ALBANY — Scene One Entertainment is slated to reopen the Spectrum 8 Theaters in Albany this month, the company announced this week.
Joe Masher, owner and CEO, Scene One Entertainment, opened Scene One Wilton Mall Cinemas at the Wilton Mall in Saratoga last month. The company also operated Movieland in Schenectady.
Spectrum 8 Theaters first opened in 1983 and for decades screened independent, upscale programming of avantgarde, foreign, independent, and widely-released features. Originally a single-screen theater known as The Delaware Theater that opened in the early 1940s, the Spectrum has been a mainstay of the Delaware Avenue neighborhood.
“The overwhelming response to the theatre’s closing last month prompted me to move faster with the building’s owner to get the cinema reopened. I’ve been working very closely with (Spectrum co-founder) Keith Pickard to bring the heart and soul back into the Spectrum. The art gallery will be reactivated and the calendar that was published monthly will return,” Masher said in a statement.
Scene One will restore the selections that made the Spectrum’s concession stand a treasure: locally-sourced cakes, pastries, cookies, gluten-free delights, real butter on fresh, hot popcorn, and mint brownies.
“I’ve been attending the Spectrum since Keith and his partners opened it in 1983. I saw its first film, ‘Lianna’, when it was a one-screen cinema. I’ve been a giant fan of their operations since their start at the Third Street Theater. I am honored that Keith and his partners have selected me to carry on their tradition,” Masher said. For more information about Scene One Entertainment, visit scene1ent.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Updated sketch plans have been submitted to the city by the Tree House Brewing Company for the proposed development of an eating and drinking establishment at 3376 South Broadway.
The business would be located between Saratoga Honda and Homewood Suites on the east side of Route 9 upon currently vacant land and would include micro-production of alcohol and outdoor dining, as well as site work associated with the venue.
The application is currently under consideration for Site Plan Review by the Saratoga Springs Planning Board.
The Planning Board will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 at City Hall.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Yaddo’s annual Summer Benefit will take place on the grounds of the historic artist retreat at 7 p.m. on June 20.
Heralded as The Party of the Season, this year’s event features singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega in a performance under the stars.
Vega last performed in Saratoga Springs in April 2023, kicking off her U.S. Northeast tour at Universal Preservation Hall where she performed an 18-song set that included “Luka,” “Small Blue Thing,” “Marlena on the Wall,” “Left of Center,” “Tom’s Diner,” and a poignantly beautiful “Walk On The Wild Side” encore, featuring all of Lou Reed’s original words.
The annual summer benefit champion artists and Yaddo’s crucial role in culture. Tickets and information go to: yaddo.org.
A public hearing will take place April 2 regarding a new paid parking plan at Saratoga Springs City Hall on Broadway.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A summerlong paid parking plan, scaled back from the initial “tourism parking program” first floated late last year, will be presented during a 60-minute Public Hearing at City Hall this week.
The Public Hearing will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, and a vote regarding the proposal is anticipated to be held during a meeting of the City Council later that same evening.
The initial proposal pointed to converting more than 1,300 on-street and nearly 800 garage parking spaces into either “permit” or “paid” spots for a five-month run that was to start this May.
Following a presentation in February to more than 50 people, most of whom were downtown business owners and managers, the plan’s title, its time period in effect, and the breadth of the proposal’s reach were rolled back in what the city reported as “streamlined adjustments in response to great stakeholder feedback.” Plans for on-street paid parking has also been altogether eliminated, with city streets continuing to offer free parking for both residents and visitors.
The new seasonal parking plan is proposed to run from Memorial Day to Labor Day and include both free permit and paid parking in city-owned garages and surface lots. Visitors can pay $2 an hour to park in the garages and surface lots.
“As a government we must identify new revenue streams to offset the increased costs of city services, downtown investment, and the maintenance necessary to support our nationally celebrated downtown,” said Department of Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub. “This streamlined parking approach will be less disruptive to implement and will allow for a measured approach of paid parking downtown.”
Additional amenities of the program include directional signage to assist visitors toward available parking in the garages and lots where they will have the option to pay via their mobile device or a nearby pay station.
Permits
Residents and any downtown business employers can obtain free parking permits to park in the garages and surface lots for themselves or their employees. Registration will be provided with proof of residency via an online portal or with assistance from employees at City Hall. The permits will be linked to vehicle license plates. Ticket forgiveness will be provided to residents and employees if they park in a lot and were eligible for a permit but did not have one at the time of the violation.
Revenue and Expenses
Forecasting the utilization of spaces at a conservative 33% (a figure well-below what was observed in studies), the anticipated seasonal revenue for 2024 is expected to be approximately $1.6 million.
Expenses are estimated at about $450,000, which includes the costs associated with program administration, equipment for the installation of paystations and enforcement, contract attendants to work at the garages, and additional parking enforcement.
The proposal envisions re-investment of revenue generated into Saratoga Springs’ downtown.
This would include a dedicated marketing professional for the Downtown Business Association, capital reserves for the parking structures and downtown improvements, and funds allocated for the recreation department. The proposed re-investment will be $225,000 for downtown and $40,000 for recreation in year one and will be annual.
Following the establishment of the seasonal program, a plan allowing school taxpayers in the Saratoga Springs City School District to park at a reduced rate permit may be optioned.
“There have been a few business owners that expressed fair concerns about customers in surrounding towns facing a barrier due to parking fees. Once the program is set up, we’ll work toward creating a reduced rate permit for school district taxpayers,” Golub said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Three months into his regime as the city’s new mayor, John Safford announced that he – as the mayor before him and the mayor before that had done – was seeking solutions to a question that has remained unresolved for several years: What can be done to combat homelessness in the community?
“I’ve started to pull together various providers and stakeholders with mutual concern over the unhoused population,” said the mayor, identifying local agencies RISE, SOS, and Healing Springs, as well as members of the county as attendants of the Saratoga Homeless Strategy meeting.
“This meeting was all about getting these folks talking again. My main focus is bringing the county together with the city, stakeholders that haven’t been talking lately, and getting them in the same room,” said Safford, specifying that he has no current plans to form an official committee, although he intends other members of the council to be involved in some way.
“My goal is effective zero. I want to have plans in place so that people coming in equal the number of people getting housed,” the mayor said. “You’re never going to completely eliminate homelessness, but we’re committed to building some kind of 24-hour safe place for the homeless to go with services.” The “safe place” could be centered in the city or possibly elsewhere in the county. “It doesn’t have to be in Saratoga Springs. Timewise, we’re under the gun to do something, because the current shelter I think we only have available through next winter.”
The past decade has seen greater prominence by local agencies such as Shelters of Saratoga (S0S) and RISE Housing and Support Services, fundraising from both the private and public sector, and the increase of multiple temporary and emergency shelters sited across the city, but a permanent location has been difficult to secure. On more than one occasion when a long-term remedy was believed to be found, those with interests in geographic proximity to a site proposed for a year-round, 24/7 shelter nixed the plans.
Last year, an ad hoc Task Force on Homelessness instituted by then-Mayor Ron Kim evaluated approximately two dozen sites across the city that could potentially site a permanent homeless shelter and navigation center.
The group ultimately identified a 3.7-acre lot on Lake Avenue/ State Route 29 – located between the Northway overpass and a Stewart’s Shop near Weibel Avenue – as a primary site, and parcels on South Broadway, Route 9, and Maple Avenue as potential alternatives. Alongside possibilities, each of the venues also presented challenges – from area variances that would need to be secured and likely opposition of some area residents, to the lack of geographic proximity to agencies providing social services and access to public transportation.
“We are taking into account what the Task Force came up with, which is mainly locations. They had three or four locations that are still in play,” Safford said.
“I’m very dedicated to getting this done, but doing it the right way,” the mayor continued. “This includes addiction and mental health. My concern is in the homeless population (and) we also have addiction and mental health problems that create problems if you do housing first. My view of what we have to do is higher than just housing. My goal is to address not only housing but also strategies to effectively deal with addiction, and mental health issues.”
In engaging other services in the discussion, Safford specifically referenced a program initiated with the involvement of Healing Springs Recovery Community and Outreach Center that addresses addictions and operates at the Saratoga County Jail.
Ben Deeb, a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) and Certified Addictions Recovery Coach (CARC), was an employee at Healing Springs and began working with the Sheriff’s Department five years ago to create a recovery unit at Saratoga County Jail. Today, there is a 48-man recovery unit that features 13 hours per week of programs for individuals with opiate use disorder and alcohol use disorder in a specially designated unit at the jail.
“In 2019 we were able to rehab a unit and designate that for individuals in recovery so that they would have an environment conducive to change,” Deeb said. “In order to gain any ground for recovery, you need to have a space that can promote change.”
The success rate is measurable. A study conducted with the University of Wisconsin showed a large drop in the recidivism rate of people in the county based program, compared to the national average recidivism rate. “Saratoga’s really a leader in this,” Deeb said.
Mayor Safford said he intends to provide regular public updates at council meetings regarding the city’s efforts to combat homelessness.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Each year, the state sends funding to cities, towns and villages as part of its Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) program. The amounts sent have largely stayed stagnant for more than a decade, however, and now some municipalities – Saratoga Springs among them – are appealing to the governor to increase those annual payments.
“In Saratoga Springs, aside from changes for two years during the pandemic, this aid has remained flat for over a decade. Effectively, this is a budget cut for our city,” city Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi said this week.
in 2013 AIM funding to Saratoga Springs was 4.25% of the city budget, but by its 2024 comparison it measured only 2.7%, said Sanghvi, noting a March 5 city resolution unanimously approved by the council that calls upon legislators and the governor to increase in AIM funding from New York State. Legislators have since picked up the baton.
In addition to proposing an overall $210 million increase in AIM funding, the New York State Senate recommended the establishing of an AIM Redesign Task Force. The Assembly proposed a $100 million overall increase in AIM funds.
“The Senate and the Assembly have come up with their budgets and have added AIM funding in there for all of us,” Sanghvi said. “Of course this is not the final budget, so, I applaud the efforts of the New York State legislature to increase our AIM funding and I hope the governor’s office budget will match New York State legislature’s commitment to the New York State municipalities. “
According to the state, AIM payments to the city of Saratoga Springs in 2023 were just under $1.65 million. Comparative to geography, Albany received just over $12.6 million, Cohoes $2.7 million, Glens Falls $1.6 million, and Mechanicville $662,000.
AIM is provided to all of New York’s cities, towns and villages, outside of New York City.
Elsewhere in Saratoga County, town data shows the town of Clifton Park received just over $98,000, Ballston $49,000, Malta $25,000, Saratoga $31,000, and Wilton $25,000 (all umbers rounded off). For a spreadsheet of amounts received by all cities, towns and villages, go to: osc.ny.gov/local-government/data/aid-and-incentives-municipalities-aim.
When Gov. Hochul released her Executive Budget proposal in January for the State fiscal year 2024-2025, the proposal held AIM funding for cities and villages at previous year’s levels.
Screenshot of the webcast of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Monthly Meeting that took place March 19.
BALLSTON SPA —The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors staged its monthly meeting at the county complex in Ballston Spa on March 19.
Among the items approved:
• Proclaimed April as “Donate Life Month” In Saratoga County. The Board reported that approximately 8,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant across the state, with more than 1,000 waiting for more than five years. An estimated 400 New Yorkers die every year while waiting for an organ transplant. The Board’s resolution encourages county departments and agencies involved in providing information on organ and tissue donations to engage in activities in April that promote awareness of the need for organ and tissue donations in Saratoga County. Anyone 16 years of age or older can register with the NYS Donate Life Registry. In 2023, 3,580 transplants were performed in the state.
• Authorized the execution of an agreement with McFarland Johnson, Inc. of Binghamton, to provide professional services related to property acquisition within Saratoga County Airport’s Runway Protection Zone, at a cost up to $60,540.
• Authorized a $15,000 contract be increased to a cost of up to $35,000 with Hugh G. Burke, Esq. for professional legal services related to FOIL (Freedom Of Information Law) requests involving the District Attorney’s Office. According to the resolution, the District Attorney’s office has a backlog of FOIL requests due to unfilled positions and outside legal assistance is required to timely review, compile and respond to the FOIL requests pending in that office.
• The Board of Supervisors approved the acceptance of $56,377.69 in funding from the New York State Board of Elections for the reimbursement of expenses related to the expansion of early voting. The grant period runs from July 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024.
Due to the anticipated high volume of requests for absentee ballots and early voting ballots, the Saratoga County Board of Elections Department recommended an outside vendor to print the massive number of absentee ballots expected during the 2024 Presidential Election Year.
Phoenix Graphics, Inc. was awarded the competitive bid for Ballot Preparation and Mailing Services by the Saratoga County Department of Central Services on Jan. 29, 2024, after proposing in their winning bid a charge of $1.95 per package for Absentee Mail Packages and Early Voting Mail Packages – not to exceed the amount of $56,377.69 for 2024.
• Authorized the execution of documents and agreements with New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services’ Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives, for the acceptance of the County Pretrial Services grant in the amount of $415,738. The grant is for the period of April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024.
Photo: Paul Tonko speaking to students and answering their questions at Lake Avenue Elementary School in Saratoga Springs on March 14, 2024. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Let the record show: on a late weekday afternoon of an Election Year, when the American tradition of campaign mudslinging will surely rise to present itself once again, decency prevailed in a century-old brick building on Lake Avenue where fifth-grade students assembled in the elementary school library to dialogue with Congressman Paul Tonko.
“Words matter,” the congressman said to the students, arriving on Lake Avenue in a white Jeep SUV to deliver more than three dozen books to the school library, their pages filled with the words carefully selected by authors, he explained.
“Our exercise every day is to choose words that help, and not hurt. Words that lift and don’t pull down, that bring us together and unite, rather than divide. These authors had to painfully work on every word,” Tonko said. “They’re teaching us by their work that words matter, that they’re important and we should choose them deliberately in a kind expression of who we are.”
Lake Avenue Elementary School serves about 400 students, grade K through 5. More than 60 of them gathered upstairs in the library, joined by school Principal Elizabeth Carroll, District Superintendent of Schools Michael Patton, School Resource Officer Aaron Moore and school educators and staff.
“We all have gifts, and your teachers are great friends to you because they allow you to discover what your own gifts are,” Tonko said. “We all have different gifts and the exercise in the classroom is to have you discover, through education, who you are and what gifts you’ve been granted.”
The 40 books delivered are among a stock of duplicate titles that arrived at the Library of Congress which are offered to members of Congress to bring to educational institutions or organizations that focus on reading.
The Library of Congress, located in Washington, D.C., holds 164 million items on 840 miles of bookshelves that count as the single most comprehensive accumulation of human expression ever assembled, as well as the largest library in the world.
This month’s transport of titles marks Tonko’s 78th delivery of surplus books through the program, with more than 2,500 books valued at over $50,000 delivered to local schools and organizations since 2017.
“What’s your favorite book?” asked one student, whose name is McKinley.
“’Silent Spring,’ by Rachel Parsons, because she ignited the spirit of taking care of the earth,” answered Tonko.
“Who are your inspirations?” asked another.
“JFK, MLK, RFK.”
A student named Olivia asked Tonko to name his favorite thing about being in the House of Representatives.
“I’m able to make changes or develop laws that affect people I may never meet – making life better for everyone,” he replied.
The students were provided a 25-minute Q & A session with the congressman. Their questions ranged from “How did you get started on your career path?” to “What are your greatest accomplishments?”
Successfully passing mental health parity was named by Tonko among his accomplishments, as well as dealing with the issues of mental health and addiction affecting people. “Trying to do legislation that will help people, enable them to survive that struggle to come out of it stronger and to have a good life,” he said.
“How do you manage the most stressful parts of your job?” one student wanted to know.
“Probably by eating ice cream, and enjoying the outdoors. My favorite flavor ice cream? Coffee.”
Tonko thanked the staff for inviting him to the school and the students for paying him their attention. “I also hope you saw me paying attention to you. Paying attention is showing respect. And we need a whole lot of respect. It’s the way to maintain a civil society. We can disagree but we need to be civil,” he said. “If there is any message I can leave with you today, it’s to promote love, kindness and compassion, and don’t use the words that divide and hurt or put down and divide.”
Joe Masher, owner and CEO at Scene One Entertainment, with hot buttered popcorn at Wilton on March 13, 2024. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
WILTON — Once again as it had once before, the fragrance of hot buttered popcorn roams the long halls of the Wilton Mall, welcoming all who enter with a familiar and comforting scent.
Four years after hosting what was thought to be its final screening, a multi-theater cinema has opened once again at Wilton Mall. The cinema features eight screens, including one large-format auditorium. All the auditoriums feature luxury leather rocking chairs, wall-to-wall screens, and Dolby Digital surround sound.
It is operated by Scene One Entertainment. Joe Masher is its owner and CEO. For Masher, formerly of Bow Tie Management, It is a return once again to a place he was charged with operating once before – this time in the role of entrepreneur instead of employee.
“It first opened on my birthday in 2013, so this one holds a special meaning for me,” Masher said, at a gathering staged March 13 to celebrate the cinema’s opening, in front of an audience that included local business executives, regional political dignitaries and members of the media.
Sen. James Tedisco recalled his own brush with the cinema world as a young man, working in the wardrobe department during the filming of “The Way We Were.” The film, starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand, was filmed in part in Ballston Spa and Schenectady in 1972. “I got fifty bucks a day,” Tedisco quipped.
The Wilton movie theater had originally opened in October 2013 by Bow Tie Cinemas and closed during the early on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A return of movies in a mall might seem a challenging proposition of entertainment days-gone-by, but Masher – who also owns a cinema in Schenectady, said he believes in movie-going as a traditionally out-of-home American cultural experience. “And that’s not going to change,” he said, flanked by a cinema lobby with walls draped in the images of posterboard heroes – Ryan Gosling, Amy Winehouse, Emily Blunt, among them, collaborating with a visual variety depicting twisters, apes, ancient warriors, and next-generation robots.
“I just came back from a week in Los Angeles where I was part of a coalition that met all of the heads of distribution from various studios, and we were assured the film calendar is packing-in for the rest of the year and that we would have exclusive product that would be as “In Theaters Only,” said Masher, who grew up in Troy, worked several decades in the cinema theater industry in a variety of locations on the east coast. Now, he says, he has returned home to the region and has brought some members of “my old theater team” along with him.
“The theater is in fantastic shape and the mall has maintained it beautifully since its pandemic closure,” Masher said, adding that potential future plans include removing some of the rows in one of the theaters and inserting a stage where comedy shows and Open Mic nights can be held, as well as transforming a portion near the entryway into an authentic beer garden.
“Scene One Cinemas fulfills one of the most requested uses from our guests and brings the former theater space in the food court back to life,” said Wilton Mall General Manager Mike Shaffer.
The Wilton Mall has seen some large-scale changes in recent years, and more changes may soon be underway. In 2018 BonTon closed, followed two years later by the closure of Sears. In 2020, Saratoga Hospital set up its medical offices in a repurposed vacant space previously occupied by Sears, and a potential project under discussion seeks to develop nearly 400 apartments alongside the mall.
“I’m very excited with what’s going on at the Wilton Mall, particularly with the potential of the residential units coming in,” Masher said. The plan for that potential development continues to move through the town’s approval process. Developers will next stage a public appearance before the Wilton Town Board on April 4.
Arrests by Month in 2023, Saratoga Springs. and Crimes by Year, 2018-2023, Saratoga Springs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — In 2023, members of the Saratoga Springs Police Department responded to 27,643 calls for all types of service – approximately 1,500 more calls than in 2022 – and generated nearly 3,800 cases that resulted in just over 850 arrests.
The Saratoga Springs Fire Department meanwhile responded to 6,990 calls for service in 2023, representing a 9.2% increase compared to the previous year.
The Saratoga Springs Public Safety Department on March 8 released its annual report for 2023. The 74-page report was submitted March 5 by newly elected Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll, and Deputy Commissioner Daniel Charleson.
In 2023, James Montagnino served as commissioner of public safety, and Jason Tetu as deputy commissioner. The police department concluded the calendar year with 80 sworn personnel, 51 of whom are currently patrol officers, according to the report.
Overall, the Public Safety Department includes a full-time Administrative Office Staff, a Police Department, Fire Department, Code Enforcement Division, Central Dispatch, Traffic Maintenance, Animal Control Officers and a Health Officer. There are approximately 204 full-time employees. An additional 14 part-time employees work as school crossing guards, vehicle traffic controllers, part-time traffic control maintenance and summer laborers at the traffic garage.
Police Department
The Saratoga Springs Police Department was created by an act of the State Legislature in 1887, when a staff of 8 worked out of a station that was formed as an annex to town hall. The current department resides in the same location and has expanded into additional portions of the building. Tyler McIntosh has served as chief of police since June 2023.
Among the department’s stated goals in 2024 is the development and implementation of a department Drone Program, which will enhance investigations and crowd-management capabilities.
Additional goals include: creating a Traffic Safety Unit, a Citizen Police Academy, and developing and implementing a comprehensive Wellness Program to improve members’ mental and physical health.
The department also reported it has acquired Flock License Plate Readers, which provides AI and machine-learning powered technology to reveal detailed information that may not have otherwise be available, according to the company. The LPR’s will be set in fixed locations around the city.
“This technological resource will provide invaluable data and leads for investigations that pertain to all sorts of criminal activity,” according to the report. “The ability to track, trace and analyze other types of evidence will be instrumental to the future of crime-solving.”
Calls For Service
In 2023, members of the Saratoga Springs Police Department responded to 27,643 calls for service. The most frequent call type was the traffic stops, which accounted for about 11% of all calls.
Officers generated 3,794 cases that resulted in 852 arrests. Comparatively, in 2022, the police department responded to 26,186 calls for service, and officers generated 3,933 cases that resulted in 821 arrests.
A consistent primary density for calls for service were in the area of Broadway between Caroline Street & Lake Ave. Secondary hotspots consistently observed were in the area of Union Street between Adelphi St. & Arthur St. as well as Hamilton St. between W Circular St. & Congress St. During the summer months, a consistent density for calls emerged in the area of the Saratoga Racecourse, and at the western portion of Saratoga Spa State Park in correlation with Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Of the 27,643 calls for service handled by members of the SSPD in 2023, 63 resulted in a use of force by SSPD standards. Those 63 resulting instances: Physical Force (40); Firearm Displayed (16)/ Firearm Discharged (0); Taser Displayed (5)/ Taser Deployed (2); Pepper Spray Deployed (0).
In 2023, city police responded to 998 reportable traffic crashes, down from 1,052 compared to the previous year.
Officers conducted 2,976 traffic stops in 2023 and issued 1,754 Uniform Traffic tickets – up from 1,686 tickets in 2022. Of the tickets issued 114 were for Driving While Intoxicated offenses, down from the 132, 135, and 133 DWI tickets issued for DWI offenses in each of the three previous years, respectively.
Reported Offenses
2023 2022
Rape 20 18
Robbery 12 11
Aggravated Assault 36 68
Burglary 41 75
Larceny 454 439
Motor Vehicle Theft 5 10
Kidnappings 5 6
Sex Offenses 18 22
Assault 388 381
Criminal Mischief 189 208
Drug Possession 73 82 Drug Sale 25 22
*Saratoga Springs Police Department – 2023 summary crime data submitted to DCJS. Report run Feb. 12, 2024.
Fire Department
The Saratoga Springs Fire Department has 84 full-time career fire officers and firefighters.
In 2023, the Saratoga Springs Fire Department responded to 6,990 calls for service. This represents a 9.2% increase from 2022. Emergency Medical Responses accounted for 4,911 of the responses. Alarm Activations – 644, Good Intent and other – 697, Hazardous Conditions – 147, Service Calls – 198, and Fires – 93, were some of the others. The 93 responses to fire were the highest number in any one year compared to each of the past five years.
The average response times, from dispatch to arrival in 2023, were 4:24 (downtown and eastside), 5:12 (westside), and 6:28 (I-87 East).
The year also saw the Saratoga Springs Fire Dept. hosting its first Recruit Firefighter Training Academy, in a joint effort with the cooperation of the Wilton VFD, Glens Falls FD and the Albany Airport FD. The Academy began in late March and concluded in mid-July with the graduation of 15 firefighters.
Fire Prevention and Inspection/Code Enforcement – In 2023, there were 1,963 total inspections, with 811 total violations.
Ambulance Report – in 2023, there were 5,398 emergency medical calls, and 3,900 transports. The fire department EMS revenues increased in 2023 as a result of placing a second ambulance in service on a daily basis. That ambulances transport revenue in 2023 was just over $2.9 million.
Station Three update: A project decades in-the-making, the report cites an approximate March/April estimated opening of the station based on Henning Road.
