Proposed development at 126 West Ave. Image: Cotler Architecture.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A revised plan, submitted to the city for an existing demolition and proposed mixed-use development at 126 West Ave., is among the items under consideration by the city Design Review Board this week.
Additional applications under consideration include a two-story addition to an existing commercial structure at 395 Broadway, and a three-story addition to a commercial structure at 453 Broadway.
For meeting times and dates of the three city Land Use Boards, go to: saratoga-springs.org.
Proposal submitted to the city for a new house of worship by Unitarian Universal Congregation of Saratoga Springs to be developed on Louden Road.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The city Planning Board is considering a proposal of a new church for the Unitarian Universal Congregation of Saratoga Springs that would be sited at 400 Louden Road.
UUCSS is currently under contract to purchase just over 5 acres on Louden Road for the construction of the new church. Just over three of those acres are in “conservancy “ – not allowing for development – leaving about 1.93 acres of currently vacant land where the proposed two-story, 8,840 square foot church would be developed.
The primary development area is located in Saratoga Springs with the road frontage being in the town of Wilton. The proposal also includes parking availability for 64 cars.
The church employs one full-time minister and three part-time staff, and the congregation currently consists of approximately 125 parishioners.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The City Council on Sept. 7 approved a contract with the Saratoga Springs City School District to assign two School Resource Officers to the schools for the duration of the school year.
One SRO will be assigned to the high school – to be on duty on campus from 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. each school day, and one SRO will be assigned to the District’s Elementary Schools system located within the city, on duty from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The contract runs through June 30, 2024 and the on-campus presence includes hours when the school is in regular session and excludes summer school and summer programs.
The District will pay $74,285 for each SRO officer assigned to the district, with that amount increasing 2% in 2024 in accordance with CBA wage increases.
WILTON — This past spring, Wilton Wildlife and To Life! got together to provide the breast cancer community an outlet for exercise, good conversation, and learning about nature. Each week, Environmental Education Coordinator, Allyson Paradis, led the To Life! group on a different trail for a 6-week series exploring the Saratoga Sand Plains.
The spring program was so well-received that these two community organizations will be working together again this fall, offering this program to the breast cancer community. Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park and To Life! are pleased to be able to promote healthy living and getting outside in nature for breast cancer patients and survivors with their partnered seasonal walks. The fall series will start on Monday, Sept. 25.
Visit tolife.org or register for this series by emailing info@tolife.org. The fall walk series is planned for six Monday afternoons, Sept. 25 to Oct. 30, from 4 – 5:30 p.m. All of the guided walks cover about 1.5 to 2 miles and take place on well-maintained trails with easy to moderate terrain.
LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance announced it is extending the park’s Visitor Center season through the end of October.
Through Oct. 29, the Battlefield Park Visitor Center will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Alliance will also continue to host free guided tours of the site each Saturday in September and October, beginning at 11 a.m.
Upcoming special programs sponsored by the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance include: Thursday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m. Fort William Henry Conference Center, “The Battle of Lake George: Clash of Empires 1755,” a presentation by historian John-Eric Nelson, co-sponsored by the French & Indian War Society at Lake George.
On Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. the dedication of a new historical marker describing Carleton’s Raid in 1780 will be held at Lake George Battlefield Park.
For more information, visit www.lakegeorgebattlefield.org.
SARATOGA COUNTY — The application process for the 2024 Saratoga Arts Community Arts Regrant Program, a program from Saratoga Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, is now underway.
Qualifying nonprofits, municipalities and artists in Fulton, Montgomery, and Saratoga Counties seeking funds for arts and cultural programming are encouraged to apply.
Saratoga Arts offers three funding categories to accommodate a variety of community arts projects: Community Arts Grants, Individual Artist Grants, and Arts Education Grants. The deadline to apply for all is Nov. 28, 2023. Nominations for Panelists are also now open to both self-nominations and community nominations until mid-November.
Information sessions on the grants’ guidelines and application process are offered throughout the application period in all three counties. Upcoming information sessions include an in-person information session on Oct. 2 hosted at Saratoga Arts, and on Oct. 23 hosted by the Fulton-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce. All prospective, new, and returning applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of our information sessions or contact Grants Coordinator Spencer Sherry at ssherry@saratoga-arts.org.
For more details about the application process including deadlines, eligibility requirements, information sessions and more, please visit saratoga-arts.org/grants.
Page 1 of the Constitution in its encasement in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, the permanent home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights, at The National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C. Photo: National Archives Museum.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —A weeklong celebration of the Constitution – initiated by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1955 – takes place Sept. 17-23 to commemorate the history of the U.S. Constitution, its importance, and to bring attention to how it serves still today.
The aims of the Constitution Week celebration are to: Emphasize citizens’ responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution; Inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s heritage and a foundation for a way of life, and to encourage the study of historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.
DAR’s petitioning of Congress in 1955 to set the week aside annually was signed into public law on Aug. 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Saratoga chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was formed Sept. 19, 1894, and meets monthly from September through June. For more information, contact registrar Corinne Scirocco at county019@hotmail.com, or visit: nyscdar.weebly.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Art in the Park is a full day of artist vendors and community booths in Saratoga Springs’ historic Congress Park from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 (Rain Date: Saturday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.). This event is free and open to the public.
Art in the Park will feature a variety of art and crafted work from local artists. The event will also feature live music, artist demos, and more. The event strives to raise funds for the non-profit Community Arts Center at Saratoga Arts while also bringing art outside to a space that is accessible to all.
For more information visit www.saratoga-arts.org/events
SARATOGA SPRINGS —A new study underway this month may help to address a decades-long question related to the amount of large truck traffic in the downtown area and offer solutions about what the city can begin to do about it.
The Capital Region Transportation Council (CRTC), in coordination with the city Mayor’s Office, will be conducting the truck traffic study to explore options for enhancing safety and improving traffic flow through the downtown corridor.
The study will collect data on the number and classification of trucks traveling through the city, their routes, and speed.
“This is (part of) a larger study of traffic in Saratoga County, and we’re able to be part of this study to determine the number and classification of trucks traveling through the city, their routes, and their speed,” Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim told the council Sept. 7.
“Here’s the important part: we can’t do anything about the 53-foot trucks that ply our streets, particularly on Broadway, until we know what the volume is, where they’re coming from and where they’re going,” Mayor Kim said. “This is a study that will do that.”
The following streets are potential areas of study: Broadway (U.S. Rte 9); Ballston Avenue (NY Rte 50); Church Street (NY Rte 9N); Finley/Adelphi Streets; Geyser Road; Lake Avenue (NY Rte 29); Union Avenue (NY Rte 9P); Van Dam Street; Washington Street (NY Rte 29).
Following the study, the CRTC will create a technical memo and outreach material, to help the city better understand truck traffic and what it can do to reduce it, particularly in the downtown area, Kim said.
