{ title: 'Courier and freeman. (Potsdam, N.Y.) 1861-1989, February 14, 1989, Page 1, Image 1', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn83031769/1989-02-14/ed-1/seq-1/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn83031769/1989-02-14/ed-1/seq-1.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn83031769/1989-02-14/ed-1/seq-1/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn83031769/1989-02-14/ed-1/seq-1/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: Northern NY Library Network
LAST WEEK'S WEATHER Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Mon. Hi 28 26 4 23 30 30 34 Lo 16 IS -5 0 20 18 -10 VOL. 136 NO. 48 Pep 0.42sn 2.608n sntr 1.25sn 2.10sn 3.0sn 0 A PARK NEWSPAPER COURIER * FREEMAN, (USPS 135-460) POTSDAM, N.Y.-TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14,1989 28 PAGES Overburden aid bill won't help Potsdam. See story this week. 35 CENTS McHugh's Bill Wouldn't Help Potsdam; Burns Has Ideas For Relief TIME! — Sergeant Porria, right, times the last skier in a squadron as he completes the two-mile ROTC Winter Stakes race held Saturday on Clarkson University's Hill Campus. The annual exercise tests not only cross-country skiing ability and endurance, but also miliatry skills like assembling a rifle and throwing a grenade. (Thorn Pardoe photo) ~~ Youth To Youth Gears Up At Potsdam High School BY THOM PARDOE In the age of \Just Say No,\ as , people become more aware of the dangers of alcohol and drugs, more and more young people are turning away from these substances to peer groups such as Youth to Youth to help them deal with drinking and drugs. Potsdam High School students how have the opportunity to join Youth to Youth, a group devoted to helping kids feel good about themselves without drugs. The Potsdam High School chapter was formed in December by a local man, Danny Davis, and a handful of students. Youth to Youth is a national organization devoted entirely to eradicating drinking and drug use among teenagers. According to Davis, Potsdam High School's Youth to Youth advisor and an assistant football coach at the school who helped get the PHS group off the ground, Youth to Youth is not like some student organizations which teach students how to handle drinking, or to drink responsibly. Youth to Youth espouses the idea of \absolutely no alcohol or drugs.\ While he admitted that some students at Potsdam High School do drink, Davis emphasized the school does not have a drug or drinking problem among its students and that the members of Youth to Youth are not alcoholics or students with drug problems. \The idea of Youth to Youth is to create a school system that is drug free,\ Davis said, \and create the message that this is what this school system wants.\ Davis said Youth to Youth has four basic goals in helping kids stay away from drugs: to provide up to date information about alcohol and other drugs; to help individuals grow emotionally and boost their self-esteem; how to say no to drugs; and to deal with the peer pressure which usually gets kids in- volved with drugs. One of the important messages Youth to Youth tries to get across, and the one PHS Youth to Youth members talk about most, is how to feel good about yourself and how to \Idaho Bermuda, Alaska. \What they have learned is the clear-cut message that you can be proud to be drug free,\ Davis said. But what do the kids involved in Youth to Youth have to say about relationships students developed at the Rochester conference. After returning* from Rochester, Short said, \when I got off the bus, I didn't have the urge to drink at all.'- BYTHOMPARDOE Although State Sen. John R. McHugh (R-Watertown) has rein- troduced a bill in the Senate which would provide state aid to com- munities overburdened with tax ex- empt properties, Potsdam Village Administrator Robert R. Burns says the bill won't help Potsdam because villages aren't included in the plan. The bill for a Municipal Over- burden Aid Program died in the Senate Finance Committee when it was first introduced last year. MC/KLugniVs;, #jan -ca 1 Is - f-gJL distributing about $10 million in aid to cities and towns with fewer than 50,000 poeple and at least half of their assessed value value of real property exempt from taxation. Many of the communities targeted by McHugh's bill are, like Potsdam, relatively small college towns With small tax bases becuase 'much of the property is tax ex- empt. Churches, government buildings, hospitals and school properties are also tax exempt, leaving many of these small communities in a situa- tion where a small percentage of taxable property is taxed at a high rate to pay for the operation of an entire village. McHugh may have an advantage this time around, however. He is now on the Finance Committee and will probably have greater say in the negotiations on the bill in the Senate. According to Burns, 85 percent of people,\ said Danielle Dunn. \We learned to be sensistive,\ said Jared McCargar. \We learned to be happy with ourselves,\ Elizabeth Short piped up. All of the Potsdam students said they enjoyed th* conference in Rochester. One of the major pluses of such a conference is the lack of pressure and the lack of ameedto perform or act to a certain stan- dard among the other students. \No one cared how you looked,\ Davis said, \or how you dressed. No one cared. There were no condi- tions.\ \The emotional bondage is phenomenal,\ Davis said of the joined Youth to Youth, but being in the group helps deal with some of the pressures of growing up. \I just found I could have fun without drinking,\ Robar said. Davis Inspired Them Although said he didn't want to be the emphasis of the story on Youth to Youth, all of the members of the group interviewed said it was through the encouragement of Davis that they joined the group. \His speech he made (at Rochester) really had a big effect on everyone,\ said sophomore Nicole Friedel. Her brother, Brian, also a member of the PHS Youth to Youth, agreed with her. Chief Thinks Juvenile Officer's Post Will Stay BY BETSY BAKER Despite a projected 8.8 percent cut in state youth services funds available to Potsdam for the com- ing year, Potsdam Police Chief Clinton Matott says he believes the job line for Juvenile Officer Gene Brundage will remain in the village budget. Village Administrator Robert Burns could not be reached for comment on the budget at presstime. \I don't think there will be any problem,\ Chief Matott said. \I think the village will pick it up.\ Early indications are that in the 1990 fiscal year, youth services funds may be out of Gov. Mario Cuomo's budget altogether, and at that point, Matott said, village of- ficials will have to decide whether or not to keep the job line. But Matott said he believes the juvenile officer's position is a valuable one, closely tied, in with and Drugs. Brundage also makes presenta- tions in schools, and goes intqjhe schools at the request of ad- ministrators. Brundage said he believes in the work he does, and will fight for his job if necessary. \I never saw a kid yet that wasn't worth working for and with,\ he said. Brundage said he investigated 242 violations of law involving juveniles in 1988; provided direct services to 1,558 juveniles; in- vestigated five child neglect-cases, two child abuse cases, four sexual abuse cases, two cases of en- dangering the welfare of a child, and one case of assault on a 2-year- old child. Potsdam College. The problem of having so much tax exempt property is one that has plagued the village for a long time. Taxpayers have complained to the village board about taxe rates and tax assessments being too high, and that the village board of trustees has done little to curb the rising taxes. • \I don't think the tax rates in the village are unreasonable for the services provided,\ Burns said. Burns noted that Potsdam residents get plowed sidewalks and trash collection included in the tax base, services that most municipalities in the county do not provide^ Because of the large number of college students in the village, many living off campus, Potsdam has also been forced to maintain a larger than average AIDS Expert To Speak Here AIDS expert Andres Gonzalez del Valle of San Fransisco will speak on \AIDS: How to Live with the New Rules,\ at 7:30 p.m. Wednes- day in Dunn Hall Theater On the Potsdam College campus. His talk is part of a two-week campus and community AIDS education program at the college. Del Valle holds a master's degree from San Fransisco's In- stitute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. Working as a consultant, del Valle helped establish 1 AIDS education pro- grams in several Latin American countries. police force, with 17 uniformed of- ficers, according to Burns. \It's always going to be expen- sive to live in the village,\ he said, \when 15 percent of the village car- ries the load for the whole village. Are we out of line in what we spend per capita? I don't think so.\ Ten Percent Aided In last year's village budget of $5.8 million, only about $544,000 was in state aid, just under 10 per- cent, according to Burns. The village received approximately $352,000 in sales tax revenues as well. Although $544,000 may sound like a lot of money, Burns said the village hasn't received an increase in state aid since 1981. With infla- tion factored in, Burns noted the money doesn't account for much. \Every $13,000 we lose is a dollar on the tax rate that we have to raise locally,\ Burns said. McHugh's bill doesn't include villages, Burns said, because of dif- ferences in the way villages report their taxes to the state and the ways cities and towns report theirs. According to Burns, towns and cities have a much more com- plicated form to fill out when filing tax rolls with the state. Legislators feel that since villages don't have their own assessor or their own tax roll and are already included in the town's roll, the form would be too much for the villages to handle, ac- cording to Burns. But Burns argues it wouldn't be necessary for the village to fill out the report since village properties would already be listed with \the state on the town's roll. The village's state aid could be deter- mined just by removing the village roll from the town roll, Burns said. One of the difficulties facing the village is a severely declining population. According to statistics in an article in the February 1989 issue of the \Empire State Report,\ by G. Scott Thomas call- ed 'Countdown,' Potsdam had the fastest declining population in New York state between 1980 and 1986, with a total decline of 10.6 percent. The article, an overview of the impacts the 1990 census will have on the state, uses statistics compil- ed by the U.S. Census Bureau from a 'pre-census' census. The article compared cities and villages with more than 10,000 people and found that small college towns like Potsdam, Ithaca and Oneonta are all faced by the same problem: high taxes, a lot of students living in town, declining housing stocks and a lack of good upscale housing. They're Moving Out What is beginning to happen in Ithaca and Oneonta has already started in Potsdam: middle to up- per income families are moving either just outside the village or to smaller \bedroom\ communities like Hannawa Falls, where the taxes are low and there is a lot of room to build. While living just outside the village, these people can still work and shop in Potsdam without hav- ing to pay the high taxes and deal with the large student population. • \This is all part of what we've been talking about for three years,\ Burns said, \there con- tinues to be an outflow of people... it continues to cause concern.\ \Right how, I expect this is going to continue,\ Burns said of the situation. \There is a desire on the part of a significant number of peo- ContinuedOnPage5 SDWA Vice Chairman Speaking In Potsdam BY BETSY BAKER Robert Buhts, county Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) vice chairman, will speak to local residents at an open session at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Potsdam Town Offices, 35 Market St. Buhts said he intends to \give a little of the history of solid waste in the county, where we've been, where we are now, and what our options are for the future.\ Buhts said he will talk about the various components of the county's solid waste management plan: recycling, incineration, and land- filling. \I'm going to try to bring everybody up to speed on where we are in that process,\ Buhts said. He will be available for questions and answers after his talk, Buhts said. The town council took a step toward recycling last Wednesday in its regular session, when town of- ficials heard a letter from Dennis LaFleur of Northern Waste Removal, Inc., in Norfolk. LaFleur is offering to provide a recycling program for the township free of charge. Town Supervisor Gene Brundage said the town council has sent a let- ter to LaFleur, indicating its in- terest hi his proposal. The town also sent a letter to Norwood have a good time without using local police operations. ' • as. \We've got to have dangerous substances. \Drugs are not! recreational, they are illegal,\ Davis said. \They destroy the mind and damage the environment of our future citizens and leaders. \As basic social institutions, high schools and colleges in this country pass on the values and behaviors of American society,\ Davis said. \It's in these instsitutions that our young people develop.\ Conferences For Kids Youth to Youth accomplishes its goals by sponsoring conferences and lock-ins at schools around the country. The Potsdam group went to its first two-day conference at Rush-Henrietta, High School in Rochester on Feb. 4 and 5. These conferences, which range in length from a day to a week, usually involve large numbers of students (the Rochester conference had about 300 students, Davis said) locked in a high school building where they can essentially have free rein for a few days. The con- ferences allow students to attend family group sessions and workshops and near speakers in a pressure free setting. The topics of discussion usually center around drug and alcohol awareness, but Davis said the discussion also covers other problems students face: peer pressure, attitudes, how to relax when preparing for an im- portant test, teen suicide. \We met with everybody from across the country,\ Davis said,. got to have someone do it, because it's so closely tied in with police operations when juveniles are arrested,\ he said. \If we're going to have to tie up man-hours, I'd rather have so- meone in the job who is trained and ^edieatedi someone better able to follow up.\ Brundage, who has been in the juvenile officer's job full time since June 1984, said he deals with anything concerning juveniles under 16. Occasionally he deals with older teens who have pro- blems with drugs, alcohol, or such violations of law as shoplifting, harassment, or fighting. In addition, Brundage handles all sexual abuse cases, child abuse, and neglect cases for the depart- ment. \I still take calls at home from parents,\ he said. I believe hi one to one contact with the child. Fami- ly Court is a last resort, only when there are serious violations of law.\ Brundage is also part of a pro- gram conducted at A.A. Kingston Middle School. Called the Very Ef- fective Person program, It Is operated by middle school teacher Mrs. Sandy Tomalty and Brundage for all the sixth grades. VEP is a program designed to build self-esteem through explora- tion of a variety of topics, including Creating Impressions, Being Misl- PCS CAREER DAY — William Crowell, chef at the ed, SettingSiandards and Choosing Hotel Saranac, Saranac Lake, speaks to student* at Friends, Fear and Intimidation, Potsdam High School about bis job. Many area village officials, asking if that municipality wants to participate, and a letter to SWDA, indicating a desire to go with LaFleur's plan. Brundage said the town had com- mitted all its trash to SWDA, and is seeking SWDA's permission to go with LaFleur's plan. In other action last week the town council approved purchase of a computer system that will allow town payroll to be done by com- puter. Future software purchases will allow additional record- keeping to be computerized as well. Brundage's plan to award a medal to distinguished citizens of the township was \well-received by the board,\ he said. The council agreed to purchase the medals for an initial investment of $780, ac- cording to Brundage. Council members Kay Wyant and Norman Koslofsky said they felt guidelines for the awarding of the medals should have been drawn up before the medals were ordered, Brundage said. Koslofsky voted against the plan, Wyant voted for it. Brundage said he has drawn up guidelines, and will present them to the council. Heart, Stroke Group To Meet On Feb. 23, the American Heart Association Heart and Stroke Sup- port Group will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the conference room of Canton- Potsdam Hospital' near the emergency room. There will be refreshments, the public and any interested professionals are welcomed. There will be a brief welcome by director, Shirley Metcalf, an in- troduction of steering committee, a planning session for the new year and a question, answer and com- ment period with medical profes- sionals. Blood pressure and analysis will be available free of charge. All meetings are one hour, after the meeting everyone is welcomed to stay for refreshments and to share experience. The meetings are the fourth Thursday of every month at the Canton-Potsdam Hospital con- ference room near the emregency room at 7:30 p.m. For more Information call Keitha Maclntire at 265-3300 or Metcalf at 268-7576 or 265-4769. buiinesi-people ipoke to the students about a wide variety of career options open to them when they graduate from high, school or college. In The Courier OArts Page 7,8 DChurch Page 12 DClassifieds Page 25-27 D Editorials Page 4 OEvents Page 2, S DLetters Page4 DLocal News .... Pages 1, S, IS DObituaries Page 12 D Sports Pages 18,19,22-24 DWeddings Page6 •1 ~
