4/18/2008

Please call the Village Building Inspector at 434-2922 if you are planning any construction, pool, and roof or shed installation, etc. Be advised it takes approximately one week from receiving an application to the issuance of a building permit

Bethany Presbyterian Church is holding its annual rummage sale on Saturday, May 3, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The REACH youth will be selling baked goods. A light luncheon will be served. Persons interested in donating items for the sale should call the church at 463-8217 or Paula Murphy at 465-6361 to arrange a time to drop off the donated items.

Menands’ New York State Assemblyman Bob Reilly will be at the Menands Public Library on Saturday, April 26, 2008 from 10 a.m. to noon. Assemblyman Reilly wants to meet with the citizens of Menands so he can better serve our community.

The Beautification Committee has scheduled the annual Earth Day Spring Clean Up for Sunday, April 27^th . Everyone wishing to help out is asked to meet at the Ganser-Smith Park baseball field at 12 noon. Be sure to bring appropriate clothing and gloves. Refreshments will be served after for everyone that participated. For more information, call Tim Lane at 465-8807.

The Menands School PTA’s annual Spaghetti Dinner will be held on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Menands School. Cost for adults is $6, seniors $5, children (3-13) $3 and children under 3 are free. Take-out available. Please come support our students and socialize with those neighbors you haven’t seen all winter!

From time to time, we learn of some significant updates on one of the businesses that we have featured each month in this column. This month, we are pleased to share with you some information about some events coming up over the next several months at Saint Agnes SnCemetery.

The Cemetery is initiating its First Annual Photo Contest wherein amateur and professional photographers will be invited to take photographs of the sculptures, art work, nature and views within Saint Agnes SnCemetery. The program will run from Memorial Day through Labor Day and will feature a prize structure for adults and students under 18.

The Cemetery is also hosting the Audubon International Bird Count on May 3^rd . All amateur and professional bird watchers and any interested parties are invited to participate in this exciting event. There will be a morning session from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and an evening session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Coffee and donuts will be provided. Bring your binoculars if you can.

In addition, the Cemetery is offering historic walking tours of the grounds every Thursday from June through August beginning at 11 a.m. The tours last 1 and ½ hours. There will also be monthly trolley tours beginning on June 26 for those who prefer not to walk. The trolley tours begin at 11 a.m. and will run each month until Oct 23^rd.

For further information on any of these special events, please call the Cemetery Office of Development at 463-0134, extension 110. Molly Nicol is the contact person. Molly can also be reached at molly.nicol@rcda.org.

Tuesdays at 10 a.m. until May 20^th , stop by for stories, songs and crafts. Some weeks there may be a special snack. Children ages six months to five years and their caregivers are welcome. All movies start at 1 p.m.

Safe boating and legal practices are taught in this course introducing boating to all. Students completing course earn a NYS Boater safety certificate. Ages 14 and above are required to complete this 8 hour instructor administered course and exam. This is for personal watercraft. Open to all with photo ID. Course fee is $30. Adults pay a mandatory fee of $10 to NameNYS Parks and Recreation. Proceeds benefit Menands Rotary for their scholarship fund. Course is taught at Menands Fire Hall (above firehouse) Saturday May 3^rd 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Boy Scouts will provide a light lunch for $5. To pre-register (no walk ins), contact Peter Mason 449-8711.

If you are a resident of the Menands Union PlaceNameFree School District and have a child who will be 5 years old on or before December 1, 2008, please call the Menands School at 465-4561 to register for the upcoming school year. You will be sent a registration packet in the mail.

On Sunday, May 4^th we will be eating at the Glen eSanders Mansion and hearing stories by professional story teller, Joseph Bruchrac. Transformational tales “Changes and Changers. Meal choices are: London Broil, Chicken with Raspberry sauce or Vegetable Stir Fry. Cost $27. Bus leaves Bethany Presbyterian Church at 3:15 p.m. SHARP. Call Susan at 472-9022 or Gert at 462-1860.

Each year the Rotary offers a scholarship to a high school senior and resident of the Village of Menands, who is going on to college. Criteria for the award are: PT jobs/extracurricular activities; services to others; need for scholarship; plans for use of scholarship and academic achievement. This year the prize is $500.

Applications may be picked up and returned to the Village office by May 1^st . Certain application information must be certified by a high school official. Finalists will be contacted and interviewed by the Rotary Scholarship Committee.

A public hearing on the proposed 2008-2009 Budget for the Menands UFSD and the Menands Public Library will be held at the Menands School on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. Budgets will be available for review on May 6, 2008 at the Menands School Central Office.

Personal Registration will be on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the main lobby of the Menands School. District residents registered with the County Board of Elections and who have voted once in the last four years need not register on May 14, 2008.

The annual meeting of the qualified voters of the Menands Union Free School District, Village of Menands, will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the Menands School, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting machine on the following items: to adopt the annual budget of the Menands UFSD, to elect one Board of Education member to a 5-year term, to adopt the annual budget of the Menands Public Library, and to elect one Library Board of Trustees member to a 5-year term.

Applications for absentee ballots are available between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday from the District Clerk. Completed Applications for absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk at least 7 days prior to the vote if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2008.