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News & Views February 2009 www.ckmcca.org

Clifton Knolls and Mill Creek Civic Association

Are & Bringing You Down?

Then Come Pick Yourself Up with an Evening of Live Entertainment & Friendly Chatting at the

2009 ADULT WINE & CHEESE PARTY Sponsored by your Clifton Knolls Mill Creek Civic Association

(In addition to Wine and Cheese, includes Beer, Soda and Light Snacks)

Live Music by Tom Harding! Dancing! 50/50 Raffle!

Saturday, February 28, 2009 7:00-11:00 p.m.

Locust Lane Club House

The following charges will be taken at the door to help cover the cost of refreshments:

$7.00 per person for CKMCCA Members (Those who have paid their ’08-’09 dues.) $10.00 per person for Non-Member Residents

(If you haven’t paid your 2009 dues yet, you can do so at the party.)

R.S.V.P. Keri Horton at lkachort@nycap.rr.com or 383-1325 and please confirm how many will attend.

Community Corner Announcements and Events Organized by Members of Our Neighborhood

Ed Wagner has a few copies of his latest novel that he will donate (give them free) to anyone who is interested in learning more about Neanderthals and how they lived and survived. The novel titled -- "NEANDERTHAL—Truly Human" is based on half a dozen new and startling discoveries about Neanderthals but written as a fast paced, action filled, family oriented saga. Please contact Ed at 371-1069. In addition to the "Silent War" talk that Ray Misiewicz is currently doing at local librar-ies, he has a new talk for 2009 called the "Jennifer Project". In 1968 the Soviet ballis-tic missile submarine K-129 mysteriously exploded and sank to the bottom of the Pa-cific northwest of Hawaii. It was located by the USS Halibut (SSN-587), an American nuclear submarine modified to conduct special operations. With cold war secrecy and speed, US military intelligence raced to find a way to recover the submarine three miles below the ocean’s surface. This is the story of “Project Jennifer” which brought together top military personnel, the CIA and Howard Hughes in one of the most remarkable epi-sodes of high-tech intelligence gathering during the cold war. He will be doing this talk at Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake Library on Thursday, February 19th at 7:00 pm. He'll also do this talk at the Military Museum in Saratoga Springs and at the Colonie Library in March & April with dates to be established. If you like the talks let your friends and organizations know. And if you'd like a talk presented to a group you represent, let Ray know, there's no charge (though he does need to use your computer w/PowerPoint and your digital projector). Please contact Ray at wicz2004@yahoo.com. Attention parents with boys in Grades 1 to 5—Pack 45 is based in Clifton Knolls and is always interested in welcoming new scouts into our Pack. If interested please contact Brian Bateman, cubmas-ter, at 371-0561 or e-mail b_bateman@hotmail.com or Phil Di-Maria, committee chair, at 383-4026 or e-mail Pdimaria@nycap.rr.com if inter-ested in joining our Pack. A few individuals have asked where they can get low voltage light switches to replace the originals in Hanover colo-nials. You can get these switches at Malta Supply on Fire Road in Clifton Park. The switch is a little different but it works. You can also order a rocker

type switch for this use also. 2

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Happy Housing! By Genie Bassett

When Bob and I make an appointment with a homeowner in the Knolls or Mill Creek to help them in marketing their house, we usu-ally discuss with them the other properties they may be competing against.

It is usually the homes in the newer develop-ments that boast of the features that you’d expect to find in modern construction. While we can’t easily create 12-foot ceilings in our family rooms in a Knolls home, there are steps to take to mod-ernize our homes and make them more competi-tive. And even if you have no intention of selling, it might be worthwhile to give your home a facelift.

First, consider the advantages that homes in our neighborhood have. There aren’t too many developments that can offer the lovely large and treed lots that we sometimes take for granted. But you can bet that prospective buyers will be impressed as long as we take the steps to make the most of our proper-ties.

I’ve written many times in this column about the need to maximize the curb appeal and the steps that can be taken – update shrubs and landscaping, keep the driveway, walks and front steps in good condition. Trim those bushes! If need be, remove them and plant new ones. Please don’t let them become overgrown and cover your windows.

Our homes also offer ample square footage inside the house which might cost tens of thousands of dollars to duplicate in a newer construction. So consider how to make the

best of this extra space. The simplest thing I often recommend is to clear out extra furni-ture and clutter that can get in the way of enjoying our homes.

It may be simple, but it can be challenging when it comes time to decide what to keep and what to donate to your favorite not-for-profit charity. And go into the basement and the garage and all of your closets including the coat and linen closets and consider what treasures you can do without and what you might do with all the extra room you can re-

capture.

But if you watch any of the shows on HGTV that talk about staging, you know this is the first thing the experts rec-ommend.

Next, take a look at hard-wood floors that most of our houses have. This is a feature that would add a

tremendous amount of money to the cost of construction, and this is a very valued fea-ture of all homes. We need to make the most of it – uncover it if it is hidden under wall-to-wall carpet.

You may have to have the floors refinished. The new polyurethane finishes they now use on hardwood bring out its beauty and actu-ally make it more durable. It can cost several thousand dollars to have the wood floors re-finished throughout the house. But it can make a stunning difference. And remember what we say so often: It is better to make the change or improvement now so you can enjoy the upgrade. Without getting into the expenditure of sev-eral thousand dollars that a bathroom or kitchen upgrade can represent, there are

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many things that you can do for a few hun-dred that can make quite a difference.

If you still have the old Luan doors that Van Patten put into his homes, consider upgrad-ing them with the white masonite six panel doors that are very economical at the build-ing supply store. And while you are at this job, replace the hinges and door knobs. You’ll be amazed by what a big difference this can make. You might consider using lever door knobs.

Chuck and I recently repainted our living room, dining room and 1st floor half-bath in our Stans colonial, and we were delighted with the new modern colors that are now in fashion. The change was dramatic. New tow-els and rugs added some accent colors to the bath.

And here is a decorating idea that comes from HGTV and it won’t cost you a dime. Pull down all of your decorative items such as art work, lamps and the like. And then decide anew where and how you are going to use them. Maybe that water color painting that

was displayed in the living room would brighten up your dining room? You get the idea.

Finally, we emphasize when we list a Knolls or Mill Creek home that we have one of the best locations in all of Clifton Park. Remem-ber the old real estate adage: Location! Lo-cation! Location!

So whether you are preparing your home for sale or you just want to make it more enjoy-able, keep in mind all the great features our homes have and consider how you can make the most of them.

Happy Housing!

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The View from Here By: Ray Misiewicz

wicz2004@yahoo.com

I hope everyone has recovered from the De-cember ice storm and January freeze. This year we have a true northeast winter on our hands. I thought the Town and National Grid did a reasonable job recovering from the ice storm. My only suggestion for the Town emergency planners would be to institute some personal contact in addition to reverse 911 messages. Use the fire departments to do some door to door checking of needs, es-pecially in those houses that lost their incom-ing service lines. Don’t be afraid to ask neighbors for some help if you need it!

For those of you with annual basement water problems, make sure your sump pumps are primed and ready. 2008 was the second wet-test year on record at the Albany weather service going back over 100 years. That fol-lowed 2006 and 2007 which were not far be-hind. The water table remains high and the spring melts and rains will make that situa-tion even worse.

Do you remember how long it took to get the power poles moved to enable completion of the Moe Road project a few years ago? The contractor sued the Town over the delay for their resultant additional costs. That suit was settled out of court by the Town for $375,000. The Town has now in turn sued its engineering firm for $500,000. The Town sites negligence in the firm’s efforts to secure agreements from the utility companies prior to contracting for the work and failure to ne-gotiate a termination for convenience with the contractor when it was clear that delays could not be avoided.

I noticed that Saratoga County intends to re-surface Grooms Road this year from Miller Road east to Route 9. Wouldn’t it be nice if they actually improved it at the same time? Wider shoulders and a left turn lane at Lapp Road would really be a plus. What do you think?

The Waite Road “senior housing” develop-

ment near the intersection with Route 146 includes 70 apartments in a three story build-ing. The town board supports that plan and has even requested state approval for a pay-ment in lieu of taxes project. That usually means the developer gets a long term prop-erty tax break in return for a lump sum up front payment. Waite Road residents are up-set about having such a large structure in that once rural farm country. The planning board chairman was quoted in the paper as saying that the commerce zoning of that area enables the construction of those large build-ings and that we should expect more like it in the future along western Route 146 since Town water became available there. It sounds like the Town is encouraging a dra-matic change to the look and feel of Route 146 west of Vischer Ferry Road. I hope that doesn’t result in a line of multistory buildings along that section of road!

Clifton Park and Halfmoon paid a consultant to develop a plan for relief of traffic conges-tion and provisions for better access to the shopping areas along Route 146 at its inter-sections with Clifton Country Road, Northway Exit 9 and Route 9. I went to the public plan-ning meetings with the consultant. Take a look at the consultant’s plan with an open mind since it recommends the use of some roundabouts in those areas. If we continue to develop the western Route 146 corridor, how is that traffic load going to be accommodated through the exit 9 area?

If you like to trail hike up a mountainside and be rewarded with a spectacular view, you don’t have to travel to the high peaks region of the Adirondacks. I’d recommend a day trip to Moreau Lake State Park just off exit 17 of the Northway. When New York State bought the property north to the Hudson River and added it to the existing park, an extensive trail system on the Palmerton Range was de-veloped. If you hike from the lake parking area to the plateau at the summit and look northward, you’ll see the Hudson River Sherman Island dam at Spier Falls 800 feet below you and the Village of Corinth further north. If you look eastward on a clear day,

you can see the peaks in Vermont at Killing-ton and Pico.

I’d suggest you stop at the Park Office on the way in and purchase the color trail map. The quickest but steepest way up from the park-ing area near the lake is the Moreau Over-look and Ridge Run trail taking you directly to the overlooks into the Hudson River gorge. If you’d prefer a longer but gentler climb, you can follow the Western Ridge trail to the same points. You can do the whole trip in half a day. Backpack your lunch to the top or sit lakeside at a picnic table. There are over 20 miles of trails to various points of in-terest. Moreau Park is open all year and is also an excellent snow shoeing and cross country ski destination.

As you may know, I have been giving talks on nuclear submarines at many venues throughout the capital district. They are sto-ries about our boats and the men who served aboard them. I don’t charge a fee. If you’re involved with an organization that might want such a presentation, contact me and I’ll send you a synopsis of the seven talks that are available. They range from his-torical events like the first surface at the North Pole or the first submerged circum-navigation of the globe to tragedies like the loss of the USS Thresher and USS Scorpion. Take a trip aboard a nuclear submarine with me or listen to some of the missions these boats carried out during the cold war.

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These opinions are those of the author, and not nec-essarily the opinions of the Clifton Knolls/Mill Creek Civic Association.

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2008-2009 CKMCCA MEMBERSHIP DUES JOIN THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION TODAY!

We sponsor a number of exciting events throughout the year and need your support. An up-dated Clifton Knolls/Mill Creek Directory will be published in early 2009 and delivered to all dues paying members of the Association. Your dues also support the publication and delivery of the News & Views. So fill out the coupon below and send it in with your check for $18.00. If you are away over the winter, let us know and we will hold your directory and deliver it to you when you return. Also, we’d like to have your e-mail address so we can send you notice of events and meetings without the need for additional paid mailings.

2008-2009 DUES $18.00 October 1, 2008 – September 30, 2009

Send Dues ($18.00) to:

Clifton Knolls/Mill Creek Civic Association, PO Box 2, Clifton Park, NY 12065

Name:

Address:

Phone: Move in Date:

E-Mail Address:

Optional: indicate names and birth dates of your children for the directory, or if you have chil-dren that would be willing to babysit and/or pet sit: Please check any of the following that you’d be interested in participating in: ___ Adult Wine & Cheese Party ___ Annual Meeting Speaker ___ Become Board Member ___ Children’s Halloween Party ___ Entrance Marker Upkeep ___ Garage Sale ___ Obtain Directory Advertising ___ Obtain Directory Updates ___ Obtain News & Views Advertising ___ Scholarship Coordination ___ Web Site Development Comments:

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 7

CKMCAA 2008/2009 ADVERTISING NEWSLETTER and/or DIRECTORY

PAYMENT MUST BE MAILED WITH THE AD COPY!

“News & Views” Newsletter: The five issues of the newsletter are sent to every household (~900 homes) in Clifton Knolls and Mill Creek five times per season (February, April, June, October, December). Rates: 1/8 page (business card) $20 per issue 1/4 page $30 per issue 1/2 page $50 per issue Full page $100 per issue Please circle the ad size you want and check the boxes below for the issues you want your ad to appear. Apr ‘09__ Jun ‘09__ Oct ‘09__ Dec ‘09__ Feb ‘10__

CKMCCA Directory: The CKMCCA Directory includes names and addresses of everyone in Clifton Knolls and Mill Creek, as well as a street map with numbered housing locations. It is issued once annually (usually in March) and is sent to all dues paying members of the Civic Association. Rates: 1/8 page (business card) $95 1/4 page $165 Full page $225 Please circle the ad size you want.

Instructions: Please include a copy of your ad submitted as “camera ready” and if possible in black and white print. For business card ads, please include a copy of your card. Send this form to: Clifton Knolls/Mill Creek Civic Association P.O. Box 2 Clifton Park, NY 12065

PAYMENT MUST BE MAILED WITH THE AD COPY!

Provide us your contact information: Name:

Address:

Phone:

E-Mail:

Signature:

Date:

See your ad at www.ckmcca.org by calling up the archived issues of the News & Views!

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The 2008-2009 Directory

will go to press in March—

last chance to advertise in

it!

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CKMCCA News

MEETING SCHEDULE CKMCCA regular board meetings are held in the Locust Lane Clubhouse on the second Wednes-day of the month, from September through June. Meetings start at 7:30 pm, and typically run 60-90 minutes, depending on the number of items on the agenda. All are welcome to come and participate, be it to suggest something that would enhance our neighborhood, volunteer to help in one of our existing events, or to raise an issue or two. The remaining schedule for the 2008-2009 membership year is as follows: March 11 May 13 (location TBA) April 8 (Annual Meeting) June 10 (location TBA)

CKMCCA DIRECTORY UPDATES The 2008-2009 CKMCCA Directory is currently being updated. By now we have contacted eve-ryone, and are formatting the directory for print. Attention potential advertisers—the directory will go to press in a week or so, for delivery in March. If you wish to advertise in the directory, please contact us immediately, using the e-mails on page 10 of this issue.

E-MAIL NEWSLIST The News & Views gets published five times a year. Often times, there are things that arise be-tween publication dates, and more and more, e-mail is the best way to get quick messages out. The Civic Association has an e-mail distribution list of about 300, but most of those are from individuals who have paid their Civic Association Dues. As paying dues is optional—but highly encouraged!—we don’t get e-mail addresses from most of the approximately 900 homes in Clifton Knolls and Mill Creek.

This past month we used the e-mail distribution list to send information about the water main break and boil water advisory. In the past, we’ve used it to alert residents about power and flooding issues, as well as reminders on neighborhood events. If you would like to be put on the e-mail distribution list, please send an e-mail to Bryon Backenson at pbryon@fastmail.fm or mailinglist@ckmcca.org.

Be assured that your e-mail will not be used for commercial purposes or spam, and when neighborhood-wide messages go out, all e-mail addresses are hidden, so people won’t be able to get everyone’s e-mail addresses. Thanks for your cooperation—e-mail really is the quickest way to get messages out these days.

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Our membership drive for the 2008-2009 membership year is continuing. As of this issue of the News & Views, we have approximately 200 new memberships and or renewals. This is out of over 900 households in Clifton Knolls and Mill Creek! We would obviously like to get as many households as possible to support the Civic Association. Joining the Civic Association as a dues-paying member allows the Association to do things like the Halloween Parade, Wine & Cheese Party, Scholarship, and the printing and distribution of both the News & Views and the Neighborhood Directory. Please consider joining the Association and making our neighborhood a better place by paying your $18 dues this year. The membership dues form is in this issue.

KEEP SNOW CLEAR Please remember when cleaning snow off your driveway this winter to take a look at the fire hydrants and storm drains. If either of these are blocked, kindly dig them out, for the safety and security of all your neighbors. Thanks!

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CKMCCA Officers Bryon Backenson Chame Blackburn

Chris Collet Todd Done

Mary Harding Keri Horton

Amy Sangaline Sheila Suozzo Chris Zinsey

Contact Information To Contact the Board:

board@ckmcca.org To Update Your Directory Information:

directory@ckmcca.org To Submit Information to the News & Views Editor:

newsandviews@ckmcca.org To Advertise in the News and Views or Annual Directory:

advertise@ckmcca.org To Get Added to the CKMCCA E-Mail Distribution List:

mailinglist@ckmcca.org

Clifton Knolls-Mill Creek Civic Association Board Information

On March 8

Daylight Savings Time Begins—

remember to

Set clocks Ahead One Hour

New To Clifton Knolls or Mill Creek? First of all, welcome to our neighborhood, which is now your neighborhood. Many of us have been here since the neighborhood started in 1960, and some of us have only been here a few years. But one thing we all have in common is wanting to live in a neighborhood that is clean, safe, and reflects our pride in living here. The Clifton Knolls-Mill Creek Civic Association has been a part of the neighbor-hood since August 1962. The CKMCCA is not a homeowners association that everyone must join, and imparts universal requirements, like mailbox styles. We are a true civic association—our goal since our inception has been to make our neighborhood better by fostering a sense of community. To that end, the CKMCCA sponsors a number of events in our neighborhood, from the Halloween parade and party every fall, to the neighborhood garage sale every other year, to the upcoming wine and cheese party and scholarship, both of which are high-lighted in this issue. CKMCCA also publishes this newsletter (which goes to everyone in the neighborhood), and the annual directory (which only goes to dues-paying members of the CKMCCA). As someone who is new to our neighborhood, we ask you to contact us to give us your contact information to put in the next version of the directory, and to provide us with your e-mail address, so we can get in touch with you between issues of the News and Views. In return, we’ll give you a free copy of the latest CKMCCA Directory, re-gardless of whether or not you join the Association. Thanks for choosing to live in our neighborhood!

Classifieds FOR SALE: Pre-School Toys. Little Tykes Cozy Coupe II Car, $25. Jr. Slides, $20. Classic Teeter Totter, $20. Doll Stroller, $5. Cook & Learn Interactive Kitchen, $50. Push & Ride Walkers, $20. Classic Small Table & Chairs, $30. Picnic Tables, $25. Beauty Salon with chair and slideout, $50. Classic Big Dollhouse, $90. 5-way Giant Bead Maze, $30. Legos, Mega Blocks, Teaching Material, Tables, Chairs, Cubbies (10), $125. All Like New. Call 371-1519. FOR SALE: 76 x 40 pine entertainment hutch. 2 sets of doors, shaker style. $200. 10 piece solid wood girls bedroom set with 2 dressers, shelves, corner cabinet, stand-ing mirror, full/queen headboard, and nightstand. $200 or best offer. Call 371-7367. WANTED: Wood bunk beds that can be made into 2 twin beds in very good to ex-cellent condition. Please call 371-9160. FOR SALE: Baby Furniture--Complete Set (Crib(w/mattress), Dresser, Changing Ta-

ble & Glider) From Baby R Us. Made by C&T International, Inc., Palisades Park, New Jersey - Made in Italy - Jessica Collec-tion. All in excellent condition! 6 years old. Crib - Drawer underneath sleeping area for storage. One side drops down. 3 adjustable mattress positions. Mattress is only 2 years old. $150.00. Dresser - 4 Large drawers. Real wood construction – Not particle board. $ 150.00. Changing Table - Pad in-cluded. Pull out drawer for storage. $ 50.00. Glider – Not from same collection but matches excellently. Made by Dutailier (Made in Canada). Small stain on cushion. 7 position locking lever. $200.00. Or $450 for everything. Contact Chris @ 280-2090 with questions or for photos. FREE: Hewlett Packard HP656 printer. Sears 8HP chipper/shredder. Both free. Call 371-6845.

Think Spring!

Send classified ads to Bryon Backenson (newsandviews@ckmcca.org). The

next News & Views will be delivered to the printer in late March/early April.

Want to contribute to News & Views and make it a bet-ter newsletter? Send arti-cles, classifieds, essays, or opinion pieces to: newsandviews@ckmcca.org Or contact Bryon Backenson at 371-7931.

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Call For Applications: CKMCCA Annual Scholarship Award 2009

Your annual dues to the Clifton Knolls/Mill Creek Civic Association helps our neighborhoods have the children’s Halloween party, have the adult wine and cheese party, maintain our neighborhood entrance markers, and publish this newsletter and our annual directory. For the past several years, it has also granted a scholarship to a different deserving neighborhood stu-dent each year. The CKMCCA is again offering a $500.00 scholarship award to recognize an outstanding high school senior who shows academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and involvement in the community. Besides showing these characteristics, the other requirements are that the student must live in the Clifton Knolls or Mill Creek neighborhoods, and their family must be dues-paying members of the Civic Association. Students are eligible regardless of the school that they attend, or even if they’re homeschooled. To apply for the scholarship, high school seniors are required to submit a letter describing their qualifications and interest in receiving the scholarship. Because the scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and civic involvement, it would be wise to include this information in the letter. A copy of the student’s most recent high school transcript is also required. Other information, such as letters of recommendation, could prove helpful in the selection process, but are not required. Applications are evaluated and ranked by a group of business, governmental, and academic leaders in the Capital District. They are not members of the Civic Association, to ensure their impartiality. If there are questions regarding the scholarship or the application process, please contact:

Bryon Backenson 8 Eldorado Drive Clifton Park, NY 12065 518-371-7931 pbryon@fastmail.fm

There is no formal application form. The application consists of the letter/essay, transcripts, and optional supporting documents. These should be submitted to Bryon Backenson at the ad-dress above by March 15, 2009.

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Clifton Knolls/Mill Creek Civic Association PO Box 2 Clifton Park, NY 12065

RESIDENT ROUTE 18 CLIFTON PARK, NY

PRSTD STD CAR-RT

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PAID Permit No. 8

Clifton Park, NY

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