Last month, I needed emergency care unrelated to COVID-19. My experience made my family acutely aware of the emotional impact caused by hospital visitor restrictions for families. I recall a visit from my doctor discussing the findings of the test and not being coherent enough to understand what was being said and no family to ask questions made me feel quite anxious.

I acknowledge the seriousness of COVID-19 and the need to protect health care workers, patients and the public. I’m confident the current policies were made with the best judgment to promote safety in hospitals. However, these policies should be reexamined and adjusted to allow every patient the right to a support person to accompany them in the hospital.

The CDC has already outlined guidelines for hospitals in managing visitor access within their facilities. These guidelines include: limiting visitors to those essential to the well-being of the patient (such as care partners), limiting points of access to the facility, screening all visitors for symptoms of COVID-19, denying access to the facility to visitors who present with a fever, requiring all visitors to wear face masks, restricting visitors to the patient room and taking special measures to control visits to patients with COVID-19. These guidelines do not call for the complete restriction of all visitors in the hospital setting. Actually, they highlight the essential role care partners play in supporting a patient’s emotional and physical well-being.

Care partner presence promotes healing and lessens the burdens of health care workers. Hospital administrators should consider changing visiting policies to reflect CDC guidelines, improve recovery and healing and lessen demands on their staff.

– Robin Mitchell

This Spring has proven to be a challenging time for our communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us, but it has also highlighted the North Country’s exceptional public health officials, healthcare workers, first responders, law enforcement personnel, and community leaders as our community has risen to meet the unique needs of our region. 

Amidst this crisis, it is critical to highlight the role that the 2020 Census plays in funding our hospitals, emergency services including police forces and fire stations, schools, roads, and more. I am writing to personally urge all my constituents to fill out the Census. 

The 2020 Census will distribute federal resources to our businesses, community leaders, and elected officials to help them make informed decisions on how to serve you. This funding is especially important for communities who rely on USDA Rural Development funding to support local businesses and expand broadband access, EPA funding to protect the natural waterways of the Adirondacks, HUD assistance for homeless programs, and funding for telehealth and distance learning services, which are all so important to communities in our region. 

Now more than ever, it is critical that the North Country is accurately counted. As we recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis, we must consider the substantial needs our region is counting on. An accurate and complete census count is the first step in making sure the North Country receives funding to make critical decisions. Given the current public health crisis, it is recommended that citizens respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail. 

In mid-April, the Census Bureau began mailing the paper questionnaire to homes that have not yet responded online or by phone. If you receive mail through a P.O. Box, a Census Bureau worker may deliver a questionnaire, leave information about responding, or interview you.

You can complete the census online at my2020census.gov. You can also call the Census Bureau at (844)-330-2020. The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to keep all of your reported information confidential. 

If you have any questions or need more information about how to complete your 2020 Census, please visit my website at Stefanik.house.gov, or reach out to any one of my offices. I will continue to advocate for the North Country to receive critical funding and resources at the federal level, and I encourage all my constituents to complete the 2020 Census to ensure all are accurately counted.

– Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21)

Governor Cuomo has allowed sidewalk dining in Saratoga Springs. This should turn out to be a win-win for its residents, tourists and the finances of our city, provided our Covid-19 cases remain suppressed. According to most health experts, gathering outside as long as masks are worn before being seated and social distancing is abided by is considered low-risk of getting Covid-19. Now Saratoga is considering letting restaurants basically take over some sidewalks on some side streets and creating walkways on the streets with cement “jersey barriers” as safety buffers. 

So why stop there?

Let’s ask permission from the State to let S.S. have one of the two travel lanes of Broadway for parking (as a safety buffer) so tables can be put where the parking is now. They will hardly impede traffic flow as one lane will remain open in both directions and there will be minimal loss of on-street parking.  Deliveries can be made at a few designated parking spots for trucks only.

In other words, it will repurpose existing curb side parking lanes as expanded pedestrian and public space so Broadway restaurants and other businesses so the winning would be HUGE for all.

– Charlie Samuels

I thought I would give voice to the voiceless, defend the defenseless, and walk the walk, not talk the talk.  I thought I would shed some awareness of a situation that arises in our own hometown.  I would like to bring those in the dark into the light…

When I go to get ice cream at Stewarts, and I am greeted with friendliness and cheerfulness upon requesting a sample, when my friend, who requested a sample earlier,  is given no smile and is sneered at without eye contact…that is racism.

When I go to the checkout counter at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, and I am greeted with salutations, and served with eye contact, calm and relaxed service and smiles, but the man before me was given no eye contact from the checkout clerk, and even worse, serviced with a quick flurry of activity from the clerk to move him along as promptly as possible, and no salutations is offered…that is racism.

When I hear of a friend’s black son, attending high school at Saratoga Springs High School, sitting in a class, and the teacher admits to the whole class that he crosses the street when he sees a black person walking toward him, in order to walk on the sidewalk on the other side of the street…and even worse, nothing is done about it, no apology from the teacher in front of the whole class, no reprimand of the instructor…nothing in writing in the teacher’s record…that is racism.

Racism and bigotry knows no bounds, exists in more places, and occurs more frequently, than most white people can fathom.  When you have walked side by side with someone who is judged based on their color, and not on their character, perhaps some awareness will be awakened.  When you are sneered at or dismissed or disregarded while walking with your friend, perhaps you will “feel” what is means to be black…

Walk the walk, protest, give voice to the oppressed and victimized, and perhaps you will understand what white privilege is in your own home town.

– Rachel C. McDermott, Financial Representative

The Saratoga school board is going to face hard decisions about how to maintain the excellent quality of our schools in the face of unprecedented financial challenges. Tony Krackeler is an ideal candidate for the board.

After graduating from Stanford, he worked as a teacher and high school volleyball coach for 10 years. He knows how important both the classroom and sports are to children and their families. For the past 20 years, he has worked as the President and CEO of Krackeler Scientific Inc, a global distributor of scientific equipment, including facemasks and protective equipment, used in pharmaceutical, biomedical, environmental and industrial laboratories. He will bring his operations, finance, personnel management, and contracts expertise to help manage the $130 million school district budget and over 1,100 employees. 

He is committed to Saratoga Springs schools. He has three kids in the public schools and has served on the Lake Ave Building Leadership Team, the Superintendent-Parent Forum, and the Maple Avenue Middle School Principal Search. I encourage you to vote for Tony Krackeler in Saratoga School Board election when you receive your ballot in the mail on June 1 or 2. 

– Bob Turner

Many people in our community have lost their jobs and may be wondering how they will feed themselves and their families.  If you or someone you know needs help buying food, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may be able to help. 

SNAP can help people who are struggling to afford enough food.  SNAP provides monthly benefits on a debit card that can be used to purchase food at grocery stores and many farmers markets.  You can apply for SNAP and use SNAP benefits while keeping a safe distance from others.  Your SNAP application and other requirements can be fulfilled online, by phone or by email.  You can also use SNAP benefits to shop online and have groceries delivered from Amazon, or in some areas, from Walmart or Shoprite. 

Many people who have recently lost their income may be eligible for SNAP now. SNAP may be the relief you and your family needs to keep food on the table during this difficult time. 

The Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) can help you apply for SNAP and answer any questions you have.  These services are free and confidential.  Contact your Saratoga County NOEP coordinator today at 518-587-5188, ext. 412

– Deborah DeLosa, Saratoga County
NOEP Coordinator, Legal Aid Society of NNY

I regularly have the opportunity to walk downtown with my dog. These last several days I have noticed that there are fewer people walking with me, and as I looked into the restaurant windows saw that virtually nobody was there. I began paying attention and realized that in our efforts to socially distance ourselves we are hurting our downtown. The Skidmore students are home for an extended period, conferences in the City Center have been cancelled, and we are staying away from each other and town. 

One of the greatest things about being a Saratoga resident is the access to the unique stores and restaurants downtown. They are small businesses being crushed by forces outside of their control but I think we have the opportunity to help them out. We can order a meal or two from our favorite restaurants for pick up, or even purchase a gift card for future use. Spring seems to be bearing down on us and perhaps you could use some new clothes so think about buying a gift card from one of the boutiques in town if you don’t feel comfortable shopping in person. If we are careful we can continue to shop in town, I know that the salespeople would love to have someone to talk to and you might enjoy the fact that they have the time to really help you. 

Downtown is one of the things that makes this place so special and the business owners do so much to make Saratoga a welcoming place for everyone. We can show them that we appreciate all that they do by spending a bit of money right now when they need it most. Who knows when this will pass, and if we don’t step up now recovering from this may not be possible. I know that sounds dire but for small businesses it is.

– Elizabeth Whitman, Saratoga Springs

A school in Saratoga Springs has a safety problem, again. 

Lake Avenue Elementary is the closest school to our urban downtown and the city can make kids and parents much safer with some simple changes in traffic patterns surrounding the building. But change does not come easy in this town and some neighbors fought two parallel streets, Marion Place and Regent, from becoming one-way during school days.

Our community came upon a decent compromise two months ago: Signs were installed on these streets denoting temporary half-hour one-way traffic during student drop offs and pick-ups. Walking my 7-year-old to his first day back to school after Spring break last week, I was flabbergasted to notice all signs were gone.

It seems that without warning or public input, they were ripped down by the city— not unlike when, in 2010, the city filled our famous skateboard “bowl” with dirt rendering a perfectly good exercise facility useless. — that epic battle took a year and a half to reverse.

– Charlie Samuels

As we approach teacher appreciation week, I’d like to thank the teachers, staff, and our principal, Mrs. Fitzgerald, at St. Mary’s school in Ballston Spa. St. Mary’s provides our children with superior academics, wholesome friendships, and spiritual growth.

On their last field trip of the year, our daughter’s third grade class went on a hike. Their teacher, Mrs. Eddy, led the students and chaperones along a rocky path, which opened to a clearing next to a serene lake. The scene was reminiscent of a modern-day Norman Rockwell painting: The girls chatted and admired the view, while the boys picked up snakeskins and jumped along the rocks. As we unpacked our lunches, one of the students suggested we say a prayer. The students said a Hail Mary followed by prayers for those who had sick family members in need of God’s healing. 

As I observed the scene, I was struck by the beauty of God’s creation, and the students’ genuine belief in prayer and their care for each other. It was an experience I’ll never forget and one that can only happen at St. Mary’s.

I would encourage parents to call St. Mary’s in Ballston Spa to schedule a tour. Our school works with families by offering scholarships and tuition assistance. We don’t want anyone to feel left out. St. Mary’s has blessed our lives and it will bless yours too.

– The VanDeCarr Family, Ballston Lake

We are Marianne Barker and Maddy Zanetti, of Impressions of Saratoga located on Broadway since 1980 and the Dark Horse Mercantile, just opened in 2018. Maddy is a native Saratogian and Marianne and her husband Dave have lived here since 1980 with no plans of leaving. We are all concerned over the future of our community events traditionally held in our very special downtown. They include the Fireworks held for the 4th of July celebration and First Night which are not very likely to happen going forward, the Hats Off festival which was cancelled several years ago and though not in immediate jeopardy, the Victorian Streetwalk, Fall Festival and Chowderfest. There are other examples like pond hockey and the many horse shows that have moved out of the city. Today it is increasingly difficult to coordinate the events, pay the new fees to hold them, and raise the sponsorship dollars to fund them. If these things are important enough to us, we need to show our support. This started out for us as a concern for the fireworks but it’s much bigger than that.

Impressions began its history in Saratoga Springs, January of 1980 just as the renaissance of downtown started in the 1970’s was gaining momentum. There were still a lot of open storefronts but Saratoga was well on its way to our current enviable position as one of the best downtowns in America. It was the hard work of so many people that you may or may not remember, who had the vision and ability to see what needed doing and making it happen. The festivals were a big part in getting our town back on the map as a destination for shopping, dining and playing. Many of us, big and small businesses saw the value in supporting these events in any way we could with donations of dollars, support and time. They were one of many pieces that has led to our current success. Over the years the population and businesses have changed and many of our valued partners are no longer here with the memories of what was. Many do not remember Saratoga when there wasn’t much going on and we truly depended on the summer racing season for our town to make ends meet. Though the races surely add a lot to our town, they are no longer the sole reason we exist. The thing that worries us is that without the continual re-investment into our town, big or small, things can change in the blink of an eye. We all have a vested interest in keeping our community the best it can be. The gradual erosion of the things that have made us so special may not impact us today but it’s the future we have to look out for. It’s easy to think that a little piece of support isn’t that important but when too many think this, it has a huge impact. We live in a very special place and have a responsibility to preserve, protect and nurture it for the days to come.

We recognize that every event may not benefit each of us personally or financially but as a whole they help to create opportunities to expose folks to all that Saratoga Springs has to offer. It’s a perfect marketing opportunity to show folks why they should come back to support our businesses which in turn creates more tax dollars to fund our city. Sometimes we have to look beyond ourselves for the greater good.

With that said we plead with our community, businesses and residents alike, let’s help support the things that make us a gem of a destination and to keep it that way. Supporting the Chamber of Commerce who has stepped up to try to save the fireworks, the Convention Bureau who works hard to bring groups to town and the Downtown Business Association that orchestrates lots of special events and all of our organizations and groups that make this such a special place to live, work and play.

Respectfully,
Marianne and Maddy