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Valley News
April 25, 2020
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
FIRE DESTROYS KEENE VALLEY RESIDENCE
The Essex County Courthouse in Elizabethtown.
File photo
Trial by COVID19 for the courts Proceedings limited to essential, emergency matters; go virtual By Laurel Carroll STAFF WRITER
TICONDEROGA | Per an April 6 news release issued by the New York State Unified Court System, all New York courts will be limited to “essential and emergency court proceedings” only, and will take place virtually. Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks reported that virtual court operations−conducted remotely−are now in effect statewide. The “virtual court” model has been rapidly expanded in response to the fast-evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our shift to a virtual court system has made it possible for participants in essential and emergency proceedings to appear remotely via Skype, dramatically reducing the number of people in our courthouses,” said Chief Judge DiFiore. All nonessential court functions had already been suspended by administrative order, with an amendment to this order permitting judges, criminal defendants, civil litigants, attorneys and some court staff to appear by videoconference for essential and emergency court proceedings. A very small number of court clerks and court officers will continue to staff these virtual court parts to process critical paperwork and provide essential security. Town and village courts are closed, and eviction proceedings have been suspended until further notice. County supreme courts will handle “essential” applications (Mental Hygiene Law applications, civil commitments and guardianships) and any applications deemed essential by that court’s judge/s. Lower-court cases will be handled either in county courts or in designated “Special Parts.” In New York Family Court, “essential” matters include child protection, juvenile and family offense cases and support orders. Civil and criminal trials already underway will continue until concluded, but no new civil or criminal trials will start until further notice. For updated instructions about jury duty, visit nyjuror.gov/pdfs/ Coronavirus-Memo.pdf. In addition, Chief Judge DiFiore’s office has established a Coronavirus Telephone Hotline—833-503-0447— which addresses a wealth of court-related questions. For more information about virtual court operations in your local county or Judicial District, as well as updates relating to COVID-19’s impact on the New York State Court system, go to: nycourts.gov. ■
Five fire companies, including Air One, join in battling blaze By Kim Dedam STAFF WRITER
KEENE VALLEY |Fire completely engulfed a two-story house at 13 Mason Young Way here Sunday night. The call was dispatched to Keene Valley Hose and Ladder No. 1 at about 11:42 p.m., according to Fire Chief Stephen “Rusty” Hall.
Fire destroyed a two-story residence in Keene Valley as firefighters fought to douse and contain the blaze at 13 Mason Young Way behind McDonough’s Valley Hardware store. The call came in about twenty minutes before midnight on Sunday night and Keene Valley fire equipment was back in service about 5 a.m. Monday. Photos/Keene Valley Hose and Ladder No. 1
Located about 100 yards from commercial properties off Route 73, set back behind McDonough’s Valley Hardware Co., the building was fully involved when fire crews arrived. “We put a lot of water on it. We used 170,000 gallons from the reservoir alone,” the chief told the Sun on Monday. The property is apparently not a year-round residence. Fire officials report that it is owned by Kristin Combs and Zachary Peltier, who were renting the place to a couple that had been there for a few weeks. “They were present and nearly in bed when they heard a loud pop, came downstairs and saw flames,” Hall said. “They were able to escape safely
as was the woodchuck that came out of the attached wood shed late in the battle to extinguish the flames.” Mutual aid was called from four surrounding fire departments: Keene, Upper Jay, Jay and Lake Placid volunteer fire companies, along with Essex County Air One and fire investigators. Firefighters set up a tanker shuttle, the chief said, drawing water from a dry hydrant about two miles north in the AuSable River, across from Marcy Field on Route 73. A rotation involving five tankers and several engines set up the relay. “It was a very hot fire,” Hall said. “With an extreme amount of fire load, teams attacked with sheer determination
throughout the night. The men and women of the area departments battled until the end allowing Essex County fire investigators to do their important job,” Hall said in his fire report. “Keene Valley Engine 191 commenced exterior attack, Tanker 195 assisted with water supply, Upper Jay Engine 341 located a draft site in the AuSable River near Marcy Field. Keene Tanker 185, Upper Jay Tanker 345, Jay Tanker 175 and Lake Placid 225 shuttled water to KFD Engine 181/ KVFD 191,” Hall said. Fire equipment was back in service at 5 a.m. The cause and origin is being investigated by Essex County Fire Investigators. ■
HOSPITALS FACE FINANCIAL PRESSURE By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
ELIZABETHTOWN | Medical professionals understood the potential catastrophic impact that a new virus could have on a community and on a world, but the impact it would have on hospital balance sheets was something else. “I don’t think we fully understood the fi nancial impact,” said John Remillard, president of the Elizabethtown Community Hospital. Counterintuitive as it might seem, hospitals have been devastated by a chain of events that have slashed revenues, while requiring heightened preparedness for an onslaught on business that, particularly in sparsely populated
communities, may or may not come. The Elizabethtown hospital, which operates six health centers in Essex County, has seen its monthly revenues of $3.5 million cut in half, and has had to furlough 28 employees in response. “This is actually happening all across the country,” Remillard said. In response, the federal government has included hospitals in its list of stimulus recipients. Last week the hospital received $815,000 in stimulus funds, and another round of funding was moving through Congress this week. That will help bridge the gap until hospitals can resume normal operations, Remillard said, although no one is sure when that will be. In accordance with New York State directives to slow the spread of the virus and ensure the health and safety of patients and staff, the hospital postponed elective surgeries and routine procedures such as colonoscopies. Specialists no longer
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made their rounds, and visits to the emergency room were discouraged. “We put out the message, ‘don’t come to the hospital,’” Remillard said. The loss of these bread-and-butter revenue streams was compounded by state directives to stay home — an order that may be bad for the economy, but is good for public health. There are, for example, fewer injuries from automobile accidents, and without daily interaction, people are more protected not just from the coronavirus, but from other communicable diseases as well. As a consequence, Remillard said the hospital corridors much resemble the city streets that are eerily empty. Still, there is work and investment to be done to prepare for a COVID outbreak that seems to be moving north out of the metropolitan areas. Nineteen employees have been redeployed to new roles, such as COVID screening and complying with a health department directive
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Revenue at E-town has been cut in half
to increase beds by 50%. But so far, most of those beds are empty. Remillard said the hospital averages one or two COVID inpatients, but that those who need intensive care are sent to Plattsburgh. And while more testing is now available, it’s still limited to symptomatic patients or employees who may have been exposed to the virus. So, like the public at large, Elizabethtown hospital is waiting to see what happens. It maintains an Incident Command Center that meets daily and pours over what data is available. After a spike in positive and suspected positive cases the week before last, the number of COVID cases in Essex County held steady at 29 for several days before beginning to creep upward again. There is evidence that thinly populated communities have some degree of protection against a mass outbreak, but at the same time, due to the nature of the virus, no
John Remillard, president of the Elizabethtown Community Hospital during a tour of the Ticonderoga campus in 2018. Photo by Tim Rowland
one knows whether it is here and silently spreading. “We’ve always thought we would be a few weeks behind New York City,” Remillard said. “Now the question becomes, are we on a plateau, or is there more to come?” ■