The Mountain Eagle

1/4/26

Gilboa-Conesville Board Awards $5.79M in Bids for Major Project

Written By The Mountain Eagle on 1/4/26 | 1/4/26

The Gilboa-Conesville School Board awarded bids for a major capital improvement project at its Dec. 18 meeting. Photo by Chris English.

By Chris English

GILBOA-CONESVILLE — Gilboa-Conesville Central School will be humming with construction activity in a few months.

The school board at its Thursday, Dec. 18 meeting awarded bids totaling $5,790,100 for a major capital improvement project. Superintendent Bonnie Johnson said the hope is that the work will start around May or June and be finished by the time students and staff report back to school in September for the 2026-27 school year.

Work both inside and outside will include improvements to roofs, parking lots and various indoor features at the school.

Bids awarded at the Dec. 18 meeting were: $742,000 for general construction to Upstate Companies I LLC, including a $625,000 base bid and alternates totaling $117,000; $2,982,000 for site construction to Byler Excavating LLC, including a base bid of $2,420,000 and an alternate of $562,000; $591,500 for mechanical construction to T. McElligott Inc., including a base bid of $532,000 and alternates totaling $59,500; $492,000 for electrical construction to Upstate Companies I LLC, including a $462,000 base bid and alternates totaling $30,000; $982,600 for roofing construction to Titan Roofing Inc., including a base bid of $301,400 and alternates totaling $681,200.

School District voters approved the project a year ago. It is estimated to cost a grand total of about $7.9 million when "soft costs" like engineering and architectural fees and other costs are factored in.

In other news from the Dec. 18 meeting, the board heard a presentation from seventh-grade Science teacher Melissa McDonald on the annual Schoodic Ediucation Adventure Program trip to Acadia National Park in Winter Harbor, Maine in late October. McDonald said 34 students and five adults are slated to go on the five-day trip to engage in various fun and educational activities.

"It's an invaluable experience for our students," she said. "They get off their phones and get out in the world and grow tremendously." McDonald added that she hopes that scholarships from L.L. Bean will again cover a large part of the $350 per person (not including the bus) cost.

Elementary Principal Candice Gockel announced during her report that the school has received a $3,500 grant from the National School Superintendents Association that will be used to support students with sensory needs and promote an inclusive learning environment.

In personnel actions near the end of the meeting, the board accepted the resignation of art teacher Rebecca Rivenburg effective Dec. 1; approved Clyde Cole and William Cipolla as elementary basketball coaches and David Pickett as a girls varsity volunteer basketball coach; and approved Olivia Ross as a substitute PK-12 Licensed Teacher Assistant and teacher effective Dec. 19.

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Gingerbread Time at SCS

SCHOHARIE - The kindergartners at Schoharie Central School enjoyed having a special person come decorate gingerbread people and photos with their guests before the Christmas break. Fifth grade Student Council members joined to help any students that did not have a special person. Thank you to all who helped with the celebration.

Photos courtesy Schoharie Central School.

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Hanukkah Comes to SCS

SCHOHARIE - During the week before the break, Jessica Ebert's kindergarten class at Schoharie Central School had a very special visit from her student, Charlotte’s Uncle Josh and grandmother, who came to her classroom to teach about Hanukkah. The students loved learning about the holiday and its traditions.

Students learned about the menorah, played dreidel, and enjoyed a delicious treat of jelly donuts (sufganiyot). The children also received gelt and were surprised with a small “present” in the form of a goody bag, which brought lots of smiles.

This was a wonderful, hands-on learning experience for our class, and the students truly enjoyed learning about another holiday tradition. They are so thankful to Charlotte’s family for sharing their time and knowledge with students.

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MCS Art Club Members Build Christmas Houses

MIDDLEBURGH - Imagination and engineering came together sweetly at Middleburgh elementary school.

As Art Club students used problem-solving and lots of creativity, to design and build gingerbread houses. A huge thank-you to amazing parents for volunteering their time and for the generous candy donations. Their support helped make the day fun, festive and truly successful.

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More Christmas Sounds at MCS

MIDDLEBURGH - Members of the Middleburgh Junior-Senior High School Winter Concert showcased more than music — they highlighted dedication and teamwork. Thank you to the musicians, families and staff for an unforgettable evening.

Photos courtesy Middleburgh Central School.

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New York Power Authority to Submit Updated Flood Study for Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project

ALBANY —The New York Power Authority (NYPA) today announced it will submit an updated flood study to the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) for the Blenheim-Gilboa (B-G) Pumped Storage Power Project. The announcement that NYPA will file the Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) studies follows a meeting between the Power Authority and the Schoharie County Hydro Resource Management Committee, a group comprised of members of the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors for the towns of Gilboa, Blenheim, Fulton, Middleburgh, Schoharie and Esperance.

PMP studies represent the largest amount of precipitation that could theoretically occur under a combination of extreme meteorological conditions at a specific location. PMF studies detail the theoretical largest flood that could occur at a specific location based on the maximum amount of rainfall that could occur over a given area and duration. The studies will provide critical insights on how best to prepare for severe flood events and will inform risk mitigation and resiliency strategies for infrastructure in flood-prone areas.

“After years of informed, careful planning and consideration, NYPA is prepared to submit an updated flood analysis study to FERC that will help inform risk mitigation and resiliency strategies for both the Power Authority and other local stakeholders,” said NYPA Regional Manager and SVP Timothy Rich. “NYPA is a trusted regional partner, and it will continue to work closely with downstream communities to prepare for potential threats posed by severe weather.”

The studies, required by FERC for the continued operation of the B-G project, will help ensure that all safety measures and emergency protocols are up-to-date and effective. If the study is accepted, NYPA will engage an engineering consultant firm to conduct feasibility studies and analyses on its infrastructure to ascertain if any modifications are needed.

NYPA provided an overview of the PMP and PMF studies to local stakeholders including first responders and officials from the Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office, Schoharie County Office of Emergency Services, Schoharie County Board of Supervisors, and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection during its annual Emergency Action Plan review meeting in June.

The Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project, located in Schoharie County, is an important asset in NYPA's power generation portfolio. The facility's operations and emergency protocols are continually assessed to meet stringent safety standards. The Power Authority’s commitment to transparency and community collaboration is integral to its mission of providing reliable, affordable and clean energy.

For more information on scheduling or events please call 315-764-6679.

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SCS Choir Spreads Christmas Cheer

SCHOHARIE - The Schoharie elementary school sixth Grade Choir returned to the Kingsway Village senior living complex again this year to perform some of their winter concert pieces and to sing festive carols with the residents.

After singing, students loved being able to mingle and talk with the residents. Both students and seniors shared stories and experiences from their lives. The trip was a wonderful way to connect with a different generation through music.

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Alleged Car Thief Crashes Patrol Cruiser into Two Other Vehicles

By David Avitabile

CENTRAL BRIDGE - Three cars including one Schoharie County Sheriff's patrol cruiser was allegedly stolen early Tuesday morning by a 36-year-old man.

The Schoharie County Sheriff's office said that an early morning home burglary in Central Bridge led to a high-speed search and an hours-long crime spree Tuesday. The events did not end until the suspect, James Phillips, allegedly smashed the patrol cruiser head-on into another vehicle.

After the accident, officers immediately took the suspect into custody at the scene, ending the hours-long crime spree. On Tuesday morning at approximately 5:30am, members of the Schoharie County Sheriff's office responded to Central Bridge for a report of a stolen vehicle. During the investigation it was determined that more than one vehicle had been stolen from the immediate area and each was abandoned in close proximity, police said.

While conducting further investigation in the thefts, a Schoharie County Sheriff's office patrol cruiser was stolen from the area of the initial theft, according to police. The suspect was identified and the vehicle was located and several attempts were made to stop the vehicle before law enforcement officers lost sight of the vehicle each time.

Officers set up a perimeter with officers manning the surrounding area. At the intersection of Wetsel Hollow and Schoharie Hill roads, they observed the stolen patrol car crash into two other vehicles, leaving the stolen patrol vehicle and the another vehicle inoperable. The officers immediately took action and the suspect was taken into custody and medical aid was rendered to the other motorist and the suspect, according to police.

The suspect has been charged with multiple counts of grand larceny, driving while ability impaired by drugs, criminal possession of a weapon, burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, assault, reckless endangerment, and multiple vehicle and traffic law offenses, police said. Additional charges are anticipated.

The accident took place shortly after 8am after six State Police cars and other police vehicles flew down Route 145 and turned onto Schoharie Hill Road.

The Schoharie County Sheriff's office would like to thank other agencies for invaluable assistance, including in the New York State Police, the town, village, and county highway patrol departments, the Schoharie Fire Department, Scho-Wright ambulance, Schoharie County EMS, and the Cobleskill Village police.

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Tech, Teamwork and Dance Moves at MCS

MIDDLEBURGH - Middleburgh elementary school third-sixth grade students have been learning to code in the library, building confidence, collaboration and computational thinking along the way.

Using block coding, students worked in pairs and teams to program Dash robots to transport “presents” with a gripper attachment They also programmed Marty — on loan from BOCES Model Schools — to dance. Photos courtesy Middleburgh Central School.

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MCS Students Trim the Trees

MIDDLEBURGH - They had to wait a few days because of cold weather, but Middleburgh elementary school students got a chance to decorate the three trees in the Memorial Park on upper Main Street on the Thursday before the Christmas break.

Rotarian Vicki Hoerz greeted the students and Mayor Tim Knight helped them put decorations on the trees. Those decorations included bird-seed bagels. bird-seed pine cones, and much more. Ms. Hoerz gave each class some treats to take back to their classrooms.

Photos by David Avitabile.

Pre-kindergartners led by Amanda LeFras, Erin Gullestad, and Mary Perrotti pose after putting decorations on the Christmas trees in Memorial Park.

Students made bird-friendly decorations for the trees.

Rotarian Vicki Hoerz speaks to pre-K students at the Memorial Park on Main Street.

Students line up to decorate the trees in Memorial Park in Middleburgh.

Students in Katie Mankuski's pre-K class pose after decorating the trees.

Mayor Tim Knight helped students decorate the trees shortly before Christmas.

MCS children get ready to put up their decorations.

MCS pre-K students receive their decorations to hang them up on the trees in Memorial Park.

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Santa Comes to Gallupville

GALLUPVILLE - Santa made his annual visit to Gallupville during a sumptuous breakfast at the fire house on the Saturday before Christmas.

While adults and children enjoyed breakfasts that included French toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, potatoes. and more, children lined up to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. After they gave their list, they received a gift from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Photos by David Avitabile.

Santa had a full lap with Kolton Reed, Trent Schultz-Warner, Ella Reed, Evan Schultz-Warner, and Jace Schultz-Warner in Gallupville.

Mara Seth visits with Santa in Gallupville before Christmas.

Alex Luniewski cooks in the kitchen in Gallupville.

Mariah and Mackenzie Kruger of Duanesburg get a gift from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

It was a packed house at the annual Christmas breakfast with Santa at the Gallupville fire house.

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Agriculture in Schoharie County - Farmers, the Backbone of America!

By Diane Dubshinski

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — For over 10,000 years, farmers of all types around the world have been working and planting whatever land was available to them in order to provide food and sustenance for their families to survive in their world.

Back when this country was still under the rule of Kings and Queens, there were few occupations to be had. One might find a job as a blacksmith, tailor, or a shoemaker for local people to be able to earn a living. Or a person, who had old family money and an education might be able to earn enough money to go into a profession such as a lawyer or doctor.

If one of the town folk that had a store within the town and they closed up shop for whatever reason, the town would survive and continue growing. But, in those early days of colonization the most important challenging occupation though would be a farmer. A farmer would grow crops, raise livestock and create a market for flour and grain and dairy products to be sold to the townspeople. Without a local farmer, growth of that town would stagger and the town in some cases would start to die off.`

Farmers in the current years of 2025/26 bring with them a specific type of knowledge. That knowledge could be from reading books or going to college, using the technology features of AI known as artificial intelligence that are available today or fulfilling that genetic urge developed in farm raised children to take over the family farm!

A true farmer’s education starts at a young age. At a time when most farms were handed down thru generations, normally a child was introduced to the farm by being born in the same house and quite often the same bed as his grandparents were birthed in. Families did not stop at one or two children but sometimes a family would multiply to 10 or 12 children. While mom would take care of the house and children, an older child would be trained in the workings of farm life such as plowing fields, maintaining livestock and assisting the farm hands. The next older children would take care of a younger child, and as that 2nd or 3rd child grew, the responsibility would continue to be passed along with farming chores to each of the children. This would tell why missing those

Learning experiences on a farm with a growing structured family could be detrimental to our current generation of children that would make a difference in missing that social learning experience.

Come join us as we discover the farming effect on different aspects of past, present and future lives in and around Schoharie County.

CADE.

Best wishes to Phoebe Scheiner as she steps down from the position of Executive Director of CADE.

Cade Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship. 501c3. Phoebe has been and will continue to be a proud involved supporter of CADE.

Thank you Phoebe for all you have done. Good luck with your future endeavors!

Schoharie Agriculture

Come join us at the Schoharie Ag Solutions and Networking Expo on March 3, 2026. The Expo will be held at the Cobleskill SUNY Bouck Hall Ballroom from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Check out our flyers for more information.