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School Board Proposes 2019-2020 Budget

At the regular April meeting, the Whitehall school board presented the 2019 -2020 school budget that will go before the voters in May. The board has adopted a total budget of $16,894,365 which is $375,266 over this years budget. Because the budget relies on $316,000 taken from reserves, the total tax levy increase is only .51 percent. The district is anticipating a 2.94 percent increase in state aid.

The district has $6.6 million in reserve funds. $4.8 of which are intended to be used for an upcoming building project that has already been approved by the voters.

Residents of the district can vote on the budget, Tuesday, May 21st.

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Economic Development Grants Announced by Governor

Today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that more than $763 million in economic and community development funding has been awarded through Round VIII of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. A number of worthwhile local projects received funding:


File photo of Rogers Memorial Park in Bolton. The Town of Bolton will be receiving funds from the Regional Economic Development Council initiative for additional improvements to Rogers Memorial Park.

Town of Bolton: $600,000 for Rogers Memorial Park Waterfront Sustainability improvements.

Town of Bolton: $1,000,000 for improvements to the Town’s wastewater treatment process.

Town of Granville: $250,000 to construct a northern segment of the Slate Valley Rail Trail linking miles of family friendly, accessible trail with points north and south of the Village of Granville. The trail is envisioned as an indispensable link that will ultimately connect northeastern Washington County with the Empire State Trail in Whitehall, New York; and with the D&H rail Trail north linking in through Hampton New York to Poultney/Castleton and south to Pawlet/Rupert Vermont.

Town of Hague: $230,625, to install new control systems and perform other upgrades at their Dodd Hill and Cape Cod pumping stations. These wastewater treatment improvements will help prevent nutrients entering nearby waterways, including phosphorus that may lead to harmful algal blooms.

Town of Lake George: $657,028 to consolidate two of their pump stations, making upgrades to the lower pump station and installing sewer pipes and force mains. The benefit of this project includes protecting Lake George from additional phosphorus that can lead to harmful algal blooms.

Village of Lake George: $100,000 to complete a study on groundwater infiltration into the sanitary sewer collection system.

Town of Ticonderoga: $30,000 for upgrades to the Town’s wastewater treatment plant’s HVAC system.

Village of Whitehall: $300,000 to be used to remove debris, and design and construct a public parking facility on the site of the former Flat Iron Building.

Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District: $65,200 to expand its county-wide roadside erosion and sediment control program by stabilizing 15-20 acres of bare roadside ditches. The project will improve water quality by reducing sediment and debris runoff entering water bodies from roadside ditch erosion.

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Whitehall School District Special Election Results

This past week, the Whitehall School District had a special election on two ballot propositions.

Bond Proposition # 1 asked the voters to approve $16,592,061 in total costs to construct alterations and improvements to all district buildings and the sites thereof.

Bond Proposition # 2 asked the voters to approve an additional $1,908,449 in taxes and the issuance of bonds in the event Proposition # 1 was approved.

The total cost of the project is expected to be: $18,500,510.

The final vote totals were:

Ballot Proposition Yes No
Bond Proposition # 1 110 12
Bond Proposition # 2 97 25

Both Ballot Propositions Passed.

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School District Proposes $18.5 Million in Spending: December 11th Vote Scheduled

The Whitehall School District, which Huletts Landing is part of, is proposing an $18.5 million school upgrade project with most of the money coming from tax dollars held in the District’s capital reserve fund and new taxes which they anticipate, but cannot guarantee, will be reimbursed by the state of New York.

The $18.5 million project will be put in front of voters in a special referendum on December 11, 2018 in two bond propositions.

Bond Proposition # 1 will ask voters to approve $16,592,061 in total costs to construct alterations and improvements to all district buildings and the sites thereof. Included are replacements of roofs, fire alarm enhancements, new boilers and HVAC systems, window replacements, high school science rooms, relocation of the elementary school office and a new high school bleacher system and outdoor track. Bond Proposition # 1 will authorize spending $4,838,921 that the district holds in a capital reserve fund from taxes that have been placed in the fund since 2014. It will further authorize a tax of $11,753,140 and the issuance of bonds to be paid by the district in case the state does not reimburse this amount.

Because of Whitehall’s economic status the district is eligible for 78.2 % of every dollar that is spent on this project to be reimbursed by the state of New York. This reimbursement is not technically guaranteed and that is why voters are voting to tax and issue bonds for any amounts above what is held in the district’s capital reserve fund. State aid can fluctuate or change.

Bond Proposition # 2 will ask voters to approve an additional $1,908,449 in taxes and the issuance of bonds in the event Proposition # 1 is approved.

The total cost of the project is expected to be: $18,500,510.

Between both bond propositions, voters are being asked to approve spending the $4,838,921 that the district holds in its capital reserve fund and a total of $13,661,589 in new taxes.

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Three Candidates Running for Two School Board Seats


The following individuals are running for the two seats on the Whitehall school board that will open up this year:

Carrianne Arquette
Frank Barber, Jr (Current Board President running for reelection.)
Stiling Knight

The two board seats up for election this year are of different lengths. One is for a full three-year term and the other is for a one-year unexpired term of Jason Hoagland who resigned without completing his full term.

I will send questionnaires out to all the candidates shortly and will post their answers here.

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Two School Board Seats Up For Election

Two school board seats will be up for election in 2018. School board President, Frank Barber’s term expires, making a three-year term available. The seat formerly occupied by Jason Hoagland, who resigned before completing his term, will come up for election as a one-year term. Petitions of those seeking these seats must be returned to the district clerk by April 16th no later than 5:00 pm. To run, a person needs to be 18 years old by May 15th, must have resided in the school district for at least a year, and must submit a petition signed by 25 eligible voters.

I will be covering these contests and will be sending out questionnaires to all those who enter the race. Stay tuned.

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Champlain Power Express Hopes to Lay Power Line Through Dresden

The Champlain Power Express is a project you will hear about over the next few months as the developers hope to run an underground electricity transmission line 333 miles from a substation in Canada to a substation in Queens New York, with the goal of supplying additional power to New York City.

The project has been years in the works, starting in 2009. The proposed route would take the line underground through Dresden along state Route 22. It would only carry electricity that would be generated almost exclusively in hydroelectric plants in Canada. It would not carry gas, fuel oil or other hazardous materials.


The proposed route would take the planned transmission line underground through Dresden to Whitehall near the South Bay bridge.

The project would bring additional tax revenue to the Town of Dresden, Washington county and the Whitehall school district because the transmission line becomes a taxable asset when it is placed in the ground. More details coming soon.

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Bascue Pilots 4-Man Bobsled to Top Ten Olympic Finish

Congratulations to Codie Bascue, who piloted the top American sled to a ninth-place finish in the 4-man bobsled.

From NBC’s coverage:

Bascue led the top American sled with two solid runs on the second day of competition. Top U.S. pilot Steve Holcomb, who won gold in 2010 and double bronze in 2014, passed away in 2017, and Bascue filled in valiantly. He couldn’t put together a medal run, but still piloted his sled to a top-10 finish.

To see a highlight clip – scroll down the page here.

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Bits of Everything

Post Star: Washington County Supervisors Approve Budget
The Post Star reports on the 2.06% increase in next year’s county budget.

Time: 8-Year-Old Steering Car During Crash Is Seriously Injured, Police Say
Time has a sad story out of Whitehall.

Video: Local 2018 Olmypic profile – Lake Placid to Pyeongchang – Tim Burke – Biathlon athlete

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Bits of Everything

Whitehall Times: Local Vendor May Quit because of ‘Honor System’ Decline
The Whitehall Times reports on a local produce vendor who is about to throw in the towel because of thievery.

Spectrum News Rochester (Article & Video): Golisano Withholding Tax Payment Because of Geese Problem
What do you do when the you have a really bad geese problem? Here is his response.

The Sun Newspapers: New ‘Text Stop’ on 87
New Northway “Text Stop” profiled in the Sun Newspapers.