SARATOGA SPRINGS —  The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has announced the return of the Historic Homes Tour. Join the Foundation and Honorary Co-chairs, Giovanna D’Orazio and Scott Peterson, virtually on Mother’s Day weekend, May 8 & 9, for the popular event that celebrates this community’s rich architectural heritage. 

This year’s tour provides the exclusive opportunity to see interiors of beautiful private homes and buildings, including spaces typically not accessible during an in-person tour. The virtual tour of the North Broadway neighborhood will be available throughout the weekend allowing viewers to experience these special spaces at their leisure. 

The Foundation has worked to preserve and enhance the architecture and rich history of our city for more than 40 years. The Historic Homes Tour is the Foundation’s largest fundraising event of the year. Historic Homes Tour tickets are $30 for SSPF members and $40 for non-members. Funds raised at this event support the Foundation’s efforts to preserve the unique architectural, landscaped, and cultural heritage of Saratoga Springs and ongoing educational programs.

For more information visit www.saratogapreservation.org or call 518-587-5030. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Capital Region Dance Alliance, Inc., an all-volunteer, non-profit organization of choreographers, dancers, teachers, students, dance advocates, and lovers of dance has announced its 2021-22 Executive Officers: President Mary Anne Fantauzzi, Vice President Mary DiSanto-Rose, Treasurer Gail Tassarotti, and Secretary Holly Livingston. Two new board members, Abigail Guisbond and Nicole Ravella-Hoffman, joined previous members Sarah DiPasquale, Anny DeGrange Holgate, Robin Gifford, Nan Guslander, Lydia Huibregtse, Sharon Sassaman, and Laurie Zabele-Cawley.

Guisbond  (was born and raised in Syracuse, and has been dancing for 20 years. She currently teaches ballet and pointe at Albany Dance & Fitness and Barbara’s School of Dance. She is also studying at SUNY Albany to obtain a Master’s in Public Health.

Ravella-Hoffman  is a native of Schenectady, and has been a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher for the past 15 years. She currently teaches hip hop, lyrical, jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, and musical theater throughout the Capital Region. 

Founded in 1978, Dance Alliance has sponsored an annual scholarship for summer study, project partnership grants to nurture artistic excellence, collaborative projects with area arts organizations, and a variety of outreach programs including MOVE Dance, an all-inclusive hip hop dance program for teens, and Dancing Through Time for older adults.

For more information visit the organization website at www.dancealliance.org.

In our business as health insurance brokers, we often come across people newly enrolling in Medicare who request to be placed on the same Advantage plan as a friend or neighbor. When this happens, we often must slow the person down and remind them that, unlike group or employer health insurance, Medicare Advantage plans are individual. This means a plan that may work well for another person’s health circumstances may not be best suited for yours.

This principle is perhaps best illustrated when comparing drug pricing between Advantage plans. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that oversees the Medicare program, classifies prescription drugs into five tiers based on their price, with the least expensive prescriptions generally falling into tier 1 and the most expensive into tier 5.

At this point, many people exclaim: “See, Medicare has done all the hard work for me! All I have to do is know what tiers my prescriptions are in and I’m all set!” However, this response does not consider the fact that CMS gives individual Medicare Advantage plans broad discretion over the tier they assign to a drug and any deductibles and copays they impose. In other words, a tier 3 drug on one Advantage plan could be classified as a tier 4 on another, with vastly higher deductibles and copays.

As an example, we recently did a drug comparison for a gentleman using two similar zero-premium Advantage plans available here in the Capital District. For the same prescriptions, we estimated that one plan would charge $164 per year while the other would charge $1,240, a projected annual difference of $1,076. Again, these projections were for the same prescriptions for the same person. 

So, how do you get a better deal when it comes to prescription drug prices? In our view, nothing can take the place of working with a knowledgeable health insurance broker who can walk you through all your options. To see if we can help you save money on your prescriptions, please contact Blue Chip in Saratoga at 518-584-8057 or visit our website at www.1bluechip.com.    

MALTA — Globalfoundries is relocating its headquarters to Malta, the site of Fab 8, the company’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility. 

GF has invested more than $15 billion in its Fab 8 facility over the last decade to support innovation and manufacturing capacity. In 2021, the company is doubling its planned investment to expand global capacity, with $500 million targeted for Malta alone.

“This is a huge shot in the arm for our Capital Region economy,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer explained during an event held April 26, announcing the company’s plans to relocate its headquarters. 

In a prepared statement, the company said the move to its state-of-the-art fab in New York is part of its commitment to address the soaring global chip demand, with a focus on semiconductor manufacturing innovation.

GF will maintain a substantial presence in Santa Clara, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, where many of GF’s leading U.S. customers and ecosystem partners are based.

“Today, GF’s Fab 8 in New York is a $15 billion advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility and one that is playing a key role in the transformation of our industry to meet rapidly accelerating demand,” said GF CEO Tom Caulfield. “Our amazing 3,000-person workforce, in partnership with our local, state, and federal leaders, will together build on GF’s success, solidifying the Empire State’s place as one of a few world-class semiconductor manufacturing hubs at a time when our national and economic security depends more and more on what we can make here at home,” he said. 

On April 21, the U.S. Senate introduced the Endless Frontier Act – a bill that would increase American investments in science and technology innovation and aims to strengthen the economy. When approved by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, Caulfield said GlobalFoundries stands ready by expanding in upstate New York and creating many more high-paying American jobs. “Our ambitious goal is to double our capacity at this site in the years to come in partnership with our customers, local, state and federal governments. We can do this.”

GF company employs more than 15,000 globally with 7,000 people across the U.S., and nearly 3,000 at its Fab 8 in Malta, New York. In 2020, the semiconductor manufacturer announced a land purchase option to provide additional flexibility to expand Fab 8’s footprint to support growing demand from the U.S. government and industry customers.

Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Theodore Kusnierz and Malta Town Supervisor Darren O’Connor said they were both encouraged by the announcements, which sets the stage for continued growth and expansion for GlobalFoundries in Saratoga County.

“This is a significant commitment by GlobalFoundries, which greatly reinforces the importance of Luther Forest, Malta and Saratoga County in their future expansion plans.  Given the rapidly growing worldwide demand for advanced semiconductors, we are very pleased that GlobalFoundries is letting the world know that they are committed to meeting this demand, and the center of that effort will be led right here in Saratoga County,” said
Chairman Kusnierz.

GlobalFoundaries is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, go online to www.globalfoundries.com.

Click Here: Trattoria Fortunata Now Open,
Lunch & Brunch Coming Soon

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs is losing another of its few remaining historic American elms.  One of the most majestic, and certainly the most visible, of the City’s elms died of Dutch elm disease last season.  Towering above the northwest corner of Broadway and Van Dam, where it has welcomed every visitor arriving from Exit 15, this tree is scheduled for removal soon by the City’s tree crew, perhaps as early as Saturday, April 24.   

Ironically, the removal of this titanic heritage tree coincides with Sustainable Saratoga’s Tree Toga planting event, when volunteers will plant 15 trees around town.  Saratoga once had hundreds of American elms, the most graceful and beloved street tree of them all.  The arrival of the Dutch elm disease midway through the 20th century wiped out all but a handful of these beloved trees. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A final draft document of the UDO was presented to the City Council this week. 

The UDO – a Unified Development Ordinance – is a tool combining traditional zoning and subdivision regulations, along with other development standards for items such as design guidelines, storm water management, signs and street standards into one, easy-to-read reference document. 

It is intended to eliminate redundant or conflicting code provisions and help streamline the review and approval process. 

The April 19 presentation effectively kicks-off the last phase of the project. Discussions will continue at the next City Council meeting, on May 4, after which advisory opinions will be requested from the city and county Planning Boards and the Design Review Commission. 

Additional public hearings will be scheduled later this year, after which it is anticipated the City Council will vote on the matter. 

The 304-page final draft UDO document is available for view at: saratoga-springs.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Representative Paul D. Tonko announced this week that applications are being accepted for funeral assistance for New Yorkers who have lost a relative to COVID-19. Tonko helped establish this program as part of the American Rescue Plan recently passed by Congress and signed into law. 

“No amount of money can heal the loss of a loved one,” Congressman Tonko said, in a statement. “While we cannot erase that pain, we can help those facing the added financial strain during this dark time. This funeral assistance program is here to help New Yorkers and all Americans access needed relief and lessen the economic burden they have had to carry during this prolonged pandemic.”

New Yorkers who paid for funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020, for an individual whose death may have been caused by or was likely the result of COVID-19 can apply for up to $9,000 of assistance per funeral through FEMA’s dedicated call center at 844-684-6333; TTY 800-462-7585, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. No online applications will be accepted. There is no deadline to apply.

The applicant responsible for COVID-19 funeral expenses will need to provide the following information below when they call FEMA to register for assistance. FEMA recommends gathering this information ahead of the application process: Social Security number for the applicant and the deceased individual; Date of birth for the applicant and the deceased individual; Current mailing address for the applicant; Current telephone number for the applicant; Location or address where the deceased individual passed away; Information about burial or funeral insurance policies; Information about other funeral assistance received, such as donations; CARES Act grants and assistance from voluntary organizations; Routing and account number of the applicant’s checking or savings account (for direct deposit, if requested). 

Learn more about the program from FEMA at: www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance/faq. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) will be hosting three virtual town hall meetings in the last week in April to provide legislative updates and hear from constituents. 

These town halls will provide members of the community to share their suggestions and concerns, and ask questions about issues important to their communities. The virtual town hall schedule is as follows: Tuesday April 27 6:30-8 p.m.; Wednesday April 28, 6:30-8 p.m.; Thursday, April 29, 1-2:30 p.m. 

Space is limited and those interested in participating are invited to call Woerner’s office to reserve a spot and to enable them to connect to the event: 518-584-5493.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Foundation’s Veterans Business Council announced the 2021 Veterans Business Council Scholarship Program. 

Under the Program, one $5,000 scholarship will be awarded to a veteran or service member that lives in, attends college in, or works in Saratoga County, New York. 

The mission of the Veterans Business Council of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is to facilitate opportunities for our military veterans residing in Saratoga County.

For full program details and eligibility criteria, visit www.VeteransBusinessCouncil.com. Veterans interested in this opportunity should reach out to Denise Romeo at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce at 518-584-3255 or dromeo@saratoga.org.