& Albany County Post - The Altamont Enterprise

The Altamont Enterprise – Thursday, May 17, 2012 13The Enterprise — Zach SimeoneLiving Larghe: Gerald Larghe, right, who won a seat on the school board Tuesday, chats with AnnaLefkaditis, left, wife of school board member Vasilios Lefkaditis. Lisa Larghe, the candidate’s wife,smiles at center. They sit among a crowd of roughly 30 at the Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School auditorium,before hearing that the district’s proposed $20 million budget has passed, for the first timesince 2009....BKW approves a budget at last(Continued from page 1)decided that she would not runfor re-election this year, after onethree-year term on the schoolboard. She cited reasons relatedto her family.On Tuesday, the district choseLarghe, a retiring colonel fromthe United States Marines Reserves,as its next school boardmember.Larghe garnered 443 votes,or 51 percent, just barely edgingout his opponent, lifelongWesterlo resident MatthewTedeschi, a partner at an insuranceagency, who got 431 votes,or 49 percent.“I think people were just lookingfor something different,” saidLarghe, who won on Tuesday inhis third consecutive attempt toget on the school board. Larghethinks his campaign efforts madea difference as well. He had notpreviously put up election signs,nor handed out fliers to voters,as he did this year.“I did a little more, and I hada lot of help from my family andfriends,” he said. “I’m a bit moreof a known commodity now thanI was.” A paperwork error preventedhim from getting on theballot last year, forcing him torun as a write-in candidate.Larghe, 51, moved to Berneabout five years ago. He ran on aplatform of using his experiencewith budgeting and long-termplanning for the military, and theperspective gained through havingseen his daughter go to schoolin Texas, Hawaii, and overseasin England, to ensure that BKWstudents get the programs theyneed to move on to college.Tedeschi, 39, graduated fromBKW, and has since become apartner at Jaeger & Flynn Associates,an insurance agency inClifton Park. His two daughtersgo to school in the district, andhis wife, Maria, is a typist atthe district. His family has attendedand worked at BKW forgenerations.With his expertise in employeebenefits — one of the biggestcosts to school districts — andhis involvement in the community,Tedeschi thought that hewould be an asset on the schoolboard.Voters also approved the district’sproposal to purchase threenew large buses, at a total cost of$330,000, with 543 people votingin favor, and 351 opposed.The planThe approved 1.95-percenttax-levy increase for next yearbrings the levy up to $10.9 millionfor 2012-13. The district isexpecting $8,008,052 in stateaid.Callagy’s three-year outlookon BKW’s budget projected a$21.4 million budget for 2013-14.A 2-percent increase in the taxlevy would mean $11.1 millionin total property taxes, andCallagy projects $8.1 million instate aid.Then, for the 2014-15 schoolyear, Callagy projects a budgetof $21.6 million. A 2-percentincrease in the tax levy wouldmean $11.3 million in total propertytaxes, and he projects $8.2million in state aid.The 2012-13 budget will eliminatea full-time English teacher,reduce a French teacher’s hours,change the title for a custodialposition, and adding more hoursfor the school psychologist, hiredthrough the Board of CooperativeEducational Services. These staffchanges will mean a net savingsof $87,145.BKW has been searching forsavings by working with BOCES’Municipal Benefits Coalition,a consortium of districts thatBKW joined last spring, anduses BOCES as its insurancemanager.At a school board meeting earlierthis spring, Callagy reportedthat the district could save upto 20 percent — $240,000 out of$1.2 million — in prescriptiondrugcosts by switching providersthrough the trust.BKW recently learned of itseligibility for school district performanceimprovement grantsfrom the state, which could bringin as much as $200,000 a year,for the next three years. The NewYork State Department of Educationplans to award $75 million toschools over three years throughthis new program.Dorward said Tuesday that heexpects an update from the statelater this month, or in early June,as to whether or not the districtwill be receiving these grants.“I’m very satisfied it wentthrough,” Dorward said afterhearing the results of the budgetvote Tuesday night. “We workedvery hard to try and craft abudget that was sensitive tomaintaining a quality educationalprogram, while also beingsensitive to the issues facing thecommunity. I’m very appreciativeof the vote.”National Grid says, call before you digAs spring weather brings moreoutdoor work, National Gridstresses: Call before you dig. NationalGrid reminds customersthat a phone call to Dig SafelyNew York, Inc., (by dialing 811)can prevent serious personalinjury; property damage; andservice interruptions caused byaccidentally digging into electric,gas, telephone, water, sewer orcable facilities.In 2010 in upstate New York,there were about 380 naturalgas or electrical system incidentscaused by dig-ins, according toa release from National Grid.These events can cause outages,natural gas leaks, and otheremergencies that can be preventedby taking a few precautionsbefore digging. National Griddelivers electricity to approximately3.3 million customers inMassachusetts, New Hampshire,New York, and Rhode Island.Dig Safely New York servesas a single point of contact tonotify National Grid and otherparticipating utilities of planneddigging, drilling, or blasting. Theutilities will clearly mark theirburied facilities prior to the startof excavation to ensure customersafety and to prevent damage.State law requires contactingDig Safely New York at least twofull working days, but no morethan 10 working days, prior toexcavation. The service is providedfree of charge.National Grid also offers theseprecautions about undergroundenergy services:— Never permit anyone to dignear your underground energysources, which usually run ina straight line from the transformeror connection box to themeter;— Do not plant trees, bushes,or shrubs near a transformerdoor or near a natural gas line;and— Never allow children toplay or dig anywhere near undergroundelectric or naturalgas lines.In upstate New York, NationalGrid has joined with other organizationsand utility companies,municipal governments, andcontractors in signing “The 811Promise,” a written pledge thatcommits to safety procedureswith Dig Safely New York, aregional effort to raise awarenessfor safety around diggingprojects.www.AltamontGeneralDentistry.comFYDIFor Your Dental InformationFLOSS IS YOUR FRIENDIt has been proven that a properly angledtoothbrush used with short scrubbingmotions can effectively remove bacterialplaque (a sticky film that can cover theteeth) from most of the tooth surfaces.However, flossing is needed to clean those“between the teeth” surfaces and gumline areas where the toothbrush bristlesdon’t reach. Quite often, tooth decayand gum disease start in these “hard toreach” areas, and therefore proper flossingshould be part of your daily oral homecare routineSome practice is needed to becomeadept at flossing, so don’t feel discouragedif you find it difficult at first. Once youbecome used to the technique that’scomfortable for you, full mouth flossingwill become easy. In the beginning, youmay find that your gums become sore andmay bleed easily. This is normal, and thesituation will soon improve as the flossingcleans out the plaque and starts to resolvethe gum inflammation.COMPUTER FARENew SALE & Refurbished$ 100 OffNEW LAPTOPSUsed LCD Monitorsfrom $39.00GUILDERLAND COMPUTER FARECarman Plaza, Rt. 146Ph: 356-4400GREENBUSH COMPUTER FARE1590 Columbia TurnpikePh: 479-0948 Closed SundayWeekly CrosswordReady, Set . . . Go ! By Ed CantyAcross1. Priests’ vestments5. No-no in pin ball9. Eagle’s claw14. Texas city16. Squirrel’s treat17. “The dog ate myhomework”, e.g.19. Have20. Lt. maker21. Balloon filler22. Swelling24. Yelled29. Clearasil target30. Statutes31. ET’s craft32. “I don’t give ____”35. Prefix with phone or byte36. French friends37. Honor roll studentsmay do this40. “__ the night before ...”41. Drops off42. Diamond corners43. Canal site44. Move, in realty jargon45. ___ Tin Tin46. Sticker48. Marble51. Turn left52. Cinco de Mayo, e.g.53. ‘The Raven’ poet’smonogram55. Close the store, e.g.61. Main line62. Keystone and others63. Pumps and clogs64. Campus figure65. Aide: Abbr.Down1. 60’s hairdo2. “Camelot” composer3. Kleenex or Xerox, e.g.4. Part of P.S.T.: Abbr.5. Tabby’s mate6. Nest eggs, for shortsrr7. Bygone Ford8. ___ Hague9. Prepares for takeoff10. Capital of Ghana11. Bud’s bud12. Hosp. areas13. Austin-to-Dallas dir.15. Devils Tower’s locale18. Swab target23. Pound and Stone24. Husky, e.g.25. Pens26. Childhood disease27. Submit taxes paperlessly28. Doctors’ orders32. “Take ___ back”33. Big name in Scotch34. Video game name35. Bucks36. Appliance brand38. Boxer’s sequence39. First lady Adams44. Lariats45. Upped the bet47. Sky-diving needAdam A. Edwards,D.D.S.It is important to be gentle wheninserting the floss between adjacentteeth and under the gum line, and to bethorough with your flossing technique. Ifyou have any questions or need any helpin developing a flossing habit that willwork for you, please consult with yourdentist or dental hygienist. A good homecare routine should be a regular part ofyour day, as proper oral hygiene is crucialin the fight against tooth decay and gumdisease.For more interesting reading andinformation about a variety of dentaltopics, please visit our website, www.altamontgeneraldentistry.com.Presented As A PublicService By The Offices of:STUART F. FASS, D.D.S.andADAM A. EDWARDS, D.D.S.103 Main St., Altamont.Phone: 861-5136Your Laptop Repair Experts & & & & Quotable QuoteI don’t know ifthe presidentialcandidatesare runningfor the WhiteHouse orAnimal House.• • • Bob HopeBy GFR Associates • • • Visit our web site at www.gfrpuzzles.com49. SAT takers, usually50. Relieves52. Hornswoggle54. “Hey ... over here!”55. Beetle juice?56. La-la preceder57. Acapulco gold58. Onetime util.overseer59. Life story, in brief60. Actress Long