As noted here, I attended a public meeting of The Bethlehem Noise Ordinance Task Force tonight. Members of the community were able to voice their opinion about a potential Noise Ordinance. Approximately 30 people showed up and added their input.

Many spoke in favor of enactment of a nosie ordinance, one asked for caution in preparing the potential legislation and one said that the ordinance should be enacted in the same fashion as zoning laws. Several people brought up concerns with a one-size fits all approach without the proper safeguards and exemptions. Next step is another public meeting scheduled for early next month. Please feel free to leave your comments below. As a Town Councilmember, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Town Board Meeting 5-28

Hi all, I have been a bit remiss in reporting back to you all on what we are doing on the Town Board, apologies for that.

At the 5-28-2008 meeting we:
-Discussed our Town's efforts to manage Stormwater in line with requirements from the State Department of Environmental Conservation and discussed the addition of an employee as a full time coordinator for Stormwater-related activities. That position is currently listed here.
-Promoted a part time employee to a full time position because she was already performing full time duties;
Appointed a number of people engaged in agriculture to a Farmland Study Advisory Committee.

Marching in the Bethlehem Memorial Day Parade

I was sworn into office less than six months ago -- so this Memorial Day was the first time I had marched in a parade in Bethelehem as an elected official. We marched right behind the first set of flags (and the Grand Marshall) - it was really a great honor.

Though I have noted here some other marchers I really was impressed by the American Legion Band than was marching behind us. We stopped marching at one point and I had a few minutes to chat with a few of their members. I am amazed by the fortitude of these marchers. They were wearing uniforms and blowing horns the whole way. They are an astonishing group (and by the way they need volunteers - please see the American Legion for more details).

Its amazing seeing so many people show up for the parade (and so many friends at that) and I am sure this year's was the best and biggest ever - and a fitting tribute to all who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country.

Next we are going to start working on an Independence Day event at Town Hall that sounds great.

You May Have Noticed...

That myself and Supervisor Cunningham have written some blog posts for the Times Union Bethlehem Blog. I think it is a great idea and its nice that the community has a new forum to address ideas. I posted a story recently about the Open Space Planning kickoff meeting. Please check back on this and that site to hear more about what's going on.

Happy EarthDay

Earthday is a great time to reflect on what each of us can do to improve our environment and critically analyze our habits. One of the great things about Earthday is that you can take some time to do little things, that if implemented on a large scale, can have a great effect. I have been reading a book called “The World Without Us” by Alan Wesiman (available from the Bethlehem Public Library - where I got a copy). One of the startling passages is about a huge swirling island of plastic refuse stuck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A lot of that refuse is from grocery store plastic bags. My wife and I have many time seen the same display of plastic bags stuck in trees near the Albany landfill. So, if you want to do something that is both good for the environment and low cost, give up plastic shopping bags. Hannaford and Price Chopper both sell reusable bags or you can do what I do - get paper bags. Paper bags are a little better than plastic because they biodegrade and to tell you the truth, I like carrying them better.

Another great way to celebrate Earth Day is to take a “car holiday.” Take a bike to work, walk (if you can) or take the bus. You could even take a bike to the grocery store if you need to run out for a few things. You’ll see (as I did) that there’s a lot of times where we jump in the car - but could just as easily walk or bike. Actually Bethlehem is hosting a bike to work day in May that is a great time to participate.

Third, a low cost way to decrease consumption is to replace incandescent bulbs with other energy-saving technology. While there is some controversy concerning the eventual disposal of compact flourescents, they are just one option for incandescent replacement. Recently I saw an LED-based lightbulb that used one-tenth of the energy of a regular incandescent lightbulb. Energy efficient appliances are another way to reduce consumption.

Earthday is just one day — but there are other opportunties this week to optimize efforts to recycle. One of these days is WNYT Earth Day Electronic & Air Conditioner Collection, this Saturday April 26. For more details click on the link. On Friday April 25 is Arbor Day. My family got a jump on this by replacing a tree that was damaged in the big storm this year with a native species tree.

Finally, a great way to celebrate Earth Day is to make it a point to bring it up in your conversations throughout the day. Passing along the important message of environmental stewardship to others is a great step towards helping the planet.

Thanks for your time and Happy Earthday!

Transitioning to New Platform

As I start making a few technical upgrades to markhennessey.com you may start to notice that the layout is changing a little. Not to worry -- the content will be the same - but now we will offer polls and other interactive content. So please bear with me as I make these changes - thanks.