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Feedback: Gouverneur Residents Brace For Tax Increases
April 30, 2008
Residents and business owners in Gouverneur will be paying more to live in the St. Lawrence village now that lawmakers have approved a budget that includes a spending increase and a 21.4 percent hike in the tax levy.
“They’re pushing us away. They don’t want us to have a business here. That’s the way I feel,” said Antonios Doganis, owner of Carolina’s Greek and American Restaurant.
Although the tax rate has gone down, many property values have gone up - meaning Doganis and many other villagers may have to shell out more in taxes.
Under the budget, which was adopted Tuesday, the tax rate will be $12.30 per $1,000 of assessed value.
It was $15.54 per $1,000.
The village also raised water and sewer rates.
Village Mayor Dorothy Vorce said, “It’s very difficult to make ends meet. I sympathize greatly with the people.”
Some homeowners say the village’s decision will hurt their bottom line.
But others say they saw this coming since village costs are up for things like gas and health care costs.
“Can’t expect them not to when everything else is going up at such a drastic rate,” said homeowner Stacy Canell of the lawmakers’ decision about the budget.
The spending plan also includes salary raises for Vorce and the trustees.
The mayor’s paycheck will go from $2,690 to $7,500.
Trustees were paid around $1,500. They will now get $4,000.
This week, village officials will be meeting with town officials to talk about how they can share and combine services as a way to save taxpayers some money.
See Jeff Nelson’s report:
Share your thoughts. Use the form below to send your comment to Diane Rutherford for the Your Turn segment on 7News. You must include your name, e-mail address and phone number for your comment to be considered. Your personal information will not be posted to the website - this form sends an e-mail. Your comment can be kept anonymous if you so request.
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Was That Really Snow?
April 30, 2008
It was…not much, just a few flurries but there certainly was some white with the wet in scattered areas of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence on Wednesday afternoon. I received reports of flurries in Depauville, Carthage, Philadelphia, Canton and Croghan. Tomorrow is the first of May so we will certainly be saying goodbye to those flurries very soon…unless it turns out like the year we had snow on Mothers Day. Not happening…just kidding…put down the frying pan! In fact, we will start to warm up tomorrow to normal temps and then go above normal on Saturday as we will get close to 70. Only problem is the atmosphere will stay unsettled through Sunday. That means a chance of showers all the way through the weekend.
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Morristown Teacher Accused of Inappropriate Relationship with Student
April 30, 2008
The St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department arrested a 38 year old music teacher for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a female student.
Daniel G. Frick of 8055 Route 11 in Potsdam was charged April 29 with endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
According to St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells, the charges stem from hand-holding, kissing and other inappropriate behavior.
Frick allegedly engaged in an relationship with a 16 year old female student between July and October 2007 inside Morristown Central School.
The sheriff’s department said the relationship was considered “injurious to the mental and moral welfare of said student”.
Frick, a tenured music teacher and marching band leader at the school for nearly two years, has been placed on paid administrative leave while the school and the New York State Education Department review the alleged incicent.
Frick was arraigned by Morristown Town Justice James Phillips Jr. and held in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond to reappear in the Town of Morristown Court at a later date.
See our report:
Senator Aubertine Works To Get ATV Trails Open Again
April 30, 2008
North country Senator Darrel Aubertine announced Wednesday that he’s working to get trails reopened to all-terrain vehicles in northern New York.
Earlier this month, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation decided to close 40 roads between Jefferson, Lewis and Oswego counties.
The DEC said it is simply a matter of following the state vehicle and traffic law.
The following is a news release from Aubertine’s office:
Sen. Aubertine Urges DEC to Open Truck Trails to ATVs
ALBANY-State Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent) has called upon the leadership of the state Department of Conservation to reverse its decision to reclassify truck trails in Jefferson, Oswego and Lewis counties as roads.
Mr. Aubertine followed up recent talks with Commissioner Alexander B. “Pete” Grannis, by reiterating in a letter his strong opposition to DEC’s
actions in regard to the closing of 52 truck trails to ATV traffic.
The senator emphasized the economic impact of ATV tourism in his region and neighboring counties and the negative impact of the DEC actions.
“Like snowmobilers in the winter, ATV riders in the spring and summer make large contributions to the Tug Hill region’s economy,” Sen. Aubertine said. “We need to ensure that riders have safe and well-maintained trails so the impact on our roadways and the environment is minimized. The local ATV leadership has shown a willingness to address concerns about this vital industry’s environmental impact.”
An economic analysis done several years ago by Camoin Associates of Saratoga Springs found that non resident ATV use directly contributes $23 million to the region’s economy, including $7.9 million in wages.
When factoring indirect and induced economic impacts, the numbers jump to $35.2 million and almost $11.4 million in wages.
“Because Region 6 has not had this classification before this year, it had grown into a sanctuary in New York State for ATV riders,” Sen. Aubertine said. “The counties that benefit have trail coordinators to oversee these areas and mitigate concerns so that the economic benefits of this tourism can be shared by all. We must have these truck trails opened to legal ATV traffic again.”
The Senator asked the DEC to look into opening the most important trails as soon as possible.
The local trail coordinators have put together a comprehensive report on these trails and indicated to the DEC which ones were most critical to the ATV tourism industry.
Mr. Aubertine said the DEC should open 6 critical trails and another dozen of the more important links within the fledgling ATV trail system.
“I intend to stay on top of this issue and I hope Mr. Grannis will take into account the impact of this decision,” Sen. Aubertine said. “We would like him to act quickly, remembering the history of ATV tourism in this region, its impact and the steps taken by the counties here to oversee the trails. We can work together to resolve this issue.”
Sen. Aubertine will follow up his letter to Commissioner Grannis by meeting with Oswego County ATV Club President Steve Cronk, Jefferson County Trail Coordinator Scott Burto, Jefferson County Soil & Water Executive Director Brian J. Wohnseidler and Lewis County Trail Coordinator Robert C. Diehl on May 9.
The leaders in the ATV community expressed their support for Sen. Aubertine’s efforts:
“It’s good to have the Senator voice his opinion. We appreciate his support and the work he’s done to address this issue. This issue goes far beyond the boundaries of any single senate district or political party,” said Lewis County Coordinator Robert Diehl.
“It’s about the recreation destination we have become and the economic benefits that keep our communities alive during the summer tourism season. There is a reason that Region 6 was the last DEC Region with ATV access on its Truck Trails.”
“As President of the Oswego County ATV Club, we are happy to have Senator Aubertine speak out in support of our region’s ATV issues, and show his concern and willingness to work with us,” said Steve Cronk.
“It is encouraging to see all local politicians getting involved in the sensitive ATV issues that have widespread impacts to our region’s quality of life,” said Jefferson County Trail Coordinator Scott Burto. “We look forward to working with all of our politicians to resolve these regional ATV issues.”
Jessica Cain reports:
Meeting About School Budget Might Violate State Law
April 30, 2008
A meeting planned for Thursday night at Carthage High School may violate state law.
According to a section of the state’s education law, any meeting held on school property and having to do with the general welfare of a community must be open to the public.
But that isn’t stopping the school superintendent, the school board president and some of the district’s local lawmakers from shutting the public out of a meeting to discuss a controversial tax levy hike of nearly 10 percent.
For more background, read our earlier report.
Two Arrested On Identity Theft Charges
April 30, 2008
State police based in Ogdensburg have arrested two St. Lawrence County residents on a number of identity theft charges.
Police arrested 37 year old Donald F. Goult and 39 year old Tammy A. Spooner-Goult of 126 McIntyre Road in Oswegatchie.
They were each charged with:
- two counts of second-degree identity theft
- two counts of third-degree identity theft
- one count of second-degree criminal impersonation
Over a two year period, police said the defendants engaged in purchasing internet services, satellite television services, and electrical and home heating services through various companies by stealing the identity of a female subject from Fairport, New York.
The pair was expected to be arraigned in Oswegatchie Town Court.
Five Teens Arrested In Gang-like Assault Case
April 30, 2008
Five men from the Ogdensurg-Heuvelton area have been released under probation supervision after an alleged gang-like assault on a SUNY Potsdam freshman.
The incident took place in a first floor hallway inside Knowles Residence Hall when a Resident Assistant allowed the five men into the dorm around 12:45 a.m. last Thursday.
The group allegedly starting fighting with the unnamed victim, who was shoved and also punched in the nose and eye.
University police charged 19 year old Kevin Ritchie of 68 Delaney Road, Ogdensburg, with a felony charge of second-degree attempted gang assault and fifth-degree conspiracy.
Also facing the same charges are 19 year old Brett Bailey of Heuvelton, 19 year old Michael Raven of 11 McGowan Road, Ogdensburg, 19 year old Seadon White of State Route 68, Ogdensburg, and 19 year old Shaun Kennedy of Heuvelton.
Authorities say the fight may have been instigated by threats one of the attackers made to the victim’s ex-girlfriend.
7 News Investigates: ‘Gone’ Part 2
April 30, 2008
Fort Drum officials blame failed policies for the leak of hundreds of thousands of gallons of jet fuel that leaked into the ground at Wheeler-Sack Army Air Field.
During a four-month investigation, 7 News Reporter Jeff Cole uncovered information that the spill is much worse than first thought and that it went undetected for years.
Workers at Wheeler-Sack keep track of how much jet fuel is delivered and how much is used on a daily basis.
If the numbers don’t match up, there’s a problem.
The problem is at Fort Drum the numbers didn’t match up for three years.
The airfield racked up 345,000 gallons of fuel losses.
Fort Drum’s inventory records clearly show these losses were recorded into the airfield’s computer system.
It was definitely a red flag that something was wrong. So why did it take three years to figure out?
“I absolutely do not believe that anyone did anything to try to cover this up,” said Mike McKinnon, Director of Logistics at Fort Drum.
Each month, Fort Drum’s fuel inventory is sent to the Defense Energy Support Center in Virginia.
Fort Drum’s leak stayed under the radar because the center doesn’t read each installation’s data separately.
Instead, it looks at data from all 600 fueling points it controls across the globe - added up into one set of numbers.
The center’s director says this policy failure at Fort Drum is changing military operations worldwide.
“We’ve now put system changes into our automated systems to help support trend analysis and if we have a location that shows three months consecutive of a loss or a gain, something out of tolerance either way, then that will trigger communication from us at the corporate level to that installation,” said Colonel James Meyer, the Defense Energy Support Center’s director of operations.
A simple solution that begs the question: Why couldn’t someone at Fort Drum realize after three months, or one year, two years, or even three years, that there was a major spill?
“Unfortunately I can’t answer the question why that wasn’t. I wish it had been. It was not. Had it been brought to the proper levels of attention, I would hope that it could have been discovered sooner, but it wasn’t,” said McKinnon.
Fort Drum stores its jet fuel above ground in white storage tanks.
The fuel is then piped in underground to the airfield.
In 2006, when a worker discovered 3,500 gallons of jet fuel inside a man hole, Fort Drum officials knew they had a problem.
The leak was caused by a faulty valve in the underground piping system, which revealed another failure.
Our investigation found out the system was rarely inspected.
The failure lead to another policy change at Fort Drum.
“There’s so much going on out here and there’s only so many people chasing it. Our staff
keeps getting smaller and smaller up here and this one here fell through the cracks in a lot
of ways,” said Fort Drum Director of Public Works James Corriveau.
Instead hundreds of thousands of gallons sit underground at Fort Drum.
The environmental mess has left Army officials embarrassed and taxpayers holding the bag.
On Wednesday 7 News takes a look at the cleanup cost.
Share your thoughts. Use the form below to send your comment to Diane Rutherford for the Your Turn segment on 7News. You must include your name, e-mail address and phone number for your comment to be considered. Your personal information will not be posted to the website - this form sends an e-mail. Your comment can be kept anonymous if you so request.
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See Jeff Cole’s report:
Read Part I at the story’s homepage and also find a full archive and list of resources.
- Mapped approximate area of Oasis fuel spill at Wheeler-Sack Airfield.
- Watch extended versions of Jeff Cole’s interviews with Colonel James Meyer and Mike McKinnon.
- A timeline of events that lead up to 7 News Investigates.
- Summary Report by the Army Corps of Engineers on the spill
- Fuel Gain/Loss Report showing fuel lost from April, 2003 to November, 2006
10th Mountain Division Assumes Jurisdiction Over Hendricks Case
April 30, 2008
The 10th Mountain Division assumed jurisdiction in the case of Private Kristopher Hendricks, 23, the Fort Drum soldier accused of injuring a number of other 10th Mountain Division soldiers in Watertown on March 15.
Watertown Police say Hendricks was drunk and driving the wrong way on a one way street hit and injured eight pedestrians.
It happened just before 2 a.m. on Goodale Street.
Hendricks had a blood alcohol content of .10 when he was arrested.
According to police, Hendricks was initially driving through the Watertown City Hall parking lot and struck a parked car.
He then fled the scene of that accident and sped down Goodale Street in the wrong direction.
A large number of people were walking on the sidewalk and in the street leaving the nearby Strand Music Theater bar at the time and were injured by Hendricks.
“Because the victims and the accused are soldiers, the chain of command felt it would be appropriate to handle this case in the military judicial system,” said Major Robert Barnsby, 10th Mountain Division chief of military justice.
“We appreciate the great working relationship with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office that will enable us to bring a resolution to this unfortunate incident.”
Federal charges have been preferred against Hendricks who is currently being held in the Jefferson County jail pending court-martial.
See our report:
High School Students Learn About Real World
April 30, 2008
Hundreds of St. Lawrence and Lewis county high school students had the chance Wednesday to learn about job seeking skills.
The 14th Annual “Gateways to Careers” was held at Clarkson University’s Cheel Arena.
More than 100 area employers, including staff from 7 News/Fox 28, were on hand to conduct mock interviews with close to 1,200 juniors and seniors.
The students were given information about careers and were evaluated in a number of areas, including resume preparedness, verbal skills, appearance and workplace readiness.
Organizers of the event say each year the students are coming more and more prepared for what it will be like when they enter the job market.
See our report:
The 5 Day Forecast
