THE VALLEY OF HORSE’S HEADS

VILLAGE OF HORSEHEADS

OCTOBER 2011 VOLUME 11

THE NEW HORSEHEADS JOURNAL

“Horseheads is the first, and only town and village in U.S. dedicated to the service of the American Military Horse.”

A twenty-eight square mile memorial, unparalleled in American Military History, is the proud dis-tinction that enshrines the Town and Village of Horseheads, New York.

Nowhere on the American Continent has the writer, through considerable government and public re-search, been able to find a town or village that perpetuates the same patriotic drama laid at the doorsteps of Horseheads, N. Y. on September 24, 1779.

This date hallmarks, the time and hallowed ground, where lie the true relics and sun-bleached skulls (some estimate run as high as 300) of the American Military Pack horses of the Armies of Major-General John Sullivan. These peaceful servants of General Sullivan and his officers with about 5000 “ragged rebels,” (as ex-pressed by King George III), brought forth a gallantry, in the Ameri-can Revolutionary War’s Western Campaign against the Six Na-tions of Indians (Iroquois) worthy of greatness to exalt these Pack Horses to any American Military “Valhalla.”

Burdened down with heavy military equipment in their 450 mile journey through a wooden wilderness from Easton, PA, over to Wyoming, and on up the Susquehanna River Trail to Elmira, NY, they continued north through Horseheads to the Finger Lakes region and west to Genesseo. Returning the same route to Horseheads, these Military Pack Horses had reached the end of their endurance. Here, General Sullivan, through humanitary reasons was compelled to dispose of these partners in the cause of American Freedom.

A few years later, the skulls of the horses were arrayed along the trail by a few returning Indians. On this spot, the first settlers built their homes. This location, first known as “The Valley of Horse’s Heads,” was later changed to Horseheads. Indeed, Horseheads takes pride to enshrine themselves in monumental devotion to proclaim “Horseheads is the first, and only town and village in U.S. dedicated to the service of the American Military Horse.

Today, this twenty-eight square mile memorial to the American Military Horse has no single-town and village range, but stands to evoke in any American a deep feeling for the part played by the HORSE in all of America’s Military Expeditions.

It is to this heritage, Horseheads, New York dedicates itself to their LAST HONOR.

The article below had originally appeared in the 1962 Zim Memorial Centennial Booklet, by D.C. Hartman.

PAGE 2 THE NEW HORSEHEADS JOURNAL

Business and individual contributions are the primary source of funding for printing and mailing this newspaper. The is-sues will be printed on a quarterly basis. Names of contributors will appear in each issue.

YES! I would like to support “The New Horseheads Journal” for the year of 2011 as a

Business Sponsor: $50per issue-$150 per year (circle your choice) for $____________________________________ Business name as you would like it to appear:__________________________________________________________

Address/Phone__________________________________________________________________________________

Individual: Patron-$25 per issue-$75 per year (circle your choice) for $______________________________________

Friend- $15 per issue-$45 per year (circle your choice) for $_______________________________________________ Name as you would like it appear____________________________________________________________________

Address/Phone__________________________________________________________________________________

Make checks payable to “Village of Horseheads” Checks and forms may be left at the Village Clerk’s Office or mailed to

Petal Pusher Garden Club The Petal Pushers Garden Club of Horseheads announced in May, the first ever “Gardens of the Village” Contest. This contest was a first for the club, as well as the residents of the Village of Horseheads. The

weather on June 23rd and June 24th was perfect for showing off the gardens, as well as for the three judges from the Master Garden Program; Rodney Guisewite,

MaryAnn Keyser, and Cindy Seeley. There were a total of 16 gardens, with prizes awarded to 5 participants; which were announced the evening of Thursday, July 7th Teal Park Concert:

The Petal Pushers were extremely pleased with the gardens and the enthusiasm of the owners, and hope to have another contest in the future. We know there are many, many more lovely gardens in the Village and look forward to their participation.

Grand Prize: Marianne Helsing 1st Prize: Beverly Gaffney 2nd Prize: Harry Harvey

Honorable Mention: Isabel & Jack Gilroy Honorable Mention: Patty Teliska

Village Leaf Pickup

Leaf pickup will begin on October 24, and continue through November 27.

Only clear plastic bags will be picked up at the curb

PAGE 3 VOLUME 11

A Message from the Village Manager Its been quite a year for us so far in the battles with Mother Nature! The winter months and extraordinary amount of rain wreaked havoc with our streets (potholes galore) and with our schedules. Our spring sched-ule was pushed back into June and July. Of course, other municipalities faced the same problem, so we were all competing for blacktop at once. Our budget also took a hit with substantial increases in blacktop costs ($77/ton for 3000 tons). To add to the scheduling problems, NYSEG found a gas leak on Winding Way which turned a short delay into a six-week delay for repaving. (Safety first!). As we go to press, we’re still working on Pleasant, Brooks and Willow Streets as well as some cemetery work. So to all who exer-cised patience during these exasperating months – thank you!

Our energy audits are underway using a performance guarantee contract. This means that our cost savings for our utilities will pay for the cost of improvements – guaranteed! Part of this program will include the op-portunity to replace our water meters which are now about 22 years old: 16 years is usually the normal life span.

We are currently working on our joint Merchants Association with Elmira Heights. Our coordinator and STEG are putting the final touches on the organizational aspects of the program. The purpose is to assist in economic development by offering more programs in the Village such as a Victorian Stroll; house tours and the like.

The final touches are also being worked on for our rental property registration program. Initially all absentee landlords will be required to register with contact information. If they live out of the area, they will have to have a local agent responsible for the property and who can receive legal notices. Once registration is com-plete, we will be able to improve property maintenance on neglected properties, or have legal recourse if the citations are ignored or fail to meet code.

As we move forward in the technology driven age, we are working on preserving Village records by convert-ing our documents to digital documents which will be immediately available. This will not only save on physical storage but also save on substantial numbers of hours on research to locate records.

Similarly our web page is out of date and needs significant upgrading to be interactive. There are many functions that we do routinely which should be available to everyone on the internet.

Another initiative we have in the works is to get approval from DEC to use the land we own on Blostein Blvd. (the old dump) for grass clippings, leaves, and small brush. This would replace the Thorne St. pit. If permit-ted, we would fence the area, and by swiping access cards allow access around the clock whenever its con-venient for our residents. The clippings and leaves will be composted and then we will in turn sell the com-posted soil.

Although it’s not as noticeable as these things, we are working on infrastructure issues. Most notably drain-age concerns in several parts of the Village are being evaluated by an engineer. Our water delivery system and protection of our wells is also of paramount importance. This will be accomplished by way of a well-head protection program which maintains an area around the wellhead from development or intrusive activ-ity.

All of you artisans should start thinking about our art and photo show planned for February-March. This years’ event will add categories for youngsters as well as non-residents.

PAGE 4 THE NEW HORSEHEADS JOURNAL

Horseheads Parks & Recreation Teal Park Concert Series The summer concert series drew over 3500 attendees; an average of 324 people per concert. We would like to thank our concert sponsors:

We Would like to hear you thoughts/opinions of the Teal Park Concert Series. In particular we are interested in hearing your thoughts regarding concert parking, permanent/portable rest-rooms, and the construction of a pavilion. If you have not already, please visit our website www.HorseheadsRec.com and complete the Teal Park Concert Series Survey.

Bus Trips

Rockettes in NYC-Wednesday, November 23rd •$121/person •Includes transportation and show admission

Keuka Lake Holiday Wine Tour-Saturday, December 3rd

•$55/person •Includes transportation and wine tasting up to five wines per winery •PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 21 YEARS OF AGE ON OR PRIOR TO DECEMBER 3RD 2011

Philadelphia Flower Show- Scheduled for March 7th, 2012

First Heritage Credit Union Horseheads PBA

Bethany Nursing Home American Legion Post 442

Bethany Retirement Home Gas Field Specialists

The Hampton Inn Wegmans

Hilton Garden Inn Elmira Savings Bank

WEHH Radio A Park Neighbor

Please visit our website www.horseheadsrec.com or contact the

Horseheads Parks & Recreation Department for additional information and/or registration

PAGE 5 VOLUME 11

Super Saturday Program-Registration Enrollment now available The Super Saturday Program is designed 1st thru 6th graders to encourage, extend, and further the development, culture, and education of children during their leisure time. Here is a sampling of the class categories : Cooking, Arts & Crafts, Sports, Performing Arts, and Science Experiments. Cost/Participant:$17 for one class, $30 for two classes, $40 for three classes Fall/Winter Session-November 12th, 19th, and December 3rd, 10th Winter/Spring Session-January 21st, 28th, and February 4th, 11th

Youth Basketball-Registration Enrollment Now Available

Program runs mid-November thru mid February COED Division-Grade 2-This is an introduction to the game of basketball based on learning early fundamentals and skills. Game playing is not the priority of the particular program. We meet one night per week- night for this program has not been chosen as of this newsletter. Cost: $25/player Boys Division-Junior (Grades 3-4), Intermediate (Grades 5-6), and Senior (Grades 7-9) Practices/Games are Tuesdays and Thursday Cost: Junior Division $37, Intermediate & Senior $42 Girls Division- Junior (Grades 3-4), Intermediate (Grades 5-6), and Senior (Grades 7-9) Practices/Games are Mondays & Wednesday Cost: Junior Division $37, Intermediate & Senior $42

We are seeking those interested in coaching Youth Basketball. If you are interested please contact the Recreation Department at 739-5691 or

nnagle@horseheads.org

27th Annual Holly Days On Saturday, November 26, 2011 the Chemung Sunrise Rotary Club in cooperation with the Vil-lage of Horseheads will sponsor the 27th Annual Holly Days in Historic Hanover Square. We be-lieve that Horseheads and the surrounding areas benefit from this community oriented gathering that highlights local talent and vendors offering crafts and food. This event has attracted between 3,000 and 4,000 people in past years. We would invite you to attend or to participate in this event.

The new times for this year are 12 noon to 5PM. Santa will arrive at 3:30PM. Please call 739-6899 or visit our website at www.chemungsunriserotary.org for more information

  

Village of Horseheads Merchants Association 

 The mission of the VOHHMA is to further the role of its member businesses by pro‐viding coordination and information to its members, as well as the general public.  

 The association will:  

 

        Stimulate awareness of the businesses and services available within The Village of Horseheads 

 Unify member businesses, recognizing 

there is strength in numbers   

     Develop a calendar of events to                 promote members and their businesses  

        Participate in shaping the current and emerging business environment to promote 

high‐quality products and services   

  Strive to attract additional businesses to the Village of Horseheads  

 Preserve and restore historic buildings in 

the Village   

For more information or to get involved

Please contact:

Julie Chevalier Merchant Coordinator

607/962-3506

PAGE 6 THE NEW HORSEHEADS JOURNAL

Free Electronics Recycling!!! Do you have old, broken, or unused electronic

items, such as televisions, scanners, laptops, computers, radios, stereos, etc?

You are invited to bring these items to the E-Recycle Facility located at the Horseheads Town Hall on 150

Wygant Road, on October 1st, 8th, 15th, or 22nd between the hours of 8AM-Noon.

Open to the public It’s FREE! Any electronics are accepted!!

For more information, please contact the

Horseheads Town Hall at 739-8783.

School is in session again which means there will be an increase in bus and pedestrian traffic.

We encourage all motorists to observe the 15 MPH School Zone Speed Limits and watch for

stopped school buses.

Police Officers will be patrolling the school zones as an added measure to remind

motorists of the need to drive safely & observe the law.

DO YOU ENJOY WRITING? If you have an article or a special event you would like placed in the Village Newsletter,

please contact us at 739-5691

PAGE 7 VOLUME 11

 If you are: 

 Opening your business in the Village of Horseheads Expanding an existing business 

Hiring new employees Retaining customers 

Purchasing inventory or equipment  

Consider  The Village of Horseheads low interest loan program 

For more details contact Sherri Geary 

@ Southern Tier Economic Growth 607­733­6513 smgeary@steg.com 

  

 

PAGE 8 THE NEW HORSEHEADS JOURNAL

The Horseheads Fire Department can use your help. No prior training is neces-sary, and we provide all training turnout gear and uniforms free of charge. If firefighting is not your interest, consider being part of our medical first respond-ers. Become part of an organization that serves your family, friends, and com-munity. Applications are available at the Horseheads Fire Department 134 N. Main St., Horseheads Village Hall, or online at www.horseheadsfd.org.

WE NEED YOU….SOMEDAY YOU MAY NEED US!!

Horseheads Fire Department

We will be hosting an open house on Friday October 14 from 5:30 til 8:30.

With winter coming, please make sure you keep your fire hydrants shoveled out so they are easily located.

Remember to change your batteries in your smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detectors every 6 months. Best time is when you change your clocks for daylight savings time.

Be Safe and Warm This Winter: • Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating

equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.

• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

• Never use your oven to heat your home.

• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.

• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified pro-fessional.

• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heat-ers.

• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.

• Test smoke alarms monthly.

PAGE 9 VOLUME 11

The Village of Horseheads Department of Code Enforcement has hired two community service officers. One of the main functions of this position is enforcing codes that deal with property maintenance. The state of New York has a property maintenance code and the Vil-lage of Horseheads code has sections that deal with property maintenance.

If you would like to review the property maintenance codes of New York State, they are available at http://publicecodes.citation.com/st/ny/st/b1300v10/index.htm. If you would like to review the codes of the Village of Horseheads, they are available at http://www.horseheads.org/index.php?n=Govt.VillageCode. Property maintenance, according to village surveys, is a priority of the residents. Now that the village has the staffing to tackle these issues, we intend to work with property owners to remedy property maintenance viola-tions.

The goal of property maintenance is to maintain the integrity of a structure, prevent blighting conditions that may spread from property to property, and maintain or increase prop-erty values. One study found that abandoned or run-down properties can reduce the value of surrounding properties by as much as $7,600. Therefore, property maintenance is not only a quality of life issue but it is also an economic and community development issue.

It is our goal to work with property owners to bring properties into code compliance. It is also important for property owners to be proactive in maintaining their properties and re-porting code violations to Code Enforcement so we can address minor issues before they be-come larger problems. We are working on a checklist that lists common property mainte-nance issues seen throughout the Village. The checklist would be available to the public so property owners and residents can identify violations on their properties and/or neighboring properties. The goal of the checklist is to educate the public on common violations so action can be taken before Code Enforcement becomes involved.

If you have any questions regarding state or village code, do not hesitate to call Code Enforcement at 739-5691 extensions 214 or 215. If you have any suggestions on Village Code modifications that would better serve our community, please let us know your thoughts. We look forward to working with property owners and residents to make our community a better place to live.

Code Enforcement

Reminders… •Please do not blow or rake leaves, grass clippings, tree limbs or branches into the street •With winter approaching, all sidewalks are to be shoveled clean within 24 hours of the end of snowfall

•Remember to shovel out your fire hydrant to keep them readily accessible in the event of an emergency

•Please do not shovel or blow snow into the roadway. Our street department works hard to keep our streets clean

Any questions or concerns contact Code Enforcement,

Bob Young 739-5691 Ext 214 or email ryoung@horseheads.org

PAGE 10 THE NEW HORSEHEADS JOURNAL

 

Please complete the following questionnaires/surveys: CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS SURVEY Village of Horseheads Parks & Recreation

Please rank the following capital improvements and return to the Parks & Recreation Dept at Village Hall, 202 S. Main St., Horseheads, NY 14845. Or, you may visit our web-site (www.HorseheadsRec.com) and complete the Horseheads Parks & Recreation Capital Im-provements Survey. Please ask others to complete this survey as well. Thank you. Please Rank the following Capital Improvement Projects (1-5 with 1 being 1st consideration)

Community Center ____________

Fishing Pier at Mill Street Pond ______

Horseheads Dog Park ______

Skateboard/Wheel Park ______

Sullivan Park Pool Renovation ______

Other:________________________ ________________

Village Hall Holiday

Schedule

OFFICES CLOSED:

Columbus Day Oct 10th Veterans Day Nov 11th Thanksgiving Nov 24th& 25th Christmas Dec 26th News Year Day Jan 2nd    

DON’T FORGET…

TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR ON

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6TH

TRICK OR TREAT!! The Village of Horseheads Trick

or Treat hours will be on:

Monday October 31st from 5:30 to 8:00PM.

The Brush Pit

The Brush Pit will close on December 3rd.

The pit will reopen in the Spring

Christmas Trees will be picked up at the curb

PAGE 11 VOLUME 11

DOG PARK SURVEY Please complete the following survey and return the Parks & Recreation Dept at Village Hall, 202 S. Main St., Horseheads, NY 14845. Or, you may visit our web-site (www.HorseheadsRec.com) and complete the Horseheads Dog Park Survey. Please ask others to complete this survey as well. Thank you.

Do you live in the Village of Horseheads, Town of Horseheads, or other? Would you be interested in the Village of Horseheads constructing a dog park? Please rate the following park amenities on what you would like to be in the park using the following rating scale: 1-Would definitely NOT LIKE in a dog park : 5-Would definitely LIKE in the dog park Grooming/Dog Washing Station 1 2 3 4 5 Exercise and Agility Course for dogs 1 2 3 4 5 Ball Throwing Area 1 2 3 4 5 Picnic/Pavilion Area 1 2 3 4 5 Dog Walk Trail around park 1 2 3 4 5

Would you be interested in volunteering to build a dog park and/or serve on a committee? Yes No

If YES, please fill out the following contact information:

Name:_________________________ Phone #________________________ Address:________________________

________________________________ Email:__________________________________

The New Horseheads Journal

Village of Horseheads 202 S. Main St.

Horseheads, NY 14845

Presort Std.

US Postage Paid Permit # 77

Elmira NY

VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Mayor: Donald W. Zeigler Trustees: Ronald R. Swartz

George F. Koliwasky Suzanne Peters J. Larry Clark

Meetings: 2nd and 4th Thursday at 7:00PM

VILLAGE DEPARTMENTS MANAGER 739-5666

CLERK 739-5691 COURT 739-0158

PUBLIC WORKS 739-5691 CODE ENFORCEMENT 739-5691

CEMETERY 739-2656 FIRE 739-3814

PARKS/RECREATION 739-5691

W E’RE ON THE W EB! ! VISIT US AT

WWW. HORSEHEADS. ORG

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THE NEW HORSEHEADS JOURNAL BY EMAIL RATHER THAN BY MAIL, PLEASE EMAIL NEWSLETTER@HORSEHEADS.ORG

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT

BUSINESS SPONSOR: The Real Estate Book Zeigler Florists Inc. Village Vacuum Horseheads PBA American Legion Bentley Trumble Post 442 Dr. Brent Arnold/J.K. Liberatore Optical

INDIVIDUAL PATRON: Ron & Bonnie Swartz Jean J. & Albert E. Baker Sr. Betty & Walt Herbst Suzanne & Donald Peters George & Marnie Koliwasky Edith G. Burdick & Family Dave & Claudia Radin Don & Jan Zeigler Georgia A. Reynolds Barbara & Larry Clark

FRIEND: Marty & Patty Sullivan Vince & Marge Magaw Phyllis Partlow In Memory of Don & Dort Tifft John & Audrey Dunlap Bill & Tess Danaher Rosemary Molyneux May Bryan Samson Margaret Kowalski Ms. Frances Fox Marian Reynolds Joseph & Janet Ruhmel