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Author: Saratoga TODAY

“Classroom on Wheels” Aims to Combat Skilled Labor Shortage

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

Sarah Wilson-Sparrow, Vice President of Workforce Development and Community Education, SUNY Schenectady; Laurie Poltynski, Regional Director, National Grid; and Dr. Steady Moono, President,
SUNY Schenectady Photo provided.

SCHENECTADY — SUNY Schenectady will bring education and training in manufacturing and healthcare directly to students and local employers through two mobile units. The college received funding in 2021 to procure two mobile units, “classrooms on wheels” that can travel to partner sites to conveniently provide on-site training for the future workforce. The college has begun the work of building the units and is looking to partner with regional advanced manufacturing companies and healthcare providers to ensure that training and equipment available on the units reflects the “shop floor needs” of industry. SUNY Schenectady has also initiated a funding campaign to develop support for operational expenses of both units. National Grid is the first industry partner to provide funding to support the advanced manufacturing unit with a generous donation of $25,000.  

SUNY Schenectady’s Workforce Development and Community Education Division will use the labs to bring education/training opportunities into the community, providing career-focused learning opportunities in technical, professional and interpersonal competencies to meet the needs of today’s employers.

 “Our new mobile classrooms are an exciting avenue for us to bring healthcare and manufacturing education and training wherever it’s needed in our community,” said school President Dr. Steady Moono. “Already, we provide customized training for local employers and now, we can take that a step further by providing focused training on site for students and employers in the Capital Region. We are extremely grateful to National Grid for investing in SUNY Schenectady by funding the advanced manufacturing mobile unit.”

 Both units will consist of state-of-the-art classrooms which will seat 12 students, and will be self-powered, climate controlled, and Wi-Fi enabled. The Advanced Manufacturing unit will include an AutoCAD; 3D Printer; Mini-Lathe; Collaborative Robot; Amatrol Skill Boss; Lock Out/Tag Out, and computer workstations. The units will also have modular training equipment that can be swapped out to fit the need of the class being taught.

 Through these units, the college will have the capability to offer healthcare training in: phlebotomy; EKG; CPR; leadership; and communication, along with essential healthcare skills; documentation; trauma informed care; healthcare integration; safety/ergonomics for healthcare workers; anatomy and physiology and medical coding; and social determinants of health. Manufacturing workshops and training could include those in: cyber security awareness; customer service suite; leadership in business; and supply chain/logistics.

“As the energy landscape changes we need tools that will bring new ideas and groundbreaking innovation to get us to a more sustainable future,” said Laurie Poltynski, National Grid Regional Director. “This new mobile SUNY Schenectady classroom will support those new ideas and attract the workforce needed to shape the future of energy in the Capital Region and beyond.”

The mobile classrooms, trucks, and equipment will be housed in a garage on the SUNY Schenectady campus. The college expects to begin using the units in Spring 2023.

Youth Helping Youth to Host Book Drive

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.


Youth2 leader and book drive organizer, Riley.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Saturday, October 22, Youth2– Youth Helping Youth will be hosting a Community Care PopUp -“Books for a Better World.” The Book Drive will take place at the 112 Spring Street in the parking lot. The drive will begin at 12 p.m. and continue until about 2 p.m., rain or shine.

The youth group are looking to collect teen and children’s books surrounding themes of diversity, positive racial relations, peace/conflict resolution, community building, women’s rights, LGBTQIA + rights, environmental action and banned or challenged books. Although, any children/teen books with positive messages are appreciated. For more information on the drive, or on Youth Helping Youth visit www.youthsquared.org or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/YouthSquared. 

October 14 – 20, 2022

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Property Transactions.

This home at 8 Wineberry, Malta listed by Tamara Valentine at Roohan Realty sold for $350,000.

BALLSTON

Alexandra Talarico sold property at 13 Everson Way to Patrick Holmes for $715,000

Kenneth Clark sold property at 139 Hop City Rd to Seven Acre Farms LLC for $200,000.

Michael Busone sold property at 276 Lake Rd to Charles Ayotte for $435,000.

Michaels and Larway Holdings LLC sold property at 6 Summerhill Dr to Diane McNamara for $438,335.

Thomas Burke sold property at 5 Timber Creek Dr to Eric Hanley for $549,000.

Michael Moy sold property at 11 Red Barn Dr to National Residential Nominee Services Inc for $492,500.

National Residential Nominee Services Inc sold property at 11 Red Barn Dr to Joseph Plantz for $492,500.

Timothy Mack sold property at 181 Goode St to mark Humphrey for $380,000

MALTA

Jeffrey Debus sold property at 5 Albany Ave to Shannon Higgins for $290,000

Patrick Sheridan sold property at 12 Basswood Ct to Haley McDougall for $480,000

Katie Speanburg sold property at 15 Kozy Lane to Lindsey Speach for $515,000

Kyle Holzhauer sold property at 62 Pepperbush Place to Zachary Ahrerns for $247,000

SARATOGA

Seth Merrill sold property at 5 Crow St to Michael Demers for $170,000

Joseph Mack sold property at 1059 Cty Rt 70 to 1059 County Route 70 LLC for $975,000.

Anthony White sold property at 56 Gates Ave to Kekoakamalani Comeaux for $130,000.

SARATOGA SPRINGS

Christopher Malley sold property at 8 Brookwood Dr to Wu Chen Xun for $360,000

Richard King sold property at 143 Caroline St to Michael Morriseey & Jan Faiola Trust for $325,000 

Patricia Lambrecht sold property at 14 Ellis Ave  to Charles Walz for $450,000

Linda Gioia sold property at 2 Beach Ct to Michelle Hykin for $775,000

Michael Messier sold property at 70 Railroad Pl to Jane Loftus for $790,000.

West End Girls Rental LLC sold property at 17 Alger St to Lucy White for $295,000.

Regatta View LLC sold property at 3 Dartmouth Way to Charylann Maas for $578,478

Ronald Tucker sold property at 208 Lake Ave to Peter Bevan for $600,000.

Eugene Salerni sold property at 37 Preakness Way to Lance law for $316,000.

Candace Krueger sold property at 46 Union Ave #206 to C Springs Union LLC for $1,300,000

128 Henry Building LLC sold property at 128 Henry St Unit 401 toDeCrescente Family Irrevocable Trust  for $1,262,942

WILTON

Charlene Hord sold property at 45 Cardinal Court to Katherine Camarota for $301,000.

Sonoma Grove LLC sold property at 47 Berkeley Way to Kenneth Shapiro for $841,961

Cottage Hill Townhomes LLC sold property at 10 Eastridge Dr to James Morgan for $261,000

Joseph McClements sold property at 20 Fenimore Pl to Janine Fitzer for $535,000

Sheri Templar sold property at 13 Carlyle Terrace to Timothy Brosnan for $805,000.

Daniel Sollecito sold property at 10 Hammond Dr to Justin Maynard for $310,000

Sixth Generation Strings Hosts Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce for a Ribbon Cutting

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

Photo by Tyler Murray.

SARATOGA — On Friday, Oct. 14, the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce will visit Sixth Generation Strings for an official ribbon cutting ceremony. Sixth Generation Strings, located at 480 Broadway, will officially be cutting their ribbon at 12 p.m. Sixth Generation Strings is a local music hub for the Saratoga Region and beyond. They offer rental instruments and accessories, six generations of family traditions in violin making and repair, a carefully curated selection of string instruments and a wide variety of used vinyl records. 

Sixth Generation Strings is the work of Thomas Dunn, who carries with him six generations of violin making that traces back to the mid 1800s in Hungary. The oldest of a musical family of 9, Thomas was raised on a farm in Fort Plain from age 11. He developed manual labor skills and built many model tall ships as a teen, which sparked his love for crafting and woodworking. Combining his passions for music and woodworking with his love of science and physics, Thomas decided to continue in the family tradition of violin making. Violin making is something that combines knowledge, skill, artistry, science, and even philosophy, according to Dunn. For more information on Sixth Generation Strings, visit their website,  sixgviolin.com, or their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/sixgviolin. 

“SAIL” Relocates to Wilton Mall

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

WILTON — Southern Adirondack Independent Living (SAIL) relocated its Saratoga County office to 3065 NY-50, inside Wilton Mall. “Wilton Mall offers SAIL and the community we serve an accessible and innovative new location, more centrally located to the heart of Saratoga County,” said Tyler Whitney, deputy executive director of SAIL, a nonprofit organization that provides services to help people living with disabilities achieve the greatest level of independence possible. 

With offices in Saratoga, Queensbury and Plattsburgh, SAIL provides an array of services, including a free medical equipment loan program, health insurance enrollment services including Medicaid and Medicare, home assistance and help with filling out community resource applications, among others. “This new space provides a warm environment in which our staff can continue to assist our community members on their journey toward independent living,” Whitney said. “We find that repurposing a location once used for retail is a trailblazing idea that can bring new life to shopping centers.”

Founded as Glens Falls Independent Living Center in 1988, SAIL opened offices in Saratoga in 1994 and Plattsburgh in 2013. The organization was renamed in 2007 to better reflect its commitment to providing services throughout the North Country, Glens Falls and Saratoga regions. The nonprofit organization is funded through donations and grants. To support SAIL and its services, visit their website: www.sailhelps.org. 

South Broadway’s Homewood Suites Purchased by DelMonte Hotel Group

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

SARATOGA — According to documents filed with the Saratoga County clerk’s office on September 27, the DelMonte Hotel Group out of Rochester has purchased the Homewood Suites by Hilton on South Broadway. The hotel, which includes over 100 rooms, is the firm’s second acquisition in the community in the past year. The property was purchased for $15.25 million.

Alex DelMonte, chief executive of the hotel group, acquired the hotel from Turf Hotels of Latham and Pioneer Cos. 

This acquisition follows the group’s previous purchase of the Hampton Inn & Suites hotel in downtown Saratoga Springs in December 2021. DelMonte bought that property from Turf Hotels and developer Frank Parillo for $28.25 million. That deal included the real estate, a two-story parking garage, the business, plus furniture and equipment. The DelMonte Group, whose portfolio includes hotels in three different states, has expanded its presence in th region over the past few years. The company now has six Marriott and Hilton properties in Albany, Troy and Saratoga Springs.

Saratoga Skatepark Finally Gains Approval from the City

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Built in 1989, the East Side Recreation Skatepark is the oldest municipal skatepark in New York State. Now, more than three decades after its installation, the skatepark is finally getting a proper upgrade – something that has been lobbied to the city for nearly a decade. “It’s one of the most used facilities at East Side Rec,” said Mayor Ron Kim. In the last City Council meeting,  a vote was finally pushed through to hire a concrete service, Artisan Concrete Inc., to fully renovate the park, which as of now has out-date-features and rusted metal ramps.

The goal is to make the park’s features fully concrete – the modern standard for skateparks. This will allow the features to last longer, and make for a quieter skate, something that will benefit those that live in nearby houses. The cost to the city is an estimated $405,100 for the project, according to released documents from City Hall – though an exact date on when the renovations will start still hasn’t been set. Nonetheless, it’s a start. And it’s an act of transparency from the city, which is something that organizers like Benj Gleeksman of ON DECK Saratoga (a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization under the umbrella of the Saratoga Institute) have been asking for for years. “We’re pretty stoked,” Gleeksman told Saratoga TODAY.

The renovations to the park were initially projected to cost $265,000 when the plans were first unveiled – and the city council unanimously approved the project. However, due to supply chain disruptions and the ever-rising price of materials during the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost to the city increased by $140,000. So, ON DECK took matters into their own hands. Using the power of grassroots fundraising and help from local businesses, the organization raised over $70,000 for the new skatepark – covering half of the unforeseen expenses. On June 7, 2022, the city approved the new expenses, and the project was seemingly green-lit, but it wasn’t until September 30 that the full scope of the project was approved, the contractor was named and the documents were released to public record. 

It has been a long time coming for the skateboarding scene in Saratoga, and some, like Benj Gleeksman, think this will only add to the tourism the town feeds off of if the park is done right. According to Gleeksman, “[ON DECK] has been working on this for years, really since 2012, which is when we had our first skate deck show to kick off our fundraising efforts. We’re super excited to get the new park. For out-of-town families whose kids participate in wheeled sports, it will offer a possible vacation destination since, it sounds almost crazy to say, but skateparks are now attractions to traveling families. For locals, it will offer much more variety for kids of all levels.” Importantly, this was all made possible through local event organizers, campaigners, businesses and families that support the local scene that worked hand-in-hand with Mayor Kim’s administration. While the exact date is not set, soon one of East Side Rec’s oldest attractions will be full of new faces, new features and new ways to continue to enjoy the sport that many in our community love. 

City Budget 2023: Employee Salaries, Benefits & Insurance Costs Account for 84% of City Expenses

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in News.


Presentation of Saratoga Springs’ proposed 2023 Comprehensive Budget at City Hall on Oct. 6, 2022. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi proposed a $54.2 million 2023 spending plan for Saratoga Springs during the city’s initial Comprehensive Budget presentation on Oct. 6.

While similar to the $54.1 million 2022 budget, next year’s proposal accounts for 7 percent more in revenues, as the 2022 budget contains $3.9 million of ARPA monies received from the Federal Government, Sanghvi explained.

The main sources of revenue were property tax, sales tax, mortgage tax, State aid, and VLT aid, accounting for 75 percent of the city’s revenue. 

Employee salaries, benefits and insurance costs account for 84 percent of the city’s expenses, with the rising cost of healthcare, retirement benefits, and insurance being the main sources of strain on next year’s expenses. 

The budget includes the addition of 16 new fire fighters for the 3rd EMS/ Fire Station under development on Henning Road. While these new additions will be paid for by a Federal SAFER grant, the grant only pays for personnel and benefits costs and would not cover the day-to-day operations, uniforms, medical exams, equipment, and other various costs of the fire station, Sanghvi said. 

To balance these costs Sanghvi proposed raising Real Property Tax from $6.43 to $6.67 for the Inside District, and from $6.37 to $6.61 for the Outside District; an average increase of 3.72 percent. 

 “This means if your house is assessed at $200,000 you will pay $4 a month more on your property tax. If your house is assessed at $300,000 you will pay $6 a month more on your property tax. If your house is assessed at $400,000 you will pay $8 a month more on your property tax,” Sanghvi said. 

A series of workshops – one for each city department – are scheduled to take place this month at City Hall. Upcoming workshops include: Public Works & Recreation (11 a.m., Oct. 17); Public Safety (3 p.m., Oct. 24); Capital Budget (4 p.m., Oct. 26), and Summary of Amended Budget (3 p.m. Oct. 28). 

The public will have the opportunity to comment on the budget during a 2023 Comprehensive Budget Public Hearing at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

The Life of U.S. Grant Exhibit at Brookside Museum

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

Grant Bust and Death Mask. A traveling exhibit about U.S. Grant’s life is on exhibit in Ballston Spa. Photo provided.

BALLSTON SPA —To celebrate the Bicentennial of Ulysses S. Grant’s Birthday, the Presidential Library at Mississippi State University has created a traveling exhibit about Grant’s life.  

Banners describe his life from his humble beginnings until his accession to the United States presidency.

The exhibition will be presented at the Brookside Museum at the Saratoga County History Center as part of a special agreement between Friends of Grant Cottage. The exhibition runs to Nov. 11 during regular business hours (Thursday-Sunday from 1-5 p.m.).

The SCHC Brookside Museum is located at 21 Fairground Avenue in Ballston Spa.  Admission to the museum is free and donations are appreciated.  More information about Brookside Museum can be found on the website at www.brooksidemuseum.org.

Campfire Concerts at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

WILTON — Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will be hosting a fun and warming day of campfire concerts on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 1-4 p.m. While the focus will be on live music, there will also be refreshments, roasting marshmallows, a fall scavenger hunt and more… all while warming up by the campfire. 

In keeping with their work with the endangered Karner blue butterfly the musical performers will feature “blue”grass and the “blues.” The Red Spruce Band and Thomasina Winslow will be the featured artists. At last year’s concert, Winslow collected information from the audience about the Karner blue butterfly and she will be performing her Karner Butterfly Blues for the first time in front of an audience.

This is a free program. Saratoga Arts made this program possible with a Community Arts Grant funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information about the program or to register, contact the Preserve & Park Office at 518-450-0321 or email info@wiltonpreserve.org.