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THROUGH THE WOODS: The blue bicycle
ST. PATRICK’S DAY is a great time to celebrate, and for me, it is a double celebration because it is also my birthday. I have a drop of Scottish Duncan blood, but my Irish friends let me be Irish and wear some green for the day. There have been many special birthdays, but my ninth birthday was a particularly memorable one because I had been begging my parents for a bicycle. Anticipation and excitement over anything like this are intense at this age. March 17 dawned and the view out the window was shocking. During the night there was a blizzard and five-foot-deep drifts of powdery snow lay behind the house.
Our family home was created from two houses, the original one and another moved and adjoined to it. The resulting house had a large L-shaped porch which was a great roller skating rink. This was fortunate because that day’s gift was my first bicycle. It was so beautiful and who cared if it was secondhand from who knew where, it was found by my father for me. It was shiny and newly painted a favorite shade of blue by my mother, and I loved it. It was one speed with those back-pedaling brakes and had fat balloon tires.
It was a jumping up and down exciting time, and there was no waiting to try it out. The porch was lightly drifting with snow but I got the bike out there and sat on it dreaming of the freedom and status it represented. Wheels are important, from tricycles to roller skates to bikes to cars. Straddling the bike we rolled back and forth to the limits of the porch and learned about brakes, and balance until it was too cold to stay out any longer. (more…)
Canaan launches 2024 with new appointments
By PETER FLIERL
CANAAN – Supervisor Brenda Adams and the Canaan Town Board launched 2024 with a perfunctory moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance followed by approval of minutes for meetings on December 6, December 11, and December 26. The Columbia Paper was named the Paper of Record for the Town of Canaan in 2024.
The year kicked off with 49 resolutions taken five at a time to organize town government for the coming year, from a variety of appointments and human resource policies to tax reductions for qualified veterans, elderly, and disabled residents. The board passed unanimously an increase in payments for use of town charging stations to $4.25 per hour, which reportedly is $0.35 per hour less than neighboring charging stations. The impetus for the change was residents leaving their vehicles for extended periods.
The board unanimously passed a resolution calling for the creation of a new position at Town Hall, namely, a Confidential Assistant to Town Supervisor, a support needed, welcomed, and appreciated by Supervisor Adams. The board next unanimously passed a resolution naming Christine Wemple, a current Highway Department employee, to the position of Confidential Assistant to Town Supervisor.
David Patzwahl led a discussion about the transfer station, affectionately known as the dump by frequent users, reporting on growing use and abuse by non-residents. Volume was up 14 tons in December 2023 versus December 2022 with a total of 585 tons at $85 per town. Persons without stickers were mentioned and vehicles with seemingly large loads are a concern. Remedial measures were discussed with some tightening up anticipated.
The board approved use of ARPA funding to purchase generators for both Town Hall and the Town Garage from B & D Electric. Finally, the naming of Vandenberg Road or Vanderburgh Road is being considered and responses are coming in. Residents are encouraged to get in their two cents soon, no later than late March or early April.
