It’s Friday, June 19, 2020, and we’re about to hold the largest ribbon cutting celebration Saratoga County has ever seen.

It will take place today at 11 a.m. We really have no idea how many people will participate. We’ve invited everyone!

BUT, this ribbon cutting will feature the same ribbon being cut in more than 2 dozen locations across Saratoga County simultaneously. That’s what makes it the biggest.

Normally when we do a ribbon cutting, it is for one business in recognition of an investment they’ve made in our community. It can be for a new business or an expansion or a relocation or a significant milestone anniversary.

Today’s ribbon cutting at multiple locations simultaneously is designed to celebrate the reopening of Saratoga County’s economy.

The Chamber and our partners at the Saratoga County Reopening Advisory Board as well as Discover Saratoga, Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, the Saratoga Springs DBA, the Saratoga Springs City Center and SEDC will all be involved in one place or another.

We’ll be in downtown Saratoga Springs as well as the Villages of Ballston Spa, Schuylerville and Mechanicville. We’ll be in the Town of Day and Edinburg to the North and Waterford, Halfmoon and Clifton Park to the South. 

We’re now in Phase 3 of Saratoga County’s reopening. And while there are still some sectors that remain closed, we simply cannot wait two more weeks to share the news that Saratoga County is open for business for those who are wondering what is open and what is not.

The ribbon we are using features the Stronger Together Saratoga County logo created a month or so ago to celebrate the many collaborations we’ve seen that have helped us get to this point.

We’re also providing every City, Town, Village and Hamlet with two Stronger Together signs personalized for their local community to use in the ribbon cutting photos.

We’ve created a Saratoga County Ribbon Cutting event on Facebook. There, everyone will be able to see all of the ribbon cutting photos and videos our staff, partners and volunteers shoot capturing this historic day.

This ribbon cutting celebrates the investment of time we’ve all made during New York’s PAUSE as we sheltered at home to put health first while placing our economy in jeopardy. Today is the day where we hopefully can feel the freedom and safely start to return to the businesses we know and love more regularly. 

We believe every ribbon cutting is the celebration of a dream come true. For us here in Saratoga County as I write this, we dreamed of a day when there was no one in Saratoga Hospital fighting for their life versus COVID-19.

That day came a week ago, on Thursday, June 11. That was the day when we decided to break out the ribbon on June 19. That was the dream come true. Now we cannot let down our guard. 

As Angelo Calbone, the President of Saratoga Hospital told a group of local leaders the other day, we still must be vigilant. We need to social distance. When we can’t, we need to wear a mask. We need to wash our hands. We need to disinfect surfaces. We need to take special care of our seniors and those with underlying conditions.

But if we continue to do this, this countywide ribbon cutting today will go down in history as the day we turned the corner. 

The day we celebrated the sacrifices so many have made to get here as well as the potential of what we can do together going forward to rebuild our economy.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and work-wear programs gives back to small business community in support of economy reopening.

The UniFirst Corporation is partnering with the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce to donate 10,000 protective facemasks to local businesses in need, as part of a company-wide initiative to support the small business community. 

UniFirst General Manager Keith Plummer partnered with Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus and Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Communications Richard Snyder.

As state shutdowns are lifted and the economy begins to reopen, many small business owners, the everyday heroes on the front lines of the recovery, are struggling to source and provide their staff with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) required to meet government guidelines.

The donation is part of a company-wide initiative to support business revitalization in UniFirst markets around the country, prioritizing regions where resources are not as readily available.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — From diamonds to denim, tchotchkes to chic couture.  The Marylou Whitney Collection Auction – which went online for viewing June 17 – offers diverse items from the philanthropic icon who was known as the Queen of Saratoga.

 The auction benefits the new building that will be the future home of the backstretch medical clinic operated at Saratoga Race Course by Saratoga Hospital and the Backstretch Employee Service Team.

Special items include a diamond choker necklace that was a birthday gift to Whitney from her husband John Hendrickson, and her pristine 1985 red Jaguar XJ6.  Other featured items include designer evening gowns; couture ensembles and cocktail dresses by Bill Blass, Arnold Scassi, and Chanel; evening purses by Judith Lieber Couture and Chanel; fur coats; hats; vintage dresses; and designer scarves by Hermès and Tiffany. Many very affordable and practical items, such as costume jewelry, casual attire, hats, coats, scarves, memorabilia, and furniture, are also offered.

Hendrickson developed the concept of sharing Whitney’s worldly possessions with others, while helping two charitable entities. He donated approximately 1500 pieces that have been photographed and categorized for the auction.

“As I began the difficult task of going through Marylou’s personal items at each of our homes, she seemed to speak to me,” Hendrickson said in a statement. “No one shared her blessings and good fortune more than Marylou. No one was more dedicated to helping charities than Marylou…and so the idea was born. Her spirit of giving will live on—Marylou’s personal items are going for a greater good.”

The website, www.MarylouWhitneyCollection.com, debuted Wednesday, June 17 for preview only, via a link to the auction site.  The auction action begins Monday, July 27, at midnight, and continues through Saturday, August 1, at 11.59 p.m. – Whitney Day at Saratoga Race Course. Bidding and “Buy It Now” options will be available.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The residents at Prestwick Chase enjoyed a pop-up farmers market this past week.

Mother-daughter team Meghan Barker and Sharon Anderson, co-owners of Clyde O’Scope Farms, hosted the pop-up market. They offered fresh veggies, flowers, free-range eggs, and home made potpies to residents. Since COVID-19 struck the community this past March, John Rowe, director of marketing at Prestwick, said they have shut down access to the building and asked residents not to leave. To help social distance guidelines, Rowe said his team has done the shopping for each resident.

“We’re doing some shopping for them. Some of the fresh vegetables they might not be thinking about or putting it on their list so now, they can go right outside and grab the fresh produce for themselves,” Rowe said. 

As the second week hosting the market, Rowe said residents have been overjoyed to be able to purchase and enjoy locally produced items. 

“Last week we had a limited supply of things and the residents purchased flowers, potatoes, all sorts of vegetables for themselves. The people that ran it were very happy,” Rowe said.

Sheila Sperling. Photo provided. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Julie & Co. Realty, LLC is pleased to announce that Sheila Sperling has joined the growing brokerage. 

Sheila Sperling, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, born and raised in Saratoga Springs, is proponent of promoting positive community and economic growth throughout the Capital Region. Passionate about her hometown, she feels lucky to be able to raise her children and work in the best place in the country. Sheila not only works and invests in real estate, she also invests her time in the community. She has served on the Heritage Board and currently serves on the Board of Assessment for Saratoga Springs and serves on the COESA Board. In 2014, Sheila graduated from Leadership Saratoga. She proudly represents buyers and sellers in Saratoga and Warren Counties.

It is the mission of Julie & Co Realty LLC to provide our clients with an exemplary experience, by the utmost attention to detail.  Our agents will provide accurate, up to date market conditions, skilled analysis, and sound real estate advice.  We will continue to provide our agents with innovative new ideas and tools that will benefit both the agent’s and client’s expectations.

For more information, call 518-350-SOLD (7653), email info@juliecorealty.com or visit www.JulieCoRealty.com

Alan Oppenheim. Photo provided. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Roohan Realty is thrilled to announce that Alan Oppenheim has joined the team as a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker.

Alan has been involved in commercial real estate for the past 37 years working primarily throughout the Eastern United States on behalf of clients and investors in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, development, and management of real property assets. Prior to starting ACO Property Advisors 27 years ago in Saratoga Springs, Alan worked for two large regional developers in Boston and Albany in property acquisitions and land development.

Alan has been extremely active in the local community and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Saratoga Hospital and is an instructor at the Double H Ranch for Adaptive Skiing. He was also past President of the Board of Directors of the Saratoga YMCA.  His local professional affiliations include the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, Saratoga Economic Development Corporation and Commercial and Industrial Real Estate Brokers (CIREB).

GREENWICH — The Washington County Fair will host the Fantastic Food Truck Corral allowing the community to enjoy fair food in the comfort of their own home. 

Rebecca Breese, co-manager at the fair, said at this point, the status of 2020 fairs is still in limbo, and she wanted a way to support vendors in the area. For a lot of the vendors their entire calendar of events has been cancelled until August. 

“The Food Truck Corral is a great option. We have the food vendors, we know how to work with food vendors and we have all this space,” Breese said. “For the last couple years, we have been talking about the food truck route. Food trucks are very popular now and people love it.”

However, COVID-19 struck the community and the idea was placed on hold until a few food vendors reached out to Breese.

“We are really excited. The response has been amazing from the community and we are really grateful. We really hope that people will come out and safely support these food vendors,” Breese said. 

The Food Truck Corral will begin this Friday, June 12 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Breese said they would start out small with only a few vendors selling food. They wanted to ensure that everyone is comfortable being at the corrall with masks on along with social distancing guidelines and protocols in place. Breese said they hope to hold the corral into July. 

“It’s a different kind of atmosphere for us but it still is a way to support our community and give people something to look forward to. I think right now there may not be a lot of that around unfortunately,” Breese said. 

The corral will offer multiple ways to purchase and pick-up food.  Community members can pre-order online as every Monday, Breese and her team will post the pre-order links. Orders can then be picked up curbside through contactless curbside pickup or customers can walk up to the vendor and pick up their order from the truck. The same options are available for day-of orders. To ensure safety and comfort, orders must be taken home and cannot be consumed on the fairgrounds. 

“However, that’s the beauty of it. You can go home and enjoy fair food in the comfort of your own home,” Breese said. 

The vendors featured this week include Coffee And, Miller’s Backyard BBQ, Giovanni Fresco, Slavonian European Café and Reggis Veggies. Coffee And will offer ice cream cookie sandwiches, baked by the owner who has then teamed up with Adirondack Creamery for the ice cream filling. They will also be making coffee floats featuring Adirondack Creamery and coffee from Iron Coffee located in Hoosick Falls.

“It’s a great way that local businesses can partner together to help each other,” Breese said. 

Giovanni Fresco will be making fresh pasta that they roll out in front of customers along with additional Italian food classics.

The biggest way the community can give help is by ordering food and sharing with their friends and family. That supports these businesses,” Breese said. “A common misconception when you talk about fairs is people don’t realize what kind of an economic impact that fairs have on their whole community. Not just the gas stations or the local food markets…for these vendors this is their life. It’s a full time job.”

Breese added: “I just want to thank our community for supporting us in this venture so far. We hope to continue this for years to come. This is a bright spot in the pandemic and hopefully something fun comes out of it.”

John Pezzulo. Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dr. John Pezzulo has been tapped to lead Saratoga Hospital’s community-based palliative care program to meet increased outpatient demand for these services. A longtime primary care provider, Pezzulo also is certified as a hospice medical director.

“More and more patients are living with one or more serious illnesses,” said Dr. Richard Falivena, vice president and chief medical and physician integration officer at Saratoga Hospital. “Palliative care can have a dramatic, positive impact on their quality of life and that of their families.

“Dr. Pezzulo has invaluable experience in this medical specialty, including many years as the cancer liaison physician on our Cancer Control Committee,” Falivena added. “Our community will benefit enormously from his expertise and compassion.”

Palliative care specialists focus on helping patients and their families meet the challenges of serious illness. Providers work with patients to prevent and manage pain, other symptoms, and treatment side effects, as well as to address patients’ emotional, social, practical and spiritual concerns.

Saratoga Hospital has long offered palliative care to patients during their hospital stay. Adding Pezzulo to the palliative care team enables the hospital to expand these services to outpatients.

A graduate of New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pezzulo completed an internship at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn and a residency at the former St. Clare’s Hospital in Schenectady. He is certified by the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board and the American Board of Family Medicine, with subspecialty certification in hospice and palliative medicine. Pezzulo also is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

He sees patients at Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Outpatient Palliative Care at Saratoga Hospital Medical Offices – Wesley, 119 Lawrence Street, Saratoga Springs. To make an appointment, call 518-886-5060. For more information go to SaratogaHospital.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Gulph Creek Hotels is seeking approval from the city of Saratoga Springs to renovate the Hilton Garden Inn, three months after purchasing the 112-room hotel.

Exterior renovations are part of $2 million in proposed upgrades planned by the suburban Philadelphia hotel management company.

Gulph Creek purchased the 21-year-old Hilton Garden Inn for $9.75 million in February. The South Broadway hotel was acquired from BRE Select Hotels Properties LLC, part of Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX). The deal closed Feb. 20.

The new owners have filed an application with the Saratoga Springs Design Review Commission seeking an architectural review of plans to replace the front entrance, repaint the hotel and make other exterior improvements at the 2.75-acre property. Gulph Creek is working on the project with architect Kiprian Fedetz of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Gulph Creek executives said in February that the Hilton Garden Inn’s occupancy had been strong, but the company purchased it seeing opportunities for improvement. Less than a month after the purchase, the Covid-19 pandemic started spreading across New York state, forcing thousands of businesses to shut down, dramatically limiting travel.

Hotel occupancy in Saratoga County fell by 38.5% in March 2020, compared to the same period the previous year.

The city is preparing for its busiest season; however, this summer’s turnout remains in question since the Saratoga Race Course plans to run without permitting fans at the track. Last year, more than 1 million people attended the races.

Gulph Creek owns a half-dozen hotels and manages 20 others in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The company secured a $9.6 million mortgage through Truist Bank of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when it purchased the Saratoga Springs hotel. Approximately $2 million of that total was part of a construction loan to cover renovations.

Gulph Creek principal Derek Sylvester said in February that the new owners also plan to upgrade the bar and reconfigure the lobby. The 112 rooms already had been renovated over the past two years.

 SARATOGA SPRINGS — Developer Mark Rekucki is about to invest $12.4 million to construct three warehouses totaling 186,000 square feet at his 200-acre Synergy Tech Park site in Clifton Park.

The founder of M.J. Properties of Clifton Park will build the warehouse-and-office buildings on speculation after receiving interest from a string of logistics and shipping companies since introducing plans to develop a technology park off Route 9 and Kinns Road.

Rekucki is working with Saratoga Economic Development Corp. to apply for mortgage, sales and property tax incentives through the Clifton Park Industrial Development Agency to help control the cost of the overall project. If approved, Rekucki would save $1.5 million in taxes over 10 years, including $470,000 in sales tax breaks.