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Author: Thomas Dimopoulos

CODE BLUE: $3 Million Shelter Sited

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.

Parcel of land at 96-116 Ballston Ave., captured from Finley Street Aug. 21, 2024, with Route 50 visible at left. The existing building in the distance is 96 Ballston Ave. and is included in the county purchase. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos. 

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution during its monthly meeting Aug. 20 to purchase a 1.4-acre parcel at 96 -116 Ballston Ave. (Route 50) in Saratoga Springs for $3 million as the future location of a permanent Code Blue homeless shelter. 

A memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, was also unanimously approved in anticipation of entering into a long-term lease with the Shelters of Saratoga organization to build and operate the cold-weather shelter.     

The goal is to have a facility open on-site by the fall of 2025, said Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Phil Barrett.  

Code Blue protocols are activated when the temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or less, including wind chill. As an emergency wintertime shelter, it presents a different setting than a year-round 24/7 low-barrier shelter that has been discussed in Saratoga Springs in recent years. 

“The county has a responsibility that’s mandated by New York State that we need to fulfill,” Barrett said. “We need a permanent location because we’re in a very difficult position year-to-year trying to find a Code Blue shelter. We found a piece of property that can be purchased at a very attractive price – based on the zoning, based on the fact that there’s a building on the property – to be a solution to the problem.” 

The parcel was appraised at approximately $3.2 million, according to the board resolution. It stands directly opposite a commercial strip mall which features a market and other amenities and is along a public bus transport line. 

“The zoning on the parcel allows for a great deal of density, multi-family projects,” Barrett said.

Plans call for the county to purchase the parcel for about $3 million and as owner of the property enter into a long-term lease with Shelters of Saratoga, or SOS, who will presumably use the one existing building on site as well as raise funds to develop the property where a shelter will be constructed. 

“Ground leases of this type are typically over many years, at least 50 years, and there are provisions in there: if the organization were to go defunct, if there were some other circumstances where they were not able to provide the services any longer or no longer fiscally viable, then that building would revert to the county,” Barrett said. “It’s important that the county have some influence over any programs that occur there – and that’s something we will have through an MOU with Shelters, through our ownership of the property, so the county is protected.”

Basically, the county will purchase the land, and SOS will pay for the construction and operational expenses of the shelter, including staffing, utilities, and maintenance.  

The MOU will outline the basic financial arrangements and the County’s general responsibilities, including acquiring the parcel of land, leasing it to Shelters of Saratoga, and exercising final authority over which programs are conducted on the property.

County leadership and S.O.S. are philosophically aligned, Barrett added. “The county doesn’t want a low-barrier shelter, neither does Shelters. The county doesn’t want a safe injection site, or anything of that sort, neither does Shelters.”  

S.O.S. has operated a Code Blue shelter at a variety of temporary locations in Saratoga Springs during the past several years, efforts to site a permanent shelter rejected at every turn by those living close-by or with nearby interests. 

Supervisor Michele Madigan, who represents the city of Saratoga Springs at the county level, thanked her fellow board members for agreeing to the proposal, adding that the securing of a permanent site was a long time coming and is an important step to address a community need. 

“Our first Code Blue Shelter in Saratoga Springs opened in 2013 and in 2016 this became a government mandate,” Supervisor Madigan said.

The Code Blue Saratoga program was born from the tragic death of Nancy Pitts. The 54-year-old mother of two sought shelter on a Williams Street porch during a frigid December night in 2013. She was discovered by police the next morning. Within days of the homeless woman’s death, a cooperative partnership between then mayor-elect Joanne Yepsen, non-profit organizations, and members of the community was initiated and a plan set in motion to site an emergency shelter in the city. A series of cold-weather shelters have followed, each on a temporary winter-to-spring basis. 

The Code Blue program provides people with winter shelter and safety from the cold. In addition to overnight shelter, the organization offers nightly dinners and resource navigation, supportive housing, and linkage to treatment. The 2023-24 winter season included 299 unduplicated guests and was open for 171 nights, with 11,560 meals served donated by local businesses and organizations, according to S.O.S.

Travel Advisory: State Route 29 Closure In Schuylerville 

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in News.

SCHUYLERVILLE — The New York State Department of Transportation is advising motorists that State Route 29 (Ferry Street) will be closed to traffic between Canal Street and Reds Road in the Village of Schuylerville for approximately three weeks beginning 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26, to accommodate a culvert repair.

Motorists should anticipate travel delays and build extra travel time into their schedule. Construction activities are weather dependent and subject to change based on conditions.

The three-week project was initially announced to begin Friday, Aug. 16; the change to an Aug. 26 start was announced one day later. The Washington County Fair, typically attended by more than 100,000 people, takes place Aug. 19-25 and Route 29 provides a well-travelled passage to the fair from Saratoga County and other points west.  

Drivers are advised to use the following signed detour routes: 

-Passenger vehicle detour utilizing Saratoga Street and Reds Street.

-Truck detour utilizing State Routes 32, 197 and 4, and River Road (Washington County Route 113).

Saratoga County Approves Agreement with Vermont Firm for Election Results Consolidation and Reporting Software

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in News.

BALLSTON SPA— At its monthly meeting on Aug. 20, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the execution of an agreement with Sage Smith Consulting of Vermont, for the provision of election results reporting and management software.

The 4-year agreement serves as a renewal to an agreement first initiated in 2020, and calls for $30,148 in costs for the first year, and $16,909 annually for licensing, maintenance, and support for three additional years starting with the second year of the agreement.   

“Elections needs to be able to provide timely and accurate reporting of election results to the general public as well as to candidates and campaigns following elections,” according to the resolution, which also cites the need of the county Board of Elections of accurate and reliable election results software to help canvass votes.

In all, the agreement extends the current software license to Sept. 3, 2028 at a total cost of $30,148 and continuing the hosting and support for 2025-2028 at a total cost of $67,636, according to the resolution.  

Board of Supervisors Awards $148K to 15Saratoga County Municipalities for Trail Development 

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in News.

BALLSTON SPA — The county Board of Supervisors at its monthly meeting on Aug. 20 unanimously approved the awarding of $148,000 to 15 different county municipalities as part of the county’s Trails Grant Program. 

The program provides a pool of up to $150,000 to local municipalities in matching grants to fund trail development and construction projects, including related feasibility studies, engineering work, and construction in local municipalities. 

The Trails and Open Space Committee received 15 applications from municipalities for the funding, totaling $148,000, and recommended to the board all of them be funded.  

The Board of Supervisors approved the following municipalities receive the funding, upon the condition that each municipality provide matching funds or services in-kind:

1. Town of Ballston: $10,000 to be applied toward the Jenkins Park Trail Extension and Existing Trail Restoration to include the construction of 885 ft. of trail extension on the existing 2.5-mile trail network within the existing town-owned, 43-acre multi-use recreational park, and restoration of 2,450 l.f. of the existing trails with resurfacing and drainage repairs.

2. Town of Charlton: $10,000 to be applied toward the LaRue Creek Covered Bridge Replacement to include replacement of a covered bridge that expands LaRue Creek and is part of the Saratoga County Snowmobile Trail Network. The bridge will be replaced with a 50 ft. x 8 ft. x 7 ft. covered bridge.

3. Town of Clifton Park: $10,000 to be applied toward the Trail Boardwalk Restoration: Brookhaven to Park Lane Estates to include a repair/restoration of the existing 17-year-old pedestrian boardwalk section of the existing trail route that traverses wetlands on the south side of a steel bridge that expands the Dwaas Kill. This trail connects with other local trails that connect residential neighborhoods with public parks, school areas, and commercial ventures in town.

4. Town of Corinth: $10,000 to be applied toward the Trail Network/9N property to include funding for Phase I of the town’s Master Plan of town-owned property to be utilized as a recreational park. Phase I will include the design, layout, and possibly material for 1.6 miles of planned trails in the park.

5. Village of Corinth: $8,000 to be applied toward the Upgrade Corinth Recreational Area Trails to include funds for a feasibility study and trail amenities, such as a new kiosk in the parking lot, benches along the trail, new trailhead markers, and new trail identification markers along the village’s existing Upper Reservoir Trail Network.

6. Town of Hadley: $10,000 to be applied toward the Tennis Court/Basketball Course Refurbishing to refurbish existing tennis and basketball courts and replace some fencing surrounding the tennis courts in the town park.

7. Town of Halfmoon: $10,000 to be applied toward the Erie Canalway Trail Paving to pave a portion of the town’s Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway – or more specifically, 1,200 l.f. of existing stone dust trail from Whites Lane to the Crescent Boat Club.

8. Town of Malta: $10,000 to be applied toward the Malta Community Park Trail Restoration to refurbish a 0.62-mile nature trail of the 22.69-acre Malta Community Park with engineered wood fiber and replacing existing wayfinding signage with new signage.

9. Town of Moreau: $10,000 to be applied toward the Big Bend Trail Phase I Completion: Trail Amenities to include providing an accessible kayak launch into the Hudson River from the town’s Phase I of the Big Bend Trail.

10. Town of Northumberland: $10,000 to be applied toward the Meadow in the Sky Trail – Hudson Point Crossing (Phase II) to include funding for the provision of over fifty (50) understory, native species of plants in between the oaks that will provide ecological benefits to the area. In 2023, Hudson Crossing Park completed Phase I of Meadow in the Sky Trail with a segment of “Allee of Oaks” of seven different varieties of oak trees.

11. Town of Saratoga: $10,000 to be applied toward the townwide Restoration and Maintenance Project to include resurfacing of several trails, including trails connected to the Siege Trail, the Champlain Canal Trail, the town’s Boat Launch Trail, and one more that connects to the Town of Stillwater with stone dust and fine rubble with emphasis on maintenance where trails are worn or washed out.

12. City of Saratoga Springs: $10,000 to be applied toward the Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail Improvements to include the following: fix parking lot pot holes on both Route 29 and Meadowbrook Road parking lots, repair drainage issues in the Route 29 parking lot as well as Gilbert Road, perform maintenance on culverts and/or add new culverts between the Route 29 parking lot and the bridge over the Bog Meadow Brook, and replace or refurbish aging trail identification signs throughout the trail. The original improvements for the existing Trail Network date back to 1993, making them over 30 years old.

13. Village of South Glens Falls: $10,000 to be applied toward the Betar Byway Public Restroom (Upper Trailhead) to include placing an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant portable toilet facility that connects to municipal water and sewer. The proposed restroom facility will be placed on the village’s DPW lands in the upper section of the existing trail.

14. Village of Stillwater: $10,000 to be applied toward the Village of Stillwater Pedestrian Park to include construction of a Village Overlook Park on property neighboring the Stillwater Blockhouse. The project will include the creation of walkways, an expanded parking area, and a Hudson River Overlook constructed of Alaskan Cement Slab with stainless steel posts and cables.

15. Town of Wilton: $10,000 to be applied toward the Northern Pines Road Fishing Access Parking and Trail to include providing a parking lot and trail access to the Snook Kill off Northern Pines Road to provide fishing access to the Veterans Housing Community as well as to the general public. Funds will be used to provide grading of raw land and purchase of parking and trail construction materials.

Talk of The Town: City Speaks on Public Comment 

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Verbal clashes and public threats. Sudden shutdowns. A head-butting incident. Warnings of police intervention and events highlighted for inclusion in political campaigns. 

For several decades, Public Comment periods at City Council meetings in Saratoga Springs have brought a boisterous medley of all the above. The question raised time and again:  Who can speak, when may they speak and how long are they allowed do so? 

Recently, the council was presented with a potential new wrinkle to its Rules of Decorum and Order when a member of a local group opposed to a measure under council consideration was invited to expand on those opinions for an extended time.  

Last year, John Safford was elected city mayor based, at least partially, on a platform that promised  to “return civility to City Hall,”  and pointed directly to activities during the council’s twice-a-month meetings.

“Public Comment has been a subject that was very much a part of this last election,” Mayor Safford said shortly after taking office on Jan. 1, 2024, when bringing new Rules of Decorum and Order to the table. The new council – comprised of two new council members and three returning ones – voted 4-1 to adopt the measure.  

The new rules instructed 30 minutes be set aside at each meeting for public input, with each speaker limited to three minutes to address the council as a whole. A digital clock with backwards-running time has since been stationed in front of the speakers’ microphone, its numbers changing colors while winding down to depict a growing time-sensitive urgency, ultimately concluding with a clamor of noise at zero.

“The three minutes is very important,” explained Mayor Safford. “Once that clock goes off, you must stop. Even if you’re in the middle of the sentence.”  

Similarly, the NY State Committee on Open Government advises that during an open meeting when a public body chooses to permit public participation, it must treat all persons in a like manner.

There have, however, been variances. While some speakers who extend beyond their allotted time have been verbally halted, others have been granted extra talking time to reach their conclusion. The discrepancy, and its resulting appearance of a potential lack of fairness, has initiated a new conversation at the council table. 

During the most recent preliminary agenda meeting, former city Mayor Mike Lenz spoke as a public commentator within the allowable three-minute segment. Following the move from the public comment session to departmental agenda items some time later, the council engaged one another in a five-minute discussion regarding the proposal when Lenz raised a question from the audience. 

“I’ll entertain your question former mayor, come on up,” offered council member Dillon Moran. “It’s important that you guys feel that you’ve been heard.” Lenz returned to the mic where he discussed the matter with the council for an additional 12 minutes.

Council member Minita Sanghvi raised a question about whether fairness to all was being exhibited, pointing to one speaker, but not other speakers, being invited to elaborate on a topic up-for-vote. “I have a process question. This is great that people get answers, I’m not opposed to this, but if we are doing X for someone and not X for someone else, that’s where we get into problems,” Sanghvi said. “We want all our constituents to feel that they can be heard, not just some.” 

“Sometimes there are exceptions that we have to honor,” Mayor Safford said.  “I am very sympathetic to their concerns and just want to make sure we are all very clear about what is going to be in that lease,” Mayor Safford said, regarding the proposal the council was considering. “We definitely want the people from the school to know we hear them.”

Sanghvi elaborated during the council’s full agenda meeting a day later about what she called “exceptions” being made allowing “some people to talk more than others,” while “some are shushed…Rules have consistently been broken. “

Commissioner Moran, who had entertained the returning discussion a day earlier, added: “I will take personal ownership for what occurred during the pre-agenda meeting, but I think the point the commissioner (Sanghvi) brings up is a valid one, because it’s a lot more than just this meeting she’s referring to,” he said. 

During the meeting, a person representing the group in favor of the proposal was cut-off after three minutes during the public comment session, then allowed to return for another 90 seconds to continue their thoughts later during that same session, although no dialogue with the council was entertained.  

A council or board has the prerogative to seek someone’s testimony to provide further board consideration on a topic it lacks clarity on, but there is a fine line to toe in terms of fairness or a potentially perceived favoritism in the matter. Presumably the council will need to define where that line is in the future.     

“There is a difference between providing comment during an open mic session, and being invited by a board to answer further questions regarding a matter they need clarity on – that is sort of more of an invited speaker status,” said Shoshanah Bewlay, Executive Director of the New York State Committee on Open Government. 

“There are obviously situations where any process can be abused,” she added, speaking in general terms, “if there is some kind of favoritism being shown to one commentor because the board was somehow sympathetic and wanted to get more information because it suited them in some partisan type of way.”   

“If we are allowing members of the public to talk for an extended discussion in the middle of the meeting, we need to have a defined process of when this is permitted,” Sanghvi said. “You can’t just keep making exceptions for people you like, and not for people you don’t like. That’s not how you can run a meeting fairly or civilly.”

“I hear what you’re saying,” Mayor Safford responded.  “Give us some time to think about it.” 

It is not known if or when the discussion will be revisited at the council table. The council next meets on Tuesday, Aug. 20.   

Nick DiMatteo: Longtime Saratoga Springs Tailor to Celebrate A Big Day

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.

Nick DiMatteo as a young boy, learning the craft and art of the tailoring business in his hometown in Italy. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Nick DiMatteo grew up in the 1940s in a little town by Naples, Italy and made his way across the Great Pond to America while in his twenties. He set up his first shop in Saratoga Springs the late 1970s, more than half-a-lifetime ago.  

“I got to Ellis Island September first in ’68,” DiMatteo says, seated in his shop at number 119 Church Street, where accompanied by various scissors, measuring tools, pins, pincushions, and needles and thread, he has served his clientele for more than 40 years. 

His first location in the Spa City, which also served as the first time he ran his own business, stood west of Circular Street across from the Holiday Inn. 

“January 2, 1979,” he says. “I remember the day.”

In May 1981, he relocated to number 119 Church Street, a shop he has occupied for more than half his life, and one in which he continues to work in. He is exceptional at recalling dates, and a big one is fast approaching. 

On Aug. 23, DiMatteo will celebrate his 80th birthday. 

What does he want people to know?

 “To know that I’m on Church Street!” says the longtime tailor, whose shop sits on a tree-lined street accompanied by residential homes and a few blocks west of Broadway. Its existence is simply pronounced by a brick entryway, a trio of stone steps and a subtle flash of neon that reads: Tailoring.  

For the past 40 years DiMatteo’s custom tailoring work has well placed him within the community, his days often dotted by people coming in for a chat. 

“People call, people come in. When they call, they ask a lot of questions,” he says with a laugh. “Come in!” He is open five days a week: 9-5 Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday 10 to 1, so there is the invitation.   

“I have a wonderful clientele, beautiful people,” DiMatteo says. “I enjoy working for them.” 

He grew up in a little Italian town with a population of about 5,000 people and started learning the business of tailoring at a young age.   

“I was very young, maybe 8?  “My mama said: if you don’t want to follow in your dad’s footsteps and go to the farm, you better learn a trade.  I didn’t want to be a mechanic. I was going to elementary school and after school I went to the shop,” says DiMatteo, gesturing to vintage photographs on the walls depicting the young apprentice in his hometown in Italy. 

“I learned how to use a needle and thread, a thimble on a piece of cloth,” he says. “It kept me off the street, because my parents didn’t want me to not have supervision after school. They were on the farm –  so either I had to go there, or somewhere like this, to stay off the street.” 

He relocated to America in the late 1960s and lived in upstate New York where he had family. 

“I went to an apprentice shop in Italy so I learned to sew over there. When I came here I worked for somebody in Schenectady for 9-1/2 years, then decided to open my own,” DiMatteo says. 

“When I decided to open up my own place I was searching for a spot. Schenectady already had tailors,” he says. He found an initial location in Saratoga Springs – “a very small room, 10-by-10 maybe,” and soon relocated to the space where he currently continues his work, on Church Street.   

“1981 – Saratoga was different then,” says DiMatteo, whose early work consisted largely of men’s custom-made suits, and added the work of making alterations to already existing outfits. “With a custom-made suit – you buy the material and it’s made to fit you. It takes over a week and you satisfy only one customer. With alterations you satisfy 50 people,” he says, explaining the difference.     

“Today, I have new customers every day, and I have folks who I have known for 40 years,” says DiMatteo. “There are not a lot of tailors now compared to 40 years ago when there were many, but there are a few of us still around.”

This month he celebrates birthday number 80, more than 40 years as owner of his custom tailoring shop on Church Street and a lifetime of working in the craft and art of helping people to look their best. 

Proposal Calls for Additional 15 Apartments on Broadway

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in News.

Broadway perspective as proposed at 453-457 Broadway. Photo: city of Saratoga Springs Planning Board.   

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Documents related to a site plan review for the proposed redevelopment of existing commercial and residential space on Broadway into an additional 15 apartments have been received and filed by the city. 

The property is located at 453-457 Broadway in Saratoga Springs and the owner is Angelo Ingrassia, of Rochester. 

The current existing structures consist of Compton’s Restaurant – with two floors of residential space above – and the Cooperstown District Beverage Exchange retail building adjacent to it – consisting of a single floor with a restaurant, according to the Water Engineer’s report, dated July 3. Plans call for the Beverage Exchange building to be expanded upward from one story into four stories, according to the report.   

More than 75 pages of documents regarding the proposal were submitted to the city July 15, and has been listed as one of the Applications Under Consideration at the Planning Board meeting on Sept. 12.     

Council Approves RISE Lease Agreement on Williams Street in 4-1 Vote

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in News.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A temporary lease agreement granting Rise Housing and Support Services use of city-owned property on Williams Street was approved by the City Council this week.  

The 7,800 square-foot building at 5 Williams St. previously housed the Saratoga Senior Center and will be used by RISE administration and staff while the organization’s permanent office space is being rehabilitated. 

The not-for-profit organization operates a human service agency to provides safe, healthy housing and support services to people with mental health concerns, substance use, and other life challenges. 

Leading up to this week’s discussion and vote, RISE officials offered assurances that the space will be used for administration purposes, and specific language in the agreement prohibits its use for any type of housing or as a shelter. 

Still, the proposal resulted in some push-back, particularly from parents of students at Saratoga Central Catholic School – located in close proximity of the Williams Street building – and from some who expressed fear that sex offenders may be served as a part of services.    

 “We will not be providing services there,” Lindsey Connors, Associate Executive Director at RISE said during the Aug. 6 City Council meeting. “We do not serve sex offenders. I’ll say it again: We do not serve sex offenders. And we screen. Please stop repeating this.” 

Last October, RISE was awarded their bid to operate the building on Williams Street via a public bidding process to non-profits for a short-term lease. The lease will be for a term of six months, with optional renewals at the city’s discretion. 

RISE will pay the city $500 per monthly rent as well as all utilities and costs of day-to-day maintenance of the building. The amount “constitutes fair and adequate compensation,” according to the agreement, adding that the benefits derived from the lease agreement with RISE as equal to or greater than the benefits to be derived from any reasonable market rental of the property. 

“It is unfortunate that something as simple as temporarily relocating administrative offices for a human service agency is the subject of such abject scrutiny and misinformation distribution to the greater community by the few and the loud,” said Connors, prior to the council’s vote.  

RISE was originally founded in the late 1970s and located near downtown Saratoga Springs. The not-for-profit housing agency provides trauma informed care and support to people with mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders through a number of residential, supportive, and care management programs. 

“Despite what media coverage might suggest, RISE’s services for those experiencing homelessness in our community are the newest and smallest part of what we do. We’ve been in this community since 1979 ensuring that those living with mental illness are supported in whatever way they need to live safely and happily in the community,” Conners said. 

The agreement was approved by a 4-1 council with Mayor John Safford casting the lone vote against. “I don’t think that it should be in that location,” Safford said.  

City Police: A Warning for Unlicensed Taxi Drivers, Ride-Share Safety Initiatives for Riders

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Police Department this week issued a public reminder for those using rideshare companies to keep safety in mind when they are using the apps and to follow the safety protocols of each company. 

Recommendations include visiting the specific rideshare platform in use to review safety guidelines in place, using only the agreed upon driver, confirming that the ride was ordered through the app, and warnings to not enter a vehicle unless it has been verified as your ride. 

Last August, the city under the previous council, issued a detailed warning for summer visitors and year-round visitors alike after becoming aware of unlicensed, fake Uber and Lyft drivers picking up passengers from popular locations around Saratoga Springs. 

More recently, Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll said the city had received complaints made about rideshare drivers concerning issues with fares being taken without using the rideshare app, as well as receiving reports that individuals were falsely posing as rideshare operators. The reports made were specific to the Saratoga Racetrack area and the downtown area. 

In response, a targeted enforcement detail took place on Aug. 1, when the Investigations Division and the Patrol Division focused on the area of the racetrack.

“Based on complaints from the public, we ran a detail in the vicinity of Frank Sullivan Place and Siro’s Restaurant to address this unlawful activity,” Coll said. “Two individuals were cited for operating unlicensed taxis.” 

The enforcement action resulted in the following charges:  

-Najeebullah Afghan, 32, of Schenectady, was charged with Criminal Impersonation in the second-degree, a class A Misdemeanor and the City Code violation of Chapter 215 Taxis (215-2 Licensing). It is alleged Afghan is not an operator for Uber or Lyft and agreed to take a fare as a taxi without a proper Hack License as defined in the city code. 

-Francis Egan, 65, of Saratoga Springs, was issued an appearance ticket for the violation of the City Code of Saratoga Springs Chapter 215 Taxis (215-2 Licensing). It is alleged that Egan agreed to take a fare without having a proper Hack License as defined in the city code. 

Commissioner Coll added that new cameras have been installed in the area near the racecourse and that signs will soon be placed near the racecourse areas well as on Caroline Street that will read: Area Under Surveillance – Unregulated Taxi Operations Will be Prosecuted. 

Schuylerville $4.5 Million to Advance the Community’s Vision for Revitalization

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in News.


Saratoga County Chamber President Todd Shimkus met with interested residents and business owners in Schuylerville on July 30, 2024 to discuss how to best apply the $4.5 million revitalization grant awarded the village. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.  

SCHUYLERVILLE — In January, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the village of Schuylerville was awarded $4.5 million to revitalize its downtown.

“This is the day it all begins,” Hochul said announcing the grant award during a presser held in Lake George. “We have the 250th anniversary of the battle(s) of Saratoga coming up soon. Let’s celebrate 2027. Our goal is to greet the world with a really transformed village in time for that, so that’s the timetable we’re looking at.” 

The $4.5 million awarded Schuylerville in the NY Forward grant measures about three times the village’s annual general fund budget, and is purposed to develop a Strategic Investment Plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community’s vision for revitalization.

Saratoga County Chamber President Todd Shimkus met with homeowners interested in applying for a portion of the grant at Kickstart Café in downtown Schuylerville this week, in advance of the Aug. 2 application submission deadline.  

Schuylerville, which calls itself “America’s Most Historic Village” is home to about 1,400 residents. In 2022, its Village Board of Trustees appointed a 7-member committee for the NY Forward Task Force to lead the public participation and grant-writing process, and subsequently submitted a letter of intent to apply for the $4.5 million NY Forward Grant.        

Timewise, most, if not all the projects approved, are anticipated to first “break ground” in 2025, Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter said during the monthly village board meeting shortly after the grant award was announced.