MCS Names Subs for New School; Vilegi Named Head Bus Driver

Staff Report

MIDDLEBURGH - Middleburgh school board members continued to get ready for the upcoming school year last week by naming a slate of teaching and support staff substitutes.

At special meting last Wednesday afternoon, board members named the following certified substitutes:

* Lillian Barsale, teaching.

* Deborah Brigadier, nurse.

* Roxann Collins, teaching.

* Barbara Haverly, teaching.

* Margaret Hesdorfer, teaching.

* Lisa Himme, teaching.

* Kristy Hoos, teaching.

* Darcy Laraway, teaching.

* Wesley Laraway.

* Aida Melendez, nurse.

* Teresa Norfolk, teaching.

* Colleen Nieminski, teaching.

* Becky Shaul, teaching.

* Christina Snyder, teaching.

* Richard Thaxter III, teaching.

* Liza Toborg, teaching.

* Kecia Warner, teaching.

Board members also appointed the following support staff substitutes:

* Caroline Adams.

* Ethan Adams.

* Kaitlyn Allen.

* Gayle Bartels.

* Heather Barrett.

* Grazia Beretz.

* Victoria Bouck.

* Kylie Camp, bus aide.

* Lydia Ciaravino-Pierse.

* Joseph Clifford.

* Patricia Coleman.

* Vasiliki Crewell.

* Courtney Crews.

* Riley Cronin.

* Jessica DeLaet.

* Cheryl Desanto.

* Jolene Dines.

* Danielle Freer.

* Aisha Funiciello.

* Gloria Gebhard.

* Mary Gebhard.

* Michael Gebhard, custodial.

* Becky Gordon.

* Dylan Hillicoss, custodial.

* Norine Hodges.

* Jill Hudson.

* Mary Kochersberger.

* Teri Lawton.

* Aida Melendez.

* Ashelynn Moore.

* Rachel Morgan.

* Rhonda Pevlor.

* Alexandra Pickett.

* Heather Prokop.

* Logan Rehberg.

* Carl Rhinehart.

* Sky Rivera.

* Angela Sampson.

* Jeanne Sheehan.

* Dawn Skowfoe.

* Valarie Slater.

* Chloe Smith.

* Maureen Sniffen.

* Rebecca Stanton-Terk.

* Kristina Traver.

* Hannah Vedder.

* Gerard Wallace.

* Amy Wayman.

In other personnel moves, board members:

* Aacepted the resignation of Rachel Martini, from her position as Teaching Assistant, effective August 25, and appointed her 

as an Office and Keyboard Worker, effective August 26.

* Appointed Renee LaForest as an Office and Keyboard Worker, effective August 26.

* Named Staci Kane as the girls varsity soccer coach for this fall.

* Appointed Christine Lucas and Katelynn Schuttig as the girls modified volleyball coaches for this fall.

* Appointed Sky Rivera as a Teacher Aide, effective September 3.

* Appointed Rich Vilegi as Head Bus Driver, effective August 1, at a rate established for Head Bus Driver in the School Related Personnel Agreement. The board also granted Mr. Vilegi an unpaid leave of absence from his position as School Bus Driver, to begin August 1, 2024 and the end July 31, 2025.

* Accepted the resignation of George Toften Jr. from his position of School Bus Driver,  for retirement purposes, effective October 15, 2024, with regret and best wishes.

* Appointed Delilah Purcell to a four-year probationary appointment as a Special Education teacher commencing September 1 to August 31, 2028.  Ms. Purcell holds a professional certification for Student with Disabilities (all grades).

* Appointed Kaitlyn MacMillan to a four-year probationary appointment as a Teaching Assistant commencing September 1 to August 31, 2028.  Ms. MacMillan is currently awaiting certification as a Teaching Assistant from the State Education Department.  

* Appointed Kristina Traver to a four-year probationary appointment as a Teaching Assistant commencing September 1 to August 31, 2028. Ms. Traver is currently awaiting certification as a Teaching Assistant from the State Education Department.  

Board members also:

* Declared 38 Earth Science Geology, the Environment and the Universe textbooks as obsolete/surplus.

* Accepted the following bids: fuel oil: Buell Fuel LLC, $2.9225 per gallon; diesel, Buell Fuel LLC, regular, $3.0259 per gallon and winter mix, $3.1259 per gallon.

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Local Business Focus - Lifelong Middleburgher Opens Diesel Repair Shop in his Hometown

Mid-Valley Diesel in Middleburgh. Photos by Chris English.

Owner Josh Hoerz at his Mid-Valley Diesel business in Middleburgh.

By Chris English

MIDDLEBURGH _ A lifelong resident of Middleburgh and 2012 graduate of Middleburgh Central School recently took the big step of digging even deeper roots in his hometown.

Josh Hoerz opened Mid-Valley Diesel at 2663 State Route 145 on March 8 and since then has been busy doing repairs, maintenance and parts replacements on a wide range of vehicles with diesel engines, light and heavy duty.

"I do a lot of smaller pick-up trucks but also larger trucks, tractors and other farm equipment, excavators, school buses, pretty much anything with a diesel engine," he said.

Hoerz said he has always loved "messing around" with cars and other vehicles. While at Middleburgh Central, he took a B.O.C.E.S automotive program and afterward a nine-month diesel engine course at a WyoTech Trade School in Blairsville, Pennsylvania.

He worked at D & W Diesel, Inc. in Latham for 10 years and it was while he was still there that the idea of starting his own diesel business in Middleburgh took firm hold.

"I figured most people from around here had to go to Albany to get diesel work," Hoerz explained. "When I was at D & W I was working on quite a few diesel vehicles from around here, so I figured maybe I could do my own thing back where I was from. I didn't like driving to Latham every day. It was a long drive."

Hoerz built his business from the ground up, purchasing a 30-acre cornfield at the Route 145 location about three years ago. He eventually had a large metal building constructed and opened for business about five months ago.

"I had been working on the side in this area so had kind of already built up a customer base," he noted.

So far, it's been pretty much a one-man operation. Hoerz' only assistance with the business has been his father Steve coming out sometimes to help his son with computer work related to the enterprise. While Mid-Valley Diesel's official hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Hoerz said he is very often there well past 5 on weekdays and also on a lot of Saturdays trying to catch up on the work.

However, the days of him doing everything virtually all by himself might soon be coming to an end.

"I've been looking for some help and think I'm fairly close to hiring some," Hoerz said.

His attention is primarily focused on getting that day's work done and keeping his customers satisfied.

"Maybe, eventually, I might expand and open another location in another area, but I'm pretty content doing what I'm doing now," Hoerz said.

For more information on Mid-Valley Diesel, call 518-827-3363 or email midvalleydiesel518@gmail.com.

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New School Year Brings Upgrades to BOCES

SCHOHARIE — A renovated Career and Technical Education Center – Schoharie Campus will greet students during the 2024-25 school year, with technology and safety upgrades enhancing the learning experience for the campuses’ more than 200 students.

Starting in September, students will be able to take the Welding and Metal Fabrication program on the Schoharie Campus with the new classroom taking the place of the previous heavy equipment program garage.

One of the most popular Career & Technical Education programs offered, Welding and Metal Fabrication had previously only been available to students on the Career & Technical Education Center – Albany Campus.

A new five-bay, 4,500-square-foot building, which was constructed during the 2023-24 school year, will now house the heavy equipment program’s equipment.

Students returning to the Schoharie Campus will also notice renovations and upgrades to the Automotive Trades Technology, Cosmetology and Culinary Arts and Hospitality Technology classrooms. 

Career and Technical Education Director Jeff Palmer said, BOCES is offering in partnership with the Schoharie Central School District in September, an Early Childhood Education program in the Schoharie School District. 

Open to all area schools, the new class represents the expansion of the program currently only offered on the Albany Campus.

On the safety front, a new driveway configuration is being constructed this summer that will allow drivers to enter the campus at one location and leave at another. That work will ease congestion and increase the safety for those turning onto, and off, state Route 30A, Palmer said.

The 2024-25 School Year opens Sept. 5 for students on the Schoharie and Albany campuses of the Career and Technical Education Center.  Approximately 1,400 students are enrolled in 28 programs offered on the two campuses, as well as off-campus locations, such as Proctors, St. Peter’s Hospital and Ellis Hospital.

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NYPA Hosts Touch-a-Truck Event and Safety Fair at the Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center on Saturday, August 17

NORTH BLENHEIM — The New York Power Authority (NYPA) will host a touch-a-truck event and safety fair at the visitors center for the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project on Saturday, August 17, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Vehicles will be provided by NYPA, law enforcement and first responders agencies, and local businesses. The Power Authority’s fully electric bucket truck will also be on display during the event. The event will also feature food vendors, arts and crafts, bounce houses, and other activities.

The Blenheim-Gilboa visitors center is housed in a restored 19th-century dairy barn and is part of the Lansing Manor complex. The center features a wide range of interactive exhibits on such subjects as: the basics of electricity, uses of electricity, and the operation of the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project. The Blenheim-Gilboa visitors center is open daily for tours between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The Blenheim-Gilboa visitors center is located on Route 30, 17 miles south of Middleburgh, five miles north of Grand Gorge, and about one hour from Albany.

Admission to the visitors center and Lansing Manor is always free. School groups and community organizations are welcome. For further information and a complete calendar of events, please call 1-800-724-0309 or visit www.nypa.gov.

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O'Connor Hospital Launches Fundraising Initiative to Purchase New State-of-the-Art CT Scanner

DELHI — O’Connor Hospital, an affiliate of Bassett Healthcare Network, has launched a fundraising campaign to purchase a new state-of-the-art computerized tomography (CT) scanner. The upgraded equipment, which is vital to O’Connor Hospital’s continued regional service as a Critical Access Hospital, will help emergency, hospital, and clinic caregivers continue to diagnose diseases and injuries, as well as to plan medical, surgical, or radiation treatments.

O’Connor Hospital’s fundraising initiative seeks to raise $750,000 over the remainder of 2024. With the support of donors and O’Connor Hospital’s surrounding communities, the new machine will be installed by late fall of 2024.

“O’Connor Hospital has a reputation for outstanding patient care,” says James Peters, MD, Chief of Radiology at Bassett Healthcare Network. “The hospital offers its rural neighbors access to high-quality diagnostic testing, of which a key component is CT imaging. Adding a new, cutting-edge CT scanner will mean practitioners at O’Connor Hospital, across Bassett Healthcare Network, and beyond will benefit from rapid, high-quality imaging in our immediate region, ensuring the best possible patient outcomes.”

Like all technology and hardware, CT scanners have a lifespan. While many factors determine how long a scanner lasts, the machine’s tube (which creates images) ages based on the duration of exposures and how much power runs through the tube. With a moderate number of patients needing CT scans every year, a CT scanner typically lasts four to seven years. On average, O’Connor Hospital completes CT scans on 3,000 patients a year for a wide variety of diagnostic needs – making the machine due for an upgrade to keep up with patient demand.

“O’Connor Hospital offers crucial services to Delaware County and its surrounding rural municipalities,” says Peter J. Hamilton, Chair of O’Connor Hospital’s Board of Trustees and Regional Vice President of Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network’s Board of Trustees. “When our patients and communities need us – especially in an emergency – we are ready to provide expert care they can depend on. Upgrading our CT scanner will ensure this standard of excellence continues when every second counts.”

“Timely access to CT imaging is crucial for the effective functioning of O’Connor Hospital’s Emergency Department,” says Matthew Kleinmaier, MD, Chief of Emergency Services at Bassett Healthcare Network. “The Emergency Department is the diagnostic center for time-sensitive care relating to traumatic, brain, heart, and abdominal emergencies, among other conditions.”

With an upgraded CT scanner, O’Connor Hospital will also need to renovate its current CT imaging suite to accommodate the new equipment and re-construct the space for temperature and humidity, lead shielding, and other measures to create the most comfortable and safe experiences for patients.

“Having a modern CT scanner is vital to providing quality patient care and to O’Connor Hospital fulfilling its role in our community as a Critical Access Hospital,” says Susan Oakes Ferrucci, President of O’Connor Hospital. “Our staff is working diligently on this project, and with the support of our donors and community, we look forward to serving our patients with the new CT scanner later this year.” 

To learn more and support O’Connor Hospital’s CT scanner fundraising initiative, visit Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network at Give.Bassett.org or call 607-547-6328. Interested supporters may also contact O’Connor Hospital at 607-746-0326.

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ROCK the LOCK 2024 at Schoharie Crossing

Music Series Brings Rocking Music to Historic Erie Canal

FORT HUNTER – Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is happy to announce the 2024 ROCK the LOCK music series. Three afternoons of music will occur in August outside the Visitor Center and feature local as well as regional acts. These performances will begin at 1pm on Saturday, August 17th, August 24th, and August 31st.

On August 17th, Mike Gowans will open for the Insolent Willies.

August 24th is the co-headlining Greg Bucking Band playing with Becca Frame and the Tall Boys.

Rounding out the series will be Jon Wager opening for SIRSY on August 31st.

These events are supported by the Friends of Schoharie Crossing, WEXT Radio, Alpin Haus, and Karen’s Produce and Ice Cream. Saratoga Arts made this program possible through the Community Arts Regrant Program, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

The Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center is located at 129 Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter, Montgomery County. 

These are free events open to the public.  Bring a lawn chair and dress for the weather.

For more information about programs at Schoharie Crossing, please contact the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our NYS Parks webpage. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 million people annually.  For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow-on Twitter. 

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Singer-Songwriter Alastair Moock to Perform at Middleburgh Library

Alastair Moock is an award-winning singer-songwriter, a Grammy-nominated American folk and family musician, a social justice and songwriting educator for all ages, and co-founder of The Opening Doors Project, an anti-racist music organization. The Boston Globe calls him “one of the town’s best and most adventurous songwriters,” and The Washington Post says “every song is a gem.”

Alastair Moock will perform at 4pm, Sunday, August 18th at the Middleburgh Library, as part of the Not So Quiet Concert Series. There is a suggested donation of $15.00 – space is limited, so reservations are required – call 518-827-4953.

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Vintage Baseball Game Raising Awareness of Baseball Pioneer & Bid for Hall of Fame

COOPERSTOWN - On Thursday, August 15th at 4PM at historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, two clubs from the Delaware County Vintage Base Ball Association - the Mountain Athletic Club of Fleischmanns, NY and the Polecat Base Ball Club featuring the Hamden Nine from Hamden, NY - will showcase nearly 40 years of baseball evolution in a progressive format starting in the year 1858 and finishing in 1895. 

The event has been dubbed, “The Pitch for Doc Adams,” by the organizers and is just one of many similar events being hosted throughout the year by vintage baseball teams across the U.S. to honor Doc Adams - a long-overlooked and forgotten baseball legend who played a pioneering role in the foundation of modern baseball and is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballot.
John Thorn, the Official Historian of Major League Baseball and author of “Baseball in the Garden of Eden” (Simon and Schuster, 2012) underscored Adams’ importance, “He is baseball’s most important figure NOT in the Hall of Fame. More than anyone he developed nine players, nine innings and ninety-foot basepaths.”
Born in Mont Vernon, NH in 1814, Doc graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1838 and while practicing medicine in New York City, he played baseball for exercise, eventually becoming a founding member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club (K.B.B.C.) in 1845. Doc oversaw the manufacturing of bats and made many of the balls by hand (which were not readily available back then) and organized regular matches with other Clubs at the storied Elysian Fields in Hoboken, NJ where it has been said that the first modern match of baseball was held in 1846. In 1849, Doc invented and played the position of shortstop as the balls were often too light to make a throw from the outfield without a middle person to relay the ball. Eventually, the position moved forward to fill in the infield. In 1857, while presiding over the Rules Committee for the newly formed National Association of Base Ball Clubs, he is credited with having set the bases at 90-feet apart, advocated strongly for nine-inning games and nine players per side. He also was in favor of the "fly game," where balls in fair territory must be caught in the air. Prior to this rule change in 1865, balls could be caught on one bound for an out.
The Society of American Baseball Research voted Doc as their 2014 “19th Century Overlooked Baseball Legend” and in 2015, he finally appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot falling just two just two votes short of election. Only a few months later, his handwritten "1857 Laws of Base Ball" were discovered and sold at auction for $3.26 million – still a record for any baseball related document. He has yet to appear on any ballot since then. With the 2021 passing of his great-granddaughter Marjorie Adams who had been a juggernaut of enthusiasm and support for raising awareness of her ancestor's contributions to baseball (see New York Times - July 20, 2021), the Delaware County VBBA and the hundreds of nineteenth century teams across the U.S. are throwing the full weight of their support toward seeing that Doc will get back on the ballot and into the Hall of Fame.
The event at Doubleday Field will have an honorary captain on each club in a Knickerbocker uniform handing out free Doc Adams baseball cards between innings. The rules and customs of play will be reminiscent of what baseball looked like in its formative years of the nineteenth century and rules interpretation will be emceed by Tom “Big Bat” Fesolowich, founder of the National Association of Historic Base Ball Clubs and organizer of the perennial Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival at Bethpage Village Restoration. The event is being sponsored by TravelBaseballRankings.com – a Michigan-based travel club who will host a 16U tournament there throughout the weekend.

“Whether you can make it to our match or not (and we hope you can),” states Collin Miller, captain of the Mountain Athletic Club, “we are encouraging baseball and history fans alike to support the cause for Doc’s rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame by signing a petition at docadamsbaseball.org.”

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$941K CARES Act Funding Spent

Public Hearing Aug. 28

By Mary A. Crisafulli

DELHI - Delaware County Supervisors have scheduled a public hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. regarding the closing of the Community Development Block Grant program.

Funding for the program came from the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security) Act program and is distributed by the New York State Office of Community Renewal (OCR). The block grant is designed to support businesses that suffered losses during the pandemic even after federal or state COVID-19 programs. The state allocated $127 million to the program. Approved uses include small business assistance, public facilities or infrastructure, housing improvements, and public services, according to the OCR website.

The county received $941,000 administered at the county level through the Economic Development Department. All funds have been allocated through matching grants ranging from $6,000 to $50,000. Roughly $52,000 was used for administrative costs and program delivery.

Awarded businesses are Frank Walker of Franklin, Orinoco Beef of East Meredith, R.A. Tait LLC of Grand Gorge, Brushland Eating House of Bovina Center, Beaver Mountain Log Homes of Hancock, Berry Brook Farm of Hamden, Bovina Center Montessori School of Bovina Center, Bovina Farm and Fermentory of Bovina Center, Fitness by Raegan of Delhi, KLD of Stamford, LoveLion of Delhi, Maple Shade Farm of Delhi, Natural Gardens of East Meredith, O'Neill's Shire Pub of Delhi, Strickland Hollow Distillery of Meridale, Taste of the Catskills of Delhi, The Hatherleigh Company of Hobart, Watershed Roxbury of Roxbury, Integrated Wood Components of Deposit, Stamford Farmers Cooperative of Stamford, Chef Deanna of Bovina Center, Pepacton Farms of Bovina Center, Ty's Tao-Ria of Hamden, and Empowered By You of Walton.

The majority of the funds were dispersed in 2022 and 2023. The hearing will give the public opportunity to provide comments on program implementation and any negative impacts on the community, explained Lindsay Whitback, economic development agriculture specialist. 

"Businesses in Delaware County have faced shutdowns, operating at a minimum capacity and other disruptions caused by the pandemic," said Whitback, "This program was aimed towards businesses that took a complete loss as well as businesses that had to adapt to the pandemic." Funds were used to assist in costs incurred while responding to or preventing the global pandemic, she further explained.

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Conviction and Sentence in Stolen Gun Case

DELHI — Delaware County District Attorney Shawn J. Smith announced that Brian E. Kingsbury, 50, of Sidney, New York pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and was sentenced to 1.5 to 3 years in state prison. 

Kingsbury was indicted by the Delaware County Grand Jury on March 7, 2024.  The defendant was alleged to have been in possession of several long guns, including a 12-gauge shotgun, that were reported stolen. 

On July 29, 2024, the defendant appeared in Delaware County Court for a conference on his pending indictment.  After the conference, the defendant pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a Class E Felony. Prior to pleading guilty, the defendant admitted that he possessed a stolen 12-gauge shotgun while he was in the Village of Sidney during July of 2023.  

After pleading guilty, the Honorable Gary A. Rosa, Acting Delaware County Court Judge, sentenced the defendant to an indeterminate term of state prison for 1.5 to 3 years. 

District Attorney Shawn Smith commended New York State Police Officer Jeremy Hicks and the Village of Sidney Police Department for their thorough investigation into this case.  “The great police investigation permitted us to obtain a guilty plea and state prison sentence without the need for a trial.”    

Shawn J. Smith

District Attorney 

Delaware County

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