year $30, two years $55, Out-of- [email protected] County, one year $40, two years $73. meeting when all Town Board members are informational types of committees to gather Subscriptions are not refundable. Some Bethlehem Town Board members present. and collect information, and also give us some have called into question the legitimacy of At the Town Board meeting held Wednesday, ideas. And I would hope that is what we’re a Governance Options Study drafted by an July 11, Councilman Kyle Kotary said he’d getting.” advisory committee after subcommittee heard concerns from members of the ward Kotary asked who actually wrote the members said the fi nal version doesn’t mesh system subcommittee that the fi nal report reports and asked that unedited versions of with previous drafts. was changed to include recommendations the reports be sent to Town Board members. THE SPOTLIGHT $1.00 The study examines three issues: the from Supervisor John Clarkson and Deputy ■ Report Page 21 Page 2 • July 18, 2012 The Spotlight Green acres for eternity Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery offers new ‘eco’ burial plots, fi rst of its kind in region By JOHN PURCELL [email protected] Being green is increasing in popularity and area environmental stewards can now rest easier knowing even after they pass their footprint will be a little smaller. Maureen McGuinness, family services manager of Albany The Albany Roman Catholic Diocesan Cemeteries, stands next Diocese has opened the to the new natural burial ground Capital District’s fi rst “natural at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery burial” ground at the Most in Niskayuna on Monday, July 9. Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Photos by John Purcell/Spotlight Niskayuna. Natural burials, devoid of the careful primping shown to typical gravesites, recently purchased the first people, it is obviously not going the preserve, including various are blossoming as a green plots at the preserve while “It is all things you to be of interest to everyone,” daises, coneflower, calliopsis alternative to traditional burials pre-planning their funeral she said. fl ower and fi ttingly forget-me- because there is less impact arrangements, Family would fi nd naturally The neatly trimmed and nots. By the fall, she hopes on the environment. The Services Manager of Albany growing here had traditional burial plots are a the meadows will hold a lush cemetery’s new Kateri Meadow Diocesan Cemeteries Maureen stark contrast to the natural appearance. Natural Burial Preserve will McGuinness said interest in everything been burial ground, with a mostly “It is all things you would serve as a more “wild” area for green burials is slowly gaining undisturbed.” untrimmed and unmaintained fi nd naturally growing here had the green burials. ground. appearance. Pesticides and everything been undisturbed,” The 20,000-square-foot burial “Many Catholics who strive – Family Services Manager of fertilizers will not be used on said McGuinness. “It is also a ground is named after Kateri to be good environmental Albany Diocesan Cemeteries the burial preserve. There is forever wild area behind this Tekakwitha, an Auriesville stewards … they may want Maureen McGuinness currently a line of small stones area.” native who will be canonized to make a statement at their separating the natural ground In addition to the nearby as the first Native American death and this gives them the from the maintained lawn. preserve, the Niskayuna saint in October. Albany Roman opportunity,” she said. “There “This will just be mowed cemetery was chosen because Catholic Diocese Bishop are changes in demographics said there has been at least one down in the fall and that’s it,” it was thought to be centrally Howard Hubbard will formally and baby boomers have been call daily on the natural burial McGuinness said. “It is not located in the Capital District dedicate the new burial ground more concerned about the option. She also stressed there going to be a neat, manicured and has room for expansion, in early September, but burials environment than maybe their is nothing wrong with traditional look.” according to McGuinness. The are permitted now. predecessors have been.” burials either. Wildfl ower seeds indigenous ■ Page 7 Although a Delmar couple For the past month, she “This is of interest to some to the region were strewn across Green WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW. • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM • WWW.MOHAWKHONDA.COM ROUTEROUTE 5050 ROUTERORO E 5050 MO HA H A WK R Post H OVERVE W.MOHAWKHONDA.COM W.MOHAWKHONDA.COM 500 INDEPENDENCE DAY O M & T NEW 2012 M HONDAS WW Helping Hands AVAILABLE! 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