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Coming Soon: City Adding $76 Million to Assessment Roll

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

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Aug. 1 marks the official date for the new assessment roll to come into play with the annual list of taxable property in Saratoga Springs. Typically averaging $20 to $25 million in new property additions, this year’s roll will depict more than 600 changes of assessment and is expected to top $70 million tied to new additions.

“We essentially tripled the output of the department and were putting roughly $76 million on the assessment roll year-over-year,” said Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran.  

“This the work we’ve been able to do to leverage some of the backlog that was existing when I took office, bring us current, and push us forward,” he said. “We owe it to people that everybody is paying their fair taxes.”

The $76 million going on the assessment roll translates to dollars that weren’t getting taxed before that will now be getting taxed moving forward. In specific city revenue, that is expected to translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars.   

“If our rate stays the same in ’25 as it was ’24 we will collect an extra half million dollars in revenue,” said Moran, adding that costs associated with the appraiser, yet to be itemized, will come in at approximately $100,000, netting the city an estimated four to five times in incoming revenue compared to the costs required to process the work. Additionally, the new assessment figures depict an update that will be reported beyond the current year and going forward into the future.

“This is like found money,” Moran said. “We’re capturing the value that’s already out there that hasn’t been connected to the roll. That’s residential home improvements and commercial properties.” 

In all, there are 680 changes of assessment – of which 105 were from splits and mergers, such as the property where the Adelphi Hotel was built, now split into 80 separate units, instead of one parcel. Those with properties affected in the new tax rolls have been notified, Moran said, adding that the city’s updating efforts are part of a multi-year process. 

“We’re doing two things; One is trying to get caught up on all the old files, which we successfully did. Basically, I want to have as accurate a set of records as we possibly can, because that’s what’s going to drive fairness. If someone has a 2,500 square foot home but it’s listed as 2,000 square feet – then they’re not paying their fair share of taxes,” he said. 

“Now, with everything caught up and being up to date on what transpired in the past, we went around and took new photographs and updated the data. We basically did that survey for the entire city.” Those were compared with the values existing in the property record system, with properties indicating a greater than 25% variance in square footage specifically identified. 

“That is our next round,” Moran said. “We’re now going to be sending letters out to those folks so we can get a deeper understanding into what the situation is. I’ve been going through this for two years and this is the last piece to be ironed out. I’m incredibly proud of the work we did. At the end of this go-through we will have the most accurate assessment record we possibly can have for this community.”   

The variances can be a result of many things: human error, fact-figuring, additions to “flipped” houses where building permits weren’t properly secured, among them. 

“If you just went and cleaned up the kitchen or re-painted the wall, we’re not going to see that, nor would we care. Really what we’re talking about is additional square footage, extra out-building, someone built a garage, things like that. There are going to be people who will fall into that category, and we’ll find the right way to rectify those issues.” Moran said.   

“There are other people who perhaps just intentionally avoided doing things the right way. Some people just inherited the situation, and we don’t want to jam anybody up. But if there are people who very clearly did not follow the process – that’s tax cheat and you’re not really acting in the way we would expect a citizen to act.”

A PowerPoint-led presentation is anticipated to be staged during a City Council meeting in August. 

Saratoga Gets Its Own Pro Basketball Team

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


The logo for the Saratoga Racers, a new professional basketball team based in Saratoga Springs. Image provided by team co-owner Mike James.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Spa City will soon be adding a new attraction: a professional basketball team called the Saratoga Racers.

The Racers will be part of the American Basketball Association (ABA), a re-launched version of the legendary 1970s league that once featured stars such as “Dr. J” Julius Erving and Moses Malone. Saratoga will compete in the East Region’s White Division, which also includes the Albany 518 Ballers, Buffalo eXtreme, and Hudson Valley Rivermen.

The team plans to hold its regular season games at the Saratoga Central Catholic gym. The season will consist of around 20 to 25 games, beginning in late October and finishing at the end of February. Single elimination playoff games will follow in March. 

The Racers are owned by Keith Harrington, a former Director of Communications and Media for the Glens Falls Dragons baseball team, and Mike James, a sports announcer and Saratoga Springs High School graduate.

“It’s a dream come true to be an owner of my own team,” Harrington said.

“We’re really pleased to [welcome] Mike and Keith as part of the ABA; they bring a lot of experience to the league and I have no doubt that they will be successful on and off the court,” ABA CEO Joe Newman said in a statement.

Saratoga was previously represented in the ABA by the Spa City Gamblers, which left the league in 2020, and the Saratoga Yankees, which went kaput at the end of the 1951-1952 season.

“I knew Saratoga used to have a team and then they folded,” James said. “I wanted to bring it back to Saratoga and make it fun again.”

Harrington and James have been steadily piecing together their new franchise, landing sponsors such as Greenwich Ford, D’Andrea’s Pizza, Pinnacle Roofing, and G&S Printing. They also found an experienced coach/general manager to build their roster: Bob Catherwood, a well-known fixture in the Capital Region basketball scene.

“I called up [Mike James] and I said, we have to hire this guy. This is the guy right here. So we’re excited to have him on board with us,” Harrington said.  

Catherwood’s prior coaching experience includes stints with title-winning teams such as the Albany Legends and Albany Patroons. He’s also coached at the collegiate level with Schenectady Community College and Hudson Valley Community College.

“I count my blessings every day that I have the opportunity to coach the game that I love,” Catherwood said. “I’m not looking to make money. I’m looking to make these guys better by teaching them the right way to play the game.”

Catherwood is still assembling his roster, which will include a number of players with professional-level experience overseas.

“We have about 35 guys now that are looking to play for us and every day we get more calls,” Catherwood said.

The public can get its first glimpse of the Racers in an exhibition game against the Bennington Martens on Saturday, August 10 at 6 p.m. in the Gavin Park gym. Admission is free. Drinks and food will be available. 

Changes Coming To City Council

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


City Council member and DPW Commissioner
Jason Golub will be leaving the council next month. Saratoga TODAY file photo. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — This week, the City Council began floating potential options about how they would go about hiring an interim member to fill a vacant governing seat. With elected officials currently holding nearly half the top seats in city government that could be vacated by January, it is a process the remaining members of the council might have to revisit in short order. 

The Saratoga Springs City Council is comprised of five members – the mayor and four commissioners, and two supervisors are additionally elected to represent the city of Saratoga Springs at the county level. Those seven seats are each up for vote every two years, next in November 2025. 

This week, DPW Commissioner Jason Golub announced he will be stepping off the City Council next month to accept a position with the State as General Counsel for the Department of Corrections. 

“It’s a really challenging role that I’m super excited for, but I will obviously miss the work that we’re doing here,” Golub said July 16 during a City Council meeting attended by about 20 people who had made their way inside City Hall shortly after a major summer storm blew through the region.  

“The people who work for DPW are amazing and have really made this job for me something special,” said Golub, adding that his new employment begins Aug. 19. “I will greatly miss the DPW employees, and they should get all the credit for everything we’ve done in Public Works the past few years.”   

In 2022, Golub, a Democrat, became the first black person to serve on the Saratoga Springs City Council. He was initially selected to the seat by unanimous City Council approval shortly following the April 2022 death of longtime Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco. That November, Golub secured victory in an election specifically held for that seat to fill the remainder of the term – through the calendar year 2023. Golub was re-elected during normal council elections in November 2023 to serve through December 2025. 

The Public Works Department is responsible for the repair, replacement, and maintenance of all of the public ways, streets and highways in Saratoga Springs. 

In addition to leading their own respective departments, the five sitting City Council members – one mayor and four commissioners – each have one equal vote to decide city matters under the city’s Commission Form of Government. The seats are all up for vote every two years, next in November 2025 for a position that begins January 2026.  

It is unclear whether approval of an interim DPW Commissioner by the four remaining council members this year would extend for the duration of the term, which is slated through December 2025.  

City Charter states: In case of a vacancy caused by other than expiration of term, the Council shall appoint a person to fill such vacancy until the end of the official year in which said vacancy occurs. If the term of office of the officer vacating the office continues beyond the official year in which said vacancy occurs, a person shall be elected at a special election held after the occurrence of such vacancy to fill such vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.

In addition to Golub’s announced departure, two other Democrats – Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi and city Supervisor Michele Madigan – have announced their candidacy for new positions to be decided in elections held in November.   

Sanghvi is running against Republican incumbent James Tedisco to represent the 44th Senate District; Madigan is seeking to become Saratoga County Treasurer, a position which Republican Committee endorsed JoAnn Kupferman currently is seated as Acting County Treasurer. 

Should either City Council member Sanghvi or City Supervisor Madigan emerge victorious in their respective election bids, their new terms would not begin until calendar year 2025. As such, it is anticipated members of the Saratoga Springs City Council would vote to fill those potential vacancies on an interim basis for the duration of the term ending December 2025 with no “special” election necessary.  

Saratoga Hospital Plans New“ Center for Successful Aging” and Daycare Center

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

Image from Saratoga Hospital’s July 16 City Council Meeting presentation shows an aerial view of the office building (highlighted blue), which is located across from the hospital’s main campus. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Hospital wants to build a new “Center for Successful Aging” near its main campus that would function as a one-stop shop for local seniors. 

The hospital presented an application for a Planned Unit Development Amendment to the Saratoga Springs City Council on Tuesday evening that would allow them to demolish an existing 10,000-square-foot, one-story building on Myrtle Street across from the hospital’s main campus, and replace it with the new 60,000-square-foot, three-story office center.

“What I’m proposing this evening is more than an office building,” Saratoga Hospital CEO Jill VanKuren told the city council. “It’s a change in the way we do business.”

“Our community is aging. We have an influx of older people coming into Saratoga, coming into our community, and one of the things they’re looking for is fantastic healthcare,” VanKuren said. “The concept is bringing together the services that people would need to age in place under the same roof, close to the hospital, so that existing services…can be accessed more readily.”

The Center for Successful Aging would aim to address the needs of seniors with multiple medical conditions, geriatric syndromes, and social needs that are the results of aging. Seniors visiting the center would be able to have chronic and complex conditions cared for in one location. The building would include offices for primary care physicians, specialists, care coordinators, social workers, pharmacists, and dieticians.  

“The ideal vision is you would come in one day with your family member, spend a few hours with us, get your appointments done, and walk out with a plan of care,” VanKuren said. 

As part of its proposal before the city, the hospital is also hoping to open a daycare center for its staff members. Although there’s currently no concrete plan in place, the hospital has already had some preliminary conversations with potential partners such as the YMCA.  

Because hospital workers have long shifts, work at night, and sometimes work only three days per week, it’s difficult for them to find childcare services. Creating a daycare center inside the hospital would likely help with staff recruitment and retention.

“When we do exit interviews, when people leave us, that’s one of the answers that they give, that they weren’t able to find daycare after they’ve had their children,” VanKuren told Saratoga TODAY. “They try to come back to work after maternity leave and they have a lot of difficulty finding that infant care or finding affordable care for their toddlers and preschool-aged children.”

Both the proposed daycare center and the Center for Successful Aging are works in progress, and the hospital is actively seeking community feedback. 

“We really look forward to welcoming [the community] into this conversation and truly building something that meets the needs of our community now and into the future,” VanKuren said. 

Local Athletes excel at World Ninja Championships

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

Anna Venditti clings to a steel beam as she navigates her way
through the Ninja obstacles.

The Ninja Labs (Saratoga & Albany) recently traveled to Greensboro, NC for the World Ninja League World Championships. The World Ninja League is the premiere obstacle league in the sport of Ninja.  The event took place June 21-24th at the Greensboro Coliseum and hosted over 2300 athletes from 11 different countries and across 7 different age and skill divisions.  

Much like the finals of the hit TV show American Ninja Warrior, the main event at the WNL World Championships features a 3 stage obstacle course. Athletes who clear each stage (or finish in the top percentages of their division) move on to the next stage, but only those who clear each stage are still in contention for the World Championship title.

There is also a “World’s Strongest Ninja” title that is up for grabs during the event.  In order to be crowned the World’s Strongest Ninja, athletes must do well not only on the obstacle course runs, but also perform well in the skills challenges that also take place during the Championships.  A ninja’s speed, technical skills and endurance are challenged during these skills events.

Sixteen local athletes competed at Worlds and 4 finished in the Top 10 of their Divisions:

Coach Geoff Snyder finished 7th in the World in the Masters Division (40+)

Coach Nicole Van Oort finished 4th in the World’s Strongest Ninja category in the Adult Female Division.

Coach Anna Venditti finished 4th in the World and 3rd in the World’s Strongest Ninja category in the Young Adult Division (15-17).

Adelena Messier earned the title of World Champion by clearing Stage 1 and Stage 2, as well as going the furthest the fastest on Stage 3.  She beat out 112 other top teen females (13-14) to take the title.  Adelena also finished 3rd in the World’s Strongest Ninja category.

“I’m incredibly proud of Adelena & Anna, but I’m also equally proud of all of our Ninja Lab athletes and coaches.” said head coach Geoff Snyder. “We have built a quality program that has produced some of the best ninjas in the World Ninja League.  Our athletes work incredibly hard year around and it’s been amazing to see the fruits of their labor this past season.”

Saratoga Springs’ First Cannabis Dispensary Opens Up Shop

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

The Silver Therapeutics cannabis dispensary at 75 Weibel Avenue in Saratoga Springs on opening day. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Silver Therapeutics, a cannabis company co-owned by a Saratoga Springs resident, opened the first recreational dispensary in the city last Friday on Weibel Avenue.

“We wanted to be first,” said Brendan McKee, a co-founder of Silver Therapeutics. “We wanted to be in the community as soon as we could.”

Beating other companies to the punch while navigating New York’s regulatory requirements was a challenge, McKee said, but no more daunting than dealing with the requirements in other nearby states such as Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont, where Silver Therapeutics collectively owns six other locations. McKee said that he tells aspiring dispensary owners that opening a shop is “probably going to take you twice as long as you think, and cost you twice as much as you think.”

Silver Therapeutics was keen to plant its flag in Saratoga because Josh Silver, a local attorney and co-founder of Silver Therapeutics, lives in the city with his wife and two children. Silver’s sister is also the license holder and partner for the Saratoga location, making it a woman-owned enterprise. According to trade publication MjBiz, 39% of cannabis executives in 2023 were women, an 18% increase from the previous year.

Aside from its ownership, McKee said that Silver Therapeutics distinguishes itself from competitors by working with wholesale partners to drive down prices, sponsoring community events, and maintaining a 90% employee retention rate. 

“Our team members are happy,” McKee said. “We take care of them and, as a result, they take care of our customers.”

Located at 75 Weibel Avenue across from The Springs apartment complex, Silver Therapeutics is now fully operational and open daily from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. 

FIRE STATION #3 OPENS

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

Eighteen legs power “the push back” on a six-wheel, 38,000-pound engine truck during a ceremony marking the opening of the Saratoga Springs Fire Department’s new Henning Road station on July 9, 2024. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Colors were presented, and anthems sung. Words of prayer were spoken, and local political leaders sat to join about 100 other attendees in the hot summer sun to celebrate the city’s unveiling of its long-awaited opening of Fire Station no. 3 this week. 

“It’s been over 20 years in the making – and some would argue it’s been over 30,” former Chief Joseph Dolan noted on an August afternoon in 2022 when the ceremonial shovels first broke ground on Henning Road. On July 9, 2024, the new fire station was officially declared open for business. 

Aaron Dyer, current Acting Chief of the Saratoga Springs Fire Department, watched as nine of his firefighters physically muscled a 38,000-pound engine truck back in to its bay. The activity is a practice that dates back to the early 19th century days of the then-Village of Saratoga Springs, when a group of local volunteers first got organized with a mission of fighting fires. 

“It’s a tradition that dates back to when fire equipment was pulled around by horse-drawn carriages,” Dyer explained. “When firefighters returned from service, they would unhook the horses and then have to manually push that fire carriage or trailer back into the fire station to get it prepared for the next call for service,” he said. 

The city’s two other existing stations were both built in the 20th century and are located, respectively, on Lake Avenue in the downtown district, and on West Avenue on the city’s west side. 

The location of Station 3, which stands directly behind Saratoga Race Course, provides rapid access to the north-and-south running Northway, the east-west running state Route 29, and will dramatically improve the response times to the city’s eastern ridge. 

The city of Saratoga Springs is comprised of approximately 29 total square miles, with about 13,400 housing units and a population of just under 29,000, according to the Department of Public Safety’s annual report released in March 2024.  In 2023, the Saratoga Springs Fire Department responded to 6,990 calls for service – a 9.2% increase compared to 2022.

The $8.7 million Station 3 stands on land donated by NYRA and includes an apparatus bay and support/administrative area with a 1,500 sq. ft. mezzanine, according to details provided by the Hueber-Breuer Construction Company. It includes a kitchen, a fitness room, a classroom and also houses the Saratoga County Hazmat vehicle.

“With this building we also have an emergency operation center which gives us the ability to oversee and handle any large incident in the city or the county if the need arises,” Dyer said. 

The station houses one engine and an ambulance staffed 24 hours a day, a reserve ladder truck as well as the county hazmat truck. Six firefighters work at the station daily. Overall, 84 firefighters work in the city’s three stations, which are open 24/7. To best provide coverage for the city, a total of 112 to 115 firefighters would be ideal, Dryer said, and the process of staffing the city’s three firehouses is ongoing. 

City Supervisor Michele Madigan served as Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner from 2012-2021, when the city made the push to turn thoughts of an eastside station into a reality.  “It was a long time coming,” Madigan said. “We put the financing in place in 2019, and we are finally now seeing the fruition of our labor coming true.” 

Regarding the county’s commitment, City Supervisor Matt Veitch said the county pays for the supplies and service calls made that involve the hazmat team. “With a little bit of negotiation and a little bit of discussion, the county board approved $300,000 toward this project – essentially the cost of a bay for one of the vehicles which would be our hazmat vehicle,” Veitch said. 

“The individuals who are called on to do the work, to face those things that are unknown, are willing to put their lives on the line for all of us,” city Mayor John Safford said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “I think we need to keep in mind that it’s the willingness of people to do this that makes a city work.”

Saratoga-Based Elite Fighting Promotions Holds First Event

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

Elite Fighting Promotions is holding its first official event at the Saratoga Springs City Center on July 13. Image provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Don Walton was criss-crossing the country, chasing after the next opportunity to compete in combat sports. Vermont. New York City. Indiana. Delaware. He was always on the road, and tired of it. Then he had an idea: how hard would it be to launch a fighting promotion at home in Saratoga Springs?

To answer that question, he called Jay Ingleston, a former fighter and promoter who had booked Walton in the past. The more the duo thought about it, the more convinced they became that Saratoga needed its own fighting promotion; one that could offer more variety of competition.

“It’s an honorable product that we’re trying to give to the community,” Ingleston said. “We want these guys to have a showcase for their skills. That’s why I started this. That’s why I started fighting. I didn’t care if I won or lost. It was a respect thing, and it was the honor of going out and testing yourself.” 

Although it wasn’t officially under the Elite Fighting Promotions banner, Walton and Ingleston held an event in March that, to their surprise, sold out. Hundreds of people strolling around Broadway bought tickets the day of the event, proving to Walton that Saratoga is indeed a fight town.

“Clearly there’s a demand and we hear what the people are saying, so we’re going to bring it back again and again,” Walton said.

“Saratoga will show up for you if you give them a product or brand to latch onto,” added Ingleston.

The plan is to start putting on three to four shows per year, starting with the first official Elite Fighting Promotions event at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Saturday, July 13.

The main event, with a Bantamweight MMA title on the line, will be Christian Alvarez versus Edward Brown. Alvarez is from Troy, and Brown hails from South Carolina. The co-main event, a 180-pound Muay Thai bout, will be Albany’s Logan Samarija versus Buffalo’s Malik Abdus-Sabr. 

For Walton, it was important to book fighters from all over the country, many of whom he met while on the road. He believes that spectators ultimately care more about seeing a good show, and are less concerned with where the fighters come from. 

“A lot of amateur-level shows rely on local fighters selling the tickets,” he said. “For us, it’s just good quality.”

The July 13 card includes ten fights total, including Muay Thai bouts, MMA bouts, and a grappling match. Event sponsors include Druthers Brewing and Northern Lights Dispensary. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the fights begin at 7 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.elitefightingpromotions.com/events.