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The Best Gifts from Schoharie County

Showing posts with label Conesville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conesville. Show all posts

Conesville Receives over $30,000 for Park Project

Written By Cicero on 1/15/15 | 1/15/15

Conesville received a $32,500 grant from the Schoharie Watershed Advisory Committee. The Town has received the money to continue with improvements to the Town Park. This will include the restoration of the walking tack, access to the Manorkill at two points for fishing and recreation, and the installation of exercise fit stations. Design for the stream bank remediation is continuing with a tentative start date of mid-summer planned.

The project was announced by Town Supervisor Bill Federice who has been working to reverse creek issues and improve the standard of living for residents.

Conesville FD Responds in Western NY

Written By Cicero on 11/23/14 | 11/23/14

Some pictures of the dramatic snowfall and recovery efforts were sent to us by Conesville Supervisor Bill Federice. The Conesville FD was one of several local Fire Departments to respond to the western part of New York to deal with the unexpected catastrophic snowfall there.

Firefighter Annmarie Cummings and Firefighter Stephanie Skowfoe.

Carl Fancher, Conesville Fire Chief


Two Fires in Conesville Cause Extensive Damage

Written By Editor on 10/29/14 | 10/29/14

From the Schoharie County Fire Wire, we have some unsettling news about two fires that struck Conesville Tuesday.

The two fires required assistance from first responders from local departments in Middleburgh and Livingstonville, as well as departments from Albany and Delaware County. The County also had to dispatch the FAST Team and Fire Investigation Team.

One of the tragic blazes was on Potter Mountain Road in Manorkill . The other was on 990V. Incredible photos from the scenes from the Fire Wire facebok page.



Conesville to Host Town Wide Garage Sales

Written By Editor on 7/28/14 | 7/28/14


The Conesville Fire Department Auxiliary will be sponsoring the Fourth Annual Conesville Town Wide Garage Sales on Saturday, August 2nd from 9:00 to 4:00 PM. Antiques, treasures and unusual items will be among the objects for sale.  

Maps showing the 24 registered stops around town will be available on Route 990V at the Conesvile Town Hall, Conesville Fire House, Clark's Restaurant and the Manorkill Store. All of the garage sales will be labeled with a pink, yellow or green neon numbered sign.  

During the sales the Gilboa-Conesville School Cheerleaders will be selling refreshments including breakfast items, beverages and hot dogs at the Conesville Fire House at 1292 State Route 990V. Also, starting at 11:00 the Conesville United Methodist Church Chapel will have a take out chicken barbecue. The church is located at 1295 State Route 990V directly across from the firehouse. 

Conesville: God's Country

Written By Editor on 6/25/14 | 6/25/14


It was hot, but not so bad as to ruin the afternoon, as I arrived at the Conesville Town Hall in anticipation of learning more about the "forgotten town" of Schoharie County from its recently elected Supervisor Bill Federice. I wasn't disappointed by my visit, as I soon see the friendly character and can do spirit of the town exemplified by the makeshift public library available in the town hall for residents.

Although often forgotten in casual economic and political conversation, the Town of Conesville is looking to capitalize on its agrarian roots and beautiful scenery to grow the county's second smallest community while remaining true to their humble, neighborly oriented attitudes.

Located at the south-eastern tip of Schoharie County, citizens of Conesville are closer in proximity to Windham and Stamford than to Schoharie or Cobleskill, creating a disconnect between their concerns and needs with that of the rest of the county's perception and understanding. But Conesville marches on despite those differences. 

Blessed with easily Schoharie County's greatest and most picturesque landscapes, local residents have turned those natural marvels into advantages by utilizing the fertile land of God's Country, whether it be in several thriving dairy farms, a successful sawmill and grade stake operation, or Eric Dahlberg's unique Elk farm.


My heart is captured by Conesville's majestic and serene viewpoints, but none compared to the peak of Huntersfield Mountain, where standing at the county's highest point, I could view the lush greenery that encompassed the town for miles stretching into the horizon. 



Furthermore, the mostly wooded town offers outdoorsmen of all stripes ample opportunity to immerse themselves in a series of wildlife based activities, including but not limited to: grouse and turkey hunting, fishing, and for the truly adventurous, hiking South Mountain's visually explosive eight mile trail along its ridge.

Still though, Conesville struggles with many of the same problems seen across rural communities in Upstate New York, namely a lack of dependable internet and cellphone coverage that is spotty at best combined with the loss of the town's next generation to college; often, never to return as permanent members of the town. 

However, local officials and residents are looking to reverse some of those trends in coming years by way of expanding the town's available broadband capabilities, introducing all that the community has to offer with a new website (being designed for free by a professional in the field), and most importantly, encouraging Conesville's approximate seven hundred citizens in change to look toward the future, while remembering what has made them great in the past and present. 

As we prepare to part ways after discussing his town in earnest, Mr. Federice and I enjoy a moment of peaceful serenity standing outside the town hall near 990V. I openly comment on the quietness of Conesville, leading Mr. Federice to agree with regard to the main road. As I drive away, my thoughts wander on the small, almost-family like community, and I catch my smile in the mirror as I could see myself here one day to stay.

Brandow Appointed Conesville Highway Superintendent

Written By Editor on 1/2/14 | 1/2/14


After months of interesting details have emerged concerning the Town of Conesville's bizarre tied Highway Superintendent election between incumbent Republican Larry Brandow and Democrat challenger Stephen Young, who each received 154 votes, the Conesville Town Board appointed a temporary office holder yesterday morning to serve until another election can be held next fall.
 
From the exclusion of one absentee ballot due to its owners unfortunate passing to the revelation that a town employee received eighteen write-in votes, the Town of Conesville's contentious race to fill the small community's most important position has sparked the curiosity of people across Schoharie County.  
 
Curiosity that the Conesville Town Board put to bed in their 2014 organizational meeting yesterday by appointing incumbent Highway Superintendent Larry Brandow to continue serving until voters have the opportunity to have their voices heard, again, this upcoming fall in a special election that interestingly enough will be followed next year by the regularly scheduled election.
 
There is no word on whether Mr. Young will seek the position again this fall.
 
 

Conesville Organizational Meeting set for New Years Day, Appointment of Highway Superintendent to be Made

Written By Editor on 12/16/13 | 12/16/13


Following weeks of interest in the Town of Conesville's tied Highway Superintendent race in early November between Democrat Stephen Young and incumbent Republican Larry Brandow, and who and when the Town Board will appoint an occupant until a follow up election is held next fall, it has been announced that a decision will be made on New Years Day.
 
The election, which was split evenly between Mr. Young and Mr. Brandow at 154 votes apiece, has had many twists and turns since the final absentee and affidavit ballots were counted a month ago - including the exclusion of one ballot, due to its owner's untimely passing, and the discovery of a write in candidate's 8% (or 18 votes) total share of the electorate.
 
But none of that will matter as the Town of Conesville holds their annual organizational meeting on January 1st, presumably early this year to give the appointed Superintendent an early start in his department, to end by-then two months of speculation over who will head arguably the small rural community's most important function of government.
 
At least until next fall, because New York State law requires any appointment to an elected Town office to be followed by another vote at the next regularly scheduled election, potentially setting the stage for residents of Conesville to have their voices heard one more time on this important local office if both major candidates decide to run again.
 
Stay tuned as we continue to cover this bizarre story.
 
 

Town of Conesville Write-In Votes Add to Hwy Superintendent Election Bizarreness

Written By Editor on 12/5/13 | 12/5/13

Last month's unusual Town Highway Superintendent race in Conesville between Democrat Stephen Young and incumbent Republican Larry Brandow, which resulted in a tie that the Town Board will have to decide on in January's organizational meeting, just got a little bit more bizarre with the County Board of Elections final results being published earlier this week.
 
According to the results almost 8% of the Town's electorate, or 20 voters, wrote-in their own choices for the Highway Superintendent position rather then support either Mr. Young or Mr. Brandow, with eighteen of those ballots going to a Town of Conesville employee by the name of Paul Hilliker - who also received a vote for County Coroner.
 
There were no more than a handful of write-in votes in the county Sheriff's election or in the various Town Supervisor races, but as if everything was meant to align perfectly in this scenario, there were more than enough in an election where just one vote could've changed the entire outcome and settled the question who will serve as head of the Town's Highway Department almost a month ago.
 
Add in the absentee ballot that was disqualified, due to its applicants unfortunate death, in addition to the Town of Conesville's indecisive citizenry, and the eighteen write-in votes for Mr. Hilliker just fit in with the bizarre nature of this election, which will be held again next November by New York State law because the Town Board has to appoint someone to fill the position and a special election is not an option.
 
Stay tuned for further developments in this continuously evolving story.

Conesville Town Board to Appoint Highway Superintendent in January

Written By Editor on 11/30/13 | 11/30/13

 
On Tuesday afternoon the Schoharie News published a story on the Town of Conesville and their Highway Superintendent conundrum, which began on November 19th when the final count of absentee and affidavit ballots in the tight race between Democrat Stephen Young and incumbent Republican Larry Brandow resulted in each candidate receiving 154 votes apiece.
 
Since then we have received new information.
 
According to Conesville Supervisor-elect Bill Federice, who will take office in January, by New York State law the Town Board cannot appoint anyone to the Highway Superintendent position until the new board is seated, meaning that town residents are still in limbo over how their indecisive vote will effect the highway department and that the Deputy Superintendent will have to serve as interim head from the evening of December 31st until the board decides on someone in their organizational meeting.
 
But that still wont be the end of this saga, because state law requires any appointment to an elected town office to last only until the next regular election, which sets the stage for residents of Conesville to have their voices heard again on the Highway Superintendent position in a little more than eleven months and it also creates the potential for a electoral rematch between Mr. Young and Mr. Brandow, pending the board's final decision.
 
Although this process is long from over for the small town of 734 residents, at least we now have some of the blank spots filled in where they were previously question marks - with the notable exception being who will receive the temporary appointment in January - and to that question no-one knows except for the one Supervisor and four Councilmen who will vote on this pressing matter in just a few weeks.
 
Community Pipeline Meeting on Monday December 2, 2013 at 7PM inside of the Radez Elementary School Gym located on 319 Main Street, Richmondville, NY. The latest information on the proposed Constitution Pipeline from threats of eminent domain and legal efforts to landowner resistance and the pipeline company's safety record will be provided to the public. This advertisement is sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities and the Stop the Pipeline Schoharie Action Committee

Town of Conesville Still Without Highway Superintendent

Written By Editor on 11/26/13 | 11/26/13

 
Residents of the Town of Conesville are still wondering this Tuesday - three weeks after election day - who their Highway Superintendent will be in the race between Democrat Stephen Young and incumbent Republican Larry Brandow, which after absentee and affidavit ballots were counted last Tuesday was tied at 154 votes apiece.
 
We have been working on finding the answer to this unusual occurrence by researching New York State Town law and reaching out to the Town of Conesville, but unfortunately state law does not specify what actions must be taken in case of a tie between candidates and the Conesville Town Clerk is currently on vacation, which has resulted in a game of phone tag with the Deputy Clerk.
 
Although not specified under the election sub-section of New York State Town law, it is spelled out in other sub-sections that the Town Board is the ultimate arbiter in regards to filling vacant elected and appointed offices, which in this situation could result in the five individuals who sit on the Conesville Town Board electing their next Highway Superintendent.   
 
However, that only muddies the water further because of the political dynamics of the Conesville Town Board, which is unanimously Republican, and would potentially have the power to choose between the incumbent Republican Highway Superintendent and his Democratic opponent, a disconcerting situation considering the overwhelmingly Republican electorate did not place much political emphasis in their decision on November 5th, but that doesn't mean the Board wont.
 
Unfortunately, the County Board of Elections had to throw out an absentee ballot during last week's count because its applicant passed away between the time he filled it out and the election occurred, which in New York State results in the immediate invalidation of that vote. A vote that in this tight race would have decided the election and prevented this complicated situation from happening in the first place.
 
The Schoharie News will continue to monitor this developing story.
 
Community Pipeline Meeting on Monday December 2, 2013 at 7PM inside of the Radez Elementary School Gym located on 319 Main Street, Richmondville, NY. The latest information on the proposed Constitution Pipeline from threats of eminent domain and legal efforts to landowner resistance and the pipeline company's safety record will be provided to the public. This advertisement is sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities and the Stop the Pipeline Schoharie Action Committee

Smith, Skowfoe and Bleau Victorious in Supervisor Races; Conesville Still Without Highway Superintendent

Written By Editor on 11/20/13 | 11/20/13


The Schoharie County Board of Elections convened yesterday morning for almost four hours to count hundreds of leftover absentee, affidavit and military ballots in all sixteen towns from November fifth's off-year election. Voters in the Towns of Blenheim, Fulton and Wright finally learned who they elected as their respective Town Supervisor, while the final results in Conesville left residents still without an elected Highway Superintendent heading into the new year.

Blenheim
 
One of the three too close to call Town Supervisor races was decided just five minutes into this morning's count, with Democratic challenger Sean Smith winning seven of nine absentee ballots and Blenheim's top job over twenty-year incumbent Republican Robert Mann Jr. Mr. Smith received plenty of well wishes and support from members of the county board and other officials in attendance.
 
Conesville
 
The biggest surprise of the morning came from the Town of Conesville's Highway Superintendent election between Stephen Young and Larry Brandow, with Mr. Young heading into the day with what was thought a safe eleven vote lead with twenty-nine ballots yet to be opened. However, as luck would have it, Mr. Brandow carried the absentee and affidavit count overwhelmingly by a decisive 20-9 spread, which resulted in the two candidates ending the day with 154 votes apiece. 

Fulton
 
Entering the morning not knowing whether he would retain his position as Town Supervisor in Fulton, let alone the Chairmanship of the county board, incumbent Democrat Phil Skowfoe nervously paced back and forth across the Board of Supervisors chambers as he and his Republican challenger Francis Tatten awaited the results of their highly competitive race, of which the difference was only two votes in the incumbent's favor. With twenty-seven ballots to count Mr. Skowfoe needed only thirteen of them to claim victory, instead he received sixteen and a narrow seven vote victory to boot.

Wright
 
Roughly two dozen observers waited out the remaining eight towns to hear who would win Wright's contest between Democrat Karl Remmers and Republican Amber Bleau, where the Democrat held a three vote lead on election night with forty-five ballots left to count. As anticipation built amongst the audience, the machine decided not to work - delaying the final process for almost five excruciatingly long minutes - which was followed by the Deputy on patrol accidentally turning off the room's lights, adding to the anxiety of everyone in attendance. But after all was said and done, Ms. Bleau carried the absentee and affidavit ballots 26-18 over Mr. Remmers, winning the election by five votes and finally ending the Town of Wright's ten month long lack of representation on the county board.
 

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