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YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER • Volume 36
STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #9 APALACHIN, NY
www.CommunityPress.us
JANUARY 2021
Tom Kelley Named Apalachin Lions “Lion of the Year”
Number 1
The Town of Owego: 2020 in Review Looking Ahead to 2021 By Donald Castellucci, Jr., Town of Owego Supervisor
Lion Naomi Rupright (left) presents the Apalachin Lion of the Year Award for 2020 to Lion Tom Kelley Lion Tom Kelley was named the Apalachin Lions Club’s “Lion of the Year” for the 2019 - 2020 Lions year. Lion Tom has been an active member of the Apalachin Lions for over 25 years, serving as Bulletin editor, Lion Tamer, and board member several times. Lion Tom was also presented the “District Bulletin Editor of the Year” award by the Finger Lakes District. He has served the community in providing
Eye Screenings for children, manning the phones for Santa at “Santa Phones” and working on the annual Broom Sale. He is also the club photographer, and if you have ever seen Emmett Kelley at the annual Easter Egg Hunt, that’s Lion Tom! Congratulations Lion Tom Kelley. This award is well deserved. You exemplify the Lions motto, WE SERVE!
Girl Scouts 2021 Cookie Season
Scouts to Team Up with Local Businesses Organizations Local troops need places to safely host drive-thru cookie booths and handle program logistics due to the pandemic The Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways (GSNYPENN) Council serves girls in grades K-12 across 26 counties including Tioga and Broome Counties in New York and Bradford and Tioga Counties in Pennsylvania. The council is looking for help from local businesses and community organizations to help local girls have a positive and successful cookie season despite the continuing pandemic. The GSNYPENN council is looking to connect with area businesses or community organizations in high-traffic areas with large parking lots to allow girls and their troop leaders to safely host drive-thru cookie booths beginning in February to maintain social distancing, abide by Covid-19 protocols, and continue to serve the community. Troops also need inside, secure locations to set up and provide cookie delivery, storage, and pickup. Places like empty storefronts, unoccupied businesses, etc. The annual cookie program runs through the end of March and helps power Girl Scouts’ activities for the year through experiences like community service projects, badge work, camp, travel and more all while girls gain important entrepreneurial, business and life skills. This major fundraiser is the life-
blood of the council—100 percent of proceeds (after paying the baker) are used to maintain the properties and programs used by local troops throughout the year. “We’re looking to help our GSNYPENN Girl Scouts have a positive and successful 2021 cookie program by connecting with our local communities to help host drive-thru booths and provide safe, secure locations for girls’ cookie season logistics. We’re getting creative to overcome the challenges our troops will once again face due to the pandemic,” says Ray Mulno, Director of Retail Operations & Product Programs at GSNYPENN. The council requires use of locations beginning in early February through the end of March. It will provide insurance information for business owners and organizations. Those who can assist will receive publicity through the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app, GSNYPENN Community Partners Facebook page and any cookie season advertising the council places - which will, in turn, help drive additional customers to these businesses and community organizations’ locations. If your business or organization can help local Girl Scouts, contact Ray Mulno at rmulno@gsnypenn.org or 315.698.9400 x2022.
With 2020 finally behind us, hopefully 2021 will bring some normalcy back to our lives. The year certainly wouldn’t go away quietly! Forty inches of snow followed by three inches of rain caused some minor flooding. The storm lead to some flooding in Hickories Park and some minor flooding in areas along the river and creeks. The area really dodged a bullet. I was very thankful the community was spared the devastation of another flood, especially on Christmas Day. I hope your Christmas and holiday was blessed with family and friends. Our way of life has certainly changed this year. We may not have been able to celebrate exactly like we wanted but the reason for the season remains constant. As I begin my 26th year in office, I look to the many challenges that still lie ahead. COVID will remain front and center, the economy will remain fragile, and we will still face obstacles as the year progresses. How we deal with those obstacles is what will determine how successful we will be, as individuals and as a community. The Town government has been determined and prepared in dealing with COVID. At the same time, we have not lived in fear. Most in the community have followed safe practices and the results of that are evident. If you drive by the Town Hall, you have noticed the Shared Services Facility is in its final phase of construction. There have been delays due to COVID and the availability of timely delivery of materials and supplies. Overall, the project has moved smoothly. The cost of construction is still projected at 9.4 million dollars with a plus or minus of $250,000. The process during construction has created some cost savings. There have also been some additional costs incurred as well. We have to see at the end of construction what those costs net out to be. It is anticipated that the Parks Department and the Administrative offices of the Utilities Department will be moving in late January through early February. The Highway Department will move in at the end of the snow season as to not have to operate out of different locations during storm events. I will have a financial update on Phase One of the project at the completion of construction. Phase Two of the project is going to be completed in 2021. The Board is currently discussing the financing and final design. It is estimated to be a cost of about 3.3 million dollars. The Town has secured a $500,000 grant so far to date for the construc-
tion of the salt storage facility. Phase Two is projected to consist of the new salt barn, cold storage for equipment not used in the winter, a storage yard for highway materials and a drop off for Town of Owego residents to drop off brush. The final costs and design will be forthcoming at some point in January. When this project is complete, the Town will be better prepared for emergencies as well as be able to respond quicker and more efficiently. You only have to look a few weeks back to see that Owego Creek almost flooded again. This could have resulted in the flooding of the current highway facility for the third time in 14 years. You can also see the advantage of moving the Parks Department to the town hall site. After 2011, the Town along with FEMA completed restoration and replacement projects which included electrical replacement, the new entrance, directional drill for the water and sewer lines and a new Park Office at the camping sites. All other assets have been moved to the Town Hall and now will be part of the Shared Services Facility. While this past week, the flooding was not nearly as severe, it was evident how quickly the park was able to reopen. There was also no worry about equipment being damaged. The Town budget can be found on the Town website. We were under the tax cap for the fourth year in a row. Although many believe the tax cap is 2%, it is actually 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. This year it was 1.56%. It has been lower. Many of you know I refer to this as the “tax cap scam.” It is Albany political gamesmanship pointing the fingers at everyone but the one who has the deficit, Albany. You can’t be under the tax cap and have over a 15-billion-dollar deficit. (other than in Albany and Washington!) (continued on page 7)