SARATOGA SPRINGS — Local business Indulgence Bakery celebrated the opening of its first storefront location this week at a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. 

Indulgence Bakery offers cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more, baking indulgent treats for life’s sweetest moments. 

“I’ve just always loved creating desserts and I love creating custom desserts and pretty things for everyone’s celebrations,” said Alex Gaertner, the owner and creator of Indulgence Bakery.

Gaertner originally started the business in 2020, and it has been growing ever since. Earlier this year, the bakery moved into 63 Putnam St. Rear in downtown Saratoga Springs and opened its space to the public. 

“Now we have this brick and mortar store and people can come in and get some treats, in addition to all of the events that we still bake for and love to do,” Gaertner said.

The recent ribbon cutting celebration was a big moment for the local entrepreneur. 

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment since before I can remember,” she said during the ceremony. “It’s surreal and it’s amazing.”

Indulgence Bakery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, as well as by appointment or pre-order only on Tuesday and Wednesday.

For more information, visit www.bitesofindulgence.com.

ALBANY — Berkshire Bank has announced that Greg Saint John, an experienced credit officer and banking industry veteran, was promoted to senior vice president, deputy chief credit officer and commercial credit director. He will report directly to Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer Philip Jurgeleit.

“I’m pleased to welcome Greg to the Credit leadership team with his expanded responsibilities as deputy chief credit officer,” stated Jurgeleit. “Greg’s vast experience, knowledge of Berkshire Bank, its customers and communities will help strengthen Berkshire as it continues on its path toward becoming a high-performing, leading, socially responsible community bank.”

“As a Berkshire Banker since 2010, I am looking forward to utilizing my broad background to continue to elevate Berkshire’s strong culture of credit risk management while enhancing relationships with all our stakeholders,” stated Saint John.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A long-empty restaurant in Saratoga Springs may soon be the site of a new Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Site plans have been submitted for 12 Ballston Ave, former home of the Starting Gate Bar and Grill, which has been vacant since 2015 according to submitted plans. The plans would see the removal of the current structure, to be replaced with a 2,343-square foot building to house Chipotle.

The plans were proposed in April by applicant CollabDev 2, LLC, based in Boston, Massachusetts. Frank Parillo of Saratoga Prime Properties is the owner of the property, according to plans filed with the City of Saratoga Springs Planning Board. 

The sketch plans for the project were submitted by Solli Engineering, based in Monroe, Connecticut. Phinney Design Group is also involved in the process, according to the submitted plans.

The 2,343-square foot restaurant would include an outdoor patio area and walk-up mobile pickup window, and would also include improvements to drainage, landscaping, and utilities.

The property is accessed from Ballston Ave and Hamilton St, and would contain 23 parking spaces, including one ADA-accessible space and three spaces designated for order pickup.

The plans also propose a public easement of 3,134 square feet of land on the neighboring property, 32 Ballston Ave, the location of Saratoga Strike Zone. The easement would be perpetual, and used to “provide the area necessary to comply with the City’s parking regulations,” and to provide room for “safe egress” onto Ballston Ave and Hamilton St, the plans say.

The applicants are currently seeking permits from the city, Parillo said.

ALBANY — Berkshire Bank has announced Andrew Webb has joined Berkshire’s Private Banking team as senior vice president (SVP). He will serve the greater Capital Region and surrounding areas in New York to provide flexible solutions, expert advice, and swift, concierge-level personal attention.

Webb’s work with the Private Banking team will further support Berkshire’s ongoing commitment to clients and provide relationship management to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals.

For more information visit www.berkshirebank.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Roohan Realty has announced that Jordan Golisano-VanNeil has joined the team as a Marketing Assistant. She will be creating and sharing content on social media, as well as writing blog posts.

Jordan was born and raised in Rochester and graduated from Siena College in 2023 with a degree in Marketing and Communications. She discovered her love for marketing when she was in high school and is now proud to be starting her career at Roohan Realty. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company has welcomed Alina Serradimigni as Vice President and Branch Manager of the Saratoga Main Office.

Serradimigni will oversee daily operations, provide quality customer service and develop banking relationships to help individuals and businesses reach their financial goals. She brings more than 10 years of banking experience to the position.

The Republic of Moldova native attended Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in banking and finance. 

Serradimigni currently lives in Glens Falls and is an active member in her community. She serves as Vice President of St. George Orthodox Church and Treasurer of Adirondack Greek Festival Committee.

WILTON — Trojanski Builders, a custom home construction company based in Saratoga Springs, has begun work on a new neighborhood of high-end homes in Wilton called Grande Highlands.

The neighborhood is located off Edie Road and will feature custom homes, with owner Dave Trojanski saying houses are built to meet the needs of the homeowners. Trojanski Builders has also developed a similar neighborhood, Rose Terrace, located a short drive away off Louden Road.

“It’s a custom development, so all the homes are custom,” said Trojanski. “We basically meet with each homeowner and design the house to meet their needs. It’s all done on an individual basis.”

Trojanski said the neighborhood will consist of 38 custom homes, each with lots of roughly one acre. He said prices will start around $800,000. 

“We’re actually building one in there, and we’ve applied for two more permits,” Trojanski said. “I think we have seven contracts in there right now.”

Grande Highlands is located in the Town of Wilton and the Wilton tax base, and receives water from the town. The neighborhood is located in the Saratoga Springs City School District and comes with Saratoga Springs addresses.

“It’s Wilton tax base for the town, which is a big plus,” said Trojanski. “And Saratoga schools. That definitely sparks interest.”

Trojanski Builders is a family-owned company, with Trojanski saying he works alongside his wife, Sarah, who is the head of sales for the company’s developments, and nephew Josh Thomas. 

Trojanski said he expects the neighborhood will take roughly five years to build out, and said sale prices for the neighborhood so far have ranged between $800,000 and $1.6 million. 

Although he noted that the construction process has been slowed due to labor shortages and increased cost of materials, Trojanski said business has been “steady” for the company.

“We haven’t really seen a downturn,” said Trojanski. “Our intention, in a couple of months, is to have an open house there. … We’re pretty happy with the way it is.”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  Individuals with mental health conditions are protected in the workplace in several different ways, but we will see employers having difficulty in this context.  Whether it’s because of stigmas associated with mental health conditions, or a lack of awareness as to how to handle situations where an employee needs support during a difficult time, this is one of the most common areas where we see things falling apart at work. 

Many if not most mental health conditions are “disabilities” within the meaning of the anti-discrimination laws including the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the New York State Human Rights Law (NYHRL).   This means that qualified employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations and to be free from discrimination, harassment and retaliation for making a complaint of violations of the law.  Under the NYHRL, victims of domestic violence are also entitled to time off to receive counselling. Mental health conditions can also fall under the definition of a “serious health condition” within the meaning of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).  The FMLA is the federal law that gives eligible employees of larger private employers and public employers up to twelve weeks of job protected leave.  

WHAT IF YOU NEED SUPPORT?

Sometimes employees need time off to treat a mental health condition.  Other times, employees need an accommodation because, for example, a medication may incapacitate them at certain times of the day.  In either of these situations, the law typically puts the initial burden on the employee to give the employer enough information to put it on notice that leave or an accommodation is needed.  If you are eligible for FMLA leave, the employer will typically provide you with a medical certification for your doctor to complete.  If you are more in the reasonable accommodation context (and sometimes a scenario falls under more than one statute), your employer is required to engage in an interactive process with you to figure out a suitable accommodation.  You may not always be entitled to exactly what you’re asking for, but the law wants the employer and employee to work together to find a solution. 

WHEN DO THINGS GO SOUTH?  

Sometimes the nature of the mental health condition carries stigmas that result in discrimination in the workplace.  Maybe you don’t need an accommodation or leave at all, but your employer becomes aware that you went to rehab or that you are a veteran with PTSD.  Sometimes we see employers start to treat employees differently – they suddenly consider them to be a danger, or they start micromanaging them.  

Other times employers simply don’t realize the disability laws are implicated, and they don’t treat a mental health condition the same way they might treat a physical condition that requires an accommodation.  Sometimes, at the end of FMLA leave, an employer might perceive their legal obligations to be met, and they fire an employee who needs a little more time off.  At that point, the disability laws may have protected an additional period of leave, and sometimes employers get themselves in trouble in that context. 

It can be very difficult to raise a mental health struggle to your boss.  And, unfortunately, sometimes this disclosure does result in a breakdown of the employment relationship.  But employees do have rights and it is important for employers to be aware of these rights, to avoid applying stigmas, and to treat with sensitivity a situation that is often temporary – at least in its impact on the workplace – and can be handled with compassion and moved past. 

Every situation is unique, including whether a condition falls within the applicable laws or whether an accommodation is feasible.  This article should not be relied on as legal advice or in taking action at work.  If you need support, consult your handbook on appropriate procedures and consider speaking to HR or an attorney about your options.