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-:v-v^'-:'^ •:'. The AltamontEnterprise-Thursday, August 17,2006 immmmzmmsmm i- in updates board on Rensselaerville reval '•tw. By Tyler Schuling RENSSELAERVILLE — Town, school, and county tax are all based on assessed property values. Rensselaerville's rolls had been skewed since town- wide revaluation was last done 15 years ago, so assessors are in the midst of updating now. that five events noted in the newsletter were over by the time he received, his in the mail. \Something should be done to correct this,\ Denson said; — Heard a letter from Paulette Ryder about potential health hazards to children at the Medusa playground. Ryder, in 'We're using statistical analysis. We're not appraising each home. The town board heard from Jeff Pine, one of the town's three assessors, j at last Thursday night's town board meeting about methods the Rensse- laerville assessors are using in its revaluation. Pine, who has been a town assessor for eight years, told The Enterprise this week that \the revaluation started last year and should be completed later this year or some time next.\ \It's an ongoing thing,\ Pine said at the meeting. \First we have to review all residential properties. Then we have to hire an expert to do statistical analy- sis.\ The last town-wide revalua- tion for the town of Rensse- laerville was conducted in 1991. The current revaluation is simi- lar, but there is one difference. \We're doing more in-house so we can hopefully save the town some money,\ Pine told The En- terprise. The revaluation's first step, a survey sent to property owners, presents them with a checklist of what their parcel contains. If verified, no further investigation of a homeowner's property is conducted. If improvements or additions to the home are noted on the survey, an assessor visits and reassesses the property, taking note of improvements and/or ex- pansions. Once all surveys have been re- turned, assessors then crunch the numbers from properties, noting the age, size, condition, and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Once an updated description of the parcel is iden- tified, assessors match these numbers to sample sales within Rensselaerville. \We're using statistical analy- sis. We're not appraising each home,\ Pine told The Enterprise. Pine also told The Enterprise that the same contractors New Scotland hired will be contracted to complete the revaluation for Rensselaerville. Other business In other business, the town board: — Heard that the town has two outstanding bills — one for Chip Decker filling in for Build- ing Inspector Mark Overbaygh during the two-and-a-half weeks Overbaugh was in Alaska and the other for Earl Potter's mow- ing services. The board decided to find an acceptable solution once Decker returns to town; -^ Heard from George Denson of Preston Hollow that most residents' received the town ; jtie!yifsT6tter';. after events had her letter, stated that pea gravel had not been laid down before wood chips and could therefore cause a bacteria buildup and pose a risk to children; — Heard a second letter from Paulette Ryder, in which she re- ported on the town youth pro- gram. She was budgeted $8,000 for the program and $2,000 for the playground. One fire officer, her letter said, was upset with the change in funds. Ryder, in her letter, stated she would be willing to give the remaining funds to the fire department if contacted by Aug. 10 but would remit her offer after that date; — Heard a letter from Walter and Alice Schloen about the in-' tersection of routes 145 and 81, which is not yet done. The road, the letter said, is two miles long, heavily-used, and, if left unfin- ished over the winter, could leave potholes; — Heard a letter from Ann O'Donnell, which stated there are no speed signs or signs in- forming drivers of hearing- impaired residents on her road; — Heard that the town hall and salt shed need immediate repairs. The board discussed whether to hire a part-time em- ployee or a company. The board, which is awaiting an evaluation from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, heard from Gary Cook, a town resident, who of- fered his services and will report back to the board with an esti- mate for work completed and the time frame he needs to complete the restoration. Cook will not get involved in the salt shed; — Heard that there will be a second questionaire about water going out; — Heard that there is no re- port on the waste oil furnace yet; — Heard from Supervisor Jost Nicklesberg that the board may not read letters of correspon- dence out loud at town board meetings any longer. Nickles- berg added that the letters may be posted instead of read aloud at town meetings in the future. Joan Johnston, a Rensselaerville resident, stated that the letters were very boring and that people should attend town meetings if they have something to say. \I've had to read some letters I find reprehensible,\ Nicklesberg said at the meeting; and p — Heard from Jack Loiigj-Hjhp,:;butjjtt£s)s, is temporarily chairing;$fe^sie4\•ijfejtfetaifthe laervilje's water board,; thai it would be best for the town, to* have an emergency permit-is-v siied to repair the dam at the\ water-system intake ^below. My-, osbtis Lake which, due to severe June storjmSj%a'd suffered severe The Enterprise - Rachel Dutil Aftermath: A fire on Aug. 9 at this home on Lower Flat Rock Road, took the life of the home's owner, 76-year-old Amelia Lee. House fire kills 76-year-old resident By Rachel Dutil NEW SCOTLAND - The fam- ily of Amelia Lee -is mourning her unexpected death; She died when her home at 32 Lower Flat Rock Rd. burned on Aug. 9. Lee had been a resident of Lower Flat Rock Road for about 42 years, said her daughter, Charlene Breedon. Lee lived there with her daughter, Mary, who was not at home at the time of the fire. The call came in around 2:42 p.m., said the Onesquethaw fire chief, Fred Spaulding. Fire crews were faced with heavy smoke and flames coming from the first floor of the house upon arriving at the scene, Spaulding said. \Smoke could be seen from a few miles away,\ he said. Firefighters were not aware that Lee was home, said Craig Apple, chief deputy with the Al- bany County Sheriffs Depart- ment. The scene became a som- ber one after the body was found, said Spaulding. An autopsy was performed at Albany Medical Center Hospital by Dr. Jeffrey Hubbard. The cause of death was determined to have been carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhala- tion, according to the Sheriffs Department. In addition to Onesquethaw\ volunteer fire departments from New Salem, Selkirk, North Bethlehem, East Berne, and Elsmere responded as well as rescue squads from Delmar and Voorheesville. The Sheriffs Department is investigating the fire, and has not yet determined the cause of the fire, Apple told The Enter- prise. \The house was basically gu t- ted,\ said Spaulding. He recommends that smoke detector batteries be checked monthly and should be replaced at least once a year, twice a year for added caution. Spaulding has been with the Onesquethaw Volunteer Fire Department since 1973. He said that the first fire fatality in his experience was on President's Day of 1984, in Uniohville. LaGrange, a town board 'There is no other word for it except tragic.' He told The Enterprise that the crews did a great job, but that it is especially tough when someone dies. \It beats you up, when you know there is a fatality,\ he said, \It plays on your mind. You ask yourself, 'Should I have done something differently?'\ Spaulding said there was at least one working smoke detec- tor in the house. He added that homes should carry a smoke de- tector on each floor, including basements and attics. member in New Scotland, who runs a 250-cow dairy farm near by, stopped at the scene of the fire before Wednesday's board meeting, and learned of Lee's death. He told The Enterprise that the Lee family had been friends of his family for years. Lee's sons, Raymond and Mi- chael used to help out on his farm, he said. \You kind of get knocked back a step when something like that happens,\ he said, \There is no other word for it except tragic.\ Ketchum's sold to chain for $788K By Saranac Hale Spencer ALTAMONT — The local gas station, convenience store, deli, and car wash, known as Ketchum's, was recently sold to a Connecticut company for $787,500. Now it will be called Cobble Pond Farms. They're not a \mom and pop\ said Matthew Sgam- company's lawyer. 1 Tlfetejitore, at 200 Main Street in ;|j|e#eart of Altamont, pur^ cfoasM''by Tom and Sally Ketchum 33 yearg ago, was a j^om-and'rpop business ,and served as a village hang-out and general store. \I had no -life,\\ I wvffwQf^^i H!l that she would even work on holidays. \We will bring new things,\ said Dave Singh, who is man- aging the store for Altamont Pe- troleum. He said that he'll keep things the same, but add some more items, like corn-dogs, cal- zones, and 99-cent sandwiches. Singh manages two other stores and has worked for the company for 20 years, Sgambettera said. \We had everything - moth balls, fish hooks, mantels for lamps,\ said Sarah Ketchum, lamenting the changes that Have happened to the store sitice the sale. Sgambettera daid that the company hppes to keep the'gen- \That's part of the reason they bought it,\ he said. \They like the feel of it.\ Altamont Petroleum, which bought the store in July, is a special-purpose entity created by GRGH at the request of their mortgaging bank, American Community Bank, according to Sgambettera. Altamont Petro- leuni was created \ \specifically for this,.particular.station,\ he said.\' Though' this is* the only statioii that Aitamqht, petroleum owns.'GRGH'oWhe 22 gas sta- tions in New Yprk, as well as stations in New Hampshire, Mainei and Connecticut. urn ^v*8|* ,~\M1 ?*,>-../*: Wy»ttjr*^*
