Welcome to all your Esperance updates conveniently in one place!
Esperance, Sloansville, and Central Bridge residents, did you know you can share special happy birthday & anniversary wishes, as well as graduation, achievement, & celebration announcements in this Esperance column?
Wishing Mayor Royce Gage a very happy birthday on April 9th! Other than three years spent in Florida, he has lived in Esperance his whole life and has been Mayor of the Village of Esperance for three years. Mayor Gage is a hard-working family man, happily, “married with three wonderful children and eight grandchildren.” In addition to Mayoral duties, he has been a truck driver for Price Chopper for 33 years, is a Caretaker for The Esperance Cemetery, a member of The Esperance-Sloansville United Methodist Church, a life member of the Esperance Fire Department, and past Exalted Ruler of the Esperance Elks Lodge. Every February he looks forward to snowmobiling in Quebec and he’s planning a snowmobiling trip to Newfoundland and Labrador. “My biggest accomplishment as Mayor is to make the Village a pleasant and beautiful place for the citizens of the Village and for people traveling Historical Route 20; they can stop and enjoy the Village, but none of this would be possible if I did not have two wonderful Trustees of the Village and my Village Clerk and Deputy Clerk to keep this Village running smoothly. Growing up in this Village was a wonderful place to be as my family, my father, and grandfather ran the family business of the Gage Insurance Company and the Schoharie Schenectady Mutual Insurance Company; my uncle had his law office here in the Village. I have seen a lot of great accomplishments in this Village, and I plan to keep it going and do great things for our beautiful Village. And I look forward to re-election this year to continue to be the Village of Esperance Mayor for years to come.” Mayor Gage is consistently vocal about his love of Esperance and his hope to see more involvement at monthly meetings, and you will find him participating at events like the upcoming celebration of our Country's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Decoration of Independence during the annual Esperance Memorial Day Parade. This cherished tradition is scheduled for a 1 PM line up and 1:30 PM parade start on May 25th.
Village Officials have been working to obtain a playground grant and Mayor Gage gave the latest news, “If all goes well we should start breaking ground for our new Village playground next spring.” Mayor Gage also wants you to know, “If there are any joys and concerns of the Village, please contact me and or please come to the Village meetings. I would love to hear any positive or negative feedback that would help the Village be a better place. Thank you.” Regular Esperance Village meetings are held every second Monday of the month, 7 PM at 115 Church Street; during April 13th’s meeting the budget discussed during April 4th’s Budget Hearing will be voted on. During the March meeting, many residents came out to discuss the state of Esperance sidewalks, so Mayor Gage would like to share this reminder, “Please pick up after your dog on walks and watch out for pedestrians walking in the Village and at the playground.”
Village Hall rental is available (donations are appreciated; call the Village Office at 518-875-9044 for more information), and Esperance notifications are available at your fingertips by texting “Esperance” to the TextMyGov number 91896.
Esperance Town Board meetings are every third Thursday of the month, 7 PM at 104 Charleston Street. During April 16th’s meeting, you will be able to view the beginnings of the new Town Hall art collection being hung in the meeting room.
Esperance Town Supervisor, Earl VanWormer III, is advocating for those in need of a Dialysis Center in Schoharie County. He currently knows of at least eleven residents and their families who are struggling to make constant, necessary dialysis appointments no matter