Monday June 5, 2023 
Lack of Trust Derails Poestenkill Money Grab
Every story paints a picture, and so it is with the defeat of the Poestenkill money grab known as the “Ambulance District Fee” which would have been over $80 per household for something the need for which was never adequately explained to the taxpayers who would have had to foot the bill for being in this “district,” and so the money grab went down to defeat, as it should have.
And in the end, this lop-sided defeat, 532 against v. 208 in favor, demonstrates a complete and total lack of trust by the people of the Town of Poestenkill in Poestenkill’s ruling Triumvirate of Keith Hammond, Harold Van Slyke, and Eric Wohlleber, who incidentally holds the town record for highest score achieved in a field sobriety test.
Instead of addressing facts already on the table such as Poestenkill’s declining population due to Poestenkill’s commitment to be the next regional landfill to replace the Colonie landfill and the Rensselaer C&D dump, and how that decline in population would affect district fees in the future, as an ever decreasing population base is forced to have to carry the load, Councilman Van Slyke instead chose to mock and denigrate Councilman Hass, as if insulting the integrity of Councilman Hass in some undefined way spoke positively for the ambulance district fee.
Councilman Wohlleber himself could have provided compelling eye-witness testimony as to how long he had to wait for emergency personnel to arrive at the scene of the alcohol-related crash he was involved in up on the mountain, and that testimony could perhaps have sealed the deal in favor of the ambulance district, but instead, he chose silence, which put the need for this ambulance district in serious doubt.
And Supervisor Hammond similarly had nothing to add including how this ambulance district would have benefitted anyone living on a mountain in Postenkill having a medical emergency during an ice storm, or a blizzard.
And so the Triumvirate were defeated with a vote of no confidence!
Paul Plante, Poestenkill
A Dose of Kindness
These are not ordinary times and this is not an ordinary thank you note. We want to make everyone aware of the many caring individuals in our midst who are giving their time selflessly to make this a safer place to live for all of us.
Miller Young, Pharm. D. RPh and his staff at Young’s Pharmacy in Averill Park, worked ceaselessly to secure a sufficient supply of vaccine under very difficult circumstances. A tremendous demand developed when large numbers of hopeful citizens answered the invitation to register for future clinics. When everything slowed down due to decreasing availability, Mr. Young took the time to alleviate everyone’s anxiety by providing an update detailing the on-going efforts being made and assuring us we hadn’t been forgotten. A pure act of kindness.
We received our first dose at the West Sand Lake Firehouse in a warm, reassuring and efficient atmosphere aided by attentive volunteers. Our second dose was administered in the same welcoming manner hosted by the Averill Park Firehouse with yet another group of helpful volunteers.
We are profoundly grateful to all of you for this opportunity to feel safe for the first time in a year.
Sincerely, Bernard and Roberta Buff
East Nassau, N.Y.
More Walkable North Greenbush
I enjoyed reading the article on Thursday (4/15) about the new roundabout construction on Route 4. In addition to the roundabout the project includes wider shoulders for biking and more sidewalks. Across the country, towns and cities of all sizes are working make them more pedestrian friendly for walking and biking. I totally support this trend and look forward to North Greenbush and other RensCo villages, towns, and cities continuing the trend. Recently Troy and Watervliet hosted a public meeting discussing the many different changes the two cities are considering. Pedestrian-friendly changes to municipalities can vary in size, cost, and benefits. Examples of pedestrian-friendly aspects include sidewalks, crosswalks, protected bike lanes, medians on wide roads, and many other features. One immediate and small step I would like North Greenbush to take is adding an additional cross walk on Main St. in Wynantskill. Currently there is a single cross walk across Main St. near the entrance to the library. We need a secondary cross walk at the eastern end of the town hall property. The eastern end has the access to the ball fields and playgrounds. Recently, my family and I want for ice cream at one of the many places on Main St. near town hall. It was a challenge to safely cross Main St. from the ice cream venues to get to the playgrounds. My family is not alone, I often see children struggling to navigate Main St. Book ending the North Greenbush town hall property with cross walks at each end is a very small first step to make North Greenbush more pedestrian friendly. Other sections of the town need more sidewalks and other features. We all benefit from a pedestrian friendly North Greenbush.
Michael Myer, North Greenbush
Finding Ways to Recycle is Rewarding
I recently saw an attention-grabbing picture on the cover of the Sunday, April 11 edition of Parade magazine. It showed a picture of a beautiful bird, possibly a heron, wrapped in a clear plastic produce bag from which it could not escape; the picture was both memorable and disturbing.
After seeing that picture, it occurred to me: we recycle so many plastic products now, why not recycle plastic produce bags, too? I usually only recycle these bags if they are dry inside, so a bag used for potatoes, onions, tomatoes, etc. can easily be reused. I find that I can reuse these bags week after week before they fail.
This week, while at the grocery store, I noticed that the aerated bags, in which grapes are packaged, make a perfect bag to store lettuce in the refrigerator. The grape bags have holes in them and they hold up very nicely to reuse after being rinsed out. Cut the heel off the lettuce and then cut it down the middle lengthwise; each half should fit well in a grape bag. I also noticed that lettuce stays fresher longer in an aerated bag, as should many other types of fruit and vegetables, as well.
So, for the sake of the heron, and all wildlife on our planet, please recycle whenever possible; I just can’t get that picture out of my mind.
Mary Ann Matters, East Greenbush