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Author: Saratoga TODAY

Caruso Builders Begin Work On Townhome Community In Malta

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

MALTA — Caruso Builders have begun work on a new development of townhomes in Malta near the Malta Drive-In Theatre.

Located at 2782 Route 9, the development will be known as Sage Estates and will contain 34 lots for 68 units, said Anthony Caruso, president of Caruso Builders. Caruso said he was aiming to add a townhome community to his company’s portfolio and cited the convenient location of the development.

“We don’t have any type of townhome community in our portfolio, and it was really something that I was looking to do,” said Caruso. “I felt the location, in close proximity to Exit 13, SPAC, and Saratoga in general, had some really strong benefits.”

The company has completed a majority of site-clearing work, Caruso said, and plans to begin work on infrastructure in the coming weeks. He said the first model home from the development is planned to be constructed in the fall.

“So the direction we’re looking to go with this townhouse site would relate to the other homes that we’re building throughout the area,” Caruso said. “It’s not going to be an entry-level price, but we’d like to try to keep it under what you’d typically see for a product of this type a few minutes outside of Saratoga, or in and around the downtown Saratoga area.”

The development is located across from the Malta Drive-In and is roughly 10 miles south of SPAC and downtown Saratoga Springs. 

“Everything that we put into a single-family home plays a part in a townhome,” Caruso said. “It’s just a different product type and opens us up to the clientele that is really not interested in a single-family, and in more of a townhome and townhome community.”

Caruso, who is an area native and founded Caruso Builders in 2009, said it is exciting to continue to develop properties in his home region.

Stewart’s Shops Celebrates 75 Years of the Make Your Own Sundae

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

In 1948 Philly Dake had a simple idea — let people make ice cream sundaes the way they want them. Stewart’s Shops’ customers loved this idea and the Make Your Own Sundae was born.

The notoriety of the Make Your Own Sundae grew with the help of TV programs like Stewart’s Western Sundae and as an early advertiser on shows like Hopalong Cassidy, Hawkeye, and Whirlybirds.  This flagship sundae remains a customer favorite to this day, stirring a fond nostalgia with so many.

What is a Make Your Own Sundae? A Make Your Own Sundae starts with the ice cream of choice from the cone counter. Customers can then choose as many or as few toppings as they prefer. Toppings include chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, caramel sauce, marshmallow topping and pineapple topping. Then customers can finish it off with chocolate or rainbow sprinkles, mini M&Ms®, fun chips and don’t forget the nuts, whipped cream and the cherry on top!

Stewart’s Shops invites all our customers to join the 75th Make Your Own Sundae Anniversary celebration on Sunday, June 11th! Stop by your local shop for $1.75 Make Your Own Sundaes all day.

President of Stewart’s Shops, Gary Dake said, “My Aunt Philly truly left her mark on Stewart’s Shops. She believed that ice cream should be an experience and the Make Your Own Sundae is one of her many legacies.”

About Philly Dake-

As the Executive Vice President of Stewart’s Shops and a key leader for 50 years, Philly Dake has made many contributions to Stewart’s Shops. She was the creator of Philly Vanilla ice cream, which remains one of the most popular half gallon and pint flavors. A natural philanthropist, Philly Dake was always finding ways to give back. Her generosity and passion for the arts and education supported many nonprofits including SPAC and the YMCA.  In 1999, she created the Make Your Own College Scholarship Program to help the children of Stewart’s Partners with college costs. This program has awarded over $6 million to over 1,500 recipients. 

Saratoga Springs Appoints New Police Chief 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

Lt. Tyler McIntosh has been promoted to Saratoga Springs Chief of Police.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs Police Lt. Tyler McIntosh has been appointed the city’s new Chief of Police, Commissioner of Public Safety Jim Montagnino said in a statement. 

A 2012 graduate of Plattsburgh State University summa cum laude, McIntosh joined the Saratoga Springs Police Department later that same year. He also continued his education and earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration (with a Leadership Concentration) from Marist College in 2019, with a cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.0. He also recently earned a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia. McIntosh is currently enrolled in the FBI National Academy and will be graduating on June 8.

Current city Police Chief Shane Crooks has filed retirement papers effective June 30. 

“After many years of faithful service to our community, we gratefully wish Chief Crooks and his family the very best for the future,” said Montagnino, in a statement.

In the Saratoga Springs Police Department, McIntosh rose through the ranks from Patrol Officer to Patrol Sergeant; was later promoted to Patrol Lieutenant; and was then assigned the duties of Accreditation Lieutenant upon the retirement of Lt. Robert Jillson.

Since 2006, McIntosh has served in the United States Army Reserve and the New York Army National Guard, where he currently holds the rank of Major. 

Property Transactions June 9 – June 11, 2023

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Property Transactions.

This beautiful home at 107 Hollister Way in Ballston Spa was listed by Darlene Chorman of Roohan Realty and sold for $375,000.

BALLSTON

Brookview Court Inc sold property at 52 Arcadia Ct to Joseph Cannone for $368,573

Brookview Court Inc sold property at 48 Arcadia Ct to 1687 Foster LLC for $364,878

Steven Jeffers sold property at 400 Middle Line Rd to CQC Holdings LLC for $1,100,000

Debra Balliet sold property at 107 Hollister Way to Laurie Pollard for $375,000

Eastline Holdings LLC sold property at 40 Timber Creek Dr to Almonte Gacuya for $544,980

JKM Builders LLC sold property at 10 Katharine Ct to Xiangfei Kong for $440,891

Paul Galchus sold property at 108 Ballston Ave to Joshua Loiselle for $290,000

GALWAY

Charles Quinlan sold property at 5306 Sacandaga Rd to London and Local for $450,000

GREENFIELD

Saratoga County of sold property at 300 Brigham Rd to James North for $121,100

Lana McCall sold property at 426 & 427 Sandhill Rd to Matthew Freihoffer for $400,000

MALTA 

Michael Rusnak sold property at 42 Thimbleberry Rd to Britt Young for $277,500

Debra Schreiber sold property at 98 Pepperbush Pl to Marie Zendran for $225,000

Malta Land Company sold property at 10 Spinnaker Dr to Patrick Murphy for $791,469

Degraff Bloom Custom Builders sold property at 146 Cramer Rd to Jules Martowski for $522,000

SARATOGA

Saratoga County sold property at 21 Morgans Run to Christopher Sass for $168,400

David Ceriotti sold property at NYS Rt 9P to Jon Consentino for $175,000

John Arpey as ref sold property at 61 Gates Ave to Gould Bros. Rentals for $217,405

John Barber sold property at 428 Burgoyne Rd to Alexandra Swan for $315,000

SARATOGA SPRINGS

Luciano Properties LLC sold property at 9 Jenna Jo Ave to Barry Pronold for $225,000

Azusa Mihara sold property at 71 Crescent Ave to David Collery for $310,000

Antonio Ballestero sold property at 4 Gilbert Rd to Lofranco Homes LLC for $250,000.

Conor Woods sold property at 6 Karen Dr to Erin OConnell for $350,000

Satish Kumar sold property at 2205 Doubleday Ave to Farah Bhatti for $1,025,000

Ashleigh Edwards sold property at 43 Marvin St to Trevor McCarthy for $560,000

Gerald Weatherwax sold property at 35 Covell Ave to Deborah Becktoft for $150,000.

Thomas Dwyer sold property at Grand Ave to Derby Stallion LLC for $200,000

Irwin Millman sold property at 7 Troon Ct to Gregory Hutchison for $420,000.

WILTON

Frank Sansiveri sold property at 3 Evergreen Dr to James Lamarco for $340,000.

Ballard Road Development LLC sold property at 5 Blue lupine Lane to Paul Rogan for $316,800

Robert Searles sold property at 47 Castleberry Dr to bryan Shackelton for $535,700

Saratoga County Launches DWI-Ignition Interlock Enforcement Initiative

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Department of Probation and the county Sherriff’s Office received a $35,000 grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee for enforcement of the State’s DWI-Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Enforcement Initiative. 

The funding will be used to enforce the state program aimed at catching convicted drunk drivers who break the law by operating vehicles without ignition interlock devices or by circumventing or tampering with the devices to make them inoperable. 

The program’s goal is to increase compliance with the state’s DWI laws, while helping law enforcement identify and arrest those individuals attempting to operate a motor vehicle without a court-ordered interlock device. The grant funds training as well as overtime costs for law enforcement, allowing agencies to conduct targeted sweeps aimed at catching offenders between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Interlock devices are installed on the ignition of a vehicle to prevent the operator from starting it if they’ve been drinking. An individual must first blow into the device, which can then prevent the vehicle from starting if the presence of alcohol is detected.

Individuals convicted of drunk driving must install an ignition interlock device installation on any vehicle they intend to operate as a result of Leandra’s Law, which also makes it a felony to drive drunk with a child under 16 in the vehicle. The law took effect in December 2009 and is named in memory of 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, a passenger in an SUV who died when the vehicle’s intoxicated driver crashed on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City.

Under Leandra’s Law, judges are required to order all drivers convicted of misdemeanor or felony drunk driving charges to install and maintain ignition interlock devices on any vehicles they own or operate for at least six months at their own expense.

Individuals who attest under oath that they have sold or transferred title to their vehicles – and as a result aren’t ordered to install the device – still have the ignition interlock condition on their New York driver’s license and DMV license file. These individuals are still prohibited from driving a vehicle without an interlock, but some continue to do so in violation of Leandra’s Law.

The law also makes it illegal to tamper with or circumvent an ignition interlock device. Individuals may face jail time if convicted of any offense under the law. In addition, individuals on probation may be charged with a violation of their sentence if charged with an ignition interlock offense.

Rich Johns Receives Excelsior Award from SAANYS

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.

Photo provided

CLIFTON PARK — Each year, the SAANYS Region 6 Board holds its annual Leadership Breakfast in order to recognize leadership in all of its forms in schools. The breakfast, held at the Van Patten Golf Club in Clifton Park, recognized student leaders (in grades 5-12), senior scholarship winners, and leaders among their administrative colleagues. 

Coach Rich Johns received the Excelsior Award for his leadership and continued work in the field of education through his Act With Respect Always message. 

Saratoga Little League Challengers ‘Under the Lights’ Game June 3rd

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.

Photo by Super Source Media Studios

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The 9th annual Saratoga Little league Challenger baseball game took place with a big crowd in attendance.  

32 players are enrolled in the program, ages 5-18 years old.  Stewarts Shop sponsors one of the teams and provides free ice cream to the players, families and friends that attend the game.  

Fitzpatricks is another sponsor for the team and she has been a sponsor for the little league for over 25 years and provides jackets to the 12 year olds playing little league baseball.

Among the fans in cheering on the players were family, school staff, special education teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapists and social workers.

Springettes Gymnastics Team Competes At Northeastern Regional Championships

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.

GLASTONBURY, CT — The Saratoga Regional YMCA Springettes Gymnastics team attended the 2023 Northeastern US Regional Championship on May 20 and 21 at Glastonbury High School, hosted by the Glastonbury YMCA in CT. The Springettes had 27 athletes from the team compete in levels 3-8. Gymnasts had to reach qualifying scores during their competitive season in order to qualify for the event. All of the gymnasts from the Springettes received qualification scores during the season.

In the team competition, the level 3 team placed fourth, the level 4 team placed sixth and the level 8 team placed third overall.

Individual competitors placing in the top 6 in their age divisions include:

Level 3 Child A – Avery McCrindle placed 3rd on vault, 2nd on bars, 6th on floor and 6th all-around. Collins Hewitt placed 4th on beam.

Level 3 Child B – Catherine Freeh placed 6th on bars.

Level 3 Junior B – Madison Armstrong placed 3rd on beam, 3rd on floor, and 5th all-around. Lily Straight placed 2nd on vault.

Level 3 Senior A – Lyla Ross placed 2nd on vault, 3rd on bars, 6th on beam, 5th on floor, and 3rd all-around. Rylan Keller placed 1st on vault, 5th on bars and 6th all-around. Olivia Delaney placed 4th on vault, 3rd on beam and 4th on floor.

Level 3 Senior B – Maeve Herrick placed 2nd on vault, 1st on bars, and is the 1st place all-around Regional Champion. Madelyn Lis placed 2nd on beam, 3rd on floor, and 6th in the all-around. Madelyn Lawson placed 4th on vault, and 4th on beam.

Level 4 Junior A – Carson Cicardi placed 5th on beam and 6th on floor. Alexandra Crombach placed 2nd on bars. 

Level 4 Senior A – Rilynn Reeves placed 5th on vault, 4th on bars, 5th on beam, 1st on floor and is the first-place regional all-around champion.

Level 5 Junior – Amelia Covey placed 3rd in the floor exercise.

Level 5 Senior – Elsie-Anna Williams placed 4th on the balance beam.

Level 7 Senior – Alyssa Glaser placed 5th on beam.

Level 8 Senior – Sydney Crombach placed 4th on vault, 1st on beam, 1st on floor and 3rd all-around. Erin Ward placed 4th on bars, 5th on beam, 2nd on floor, and 5th all-around. Samantha Tennyson placed 4th on floor. Sarah Mosher placed 6th on vault.

RISE Housing & Support Services Highlights May Success and Growth Milestones 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.

RISE Above, rendering of a new substance use recovery residence in Ballston Spa. 

BALLSTON SPA — RISE Housing and Support Services in May celebrated the completion and opening of Dominic Hollow, a new affordable and supportive housing complex that provides workforce housing for local residents and includes a component of supportive housing for people with disabilities located in Ballston Spa.

Dominic Hollow is a 60-unit apartment program which contains 18 units designated as Supportive Housing for individuals living with mental health or substance use concerns, 12 units designated as Transitional Apartments for individuals with psychiatric disabilities, and 30 units designated as Affordable Housing for the general community. The project completion and opening was assisted by the help of the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR),

Also in May, RISE, again with the help of OMH and HCR, broke ground on Riverview Apartments, a joint effort with Hudson River Community Credit Union who donated the land for the project in Corinth. When finished, it will have 30 units designated as Supportive Housing, and 30 units designated as affordable or workforce housing for the general community, with 15 units prioritized for seniors.

Additional operational funding was made possible for Riverview Apartments through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI). RISE also received a million-dollar FHLB Affordable Housing & Community Investment to assist in the development of the affordable housing units.

Closing out the month, RISE celebrated the construction of RISE Above, a substance use recovery residence, with a groundbreaking ceremony. 

The rehabilitation facility – sited within walking distance of Dominic Hollow in Ballston Spa – Walking will be the first in the area to offer an increased level of care. This facility will be staffed with nurses, counselors, a medical director, and provide substance use treatment on-site. 

“Providing housing as a foundation for improvement enables members of our community who are living with mental health, substance use, or other life challenges to remain safe and healthy while they work toward their goals,” said Sybil Newell, executive director of RISE, in a statement. “(We) celebrate not just one, but three milestones of growth. We can’t wait to see the change this will affect, and the success of the people we’re helping.”

For more information about RISE Housing & Support Services, visit: https://www.riseservices.org/.

Special Events in June at Saratoga National Historical Park 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

STILLWATER — Saratoga National Historical Park announced a series of special events will take place in June.  

Recreating History and the 24th Regiment at the Visitor Center. June 10, 10 a.m. Discover how His Majesty’s 24th Regiment of Foot, recreated, portrays a famed British regiment as they were during the Battles of Saratoga. Group members will be available after the talk to provide information on reenacting and how you can join. 

History Caravans. Meet at the Visitor Center. June 13 and 27, 9:30 a.m. Park Volunteers lead caravan-style tours of the Saratoga Battlefield.

What’s the Plan? Visitor Center. June 14, 1 p.m. Join Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer as he reviews the background to the strategic planning of British military operations for 1777 and reveals the surprisingly diverse origins of the people composing the invasion forces.

18th Century Medicine. Visitor Center Lawn. June 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Volunteer Joe Craig explains the Healing Arts at the time of the Revolutionary War.

Silent Wings: Raptor Rehab and Education. Visitor Center. June 18, 1 p.m. The Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York return to the park to present, “Silent Wings: Raptor Rehab and Education.” The program is designed for all ages to see live birds of prey up-close and to learn about their impressive adaptations and behaviors. 

A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown. Visitor Center. June 24, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saratoga County’s horse racing history is nearly as old as its Revolutionary history and it remains a vital part of the region today. Join a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in both stories at one place as Saratoga National Historical Park welcomes the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and their exhibit A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown.

Saratoga National Historical Park is located at 648 Route 32, in Stillwater. The Special Event schedule can be found at go.nps.gov/sara.