News Archive

Besides basements, no flooding here

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:17:11 +0000

By Keith Lobdell

The rains came down and the winds came up.
But other than some basement flooding, Whitehall stood strong.
The two-part storm that dropped massive rains and produced major winds on the town to help usher in the month of October did not lead to any serious situations, according to town and village officials.
“We had 7.3-inches of rain on Thursday and Friday,” said Whitehall Village Trustee Kenneth Bartholomew. “The best part was that the wastewater treatment plant performed better than it has in any recent storm like this.”
The village has been working to upgrade the wastewater system, which included inspections of the main lines and fixing laterals to help reduce the amount of excess flow into the main filtration plant, particularly during heavy rain events.

$15K needed to run

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:14:18 +0000

By Keith Lobdell

WVFC needs increase to keep functioning

It’s $15,000 or bust.
That was the message that Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company President Brian Brooks had for members of the Whitehall Town Board during their Oct. 4 preliminary budget workshop.
“We are respectfully asking for an increase of $15,000 of funding from the town,” said Brooks. “We want to get to the point where we are able to keep the budget flowing and not have to worry about not being able to provide the services that you need.”

Power going out along wall?

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:09:10 +0000

By Keith Lobdell

The lights may soon go out for those along the Whitehall - Champlain Canal “free wall.”
Whitehall Town Supervisor Richard “Geezer” Gordon said he is now willing to bring the matter of the electricity provided along the wall to a vote at the next board meeting.
“I think that we are going to have the vote on this during the Oct. 13 meeting,” said Gordon. “I have no more interest in any property along the canal, and this is something I have been wanting to do since I first got here.”
Gordon had recently said he wanted to wait until the first of the year to make a decision on the matter, in part because the town was currently occupying Canal Corp. property in the Pavilion and it was planning to move soon.
However, Gordon said he would like to see the matter resolved sooner rather than later.

Whistle may return

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:05:57 +0000

by Matthew Rice

Mayor proposes return of unique timepiece

Just as the streets of Granville had not heard the chimes of the Veterans Memorial Clock in many years, the mayor proposed the return of another unique timepiece to Granville Monday night.
Mayor Jay Niles asked the board if there was interest among the board members in bringing back the noon whistle.
“I think it’s a nostalgia thing,” Niles said regarding the requests he receives from residents on a regular basis to bring back the whistle.
“Having the clock in place makes people feel good and I think for some reason people just like knowing when it’s noon,” Niles said.

Large animal clinic relocates

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:03:17 +0000

by Matthew Rice

Vet changes and moves
They’re your one-stop large-animal veterinarians, but the place you stop at will be different very soon.
The Granville Large Animal Veterinary Services practice is moving.
Headquartered at the end of the triangle near the intersection of Quaker Street and Route 22 since the practice started in Granville just after World War II, the operation is relocating to Middle Granville near the Mary J. Tanner Primary School.
The new office is located on the right side of county Route 23 just .3 miles from Route 22.
“We’re moving next week; we want to let everybody know we’re moving,” said office manager David Jensen.

Quarryman plans in works

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:57:55 +0000

by Matthew Rice

Moments after the sharp crack and before the sawdust had even settled into the grass of Lions Park on that cool and clear fall day, chainsaw artist Tim O’Brien knew he wanted to make another Quarryman statue
Before the pieces had been gathered together and moved from the lawn where the statue stood for a decade, O’Brien was already figuring out what he would do the next time.
It has taken a year to get to the next step, but it looks like Granville could have another Quarryman by spring.
Monday night Mayor Jay Niles approached the village board asking it to consider entering into an agreement with O’Brien for a new Quarryman sculpture. Niles said O’Brien told him he plans to work on the new statue over the course of the winter and have it finished by sometime in the spring. O’Brien will provide the village with a plan for the new sculpture for the board’s November meeting. Board members reacted positively to the news.

New look for OLH

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:33:13 +0000

By Keith Lobdell

Knights provide gracious gift for renovations As the couple was coming in, the last of the nails were going in.
The Rev. Michael Flannery said it literally took up to the last second to put the finishing touches on the remodeling of Our Lady of Hope Church in Whitehall, but things were ready for the opening Mass on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m.
“I wasn’t nervous at all until this week,” said Flannery. “We were ahead of schedule the whole time but in this last week, everything that could go wrong did and we were working right up until 2:25 p.m. this afternoon. I had a couple coming for a renewal of vows ceremony at 2:30 p.m. and as they were walking in, they were just finishing up.”
The Mass celebrated the culmination of a six-week, approximately $280,000 project to completely remodel the upstairs portion of the church building.

Whitehall marinas closing their doors

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:31:24 +0000

By Keith Lobdell

Owners say they can't compete with free wall, electricity along the canal

The end of the boating season may very well be the end of the remaining Whitehall marinas.
Champlain Harbor Marina owner Bob Elmy and Lock 12 Marina owner Ray Faville have both said they will not be opening their marinas next summer, citing the increasing loss of business due to the availability of free boat docking along the Champlain Canal as the main reason for the closing of their docks.
“We have put so much money into these businesses and we are not seeing any of it coming back,” said Elmy. “Ray has been fighting this fight since 2002. The point is that this is unfair competition no matter how you look at it, and we just cannot compete with free docking and electricity.”

Elks continue to prep for golf tourney

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:28:04 +0000

The fourth annual Whitehall Elks Cerebral Palsy Golf Tournament will take place at the Valley View Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 16.
Interested golfers can sign up at the Valley View course or at the Whitehall Elks Lodge. Teams will be four-players with a co-ed option and there will be an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
Registration fee for the tournament is $40 per player, with proceeds to benefit the Elks major projects for battling Cerebral Palsy
Tournament events will include a longest drive competition, closest to the pin, door prizes and refreshments and food on the ninth hole.
For more information, contact Orson Kingsley at 499-9351

FFA’s 24-foot-tall scarecrow comes to life

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:24:54 +0000

By Alissa Dunavan
Granville FFA Reporter

The time has finally come for the Granville Future Farmers of America’s 24-foot-tall scarecrow to stand tall next to their chapter store on Route 22 in Hebron. On Sunday, Sept. 19, the Granville FFA members worked hard as a team to finish sewing the clothes and stuffing the scarecrow.
By mid-afternoon the scarecrow was finished and ready to be displayed. Although it wasn’t an easy task for the FFA kids, they pulled together and with a few failed attempts they successfully staked the scarecrow into the ground and secured it. Several FFA parents were visiting the store and had a great time snapping pictures of the scarecrow; a couple of parents even offered their help and joined in the raising of the scarecrow.

Haunted house saved by firefighters

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:16:58 +0000

By Matthew Rice

The Haunted House that wouldn’t Die

In horror movies it’s the crazy slasher villain who gets shot, stabbed and even burned, but just keeps coming back – he’s unstoppable.
In the Granville variation of that tale, the haunted house no one expected to return does so when least expected and scares a few bucks up for a good cause.
In the fall of 2009 Granville High School student Nick Crouch put together a haunted house in his parents’ garage off Mettowee Street along with his cousin.

Six years of lights

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:12:48 +0000

by Matthew Rice

Horde teams play night games next week

The air is a little cooler and you can sometimes see your breath as you stand watching the games. But it is a tradition Granville athletes look forward to as much as homecoming – it’s time for Lights Week.
Lights Week returns to Granville for the sixth time with games on three nights with a schedule of contests under the lights for most outdoor varsity sports.
Gas-powered lighting units owned by the Whitehall Recreation League will be rented and hauled to town for nighttime competition by the varsity teams.

Firearms are stolen from store

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:09:13 +0000

By Matthew Rice

Guns stolen, store owner offers reward

The owner of a Granville village business is offering a reward for information after a break-in on Sept. 24 at Whitney’s Archery on Church Street.
Granville police said they were withholding information regarding specifics on the case but said “several firearms” were taken from the 2 Church St. address, which is the home of the archery and taxidermy business owned by Dennis Whitney.

Party time!

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:23:59 +0000

LaFlamme’s, chamber to host fall fest

LaFlamme’s Inc. in Whitehall will be hosting a grand opening celebration this Saturday.
A free music concert to celebrate the opening of the Whitehall site will be held at the Pavilion in Skenesborough Park on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. featuring the music of Billie Jones and Out of Control.
The concert, which is being sponsored by LaFlamme’s and the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce, is free and open to the public.

Schools to host annual open houses on Sept. 23 and Sept. 28

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:21:32 +0000

Whitehall Central School will host a pair of open houses in the upcoming week. The Junior/Senior High School open house will take place on Thursday, Sept. 23, starting at 6:45 p.m. and lasting until around 8:30 p.m. Members of the school faculty, guidance office and administration will be on hand to answer questions and talk to parents and community members. For more information, call the school at 499-1770. The Whitehall Elementary open house will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. For more information, call the school at 499-0330.