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ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron

Saturday,ÊA ugustÊ20 ,Ê2016

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In NEWS | pg. 12

Raising awareness on breastfeeding County becoming more breastfeeding friendly

www.SunCommunityNews.com

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In NEWS| pg. 4

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In EVENTS| pg. 11

Welcoming WoodmenLife to host open house diversity

Diversity vital to keeping region alive

500 back-to-school packs to be given away

Mooers water and sewer testing completed Low grant funds, participation could mean end to project, says supervisor By Teah Dowling

teah@suncommunitynews.com

MOOERS — Water and sewer testing is over and town officials aren’t confident with the turnout. Initially, Bernier, Carr and Associates, the company overseeing the project, was asked to do a second round of testing due to a lack of participants. That quickly ended after the town received only $11,000 from the state. Further testing was necessary for the feasibility study, which started last summer, to determine whether a town-

wide water and sewer system was realistic. Now, the future will be dependent on the nine households who agreed to take part in the testing, which involved taking a water sample to check for bacteria, nitrates and other contaminants that could affect residential water supplies. Those results, town officials said, came back “pretty normal” — partially due to the ongoing dry spell that has affected the wells and sewage tanks, which are anticipated to be the main cause of water contamination, according to Bernier, Carr and Associates. Town officials are discouraged. “We haven’t had a lot of good response,” said Supervisor Jeff Menard during last week’s town board meeting. “Nobody wants it.” The town sent out a new batch of surveys. Out of 300, only

ADKÊC oast

>> See Mooers Water-Sewer | pg. 5

Drought-like conditions raise concerns across Champlain Valley

WineÊ Fest Local wineries enthusiastic about first-ever centralized tasting event next Saturday

WEST CHAZY — This summer, craft beverage enthusiasts won’t need to travel 33 miles to taste local wines and hard ciders. Instead, several wineries and cideries will set up tasting stations at Conroy’s OrTeah ganics in West Chazy during the first-ever Dowling ADK Coast Summer Wine Fest on SaturWriter day, Aug. 27. The change came after several visitors from last year’s tour said it was tough going from place-to-place. Travelers said they needed to find a designated driver or take precautions with how much they consumed per stop. Each winery differs in how much they offered per tasting. While some allows a limited number of samples, others offer anything and everything behind the bar in small doses. Amazing Grace Vineyard and Winery contains a small restaurant, which drew in plenty of visitors wanting to fill their stomachs, said Owner Mary Fortin. But the turnout wasn’t at the level Fortin wanted. Other wineries shared the same disappointment last year, said Dan Vesco, owner of Vesco Ridge Vineyards and president of the Adirondack Coast Wine Trail Association.

46 came back. In the first batch, 77 came back — 21 in approval and 56 against the project. Potential cost is what concerns the residents the most, according to previous town meetings and public hearings. The average cost in the state or both water and sewer is $1,700 per household, according to Bernier, Carr and Associates. The exact cost for this project will be determined once the feasibility study is completed, which should be sometime between September and October. “We will have to wait and see what happens,” said Menard. Once the study is completed, the town will decide whether

Lack of rainfall has municipalities, farmers concerned The Adirondack Coast Wine Trail Association planned the new festival to showcase wines and bring more traffic into the North Country. Photo by Teah Dowling

Because of this, the association came up with the idea of bringing all the wineries and cideries into one central location. “We wanted to try something different,” said Vesco. Vesco said this event will act as a trial to see what’s more effective: a festival in one location or a tour from Peru to Chazy. Several wineries and cideries said they weren’t concerned with the change, especially since people can embark on the wine trail anytime throughout the summer. “The wine trail is increasingly becoming recognized for the quality of its wines,” said Colin Read, owner of The Champlain Wine Company. “This event will allow all of the com>>See Wine Festival | pg. 10

By Pete DeMola, Lohr McKinstry, Kim Dedam and Teah Dowling pete@suncommunitynews.com

ELIZABETHTOWN — It’s been a blazing hot and dry summer across the North Country. While the region saw a small degree of relief over the weekend with a series of thunderstorms, the unseasonably dry summer has plunged the region into drought-like conditions. While not as severe as a “warning,” Essex and Clinton counties, like most of Department of Environmental Conservation’s Region 5, is in drought “watch” stage. Rainfall has been below average this summer, a result of atmospheric blocking patterns above Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, explained Paul E. Roundy, a professor at SUNY Albany’s Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. Though not particularly unusual, paired with the intense heat, the weather has vexed municipalities, stymied farmers >> See Drought Concerns | pg. 14


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