SARATOGA SPRINGS —RISE Housing and Support Services has been awarded their bid to operate the  7,800 square-foot building on Williams Street that previously housed the Saratoga Senior Center.

Following the senior center’s relocation from 5 Williams St. and in the aftermath of thwarted plans to house a 24/7 year-round permanent homeless shelter on the site, the city – which owns the building –  on Sept. 1 offered the building via a public bidding process to non-profits for a short-term lease. 

As stipulated in the RFP, the term of the lease will be for 6 months and starts in November, with optional month-to-month leasing for up to an additional six months. 

The winning bid by RISE was $500 per month. 

The building will serve as temporary administration offices for the human services agency, as their own offices are currently under construction, and will not be used to shelter homeless people, the city said.   

Saratoga Springs

Participatory Budgeting Committee Meeting – 5 p.m., Oct. 16. 

Zoning Board of Appeals Workshop – 6 p.m., Oct. 16.
(Full meeting: 6:30 p.m., Oct. 23). 

City Council meeting – 6 p.m. Oct. 17.

Civilian Review Board – 6 p.m., Oct. 19. 

Climate Smart Task Force meeting – 9 a.m., Oct. 18. 

Design Review Board Meeting – 6 p.m., Oct. 18. 

Restorative Justice Panel meeting – 7 p.m., Oct. 18. 

Planning Board Workshop – 5 p.m., Oct. 19.
(Full meeting: 6 p.m., Oct. 26).

City Budget Workshops – multiple, ongoing.
Check saratoga-springs.org for details. 

Please be aware: a firework display will take place during Celebration Weekend at Skidmore College, from 9-9:15 p.m. on Oct. 21.

Saratoga County 

Board of Supervisors Monthly Meeting – 4 p.m., Oct. 17 at county complex in Ballston Spa. 

WILTON — For photographers who enjoy taking pictures of nature or of people enjoying nature, entries for a photography show that will be highlighting the beauty and the mission of Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park are being sought. 

The entry deadline is Nov. 1, and up to four entries will be accepted per person.  

There will be prizes awarded for the following categories: Best in Show, Best Nature in Winter, Best featuring Conservation, Best featuring Education, Best featuring Recreation, Best Nature in Autumn, Best Animal Shot, Best Karner blue butterfly, and Best under-13.   

Entries should be submitted via email to info@wiltonpreserve.org with the following information: attached photograph files saved as jpeg, name, address, phone number, email, title of each submission, age if under 13. All work should be original and have been taken at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park.  This year the selected photographs will be displayed virtually, through a virtual Photography Gallery. 

For more information, contact Wilton Wildlife’s office at 518-450-0321 or via email at info@wiltonpreserve.org.  

WILTON — Wild About Blue will be taking place on Sunday, Oct. 15, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Wishing Well restaurant in Wilton. The event is Wilton Wildlife’s main fundraiser of the year and will be celebrating all of the successes of the organization in Environmental Education, Outdoor Recreation, and Conservation. 

The event helps support the many successful undertakings at Wilton Wildlife, including the year-round presentation of hundreds of educational programs for all ages and interests, the maintenance of over 25 miles of year-round recreational trails, and the support of conservation projects undertaken by its partners. Wild About Blue is critical for raising the funds that the organization needs to continue its year-round, mission-driven work that has helped to create a lasting preserve for nature and a park enjoyed by outdoor enthusiasts.  

Tickets for Wild About Blue are available for $100 per person and can be purchased online at www.wiltonpreserve.org or by calling the Wilton Wildlife office at 518-450-0321.

People unable to attend can still support the event by participating in the online auction. The auction will open on Sunday, Oct. 8 and will close at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15. The link to the auction is https://www.32auctions.com/WildAboutBlue2023

Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park was founded in 1996. For up-to-date trail conditions or program information, visit the Preserve & Park’s website at www.wiltonpreserve.org.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The First Baptist Church of Saratoga Springs is hosting a free organ concert by Farrell Goehring this Saturday, Oct. 15. The fundraiser aims to raise money to help the church purchase a new organ.

The concert will begin at 2 p.m. Goehring’s performance will feature the music of Bach, Debussy, Elgar, Wagner, and more. The concert is free to attend, although donations to the church’s organ fund are encouraged.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The new Saratoga Senior Center hosts its Fall Open House, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21.

The event, free and open to the public of all ages, includes a Q&A and book signing with professional golfer and CBS broadcaster Dottie Pepper, a “Scams against Seniors” presented by Herzog Law Firm, and live music. 

The gathering also includes Dairy Haus ice cream sandwiches, membership specials of $10 for the remaining of the year, sampling of classes, and a lite fare by Home of the Good Sheperd.

The new Saratoga Senior Center is located at 290 West Ave., Saratoga Springs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —A ceremony honoring the Veteran of the Year for 2023 will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct 14, at the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge #161 at 1 Elks Lane, Saratoga Springs. The event is free and open to the public. Face masks are optional.

The annual award is co-sponsored by the Friends of the New York State Military Museum and the Capital District of New York Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army. 

Veterans of the Year 2023 are COL(Ret) Christine T. Rem, an Iraq Veteran, and David Terry Fox, Sergeant, USMC, a Vietnam Veteran. 

COL Christine T. Rem, US Army Nurse Corps, Retired, served for 30 years in the Active Army and US Army Reserves. Commissioned 1LT, US Army Nurse Corps on 19 February 1982, she served the majority of her time in the US Army Reserve Hospitals in the Albany area. She served two one-year Active Duty Tours in the Wurzburg Army Hospital, Wurzburg, Germany, and from 2007-2008 deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. While serving, she also received her Doctor of Nursing Science degree from Sage College. She retired in March 2012. Besides the Bronze Star Medal, her other awards include the Legion of Merit, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (4 Awards), Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War On Terror Service Medal. She currently resides in Clifton Park, NY and has 3 sons and 5 grandchildren.

A Lansingburgh HS graduate, David Terry Fox enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1967 and served two tours in Vietnam as helicopter crew chief and door gunner aboard H-34 and H-46 helicopters. During those two tours, Fox’s aircraft transported Marines and Army soldiers to and from various remote jungle sites including artillery fire bases, did resupply missions, reconned, rescued downed pilots and evacuated wounded. These missions included Khe Sanh, Demilitarized Zone, Laos, Cambodia and the Ashau Valley. He logged more than 23,800 flight hours in more than 2,200 sorties earning 53 Marine Strike Flight Awards for Aerial Combat. Fox was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his brave efforts during the rescue of an embattled Marine Recon Team off a 4,000-foot cliff while under heavy enemy fire. He was honorably discharged from the USMC as a Sergeant. He and his partner Diane reside in Voorheesville, NY. They have 5 children and 10 grandchildren.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, Saratoga County Department of Health, Saratoga County Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services and Saratoga Springs Police Department will hold a free Narcan distribution event at Saratoga Springs Public Library. 

Participants will be trained in how to recognize an opioid overdose and administer nasal Narcan. Training will take approximately ten minutes.

The event will take place 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The Saratoga Springs Public Library is located at 49 Henry St. Saratoga Springs. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —On Oct. 3, Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino brought forward a resolution for council consideration regarding the May 2 council adoption of a measure that acknowledges the city of Saratoga Springs “has supported and allowed racism and hate” during its history.

That initial resolution was approved by a 4-1 council vote, with Montagnino casting the lone vote against. In his asking for the resolution to be rescinded, Montagnino contended that such “unnecessary admissions of liability” may invite future litigation against the city.  

The Oct. 3 resolution to rescind failed to receive a second motion to bring it to the council table for either discussion or vote, and the matter was concluded.