SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced on Labor Day that during the 2024 summer meet at the Saratoga Race Course, about $804 million was generated in all-sources wagering, with more than 1 million people in attendance.
The 2024 all-sources handle increased by about $4 million compared to last year, while attendance declined slightly by around 50,000. Average daily attendance also declined a bit, from 27,642 last year to 26,951 in 2024.
On August 9, a full day of racing was canceled due to Tropical Storm Debby, impacting some of this year’s figures
BALLSTON SPA — Saratoga County has been reaffirmed with an AA+ credit rating by Standard and Poors (S & P), Saratoga County Acting Treasurer JoAnn Kupferman announced last week.
This is the fourth year the County has maintained this high credit rating. Saratoga County is one of only three New York State counties to achieve the prestigious rating.
“This AA+ credit rating is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our administration to maintain fiscal discipline while fostering an environment conducive to growth and prosperity,” Kupferman said in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring that Saratoga County remains a beacon of financial stability and economic opportunity.”
The AA+ rating is expected to have positive implications for Saratoga County, including lower borrowing costs, which helps to keep taxes low; increased investor confidence, which attracts business growth; and greater capacity for funding public projects and services that benefit the community, which contributes to the County’s high quality of life, according to a statement released by the county.
For more information and to read the full report, go to: www.saratogacountyny.gov/treasurer
System-wide visitor spending by spending group. In 2023, NPS visitors spent an estimated total of $26.4 billion dollars in local gateway economies. Source: nps.gov – 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, published August 2024.
STILLWATER — A new National Park Service report shows that 102,000 visitors to Saratoga National Historical Park in 2023 spent $6.8 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 85 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $9 million, according to a new 68-page report published by NPS.
“People come to Saratoga National Historical Park to discover and remember the stories and people from the creation of the United States at the site of one of the Revolutionary War’s most important battles and to enjoy a beautiful landscape for recreation and reflection,” said Leslie Morlock, Superintendent of Saratoga National Historical Park, in a statement. “They end up supporting the US and local economies along the way.”
Saratoga National Historical Park preserves, protects and interprets the sites associated with the battles, siege and surrender of the British forces at Saratoga. The park encompasses five sites including the Saratoga Battlefield, General Philip Schuyler’s House, Victory Woods, the Saratoga Monument and Sword Surrender Site totaling 3,579 acres.
The National Park Service report, 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks.
This spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income and $55.6 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion in economic output and 89,200 jobs. The restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.2 billion in economic output and 68,600 jobs.
For more information about the National Park Service, go to www.nps.gov/newyork. For more information about Saratoga National Historical Park, call the Visitor Center at 518-670-2985, or visit www.nps.gov/sara.
Tempered by Memory Sculpture at High Rock Park in Saratoga Springs. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The City of Saratoga Springs will host a 9/11 Commemoration and Remembrance Ceremony at High Rock Park on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Tempered by Memory Sculpture. Attendees are asked to arrive at 8:15 a.m., with the ceremony slated to promptly begin at 8:30.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others in what the U.S. Department of State refers to as “the worst attack against the homeland in our nation’s history.”
The ceremony in Saratoga Springs will take place at High Rock Park, which since 2012 has been host site to a 25-foot-tall sculpture created from 9/11 steel.
The sculpture was commissioned by Saratoga Arts and created by artists Noah Savett and John Van Alstine from five twisted pieces of Trade Center steel. Four pieces came from the North Tower, one came from the South Tower.
The High Rock site was selected after a lengthy public and political discourse regarding the location placement of the “Tempered By Memory” sculpture.
Initially slated to stand in front of the Saratoga Springs City Center and to be unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, that location was nixed shortly before the ceremony was to take place when some officials said it would interfere with the view from out front of the center.
Instead, the sculpture remained in a parking lot in Northumberland at artist Noah Savett’s metal company yard, awaiting a permanent home. It was there that a ceremony was held to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks in 2011.
“We took the broken pieces of that day, we raised them up, we let them soar – we gave them a place to rest,” Yaddo poet Joan Murray read during the 10th anniversary ceremony attended by more than 100 steelworkers and celebrating the healing power of art to transcend grief and sorrow.
Then-city Mayor Scott Johnson appointed a committee that same month and charged it with recommending a location for the sculpture. Sites next to the state military museum, the city firehouse and near the city school campus had been considered, as well as alongside the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center on Broadway and in Congress Park.
High Rock Park was eventually selected which has since September 2012 served as the city’s annual remembrance ceremony location.
“Pay To Park” signs were removed from the brick-face entryway at the Woodlawn Ave. garage; This standing meter is soon to follow. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos Sept. 3, 2024.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The “Pay To Park” signs have been removed and the standing meters soon to follow with the conclusion of the Spa City’s first seasonal paid parking program.
The $2 per hour to park plan involved several city-owned garages and surface lots and offered city residents and downtown businesses free parking permits. Those residing outside Saratoga Springs were required to pay for parking in the garages and atop the lots.
The pay stations were unanimously approved by the City Council in April, and installed and implemented into service in mid-June, with a post-Labor Day Weekend conclusion date.
An initial plan – titled the “tourism parking” program – proposed converting more than 1,300 on-street and nearly 800 garage parking spaces into either “permit” or “paid” spots for a five-month run annually between May and September. That proposal was scaled back to involve city-owned garages and surface lots only, with all on-street parking remaining unchanged.
When it approved the plan in April, the city reported it anticipated nearly $1.6 million as first-year estimated revenue, with about $450,000 in expenses.
In mid-July, roughly one month into operation, the city announced it had to that point generated approximately $82,000 in new revenue, and issued just over 11,250 “free” parking permits. Updated revenue amounts have yet to be announced.
The city’s Public Works and Public Safety departments collaborated to get the plan up and running. Its initial year concluded, it is expected the program will be evaluated regarding its effectiveness and for any potential changes deemed need to be made prior to 2025.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival presents a panel discussion on Zoom of the 1974 film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman as part of its social justice series at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8.
The made-for-television film was groundbreaking in the early 1970s for its humane and respectful treatment of African Americans and their culture before, during and after slavery. It includes struggles and triumphs, including significant events and themes of the Civil War, slavery, reconstruction, sharecropping, unequal education, abuse of power and the civil rights movement.
“This is actually a film (and book) ahead of its time,” says Phyllis Wang, Coordinator of SJCF. “History up to this period was primarily told through men, mainly white men, while this sweeping history of black Americans is told through and by a woman.”
Registration for the panel discussion is required at: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/sY2viih/MissJanePittman
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation will host their Annual Meeting of Membership & Board of Directors, which includes board of director & officer elections, and Preservation Recognition Award Ceremony.
The Preservation Recognition Awards recognize those who have preserved the architectural heritage of Saratoga Springs.
The public is invited to the Anthony “Skip” Scirocco Music Hall at City Hall, 474 Broadway, to attend a reception at 5 p.m., followed by the Annual Meeting and Preservation Recognition Awards. Visit www.saratogapreservation.org or call 518-587-5030 to register for the event. Registration is recommended, but not required.
Work underway at 395 Broadway on Sept. 4, 2024. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Work is underway at 395 Broadway, where a multi-story building will serve as office space for Prime Group Holdings.
In December 2023, Prime Group Holdings founder Robert Moser sought city Land Use Board approval to add two stories to the existing two-story brick masonry office building with a retail store component on the first floor.
The red-brick building located on the southwest corner of Broadway and Division Street was originally developed in 2000 to house Borders Books & Music and in in 2018 was purchased by Ed Mitzen and the Fingerpaint Marketing firm. It was sold to Prime Group Holdings for $11 million in 2023.
SARATOGA — Join Hudson Crossing Park Executive Director Kate Morse and resident local historian Mike Biekiewicz for this easy, one mile walk. Kate and Mike will share the history of the First Nations who called the area home. View the site of British General Burgoyne’s “Bridge of Boats” on the way to England’s historic loss during the Battles of Saratoga, and learn about how the Champlain Canal shaped the community and was instrumental in the Underground Railroad. Tour leaders will also discuss the unique challenges of working as environmental stewards along industrialized waterways.
The event will take place 1-2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, located 1 mile north of Schuylerville at Champlain Lock 5.
STILLWATER — Saratoga National Historical continues its special events season in September with the following offerings:
Where are we? Saturday, September 7 – 10:30 am, Visitor Center. This 60-minute, hands-on session provides participants with a basic-level understanding of compass use, map reading, and the essentials of orienteering. No GPS here, we’re doing this “old school!” Space is limited, email at SARA_reservations@nps.gov to reserve your spot.
Stayin’ alive! Saturday, September 7 – 12:30 pm, Visitor Center. This 60-minute, hands-on program exploring some of the basics of wilderness survival, including: getting water, starting a fire, basic shelter, safety, signaling, personal gear, and why food is the least of your concerns. Space is limited, email at SARA_reservations@nps.gov to reserve your spot.
History Caravan. Sunday, September 8 – 9:30 am, and Saturday, September 14 – 9:30 am Meet in the Visitor Center. Looking for a more in-depth, hands-on experience during your visit? Join a Park Volunteer for a caravan-style tour of the Battlefield! Tours will last 2.5-3 hours. Meet in the Visitor Center and follow along in your own vehicle for as long as you like.
Canal Walk. Tuesday, September 10 – 10 am to 11:30 am, Tour Stop 10. Meet Biological Technician Linda White at Tour Stop 10 for a walk along the Champlain Canal celebrating it’s opening in 1823.
Upcoming: Battle of Freeman’s Farm Walking Tour – Sept. 21; 18th Century Medicine – Sept. 21, 22; The Healing Arts at the time of the Revolutionary War -Sept. 21, 22, and other events.
Saratoga National Historical Park, 648 Route 32, Stillwater. Phone 518-670-2985. visit www.nps.gov/sara.
