EDITOR/PUBLISHER  Art Harris                     REPORTER  ????????????

HTN e-mail address: arthur.harris@earthlink.net

HOME TOWN NEWS

ALPLAUS, NEW YORK 12008

 

December 2004                           Vol. 128                                                No. 10 ____________________________________________________________________________

  

Light Up Alplaus Christmas Eve Luminary Candles on Sale Now

Once again this year, luminary candles are on sale at the post office. This is a lovely tradition that continues to make Alplaus a wonderful place to call home.

   The cost is $5.00 per dozen which includes bags and candles. The students in the church's after school program have made bags of Reindeer Snack Mix as a treat for Santa's loyal sleigh-pullers and that is also for sale for $3.00 per bag. 

   For those of you with young children or grandchildren, sprinkling the "reindeer food" outside on Christmas Eve helps burn off some of the Christmas excitement. Both projects are fundraisers that benefit Samuel's and the Alplaus Church youth program. For more information call Kelly at 399-6000.

 

A Holiday Grace

   A friend's wife invited some people to dinner. At the table she turned to her six-year old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?"

   "I wouldn't know what to say," she replied.

   "Just say what you hear Mommy say," her mother said. Her daughter bowed her head and said: "Dear Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


What’s inside

On the Hill…………..…….…………….……..2

Alplaus Fire Department Calls - November..2

Fire Commissioner's Election…….…………2

ARA News…………………………………..…3

   Santa Claus is Coming to Town……..……3

   Trains and More Trains……………………3

   Sewer Update…….……………….…….….3

Alplaus Post Office News…………………....3

Alplaus Explorer Post 885…………………...4

Alplaus Historical Society…………………....4

Secret Santa…………………………………..4

Ladies Auxiliary………………………….…….5

 Alplaus Church Christmas Celebrations……6

Community Luncheon…………………….…..6

Donations to the Domestic Abuse Shelter….6

Wounded Soldiers' Quilts…………………….6

No-sew Tied Fleece Lap Quilt…….………....7

 

              On the Hill

 

The Holiday season has crept up on us once again. It is both uplifting and a lot of extra work. Our Alplaus Fire Company's Ladies Auxiliary added a terrific project to their holiday workloads that will give holiday cheer to our New York State wounded veterans. See pages 6 and 7 in this Home Town News for pictures and the story of the Wounded Soldiers' Quilts.

   Progress on long-awaited improvements to Alplaus - extended sewers and sidewalks - has been slow these past few months. We're glad that the Alplaus Residents Association, and especially Pres. Barb Casey, keeps after the town officials on these issues. Be patient, before you know it, the ice and snow will be here and gone and the streets of Alplaus will be filled with machinery!

   Finally, the Home Town News and all its contributors wish each and every reader all the special joys of the season and a safe winter holiday……AWH

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Alplaus Fire Department

                             

   Calls for November 2004

 

 

 

 

 

Date

Alarm

Time

 

Incident #

 

Call Type

Location

# Fire

Fighters

Fire Fighter-Hrs

 

01 NOV 2004

10:05

000142

   Medical Emergency

   Glenridge Road

4

0.6

 

02 NOV 2004

12:27

000143

   Medical Emergency

   Butterfield Avenue

7

3.3

 

03 NOV 2004

20:31

000144

   Medical Emergency

   Vallywood Drive

9

5.1

 

07 NOV 2004

02:42

000145

   Medical Emergency

   Pinewood Drive

4

1.9

 

09 NOV 2004

09:44

000146

   Medical Emergency

   Airguard Road

2

1.0

 

17 NOV 2004

09:36

000147

   Other Emergency

   Hetcheltown Road

4

0.7

 

19 NOV 2004

20:24

000148

   Medical Emergency

   Pinewood Drive

4

2.1

 

21 NOV 2004

11:27

000149

   False Alarm Fire

   Glenridge Road

8

3.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Commissioner’s Election

On Tuesday, December 14, 2004 the election for the office of Fire Commissioner will take place at the Alplaus Fire House. Any resident who is a registered voter and resides in Glenville Fire District #2 is eligible to vote. Voting will take place between 6 and 9 pm. This year two candidates are running for a five year seat on the Board of Fire Commissioners:

 

G. S. (Sean) McCullough

Sean has lived in Woodhaven with his wife Beth and son Matthew for the past ten years. He has been Scout Master of Troop 36 Boy Scouts of Alplaus and is currently Chapter Advisor of the Order of the Arrow. Sean is a member and a past Director of the Glenville Rotary Club. He is a Manager in Power Plant Engineering for GE Power Plant Design in Schenectady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Christopher Williams

Chris has lived in Alplaus for the last 8 years with his wife Tracie and daughter Sydney. He has been a member of the Alplaus Fire Company for 6 years and recently completed his certification for Firefighter One. Chris has over 200 hours of fire training. He is a Road Crew Supervisor for the Hudson River Construction Company.

 

Alplaus Residents Association News

 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Kids of all ages, come join us on Saturday, December 11th at 7 pm for the annual Alplaus tree lighting. Santa arrives on a fire truck to help with the festivities, and then everyone enjoys delicious treats and some favorite songs in the firehouse.

   Come meet new friends, see old ones, and watch the kids’ eyes light up. It’s an Alplaus tradition--Alplaus is a place where neighbors take time to talk to each other, and it’s reflected in this lovely event.

   Thanks once again to Gray Watkins for making the arrangements, and to the Auxiliary for providing refreshments.

Trains and More Trains

I know many of you are not only inconvenienced by long trains stopping traffic on Alplaus Avenue, you’re also concerned about the safety of traffic backed up onto Maple Avenue. The fire department always has the first fire person out call the station to indicate whether or not they’ll have to go around the tracks! In order to talk with the town and possibly the train companies about this, I’d like to have some data and I need your help.

   Keep a piece of paper and a pencil in your car.  Any time you are stopped by a train, write down the date, time of day, how long you have to wait, and whether or not traffic is backed up on Maple Avenue. Keep track until the end of January, then e-mail me with the results, or drop them off at the post office and include your name and phone number. If you have non-Alplaus friends who drive through here frequently, ask them to do the same thing. I’ll use what we gather to talk to town officials. 

Sewer Update

There’s no news to report on this front, except to confirm that we will have a meeting to answer resident questions about what comes next.  The timing of the meeting will depend on when we hear back from the state comptroller’s office. 

   As I mentioned last month, I’ve also asked the town to mail a letter (after comptroller approval is received) outlining expected homeowner costs and homeowner responsibilities. 

Let me hear from you if you have any questions or concerns. Happy Holidays!

Barb Casey

399-5714

bcasey@skidmore.edu

_____________________________________­­______________________________­­­­__________

 

Alplaus Post Office News

                                               

    IT'S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   The holiday stamps are in and the packages are already flying out the door.

 

E. GRAY WATKINS

ATTORNEY AT LAW

GENERAL PRACTICE

 

 REAL ESTATE

WILLS, TRUSTS & ESTATES      371-6125

CORPORATE LAW                      1745 RT. 9

PERSONAL INJURY               Clifton Park, N.Y.

 

 

 

 

 

     

 
   Stop by the Post Office and enjoy a hot cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Who knows, there may be a tasty treat on the counter and a visiting neighbor to give a holiday hug.

   Warmest wishes for a joyous season,

                                    Kathy Boyle


 Alplaus Explorer Post 88

                               by Kathleen Sheppeck

 

As we begin our second year of existence, the Explorers continue both class room and hands on training to increase our understanding of Fire Services.

   This past month saw the Explorers participating with the Firefighters in a search and rescue drill. This included an interior second floor building search, as well as learning more about scene support duties, such as checking vitals and changing air bottles.

   The Explorers also joined the Fire Company in Schenectady’s Annual Christmas Parade. The weather cooperated, the crowd was very receptive and a good time was had by all.

   Explorer Post 885 welcomed two new members in November. We’re all looking forward to a great second year.

 

 

Alplaus Historical Society

                                  by Bob Culver

 

The Society met on November 18 at the Firehouse with 13 folks in attendance.  A potential guest had to cancel due to inclement weather.

   The "House History" project is moving ahead slowly under the direction of Judy Harris.  Participants are reminded that any input is most appreciated.

   The Harrises (Art and Judy) have been looking for Francis Spoonogle's photographs which

 

were turned over to the Schenectady County Historical Society. They appear to have been filed under different categories, which makes the search more challenging.

   A copy of a 1938 "Suburban Times", printed in Alplaus, has been added to the archives.

   Andy and Patty Coppola have donated two scrapbooks of photos of old Alplaus, trolley days among others for which the Society thanks them very much.

   The meeting touched on ways to become for the society to become more organized including some thoughtful information Kathleen Sheppeck obtained from the State Museum and the State Department of Education.

 

Secret Santa

 

Apparently The Alplaus Historical Society has a "Secret Santa" who does his mailing from the Utica, New York Area!!

   A very nice donation to the Society was received in the mail in a plain envelope so postmarked and "Merry Christmas", no other identification.

   Who ever you are, the Society is most appreciative of your generosity.

   Thank you very much!

 

Ladies Auxiliary

                                                by Vicki Watkins

During our last business meeting of the year we prepared fruit baskets for those in need of a little cheer and completed some finishing touches on the quilts that we made for returning wounded soldiers.  We also finalized plans for our annual holiday party which will be at Cornell's Restaurant on January 19, 2005.

   Many, many thanks to Elizabeth Burke and Helen Robinson for co-chairing our participation in the Quilts for Soldiers Program.  Please see the separate article in this HTN issue for more details about this extremely successful project.  We will be holding another ‘quilting – bee’ on Sunday, January 30th from 1:00 to 4:00 at the Firehouse so mark your calendars and come join us.

   We had a very successful Election Day Bake Sale. Thanks to all of you who purchased our goodies and we hope you enjoyed them. 

   Over a dozen community members took the “Heartsaver CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Course” taught by Dave Dietrich of Niskayuna.  We really appreciate Dave’s taking the time to teach us this class and to offer it at no charge.

   This holiday season the Auxiliary is ‘adopting’ the Schenectady Battered Women’s Shelter. We will be purchasing towels, sheets, pillows and blankets. There is a “Wish List” available at the Post Office for anyone interested in making a donation. If you have any questions please call Vicki Watkins at 399-0184.

   Our Alplaus sweatshirts are back!  Small, Large, X-large and 2XL will be available shortly at the Post Office or call Robin at 399-4911.

   Congratulations to Kathleen Sheppeck for joining the Alplaus Fire Company as a firefighter.  We are very proud of her taking on this additional role in support of our community. 

   Lastly, the Auxiliary voted in a new slate of officers for 2005. The officers are: Vicki Watkins, President; Kathleen Sheppeck, Vice-President; Alice Culver, Treasurer; and Pat Coppola, Secretary. Joan Holterman will be our newest Trustee, replacing Antoinette Olsen who has served for the past 3 years. Thanks Antoinette!

   Our next meeting will be February 28th at 7 pm at the Firehouse. Please join us if you can. Best wishes to you and your families this holiday season.

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Alplaus Sweatshirts

Adult Sizes:

S @ $15

L and XL @ $22

2XL @ $24
 

At the Alplaus Post Office or call Robin at 399-4911
 

Sponsored by the

Alplaus Ladies Auxiliary
 

 

  THOMAS H. CULVER                       399-5557

   38 SARATOGA ROAD          SCOTIA, N.Y. 12302

 

                       Residential – Commercial

      HOLLENBECK PAVING CORP.

BLACKTOP

 

      DRIVEWAY          ROAD       PARKING AREA

 
 
 

 

 

 

 



Alplaus Church Christmas Celebrations

The Alplaus United Methodist church will hold a Potluck Supper at 5:30 pm on Sunday, December 12th. The meal will be followed by a Christmas Celebration.

   The Christmas Eve service will be held at 7:30 pm on Friday, December 24th.

   Please call the church office at 399-6000 for further information.

 

Community Luncheon

The Alplaus Community Luncheon at Alplaus United Methodist Church will be held on Tuesday, December 14th, 11:30 am to 2 pm in Fellowship Hall. It is open to the public and an event to look forward to with good food and good fellowship.

   Bring a dish to share if you can and come join us in any event.

 

Donations to the

Domestic Abuse Shelter

                               by Elizabeth Burke

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Women's Abuse Shelter. The following is excerpted from a letter received from Rosemary Taylor, Executive Director of the center:

"On behalf of the membership and the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Schenectady, I would like to thank you for the generous donation of Toiletries for our Domestic Abuse Shelter. Please share our appreciation with the members of the Alplaus Fire Company's Ladies Auxiliary.

Each year, tens of thousands of women and their families from across the Capital District rreceive childcare, health, domestic violence and housing services from the YWCA of Schenectady. Your support ensures our survival and promotes our growth."

   Copies of a wish list of things needed for the shelter can be found in the Alplaus Post Office.

 

 

 

 

Wounded Soldiers' Quilts

                               by Elizabeth Burke

On Sunday, November 14, 2004 a group of women came together at the Alplaus Fire House to make quilts and fleece blankets for wounded soldiers returning from the war in Iraq.

   Each quilt has a label that reads:

"Our community that cares, Alplaus, NY" and a special handwritten letter in a pouch. (See the picture below.)

   A very special thank you is extended to everyone who contributed their time, talents, materials and efforts to this project. Alplaus is truly a special place where spirit and good things come together.

   PS to the above news item: On Thursday, December 2, 2004 Sergeant Major Justin Cappon from Military and Naval Affairs picked up 23 quilts at Helen Robinson's home.

   The quilts will be delivered to Commander Sergeant Robert Van Pelt who will deliver them to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C for wounded soldiers from New York State.

   The auxiliary will continue to make quilts to send to our New York State veterans. See the next page for an easy quilt to make yourself.

 

No-sew Tied Fleece Lap Quilt (It takes about 2 hours to complete a quilt.)

 Supplies needed:

1.   If using a three yards piece of material, cut into two 1 1/2 yard pieces.

2,   Lay out material so you have fleece on the bottom and on the top with the backs

      (wrong sides) of the two pieces of material in the middle.

3.   Line up all 4 sides of the material.

4.   In each corner of the material measure out a 6" square. Cut this 6 inch square out of

      all 4 corners of the material and discard.    (This is done so you can tie the corners.)

5.   Start at one corner and cut 6 inches into the material every 1 1/2 inches to the end

      of that side.

6    Tie each set of top and bottom 6 by 1 1/2 inch strips together in square knots.

7.   Repeat step 5 and 6 on the other three sides.

Your quilt is complete. For more information contact any member of the Ladies Auxiliary.

Your completed quilt can be taken to the Alplaus Post Office and added to the next shipment of quilts to the wounded soldiers. A member of the Ladies Auxiliary will add the label and special note as described earlier.

 

  THOMAS H. CULVER                       399-5557

   38 SARATOGA ROAD          SCOTIA, N.Y. 12302

 

                       Residential – Commercial

      HOLLENBECK PAVING CORP.

BLACKTOP

 

      DRIVEWAY          ROAD       PARKING AREA

 
 

 

  THOMAS H. CULVER                       399-5557

   38 SARATOGA ROAD          SCOTIA, N.Y. 12302

 

                       Residential – Commercial

      HOLLENBECK PAVING CORP.

BLACKTOP

 

      DRIVEWAY          ROAD       PARKING AREA