Route 11 crash, county vacancy and Massena school plan draw attention
A Route 11 crash involving a water buffalo, John Gennett’s resignation from the St. Lawrence County Legislature and opposition to a Massena Central realignment proposal were among recent North Country developments.
By Caleb Mercer, ClickNNY North Country Desk
A red 2017 Jeep struck a water buffalo on U.S. Route 11 in the town of Stockholm on Oct. 17, according to New York State Police. The crash happened at about 6:50 p.m. as the Jeep was traveling southwest. The two people in the Jeep were taken to Canton-Potsdam Hospital for evaluation, State Police said.
The St. Lawrence County Legislature was scheduled to meet Oct. 19 to appoint an interim replacement for District 13 Legislator John Gennett, who resigned while preparing to take a job out of state. Gennett, a Republican, was first elected in 2022 and represents the Brasher, Massena and Town of Lawrence areas. He had previously said he would not seek another term.
Republican Terry Goodrich and Democrat Setcher Krywanczyk are running in November for the full District 13 term. Gennett has focused on infrastructure, solar, data center and electric-grid issues, including the Smart Path Connect project.
Massena Central School District officials are continuing to evaluate a proposed elementary-school realignment after community forums drew limited support. The plan would keep three elementary buildings but shift from neighborhood schools to grade-level groupings, including possible pre-K through second-grade arrangements in one building.
Forums were held Sept. 29 at the high school and Oct. 8 at the Massena Community Center. Concerns included bus times, school-day schedules, moving between buildings, relationships with teachers and counselors, and extracurricular activities.
The district has said enrollment has fallen since a 2018 consultant study recommended keeping the existing structure. Superintendent Ronald Burke said a realignment could free space for students on a BOCES waitlist to return to district programs. The district has also said potential job losses would ideally be managed through attrition.
Massena Central is expected to continue the evaluation before taking action. The District 13 vacancy was scheduled for consideration at a special meeting at 5:10 p.m. Oct. 19 in Canton.
Reported by ClickNNY and reviewed by an editor before publication.
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