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Ballston Spa National Bank to Hold Sixth Annual Bank-Wide Community Service Day

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Featured, News.

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. – Ballston Spa National Bank (BSNB), locations will be closing at noon on Tuesday, May 14th to give all employees the opportunity to volunteer at the Bank’s annual Community Service Day. This year’s event will support the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY and the Patroon Land Farm in their efforts to provide food assistance to those in need. The farm grows large quantities of high quality vegetables that supply the Regional Food Bank and 1,000 partnering agencies in 23 counties with diverse, fresh produce.

WHO: Ballston Spa National Bank Employee Volunteers
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York
Patroon Land Farm

WHAT: BSNB Community Service Day

  • More than 130 BSNB employees will volunteer their time planting vegetables, weeding, making beds and working in the green houses at the Patroon Land Farm.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 12:30 pm. Weather permitting.   
WHERE: Patroon Land Farm, 132 Ketcham Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186
HOW: All BSNB locations will be closing at 12:00 p.m. on the event date

Note:  Christopher R. Dowd, BSNB president and CEO will be available for interviews.

Photo and video opportunities available.

ABOUT BALLSTON SPA NATIONAL BANK

BSNB is a locally focused relationship-driven community bank invested in making a difference not only for customers but our community as a whole. Through a combination of personal service and high tech convenience, BSNB offers a wide range of financial products and services to individuals, families, municipalities, nonprofits and businesses throughout New York’s greater Capital Region. Find out more about BSNB’s offerings here. To become part of BSNB’s online community, please visit us on Facebook, Instagram  Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

ABOUT THE PATROON LAND FARM

The Patroon Land Farm is dedicated to the production of food for our neighbors in need and to provide opportunities for agricultural education. The farm is managed by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to produce food for distribution by the Food Bank to over 1,000 partner agencies serving 23 counties in the region.

ABOUT THE REGIONAL FOOD BANK

The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that collects donated food from the food industry and distributes it to more than 1,000 partners feeding our neighbors in need in 23 counties of northeastern New York. The food provided by the Regional Food Bank helps to feed over 350,000 people each month. In 2023, the Food Bank distributed 48 million pounds of food, enough for 40 million meals. The Regional Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks.

Public Library Will Go To Paid Parking; Library Patrons Will Have Preferred Free Parking Status

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

Saratoga Springs parking lot on May 6, 2024. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city public library parking lot will be going to a paid parking scheme this summer, although provisions are being made to allow library card-holders to continue to park free of charge during the library’s normal hours of operation. 

The Saratoga Springs City Council unanimously approved a pair of measures during its May 7 meeting, allowing the proposal to come to fruition. 

Since its opening in 1992, the 75-or-so parking spaces in the Saratoga Springs Public Library (SSPL) lot, which sits between Putnam and Henry Streets one block east of Broadway, had offered free parking to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. 

“Since then, the city of Saratoga Springs has constructed four parking garages and service lots and more recently a seasonal public parking permit program to accommodate a growing population and tourism industry. These recent developments would impact the use of the library parking lot,” city DPW Commissioner Jason Golub said during this week’s council vote. “SSPL approached the city to develop solutions for protecting patron use of the space.” 

The library – which serves 700 people per day, is chartered not simply by the geographical boundaries of the city of Saratoga Springs, but in the larger school district which serves about 52,000 people. 

“Regulations are intended to provide library patrons with priority use of the lot during library hours and to allow the city to charge for parking in the evenings,” Commissioner Golub said, adding that the library lot is anticipated to return approximately $52,000 in revenues during the seasonal parking plan. 

A new seasonal paid parking program affecting six city-owned, off-street parking facilities was approved April 2, prior to the addressing of the library lot. Overall, it was anticipated the seasonal program would run Memorial Day through Labor Day, although that may be headed toward a post-June 9 start, following the conclusion of the Belmont Stakes Festival. 

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When the plan goes into effect, Special Permits will be required for library patrons to park in the library lot during designated hours. Permits, which will run via a license plate system, will be available to patrons who register and have a library card. Although the software to approve permits is not yet in place, library staff will be the ones responsible for registering patrons on a portal site provided by the city. 

“People will need come into the library to register for the permit, because it will require that they are a resident of the school district and a library card holder,” said Library Director A. Issac Pulver. 

“The library is essential to our community and serves a lot of our people,” said Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi.  “The library is the lifeblood of our community in so many different ways…the ability to gather together and learn from each other… I’m happy we came to a solution that works for the library and the city.” 

Draft Regulations: 

(a) The Library Permit will enable Library Patrons to exclusively use spaces in the Library Lot from the hours of 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily, for a three-hour time limit. 

(b) Library Permit holders may continue to use the lot for free for three hours until 9 p.m. daily, but the spots will be on first-come, first-served basis and the lot may include paid parking users after 6 pm. 

(c) Library Permit Patrons seeking to use the lot 9 p.m. – 9 a.m. will be charged a fee by the city when the city parking program is in effect. 

(d) The city may charge a fee for Non-Library Permit Patrons after 6 p.m. daily and on days or holidays when the Library is closed.

The anticipated charge for paid parking will be at the rate of $2 per hour. On holidays and other days when the library is closed, the city may charge for parking at any time. Tickets will be issued for violations. 

Belmont Stakes Festival: A $50 Million Economic Impact. Where Does That Number Come From?

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

Belmont Stakes Saratoga 2024.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Last week, regional officials announced they anticipate the hosting of the Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga to have an economic impact in 2024 of upwards of $50 million.

Shifting to Saratoga next month, the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will begin on Thursday, June 6 and continue through Sunday, June 9. Belmont on Broadway meanwhile, billed as a locally based multifaceted celebration, is slated to take place June 4 -9 featuring concerts and other complimentary events to the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. 

That $50 million projection comes from applying a mathematical formula that takes the overall economic activity of the annual 40-day summer meet at Saratoga and assigning it to the number of days of the upcoming Belmont festival.   

“The historical number for the 40-day meet has been $370 million so we simply took what we knew to be fact – $370 million – and divided it by the number of days for the Belmont Festival on Broadway, including the Belmont Stakes. That’s how we came up with the $50 million,” Gregory Connors, president and CEO at Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, explained this week. 

That overall 40-day meet figure, at just over $370 million, was detailed in a study commissioned by the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency based on data from 2021 and released in 2023. The study additionally cited nearly $2.1 million of tax revenue in Saratoga Springs, almost $2.4 million in Saratoga County, and over $7.3 million of tax revenue in New York State as attributable to the 40-day meet. 

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As a curious aside, of those counted as visitors to the racecourse during the 40-day meet, the study pointed to nearly 6 in 10 visitors as coming from outside of the Capital Region, and indicated that overall, just under half of all track visitors stayed overnight locally. It will be interesting to learn, if such movements are to be tracked, the way those numbers will trend for the Belmont.   

Saratoga Hosting Belmont Stakes 2024 & 2025, Scheduled to Return to Long Island in 2026 

Last December, the New York Racing Association announced the 2024 Belmont Stakes would be relocated to Saratoga Springs, and three months later followed up with an additional announcement that the 2025 Belmont Stakes would be staged in the Spa City as well. 

In its post-Kentucky Derby story published this week, the Associated Press referenced Saratoga as playing host to the Triple Crown’s final race for the next “three” years while Belmont Park is being reconstructed. It is a rumor that has been circulating throughout the spring – although no one in any official capacity has said likewise. To be clear, current plans for the near half-billion-dollar redevelopment of Belmont Park hold firm that renovations to Belmont Park are expected to be completed in time for the Long Island racetrack to host the Belmont Stakes in June 2026. 

Connors said he has not heard anything other than that the Belmont is expected to return to Long island in 2026.  “My sense is, and my personal opinion is that it’s all connected to the construction schedule on Elmont, Long Island at the Belmont track. If they’re on the construction schedule that they hope to be able to follow it’s more likely to be a two-year thing (in Saratoga),” he said. “In any event we know we’re going to put on a great show in 2024 and 2025.” 

From the Catskills to Saratoga: Bakery Suzanne Opens Up Shop

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Business, Featured.

Items baked by Wilson Keenan at Bakery Suzanne, a new shop in Saratoga Springs. Photos provided by Wilson Keenan.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — “I love just being able to make people’s toast,” said Wilson Keenan as he sat inside his new bakery in Saratoga Springs. “If you had to tell me, ‘you can only make one thing,’ I’d probably make bread.”

The seemingly simple ambition of supplying Saratogians with their weekly loaf of bread has been an all-encompassing task for Keenan, who has gone through a lot while moving his successful bakery from the Catskills to Saratoga Springs. Working 18-hour days, raising $125,000, spending savings accrued from nearly a decade of working in tech; these are all steps on Keenan’s path towards making people’s toast. And with the opening of Bakery Suzanne in April, Keenan is another step closer.

“I knew I needed to move if [my bakery] was going to grow,” Keenan said. So the baker began searching for a larger market that was still within a few hours of New York City. 

“When you look outside of the Catskills, you start to look at maybe Woodstock, Kingston, Hudson; these towns that still rely pretty heavily on seasonal people and weekenders. That wasn’t as exciting to me because I was like, well that’s just an order of magnitude, maybe 40% better than where I was, but it’s not really long-term potential.”

Keenan found what he’d been looking for in Saratoga Springs, in a location that might seem a bit unorthodox but made logistical sense: the Saratoga Motorcycle Center.

“Auto garages make the most sense because we need to be able to move in ovens,” Keenan said. “We brought them up from the Catskills and there’s only so many spaces where you can move something like that in.”

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As Keenan opened up shop, construction was still underway inside the garage-turned-bakery, and sparse shelves in the retail area were quickly being filled with Saratoga’s signature blue sparkling water bottles. At the moment, Keenan is running a relatively small operation that includes himself, one other baker, and two people working the retail counter. Keenan said he hoped to have another full-time baker come June or July as his business continues to grow.

“In the Catskills, I was making 400 loaves of bread when I left,” Keenan said. “It would take me quite a long time to sell 400 loaves of bread here, now. But fast forward a year or two, that will happen.”

Bakery Suzanne, named after Keenan’s mother, specializes in sourdough bread and pastries. The menu includes country loaf, baguette, and southern sesame breads; as well as croissants, pain au chocolat, canelé, and a country ham and cheese sandwich, among other items. 

The shop is housed in the former location of the Saratoga Motorcycle Club at 4284 NY-50, right next to the X-Files Museum. It’s currently open Friday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. 

Ballston Spa Education Board Approves Budget; Voters Will Decide Budget’s Fate and Select Education Board Members on May 21

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Education, Featured.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District’s Board of Education approved a proposed 2024-2025 budget of $107,179,996 last week.

There are three Community Budget Presentations being offered for district residents to learn more about the proposed budget. The presentations are scheduled for Monday, May 13 at the Ballston Town Hall; Tuesday, May 14 at the Malta Community Center; and Wednesday, May 15 at the Milton Community Center. All of the presentations will begin at 6:30 p.m.

District residents can vote on the budget on May 21 from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Residents of Malta can vote at the Malta Town Hall, while residents of Ballston, Milton and Charlton will vote at the Ballston Spa High School.

Voters will also choose two Board of Education members from three candidates: Jason Fernau, Fabrizia Rodriguez, and Tim Turbiak.

Jason Fernau was elected to the Board of Education in May 2018 to a three-year term and re-elected in May 2021. He was selected as the President in July 2021, 2022, and again in July 2023, after previously serving as the Vice President of the Board. He also currently serves on the WSWHE BOCES Board of Education. He is a Ballston Spa High School (BSHS) graduate and has been a resident in the district for over 45 years. He is the parent of two BSHS graduates, a son and a daughter. In his position statement, Fernau wrote that he was “committed to setting expectations for instructional excellence, safe and welcoming school environments, positive partnerships with our local Town and Village governments, fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers, and making sure that every student is engaged and challenged in their educational journey.”

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Fabrizia Rodriguez has more than 13 years experience advocating and representing families as an attorney with a focus on Child Welfare Laws and Immigration Law. Additionally, Rodriguez has experience in grant writing for Capital District BOCES and Centro Civico Inc. She served as a Parent Liaison for the Amsterdam School District and supported initiatives to enhance communication and involvement between school and family. Rodriguez has been residing in the Town of Ballston since 2018, and is the proud mother of two sons, a fifth grader and a third grader at Gordon Creek. She is the current Vice President of Ballston Spa Community Youth Football Inc. In her position statement, Rodriguez wrote that if elected, she would “advocate for modernized resources and tools to best support our staff in developing outstanding Ballston Spa citizens.”

Tim Turbiak was elected to the Board in May 2021 and began his three-year term in July 2021. During his time on the Board, he has served on the Policy Committee for the last two years, and as the liaison to the PTAs over the last 3 years. Tim moved to the area in 2019 from Brooklyn. Over the years he has helped organize a number of fundraisers, helping organizations such as Toys for Tots, Meals On Wheels, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He currently resides in Ballston Spa with his wife Eliana and their two children. In his position statement, Turbiak wrote that if re-elected, he intends “to help build on that progress as well as address the new challenges we face. I will advocate for policies and practices which promote inclusion, limit – if not remove – obstacles which may affect learning, and encourage our students to come to school and want to learn. I will support the district in providing the resources needed so each student has their individual needs met, and accomplish the ultimate goal to obtain a meaningful diploma.” 

In addition to the budget vote and education board member elections, there will be three additional propositions on the ballot. Proposition 2 is for School Vehicle Replacement in the amount of up to $1,075,000 to purchase and replace school buses and vehicles. Proposition 3 allows the district to spend up to $595,000 to replace two bus lifts in the district’s Transportation Facility. Proposition 4 is for the Ballston Spa Public Library in the amount of $63,344 towards the expense of operating the public library.

Nearly 400 New Apartments, Townhouses Coming to Wilton Mall in 2026-27

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

Sketch Plan of Planned Unit Development District (PUDD) at Wilton, where 382 units are anticipated to be constructed by 2026-27.

WILTON — A large multifamily housing project recently given the thumbs-up to proceed is anticipated to offer hundreds of new residential units as early as the summer of 2026 in the town of Wilton.

The project will take place alongside the existing Wilton Mall and is expected to be developed in two phases, with 296 apartments available for occupancy in the summer of 2026 and 86 townhomes made available the following year. 

The Wilton Mall will remain largely operational, and the hope is it will gain new interest as a result. The space formerly housing the Bon Ton store will be demolished and atop nearly 9 acres of land, 296  “market rate apartment units” will be constructed in its place. Demolition may take place as soon as this spring. 

The additional 86 townhome units will be developed just across the road in the northeast corner of the property and on nearly 5 acres of land during the project’s second phase. 

Mike Shaffer, general manager of Wilton Mall, is hopeful the combined 382 new units will provide a financial boost for the mall. At its peak in 2016, the mall generated about $95 million in sales, but by 2022 sales had dropped in half, due to factors such as the closure of Bonton and Sears, the pandemic, and a public shift to shopping online. 

“The mall needs that residential catalyst to attract new interest,” Shaffer told the Wilton Town Board during its April meeting when it approved the creation of a Planned Unit Development District (PUDD) to allow the project to move forward. Specifically, Shaffer cited the project as catalyst to potentially attracting national retailers, restaurants and new uses such as entertainment. 

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The evolution of the mall over the past decade or so has included bringing in Healthy Living, Planet Fitness and a 22,000 square feet Home Goods store as a tenant. It transitioned the vacated Sears box store to Saratoga Hospital for primary care, clinical care and administrative uses, sited Orangetheory  Fitness and recently celebrated the reopening of a cinema. The redevelopment of the vacant BonTon marks the next step in the evolution of the mall.

To meet the spring 2025 construction plan, design and preparations are anticipated to take three to four months, site plan subdivision approval four or five months, and building two or three months in time. The hope is to have the first apartments online and for rent in the summer of 2026. 

The Macerich Corporation and Paramount Development are collaborating on the project. “For the construction, we have 318 jobs, $14.5 million in associated earnings, $37.5 million in sales spent locally,” Tawney Farmer, of Macerich, told the Wilton Town Board during the 35-minute presentation and vote, which was approved 4-1, with Wilton Supervisor John Lant casting the lone vote against.  “Annually, after the apartments are built, we will generate 125 permanent jobs, $5.6 million in associated earnings and $16.6 million in annual sales.” 

Additional estimates point to the Town receiving $368,000 in new sales tax revenue annually, and the Saratoga City School District experiencing a net benefit of $809,000 after estimating 25 new enrolled students the project may produce.

The proposal for the project had been in the discussion and debate stage for at least two years. The Wilton Planning Board and the Saratoga County Planning board had each previously issued a positive recommendation for the project.

Belmont on Broadway: Blues Traveler to Headline Free Belmont Fest Kick-Off Concert on Broadway

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

Blues Traveler. Photo Provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A six-day festival in June anticipated to produce an economic impact in 2024 of more than $50 million will feature a free kick-off concert on Broadway with the band Blues Traveler, officials announced during a May 1 press conference at the Skip Scirocco Music Hall at Saratoga Springs. 

Nicknamed “Belmont on Broadway,” dozens of local business, tourism and government leaders were on hand for the announcement of a multifaceted celebration being planned for the week of the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. 

 “Not only is the Belmont going to help economically for the city, but it’s going to put us on a pedestal that’s going to be worldwide,” said Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford, “This is just going to bring it to a whole new level.” 

With construction ongoing at Long Island’s Belmont Park in 2024 and 2025, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will shift to Saratoga Race Course over the next two years. Racing days in 2024 will begin on Thursday, June 6, continue through Sunday, June 9 and will be highlighted by the 156th edition of the Belmont Stakes – the third leg of the Triple Crown – on Saturday, June 8. 

Belmont on Broadway activities, slated to take place June 4 through June 9, will include a downtown window decorating contest, a pre-festival event called Embrace the Belmont, and a variety of other events including the free, outdoor concert with Blues Traveler, which will take place on Wednesday, June 5. 

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The concert will start at approximately 6 p.m. (with Blues Traveler going on around 8:30) and end promptly at 10 p.m. The stage will be set directly on Broadway adjacent to the City Center and face south. Broadway will be closed likely from Van Dam to City Hall the day of the show, said Saratoga Springs City Center Executive Director Ryan McMahon. 

Organizers anticipate 5,000 to 10,000 people to attend the event. Opening bands participating in the all-ages free concert as well as satellite parking, shuttle options, and additional weeklong activities will be announced leading up to the June 4-9 festival.    

“We’re anticipating people will be coming up a little earlier in the week (prior to the June 6 race day start), so that’s why we’re trying to create these opportunities for people to have fun things to do, opportunities to engage with our community. And our hotels are definitely seeing some occupancy earlier in the week, so that tells you some good things,” said Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri. “It’s also something for our locals. Doing this free concert downtown, I want locals to know they’re welcomed too, they’re a part of this, were celebrating together.” 

What will be interesting to learn is whether the staging of the Belmont in Saratoga brings different visitors to the area, compared with visitors who flock to Saratoga during the New York Racing Association’s annual July-to-September summer meet.   

“Everyone is going to learn off the first year, and we can build on that in the second year,” said NYRA President & CEO David O’Rourke, who spoke at this week’s presser. “It’s a new big event. You have the Whitney, the Travers, and now The Belmont,” O’Rourke said. “You might see more of an international (crowd); it’s typically on another level in terms of international exposure – and then if you have a Triple Crown, that’s just going to change the dynamic.”       

Saratoga Lacrosse Team Honors Olivia Allen’s Memory, Raises Funds for Childhood Cancer Research

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Featured, Sports.

The Saratoga Springs and Jamesville-DeWitt girls varsity lacrosse teams honored the memory of Saratoga grad Olivia Allen before a game last week. Photos by Jonathon Norcross.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It was a bright, beautiful day in Saratoga Springs when two lacrosse teams took the field. But something was different about this game. Opposing teams wore matching shirts that displayed yellow ribbons. An American flag flew at half-mast. Handwritten notes tied to a fence bordering the field offered tributes to someone the community had lost.

On a seemingly typical Monday afternoon, the Saratoga Springs and Jamesville-DeWitt girls varsity lacrosse teams paid tribute to Olivia Allen, a recent Saratoga grad who succumbed to leukemia in March. Silently, they completed 47 passes back and forth, a symbolic gesture recognizing the 47 children who are diagnosed with cancer every day in the United States. 

“On March 28, Olivia left a legacy of strength and determination,” said Blue Streaks Coach Jennifer Furze while standing at midfield. “Liv’s heroic story is being heard and felt throughout the entire country. It is truly a testament to the beautiful human being she was.”

The remarks were deeply personal for Furze, whose daughter was best friends with Olivia. Months ago, Furze and her team began planning a collaboration with the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation’s LaCROSSe Out Cancer campaign. Then, Olivia passed away. Since then, Furze said her team has been passionate about aiding the foundation. 

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“I think it’s been a really great outlet for their grief,” Furze said. “They’re channeling the way that they’re feeling, their emotions, into positivity. Because that’s ultimately what Liv stood for.”

On behalf of both teams, Coach Furze presented a $10,000 check to the foundation. It took the teams only three weeks to raise the donated funds. The money will aid efforts to find cures for pediatric cancers.

According to Bonnie Lattimore, the foundation’s director of strategic partnerships, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for kids, but only 4% of federal funding for cancer research is devoted to children. “We try to do anything we can, like partner with Saratoga Springs lacrosse or other organizations, to try to fill that funding gap, and they’ve done a fantastic job.” Lattimore said that $50 funds about one hour of research. “This has a huge impact for pediatric cancer.”

Olivia Allen graduated from Saratoga Springs High School in 2023 and planned to attend Florida State University to study nursing. She played for the Blue Streaks field hockey and gymnastic teams.

Below the lacrosse field’s scoreboard, next to the half-mast flag, was an artful blue and yellow display that read “Live Like Liv.”