But did I win?

That was what Norm Bishop said was the first question his son, Dan, asked after coming out of a surgery that may have saved him from being paralyzed for life.

Dan Bishop, a former Whitehall graduate who was the last state champion the Railroaders produced, appeared to be on his way to the NCAA national finals tournament during his semifinal match in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) wrestling tournament on March 6.

The University at Buffalo wrestler held a 4-0 lead over his semifinal opponent, Gabe Ramos of Ohio University, when Ramos completed an illegal throw of Bishop that ended the match with medical staff at Central Michigan University rushing to his aid.

“He wanted to get back up and he wanted to continue to wrestle,” said Norm Bishop. “There was no way that they were going to let him do that, though.”

It was a good thing, because when Dan Bishop got to the hospital, the severity of what had happened started to become apparent.

“They really didn’t realize the severity of his injuries until they got him to the hospital,” said Norm Bishop. “Dr. Fields, who did his surgery, said that he would have been paralyzed for life if they had not been able to do what they did when they did it.”

“He underwent surgery on Saturday night to relieve pressure on his spinal cord,” said University at Buffalo associate athletic director Paul Vecchio. “We got some encouraging words on Monday from the doctors and he is now in a hospital in Saganaw, Mich., recovering from his injuries.”

Norm Bishop said that after the surgery, his son was a little down, but that he had one question that needed to be answered.

“All he was worried about was if he had finished in second place,” said Bishop. “He has gotten his spirits up since.”

“From that perspective, it’s heartbreaking,” said Vecchio about the injury derailing the senior’s chances at the national tournament in his final season. “But considering what could have happened, we are happy that he is doing well.”

Norm Bishop said the doctors have been impressed with his son’s progress, and plans are in the works to transport him to either Buffalo or Albany in the near future.

“It’s been tough for us, sometimes,” said the older Bishop. “But what Danny has shown the doctors as far as being able to feel when they touch his legs has got his spirits up and is a good sign to the doctors.”

Bishop said his son cannot currently walk or move his legs, but that the prognosis is that he will be able to regain the usage of them.

“It will take six months to a year to reconstruct,” said Bishop.

In Whitehall, his former head coach said he was pleased Dan Bishop was recovering, but felt bad that he would not get to pursue a national dream.

“I was disappointed for him because I know how hard he has trained for this,” said Bob Diekel. “To be in that situation and get slammed on an illegal move is unfortunate, and it took that dream of the NCAA”s away. But the news sounds good, so we hope he will be OK.”

Diekel said he has been in contact with another one of his former wrestlers, Jedd Mason, who is also a member of the Buffalo wrestling squad.

“We have been texting back and forth as he gets information from the coaches and when we hear something here,” said Diekel.

By Keith Lobdell

Come with me, and you’ll see.

The Whitehall High School Drama Club is ready to show everyone the world of Willie Wonka as it presents “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” on Friday and Saturday, March 19 and March 20, with performances at 7 p.m. both nights and at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“I am looking forward to the performance,” said senior Barbara Spoor, who plays the role of Veruca Salt. “I think that everything is going well and everybody is getting their parts down. Hopefully, we’ll pull it off.”

Spoor, who is in her fifth and final musical production, said she has enjoyed her time on stage and enjoys her final role.

“It has been great becoming closer to the people in drama and helping me be more comfortable on stage,” said Spoor. “Veruca is a fun character to go out on because she’s a brat - and everybody knows that I’m not a brat in real life.”

Senior Dana McLaughlin will take on the role of the mysterious man of chocolate as part of his sixth and final production.

“I have seen both, and I would say that I am more Johnny Depp than Gene Wilder,” said McLaughlin. “The Depp version is creepier, and I like that better.”

McLaughlin said he has also learned a lot from being a member of the drama club.

“I think that it has helped me mature as a person,” he said. “It’s fun to do.”

As for the title character, the role went to a first-time drama club member in Zac Griffin.

“It is really good to be in my first show and to have the role of Charlie,” said Griffin. “I have been looking forward to being in drama club and it has been great coming together with everybody and all going after one goal, to put on a great show.”

Grampa George will be played by senior Chris Bartholomew, who is in his fourth production.

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to be around everybody and be the comic relief,” said Bartholomew. “I love this year because I get to be the senile grandfather and the performance is definitely something that I am looking forward to.”

Junior Aerial Ramey will take part in her third drama club production, playing the role of Gramma Georgina.

“I like the different music and the different kind of characters this year,” said Ramey. “I like drama because I am able to be myself and I like to be goofy and active.”

Freshman Adam Koeble is in his second production.

“I was a munchkin in the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” said Koeble. “I was looking forward to being in drama club again and being able to hang out with friends and being able to laugh.”

Freshman Jaykob Neddo said he was excited to find out that he was going to have a speaking part in his first drama club production.

“It was great to be a part of the drama club and then getting a speaking role was even better,” said Neddo.

The production is co-produced by Whitehall music teacher Chris Palmer and Marc Pratt.

“It has been good so far and we would really like to thank those who participated and helped with the recent basket party for the drama club,” said Palmer.

Tickets for the show will be available for $8 each in the junior/senior high school library and during rehearsals the week of March 15, as well as at the door for each performance.

By Matthew Rice

Board considers layoffs to meet 0 percent goal

The Granville Board of Education heard Monday night the only way to get to its tax rate goal for the 2010-2011budget is to lay off four school staff personnel and spend up to $500,000 of its fund balance.

“To reach the board’s goal of a zero percent tax levy increase we’re going t have to look at some staffing cuts,” Somich said. Somich said the district would also be looking at “judicious use” of fund balance as well to negate any increased impact to the taxpayers.  

Board members asked to see enrollment numbers to help them determine where the cuts could be made.

“We’re looking at all of the numbers so that we can make a good strategic decision and where they best fit to have the least effect on the district’s programs,” Superintendent Mark Bessen said. 

Bessen said the move for layoffs is part of shooting for a zero percent tax increase budget during tough economic times when the community is already financially hard pressed.

“We don’t want to do it but we have to it is the responsible thing to do; it’s the responsible thing for this community during these tough economic times,” Bessen said. Asked if there was any way to avoid layoffs, Bessen said not hiring replacements for retiring personnel could offset the expense of the four positions.

“That would be the dream,” he said. At the time it was not known how many retirement notices the district would receive, making planning for any layoffs difficult. Some cuts will happen but teachers laid off could come back if the retirements are in the correct tenure area, Bessen said

Bessen said the district must notify anyone to be laid off by April 1 while retirees do not face the same deadline.

The teachers’ contract does offer incentives for retirement to some teachers, but the deadline for notifying the district is also April 1, too late to help officials plan.

Somich said the district could end up using as much as $500,000 of the district’s approximately $1.8 million fund balance to eliminate a tax increase for this budget; something that would also vary depending on the number of retirements the district sees. Presenting the inter-scholastic sports portion of the budget co-athletic directors Mike Macura and Mark Lambert said the district dodged, not a ball, but a bullet recently. The sports portion of the budget had been trimmed from a 15 percent increase to just 1 percent through careful planning, he said, but the increase could have been much worse.

Macura explained a recent settlement with officials saved the district what could have been considerable additional costs for sporting events when officials agreed not to add mileage charges to their fees.

“The effects could have been unbelievable,” Macura said. The district and other outlying areas farther from larger towns could have faced paying mileage on top of regular official’s fees significantly raising the cost of having referees on Granville’s fields and courts.

For special education Somich said the increase in that portion of the budget would be 14 percent over last year due to an increase in the population of “identified” students and rising costs at BOCES. Somich said the question often comes up as to whether the district could do some of what BOCES does within the district to save money.

“We really can’t in many situations,” she said.

Somich said the district saw 123 students enter the district last year and of those 34 percent fell under special education. “That’s an unknown that we couldn’t have planned for,” she said.

The winter weather might have been a bummer for those who snowshoe, snowmobile or generally just like to play in the snow, but it turns out it was a good thing for area maple producers.

 “Open years have historically been some of the best,” said Rathbun, who operates Rathbun’s Maple Sugar House in North Granville. “I’m hoping; let’s put it that way.”

The lack of snow simply makes getting out into the trees that much easier when there is yard after yard of vacuum line and bucket after bucket to hang and then empty.

At Rathbun’s the property visible from the sugarhouse is a mix of old-fashioned buckets and the newer vacuum system.

On the vacuum lines, Rathbun said, he’s trying out a new tap on some of the trees. The small plastic plug has a check valve in it. Shaking the small device produces a faint rattle of the ball in the valve. If they perform as advertised, they are supposed to increase the yield from every tree, he said.

“But, we’ll see,” he said. 

The syrup-making season has already started for many area sugarhouses as daytime temperatures get above freezing, but the mercury dips below 32 degrees during the night. This temperature cycle is what sugar makers hope to see and its duration dictates how long the sap will flow and the season will last.

So that deeper-than-usual freeze, thanks to the lack of insulating snow, will help to keep the trees’ roots cooler at night and keep the trees producing.

“It looks like we’re going to have a pretty good run over the next four or five days,” Rathbun said. Rathbun said he tends to save sap until weekends when patrons of the restaurant come out to the sugarhouse to see how sap is boiled down to make maple syrup.

It was just after 8 a.m. Saturday when one of the trucks rolled up to the sap house on Hatch Hill Road. The opaque plastic tank on the back showed off more than 700 gallons of sap picked up from a location in Hebron. The sugarhouse gets sap from all over the area, including West Pawlet, Vt., and Dresden, he said.

Rathbun took a sample and used a hydrometer to check for sugar content – about 2 percent. “That’s kind of low for this spot,” he said.

Rathbun said the season might be just a tad early but added this type of spring often leads to very good years. “You never can tell until it’s over though,” he said.

Saturday morning was the final shakedown as Rathbun said he was gearing up to begin the truly busy season for the restaurant and sugarhouse.

“We might start boiling today,” Rathbun said.

The evaporator had been given a good once over and cleaned and the osmosis machine was ready to go. This osmosis machine helps to concentrate the sap by removing some of the water from the process, in turn saving fuel. That water is later used to clean up the works to get ready for the next day’s work.

But the equation remains more or less the same, Rathbun said. It takes about 40 gallons of sap from the maple tree to make one gallon of the gooey, delicious stuff that goes well in everything from coffee to splashed over ice cream or even over something unusual like … pancakes. 

by Matthew Rice

Rodger Hurley claimed by heart attack

Granville Supervisor Rodger Hurley got to serve just 61 of the 730 days he was elected to serve in November as the first two-term Democrat to hold the office in the history of the office in Granville.

By Matthew Rice

The impact notices slated to arrive in early March will have tentative values that can be disputed by property owners.

Residents with questions will be able to call the assessor’s office March 15-18 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to make an appointment to meet with the assessor.

The meetings happen April 5-9; residents should plan to provide support for their claims such as a recent appraisal, building contract or comparable sales from the community.

Values will not be changed at that meeting, but residents will be advised of the outcome by mail during May.

The grievance process begins after May 1 and any residents who dispute their assessments can meet with the Board of Assessment Review on May 25, Boone said. The final step for an assessment grievance is small claims court, which will produce a definitive result, Boone said.

Out of approximately 3,500 parcels in the town, around 30 went all the way to small claims court during the last revaluation.

The new assessments will factor into school taxes in September and then county taxes in January 2011, he said.

Informational meeting slated for Feb. 25

Property owners who want to know how their assessments were created will have a chance to find out next week as the town of Granville hosts an informational meeting relating to the revaluation process. The public is encouraged to attend the Feb. 25 session.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and is slated for the Granville Town Hall but could be moved to another venue, likely the Granville Elementary School cafeteria, if town officials get the sense the turnout will be larger than expected. The Town Hall holds about 50 people.

“Unless we get a feeling that there’s going to be a lot of people, it will be there (Town Hall); usually in the hearing before the numbers come out we’d be lucky to get 30 people,” Granville Town Assessor Dan Boone said.

All of the participants in the recently completed process are scheduled to attend the informational session as well as New York State Office of Real Property representative Steve Poluzzo (referred to as a CRM or customer relationship manager) and Nancy Strong, the consultant who assisted Granville’s assessment team of Boone and clerk Dorothy Roberts with computer programming work.

Boone said Strong is a career assessor who has conducted the revaluations in Hartford and Hampton most recently and has worked in “quite a few different towns in Washington County.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time, probably thousands of hours, trying to equalize the property values; we should be in good shape,” he said. 

Boone and Roberts will also be on hand for the meeting. Boone said he and Roberts had personally looked at nearly all of the 3,500 parcels in the town.

“Everything that had structures on it,” he said. Properties that were inaccessible were examined by looking at aerial photography provided by the county. 

On Friday Boone reiterated a point he has made a number of times before at town meetings calling on residents to come out to the informational setting and learn about what went into the process before it “gets personal.”

“It’s so (residents) can understand the process of the ‘reval,’” Boone said of the upcoming meeting. Coming out to this meeting before seeing their impact notices is key to understanding the process that went into every assessment, he said.

“People just see their own numbers and don’t realize what they’re based on and how they’re arrived at; it’s important to know how they’re derived -- we don’t just pull that number out of the air,” he said.

The meeting will provide and chance for property owners to hear about what went into this reassessment versus the most recent, which took place in 2005.

Part of the meeting will be an explanation of the process and part will be answering questions from the public about the process, not regarding specific properties.

There are a number of issues Boone said he hoped to explain or clarify.

He noted two of the biggest misconceptions about property values and assessments are the beliefs that the real estate market is way down locally and assessments are the chief reason for tax increases.

Boone said the local real estate market trended as it had in the past and experienced a milder version of national events; in this case values declined, but less drastically than they had nationally.

The drop in the local market, about 5 percent after trending up for several years, will have little effect on the revaluation, he said.

Slow sales have monthly sales figures dropping from approximately 25 per month to about half a dozen per month for most of last year, he said.

Boone said people were aware of the bargains in the market, but the bigger picture showed there had been much less change in value.

“Values have not gone down as much as people perceive,” he said.

U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development sales and foreclosures were deals that caught people’s attention but those same properties would be worth much more after being fixed up and part of the regular market, according to Boone. “They don’t represent the market value of a home,” he said. 

The local drop has taken place mostly during the past year, he said, and the values being used to determine assessments are from comparable sales that took place during the past several years when home values were continuing to rise.

“June 30, 2009, we’re not allowed to use any sales after that,” he said. 

Boone said the recent drop in the real estate market seemed to be coming to an end, however, because it has stabilized since October.

“It seems like it’s about bottomed out. We haven’t seen the market change much in past three months,” Boone said.

When determining what as assessment should be, Boone said, assessors tried to establish a parcel’s market value by comparing it to four other similar properties that sold within the past three years. The exceptions come in when there are no comparables, such as large farm sales or of homes valued at more than $200,000, because there have not been enough recent sales to make a comparison.

In those cases, Boone said, the state provides information to help the local office arrive at a number. 

Another factor making assessments such a focal point is their connection to property taxes. Tax rates are the culprit in rising taxes, not higher assessments, Boone said. Thinking of the amount of money raised by the town or county through taxes as a pie chart, Boone said, if assessments went up tax rates could drop and still raise the same amount of money. Tax rates, not assessments, determine what share of the pie residents are tasked with personally paying. Assessments could rise and taxes would stay the same if the tax rate were reduced, he said.

Following the informational meeting the impact notices will go out to property owners and the “informals” will begin when property owners can meet with the assessor to provide information they think might change their assessment. Changes could be made at that point. Boone said.

Next will come grievance day when residents can meet with the Board of Assessment Review to challenge their assessment. The final option is going to small claims court; typically this takes place in August and September. Any decision issued by the court is binding for a property owner.

One good thing about a recent revaluation is that it allows property owners to receive the maximum on exemptions such as the state’s School Tax Relief program, Boone said. “We’ve tried to be as fair as humanly possible, but revals are never easy,” he said. 

By Matthew Rice

So when Joe expressed an interest in racing snowmobiles Bishop looked around and began collecting the things needed to go racing.

“Joe had a motorcycle before he was born,” Bishop said with a smile. With a baby on the way, he was a dad who went out and bought a motorcycle instead of a baseball glove.

Riding around with friends was something he did as a kid and something he’s watched his boys do as well.

Bishop owns and operates Slate Valley Automotive in Hebron, so tools and working on machines in the garage are a part of everyday life.

During the cold months dirt bikes would gave way to snowmobiles but the riding and the racing continued.

When his son asked about racing Bishop thought the family could give it a try.

After finding a used factory snowmobile locally the family tried to go racing only to find out that one can’t just show up and race in the 600 class; one must prove they’re not going to be a hazard to the other riders out there.

That meant buying another snowmobile to try out in the 500 class.

With a second snowmobile on hand, Joe got his tryout and began racing, now in two classes, and he began to win right away.

“And then we went racing,” Bishop said.

The type of racing is known as snowcross.  Racers weave their way around a track full of bumps and jumps for multiple laps in heat races to determine who completes in the final race of the day.

“The main jump is higher than this roof,” Bishop said, indicating the ceiling of the garage. “They’ve been trucking in snow for all of the races and I can’t even imagine how much snow that is.”

Bishop said the boys’ mother, Lori, is getting used to the idea of her boys flying through the air, but she’s less than thrilled with it. “She doesn’t like it too much; it scares the hell out of her,” he said.

But Bishop said they agree it’s been a tremendous time watching the boys compete.

 “We do this together and it’s been awesome doing something as a family – the kids are with us and that’s the joy of it. It’s something we do to stay close,” he said.

From the start Joe was showing he had a nose for the checkered flag, racking up a first in a heat race and a fourth in a final in his very first competition. Since then Joe has continued his winning ways.

“We were only going to go to a couple of races,” Bishop said

That was last season.

Joe did so well that Bishop decided the family decided to take it to the next level. They have a truck and trailer, a much smaller version of what sponsored racers have but enough to get the three snowmobiles to each race.

The youngest son Jake also races. Starting out in 400 class 11-year-old Jake is following along in his big brother’s footsteps, or tracks in this case.

“He started going along with his brother and he’s doing really well for an 11-year-old. He’ s starting to feel comfortable with flying these things and if you’re not, you’re not going to be up front,” Bishop said.

Joe’s days and nights have become extremely busy.

Training has been nonexistent this season with the lack of snow locally, but there are plenty of things to keep busy with. Following school, he goes home to work at the family business, do homework and make adjustments and repairs to the snowmobiles for the upcoming weekend’s racing.

The family leaves town each weekend to go racing returning Sundays. The time demands have had a positive effect on Joe’s grades, however, as he made honor roll during his senior year.

“The whole thing has really been a big boost for him, I think,” Bishop said.

Helping out is Keith Williams or “Wrench” as he is more often referred to. Williams was a mechanic for the Ski-Doo factory team owned by Jeff Harrison and now helps out with Joe’s snowmobiles.

“I can’t say enough about Keith; he’s been great. We couldn’t do this without him,” Bishop said.

Like any racing story this one comes complete with a rival. A racer out of Long Island, Jake Scott, held the points lead by 11 points following the previous weekend when Joe made up 10 points in the standings at Farmington, carving into the lead.

The Bishops say this rider is well equipped with sponsorships and a setup much like that of professionals like Tucker Hibbert and others who ride for a living with elaborate trailers and multiple machines.

Heading into the final four races of the 2010 season, Joe is just 11 points off of the lead in the 600 class and well out in front in the 500 class. Three races remain, two in Barton, Vt., and the final one near Lake Erie out past Buffalo.

In the first of the final four weekends of the year in Salem, N.H., Joe hoped to close the gap if not take the lead in the 600 class outright.

He likes his chances if he continues to be steady. “As long as I stay smooth and finish I should be good,” he said.

“He’s been creating a buzz by coming in like that and winning,” his father said.

Joe said he’s hoping to draw some attention from sponsors as he nears graduation. While he’s racing for trophies and recognition now, they could translate into cash and equipment later.

“I’d like to get somewhere in there with the big dogs,” he said.

Although drawing a big-name sponsor could put him on the right track as a pro, he said, college is in his future and he’d like to learn graphic design.

Someone has to produce and create the logos that adorn every available inch of the trailers and sleds and that would be a great way to pay for future racing, he said.

The brothers work together, with Jake helping out his big brother when he’s getting ready to run and Joe helping his little brother with advice and encouragement.

Jake said as a sixth-grader it’s pretty cool to be going racing.

“I’ve been getting up there; I’ve got a second place this year,” he said.

Jake turned in a fourth-place performance just a week ago.

By Matthew Rice

Hurley said when it comes to managing the county’s budget, the two remaining areas under the county’s control are personnel and services.

Hurley said the discussion had been “vigorous” among committee members during the more than five-hour meeting.

“There are several aspects of that discussion that I would like to share with the people of Granville. I’m determined that we should have a fully public discussion of the status of county finances and make decisions as soon as possible to gain better control over the budget for this year and next,” he said.

Hurley praised the early efforts of new budget officer Hebron Supervisor Brian Campbell, but added that new and unpleasant actions must be taken to keep the county from financial difficulty that would result in tax increases.

“But these, as we all know, are difficult times and additional cuts in expenditures for this budget year are required,” he said.

Citing cuts already made from road maintenance to reducing department budgets and fund balance monies already used to keep taxes down, Hurley said more cuts must be made.

“I believe that we should pursue downsizing much more aggressively, getting more done with existing personnel and not replacing those who retire or leave for other reasons. But there are limits,” he said. 

Downsizing and attrition are not magic bullets, he said, adding, “We will have to cut services and lay off personnel.” 

Just to meet the tax increase contained in the 2010 budget, Hurley said, the county would need to carve millions from its budget, something he said would not be easy or pleasant.

“There are no options for the 2011 Washington County budget which will not generate severe negative human consequences and real pain,” Hurley said. 

The supervisor said he was determined to build a county budget “which is as frugal as possible” by “making decisions now in 2010 which will impact property taxes in 2011 and with one or more years of hard economic times in front of us.” 

“The consequences will be difficult and painful; not making these choices will be worse,” Hurley said.     

That is the number of candidates for the number of trustee seats in the upcoming village elections.

Please, don’t ask for anything more.

“Normally, we get together with Sen. Betty Little in early March,” said Watson. “But they are going to be getting pounded by everybody. They know the urgency of what the schools in the state are facing without us having to remind them.”

Peek-a-boo you can see the Youth Center

The newspaper covering the front windows of the soon-to-be Granville PBA Youth Center came down Sunday night as work progresses toward an opening day.

The PBA plans to hold dances for youths as well as host the after-school program at the youth center.

Williams said the PBA chose to bring the paper down because it wanted to show off the work it has done as the opening date approaches.

The date has yet to be determined.

“We took it down because we’re getting close and we want people to know the day is near, although we still need to get a few things,” Williams said. “It’s going to happen and hopefully it’s going to be a gem for the community.”

“It’s close. You can actually see it coming together – I’m getting more and more pumped up each day,” Brenda Loveland said while working Sunday night.

Loveland, along with her husband, Joe, and son Joey were working along with Williams on some of the finishing details in paint and trim.

A few projects remain before the youth center opens, he said, however, nothing like what has already been accomplished.

The kitchen needs a countertop installed. Cubbies and coat racks need to be installed near the front door. The ceiling needs to be completed as well as the bathrooms built and the new sprinkler system needs to be tested.

The light and sound system will be the last project completed after the dance floor is finished, just before the youth center opens. The system is currently being used at the Knights of Columbus Hall for the PBA’s youth dance fundraisers.

The sprinkler system, despite a deep discount from Williams’ stepbrother who works as a Boston-area sprinkler system installer, cost more than the PBA budgeted for opening the doors.

Community members and groups stepped up with more than $25,000 in donations to keep the effort going, Williams said. “That was kind of like the (lynch-pin) task; it seemed insurmountable at the start,” he said. 

With six months and more than 1,500 man-hours into the project from PBA members and numerous volunteers, Williams said one thing he had not done was sit down and figure out exactly what the whole project cost.   

“The major hurdles are behind us thanks to some very generous donations,” Williams said. “Once we secured the money (for the sprinkler system) we all gave a big sigh of relief,” he said.

“Now that we’re buttoning up the ceiling it’s like we’re saying goodbye to that hurdle and leaving it behind,” Williams said.

Jeff Rescott, a plumbing instructor at Saratoga BOCES, volunteered to do the work creating the girls and boys bathrooms for the facility, saving the PBA time and money, Williams said. “We’ve got so many people to thank; everyone’s been really good to us,” he said.

In hopes of generating more interest among the kids, Williams said, he created a Facebook page for the “Granville PBA Youth Center,” which was well on its way to 200 fans.

Although the opening took much longer and cost considerably more money than anticipated, Williams said, the questions he gets peppered with at school each day indicate there is still a great deal of interest among the youth of Granville. “There’s a lot of buzz out there,” Williams said.

When complete the youth center will host an after-school program to give kids a safe and secure place to go and hang out after the school day is done. Williams said the youth center will offer the free after-school program for kids as well as a new location for the PBA dances. The PBA plans to respond to a concern voiced by parents about the ages of the youths mixing at the dances.

New dances will be subdivided into grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. The new dance space will feature a DJ booth and computerized lighting.

The after-school program will be open to kids from third grade to seniors and run from 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 or 7 p.m.

Williams said in addition to the food counter, the youth center will have a dedicated dance floor for the PBA dances, game rooms for television video games and pool and ping pong.

The PBA plans to have separate areas for younger children and older ones to play age-appropriate video games on Wii and Xbox-type games systems when the dances are not taking place.

The food counter will have light fare, including hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, sodas and pizza.

A separate part of the space will be set aside with tables and chairs as a quiet place where youths can do homework during the after-school program, complete with a WiFi connection for Internet access.

House of Hope welcomes resident

The Haynes House of Hope welcomed its first resident on that date.

Clark said the transition from building and establishing the house to welcoming the first resident to the South Granville comfort care home had actually been quite smooth.

“It’s a time of adjustment for everyone, but it sure has worked out really well,” Clark said. 

“I think they (Haynes House organizers) are just so excited and overwhelmed to see that their work has come to fruition,” she said.

Now that a resident is living at the Haynes House, the need for volunteers grows, she said. Someone needs to be in house 24 hours a day.

Volunteers are also needed to spend time with the residents; all volunteers will receive orientation and other training from the executive director as needed. “No one will be asked to do something they’re not comfortable doing,” Clark said.

The Haynes House needs volunteers to perform everyday household tasks from shoveling during the winter to cutting the grass in the summer as well as cooking and cleaning. The idea, Clark said, is that families and the residents have nothing to worry about but being together during those final days.

“We want to make it their home,” she said.

Clark said she would encourage anyone who is considering volunteering to come out and anyone with questions to call her at 642-8155.

“Volunteers realize how much they’re getting in return as far as how rewarding it is for themselves. Initially, they’re all a little frightened of what they’re going to encounter but then they realize how enjoyable it is and find out it’s rewarding – they feel good about doing it,” Clark said. Often those who volunteer at the Haynes House are eager to come back, she said. 

Clark said she is trying to get four-hour shifts of volunteers organized although some shifts are harder to fill, such as 8 p.m. to midnight, overnights and weekend shifts. 

“The 8-12, it’s probably one of the easiest shifts; it’s actually a quiet time when the resident is settling in and going to bed,” she said.

“I’d encourage anybody to come out and give it a try -- realize how rewarding it is to them to actually volunteer,” she said.

Clark said volunteers need not worry about their age or having special skills. “There will always be something to do; we won’t turn anyone away,” she said. 

With the house fully functional, Clark said, the need for donations of regular household items rises as well.

“We’re always looking for donations of food and laundry supplies, cleaning supplies - basically anything you’d need in your own household,” Clark said. 

Ready to take the plunge?

The Penguin Dip, that is.

The always popular kickoff to the Whitehall Winter Festival will open a day of fun and events on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 9 a.m.

After the dip into the headwaters of Lake Champlain, event-goers can get their fill of pancakes at the annual Whitehall Chamber of Commerce Winter Festival breakfast held at the Skenesborough Firehouse from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. The cost of the breakfast is $5    and includes coffee or juice, pancakes and sausage, and real New York state maple syrup courtesy of Scribner’s Maple Syrup of Whitehall. 

Following the breakfast, a variety of foods will be on the menu at the firehouse as the annual Taste of the Town will take place starting at 10 a.m. and running until 2 p.m.

“There will be samplings of food for sale at a reasonable price, made by the many good cooks in Whitehall, from local restaurants and organizations,” said Mohn.

Also at the firehouse, Paul Bartholomew will return for a second year to present evidence and information about the world-wide and local search for Sasquatch at 12:15 p.m.

Speaking of Sasquatch, the second annual Sasquatch look-a-like contest will be held following the presentation next to the statue of the creature.

“The Big Foot look-alike contest will be held with three categories “Look a Like”,” Largest Big Foot” and “Biggest Foot” will be held,” said Mohn. “Fifty dollars will go to the first place winner in each category.”

Rounding out the events at the firehouse will be a chance for those who think they have what it takes to be the “Whitehall Idol” to show off their pipes with a karaoke contest starting at about 1 p.m.

There will also be a student art show featuring works from students at Whitehall High School in the Pavilion, and the Skenesborough Museum will be open from 11 a.m. until p.m.

“The art exhibit will be held all week until Thursday starting during the Winter Festival,” said Mohn. “There will be art created by students of Whitehall High School and the many local artists that are part of Whitehall Community.”

There will also be plenty of outdoors events, highlighted by the return of the Wings Clydesdales out of Granville, which are sponsored by Stewart’s and will offer rides along the Champlain Canal on Main Street, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

“Picture these fabulous horses drawing a shiny silver wagon behind them with smiling people aboard, going by historic buildings,” said Mohn. “Stewart’s Shops will be sponsoring this free to the public activity.”

There will be a number of activities that will be taking place in the Skenesborough Park throughout the day on Feb. 6, including Iditarod races, a tug of war, snow castle contest and snowmobile rides.

“In addition there will be snow shoeing in the park,” said Mohn. “Snow shoes will be provided for anyone not owning a pair.”

At 11 a.m. there will be two contests in the park for kids, the Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Pie Eating Contest and at 1 p.m. the Funny Hat Contest will be held.   

The Whitehall United Methodist Church will again host those who want to go for a day of sliding down the church’s hill on Greenmount Lane, with free soup and hot beverages being served.

“In addition there will be a contest where kids who design and make their own sleds will race down the hill, and the winners will receive prizes,” said Mohn. “There will be much to do in Whitehall so shake off the cabin fever. It really will be fun for everyone.”

For more information on the annual Whitehall Winter Festival, call 499-2435.