News and Upcoming Local Events for the Town of Westville
GET OUT AND VOTE!
May 18, 2021 is the day to vote for your local School budget. Only a quarter of the registered
residents are currently voting on your School budget. Let your voices be heard and get out
and vote.
Malone Central School
42 Husky Lane
Malone, New York 12953
Salmon River Campus School
637 County Route 1
Fort Covington, New York 12937
AUG. 31, 2020 — With door-to-door visits by census takers now underway, the U.S. Census Bureau is informing households that they may also receive a follow-up visit to ensure everyone is counted in the 2020 Census. So far, 64.9% of all housing units have responded online, by phone or by mail, and another 17.5% have been counted by census takers and other field data collection operations. In total, over 82.4% of all housing units throughout the nation have been accounted for in the 2020 Census as of Aug. 30. The Census Bureau is working to count the remaining households—about 1 in every 5 households across the nation.
On a daily basis, the Census Bureau updates its list of households that have responded. It is possible that a locally hired census taker will still visit the address as part of the Census Bureau’s quality assurance program for the 2020 Census even if a household has already responded. The public is encouraged to cooperate with census takers as they follow up.
For example, census takers are visiting households where there may be some confusion about the address. If the community’s addresses recently changed or the household responded with an address that does not match the Census Bureau’s address list, census takers will visit to verify the address and collect a response in person. Please respond when the census taker visits. If a census taker left a notice of their visit, you can respond online or by phone using the Census ID provided on the notice. This ID links your address to your response and ensures you are counted in the right place. The Census Bureau has rigorous methods and processes to resolve any duplicate responses.
In some cases, a second census taker may visit a household to conduct a short interview. This additional interview is one of the ways we check the quality of census takers’ work.
In addition, other Census Bureau representatives continue visiting homes for ongoing surveys that are occurring at the same time as the 2020 Census, such as the American Community Survey. These ongoing surveys affect only a small number of households nationwide and provide valuable information to help community leaders plan for hospitals and schools, improve emergency services, and make informed decisions about creating jobs.
Households can still respond to the 2020 Census by going online at 2020census.gov, by phone at 844-330-2020, or by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire they received.
TOWN OF WESTVILLE
936 County Route 19
Constable, New York 12926
Resolution #14 of 2020
DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY
Whereas; The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, President Trump has declared a National Emergency, and Governor Cuomo has declared a New York State of Emergency.
Whereas; the Government of Franklin County, NY has declared a State of Emergency and the Town of Westville will continue to work together with our partners in local, state and Federal Government; and
Whereas; Salmon River Central School and Malone Central Schools both serve the Town of Westville; and
Whereas; all Town of Westville Employees, elected and volunteers shall enact emergency plans and take appropriate action to contain, respond to and recover from this emergency, to protect and provide other assistance as it may be deemed necessary to protect health, welfare and safety, without Town Board approval provided authorization is granted by the Town Supervisor or Highway Superintendent of the Town of Westville; and
Whereas; Any of the Town of Westville Local Laws, rules and regulations or resolutions maybe temporarily suspended or modified if compliance with such would prevent, hinder or delay action necessary to cope with the emergency or, if necessary to assist or aid in coping with such disaster/pandemic outbreak.
Whereas; The Town of Westville ask our citizens to be vigilant in combating COVID-19 with social distancing, increased hygiene protocol, adherence to best practices from health official and implement directives from federal, state and local officials; and
BE IT RESOLVED, as Chief Executive Office of the Town of Westville, I, Rodrigue Lauzon exercise the authority vested to me under Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, to preserve the public safety and hereby render all required and available assistance vital to the security, wellbeing, and health of the citizens of the Town of Westville. I hereby direct all departments and agencies of the Town of Westville to take whatever steps necessary to protect life, property, public infrastructure, and provide such emergency assistance as deemed necessary to protect all vital services.
SO ORDERED THIS STATE OF EMERGENCY WILL TAKE EFFECT MARCH 17, 2020 AT 6 PM.
This Declaration and ordered signed this the 17th day of March, 2020
Rod Lauzon, Westville Town Supervisor
Witnessed by Ann Brady, Westville Town Clerk
cc: Franklin County Clerk
Office of the Secretary of State
Franklin County Office of Emergency Management
New York State Office of Emergency Management
Malone Telegram
TOWN OF WESTVILLE RESIDENTS:
The Town of Westville would like to know if you are interested in housing rehabilitation assistance.
The Town recently received a HUD Community Development Block Grant award to fund Housing Rehabilitation for its residents.
The Town is currently seeking income eligible residents who are interested in the program.
To be considered for the program, the resident must meet five criteria:
1) Own their property and home.
2) Have serious home repair needs (non-cosmetic repair).
3) Be current on both mortgage (if applicable) and property/school taxes.
4) Own a stick-built home (unfortunately the funders have excluded manufactured housing from the program).
5) Have a total household income below these limits:
Household
Size
1 - 37,100
2 - 41,200
3 - 47,700
4 - 52,950
5 - 57,200
6 - 61,450
(Program exclusive to Town of Westville residents.)
Please call 518-293-5045 ext. 126, for a confidential interview about your housing needs.
ALL YOU CAN EAT
SPAGHETTI DINNER
SAT. April 14th, 2018
3:00PM TO 7:30PM
WESTVILLE FIREHOUSE
SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS
ITALIAN BREAD, SALAD BAR, AND A DESSERT BAR
ADULTS $8.50 SENIORS $7.50
CHILDREN 12 & UNDER $4.00
UNDER 5 FREE
BENEFIT WESTVILLE LADIES AUXILIARY
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The Constable/Westville/Trout River Food Pantry is in need of volunteers!!
Looking to give back a little bit of time to your community? Do you need community service hours? Are you looking to get out of your home and see people every other weekend?
The Food Pantry is in need of local volunteers to assist every other Saturday at the St. Francis of Assisi Church located on Poplar Street in Constable, New York.
Interested individuals should contact Stan/Lori Tulip (518) 483-7675.
2017 HUD GUIDELINES
HUD has established the 2017 INCOME GUIDELINES. Please click the link below to determine if you are eligible for our current HUD grant.
WESTVILLE — The towns of Westville and Chateaugay have each been awarded $500,000 in housing grants, officials in the two towns announced Monday.
The New York State Community Development Block Grants awarded through the state Office of Community Renewal’s Housing Trust Fund Corp. were awarded last week. Local officials received notification of the awards on Monday.
The money will be used to finance the rehabilitation of houses in the community and to increase the opportunity for home ownership for low-income families, the supervisors for the two towns said.
The CDBG program is funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by state agencies.
“This is wonderful news for our residents,” Chateugay Town Supervisor Don Bilow said on Monday. “We are pleased to be able to assist our citizens to improve their quality of life.”
The CDBG grants are part of the OCR’s 2016 Competitive Housing Round; the agency awarded over $15 million in grants to assist communities across the state with affordable housing.
Both town supervisors received news of the grant awards through a letter from James Rubin, chair of the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corp.
“Working collaboratively with our local partners, these investments will help to revitalize communities and improve the quality of life for the working families of New York by providing home ownership opportunities and better quality of living through home revitalization programs,” the letter from Rubin read.
Bilow and Westville Town Supervisor Rod Lauzon both thanked Friends of the North Country for their aid in writing the grant proposal for the grants.
The towns had received funding through the block grant program previously, but Lauzon noted that the total was $100,000 more than his town had received in the past.
Town of Westville Residents: The Town is considering applying for a CDBG housing rehabilitation grant. If you own your home, and your household income is less than the amount listed below (based on the number and income of all persons living in the home), and your home needs serious repairs, PLEASE CALL (518) 834-9606 Ext. 25 or toll free 1-888-355-3662 Ext. 25 BEFORE JULY 8TH, 2016 for a brief confidential interview about your housing needs to help the town’s efforts.
Household Size 1 2 3 4 5 6
Income $33,000 $37,700 $42,400 $47,100 $50,900 $54,650
(ONLY Town of Westville residents are eligible)
WESTVILLE -- Darwin V. “Pete” Fleury, 69, of Westville, New York, passed away Sunday morning, March 13, 2016, at his home, while under the loving care of his family and Hospice of the North Country Inc.
Born in Malone, New York, Jan. 28, 1947, he was the son of the late Erwin and Dorothy Brockway Fleury. He graduated from Salmon River Central School in 1965.
On June 13, 1970, he was united in marriage to the former Emily L. Thatcher in East Hartford, Connecticut. She survives.
Many years ago, he was employed by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, Connecticut. He later was employed by Calia Ford in West Hartford, Connecticut, as a general manager. After returning to the North Country, Darwin served as sales manager at Bailey Motor Co. in Malone from 1986 until his retirement in 2006. Pete was known throughout the area as the “Sharpest Pencil in Town” for his great deals. He also served as the Westville town justice from 1989 until his death.
He was a communicant of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Westville. He was a longtime member of the Malone Lodge of Elks and held several positions. He was a member of the New York State Magistrates Association. He enjoyed fishing, camping and his two dogs, Duke and Daisy. His most memorable times were spent with his grandchildren and his camping family at Ponderosa Campground.
Along with his loving wife, Emily, he is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, Dean and Angie Fleury of Westville; two daughters and a son-in-law, Melanie Fleury of Westville and Brenda and Brent Denny of Malone; one brother and two sisters-in-law, Vance and Kathy Fleury of Massena, New York, and Theresa Fleury Daigle of Westville; one sister, Jacqueline of Malone; eight grandchildren, Morgan and Ryan Shook, Dylan, Abby and Kelly Denny, Addison Fleury and Alicia and William Ives; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by three brothers, Gary, Wade and Larry Fleury.
Calling hours will be Tuesday from 6 until 9 p.m. at the Bruso-Desnoyers Funeral Home in Malone, New York. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Westville with the Rev. Thomas Kornmeyer officiating. Burial will be in St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery in Constable, New York.
Donations may be made in his memory to the Westville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department or to the Alice Ballard Fund of Hospice of the North Country Inc. in Malone, New York.
Arrangements are through the Bruso-Desnoyers Funeral Service Inc. of Malone, New York.
WESTVILLE & BOMBAY -- Coville Bay Apartments currently has two apartments open in the Town of Westville and one apartment in the Town of Bombay.
WESTVILLE— Thirteen years have passed since Marie Fleury was killed in her Westville Center home. Her killer has not been caught.
On Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. –– three days after the anniversary of her death –– Fleury’s friends and other members of the Westville community will hold their annual neighborhood watch meeting, where Franklin County District Attorney Glenn MacNeill and Senior Investigator Kirk Taylor of the New York State police will provide updates on the unsolved crime.
Despite the passage of time, Fleury’s unsolved murder still generates conversation –– and concern –– in the community.
“It was a dark day in Westville, the day that Marie Fleury was killed,” Supervisor Rod J. Lauzon said.
Fleury was killed at her residence located next to the Elm Circle Diner on the night of Oct. 17, 2002. She was 64 years old and had been a former nurse.
Each year since, law enforcement officers investigating the case have come to the annual meeting to update residents on its status. Usually, there is nothing to report, but everyone involved keeps hoping something new will develop.
“It is an interesting meeting,” Lauzon said. “One lead may put the icing on the cake and help put (the killer) behind bars.”
Seventy individual invitations have been sent out, and the meeting is open to anyone in the community. In the past, attendance has remained relative constant at around 40, Lauzon said.
A $16,000 reward is being offered to any individual that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Fleury’s death.
While the status of the murder investigation tops the meeting’s agenda, community leaders use it as an opportunity to alert residents to more current problems. In past years, law enforcement officers have talked about drug problems in the area and this year, Malone Chief of Police Chris Premo and Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill will address issues involving K-2, the synthetic marijuana that is a growing problem statewide, and any other questions residents may have.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING
A Neighborhood Watch Meeting will be held on October 20, 2015 at 7:00 P.M. at the Westville Town Hall, located at 936 County Route 19, Westville NY.
October 17th 2015 marks the 13th anniversary of the death of Marie Fleury. Once again, in her memory, the Town will hold its annual Neighborhood Watch Meeting. Franklin County District Attorney Glenn McNeil and Senior Investigator Kirk Taylor of the New York State Police will provide an update on this unsolved crime.
Malone Chief of Police Chris Premo and Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mullverhill will address the issue of K-2, the new synthetic marijuana.
Please attend and support our law officers and show our appreciation for all the hard work they do.
Light refreshments will be served.
Rod Lauzon
Westville Town Supervisor
The Summer Lunch Program is back and in full swing!! Make sure you take advantage of the free lunches for your children.
WESTVILLE— The state Department of Transportation plans to make several improvements to a stretch of state Route 37 that local officials say is dangerous, but the change town officials wanted to see –– the flattening of a small hill –– won’t be among them.
Westville officials had submitted a letter to the DOT asking that a hill on Route 37 in the vicinity of Bruso Road be removed. Supervisor Rod Lauzon said that this was a dangerous area where many accidents had occurred, including the 2012 crash that claimed the life of retired New York State Police Investigator Anthony Bailey.
The hill is not tall enough to create a line-of-sight problem, but the sudden up-and-down could catch drivers unaware and lead to a loss of control. Lauzon said that if the hill was removed, that stretch of road would be safer.
The DOT examined the area and recommended several improvements, but declined to remove the hill.
Regional Traffic Engineer Michael Graham said in a letter to the town that it would be necessary to advance a capital construction project in order to remove the hill, and “there are other regional needs that have a higher priority to this project.”
DOT Region 7 spokesman Michael R. Flick noted that a traffic engineering investigation that included a field review as well as a review of the latest three years accident information was conducted in the area.
“As a result of the investigation, it was concluded that driveway warning signs in the area of a local deli and fuel supplier would be appropriate,” Flick said. The signs would provide for increased driver awareness to the possibility of slow moving vehicles making turns at these driveways, he said.
In addition, Flick said that the DOT will be establishing a no passing zone in the deli/fuel service area to deal with possible slow-moving vehicles and or turning vehicles in this location.
WESTVILLE — The north country communities that tried to create a regional municipal power company have received refunds of some of the money they used in trying to bring the project to fruition.
The dissolution of the Alliance for Municipal Power has resulted in the communities being refunded a total of $76,131.
“We never made it,” Westville Supervisor Rod Lauzon said Monday after he distributed a breakdown of the refunds to members of his Town Board. Westville was one of four Franklin County municipalities that joined with 20 St. Lawrence County communities in an effort to bring low-cost electricity to the residents of each participating town and village.
The Alliance for Municipal Power was formed in 1996 to create a municipal electric company along the lines of the Massena Electric Department, which was established by the village in 1981. The MED boasts that it has among the highest reliability rates in the nation and its charges are in the lowest 10 percent nationally.
In 2010, then-Gov. David Paterson signed a law creating the North Country Power Authority, the public utility that would have operated the regional electric company. But since that time, little was done to advance the project and the NCPA essentially went dormant in 2012 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo failed to appoint enough members to the organization’s board to form a quorum.
“None of it came together and it was like a golden egg that never hatched,” said Moira Supervisor Cindy Gale, who with Russell Town Supervisor Robert Best was among the leading proponents of the AMP.
The bankruptcy of the Howrey law firm, which had been retained to help launch the power authority, also was a key element in the NCPA’s demise, Best said Monday.
The law firm, which had offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City, dissolved amid financial woes in March of 2011 after submitting a bill for its services for $3.2 million to the AMP, Best said. The alliance refused to pay because the law firm failed to provide a detailed bill of the charges, he said.
Had the towns been forced to pay the bill, they would have been bankrupted themselves, Best said.
The remaining AMP funds were distributed to the member communities based on their respective populations, Lauzon said. The dissolution resulted in a refund of $1,972.56 for Westville, whose 1,823 residents represent 2.59 percent of the total population that would have been served by the electric company, according to the information distributed to the Town Board Monday night.
Other Franklin County towns receiving refunds are Bombay - $1,289.79; Fort Covington - $1,779.96; and Moira - $3,091.40. Best’s town of Russell received $1,948.76.
Lauzon, Gale and Best all said they were saddened that the efforts of nearly two decades failed to create a way for residents of their communities to save on their electric bills.
“A lot of people put a lot of good effort into this,” Lauzon said. “It is unfortunate that this had to happen.”
Gale said she felt particularly sorry for Best, who had been the driving force behind the project and put many years into trying to make a reality. But Best said he has put the effort behind him.
“It was long enough (ago) that it feels like ancient history to me,” he said.