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SARATOGA SPRINGS — The City Council recently approved changes to its long-standing Economic Development Revolving Loan Program proposed by the Community Development Department. 

Seeded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement funds, the program was originally created by the department to stimulate job creation for residents of low-moderate income. Over the years, the program has helped to subsidize these job opportunities by offering low interest loans to businesses physically located within the City of Saratoga Springs. 

In response to the changing needs of Saratoga Springs businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council unanimously voted to expand the program to include the preservation of jobs available to or held by persons of low-moderate income. 

The new Job Retention Loans will provide $5,000 – $10,000 of working capital to City microenterprises who employ at least 51% low-moderate income persons that can demonstrate extreme financial hardship due to unavoidable and unforeseen emergency circumstances outside of the business owners’ control. 

Application forms, program guidelines and eligibility information can be found on the City’s website: www.saratoga-springs.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Election Day, city residents will be asked to consider a change in the only form of governing that Saratoga Springs has known since its inception as a city in 1915. 

In 2017, the last time a citizen-led City Charter referendum proposed change, the measure was defeated by a razor-thin margin of 4,458 – 4,448. 

The current “Commission” form of governing features five council members – one mayor, plus four commissioners heading the departments of Public Safety, Public Works, Finance, and Accounts, respectively.  Each council member is responsible for administering their own department as well as serving as legislators. In this council of five, each of whom is elected to two-year terms, decisions are made by majority rule. 

The “Council-Manager” proposal calls for replacing that “Commission” form in favor of one that includes a mayor – elected by the voters of the city at large, and six members elected from city wards by the voters of those specific wards. Those six wards are to be comprised of equal voting population. 

That city council of seven would then appoint, set the salary for, and hire a City Manager. The idea is that residents would be represented through the ward system, and the manager held to accountability via the city council. 

A new group opposing the charter change proposal staged a gathering in Congress Park this week. They call themselves Saratoga Works and include co-chairs Connie Woytowich and Jane Weihe, and steering committee members Chris Obstarczyk, Courtney DeLeonardis, Janice Partridge, Jay Partridge, George Cain, and Joe Dalton. 

Weihe said a change in Saratoga Springs’ current form of government would be risky during a time of a pandemic and subsequent economic crisis, and that this “expensive version of charter change” would politicize neighborhoods by dividing them into wards.

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Those financial concerns are specifically related to what the overall costs could be should the plan be implemented; even though some city deputy or assistant salaries would be saved, new workers would still need to be hired to conduct the work the current city employees are doing, she argued. 

“We don’t know what it will cost. This is more of a concept than a plan,” she said.  A website, saratogaworks.org, was launched in conjunction with the group gathering. 

Gordon Boyd is a member of the citizen group proposing the new charter for the city. Last summer, a group of 41 residents circulated the petitions necessary to place the proposition on this November’s ballot.  A total of 1,565 registered voters signed the petition to put the proposal on the ballot. 

“We’ve got a chance to start fresh coming out of this public health crisis,” said Boyd, adding that an information website is anticipated to be launched sometime around Labor Day, heading into the election season. If approved by voters, the measure is expected to take effect in January 2022.

The concept of a Commission form of government was founded in Galveston, Texas in 1901 after a storm ravaged the city, killing more than 5,000 people and creating the need for a useful way of post-disaster governing. It proved to be an efficient measure as well as a popular one. By 1912, 206 cities in 34 states had followed suit. Saratoga Springs adopted the commission form of governing shortly after it was incorporated as a city in 1915. Since its popularity in the early 20th century, however, many cities have since switched to other forms.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Travel restrictions are forcing horse sales company Fasig-Tipton to move a third thoroughbred auction out of Saratoga Springs this year.

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall sale, originally scheduled for Oct. 20, is moving to Timonium, Maryland. The auction will be held in conjunction with its MidAtlantic mixed sale on Dec. 7 and 8.

“Current travel advisory requirements make it virtually impossible for many buyers from out of state to attend an auction in Saratoga,” said Fasig-Tipton president and chief executive Boyd Browning Jr.

The move could be tough on New York thoroughbred breeders and owners who rely on Saratoga auctions to attract an audience and create a market for their horses. The Saratoga fall sale focuses heavily on broodmares and young horses that are still a year or two away from entering their first race.

Last year, 134 horses sold at the fall sale for nearly $3.4 million.

The move to Maryland marks the third auction that Fasig-Tipton has been forced to pull out of Saratoga this year. The auction company moved its flagship selected yearling sale and New York bred auction from Saratoga Springs to Lexington, Kentucky. The date was moved from August to Sept. 9 and 10.

The Selected yearling sale brings wealthy buyers from all over the world to Saratoga Springs each year. Last year, 135 yearlings sold for an average of $411,500 apiece, generating total sales of $55.5 million. A few days later, 186 horses sold in the New York-bred sale for a total of $16.2 million.

Moving the Fasig-Tipton auctions is understandable given everything that is happening in the world, said breeder Christopher Shelli, owner of Fort Christopher Thoroughbreds, which has farms in New York and Kentucky.

“On the positive side, there are still options for selling horses,” Shelli said. “With all of the travel restrictions and Covid-19, people haven’t been able to travel freely. Couple that with an election year and it is not a great time to be selling horses.”

For many New York breeders, it will cost more to transport horses to Kentucky, Maryland and other sales grounds instead of focusing on the auctions in Saratoga Springs, Shelli said.

“And there is just no way to recreate the mystique that Saratoga has,” he said.

AMSTERDAM — Paul Tonko, the Democrat Congressman who represents the 20th District, last week teamed up with more than 80 of his colleagues across party lines to express deep concerns to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about recent operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service. Those changes appear to be compromising service and causing significant delays in mail delivery, according to Tonko. The group’s letter to the Postmaster General was led by New York Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and New York Congressman Peter King.

“U.S. Postal Service employees have been essential throughout this pandemic in serving our communities and keeping Americans safe,” Congressman Tonko said, in a statement. Recently, reports have surfaced indicating that under the new Postmaster General, operations are being slashed to cut costs.

“Throwing a wrench into Postal Service operations in the middle of a public health crisis is not only creating problems for our economy, it is downright dangerous for countless seniors, families, businesses and others who depend on its vital services. Our Heroes Act, passed by the House a full 12 weeks ago, would invest millions to provide USPS with a lifeline to maintain its critical services and prevent unnecessary hardship and loss at this difficult time.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city Planning Board this week will consider a site plan review for the new construction of 202-unit affordable housing project. 

The project, titled Tait Lane Reserve, will sit on 12 acres at Tait Lane and Allen Drive, just off Church Street and feature 202 apartment units within 12 buildings.

The NRP Properties of Buffalo proposed development specifically involves 90 units in seven buildings, 112 units in five buildings, and a 600 square-foot office space to provide for the mixed-use aspect of the project.  According to plans filed with the city, the residential buildings will house 78 one-bedroom apartments, 78 two-bedroom apartments, and 46 three-bedroom apartments. The property is currently
undeveloped woodland.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In January, Robin Dalton took office as city Public Safety Commissioner – the first woman to hold the position which oversees, among other things, the overall operation of the police and fire departments. 

She grew up in Manhattan “in a really loving, happy home, and attended classes at the Chapin School, an all-girls school on the Upper East Side that lists among its alumnae Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Vera Wang, and N.Y. Mets owner Joan Whitney Payson. “Ivanka Trump was two grades below me,” Dalton says. Shortly after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Cornell University, in 2007 Dalton relocated to Saratoga Springs where she lives with her husband and their four children.

FROM LOCAL RESIDENT TO CITY GOVERNMENT

In 2012, Dalton began digging into city politics and observing council meetings. “To me it was very important to have experience in Saratoga and get involved in the community in a way to really understand the spirit of the city so I can represent the people who live here to the best of my potential. So, I really waited until I was ready to take this on because I knew it would be challenging.

“One of the best things about it was I perceived partisanship as not being a factor in how the City Council was voting. It didn’t seem people were making politically based decisions. The decisions were being made as for what’s best for the city. And I think that’s also been my happiest revelation over these past seven months. I don’t think there’s been a single moment where anyone has invoked my party to persuade me to vote one way or another. It’s a non-issue,” Dalton says. “Partisanship doesn’t have any role in how the City Council votes. And to me that’s a really good thing. That’s been really awesome.” Seven months on the job, Dalton sat down this week to talk about the status of several pressing city issues in this most unusual year. 

COVID

When the city declared a State of Emergency in March, the city’s Emergency Management Plan directed the public safety commissioner lead a team to address the emergency. “That was a moment when our form of government was at its best,” Dalton says. The city’s Commission form of governing – which charges each commissioner with different responsibilities, yet equal political power was born specifically from emergency when it was implemented in Texas, in 1901 as a reaction to the Galveston hurricane. 

“I was also fortunate to have a City Council that was supportive of how I was sourcing and disseminating information, which was taking it from our governor. It was disappointing to me we didn’t have a leader of our country who led by example – handling it with science and data rather than partisanship, so I was going to stick to the guidelines laid out by Governor Cuomo. I would say I love what he’s doing right now. Will I love what he’s doing six months from now? A year from now? Probably not, but that’s not going to prevent me from saying he’s done a great job handling the virus.” 

A member of the Republican Party, she is unafraid to step outside any pre-conceived limitations regarding party and is something she says she was upfront about when first interviewing with the city GOP Committee.  “I went through a list of things I knew they weren’t necessarily going to be happy about: I’m pro-choice, I’m pro-immigrant – but I wanted to be clear upfront about what I stand for.” 

POLITICIZING A VIRUS

“Unfortunately, everything has taken on a whole new meaning. It’s not about your health necessarily, it’s about what you stand for, what party you’re with. I think that’s really sad and destructive. It’s been divisive but at the end of the day all I care about is that the city is as healthy as possible and simultaneously that our economy is strong. There is an incredible importance in both and we’re not here to put one above the other.” 

SCHOOLS

 “We have models we look at and we’re working very closely with the hospital. We are expecting positive cases to go up because kids are coming back to school. We need to predict these things. I don’t think it’s going to take us back to where we were at our peak, which was about 10% positive cases. Right now, we’ve dropped to under 1% which is fantastic. There’s a huge mental health component and our children have suffered immensely. We’re trying to give kids a little bit of normalcy.”

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ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR A FIRE/EMS STATION TO SERVE RESIDENTS OF THE EAST SIDE

“We have done a site plan and needs analysis of the Henning Road location and put out an RFP for a design firm. We had planned on moving on this aggressively, but when the pandemic hit everything got paused.” The question now is how best to move forward in a tough economic climate. To that end, the city is exploring state aid and grant possibilities to assist moving forward. “I think this is a smart way to handle it that doesn’t put us in a situation of it being a financial liability. But we’re setting ourselves up such that we can use money from the state to complete the project and deliver for our east side residents their emergency medical needs while also not putting the city in a precarious financial position.”    

HOMELESSNESS AND THE NEED FOR A PERMANENT CODE BLUE EMERGENCY SHELTER

 “With this pandemic and this ensuing financial collapse, we’re going to be seeing a lot of people who are in distress in terms of keeping a roof over their head. And (homelessness) is not a one-size-fits-all problem. There are some people who are drug-addicted, people who have mental issues, people who have no interest in finding or seeking shelter and have established a lifestyle outside, downtown.  That works for them, but it’s not something that as a city the residents want to tolerate. If you go over to the Woodlawn parking lot you can see it almost every day; it’s almost an encampment and really a struggle for the neighbors there. So, we’re addressing that – but homelessness is not something that can be solved by law enforcement. It can be solved by having community partners working together in the spirit that the Saratoga Collaborative to End Homelessness is working in. You need the county on board, you need all the social services to be on board and everyone needs to come at this issue wanting to get rid of all the roadblocks and challenges that are in place, to get people into housing and work through them in difficult and sometimes scary ways.  Without that, I don’t know that there is a fix for this issue.” 

“We also have this enormous need for a year-round shelter, and we don’t have that place right now. We’re just pushing people from one area of the city to the other, going around and around and it’s an enormous waste of time, energy, resources and ultimately isn’t helping the people who we want to help.  So, It’s incredibly frustrating and incredibly challenging. That’s really a critical part of this problem. We have to have this permanent, year-round facility, and then it comes down to whose responsibility is it to financially provide this. I am very committed to solving this problem, but I also know the roadblocks and challenges ahead of us are significant.

RALLIES AND PROTESTS AND ISSUES OF RACE

“Emotions have been running extremely high – not just about race but of all these contributing factors, all over America. I can’t recall a time when people have been this traumatized and have had such heightened emotions and reactions. 

“For any kind of significant change to happen it needs to happen as a community, not just as law enforcement. This is a Saratoga Springs conversation. We all need to be addressing how the experience of being white in Saratoga is very different than being black in Saratoga. (Our officers) have reached out to Black Lives Matter protesters locally, taking a knee with protestors, walking arm-in-arm with them. They’ve exercised incredible professionalism and the only thing they want is for people to exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech and the right to gather and protest and to be able to do that in one piece. The absolutely last thing I wanted was for anyone to be arrested and any kind of violence to break out. 

“I will be very candid and say I don’t think having a Back The Blue rally was an appropriate choice at this time. I thought it was a bit tone-deaf and likely to make the challenges of addressing Black Lives Matter and racism and bias larger and make people louder and angrier and divide people more than it would bring people together. I’m looking at this in a bigger picture context. Because of this moment of time that we’re in, I really do feel we need to be focusing on how being black in Saratoga is extremely different than being white in Saratoga, and that’s not something people are necessarily ready to acknowledge, to work toward something better.

“I believe in my department, I believe in our professionalism. I also understand the families who have someone working in law enforcement wanting to show their support for what these officers have been doing, but unfortunately in the national context that immediately gets misconstrued or associated with racism or fascism or all sorts of political extremism. I know locally that wasn’t the intention at all, but it all led up to this horrible, stressful, awful moment where these two groups of people are screaming at each other, (figuratively) ripping each other apart, and it was so sad to watch because there’s no reason why one group should be pitted against another group. I think we all want a lot of the same things. To see how both groups expressed how emotional and angry they were was just a sad state of affairs. 

“Believe in law enforcement. Believe that black lives matter. I think it’s perfectly normal to have both those things live in the same person. But what I’m seeing is people thinking you can’t be both these things, and that’s disturbing and sad. I think we’ll get through it, but we have a lot of healing and work to do. 

IN 12 MONTHS TIME

“I hope we return to some sense of normalcy in terms of our behavior and how we interact with one another. I’m hoping that our health is good and that our economy is recovered. Life as we knew it. But, with this new and real threat of a Pandemic it’s going to be a challenge. We still don’t know everything we need to know about it. We still don’t have a vaccine. There are all these variables that need to be answered before we can say with confidence that we’re good, we’re safe.” 

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A family vacationing in Hague (Warren County) had a surprise awaiting them when they got home.

On August 2, ECO LaPoint responded to a residence in the town of Hague, for a report of a trapped timber rattlesnake at a residence. Upon arriving at the home, ECO LaPoint located the snake outside trapped under a tote. Using snake tongs issued by DEC, along with a cloth bag and bucket lid, he safely secured the rattlesnake in the bucket and removed it from the premises. ECO LaPoint transported the rattlesnake to DEC’s Green Island maintenance facility where it was temporarily held until it could be released to a suitable location. Timber rattlesnakes are a threatened species in New York. For more information visit DEC’s website.