Count Me In Fella's

I am with Joe the Homeless and NorthCountry Liberal.  I am headed to the hills with a bottle of bourbon in a brown paper bag...............light a fire for me boys.

Das Village Haus

Had a great time tonight at Das Village Haus.  Food and service was good.  A little caveat......the cuisine is a tad on the spicey side, but nothing you should not be able to handle.  Bon Appetit!

Addie Russell

Blogger Jefferson Democrat  has an announcement for us all.
An invitation to join Addie Russell as she is sworn in as Assemblymember representing the 118th Assembly District.

On a personal note.  I am very proud of Addie and all those involved in her campaign.  I can not say enough about her and I would not miss this very special occassion for  Addie on Saturday January 3rd. { More info}

"Not So" Common Sense

Blogger NorthCountry Liberal over at Foil Hats Unite received an email about the death of common sense in our society/town/country/world. If your looking for common sense on a large population scale......you won't find it.  Hell ya won't even find it on a small scale.  Ya might find it when playing a game of pitch or poker or in your home, but if your looking for it anywhere else you are a fool.  I work in a place where insanity and absurdity flourish and common sense has to be turned off or you will be eaten alive. Bon Appetite!

Christmas Eve 1968

Apollo VIII message from Lovell, Borman, and Anders....this is a reading from the Old Testament.....Genesis.   I have a few thoughts about where we have been and where we are NOW.   The NOW sucks!  You have to be careful that you wish people you do not know Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.   You would not want to offend someones beliefs or non-beliefs during this CHRISTMAS FEAST.  I could rant alot more about this but I will not.....................

Brother Can You Spare A Dime

A Great Depression era slide show set to the sounds of the Dave Brubeck Quartet

T.I.E.R.S. Ambulance

It seems that this company is in some financial trouble.  Slide your seek bar to the audio at 32:15.  I think they are looking for a bailout from the area municipalities.

VB meeting December 23 2008

Audio from tonights meeting can be found by clicking here.

All were present at the VB meeting with the exception of Trustee Roy.  I was the only one attending the meeting last night.

          

The first ten minutes of the VB meeting was spent on a letter of correspondance regarding the Odd Fellows site.  Alot went on during this discussion :

1. The lot can not be leased because the Village would have to pay the back taxes to the county if they recieve any revenue. [Does the Village have a clear title to this lot or not?]

2. The Mayor was not aware that another business was using village property for its parking and has been for two years.

3. The VB has a paranoid concept of what liability entails.

4.  A letter of correspondance that was intended to apologize for an oversight and to make a suggestion was twisted and distorted and made fun of by the VB.

Slide your seek bar to14:44 to listen to the Bid for the 1994 chevy caprice.
At the last VB meeting the starting bid of $1000.00 was reduced to a starting bid of $500.00.  Why? Because there was nobody intersted in that vehicle at the price of $1000.00.  One sealed bid was recieved and opened tonight with a bid of $925.00.  The VB was very surprised at this rather high bid. 

The mayor commented that the bidder was a tad on the polish side [15:48].  I wonder if the mayor meant that in a derogatory manner............listen to the audio

Update VPD Renovation

A tid bit from tonights meeting:
According to Trustee Sweet the project will be completed ahead of schedule and underbudget.  I assume this information was an attempt to make me and abay.com eat some crow.  Well.......I am not going to, how about that.  Here is my egotistical slant on this miraculous progress on the renovation..........IF the project was not kept in the publics attention via this blog and abay.com, chances are pretty good that it would have been overbudget and late in completion..............I am very happy that it will be completed early and below budget

Twas Two Nights Before Christmas

I am glad I am just a small town political watchdog reporting on the mundane antics of the local politicians in our community.  But I am the only one doing it other than the local reporters who have to submit their articles to an editor..........I am rambling........ and a little ticked off that the Abay Village Board did not have the decency to cancel this weeks VB meeting like Clayton.  Sigh!!!!!! I will go reluctantly to the meeting tonight and maybe return with something to stuff your stockings with.   More Later

Road Salt

I was at the Big M yesterday and ran into a local [registered voter and tax payer].  We talked about the weather and the condition of the roads.  I mentioned to her that all municipalities were cutting back on road salt because of the cost increase  For all the rest of you that forgot about this, here is the link about road salt.  Of course she did bring up a valid point.......isn't our safety on the roads worth the extra cost of salting our roads in the manner we have grown accustomed to?   Hmmmm lets do some math  $6000/ $129= 46 ton of road salt.........I am not sure how much we go through in a year but I am sure $6000 would help defray the cost increase.............

A Christmas Story

Condensed to just under 2 minutes....

Elves @ Skiffs

Snow Birds

Not the wise people flocking to Florida for the winter.  These are odd little birds feasting on the berries in our tree.


snow birds from p guston on Vimeo.

Bum Rap

A few days ago I mentioned that the renovation to the Village Police Station was going to begin.  Well it started this past monday and a snag has been hit.  Two glitches, that I know of, have been encountered.  Part of the renovation is the installation of 2 new doors.  The doors were ordered based on a list of materials that were part of the original bid.  This material list was generated by the village workers that were going to be doing the work.  Evidently the specifics of the type of doors were not clear enough.  Two doors were delivered but not the correct specifications which should have been commercial fire doors.  Some of the ceiling tiles had to be replaced, so again the workers said they needed 16 tiles, but the original bid just called for 16 and guess what?.......16 cases of tiles were delivered instead of the 16 individual tiles.  This may not seem like a big deal but the work on the VP Dept has slowed to a crawl.  Worse yet.......the powers that be would like us to believe that both errors were the fault of Garlocks Lumber.  Garlocks was given a list of materials to supply a bid and they fullfilled their end of the bargain.

So what is my point!
The bid on the doors was low[non commercial and non fire doors] and the bid on the ceiling tiles was high [ 16 cases instead of only 16 individual tiles].  Who is to blame?  Not the three bidders, the fault goes on the VB for not checking the material list to make sure it was accurate before the bids went out.  We were also told that the Municipal Building Fund could only be used for projects like the VPD renovation.  But I am sure you will all agree that emergency measures can be taken to re-allocate these funds to where they are needed most.  Bottom line:  the VPD renovation would be nice but not needed in these uncertain economic times.

Later Added:  There are 2 workers on this project......one gets paid about $1000 per week and the other about $500. [I hope they were keeping busy during the building material set back] Totaling $1500 per week and then over a 2 week period this totals $3000 coupled with the $3000 material cost ...........which comes to $6000 total renovation cost.  Oddly enough this is the cap amount for the project...........the cap which is soon to be broken.

Abay PD Station

The renovation project at the Village Police Station starts this Monday @ 7am.  The project is to be completed in 10 days.  I am wondering if it will be completed 100% withing this time frame.  Or will there be some loose ends or add ons that might extend the project past the completion time pushing it past the $6000 cap.  Lets keep an eye on this!

Town of Alexandria Meeting Dec 10 08

Here are the highlights from tonights Town Meeting.  The first audio is regarding the Redwood water rate change.  Click Here

The last issue is concerning the Plessis Volunteer Fire Dept. Click here for that audio.
Not real sure what is going on here.  There are several issues going on with this.  The first one concerns the Town Board and a resolution.  I am unclear about all the facts, so no opinion from me.  The second issue revolves around a prepared statement from the Abay Fire Chief that says the Abay FD never stated or implied for the closure of the Plessis FD.  This can statement can be heard if you move your slider to 17:21.

Maybe more later.......

WDT Town of Alexandria asked to reconsider expansion

VB Meeting Dec. 9 2008

Tonights meeting started with a special hearing for the public to comment about the change in parking spaces on Church St in front of the Reformed Church.  The result: 3 metered parking spots are added one of which is reserved for handicap parking only.  Click here for the audio

Some chairs at the VB executive table have been filled with some new faces.  Trustee's Chailtain, Jarvis, and Roy now fill elected seats.  All the mayoral appointments have vanished, leaving only publically elected officials.  So what does this mean?  Hopefully independent, informed and sound thinking leading to the same decision process.

Are you just dying to find out what went on at the regular meeting?  Nothing!  No public correspondance was received [too bad]   and no public concerns.  Nothing earth shattering to report.   Audio will be up soon, not that anything I just said would make you want to DL it.  The usual concerned citizens were present tonight [ Carol & Bob, Kay, Jay, Pam, and Ellen with one new addition........my friend Danni.  We need more new faces at these meetings, even if you take turns showing up!

During Public concerns, [there weren't any] I inquired about the status of the waste conversion plant.  The mayor looked at me as if he did not know what I was referring to.  Oh he said, you mean the bio-diesel plant........nothing new.  Ok mayor, I meant to say the bio diesel plant that uses waste thus converting it into diesel......, ya happy?  Click here for the VB meeting

I did notice that during the pledge of allegiance, that not all hats were removed.  Not mentioning any names but........the hats need to come off during the pledge and probably for the duration of the meeting.  Just a little respect for our country and our village board [grin]

Benefit for Wanda Winters

A letter from Wanda

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you know about what's going on with me nowadays. I have been out of the hospital since the day before thanksgiving and this is the first time I didn't have to cook. It was great!! I couldn't do very much at all anyway so I let go of the guilt and enjoyed it. The pain and the breathing was pretty bad at first but now I'm not on pain pills anymore and my breathing has improved immensely. I had my first Doctors appt. today, Dec. 5th and my x-rays were very good. I go back in a couple of weeks and then will decide what to do about the other lung. I think I have found a house to rent, I am waiting for her to OK it and hopefully moving in on tues. I am asking for any kind of help especially muscles. I believe I will be able to attend my benefit on Dec. 14th but not for a very long.

I want to thank all of you for all of the help, support, prayers and healing that you have sent my way and I plan to be around for a long time to repay, or I should say pay it forward. Thank you all again and I will keep you updated as my journey continues.

Love & Light
Wanda

The Original Kris Kringle Mart

......was held today at the Village Municipal Complex with additional crafts at the Macsherry Library.  Lots of great crafts for the holiday season......

Geez Sean

I was giving the Jefferson County Democrat the benefit of the doubt BUT.......

Sean, I know you are the head of the County Democrat Party but Holy friggin Cow......a direct steal from newzjunky?  Maybe you have a deal with newzjunky and that is why you took Addie Russels comment regarding the passing of Bob Nortz and did not give newzjunky credit!  Maybe the deal allows you to do the same with Darrel Aubertine's comment regarding Nortz's passing........... give credit where credit is due.............

I would have made this comment over there but comments are disabled

***** Later Added*****

My friend Dotster has some thoughts on the re-vamped site.

Jefferson County Democrat BLOG

The old Danger Democrat has been transformed!  I noticed some new activity over at the blog the other day.  I found an email contact and decided to ask a few questions.

Hello,

I am a little confused as to what is happening over at your blog. I know that TF has plans in the near future and has de-blogged himself. Who is running this blog now and what plans do you have for content? Will it be totally different than DD? I would like to be able to write something on my blog about what your plans might be.
pg/jc abaycircus

I received this reply:

This will be a forum for the Democratic Party to be able to showcase some of the activities of the party as well as opportunity for those in our community to get involved in building a better tomorrow for our local community. We have a new initiative that we're going to be implementing called "Discover the Meaning". This will be a program to engage leaders in the democratic party in charitable giving across the North Country. Times of tough for many in the North Country and being that the Democratic Party is gaining strength I felt it necessary for me and many of our enrolled Democrats and "Discover the Meaning" of what it means to be a Democrat. I feel it is our mission as Democrats to look out for Middle Income families and the Less fortunate in our community. This program will draw help and attention on the needs of our community members and dedicate bodies and financial support to our neighbors in need. If one family is helped then we've accomplished our goal. Anyway, Thanks so much for the coverage and I look forward to working with you in the future.

All my best

Sean

This sounds good to me........more to come .  Keep an eye Jefferson Democrat

Distance Shopping @ The Vault

Get onto I-81 and head south towards Syracuse exit at the Carousel Mall. According to Joel Walentuk, The Vault is a mix of todays fashion with roots in the past.  Other  options to look for are organic clothing.  Mrs PG took a look at the Vault today and the clothing is high quality and some of the embroidered items look to be exqusite.  Look for infant sizes to adult........

Local Shopping @ Treasure Island

I have always found some really cool and eclectic gifts at Treasure Island owned and operated by Alex and BJ Mosher.  My big thing is candles and holders, always something wild and weird in this store.  That is what Christmas is all about.....finding presents for people that you know they would not usually buy for themselves.  Tonight they had a womans night out.........so I figured this would be my opportunity to see what the latest trend was.  I tried to blend in and become invisible so I could catch the spirit of shopping at its finest.

School Consolidations

To some of the fellow bloggers I have picked up along the way........STA, Joe the Homeless, North Country Liberal and TF.  There is an interesting thread over at Abay.com ............

My friend Curmudgeon started this topic:

Yesterday, Governor Paterson threw a hugh goose into the hind end of the most sacred cow in upstate New York....Consolidation of small (under 1000) school districts.

The double whammy comes from Washington, with the announcement of Michelle Rhee as Education Czar. She hates tenure, inept teachers and administrators, and bloat in the education system.
What about it? The Purple Knights? The Red Ghosts?..................

The thread can be found by clicking here.  You will need to register at Abay.com  forums with a user name and password but it is easy enough for all you bloggers......


Here are some thoughts from Political IV

Pray and Repent!

Yes I am speaking to you, Joe The Homeless,  not really!  I still think your strategically placed F Bombs within your let loose blogging thoughts are what some people need with their heads buried in the sand or stuffed within their backside crack.  If any of you wonder what Joe's blogging looks like in an extreme edited version........just click here. 

Hymns and Hers

The chorus that sang at tonights food pantry fund raiser......


Hymns and Hers from p guston on Vimeo.

Victorian Holiday Tea

The Gustons and Curmudgeons went to the Reformed Church tonight.  The Holiday Tea is to benefit our local food pantry, a very worthy cause.  The atmosphere was very cheery and festive.  Everything was very good: soup, salad, roast beef, turkey, lamb, and desserts......wow.  The Hymns and Hers sang some traditional and not so traditional Christmas Carols, just what is needed to get into the Christmas Spirit.  Nice job to all that served us and to those that stayed behind the scenes in the kitchen.  And Judy Keeler told some great Christmas stories.

What can I say......I had a good time.....

Here is another video.........what the hell........I do not have anything else to do till the next VB meeting....

MXG said if you like this song then it is Bob singing but if you do not like it then it is Ron. I waited to see if both the Waterson Brothers would sing but........Ron was being stubborn or was that Bob.  Either way there was a crew of em down at the dog tonight.  Good to see ya all!


Another Local Sings from p guston on Vimeo.

Here's Johnny

JC sings another song:

Anyone that can sing, I hold in the highest regard.  And if they play an instrument, more power to them.  More from Johnny Comstock, not sure who originally sung this song, but who gives a hoot.......


JC sings Again from p guston on Vimeo.

A Song For Padre

There is an old proverb:

"If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the mountain"

At the Dancin Dog tonight, Johnny Comstock does a song By Johnny Cash......Ring Of Fire.  The title sounds like it could be a sermon, but it is not.


Ring of Fire from p guston on Vimeo.

Here are the lyrics so you can all sing along:

Love is a burning thing
and it makes a firery ring
bound by wild desire
I fell in to a ring of fire...
I fell in to a burning ring of fire
I went down,down,down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns,burns,burns
the ring of fire
the ring of fire.
The taste of love is sweet
when hearts like our's meet
I fell for you like a child
oh, but the fire went wild..
I fell in to a burning ring of fire....

Thanksgiving Prayer

Joe the Homeless  has something to share with all of us.  I know you guys are to lazy to follow hyper-links to other sites, especially when there might be news of Armageddon around one of those "WWW"corners.

William S. Burroughs

"To John Dillinger and hope he is still alive.

Thanksgiving Day November 28 1986"

Thanks for the wild turkey and

the passenger pigeons, destined

to be shat out through wholesome

American guts.

Thanks for a continent to despoil

and poison.

Thanks for Indians to provide a

modicum of challenge and

danger.

Thanks for vast herds of bison to

kill and skin leaving the

carcasses to rot.

Thanks for bounties on wolves

and coyotes.

Thanks for the American dream,

To vulgarize and to falsify until

the bare lies shine through.

Thanks for the KKK.

For nigger-killin' lawmen,

feelin' their notches.

For decent church-goin' women,

with their mean, pinched, bitter,

evil faces.

Thanks for "Kill a Queer for

Christ" stickers.

Thanks for laboratory AIDS.

Thanks for Prohibition and the

war against drugs.

Thanks for a country where

nobody's allowed to mind the

own business.

Thanks for a nation of finks.

Yes, thanks for all the

memories-- all right let's see

your arms!

You always were a headache and

you always were a bore.

Thanks for the last and greatest

betrayal of the last and greatest

of human dreams.

Now that is a Burger

Heart Attack Grill  this looks so yummy.  A heart stopping burger.  I bet Dotster can not eat one of these!  They cook the fries in Lard and layer the burgers in everything bad.  This has to be good for the economy.....not the heart !  This is the quadruple bypass burger.

Gobble Gobble

All the other bloggers are wishing the bloggees a Happy Thanksgiving, soooooooo

"WASTE" of Time

Has the Town Board of Alexandria been notified about the waste conversion plant?
NO
Have other communities [ Clayton, Omar, Cape Vincent ] been made aware of the waste conversion plant?
NO
Is the village of Alex Bay in the running for consideration for a site for this plant?
NO

The reason for all the answers of NO?  According to Trustee Drake there is not enough information to get all the communities involved yet.  Hmmmm, but there was enough information for the VB to contact the WDT and Channel 7 News?  Just what is going on here?  Let me sum it up with a picture:

Questioning The Conversion Plant

It is not just about year round jobs!  We need to ask some serious questions before we or some other community in our area is saddled with something unmanagable........or horrible.  Here are a list of concerns we all should have the answers to:

Does the plant emit any emissions?
How long is the raw material [waste] in transportation till destination?
How long is the raw material [waste] stored in the plant till its conversion?
Once the conversion of waste to diesel is completed, how is the new waste disposed of?

How will it effect the quality of this regions resources?  Water, Air, Noise etc....

Has this company or contract hauler ever had a serious environment issue? [Litigation]

Any special licenses or endorsements  needed to operate these transport vehicles?

What is the noise level of the plant during operation?

Does it operate around the clock?
Does the trucking operate around the clock?

Where will the work force come from?  Local, cross country, around the world?
What is the minimum education/trade experience needed for entry level positions?
Is the technology so complicated that only unskilled low paying jobs will be offered to the locals?

What is the life expectancy of the physical plant used in the conversion process?

Are there any provisions for dismantaling the plant upon abandonment?

Give all these some serious thoughts

VB Audio Nov, 25 2008

Click on the following link for the Audio from Tonight VB meeting. 

Trustee Sweet and Chief Mullaney were absent from tonights meeting.
Some where in the begininng of the meeting, The mayor reads a letter from some ACS students.  Good for them. The letter is addressed to Mayor Millett.  There were a few chuckles over this because the VB was thinking the reference was to acting DPW Supt Greg Millett.......Ummmm the funny part would have been Martha Robb, maybe the students are looking into the future when the 2 boards merge.....

Trustee reports start at about 6:05

Surplus Equipment, Two village vehicles 21:27

Repair or replace trash truck 25:01

Re-levy taxes to the amount of $255,075.26  ............29:31

Castle Cable Request .......32:10
This is kind of interesting. No smart aleck comments from me on this one!

Town of Alexandria Arena Advertising 37:55

Service Request by one of our taxpayers on Steamboat Is.  41:14
A letter addressed to the VB from Richard B. Sherker Jr.  Evidently he is upset that islanders within the village are not receiving village services like all the other mainland taxpayers.  He wants the same police, emt, and fire protection that we get ........all year long.  Again no smart aleck comments from this responsible blogger........yah right!

Waste Conversion VB Meeting

Audio from tonights VB meeting.  Trustee Drake takes time at the end of the meeting to clarify the plan for this new industry.  I first read about this in the WDT and then saw a Channel 7 News report on it Sunday night.  Myself and others were amused and irritated at HOW  these 2 news sources reported this information.  Especially  Channel 7 showing the vacant lot on the corner of Walton St. and Rt 12 which is adjacent to our school, implying that it was a potential location. 

That being said,  slide your seek bar to about 4:06 and listen closely to what is said by Trustee Drake about smart aleck comments.  The catalyst for those comments was the way The Times and News 7 were contacted and the slant that they took when reporting the information to the public.  Abay.com is a forum and this site is a blog.  Both of which support free speech and opinion.  If referring to our thoughts as smart aleck while glaring across the table is meant to discourage or intimidate this blog or the forum members, then I have a question for you.  Have you been living under a rock?

Side note........Did not see any news from Governeur about this.  Did anyone else?

A smart aleck reference.

Asked what kind of waste will be used, the company responded YOU NAME IT!!!

What Happened to Danger Democrat?

Lots of conjecture regarding the demise of Ted Ford.  Political IV claiming to be the white knight slaying the dragon blog.  How very romantic that sounds........gag barf gag more barfing!!!!!!  A few of my fellow assassins were concerned about the well being of TF.  I took it upon myself to call and ask him what was up, are you ok, is there anything I can do.  Ted and I had a nice conversation and he is alive and well.  Just taking a break from blogging and trying to drive his wife nuts.  He told me that he even cleaned his closet today.  I wonder what he found in there?  Bottom line is.....Ted is ok and you will be hearing from him soon enough.

Freezing My Butt Off

Man it was a cold walk downtown last night.  I got a late start, so I had to cut my rounds down to one stop.  Into the Dancin Dog I went, shivering and stamping my feet, trying to warm them up.  I was greeted by my friend MXG.  He was very concerned that I may have gotten chilled to the bone......... Give Jim a shot and a beer, now that is music to my ears.  I opted for a Blue and a Tequila with a couple more through the night.  There is always  interesting groups of people to chat with........topics ranging from politics, guns, economy, music.........I took a bunch of videos last night, but the first video turned out the best........my equilibrium wavered as the night went on.  The guys playing last night were not the usual Dog Brothers.  These guys played some short cuts of songs, followed by full ones.......banging them out one after another.  Ya never knew what they were going to play next.


steppin stone from p guston on Vimeo.

Thoughts on $700 effin Billion

I said it before,  He is raw and unedited, speaking his mind.  How can I set myself free like fellow blogger Joe the Homeless.  Here are some his thoughts on Henry Paulson and Bush.  Be prepared for shock and awe as Joe makes his point with tons of F bombs.

Sharing Village and Town Resources

At the last VB meeting, Mayor Robb briefly mentioned the idea of sharing services with the Town.  He highlighted the possibility of consolidating snow removal between the two entities.  I was going to wait to bring this topic up when both the Mayor and Town Supervisor Martha Millett were ready to start some serious discussions, probably around the first of the year.  But the way I look at it.......why wait????

Actually I was doing some shopping at a local hardware store, when Town Councilman Dale Hunneyman brought up this subject of sharing services.  TC Hunneyman suggested sharing/consolidating zoning, planning boards and possibly the position of DPW Super.  HMmmmm,  I am open to this concept, the question I have for the rest of you.........Are you ready for this change?  If we do not start thinking creatively and with open minds, our community is doomed to be crushed with increasing taxes and a reduction of services.  TC Hunneyman encouraged me to start attending the Town Meetings.  Here is an invitation for the rest of you, directly from the Town web site:

Town Board Meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. at the Town of Alexandria Municipal Building on Old Goose Bay Road. The public is always welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings.

Cheers

I ran into this guy tonight and this is what he had to say about local politics

Three little Soldier boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two Little Soldier boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was one.

One little Soldier boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

1972

I was in 6th grade attending a catholic school in Watertown.  I remember when the missing posters went up looking for Jack Blake.  I knew his family well and I remembered being scared $h1tless.  Adults tried creating a net of security around us kids, to shield us from something as ugly as the crimes commited by Arthur Shawcross.  I sometimes wonder now if Shawcross and monsters like him created authors like Dean Koontz and Stephen King .  Was the Genesee River Serial Killer actually the boogeyman............YES HE IS!  How does someone like him become a killer?  Was he a bully in school, did he perform cruel acts to small creatures.  How did his parents and society let little Arty become the monster...........

VPD Station Renovation

I was told by the VB that anyone of us could have gone into the VPD Station and asked to look around to see what renovations were planned.  That sounds nice but........what would be the chances of catching the Chief there, afterall he could be off that day or out on tour of the streets.  Nice gesture by the VB but I do not buy it.  That is why I asked at the last meeting [I was ignored] then I asked again at last nights meeting......Can we just take a few minutes and go and look and listen to what the plans are for renovation.  I wanted to have a better understanding of how this money was going to be spent and was it actually needed.  I was surprised when my request was honored and off we went, about 8 of us to the VPD station.  The entrance to the station opens into a small lobby with a counter at the opposite side.  The counter looks like something you might see at a deli.  Not what I would expect to find in a Police station even a small station like this one.  The evidence room is a small closet,  janitors have bigger closets than this.  It is loaded with articles confiscated, that need to be inventoried until they are mandated as no longer needed by the county.  Some of these items have been in evidence for years and probably will remain there until who knows when.  It became clear to me that this station was in need of some serious work.  I did find out that the station was originally designed by B/C Architects.........what were they thinking.  The place is as open as Mayberry's Station, the only thing missing was Andy and Barney.  I could go on and on about the deficiencies of the design but I won't bore you........just listen to the first 20 minutes of the audio.
*************************************************************
We returned to the meeting and I heard the mayor say something about that was fun, we need to do more field trips.  Attorney Gebo muttered something about lets take a field trip to a pizza place next. As a result of all this, I can see that the work is needed................no more comments by me about this project..............well almost.........lets just hope that the project gets completed on time with a reasonable amount of billed labor...........
Anyone want to comment?

VB Meeting Nov. 11, 2008*****Audio

As one Anon. Commentor stated [ deleted BTW]  I rushed home and uploaded the audio.  Not for my own benefit but for our Village Community, so that anyone that wants access to it can stay informed.

This audio is the Public Hearing tonight regarding parking on Church St. in the area of the Reformed Church. Oddly enough nobody from the church showed up at this special public hearing.

The next audio is from the regular VB meeting.  I will add the time stamps of the highlights later.  We did go on a field trip to the VPD to see what renovations need to be done..........more later

Added later:

00:00 to about 20:00 Public concerns, this is where I voice my concern for the renovation project {Backed by Carol Shepherd, Kay Doheny, and a few others} and convince the VB to take a short field trip down the hallway to see just what they want done.  I did pause the audio till we all settled in at the VPD.

20:57 to 26:01 Department reports

47:52 Re-Levy unpaid taxes to Jeff. Co. Treasurer  $200,000 up from $60,000 last year.

51:32 Trash Truck trashed maybe need to replace, some discussion about shared services

57:39  Residential Complaint

Some items are discussed inbetween the above highlights.

Added this morning:  WDT article on lasts night public hearing

Veterans Day 2008

To my Dad

Frank the Thank sez Tanks

Yes I did the topic on purpose.............



Frank the Thank says Tanks from p guston on Vimeo.

Beer Guitar Slide with one of the Dawg Bros.

Yuengling Guitar Beer Slide from p guston on Vimeo.

Minor Hockey Benefit

If you did not make it down to the Dancin Dawg today for this benefit......you have no idea what you missed.  All natural wild game prepared by local cooks.  When you walked into the Dawg the aroma knocks you over and the salivation starts..........I was desperately looking for a bib.  I could tell you what was being served on the buffet tables..........but then I would have to kill you and then field dress you and prepare you for next years benefit buffet.  Enjoy the slide show without the aroma...................

What is a Zebra Really?

A Zebra dies and arrives at the Pearly Gates. As he enters, he asks St. Peter, "I have a question that haunted me all of my days on earth.......Am I a white horse with black stripes, or a black horse with white stripes?"
St. Peter said, "That's a question only God can answer." So the zebra went off in search of God. When he found Him, the zebra asked, "God, please - I must know. Am I a white horse with black stripes or a black horse with white stripes?" God simply replied "You are what you are." The zebra returned to see St. Peter once more, who asked him, "Well, did God straighten out your query for you?" The zebra looked puzzled. "No sir, God simply said 'You are what you are.'" St. Peter smiled and said to the zebra, "Well then, that answers it, you are a white horse with black stripes." The zebra asked St. Peter, "How do you know that?" "Because," said St. Peter, "If you were a black horse with white stripes, God would have said, "You is what you is.

Another Blogger

I like this guy alot!  He is raw and unedited.  Speaking his mind......bluntly.  Ladies and Gentleman I would like to introduce:

Fellow Blogger Joe the Homeless

I pale in comparison.  Be thankful all you nay commentors................

MY Blog My Opinion

I voice my opinion based on facts.  I gather them from VB meetings which I record.  This way all you blogamites can listen and hear the facts.  If I need more info about an issue I ask one of the VB members.....most if not all the time, the Mayor.  Then I apply my point of view after I report the facts to all of you.  So all you "bully anonymous said posters" stop picking on me!!!!!  Agree with me or disagree with me I really do not care.  But ya better back up your point of view, and your opinion with some sound reasoning based on facts.  You want to take a jab at me with "jimmy your negative" or "cummings you do not report the facts" or "you cut ppl down" type comments.......guess what, those comments will not get approved.  This site gets over 100 hits a day and the only points of view I get are negative, off topic, miss the whole point comments.

People that post that stuff are nothing but..........

So if you disagree with me then back it up with why and try to stay on topic.

I am Jim Cummings the blogger, formerly known as pguston

Minor Hockey Benefit

Wild Game Feed

Sunday November 9th @ the Dancin Dog

3pm to 7pm

$3.00 Donation

A Night at the Dawg

Big Joe Williams originally did this song, Please Don't Go, back in the late 1930's.  Tons of others have remade this song including KC and the Sunshine Band.  But tonight you get a chance to hear the Dawg Bros. doin it Dawgy Style with Alex "SilverSmith" Mosher sittin in playin the mouth organ.  This is good stuff folks.  Get out and enjoy some great music before the cabin fever sets into your bones and makes you crazy!

A Night at the Dancin Dawg from p guston on Vimeo.

Local Voters Cast Their Votes

Incumbent/Appointed[by Mayor Robb] Village Trustee Richard Drake is ousted.
Appointed[by Mayor Robb] Trustee Helethea Roy is officially elected for a 1 year term.
Cindy Chaltain wins a 2 year term.
Steve [emtsteve] Jarvis also wins a 2 year seat on the VB.

Abay.com unofficial election results

So what happened here?  I certainly did not expect Drake to get ousted.  Did the other younger [R] Drake cause confusion to some of the voters?  Did they pull the wrong lever giving the wrong Drake the desired vote?  Did the presence of Kay Doheny's name in the voting booth steal some votes away from Drake?  Or is it something else.  Are the voters in the village taking charge of their village?  Is this retribution for all the VB antics of the past year?  Did Drake take a hit  for being part of this board.  Two other board members resigned earlier this summer for reasons that are mysterious or suspicious......  Two board members remain and they are both up for re-election in November 2009.  I wonder what their fate will be next fall, what will be their choice:.....run for re-election or just quietly fade away averting the truth of the voting booth...........................

Abay Police Station Renovation

Its going to cost a couple thousand dollars in materials and probably the same in labor.  I am guessing the whole renovation price tag is going to be around 5 Grand, maybe a little less.  But do not worry folks the cost of this renovation is not going to cost the tax payers a dime.  According to Mayor Robb the money comes out of a special village savings account called the Municipal Building Fund which is for projects like the PD renovation.  Everybody NOD in AGREEMENT.......NOD NOD NOD..............Well I say WRONG and I am shaking my head NO NO NO.  I do not give a rats a$$ where that money comes from.  Our economy is going down the tubes and most people are following this philosophy:  Reduce spending and evaluate what you really need.  $ave our money for a rainy day.  Screw the bids and screw the project. That police station is fine for the time being.  Lets wait and see what the very near future brings before the VB votes on any more frivilous projects.  Stop spending our money like it will not ever run out.................

BTW.........two VB meetings ago, the Mayor mentioned something  about a "spending freeze".  He used that phrase with caution saying that he did not want to call it a freeze but implied that the Village should spend with caution.  Reminding the VB members that they need to approve any spending over $100.00.  Freeze the PD Renovation project

,,,,,ride on the Peace Train

Andy did ya hear bout this one...............

.....................To Smithereens

CyniCaL GuRl

Crenshaw as in Marshall

Just Chillin

I love these guys.............

Sleep Tight Tonight

To Darrel and Addie including all their families. get your rest.......things will be moving quickly soon enough

A Note of Thanks from Addie

Thank You!
I want to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of people who have, in one way or another, volunteered their time, made a donation, or helped with my campaign. I truly appreciate all of your hard work and encouragement and your generosity will remain with me for life.


Assemblywoman-Elect,
Addie Jenne Russell

A Thank You from "Our Guy" Darrel Aubertine

Friends,

Everyone is part of this victory.

I'm so thankful for the support that I received across party lines, from the Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, independents, and liberals.

We must look at backgrounds of our candidates and stand with the person that you feel most represents your values and who you trust to work hard for you and your family every day. I'm humbled that so many of you chose to stand with me.

This is a victory for all of us.

Darrel Aubertine

Our Girl Won!!!!

In the middle of all the excitement last night Addie and I had a chance to Talk.  Dotster took this picture and I am stealing it from him. 

Senator Aubertine and Assemblywoman- elect Russell

Darrel and Addie from p guston on Vimeo.

Darrel and Addie

Letter From Addie Russell

My Sincere "Thanks"...

I want to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of people who have, in one way or another, volunteered their time, made a donation, or helped with my campaign. I truly appreciate all of your hard work and encouragement and your generosity will remain with me for life..................

News 10 Now in the Bay

News10Now coverage of the Assembly race for the 118th River District. Write up and video of Addie's visit yesterday in A Bay.

Addie Russell makes a "House Call"

Addie wanted to meet "Aunt" Marie Tousant of Alexandria Bay.  Aunt Marie is a special lady because she is 101 years old and a Democrat.  This was a very enjoyable visit for both Addie and Marie and I am glad I had the opportunity to video it.

Rally for Addie in Alex Bay

Addie was in Abay this morning part of her 23 stop tour.  She took time out of her busy schedule to make an extra stop.  She wanted to meet and visit with a real Die Hard Democrat.  Check out the slide show.

This Sign Says It All !!!!!!!

A sign at Skiffs in Abay.........
Later added:  Damn!  I guess I am not the only one that wants to add an extra "L" onto Darrell's name Darrel's name

Addie Jenne Russell for Assembly

Addie was born and raised in Philadelphia NY and now resides in Theresa. Addie is also a twice-elected Jefferson County Legislator and community volunteer.

Find out more about Addie Russell

Addie will be in the Village of Alexandria Bay on November 2nd at 10:30 AM

at the corner of Church and James Streets. This is one of 23 stops she will be making this weekend.  Please attend and help support Addie.

Sincerely Disappointed

I received the following comment in this topic 240-696-7345renzi

Anonymous said...



I am baffled that one man would waste his/her time on such a blog that is basically an endorsement for the democratic party. Why don't you run if you really want a voice or yet make money for your egotistical opinions. If in doing this you fill a void in your life, well then congrats. However, if in filling this void you demean other people, there really is no benefit. Are you making the community a better place? It is the bully mentality that I see. By picking on other people, we can feel better about ourselves. Well everyone has their flaws. We need to be a community united and until we can build each other up instead of breaking each other down; we are just spinning our wheels in the mud.
~ Sincerely disappointed
October 22, 2008 9:17 PM

I could not make heads or tails of it till I got this comment in the same topic tonight:

Jim Capaldi said...



The anonymous comment was sent to keep the worms in the can. Anyways in a couple of days this election will be in the past. My hope is that you can use your voice to bring good to the community, not cause fractures. Obviously you want people to read what you think, that is the whole purpose of the blog. If you didn't want people to look at it and comment on it, then you wouldn't have set it up this way. Regardless, I see a defense mechanism go up anytime a person disagrees (the best defense is a good offense).
As for Dotster why the hell should a person have to sign their name on a post on a blog? So those who disagree can ostracize the person?
Anyways I am giving you an audience because I care about the community and you do too. By the way, the his/her was not a cheap shot by a marginal idiot, it was referring to the other voice in your household that talks to you on a daily basis.
October 30, 2008 8:29 PM

This second comment sheds a little light on the first and I suppose that they are the same person.  As of this posting I have no clue who Jim Capaldi is or IF I should know who he is.  I do give him credit for following up his intial anonymous said comment with the unmasked version that you see above.  I have had many opportunities to NOT sign my comments that I have posted on other blogs and comments on WWNY news at noon.  I have not only used pguston, but the website to my blog and my real name.....Jim Cummings.  Regarding Dotster and the way his forum is set up.........Even though you can use an anonymous nick it still gives some identity as to who that person is so you can seperate one anonymous from another.  I believe that if you are going to talk shit about someone, then you ought to sign your name to it.  Thanks to Jim Capaldi for following up on his first comment.

ABay VB meeting October 28

Click this link For the audio of last nights VB meeting.

Highlights from the meeting:

Move the slider to about 54:27 and you will hear the VB Secretary Laura Coles do a Roll Call Vote......First name she calls is Trustee Robb, the former mayor made the statement to Laura "that hurt".........

Water Rate Decision for the Redwood Water District:35:45

Renovations to the Village PD office. That topic starts at about 41:11


Advertise to hire a Full Time Police Officer: 1:1:30

Addie Russell Tours the River District

Addie Jenne Russell announces 23 stop of the River District

I will Listen to Anyone

For years people have come up to me and told me things about themselves, much to my dismay.  I have often asked myself........why do they tell me this stuff?  I do not have an answer, nor will I ever find one.  I guess I have that tell me your life story look on my face.....Tonight a friend of mine called me and I could not answer it because I was at a VB meeting.  After I found out why he called I would have left that meeting in an instant, handing over my trusty digital voice recorder to a perfect stranger.  To my shock I found out that Bobby Cantwell was in town.  He was looking to swing a few Addie votes his way.  I am not willing to give anything away but I would be very willing and interested to listen to what Bobby had to say.  Has he forgotten where Uncle Jim lives?  Maybe he also forgot the promise he made to come and have a beer with me back in August. So, Bobby I invite you to tell me your side personally. Before all you negative people start typing your crap as "anonymous saids" forget about it..............

Bobby, I am willing to listen to you until I make my vote on November 4th around 4:30 pm.  But I would not wait that long.....
UJ jc pg

A Song For Darrel & Addie.....

Just a "Feel Good" tune that I thought might sum up todays meet and greet in the Bay.......

Leave your worries behind

'Cause rain, shine don't mind
We're ridin' on the groove line tonight


Check out the wheels a turnin'
You know we won't stop
We got this boiler burnin'
We're keepin' it hot
So grab your friends
Get the train comin' through
Climb on board
Where you leave's up to you..................

Darrel Aubertine speaks in Abay

Addie Russell at the Meet & Greet Today

Addie warmed up the gathering for Darrel

Darrel Aubertine in Abay

Darrel visited Alex Bay today with a special guest, Addie Russell.  Other local dignitaries were also present.

Darrel Aubertine Meet and Greet

Just a reminder that Darrel will be at the Village Municipal Building today at noon.  Even though this a Democrat function, everyone is encouraged to come and meet Darrel.

The link below is a letter to the editor in Fridays WDT

Republicans force good man to go negative