The Board of Trustees Tuesday night appointed Frank Tatum as Village Mayor for the balance of the current official year — November, 2018. Trustee Judith Wood-Shaw was appointed Deputy Mayor.

Tatum had served as Acting Mayor since the resignation of Rick Nelson on September 1 following Nelson’s arrest days earlier on child pornography charges. The case is now in the court system.

“I am confident you will make a great Mayor,” said Trustee Wood-Shaw, who nominated Tatum for the post. “You’re a Stillwater native and you bring a great deal of knowledge and professionalism to the village.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” said Tatum, a unanimous appointment. “I will certainly do my best.”

Following the vote, Tatum was administered the oath of office by Village Clerk Sheristin ‘Sher’ Tedesco. He asked Wood-Shaw to serve as his Deputy Mayor and she accepted.

In other business, the village announced it is the recipient of a $1,500 grant from the GlobalFoundries/Stillwater Foundation. Trustee Wood-Shaw applied for the monies in the hopes of starting a local pickle ball league for senior citizens that would play at The Stillwater Area Community Center.

Recently, NBC News reported that pickle ball is the fastest growing sports in America, especially among older folks.

• VIEW NBC STORY ABOUT PICKLE BALL

“It combines exercise and socialization for our seasoned adults,” Wood-Shaw said, “and I know it will be popular here.”

Pickleball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Two, three, or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, similar to a Wiffle ball, over a net. The sport shares features of other racquet sports, the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules similar to tennis, with a few modifications. Pickleball was invented in the mid 1960s as a children’s backyard pastime but has become popular among adults as well.

The grant money will be used to buy all the necessary pickle ball equipment like nets, ball and paddles. Wood-Shaw said she will reach out to neighboring Mechanicville and Schuyleville to see if there are senior citizens there who would like to play in the new league. She hopes to have the league up in running in November and offer play once a week.

The $1,500 was one of 20 grants totaling $50,000 awarded by the GlobalFoundries/Stillwater Foundation this year to local community and charitable organizations. The grants were officially announced by the Town of Stillwater on September 14.

The foundation, one of two created when GlobalFoundries built its Fab 8 computer chip factory in the towns of Malta and Stillwater, has awarded $390,000 in grants since 2013.