Daily Five: Help Oswegatchie School Win $25k

1. Today should be mostly cloudy, with a high around 64, according to the National Weather Service. Tonight should be mostly clear, with a low around 41, according to the service.

2.  Oswegatchie Elementary School is trying to get a $25,000 grant through the Seeds of Change grant program. To win, the school just needs to get the most votes, and people vote online.

The money would be used for an organic, sustainable mini-farm at Oswegatchie School. There is a ton more information here. Also, if you click there, you can vote and help Oswegatchie Elementary win $25,000! And tell your friends to vote too!

3. Tonight, the Zoning Board of Appeals will meet behind closed doors with a lawyer who specializes in the Americans with Disability Act and the Fair Housing Act to discuss an application by The Stonington Institute.

The Stonington Institute is asking the Zoning Board of Appeals for a use variance to turn 171 Rope Ferry Road into a boarding house for up to 144 men recovering from drug addictions. Many neighbors have spoken against the proposal and the zoning board didn’t seem thrilled with it either. However, if the town rejects it, there is a chance it will be in violation of ADA and FHA, Town Attorney Rob Avena said.

Tonight the group will meet in an executive session, which means that the public is not allowed in, to discuss the application with a lawyer who specializes in ADA and FHA. Then they should make a decision on the application at their next regular meeting, which is May 2, according to Town Attorney Rob Avena.  

4. There are two other town meetings tonight, and unlike the Zoning Board of Appeals, these meetings are open to the public.

The Historic Tile Committee meets at 4:30 this evening at the Waterford Community Center and the Conservation Commission meets at 7 in the Town Hall auditorium.

5. On this date in 1960, the USS Triton completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe. And on this date in 1898, the United States declared war on Spain, starting the Spanish-American War.

Quote of the Day

“If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy.

-Thomas Jefferson

Trivia of the Day

What American battleship mysteriously sank in Havana, Cuba in 1898, which helped fuel the United States’ entrance into war with Spain?

Yesterday’s Answer: On April 24, 1800, John Adams established the United States Library of Congress.