Officials in Tupper Lake are mourning the loss of Village Trustee Chad Martin who passed away Wednesday. He was 34 years-old.

Martin died at Albany Medical Center, where he had recently traveled to undergo surgery to remove a lump on his adrenal gland.

A Republican, Martin was first appointed to a village trustee seat by Mayor Mickey Desmarais in December 2005.  He ran un-contested for the position last year.

Desmarais described Martin as a family man who was dedicated to serving his community. “Chad was a guy with a big open heart. He was a people person. He lived a short but a very fruitful life.  If you knew Chad he was very dedicated to his family. He loved them a lot. And if you knew Chad from the board meetings, he always stood tall and firm in his convictions because he believed in his community and he loved living here.”

Fellow Trustee and friend Marty Hughes said Martin was passionate about serving the taxpayers and had ambitions beyond serving the village. He had considered running for state Assembly next year.

“He was a go-getter,” said Hughes. “He was always striving to do the best he could for the taxpayer. It’s a great loss to the community.”

Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marty Mozdzier said Martin always put the people in the community first. “He was just so concerned about everyone around him,” she said. “And he was always very careful to be aware of the people and their needs, he worked very hard to bring people together and to try and make sure that everything that was done was done in the best interest of all the people in the community.”

Martin was a teacher at the Brenner School of Real Estate and also worked for Commercial Site Service Inc., in Plattsburgh. Leann Wheeler, co-owner of the real estate management business said Martin always had a smile on his face and was a tremendous asset to the company. “He’d always find a way to find the lighter side of things,” she said. “I don’t believe I’ll ever encounter another human being like Chad. He was a great friend of ours professionally and personally.” 

Calling hours for Chad Martin will be held at St. Alphonsous Church on Sunday, December 30 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the church on Monday, December 31 at 11 a.m.

-Mike Fritts

ESSEX COUNTY SEEKS HIGH BAND RADIO FREQUENCIES

As Essex County officials continue working on a new countywide emergency communications system they’re looking to share high-band radio frequencies with neighboring municipalities in the North Country.

The county needs the frequencies to allow dispatching from their new Enhanced 911 Center, which officials say should be open sometime next month.

Ray Thatcher, Essex County Emergency Services Coordinator, said hundreds of letters went out to local and regional municipalities asking if they’d be willing share their high-band frequencies. He said space on the radio spectrum is hard to come by these days. “Part of the process is trying to find available frequencies because the radio spectrum has very limited frequencies, if any, left,” hen said. “And what it’s amounted to with the FCC is trying to get as many people to use the same frequencies as possible because there just isn’t enough available.”

Thatcher said they’re using the Association of Public-Safety Communications, a not-for-profit agency, to help the county locate possible high-band frequencies.

But the county’s request to share a frequency in Tupper Lake has already been turned down. At last week’s village board meeting, Police Chief Tom Fee said allowing Essex County to share one of their frequencies would make an already busy frequency even more so. And the chief fears Essex County would drown out users on the Tupper Lake band.

“They’re going to be talking on the radio and they’re going to buzz us out and I’m not going to take a chance on it,” said Fee.  He said they’d be sending a letter to Essex County officials and the FCC declining the request to share the frequency.

Thatcher said he understands the concern, but says the county would be operating at a much lower power compared to what was used in the past. “Years ago you’d be issued a license to operate a specific frequency for 200-300 watts.  They’re not issuing those today.  They’re coming in at a much lower wattage.  We’re not going to be blasting out with a high wattage radio.”

Thatcher says he’s sent over 100 letters to license holders of many different frequencies throughout the North Country to see if they have any objection to the county utilizing their frequency. “Some people have no objections, some people have objections,” he said.

Thatcher said they need about 28 frequencies to service the county’s police, fire, and highway crews.

Officials are still hoping to open the new Essex County Enhanced 911 center this coming January.

-Mike Fritts

MALONE MAN SENT TO PRISON IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG CASE

A Malone man arrested earlier this year for illegally peddling prescription drugs has been handed a lengthy prison sentence in Franklin County Court.

47 year-old Rupert L. Lamica Jr., along with three-dozen other suspects, were arrested in May for allegedly selling and buying prescription drugs throughout the county. 

Some had allegedly been faking injuries and exaggerating their symptoms during trips to the doctor’s office to obtain more prescriptions.  In one case a suspect had a prescription for 120 oxycontin pills filled at a Saranac Lake pharmacy but had only 46 pills left when he was arrested the next day.

Lamica was sentenced last week by Judge Penelope Clute to five years in state prison on a charge of fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.  He also received one to three years for fourth degree conspiracy.  The sentences are to run concurrently. 

In other court action a Saranac Lake man made a trip to Malone from Downstate Correctional Facility to face three counts of third-degree burglary.

38 year-old Charles Rolley Jr., who is serving time for another burglary conviction, pleaded guilty to one-count of third-degree burglary.  His case was adjourned for sentencing on February 14.

Rolley and another suspect were arrested earlier this year after police investigated an extensive burglary spree that involved break-ins at more than a dozen locations throughout several North Country counties.

A Tupper Lake man, who is a potential youthful offender, appeared in court to face four counts of third-degree burglary, two counts of petit larceny, and single counts of harassment and criminal mischief.

18 year-old Shane Yando and another individual were arrested for a burglary spree in Tupper Lake in February.

Last week Yando pled guilty to two counts of third-degree attempted burglary and his case was adjourned for sentencing on February 14.

Another Tupper Lake man appeared in court last week to face third-degree burglary charges. The 19 year-old, who was granted youthful offender status, pled guilty to second-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, stemming from an incident in February of this year. His case was adjourned for sentencing on February 14.

And a Saranac Lake man pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary from an incident that occurred March 12.  20 year-old Justin N. Beede and another individual were involved in a daytime burglary of a residence on Margaret Street.  They fled the scene when police arrived but Beede was later found hiding in a train car near the Union Depot.   Beede will also be sentenced on February 14.

-Mike Fritts

FRANKLIN COUNTY SALES TAX REVENUE BESTS PROJECTIONS

Franklin County is expecting its sales tax revenue to surpass budget projections by more than $2 million.

County Treasurer Bryon Varin expected to collect $17.65 million in total sales tax revenue this year.

As of last Friday, the county had received $16.95 million with another $2.5 million expected before the end of the year.

Varin said today he’s expecting sales tax revenue to approach $19 million for 2007, a ten percent increase over last year’s totals. 

He attributed the increase in sales tax receipts to the opening of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Malone, tourism activity in the southern end of the county and a favorable exchange rate, which has brought many shoppers into the county from north of the border.

The county increased its share of sales tax by one percent last year and received approval from the state Legislature this year to continue the increase until November 2009.

Varin says the additional revenue is part of the reason why the county has been able to reduce the property tax levy in the 2007 and 2008 budgets.  “It’s the cumulative effect of reducing costs and the sales tax increase,” he said.  “We’ve been able to provide a levy reduction of approximately 28 percent over the last two years.”

-Chris Knight

PLATTSBURGH STATE STUDENT MISSING

A search party has been scouring the Port of Albany, looking for a Plattsburgh State student who has been missing for more than three days.

Police say 21 year-old Joshua Szostack of Latham has been missing since midnight on Sunday morning, when he was last seen leaving a café in Albany. 

A search involving dozens of volunteers began around 11 a.m. Wednesday morning.  Flyers with information on the missing man were handed out as family and friends sought out clues on the busy city streets.

Police say Szostack’s cell phone was found near a parking lot at the Albany DEC building, where a car was stolen that night. 

The search is largely focused around the Port of Albany, where police later found the stolen car. 

Szostack's family beleives he was carrying a large amount of money, fueling their speculation that he might have been a target.

Szostack was taking classes at Hudson Valley Community College and planned to return to Plattsburgh State next semester.

-Chris Knight        

DEC FORMS NEW INVASIVE SPECIES OFFICE

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis has announced a new office within DEC to focus on one of the state’s fastest growing environmental threats.

The new Office of Invasive Species will bring together biologists and foresters to develop ways to combat the problem, and work with universities, other state agencies and non-profit organizations to support research and raise public awareness.

“Invasive species compete with, prey upon and can substantially alter the environment of our native species of plants, fish and wildlife,” Grannis said in a news release. “Even though many of them have been around for years, we have never had a coordinated system in place to attack the problem, a system that threads together the issues of public outreach, funding and legislation needs, and research.”

Earlier this year, Governor Spitzer signed a law to create the New York State Invasive Species Council, comprised of representatives of nine state agencies and an advisory committee of business leaders, scientists and conservation groups.  The current state budget included $5 million for invasive species programs. And plans call for creating an Institute of Invasive Species Research at Cornell University.

The DEC Office of Invasive Species will help bring together all these efforts.

“The establishment of this office speaks to urgency of the issue,” said Steve Sanford, a DEC biologist who will lead the new office with a staff of four. “I’m very excited that we’re taking this step.”

The new office also will aid efforts to craft an integrated map that pinpoints invasives in and near New York, create an information clearinghouse for invasives and work with the federal government.

To find more information, go to DEC’s Invasive Species page on the Web: www.dec.ny.gov

-Chris Knight

CROWN POINT BRIDGE PASSES STATE INSPECTION

Detailed inspections of New York's 49 deck truss bridges, including the Crown Point bridge over Lake Champlain, have confirmed they are safe for travel, state officials said Wednesday.

The state Bridge Task Force also released a report that says bridge inspection procedures used in New York are effective.

Following the August 1 collapse of a deck truss bridge in Minneapolis, Governor Eliot Spitzer ordered inspections of all similarly designed bridges in New York within 30 days. Visual inspections were conducted and a report was issued.

Last month, the Task Force did hands-on evaluations. No major problems were found, but inspectors did find some deficiencies — which means the bridges are in need of work but aren’t in danger of imminent collapse.

Inspectors documented those deficiencies with written “flags.” Red flags signify conditions involving key structural components requiring immediate evaluation and corrective action; yellow flags identify less critical conditions that will likely get worse unless corrected.

Twenty of the 49 bridges were flagged in the two rounds of inspections — including one red flag for the Route 9W bridge over Popolen Creek in Orange County.

Eighteen bridges received one or more yellow flags, including the Crown Point Bridge, owned by the state DOT.

The span received one yellow flag for concrete deterioration at a pier bearing.  The yellow flag means that until the problem is corrected the bridge will be inspected annually.

The bridge, which was built in 1929, received a 3.7 rating in its latest inspection.  The state rates bridges on a scale of one to seven.  A bridge rated less than a five is considered deficient, but not unsafe.

The DOT is considering major repairs or possible replacement of the Crown Point Bridge although the process of analyzing the options won’t start until at least 2012.  The cost will be split between New York and Vermont.

The last major rehabilitation work on the bridge took place in 1991.

-Chris Knight

POLICE REPORT

Tupper Lake Village Police arrested three people last night on marijuana possession charges.  The arrests occurred at 11:47 p.m. last night after State Police interviewed an individual at the local Hyde’s Nice-N-Easy convenience store and found 15 ounces of marijuana in a truck owned by 18 year-old Zachary A. Thiesen of Potsdam.  Both Thiesen and 18 year-old Maria McAdoo of Potsdam were charged with third-degree criminal possession of marijuana, a felony.  They were arraigned and remanded to the Franklin County Jail in lieu of $7500 cash bail or $15,000 bond.  18 year-old Brendan W. Narrow of Potsdam was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.  He was released to return to Tupper Lake Village Court at a later date.