SARATOGA SPRINGS — Waiters, waitresses, police officers and schoolteachers are some of the people working in Saratoga Springs who may have the opportunity to live in the city with the development of some new, affordable, workforce housing units on the city’s west side.  It’s called the Promenade, and it’s slated for completion in the spring. 

The Promenade apartments feature 63 new rental units. The project consists of a four-story mid-rise building that will house 41 one and two-bedroom apartments and three townhouse apartment buildings featuring 22 apartments made up of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments. 

This workforce housing project targets a wide range of income levels – including 30%, 50%, 60% and 80% of the area median income, or AMI thresholds. The AMI for Saratoga Springs is about $70,000 says Paul Feldman, executive director of the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority, and president of Promenade Development – which is an affiliate of the SSHA and is the company that owns the 63-unit project. 

In actual dollars, that translates to a monthly one-bedroom rent range of $340 – $1,090 for an average 759 square feet; two- bedroom range from $399 – $1312 (995 sq. ft. avg.), and a three-bedroom range from $453 – $1522 (1348 sq. ft. avg.). Ten of the units will be set aside for veterans who have been or are at risk of homelessness and / or who have a disability. 

The development is sited on South Federal Street, behind the Stonequist high-rise apartments (41 apartments), and on West Circular Street- where there will be 22 apartments in three townhouses. 

Two of the townhouses are completed and availability still exists for two-bedroom units.  “The third townhouse and the four-story mid-rise (comprised largely of one-bedroom units) are both projected to be completed by May 1,” Feldman said. 

“We have been accepting applications and are starting the process of determining eligibility of those applicants for a projected May 1 move-in date. We strongly encourage people to get their applications in now.” 

“When I took over the housing authority about five years ago, we identified at that point that of all the housing built in the past decade or so none of it was considered to be affordable housing; it had been over a decade since any affordable housing had been built,” Feldman said. 

“A large segment of Saratoga Springs employment is the hospitality industry, not to mention the hospital workers – and the majority of the money those employees made did not allow them to live in Saratoga Springs, because of the outrageous cost of apartments.”

Input was gleaned from agencies such as the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association and the county Chamber of Commerce. 

“Their plight was of being able to keep employees. They wanted to have affordable housing so they could keep their work force local,” Feldman said.  “And it’s not only the restaurant and hospitality industry, but professions like teaching, or police. They can even afford to live in the city. New police officers, new teachers who start out at $40,00 a year. They can actually afford to live in Saratoga Springs now. This will provide more options for people. We started on the path maybe four years ago and it’s now coming to fruition. Both of these projects should be completed in May.” 

Applications are being accepted online at saratogaspringspha.org/promenade. For more information visit the Promenade web site, or call SSHA at 518-584-6600.   

Just one year ago today, we had no clue about COVID 19. We were not preparing for a pandemic. I had never thought of social distancing or wearing a mask.

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, at that time, was preparing for Leap of Kindness Day, on February 29, 2020. We were trying to spread kindness across the world and brand Saratoga as one of the kindest places to live.

We invented Leap of Kindness Day in 2016. The idea was simple. Every four years, there is a Leap Year. We all get one extra day that year. What will you do with your extra day is the question we asked. In 2016 and again in 2020, our idea was to suggest that everyone in Saratoga County and beyond use their extra day to do something kind for someone else. The only constructive criticism we would ever hear was that we should practice kindness every day, not just one day every four years.

Just two weeks later, we would go on PAUSE. We were told to Stay Home. We saw friends and neighbors lose jobs or be forced to close their business. Our children were sent home from school. Our local nursing homes went on lockdown with in-person visits prohibited. Our healthcare workers and first responders were our heroes on the frontlines of this war with COVID 19.

With so much turmoil and trauma, we also saw kindness here in Saratoga!

FLAG Saratoga was launched last March. In just a couple of weeks, the volunteer leaders behind this effort raised $30,000. They bought 3,000 meals from struggling local restaurants and delivered these meals to the heroes on the frontline. 

We Are Brewnited was formed in April. This collaboration between local breweries led to the creation of a new beer. The proceeds from the sale of this beer and other donations were used to help local folks impacted by COVID 19. The organizers give actual cash donations to help with specific requests and needs.

The Saratoga County IDA and Clifton Park IDA both created a small business grant program this summer. They’ve now distributed tens of thousands of dollars to local small businesses to help them with expenses related to personnel protective equipment. They are still awarding grants today.

Saratoga Hospital purchased Downtown Business Association gift certificates for all of their employees. Now as these heroes use these gift certificates, it is putting cash in the registers of our local shops and stores downtown.

Driscoll Foods and Saratoga Eagle underwrote a Split the Bill program last week. 2,300 local people spent more than $180,000 on one day at local restaurants. 

During the month of February in 2021, Curtis Lumber is inviting customers to purchase a 2 x 4 for $6. All purchases will be given to Habitat for Humanity for a new home build project locally this summer. This initiative was created last year as one of our Leap of Kindness Day activities. This past summer, I stood in the new home where the 2 x 4’s were used and the family was just so excited.

We may have invented Leap of Kindness Day. I’m more impressed, however, with the fact that our community has invented so many ways for all of us to be kind during this past year. We said all along that we’d be Stronger Together. What we really were was kinder together. 

We’re going to need to continue to be kinder together. It can be as simple as wearing a mask. It can involve making sure you get the vaccine when it is made available to you. It can be continuing to make all of your purchases from local stores, shops, restaurants, contractors and professional firms. It can be by making a donation to a local nonprofit. 

We don’t have to wait for February 29, 2024, to celebrate Leap of Kindness Day. We can do something kind for someone else every day. It will always make a positive difference. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Adirondack Trust Company announced today that it has appointed Marc Conner, Ph.D., and Brian Straughter, Ed.D., as new members to its Board of Directors.

Conner is President of Skidmore College. He previously worked for more than 24 years with Washington and Lee University as the longest-running provost, is a well-published English professor, and an advocate for diversity and inclusion. He attended the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in 1989. He earned a Master of Arts degree in English literature in 1991 from Princeton University and became a Doctor of Philosophy in English literature in 1994 from Princeton University.

Straughter is President of Turf Hotels, a local hotel management company in the Capital District. As president, he is an active owner/operator of five local properties: Hampton Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs Downtown, Homewood Suites by Hilton Saratoga Springs, Hampton Inn Western Avenue, Homewood Suites by Hilton Albany and Staybridge Suites Albany. Straughter and his wife co-founded Jake’s Help From Heaven in 2011, a nonprofit that is dedicated to supporting individuals with complex medical needs and disabilities resulting from congenital or childhood-onset diseases. He has been the Chair of the Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund’s Advisory Committee since 2020.

The Adirondack Trust Company Board of Directors consists of Charles V. Wait, Chairman, The Adirondack Trust Company; Guy Alonge, III, President, Amsure; Marc Conner, Ph.D., President, Skidmore College; Susan Law Dake, President, Stewart’s Foundation; Mary Gavin, Principal and Certified Public Accountant, Gavin and LaVigne, Inc.; John T. Hedbring, President, Fort Miller Group; Douglass M. Mabee, Vice President (retired), The Adirondack Trust Company; Douglass T. Mabee, Project Environmental Specialist, Quanta Services, Inc.; J. Thomas Roohan, Jr., Owner/Broker, Roohan Realty; Stephen F. Sullivan, President, Longfellow’s Hotel, Restaurant & Conference Center and The Olde Bryan Inn Restaurant; Stephan R. von Schenk, Immediate Past President and CEO (retired), The Adirondack Trust Company; Brian Straughter, Ed.D., President, Turf Hotels; and Charles V. Wait, Jr., President and CEO, The Adirondack Trust Company.

The Adirondack Trust Company is an independent, locally-owned and operated, community bank offering a wide variety of business and personal financial services. The bank has more than $1.4 billion in assets and 13 branch offices. The bank’s website is AdirondackTrust.com

MALTA — GlobalFoundries announced this week a strategic partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide a secure and reliable supply of semiconductor solutions manufactured at the company’s Fab 8 in Malta. The semiconductor chips will be used in some of the DoD’s most sensitive applications for land, air, sea, and space systems.

The new supply agreement builds upon the longstanding partnership between the DoD and GlobalFoundries to provide chips for defense, aerospace, and other sensitive applications. The company currently supplies the DoD with chips manufactured at its other on-shore facilities, Fab 10 in East Fishkill, NY, and Fab 9 in Burlington, VT.

“GlobalFoundries is a critical part of a domestic semiconductor manufacturing industry that is a requirement for our national security and economic competitiveness,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a statement.  New federal semiconductor manufacturing incentives were approved in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act. 

“I have long advocated for GlobalFoundries as a key supplier of chips to our military and intelligence community, including pressing the new Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, to further expand the Department of Defense’s business with GlobalFoundries, which will help expand their manufacturing operations and create even more jobs in Malta,” Schumer said.

A supporting statement from the U.S. Department of Defense reported that the agreement with GlobalFoundries is a forward step to ensuring the U.S. sustains the microelectronics manufacturing capability necessary for national and economic security. The first chips from the new agreement are targeted to begin delivery in 2023. 

GlobalFoundries employs nearly 3,000 people at Fab 8 and says it has invested more than $13 billion in the facility. 

The GlobalFoundries plant got its start in 2006, when Advanced Micro Devices agreed to become the first company to build at the Luther Forest tech park. Before that, county and state economic development officials had spent six years preparing and marketing the tech park as a site for semiconductor manufacturing. As the project advanced, Advanced Micro Devices spun off the manufacturing facility in a joint venture with the government of Abu Dhabi to create GlobalFoundries.

The company recently announced a land purchase option to provide additional flexibility to expand Fab 8’s footprint to support growing demand from the U.S. government and industry customers. In total, GF employs more than 7,000 people across the U.S., and over the past 10 years has invested $15 billion in U.S. semiconductor development.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Melinda Bucknam and Carissa Conley, certified public accountants specializing in tax matters, have formed a new CPA firm, Bucknam & Conley CPAs PLLC. The new firm offers tax and advisory services to businesses and individuals throughout New York State and across the country, both in-person and remotely.  The firm’s focus is on income tax issues, tax planning and business operations.

Conley brings over 20 years of CPA experience and has a well-blended background reflecting work for large and local CPA firms on behalf of diverse clients, from individuals with sophisticated tax needs to all forms of business entities. Her work spans a wide range of industries across multiple states and, combined with rigorous continuing education, provides her broad perspective on varied tax and accounting issues.

Bucknam brings over 30 years of experience as a CPA, advising small-to-medium businesses and their owners on tax planning, tax strategy, accounting, and business operations. Her extensive work with restaurants, real estate firms, construction companies, veterinary practices and other specialty retail has given her a well-rounded business perspective. Bucknam’s clients benefit from her broad view on the impact of accounting, tax and general business financing issues on overall business operations and strategy. 

Conley and Bucknam are members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and its Tax Section.

For more information visit www.saratogacpa.com. 

SCOTIA — John Buhrmaster, president and CEO of 1st National Bank of Scotia, is assuming a leadership role as vice-chair on the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Community Bank Advisory Council (CBAC). He will transition to committee chair in October.

Buhrmaster, who joined the nation’s premier consumer rule-making entity last fall, has a two-year term advising Bureau leadership and staff on how the CFPB can further its mission of protecting consumers, while at the same time developing rules that enable community banks under $10 million in assets to continue their effective delivery of banking services to consumers.

The Scotia native, who holds an undergraduate degree in management information systems and marketing from Syracuse University, has served as president and CEO of 1st National Bank of Scotia since 2005. The independently owned and operated bank has branches in Albany, Saratoga and Schenectady counties and assets of $500 million. For more information, visit firstscotia.com. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets announced this week that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to create an alliance between the two independent grocery chains, nearly doubling their collective footprint in the Northeast.

The transaction unites two New York-based grocery chains, and the merged companies say they are expected to be better positioned to compete and offer more value and services to their customers across the Northeast.

Based in Schenectady, Price Chopper/Market 32 was founded by the Golub family in 1932 and operates 130 Price Chopper and Market 32 grocery stores and one Market Bistro, employing 18,000 in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Locally, the company has stores on Railroad Place, and on Ballston Avenue in Saratoga Springs, on Route 50 in Wilton, as well as sites in Clifton Park, Mechanicville, and Malta.    

Tops Markets is based in Williamsville, New York, located in Erie County, and operates 162 grocery stores in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, including five that are run by franchisees. According to the company, it is the largest private, for-profit employer in Western New York, and counts more than 14,000 associates.

Scott Grimmett, Price Chopper/Market 32’s President and CEO, will be CEO of and serve on the Board of Directors of the new parent company which will oversee the operations of nearly 300 Price Chopper, Market 32, Market Bistro and Tops Markets stores and collectively employ more than 30,000.

Frank Curci, Tops Markets Chairman and CEO, will serve on the Board of Directors of the new parent company and as a consultant to assist in the transition. Blaine Bringhurst, Price Chopper/Market 32’s Executive Vice President of Merchandising, Marketing and Store Operations, will lead the Price Chopper/Market 32 business. John Persons, Tops Markets President and Chief Operating Officer, will lead the Tops Markets business.

The new parent company will be headquartered in Schenectady. The Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets businesses will retain main offices in Schenectady and Williamsville and will continue to be managed locally by their respective leaders.

“This merger marks a major step forward and collectively elevates our ability to compete on every level,” said Grimmett, in a prepared statement. “It leverages increased value for our customers; advances shared opportunities for innovation; fortifies the depth of our workforce, community and trade partnerships; and ultimately accelerates our capacity to deliver a distinctively modern and convenient shopping experience. Given the vital role that supermarkets and their workforces play in our communities, particularly this past year, I am excited to lead the parent company of these two historic grocery retailers.”  

The transaction is expected to close in the upcoming months, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Hospital has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

The Distinction Center designation, from BlueShield of Northeastern New York, is reserved for programs that meet rigorous standards for quality, patient safety and outcomes. Criteria were expanded in 2020 to include efforts to prevent or treat maternity-related conditions, reduce the rate of cesarean section deliveries, and address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal healthcare.

“Blue Distinction affirms our unwavering commitment to high-quality, patient-centered maternity care,” said Dr. Amos Cutler, chair, of Saratoga Hospital’s OB/GYN Department, in a prepared statement. “The designation affirms what so many of our patients already know—that you can count on Saratoga Hospital to take great care of you and your baby.”

 The hospital has adopted a collaborative physician-midwife model of care that reflects best practices. Certified nurse midwives perform most routine vaginal deliveries, with OB/GYN physicians always available. The model helps ensure that, as much as possible, families have the experience they want during childbirth. 

 For more information about the Blue Distinction program and a list of designated facilities, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

GLENS FALLS — Gallagher, a global insurance and risk management brokerage firm, this wek announced it would join Cool Insuring Agency, Inc. in its support of the Glens Falls Arena, and extend its naming rights through 2025. The agreement comes following an announcement in December that Gallagher acquired Queensbury-based Cool Insuring Agency, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“A key part of growing Gallagher’s business is to work with people and organizations like Cool Insuring Agency who share our common values of ethics, integrity, service and community enrichment,” said Bob Crandall, Area President for Gallagher in Albany, in a prepared statement. “We can’t think of a better way to support the upstate New York community than by serving as a steward of the Arena, and we are excited to be part of its deep roots in Glens Falls.”

The 4,794-seat multi-purpose arena located in downtown Glens Falls currently serves as the home of a minor league hockey team and also hosts a 7,335 square foot banquet facility called Heritage Hall. While currently closed due to restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arena will continue to host popular local activities including tractor pulls, concerts, public skating, indoor walking and more to the upstate community.

Cool Insuring Agency, Inc. was founded in 1857 by Charles W. Cool, the first mayor of the city of Glens Falls and has served the community for the past 150 years. The partnership extension will include the naming rights to the Arena, which was officially named Cool Insuring Arena in 2018.

“We have developed a great relationship with Cool Insuring over these past few years as our naming rights partner, and we are thrilled that Gallagher wanted to extend our partnership,” said Jeff Mead, General Manager for Cool Insuring Arena. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs office of Harris Beach PLLC is relocating to larger office space in the city’s historic Broadway district to accommodate sustained growth in the region. Harris Beach attorneys and staff are now seeing clients at 513 Broadway, in accordance with proper social distancing guidelines and masking requirements.

The move is part of continued expansion for Harris Beach across multiple practice areas and industry groups. The firm employs 30 attorneys in the Albany-Saratoga Capital Region, up from 19 attorneys just 3 years ago.

The Harris Beach team provides counsel to clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors across the Albany-Saratoga corridor, the Hudson Valley and the North Country, and also supports a range of community organizations and charitable efforts.

“At this challenging time, we are excited to re-invest in the Saratoga community,” said John McManus, office managing partner, Harris Beach Capital Region, in a statement. “We have deep roots here and continue to expand our full-service capabilities to meet the needs of clients in the region and across New York State.”

Founded in 1856, Harris Beach and its subsidiaries provide legal and professional services to clients across New York state, as well as nationally and internationally. For more information, go to www.harrisbeach.com.