Author: Opal Jessica Bogdan

BALLSTON — After beginning the Ballston Lake Sewer Project in 2015, Town of Ballston officials hope to start the $17 million construction of the system this spring.

However, attaining a $5 million grant has halted the project until further notice. 

The town received notice about being awarded a $5 million Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant for the Ballston Lake Sewer project the week of Dec. 16, 2019. On Jan. 3, 2020 the board received a letter from the Director of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) stating the Office of the State Comptroller (OFC) would review the DEC’s paperwork. Once approved through OFC, the DEC would provide additional information to the Town of Ballston to create the contract. 

“We knew in December that we got the grant. The biggest concern we have is the construction season. Our contractors who have bid have all said they will hold the price until May,” Wes DeVoe, sewer committee member.

After the $5 million grant has been awarded, the board plans to have a $1.8 million contingency. According to the last meeting minutes, Ballston Town Supervisor, Eric Connolly said given the stage of the project that he is comfortable with that contingency.

Project funding was awarded as follows: $2.55 million grant Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA), $5 million grant WQIP, $7.65 million loan, $2.55 million loan from NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation Additional Funding. Total combined funding to total $17,754,661.

The project construction was approved in October 2015. A resolution was passed in October 2018 that capped what the town could pay at $12.8 million. Originally estimated at $12.5 million, bids for the project first came in at a cost millions higher than anticipated. 

“We chopped it into five pieces and we sent out bids to five companies. Some parts are small and others not so we broke it down that way. So we did get more bids,” DeVoe said. 

DeVoe said the initial bid on the project was around $10 million. The total bids the town has now totals $17 million but the additional $7 million added to the project is from NYS.

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“So the dollar that the people voted on does not change or go up. Homeowners around the lake, also known as the sewage district, can expect about $900 in increased taxes,” DeVoe said.

During the February meeting, Drew Hamelink, chairman of the Sewer Committee, said they have received written price locks with the three largest contractors, locking up roughly 93 percent of the project costs through May 1. The remaining contractor gave a lock until Feb 1, which has since been extended by six-weeks.

In 2015 the sewer committee and town board selected Adirondack Mountain Engineering PC to operate as the project-engineering contractor. President of the company, Ed Hernandez did not attend the meeting.

Ballston Lake was added to NYS Priority Water Bodies List in 2012 as an impaired water body. The list defines a water body that cannot support uses. 

As part of the solution to mitigate the impacts to the lake, town officials proposed a goal to construct a sewer collection system for any equivalent dwelling units (EDU) adjacent to the lake including Main Street and Buell Heights. 

EDU are defined as one single-family residential household. There are 700 parcels in total, with a number of the properties adjacent to the lake on the east side lying within the town of Clifton Park. 560 EDU in Ballston and 91 EDU in Clifton Park. 

The Town of Ballston adopted a Sewer Use Law through which all properties located within a set distance of the completed sewer main will be required to connect to the system. DeVoe said any EDU in Clifton Park would not be required to hook into the system but the two towns have been working together. In fact, there are two representatives from the Town of Clifton Park on the Sewer Committee board as well as residents in the sewage district and Ballston Town members.

Each EDU would be responsible for installing a grinder system that could cost the homeowner up to $5,000 for installation. 

“The current cost of the Saratoga County standard is $5,300 list price,” Hamelink said.

However, a sliding scale discount can be put in place that allows a 30 percent discount in the first year that slides back each year by five percent.

The proposed 2015 sewer district included parcels around the lake on the east side from East Side Drive and Schauber Road to Lake Road extending to Eastline Road. On the west side of the lake, it included Westside Drive from Mill Road and Main Street, Glenridge Road, Whites Beach Road, Powers Lane and Outlet Road to a connection point on Lake Road. Also included is Buell Heights neighborhood.

Properties along the lake would utilize a low-pressure force main and would require each service connection to be equipped with the grinder pump station. 

Sewers in the Buell Heights residential subdivision and along Main Street are anticipated to be conventional gravity-type. Wastewater collected in these areas would flow by gravity to a new pump station located on or near Main Street in proximity to the stream. 

SARATOGA — Families with young teens and children are welcomed to join Namaste Yoga, yoga of awareness, to help develop skills to use in everyday life.

Susan Cuda, owner of the studio, said the restorative classes are aimed to help teens and children develop skills they wouldn’t learn inside a classroom, such as breathing exercises and relaxation. 

“For kids, they’re not always comfortable in the skin they are in, and they can’t really figure out why there doesn’t seem to be enough time for relaxation and regrouping,” Cuda said. “That’s what the restoratives are for. We wanted to offer this because school is mandatory and it’s hard to find your niche when you’re really not prepared,” Cuda said. 

Having previous teaching experience, Cuda noticed young adults becoming overwhelmed with difficulties and big decisions. She believes relaxation is the key to figuring out those concerns and created the restoration class to teach relaxation.

“We have two different age groups that both suffer from anxiety. A lot of that [anxiety] is just the unknowing of how the future is going to unfold. There are certain expectations that their parents have. The kids don’t know where they fit in because they’re a little too young to have the background necessary to follow all of that logic of ‘what is it that I want’ and ‘what is it that makes me feel really good,’” Cuda said.  “Not too many parents even know enough to ask their children that.”

The studio will offer the younger kids class on March 22 and the teen class on April 19. The children 12 and under will partake in a 90-minute class and focus on tackling restlessness. Cuda will teach alongside Tara Amazon, yoga instructor, and will use techniques such as “belly breathing.” Cuda said with “belly breathing,” the kids would each have a strap around their ribcage. The strap would expand out to show they are deep breathing and using the diaphragm to relax.

The teen class, which ranges in age from 13-17, will focus on tackling anxiety. 

“It’s about noticing what’s going on with society and with the people we come in contact with. The [teens] look like deer caught in headlights,” Cuda said. “I can’t answer their career questions and I can’t navigate their boyfriend/girlfriend situations but I realize that it’s intense. Adolescence is so tough but we can at least offer them a safe environment with confident teachers that can help them relax.”

Cuda said that through relaxation and breathing techniques, young adults could take a step back and focus on what matters to them. She believes through the class the teens will realize what relaxation feels like.

“They’re facing more pressure dealing with what do you want to be when they are older and they don’t want to admit it but they’re clearly not grown up and they have to make some really heavy decisions,” Cuda said.

At school, Cuda believes the teens take on different roles to help them figure out what they want to do in life, such as what being a good student feels like or being the star athlete. However, rather than pleasing their parents through those roles, Cuda thinks they need to step back and feel what is in their heart and body. 

“Sometimes if you can’t relax it’s hard to feel in your body and you get in your head. They get in their head and they’re making decisions from their head. That’s really what the restorative can give back ­— that just breath feeling in their body,” Cuda said. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Each morning Staci Snider opens the doors to SNIDER Fashion and is greeted by a store filled with her own designs. 

Snider said her designs are about creating clothing pieces that go above and beyond the typical clothing found in a fashion boutique. Opening her doors on 18 Congress St. to the public in April 2019, Snider said she has since created relationships with not only people in her community but across the states. 

“It hasn’t been a year but I have really good local customers so its been really nice. I haven’t done any marketing or PR but the company is starting to grow by word of mouth. Then the people that come in stop by quite a bit, so I see them weekly,” Snider said.

Snider said that having a store filled with her own design makes it easier to connect with her clients. Since she knows the clothes so well, styling and fitting the clothing for each customer is easier. She operates with a “hands-on” approach that allows her to tailor designs to fit each customer individually. The sizes range from women’s 0-16 on average, but Snider said her clothing could be made outside of those restrictions.

“It’s good and easy knowing that everything in the store is mine. It’s easier for styling and for helping people because I know the clothes so well. It allows me to readjust the garment to their body type,” Snider said. “It’s very different. I do in-house alterations, hemming and even if we have to add more fabric into a garment I will.” 

Currently Snider is working on pushing out her Spring 2021 line of clothing and said everyone is anticipating her new collection. Due to the current health issues overseas, her production has been slowed down. Snider said the Coronavirus tied up toggles that she had included in her designs and now has to wait for them to be disinfected, shipped and then disinfected again once arriving to the states. 

“Thank goodness I’m a designer that produces in the United States, because most designers produce overseas so they might not be able to ship their spring collection,” Snider said. 

Along with pushing out her spring designs in mid to late March, Snider is looking to welcome students starting early summer 2020. She said a lot of her clients stop by the store with kids who approach Snider and ask about the fashion industry. She said young girls in particular approach her on sewing and design tips, which she hopes to teach them this summer.

“Now I can start getting a little bit more involved with community stuff, so my first is going to be a kids class,” Snider said. “It’s going to be fun.”