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Author: Saratoga TODAY

“Jump Into Fall” with Waldorf & Pitney Meadows

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

Photo provided.

SARATOGA — On Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Waldorf School of Saratoga in collaboration with the Pitney Meadows Community Farm will be hosting their third annual “Jump Into Fall” event. This event is a family gathering that celebrates the season and raises money for the farm and the Waldorf School.

The day is chock-full of events like sheep shearing, a drum circle, a scavenger hunt around the farm, a hay jump, music and stories and many more interactive activities for children. Healthy snacks from some local restaurants will also be available. Admission is free, just pay to park. To learn more about the event or how to become a sponsor, visit: jumpintofallsaratoga.com. 

The Pitney Meadows Community Farm’s mission is to celebrate and explore agricultural education, healthy food production and recreation. They offer a broad array of opportunities to engage with the land and the Saratoga community, including a community garden, a community supported agriculture program, education programs and an accessible trail system that is open to visitors dawn to dusk. In addition, the farm donates more than 20,000 pounds of produce annually to food pantries and other social service organizations in the region. 

For more information on Pitney Meadows, visit: www.pitneymeadowscommunityfarm.org. 

Be Who You Are Day at Greenfield Elementary

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

Greenfield Elementary Kindergarten “Be Who You Are” self-portraits.
Photo provided.

Greenfield CENTER — Greenfield Elementary School hosted “Be Who You Are Day” last week, inspired by The New York Times bestselling author Todd Parr’s book.

Parr’s  book titled “Be Who You Are” encourages children to be proud of their unique qualities.  Following this sentiment, Greenfield Elementary students completed projects, including drawing self portraits, to celebrate their individual traits.

For more visit facebook.com/greenfieldelementaryschool.

Incentives Raised as SSCD Tries to Land More Bus Drivers

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.


Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — As the Saratoga Springs City School District continues to battle transportation staff shortages, the Board of Education and Superintendent Michael Patton have recently upped the ante for prospective employees. This includes an incentive to any district employee who refers someone to a bus driving position – previously the referral based program was only open to those already working in transportation.

“When you think about what it takes logistically to plan routing close to 6,000 students a day, it’s an incredible effort that our transportation department does and when we’re down staff, obviously, that has an impact on the entire system,” said Superintendent Patton. The district has over 325 daily routes, which all need coverage on a daily basis.

To ensure the district can handle this demand, the Board of Education voted unanimously to double the monetary incentive it offers for referrals from $250 to $500 upon hiring. District workers who refer a driver will receive $100 on the date the referred person is hired and then an additional $400 after that driver has been on the job for six months. Currently, the district needs about 10 more drivers, according to Patton.

To further this effort, drivers who are willing to train new employees will receive an increase of $4 per hour, up from $2. And drivers who cover extracurricular activities (like sports games or transportation for school clubs) will also receive an additional $4 per hour. Entry level pay for both regular and substitute drivers is just over $21 per hour. 

October 7 – 13, 2022

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Property Transactions.


13 Wellington Dr., Saratoga Springs $725,000

BALLSTON

Eric LaFlamme sold property at 15 Sherwood Park Dr to Matthew Lotano for $290,000

Nicholas Trotta sold property at 55 Westside Dr to Richard Dominy for $359,000.

Edward Lake sold property at 39 Lewis St to Nicholas Junkerman for $385,000.

Michaels and Larway Holdings LLC sold property at 5 Summerhill Dr to Katie Speanburg for $505,590.

MALTA

David Avenarius sold property at 136 Van Aernum Rd to Brieanna Hughes for $235,000

Stephanie Weissman sold property at 2 Wake Robin Rd to Christopher Coleman for $235,000

Too Ate Siix Limited sold property at 2425 Rt 9 to Eagle Associated of Niagara Frontier Inc for $230,000

Catherine Parry sold property at 64 Wake Robin Rd to Courtney Washington for $238,394.

Kyle Patterson sold property at 143 Arrow Wood Pl to Donna Wiseman for $251,000

SARATOGA

Jeff Gonyea sold property at 256 Evans St to Calvin Briggs for $282,500

Vincent Hill sold property at 1008 NYS Rt 29 to Elizabeth Harris for $3,250,000.

SARATOGA SPRINGS

Alexander Drambour sold property at 93 Trottingham Ct to Heather Chevalley for $192,500

Richard Butler sold property at 35 Dyer Switch Rd to Mark McDonald for $625,000 

Dennis King sold property at 96 Catherine St to Denise Donlon for $335,000

Brendan Moran sold property at 5 Maxwell Dr to Thomas Barkley for $547,000

Patrick Mickenzie sold property at 139 Elm St to Griffin Doyle for $250,000.

Mary Evans sold property at 107 White St to Joseph Scotland for $750,000.

CRDN Properties Inc sold property at 110-114 Nelson Ave to ANW Holdings INC for $3,200,000

199 Milton Ave Assoc. LLC sold property at 11 Prospect Dr. to Cynthia OConnor for $350,000.

Piper DP Realty Inc sold property at 43 Phila St to Albany Sand Road LLC for $1,335,000.

Lucien Galarneau sold property at 109 Meadowbrook Rd to Edward Castellazzo for $492,000

WILTON

Viane Lizza sold property at 4 Sydney Hill Rd to Walter Kemp for $875,000.

William Morris sold property at 10 Colleen Ct to McPadden Builders LLC for $120,000

Frederick Bollman sold property at 849-851 Saratoga Rd to Zappone Property Management LLC for $925,000

Deanna Murray sold property at 7 Killarney Court to James Brophy for $475,000

Pamela Malone sold property at 274 Northern Pines Rd to Daniel Costello for $335,000.

Laurence Krisson sold property at 13 Wellington Dr to Elyse Iseman for $725,000

Sally Covell sold property at 576 Rt 9 to Rolland Hoag for $240,000

Daniel Deighan sold property at 7 Peabody Place to BGRS Relocation Inc for $455,000

Saratoga Hospital Names New Administrative Director of HR 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

Kathy LaFond. Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS ­— Kathy LaFond has been promoted to Administrative Director of Human Resources at Saratoga Hospital, a member of the Albany Med Health System. In her new role, she provides leadership to all areas of human resources and guidance to the directors of volunteer services and employee health and occupational medicine.

LaFond has nearly two decades of human resources experience, including more than eight years as Senior Director of Human Resources at Glens Falls Hospital, also a member of the Albany Med Health System. Most recently, she was Associate Director of Benefits and Compensation at Saratoga Hospital.

 “Kathy has extensive experience overseeing critical HR functions and a keen understanding of the challenges facing today’s hospitals,” Saratoga Hospital Executive Vice President Jeffrey Methven said. “Equally important, she shares our commitment to maintaining the supportive work environment that has long been a hallmark of Saratoga Hospital.”

 LaFond has a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Empire State College, a Master’s in Human Resource Management from Stony Brook University, a certificate in human resource management from Duke University, and a certificate in diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace from the University of South Florida.

 She also holds two human resources professional certifications: senior professional in human resources from the Human Resources Certification Institute and senior certified professional from the Society for Human Resource Management.

LaFond, of Queensbury, is president of the Adirondack Human Resource Association and serves on the Adirondack Employee Assistance Program board, Saratoga-Warren-Washington Workforce Development board, and Saratoga Regional YMCA human resources committee. She is a member of the Capital Region Human Resource Association and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Beech-Nut Distributes Food at “Beech-Nut Gives Back” Event

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

AMSTERDAM —On September 30, Beech-Nut Nutrition Company, an award-winning baby and toddler food manufacturer, hosted its 6th annual “Beech-Nut Gives Back” drive-thru food distribution event for local families in need. The drive-thru event provides baby food, fresh produce and shelf-stable pantry items. They placed 1,015 boxes of food in the trunks of cars as traffic wound through the parking lot of the Amsterdam-based headquarters and manufacturing facility.

Boxes contained Beech-Nut jars, pouches, and Crispeas, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables from regional farms including Genecco Produce, Mancuso Marketing & Sales, Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards, and bread from Bimbo Bakeries. Additional shelf-stable pantry items were donated by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.  

Amanda Ettinger, Consumer Engagement Manager and co-chair of Beech-Nut’s “Helping Hands” community-service initiatives, said, “This event is something our associates look forward to each year. As a company in the business of feeding young children, we are committed to challenging the issue of food insecurity right here in our local community. We appreciated the chance to come together as a Beech-Nut family to host this event.”

Since 1931, Beech-Nut® Nutrition Company has been a leader in the baby food category and is the #1 jarred baby food on the market. Beech-Nut operates a state-of-the-art LEED certified manufacturing facility in Amsterdam, New York where it produces a variety of organic and conventional certified baby and toddler foods. Beech-Nut is a subsidiary of Hero AG of Lenzburg, Switzerland, a global leader in consumer goods and infant feeding. For more information, visit www.beechnut.com. 

Youth Helping Youth to Host Yard Sale to Benefit Charity    

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Youth Helping Youth, or Youth2, is an organization that orchestrates collaboration  between youth and adults to brainstorm and execute ideas to help their community. Youth2 allows young people to take part in direct social action, encouraging them to continue doing charity work well into adulthood. Youth2 donates grant money to fund both existing and newly-created youth-led and youth-designed projects, helping citizens locally, nationally and globally.

On Friday, Oct. 14 Youth2 will be hosting a yard sale at 27 Excelsior Springs Ave.  in Saratoga Springs. The sale will be open from Friday, Oct. 14 to Sunday, Oct. 16 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. On Sunday from 2-4 p.m., items are free or with donation. Youth2  will have medical, office and household supplies, musical items, travel aids, new Christmas and holiday fare, sports clothes and equipment, tools, purses, hats, mittens, women’s and men’s clothing, baby items, bedding and more. Many items can be re-gifted and re-purposed.

Youth2 plans to give all proceeds from this event to the Brigid Alliance, the National Alliance on Mental Illness – a nationwide, grassroots mental health organization offering educational programs and advocacy for individuals and families,  New York State’s SNUG – a street outreach gun violence prevention program aimed at reducing and preventing shootings and gun violence and the Pitney Meadow Community Farm Trail. 

For more information, visit: www.youthsquared.org.

Pursuit Announces Chris Levy as New CEO

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

ALBANY — Pursuit, an Albany-based provider of alternative business financing, has recently announced Chris Levy as their new Chief Executive Officer after former CEO Patrick MacKrell’s retirement on Sept. 30.

Chris Levy previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Pursuit, where he headed all company operations, shaping policies, culture and growth. 

After interning with Pursuit, Chris joined the team full-time in 2012 as an underwriter. Shortly after that, he was promoted to oversee the credit department and ultimately served as Chief Credit Officer. Chris’s deep knowledge of SBA underwriting, credit, policy management, and team management has allowed him to continue to expand his role at Pursuit throughout his tenure. Chris oversaw Pursuit’s administration of the Paycheck Protection Program, which resulted in over 11,000 loan approvals for $780 million. Chris’s leadership has resulted in thousands of small businesses obtaining financing to start and grow their operations.

Chris was a member of the Albany Business Review’s 40 Under 40 class in 2022 and received the Coleman Report 2019 SBA Emerging Lender of the Year award. Chris holds a BS in Finance from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and received his Juris Doctor degree from Albany Law School. He is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.

For more information about Pursuit visit pursuitlending.com.

Blue Streaks Field Hockey Shuts Out Schuylerville on Pink Night

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Sports.

Photos by Super Source Media Studios

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Monday, September 26, the Saratoga Blue Streaks hosted the Schuylerville Black Horses in their senior night game. The contest was also their annual “Go Pink” game, which aims to raise money and spread cancer awareness. The two teams share a special link through Beth Roberts, who lost a battle to cancer last year. Roberts spent 22 years as a special education teacher in the Schuylerville Central School District. Along with teaching, she coached field hockey and lacrosse in the Saratoga Springs district and Schuylerville district respectively. Both programs won championships while Beth was on the sidelines. 

“We purposely picked Schuylerville,” Saratoga coach Jo-Anne Hostig said in a statement. “We wanted to play each other because we both had a personal connection and some players have even more of a connection. There are so many people in our field hockey community that have unfortunately had to battle with cancer.”

To kick off the scoring in the contest, Viviana Nicastro scored a goal off a corner play, assisted by Allie Shamberger with a few minutes left in the first quarter. After Saratoga took the lead, they never looked back. In quarter two, Allie Shamberger scored a goal of her own with the assist coming from Aubrey Ide. And in quarter three, the Blue Streaks finally put the game out of reach with goals from Alyssa Smullen (assisted by Maddie Miller) and Aubrey Ide who scored unassisted. The penalty corners totaled 13 to 4 in favor of Saratoga, and the shots were lopsided as well, with the Blue Streaks logging 21 to Schuylerville’s 3. Schuylerville’s goalie, Petra Gemage logged an impressive 16 saves while Saratoga goalies Lily Wilborn and Alexis Georgeadis logged 3 and 1, respectively.

Saratoga moves to an 8-1 overall record this season. 

Giant Pumpkins at Anne’s Washington Inn

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Neighborhood Buzz.

Anne’s Washington Inn recently hosted some of the hard-working farmers who participated in Saratoga Springs’ annual Giant Pumpkinfest that took place Saturday, September 24.

One of the benefits of hosting the farmers… you get to keep over 5,000 pounds of pumpkins! 

The 3 pumpkins weighed in at (left-right): 2,007 pounds, 1,747 pounds
and 1,350 pounds! Photo provided.