RICE TO RETIRE AS NCCC PRESIDENT

Dr. Gail Rogers Rice has announced her retirement as president of North Country Community College.

Rice submitted a letter to college Board of Trustees President John Friedlander on Tuesday saying she will step down by July 1, 2008.

In an interview, Rice, whose 68 years-old, said she’s been thinking of retiring for some time.  “My age has something to do with it and I want some more family time,” she said.  “Both my daughters and their families live in Saranac Lake now.  I’m looking forward to spending more time with them.  I’d like to travel more.  Life is an adventure and I’m ready to move on to the next adventure.”

Rice’s decision will end her nearly 40 year career with the college.  She first began teaching at North Country in 1968, one year after the college was founded, and has taught English, history, political science and economics.  “I loved teaching, I enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.

Rice began her fifteen year tenure as president in 1992.  Since then the college expanded its enrollment, its programs and underwent major upgrades at the Malone and Ticonderoga campuses.  Plans are also being developed now to rehabilitate and expand the Saranac Lake campus, after a proposal to move to Lake Placid was rejected by North Country’s sponsoring counties. 

Rice said the college is headed in the right direction.  “I’ve been blessed with a wonderful staff and a great faculty,” she said.  “Together we have done a lot of interesting things in the last 15 years.  I think the college is poised to move forward in a very positive way.  I would not have left if there were serious problems of any kind. That would not have been right.”

Rice said her successor will inherit the Saranac Lake campus project, but much of the planning work is already in motion.  “I think there is momentum and a pattern of development already in place,” she said. 

The college is also gearing up for an accreditation process that will culminate in 2010.  “We’re in very good shape for that,” Rice said.

In her letter, Rice said she’d be willing to stay beyond her July 1 retirement date, if needed.

John Friedlander, President of North Country’s Board of Trustees, said he was surprised by Rice’s decision to retire but said she’s done a terrific job.  “I think she’s been a fantastic leader,” he said.  “She’s been there for forty years as a teacher and a great administrator – a hard working person that does anything for the college.”

Franklin County Legislator Paul Maroun of Tupper Lake said he was shocked to hear Rice will be retiring.  “But I’m glad for her,” he said.  “We’ve done both business, battle and work together over the years and I hope she enjoys her retirement.  Both counties will also be looking at possible prospects for the new presidency.”

Although Rice won’t be leaving until next year, Friedlander said they could bring on an interim president.  The board of trustees will be meeting next month to discuss the search process.

-Chris Knight

POLICE: MAN STABBED HIMSELF DURING FIGHT

Police in Glens Falls are now saying the stab wound suffered by a Saranac Lake man Monday night appears to have been self-inflicted during a fight with another man.

31 year-old Patrick J. Hahne apparently had pulled out a pocketknife as he fought 24 year-old Charles O. Sumner of Hudson Falls.

Police say the men were wrestling on the ground when Hahne was somehow cut with his own knife.

He was treated at Glens Falls Hospital for a puncture wound to the upper chest and was released Tuesday morning.

Police say Sumner had agreed to take Hahne to a local home to buy cocaine, but the deal apparently fell through.

Sumner was found intoxicated outside the residence and claimed someone was trying to assault him.  But Sumner did not want to file a complaint.

An officer on patrol later located an injured Hahne several blocks away.  Police say he had Sumner’s wallet.

Neither man wanted to file charges against the other, but police charged them both with misdemeanor counts of loitering.

-Chris Knight

RICE SAYS NCCC MAY GET STATE FUNDING FOR PROJECT

North Country Community College may be able to get full funding from the state for the renovation and expansion of its Saranac Lake campus.

That’s what college President Dr. Gail Rogers Rice told the NCCC Board of Trustees Tuesday during an update on the college’s ongoing master planning process.

Rice talked about a recent visit to the campus by Lloyd Constantine, a senior advisor to Governor Spitzer who’s involved with the state Higher Education Commission.  “One of the things that has been mentioned in a number of meetings and a number of places is there may be 100 percent capital funding from the state,” Rice told trustees.

If full state funding is possible, she explained later, the college wouldn’t need to rely on its sponsors, Essex and Franklin counties, for 50 percent of the funding for the project. “That would be very advantageous.  The counties have difficult funding problems and we are aware of that,” she said.  “If it could all be done by the state, that would be a problem removed from the counties.”

College officials have been looking to upgrade and expand the Saranac Lake campus to repair deteriorated facilities and be competitive in the future.  Consultants hired by the college earlier this year said the proposed improvements could cost $62 million.

At one point, trustees and college administration considered moving the main campus to Lake Placid, but the proposal was rejected earlier this year by the counties.

Essex and Franklin County lawmakers have voiced support for investing in upgrades to the existing campus.  “The counties have indicated they’re willing to give us monies,” Rice said.  “How much or how little we have no idea.”

A number of committees have been formed to handle the master planning process.  An Executive Steering Committee, which will oversee the project, will include a pair of representatives from each county.

Legislators Tim Burpoe of Saranac Lake and Ray Susice of St. Regis Falls will serve as Franklin County’s representatives on the steering committee.  Essex County’s have yet to be named. 

College Trustee Gerald Blair stressed that the county designees have to attend the meetings and keep their fellow lawmakers abreast of what’s happening so no one is “blindsided.” “It’s absolutely critical,” he said.  “They’ve got to be present.  That’s the stage in which we’ve never had success.  We’ve never been able to get over that ladder.”

Trustee Tom Michael, who’s also Saranac Lake’s mayor, said he was concerned about repeated comments from college officials describing how difficult it will be to expand the campus on its existing site.  “If you don’t believe in a project, how do you successfully complete it,” he said.

But Rice said that wasn’t the case. “I don’t think that’s what the belief is at all,” she said.

“Nobody’s saying this can’t be done and throwing their hands up,” added Facilities Director Shane Chatelle. “Everybody is very positive.”

In other business at its Tuesday meeting, the board approved a motion thanking trustee Don McIntyre for his service to the college.  McIntyre resigned from the board recently due to an illness.  “We’re losing a very good friend,” said Rice.

The seat is an Essex County representative to the NCCC board and will be filled through an appointment by the governor.

-Chris Knight

SL, H-TOWN DISCUSS COTERMINOUS BOUNDARIES, REC PLAN

The Saranac Lake Village Board and Town of Harrietstown Board held a joint meeting Tuesday evening where the local leaders discussed a number of shared service and consolidation initiatives.

Village Mayor Tom Michael, who called the meeting, asked for a commitment from the two governments to apply for a $175,000 shared municipal services grant that would be used to study the idea of creating co-terminous boundaries.  The grant carries a ten percent match which will be split between the town and village.

A coterminous municipality, according to a memo from the Department of State, is a territory where both the town and village have the same boundary and could function together as a single unit of government.  There are currently five coterminous towns-villages in the state. 

The goal, Michael said, is to reduce the cost of government.  The study would help the town and village determine what the taxpayers could save by going coterminous.  “Is it a savings or just moving money around,” Michael said.

Town board members supported exploring the idea and approved a resolution backing the grant request.  “Regardless of whether we merge or not, the information we gain from this will help us with shared services,” said Supervisor Larry Miller.

Councilman Howard Riley reminded the group that similar efforts in the past, including a 1992 study on dissolution of the village and a more recent proposal for creating an Adirondack County, have never moved forward.  “It’s a hell of an idea,” he said.  “It just never gets anywhere.”

The grants will be awarded in February or March.  If the village and town secure funding the study could take another 4-6 months. 

Later in the meeting, the elected officials discussed other opportunities for consolidation with their court systems, building departments and public works departments.

An ongoing effort to form a recreation commission also was brought up.

Supporters say a recreation commission could provide central administration, fiscal oversight, more training and set safety standards for recreational facilities and programs in the community.  It could also better promote all of the area’s recreational assets.

The two boards discussed whether it would be better to put together a commission of volunteers to develop a recreation plan or hire a recreation director and let that person get the proposal off the ground. 

Members of each board will be meeting in the coming weeks to determine what path to take and possibly talk about searching for a recreation director.

-Chris Knight

TL SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSES RECYCLING

Recycling was a topic of discussion among Tupper Lake School Board members and district officials at Monday night’s meeting.

Spurred by a recent letter from 2001 graduate Noelle Short, the board discussed ways the school system could be more eco-friendly.

Short urged the district to do more. “I believe it is our district’s responsibility to teach our students how to recycle and to provide the resources for them to do so within each hallway, classroom, office, gymnasium or athletic field that falls under school property,” Short wrote.

She suggested the district could take the lead and demonstrate to the community the importance and benefits of recycling.

Superintendent Dan Bower said he met with Building and Grounds Superintendent Pierre St. Pierre and told the board prior to the start of the school year to evaluate the district’s recycling efforts. Currently the district recycles old computers and monitors, cardboard, light bulbs and contracts with BOCES to dispose of cleaning chemicals and other products.

But Bower said more could be done, especially with sorting paper products. “I know that we’ve ordered a whole lot more of the blue recycling bins for the classrooms,” he said.

Bower also acknowledged the obstacles to recycling including the time it takes to sort items and finding space to store them until they are ready to be hauled away. “It will present its challenges but we’re going to try and step up our efforts,” he said.

St. Pierre said he’d look into getting some recycling containers for the athletic fields for items like plastic bottles.

Board President Michael Dechene suggested they keep on top of the efforts. “It’s something we should touch base on probably quarterly,” he said. “This isn’t something that’s just a little niche in the district, it’s something worldwide everybody needs to be addressing.”

In other news, LP Quinn Elementary School Principal Seth McGowan reported on a recent lunch with Diane and Dick Sittig – the couple that has purchased the Wawbeek Resort for use as their own private residence.

McGowan said the Sittigs have donated $7,500 each to the elementary school and the Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Departments.

“What they wanted was to take the proceeds of their tax sale from the Wawbeek and donate $7,500,” he said.

McGowan said Sittigs donated the money because they “heard great things about the school.”  “I was really flattered by that,” he said.

As for what the school plans to do with the money, McGowan said they haven’t decided. “My only qualifier is that the money somehow should reach all the students in the school,” he said.

McGowan has scheduled a meeting with the school improvement team this Friday to further discuss how to use the gift. He said he’d be sending a letter of thanks to the Sittigs on behalf of the school and district.

-Mike Fritts

KEESEVILLE WOMAN CHARGED WITH THEFT OF $54,000

A Keeseville woman was arrested by State Police on Tuesday for allegedly stealing more than $50,000 in cash from her employer.

Police say that while employed as an assistant manager at the Days Inn in Plattsburgh, 27 year-old Elaine A. LaPier allegedly stole $54,000 over a fourteen-month period.

She was charged with second-degree grand larceny.

LaPier was arraigned in Town of Plattsburgh court and remanded to the Clinton County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail. She is to reappear in court on Friday at 10 a.m.]

State Police say the investigation is continuing.

-Mike Fritts

CHAMPLAIN MAN KILLED WHILE SNOWMOBILING

A Champlain man was killed in a snowmobiling accident on Monday night.

State Police in Chazy received a report of a serious snowmobile accident at 11:38 p.m.

Their investigation revealed 39 year-old Raymond G. Labelle was operating a Skidoo snowmobile southbound on Creek Road in the Town of Champlain when the vehicle went off the southwest shoulder of the road and struck a tree, partially ejecting Labelle.

He was taken to CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh were he succumbed to his injuries.  An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death. 

Police said the investigation was continuing.

-Chris Knight

PARENTS OF PSU HAZING VICTIM AWARDED $1.5 MILLION

The parents of a Plattsburgh State fraternity pledge who died after 12 days of hazing and torture were awarded $1.5 million in a wrongful death suit against one of the tormentors.

According to the Times Union of Albany, John Burnius was ordered to pay the family of Walter Dean Jennings III $400,000 in compensatory damages, $100,000 for wrongful death, and $1 million in punitive damages, in a ruling signed by a state Supreme Court Justice.

Walter Jennings Jr. and Sue Jennings of Wilton filed suit in 2004 against Burnius and 13 other members of the Psi Epsilon Chi fraternity at the SUNY at Plattsburgh. All but Burnius settled out of court.

Jennings was a freshman at Plattsburgh State when he died on March 12, 2003. Police found Jennings died of water intoxication after being forced to drink so much water that his brain swelled and he went into a coma.

At the time of Jennings' death, the Psi Epsilon Chi fraternity had been banned from the campus because of alcohol-related incidents dating back to 1998.

Eleven students, including Burnius, were charged with dozens of crimes related to hazing. They all eventually accepted plea agreements and were sentenced to probation and community service.

-AP wire reports

POLICE REPORT

Saranac Lake Police charged an 18 year-old male youthful offender from Saranac Lake with petit larceny at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.  Police say he allegedly obtained $28 in gasoline from a local store using a stolen credit card.  He was processed and released to appear in Saranac Lake Village Court at a later date.