Alplaus Home Town News May 2002
Editor/Publisher: Art Harris Reporter: Betty Vedder
Especially for Alplaus Mothers
This day brings special memories,
That are gathered through the years,
And treasured deep within the heart
As precious souvenirs.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
SUNDAY, MAY 12th!!!
Annual Garage Sale and Flea Market
Please set aside Saturday, June 1st to have a garage sale at your home and to come visit the flea market at the firehouse. The sale will be from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and we will be advertising in a number of local newspapers. So, clean out your attic and put your house on our garage sale map. All it takes is $5, which Kathy Boyle is taking in envelopes provided at the Post Office.
We also have spaces and tables available to rent at the firehouse. Each space (you provide the table) will be $10; to rent a space plus use our table will be $15. Please call Robin to reserve a space or table at 399-4911. Space is limited so first come first served, particularly as to location or type of table (picnic or banquet).
As always, our cookshack will be open serving the delicious food Alplaus is known for. Breakfast and lunch will be served and we guarantee some delicious homemade desserts.
Last year was a great time and lots of bargains were to be found so plan to join us and tell your friends! The sale will go forward June 1st, rain or shine!
May is here with flowers galore, in fact some of the "May flowers" seemed to arrive in April in the (remember) 90 degree heat. Hard to recall that April heat wave with the past week of cold, wet and windy days, isn't it? The landscape looks wonderful up and down the streets of Alplaus.
More of our large old maples succumbed to the spring winds this year, in whole or in pieces.
If you have any doubts about the trees near your home it might be good to have them checked out.
May 2002 has two very important holidays to celebrate: Mother's Day on the 12th and Memorial Day on the 27th. We can not give our Mothers enough honor for the care and sacrifices they have made for us through all the years. This year we add the memories of those who lost their lives in the tragic acts of terrorism on 9/11/01 to those of the brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen lost in defense of the USA as we pause to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
.AWH
Many people have been asking when the new postal rates will come into effect. Rates will go into effect June 30th. First class stamps will increase from 34 cents to 37 cents. Second ounce rates will stay the same at 23 cents. A book of twenty stamps will be $7.40. A roll of stamps will be $37. Priority 1 lb. rates will increase from $3.50 to $3.85. Post card rates will increase from 21 cents to 23 cents. If you have more specific questions, the postal service has a web site that may be helpful (www.usps.com). I will also post new information as it becomes available to me.
If you have come to the post office lately, you have seen the progression of the lovely mural Betty Hopson and Jean Conley are doing. It is coming along beautifully. The completion of the mural will be sometime in May. Unfortunately there is not enough wall space to include each and every house and street in Alplaus.
I have started to scrape and paint the lower portions of the post office exterior. I will be getting back to those wonderful people who volunteered their time to help. I would like to organize a few workdays in May and June. If there is anytime that painters would just like to show up and work on their own schedule, that would be fine also.
Thank you all again for your support of our post office.
Kathy Boyle
Hello Alplaus From Charles Foot
I am writing now as I saw in the April 2002 edition the death of Dorothy Van Vranken. She used to live next door to the Foot family on Mohawk Ave in Alplaus. I remember her when she was a Dorothy Mahar (I think that was her maiden name). I am Charles Foot and was born in Alplaus and lived there till WWII. After serving as a B-24 Pilot in the Pacific, I never returned to live there but visited my parents Benjamin and Lydia Foot till they moved to Saratoga, New York to the Embury Senior Community that was/is administered by the Methodist Church.
I found the Alplaus News Letter by accident doing a Web search using the Name "Benjamin Foot" and got a hit with your November 2001 issue (http://members.aol.com/Alplaus/Nov01/Nov01.html) where the bridge opening across the creek was related. My parents were very active in the Alplaus Methodist Church and I have many good memories of my childhood there.
I am now a 77 year old Senior Citizen and have been enjoying your Newsletter.
Waving to you from Petaluma California where I currently live with my wife of many years in a Senior Retirement Community
Charles Foot 
Tony was brought up on Glenridge Road along with his pals, some of the Pfaffenbach boys. When he married he and his wife, Marilyn,
moved to Nova Scotia. He still keeps in touch with the HTN on the Web. A few years ago he
e-mailed an excellent and humorous article with memories of his younger days here around Alplaus.
We recently learned that his younger son, Seth, is in the Canadian Infantry stationed on the front line in Afghanistan. Fortunately, he was not with the group of four Canadians who were killed
recently, but he is in a dangerous area. It would be great to have prayers for Seth's well being from Alplaus. Let's see what we can do.
It is time to think about and plan summer vacations. This is a reminder of the Ted Schwarz Memorial.
It is for the young people of any faith who reside in the
Alplaus area. Information and registration forms are available - call 399-0427.
Another busy meeting!
Our sweatshirts will be ready to buy in the Post Office by the time you are reading this. They commemorate our historic fight to save our little community post office - buy one today and celebrate our community spirit and support one of the organizations that make Alplaus a great place to live!
We are delighted to present our first Alplaus Spring Women's Art, Craft and Flower Show on Sunday, May 19th at the Post Office and FireHouse from noon to 4:00 PM. This show will highlight a number of the many talented artists and craftswomen we have here in the village and give you an opportunity not only to admire their work but also to purchase it. Additionally, we will have flowers and arrangements available to purchase courtesy of Green Acres, which is run by Kim Sheely of the village, along with her sister. And as you are browsing, you can enjoy a delicious cup of gourmet coffee or tea along with a selection of homemade pastries and tea sandwiches. Should be a lovely afternoon! You'll recognize the auxiliary members who will be wearing their new official auxiliary shirts - we're quite pleased to finally have them!
Not far behind on June 1st will be our annual garage sale and flea market at the firehouse and throughout the village. There's a separate article in this edition of the Hometown News for particulars on the sale. We've also begun work on our auxiliary Fourth of July float that will have a post office theme. We are also working with the ARA to present a band for this year's parade and were pleased to invite the other local fire company auxiliaries to march in the parade.
Our next meeting will be May 20 (due to the Memorial Day
holiday) at the Post Office Community room at 7:30 PM. Please call Robin
at 399-4911 if you'd like to join us.
Senator Farley had asked for help to identify members of our organization who are eligible for special recognition from the New York State Senate. We are pleased and proud that one of our own from Alplaus was chosen. Jeanne Story was honored as our representative in observance of Women's History Month
Congratulations, Jeanne, for your many years of volunteering
and your willingness to help when needed.
Hi Everyone,
I've been working on a website for Schenectady County for over a year now, and have some information on Alplaus' businesses and residents, so I felt really lucky to find the links and the info that I have.
If you need a reference for me, Bob Esperti knows my husband and myself, as we are wintering our boat at Mohawk Valley [marina], and we have a boat for sale there also. Anyone interested?
Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that the page is there, having only four links, but the HomeTown News page is part of it. The link to that page is www.port80café.net/alp. I also thought that a community calendar might dress it up a bit (on port80cafe) and if anyone is interested, please feel free to e-mail me. Most of the time I get notices up promptly.
I would also be open to displaying local residents business cards as a courtesy, but I haven't been prompt with that as Dee Weakly could probably tell you. I've had her card in my possession for a while now.
Very sincerely (yes, honestly), Pat Zollinger
Ken, long time resident of Hill Street, has been confined to St. Clare's Hospital for some time now. I'm sure he would like a card and your kind thoughts. Address them to Ken Bieber at Room 337 in St. Clare's Hospital, 600 McClellan St., Schenectady, NY 12304.
Harry's clinic this month will be held on Thursday, May 9th from 3 until 5 PM. We have ordered a pleasant warm afternoon so you
can take a walk to the firehouse. Harry can check your
pressure and update you on the local news.
Alplaus Fire Station
The luncheon will be held on Tuesday, May 14th. Lunch is served at noon. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Bring a dish to share if you can to the Fellowship Hall
in the Alplaus Methodist Church. Come and enjoy good food and fun with friends.
In April, Lea entered the Invitational Ice-Skating Competition, which was held in Saratoga at the Weire Arena. She competed under the Free Style Level 4 in her age group.
We are pleased to announce that she came in first. Congratulations,
Lea, we are very proud to report any outstanding performances of one of
our own from of Alplaus.
From Harry Casey's Home Page: Alplaus Weather
Summary Report for last month:
April 2002 Summary
(Harry's weather data unavailable at press time.)
May Moon Phases
Last Quarter: 05/04/02
New Moon: 05/12/02
First Quarter: 05/19/02
Full Moon: 05/26/02
The Old Farmers Almanac for May 2002
Forecasts for Region 6: Upstate New York
Average Temperature: 56F (average)
Precipitation: 5.5 in. (2 above average)
May 1-8 Warm, sunny, then rain
May 9-16 Cool, rain
May 17-24 Thunderstorms, then sunny
May 25-31 Sunny, showers
The following conversation was overheard at a party attended by high society people.
"My ancestry goes all the way back to Alexander the Great," said one lady. She then turned to a second lady and asked, "And how far does your family go back?"
" I don't know ", was the reply. "All our
records were lost in the Flood."
Greetings from the Alplaus Residents Association.
I spoke with Mark Kestner of the Kestner engineers on Friday May 3rd regarding the ongoing proposal for sewers in Alplaus. Since the ARA meeting of March there have already been several revisions to the initial plan that was presented at the ARA meeting. Many of these changes are the direct results of input from our residents and the results of the ARA working to get the best possible plan for the residents. The ARA will continue to work as a liaison with the town officials and Kestner Engineering to get an acceptable proposal. As of May 3rd, here is how the proposal process will proceed:
A Map Plan and Report will be presented to the Glenville Town Board by the engineering firm at an upcoming board meeting. This is a New York State Comptrollers Office requirement that must be followed. This report details the maximum amount that can be expended and bonded for the project. This report also delineates what areas are to be covered and how many structures are to be serviced. Assuming passage by the Town Board, the following steps will be taken: Residents will be given the dollar amount that each particular household will be assessed should the project move forward. Residents will have the opportunity to take part in a public information meeting and once that has been held the petitions for homeowner signature will be presented to the residents. Only with more than fifty percent homeowner approval, and more than fifty percent assessed value approval will the project proceed.
It seems that so much focus has been given to the sewer proposal in recent editions of th Home Town News that it is very easy to forget all of the duties and functions that the ARA does for Alplaus. While spearheading the effort to save the Alplaus Post Office comes to mind, there are many other issues that the ARA focuses on during the course of the year. The ARA donates to help support Alplaus kids attendance to summer camp at Skye Farms. The ARA is also responsible for the maintenance of the Ted Schwartz Park, the Alplaus Run Around, shared responsibilities for the 4th of July festivities and many other events.
The ARA is looking for some volunteers to assist in the mowing of the Ted Schwartz Park. If you can mow once or twice this summer it would be appreciated. If you think that saving the Alplaus Post Office was important, sending kids to camp is important, promoting community events are important, then now is your time to act. Our financial wellness is important. If you can assist the ARA with a donation it will always stay right here in our community, serving the people of Alplaus. If you would like to make a donation simply tear off the bottom of this page and drop it into the mail to Box 185, Alplaus.
Sincerely, Rick Fleming, President ARA
Looking forward to seeing you at the following events:
Community Church Service @ 10:30 AM Sunday June 30th
Block Party 8:00-12:00 PM Wednesday July 3rd
Alplaus Parade @ 11:00 AM Thursday July 4th
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Name____________________________________ Supporter _______Memorial_____
In memory of___________________
Amount______________ Thank You for your support
Fire Department Grants
Congratulations to Drew Coppola and Mike Cuoco. Drew wrote a letter to Senator Farley requesting funding for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) equipment for the Alplaus Fire Department. He received notice that the department will be getting $10,000 for EMS equipment from the state.
Mike also wrote a letter to Senator Farley requesting funding for EMS equipment and for repair for building and grounds for Fire District #2. He received notice that Glenville Fire District #2 will
receive $10,00 for EMS equipment only from the State. These monies will be used for additional A E D (defibrillator), portable suction units, pulse oximiter and other medical equipment.
The District has also submitted an application [Federal Grant] for "Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program" We hope this grant will come through this summer for the District.
We, the people, certainly have to give credit to these fellows who are aware of and take action to obtain these grants. You Guys are good !!
Alplaus
Fire Department April Calls
Date Time Situation Found Street Respondents
04/01/02 05:14 Medical emergency Butterfield Ave. 8
04/02/02 20:42 Other emergency C/O Bruce and
Glenridge 9
04/03/02 10:18 False alarm fire Rexford Fire Station 4
04/03/02 14:00 Vehicle accident Glenridge Road 6
04/06/02 20:13 Other fire Glenridge Road 10
04/07/02 00:07 Vehicle accident Glenridge Road 9
04/12/02 14:03 Medical emergency Hill Street 8
04/18/02 22:57 False alarm fire Maritime Drive 12
04/19/02 14:22 False alarm medical First Street 8
04/25/02 16:05 Medical emergency Valleywood Drive 8