Support Local Business: Camillus Cutlery SALE

From the Post-Standard:

Well, look at this. There's Camillus Cutlery Co., right in our own backyard. Wouldn't you think they might have a big sale once in a while?

What's my point? Hey, you're pretty sharp.

One word: sale.

And you know if it's Camillus Cutlery, home to the famous Camillus Knives, this sale won't be dull.

Friday and Saturday, indeed, it's the 130-year-old company's inventory-reduction sale, it's first ever, I'm told.

It's noon to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Inventory being reduced includes pocket and hunting knives and novelty items covering about 35 styles of knives. Have your knives at home lost their edge? Bring 'em in to be sharpened for $1 each. That service is free if you buy three items or more.

Cash only - and all sales are final.

Development Opportunity #3

Yes, I know it's not technically in Geddes, but it is the southern gateway to Geddes. This miserable barely standing piece of "architecture":






The "house" and the brownfield that surrounds it needs to be bulldozed over and redeveloped. Why isn't this property valuable land? It is passed daily by thousands of cars, and must be zoned commercial, no? What about a small mixed use plaza with a coffee/internet shop, hair dresser/barber, and small retail? Add a few jobs to the local economy, and a few services that residents wouldn't have to bike, drive or walk very far to get to - sounds good to me!

Manny Falcone to chair committee to look into lowering electricity rates in Westvale

From Syracuse.com Neighbors West Forum: (A thread on municipal power)

Good evening , last night at the Town of geddes board meeting the Town Supervisor appointed a committee to look into the possability of lower electric rates in the Wesvale area. I am Manny Falcone and I will be Chairing the committee, the meetings on this issue will be public informational meetings and the dates and times will be posted in the town hall, and I am also hoping to have them posted on the town website. if you have any questions please feel free to call me at 575-1858 , thank[s,] Manny Falcone.

I encourage all Westvale residents to come out in force to these meetings and help steer the committee towards municipal power for Westvale residents. I know that people from Solvay wear their low-cost power as a badge of honor, but there is no reason that residents from Westvale should not have the opportunity to decide if municipal power is right for them. (Lakeland already enjoys muni power, although not physically in Solvay.)

I will post updates on this issue and committee as it is a topic I hold near and dear to my heart. I hope to speak to Manny Falcone on the record (so-to-speak) and find out what the town is working on.

Baloghblog: Storing summer solar heat for the winter

I had the reverse (converse?) idea of this earlier - capturing the winter cold, in the form of pykrete, to cool buildings in the summer. This planned community is doing the opposite, capturing heat from the sun and storing it for winter.

Via Treehugger, Drake's Landing:

How it Works

• 52-house subdivision to have space and water heating supplied by solar energy
• Solar energy captured year round by 800-panel garage mounted array
• Combination of seasonal and short-term thermal storage (STTS) facilitate collection and storage of solar energy in the summer for use in space heating in winter
• Borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) is an in-ground heat sink for seasonal energy storage
• Short-term thermal storage (STTS) tanks are central hub for heat movement between collectors, district loop (DL)/houses, and (BTES)
• DL moves heat from the STTS to the houses

Location: Okotoks, Alberta. 51.1 deg N, 114 deg W, 1084 m elevation
Weather: Winter -33 C; Summer 28.3 C DB/15.6 C WB

Huunh? Alberta, Canada???

that's a tad north of Central New York even!

Pretty ambitious plan. Here is the link for how they plan to do it. Outside the box thinking to provide heating to residents - that is what CNY will need as the winters stay cold and the cost of gas and oil continues to climb.

(Yes I know that natural gas fell to $9 and change today, but I bet on the first cold snap she'll be right back up there to $12-14)