SARATOGA SPRINGS — Congressman Paul Tonko, NY-20, introduced legislation in the House of Representatives this week that would fund research to study the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on the mental health of Americans, and more specifically, health care providers.

”We have all heard stories of nurses returning home from a shift in the hospital and simply sobbing for hours at what they had seen. For those healthcare employees living with a mental illness, the anxiety and fear are magnified,” Congressman Tonko said, in a statement. “Our federal response must be one that addresses not only the physical, but also the mental health impacts caused by COVID-19. By examining these impacts, we can better support our medical professionals, emergency responders, families, and children alike and provide them with the necessary resources to recover from this pandemic.

The legislation authorizes $100 million each year for five years to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The bill will fund research on a variety of topics, the mental health impact of COVID–19 on health care providers, the long-term impacts of COVID-19 stressors on mental health, suicide prevention, and the effectiveness of strategies for implementation of services for underserved populations, among them. 

The legislation is expected to pass as part of the next Coronavirus stimulus package.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new six-story office building may soon be coming to Broadway. 

This week, an application anticipated to be reviewed by the Saratoga Springs Planning Board calls for the site plan review of a proposed project at 269 Broadway which will see the construction of a six-story commercial and retail building for mixed-use, as well as an underground parking garage. 

The building is slotted to stand on the west side of Broadway, between Broadway and Hamilton Street, just north of Saratoga Central Catholic High School.   

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The applicants – 269 Broadway LLC – are located at 85 Railroad Place, headquarters of Prime Group Holdings, which owns and manages over $2 billion of self-storage properties across the U.S. According to the Albany Business Review, the company currently employs 70 people downtown and the company’s founder and chief executive Bob Moser expects that number to expand by 50 to 100% with the development of a new
six-story corporate headquarters on Broadway. 

The first floor of the building will consist of retail, with the second through sixth floors housing offices. A restaurant will be added to the second floor. At its tallest, the structure will rise to 70 feet in height. 

There are currently 24 existing parking spaces on the otherwise vacant lot site where the building will be constructed. The application seeks to add an additional 47, creating a total of 71 spaces. Those spaces will be a part of a two-level underground parking garage accessible via Hamilton Street.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, who represents the 113^th Assembly District, issued a statement Thursday morning arguing against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “instinct to cancel” the Saratoga meet, and recommending the region prepare to move forward planning to hold the summer card at Saratoga Race Course.     

 The portion of the statement pertaining to Saratoga Race Course is as follows:

“I couldn’t possibly disagree more with the Governor’s instinct to cancel this year’s meet at Saratoga Race Course, even without fans. The equine industry is a core component of New York State agriculture, the largest sector of the state’s economy. Opening the rest of the economy while keeping the track closed disrupts a major economic driver and the livelihood that thousands of people rely upon.

 The Governor has lumped together various forms of entertainment and referred to them as ‘attractive nuisances.’ I would like to stress that horse racing is unique and needs to be approached differently than concerts and sporting events.

 We need to move forward planning to hold this year’s race meet. Maintaining the schedules and operations of the dozens of different sectors of agriculture including foaling farms, stables, hay farms, equine veterinarians, and tack shops all necessary to making a race season possible.

 Our region, state and nation are continuing a trend that points to a resilient and healthier society and economy by July and August.  

Cancelling now would leave us no ability to decide to race later. However, continuing to prepare for a meet will allow for a variety of potential opportunities including but not limited to social distancing, limited viewership, and personal protective equipment. “

From high above us, they listen for their prey, swooping and soaring in elegant lines through the sky, focused on their next meal. Some birds – even owls – will fly right into your vehicle looking for a meal.

Whether in need of rehabilitation due to an accident, habitat loss, disease, or unintentionally ingesting poisonous substances, we can thank people like wildlife rehabilitator Trish Marki for their safe return. 

Marki has been caring for animals for as long as she can remember.

“I always had animals. I had everything from mice to horses,” she said. 

Up Close Encounters

Then, 15 years ago, Marki found a grey-horned owl with a clenched foot. She applied for it to become an educational bird, and named her Virginia. 

She’s among a family of raptors that Marki takes to schools, nonprofit groups, and wildlife events as part of the Silent Wings Raptor Rehab and Education program of the Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York. Conducting approximately 200 programs each year, she travels as far as Princeton University with her birds (which include owls, hawks, a falcon and a raven). 

“Working with these magnificent creatures is an honor, I am incredibly fortunate to be able to do it every day and I only hope that I can inspire others to take an interest in them, as well as other wildlife, through our encounters.” 

Understanding Animals

Working with these impressive birds takes a unique combination of compassion, knowledge, intuitiveness, and bravery.

Marki has been injured many times while learning how to care for these animals. Some, like the Red-Tailed Hawk, can be territorial, becoming quite vocal when a stranger approaches. The barred owl has a forceful grip, but it’s the eagle’s talons that are the strongest and possibly the most dangerous. 

Fed a menu of frozen mice, rats, or chicks once a day in the late afternoon, food can also be used as an incentive to train some of the birds. For others, instead of food, motivation comes in another form.

“While hawks and falcons can be trained using food as an enticement, most owls would rather starve than do “tricks” for a “treat.”  They are just not as food motivated.  I have developed an understanding with Wyatt and he will happily fly above a crowded room of onlookers and head straight for his perch,” said Marki.

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Naturally Wild

Wyatt, an Eurasian Eagle Owl, came to Marki 10 years ago when he was young, so he’s “imprinted,” meaning that he identifies with her as his caretaker. 

“We have a very close bond. He talks to me. He can sense when I’m near,” she said. 

Owls like these cannot be released into the wild, but the other birds that Marki helps to rehabilitate have been.

“In an effort to not imprint birds that will be returned to the wild we are careful to just feed them, and handle them as little as possible. We’ll put a mirror or a feather duster in their enclosure for them to nestle up against if we don’t have more than one, or an adult to foster them. Being wild is inherent in them, and it comes out,” she said. 

Protecting Birds of Prey

Through the work of wildlife rehabilitators like Marki, the banning of the pesticide DDT in the 1970s, and raising awareness in the public, eagles are no longer listed as an endangered species. 

There are still a number of challenges when it comes to keeping these birds soaring however, including the misconception that large raptors will snatch up babies or small children. 

“There was a video on the internet of an eagle picking up a baby – it was fabricated. It doesn’t happen,” said Marki.

Learning more about these amazing animals is vital to their survival. 

In Case of Emergency

To preserve the numbers of all kinds of beautiful birds in our skies, it’s important that you know what to do if you come across a sick or injured bird.

If you find a raptor in distress and unable to fly, place a box over it, weigh it down with a rock and wait for a wildlife expert to arrive.

For help locally, call the North Country Wild Care Hotline at 518-964-6740. To report a wildlife emergency anywhere in the country, visit Animal Help Now at ahnow.org.

Mark Your Calendar: The 10th Annual Raptor Fest will be held at the Washington County Fairgrounds, 392 Old Schuylerville Road, in Greenwich on May 16th & 17th. For more information on scheduling a program with the live birds of prey for your group, go to SilentWingsRaptors.org

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday afternoon discussed the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which is slated to open July 16. 

 “You can’t open an attraction that could bring people from across the state to that attraction and overwhelm a region,” Cuomo said.  “Saratoga Race Track – I don’t think you can open unless we can open (all large-scale attractions) statewide.”

Cuomo went on to say: because there is such a pent-up demand to get out of the house and do something, you open the Saratoga Race Track, I guarantee you you’ll have the highest attendance in the history of the Saratoga Race Track. You will have people from the entire northeast region driving to the Saratoga race track just because they want to get out of the house. Now, you could say, well, that’s great for the Saratoga Race Track – but density is not our friend…How do you do sit six feet apart at the racetrack?  

“I think it would have to be a statewide opening coordinated with Connecticut and New Jersey, otherwise you will have a much more dense situation – being the only attraction in town – and town is a tri-state region.”  

A few hours later on Wednesday, New York Racing Association Director of Communications Pat McKenna released the following statement:

NYRA joins the entire racing community in applauding Governor Cuomo’s steady leadership throughout this unprecedented public health crisis. We recognize that decisions about large scale events are rightly left to our elected leaders and public health officials. At the same time, horseracing is in a unique position as a sport that can be safely staged without attendees. Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo encouraged sports entities to consider how they could operate without fans in attendance that would be economically viable while providing much needed entertainment.

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By closing to spectators and reducing employees and support staff to only those who are required under the rules of racing, the running of races would support the small businesses and hourly workers who form the backbone of the sport. NYRA held races at Aqueduct Racetrack safely and securely under these conditions through March 15. Our experience during this period of time, as well as our ability to continue the training operation at Belmont Park throughout the pandemic, informs the strict safety protocols that we currently have in place at Belmont Park and would seek to implement at Saratoga Race Course.

As such, NYRA is seeking to resume live racing at Belmont Park in the absence of fans and we have prepared operating plans that follow the same model for Saratoga. These plans prioritize the health and safety of employees, horsemen and the backstretch community and include a broad array of risk mitigation strategies developed according to the most updated heath guidance. By closing to the public, layering additional health and safety protocols to our ongoing practices, and reducing the number of employees on-property, NYRA is in a position to provide a small sense of normalcy for fans across the country who can watch on television and online. At the same time, this model will enable NYRA to preserve its ability to serve as the cornerstone of an industry that generates more than 19,000 jobs in New York and $3 billion in annual economic impact.

This is a delicate balance, and one that must always prioritize health and safety. NYRA has experience finding that balance and we are committed to taking every step possible to keep our communities safe while providing entertainment and contributing to the New York economy as we collectively begin the return to a new normal.

John Bevan’s map (circa 1850) locates 308 Nelson on part of Saratoga’s first cemetery. Originally named the Sadler Cemetery after the land’s donor Seth Sadler, it was also referred to as “First Cemetery”, “Peter’s Cemetery” and in the 1870’s as “Nelson Street Cemetery.” Former long time city Mayor Addison Mallery wrote to our city historian describing ‘Peter’s Cemetery’. He said, “When I was a youngster we played on what was known as Peter’s Cemetery. It halfway down the hill on Nelson Avenue. Occasionally we would find a bone.” The property bordered land owned by J. R. Peter’s thus some referred to the land as “Peter’s Cemetery.”

In a city graced with colorfully painted Victorian houses boasting wide wrap around porches, my cedar shake bungalow appears to offer little historical significance. My family has owned the property since 1964 and until recently my thoughts were, “keep moving, nothing to see here.” I certainly didn’t expect any local or national historical significance for such a basic looking structure. I encourage those of you with similar feelings to look deeper into the history of the place you call home. The results may surprise you.

My parents purchased 308 Nelson Avenue in 1964 from then high school principal, John Sexton. Their deed outlined our parcel of land as “beginning at the southwest corner of the burying ground on Nelson Street (now Nelson Avenue…).”  My parents never gave much thought to this description and filed the deed away.

Instead, we embraced the large backyard, tried to teach my mother how to navigate the steep hilly driveway while we kids overlooked the lack of a flat sidewalk to play hopscotch on. Our house is located at the crest of the hill on Nelson Avenue heading down to High Rock Spring. Little did we realize that these topographical features had played a key role in the history of our family homestead.

When my father, Richard Stone moved to his funeral home at 628 North Broadway in 1984, my husband and I took over the family home.

Beginnings of the house – First FHA Mortgage

The Federal Housing Administration was created in 1934 to facilitate construction and mortgages of houses after the Great Depression. Nationwide, 2,600 FHA mortgages were granted on June 15, 1935. The first home in Saratoga County to be started under the newly formed administration was our house. Mildred and John Sexton were proud recipients of an FHA loan to build a six-room bungalow at 308 Nelson Avenue. Their groundbreaking ceremony was attended by numerous city and county dignitaries breaking ground with red, white and blue beribboned silver spades. News articles and photographs documented the momentous occasion.

The proud new owners quickly went to work on the sand-filled, neglected lot. Gardens and a grass lawn were planted.  Original resident Elizabeth Sexton Weiss described her intrigue as she watched a man her father hired walking around the yard with a divining stick. Although city water was available, the Sextons then dug a well in the basement with the idea of pure water. “My job was to pump water for morning coffee. Was told it made the BEST coffee,” recalls Elizabeth. The 88-year-old who recently made a pilgrimage from Cambridge, Massachusetts to visit her childhood home. 

Mr. Sexton was the principal at the High School conveniently located a few blocks away on Lake Avenue. He and his wife raised their four children in the red with white trim home featuring a flagpole in the Northwest corner of the property. One year, high school students pranked Mr. Sexton by setting his beloved flagpole on fire. It survived and still stands today.

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Sadler Cemetery aka Nelson Street Cemetery 1765-1878

The Sextons also disregarded the burying grounds descriptor in their deed.

Neighborhood lore was that our land had been a Native American burial ground.  I incorrectly assumed this was true and believed this was the burying grounds referred to on our deed.

After all, we were in close proximity to the High Rock Spring where Native Americans gathered and even brought Sir William Johnson in 1771 to cure him with the waters.

The well-researched Chronicles of Saratoga by Evelyn Barrett Britten mentioned a cemetery in her chapter “Burying Ground Disappears; Seth Sadler gave land in Late 1700s.” Her short piece spurred more questions than answers. However, it lead me to Greenridge Cemetery. Carol Waldron, Greenridge’s Administrative Assistant, presented me with a binder on our city’s first cemetery- the Sadler Cemetery located on Nelson Street (later renamed Avenue), the cemetery referenced in our deed. 

I excitedly read the binder’s contents. The hill that plagued my hopscotch attempts proved to be unstable for a burial ground.  An account of boys coming across a skull on the Nelson Avenue hill on their way to school captured my imagination. The school Superintendent confirmed it as a human skull. What other stories unfolded on this plot of land? How and why would a cemetery be moved? Wouldn’t people be outraged? Basic facts about the cemetery were limited: the Sadler family donated the land in the late 1700s; 67 people were buried there-the first of whom was Fern Wadsworth, a visitor to the nearby High Rock Spring in 1785 ; the most famous was President Rutherford B. Hayes’ grandfather, Roger Birchard.

I searched the city historian’s records and the Saratoga Room for information on the Sadler Cemetery, but facts were limited. By chance I typed “Nelson Street Cemetery” into the Fulton History website and miraculously 24 articles from 1877 and 1878 appeared, answering many of my questions.

Indeed, permission to move the graves had been granted. A special session of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors was called on July 6, 1877 to ask for “authorization to remove the bodies interred in the Nelson Street Cemetery to some proper cemetery grounds.” Notices were published advising relatives and representatives “you have 30 days in which to remove the bodies of which you are the representatives.” Ads appeared for “written proposals to buy the land and remove the remains from the Nelson Street Cemetery.”

The process was not without controversy. William E. Stone protested “Our graveyards ought to be venerated as holy ground.” Another newspaper account of the relocation process described a “place that had been so neglected for years” and felt it was no wonder that those in the area would have “desired the removal of the remains from there.”

Before dismantling the cemetery, a complete account of the headstone inscriptions was done by historian enthusiast Cornelius Durkee. However, no one seemed to accurately record where the remains actually ended up. Britten stated there was no record of the whereabouts of President Hayes’ grandfather, Roger Birchard. Thanks to ancestry.com, it is documented that he was moved to the family plot in Wilmington, Vermont. 

I continue to be fascinated by the stories of those who have shared the land I live on. It will inspire me to continue researching what transpired on Nelson St. from 1785-1900.

More importantly I hope my story will inspire readers to see what happened “on this spot” they call home. Dive into the internet or hire the Saratoga Preservation Foundation to do a written history of your home. Our area is so rich with history, you never know what you may find!

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Fasig-Tipton will consolidate its July, Saratoga, and New York Bred yearling sales into one selected yearling auction – the 2020 Selected Yearlings Showcase – to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 9-10, at its Lexington, Kentucky facility, the company announced Monday.  The decision was made “after evaluating the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic for the last several weeks,” according to a statement.

Billed as “the crown jewel of the North American yearling sales calendar,” the Saratoga Sale, staged Aug. 5-6, 2019 in Saratoga Springs brought more than $55 million.  The two-day New York Bred Yearlings sale one week later brought an additional $16.2 million.

“2020 has been a difficult year so far, and we are all being forced to make decisions that we never envisioned having to make,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, in a statement. “We waited as long as possible to come to these determinations, conducting our due diligence to ensure that we make informed decisions that are in the best interests of our buyers and sellers.

“Our two Saratoga auctions are tied closely to the race meet.  We desperately want to see a traditional Saratoga race meet as much as anyone.  However, the details for the race meet – including whether spectators will be permitted – are understandably not finalized.  We are at a point in time where we must provide our sellers with a definitive schedule so that they can make sales plans for their yearlings.”

The July, Saratoga, and NY Bred Selected Yearling Sales are anticipated to return to their traditional dates in 2021.  The company intends to conduct the remainder of its 2020 auction calendar as scheduled. Fasig-Tipton will offer a group of selected New York Bred yearlings as part of the Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, scheduled to be held on Oct. 20 in Saratoga Springs.

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SARATOGA COUNTY — Life hasn’t stopped at the Saratoga Senior Center despite the world’s lockdown. The doors are no longer open, but volunteers are practicing social distancing and going around the community to help some of its’ most vulnerable members.

“We’re providing [the senior citizen community] with groceries if they want or referring them to food pantries and things like that. So, we’re helping them in any way we can. We’re helping them cook, we’re delivering them toilet paper if they need, we can deliver puzzles, and games. We’re also working on getting as many masks delivered as possible because that’s the number one request and we’re having a hard time picking them up so we’re looking for people to donate masks as well. We’ve started doing spring clean up and yard work at this point for anybody who has a hard time getting out and needs some help with that,” explained Lois Celeste, executive director. 

The senior center has also been offering online Zoom classes and one on ones via phone with volunteers to teach the community how to use and utilize Zoom, social media, and Facebook Live.

“Our goal is to reach out to all seniors in the county and communities and help out if they need it. The big thing is getting the word out. The Zoom programs have been really fun. We’re probably now up to about 15-20 different zoom classes each week and we’re seeing a huge audience. It’s so exciting,” she continued.

The center also has volunteers to help on on one to assist with the Census so people can do it online rather than wait.

 “If people call our front desk, we can connect them and help them with any of these things,” she said.

 The center is in need of more volunteers and more face masks.

“Obviously for the whole world, this is the new normal and what is that going to look like? And for us, we work with the most vulnerable, we’re very much an essential service and in many ways the volunteers out there are kind of front line. It’s everybody’s goal to get everyone to stay at home but especially to get the seniors to stay at home because they’re independent and it’s okay they do things on their own but we’re trying to get them not to grocery shop and let us help them. They are at risk, it is so critical. I don’t know what will happen as far as the center opening so we’re going to keep going with virtual programming and helping people. Eventually, as the community opens up, we will look at what is safe and responsible to do with seniors for opening up. Some day we’ll be open but i don’t know how long that will be,” Celeste stated.ssc

To receive services or volunteer at the Senior Center, call 518-584-1621 or email seniorcentervolunteer@gmail.com. Visit saratogaseniorcenter.org for programming information. 

• The council during its Tuesday meeting unanimously approved by a 4-0 measure a 30-day extension of the city’s State of Emergency declaration, initially declared in March. That State of Emergency now goes through May 12. City Mayor Meg Kelly was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. 

• Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton updated the latest known status of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which is slated to begin July 16. 

“My understanding is that NYRA is following the governor’s recommendations and they are preparing to be open and to run if they have the opportunity to do so – meaning the restrictions on mass gatherings and events will have to be lifted,” Dalton said. “If indeed that happens then they will be ready to run in July.” 

Accounts commissioner John Franck added that there also is a possibility that the Saratoga meet may be staged with no fans present. “This is what I heard from various representatives and racing people; I guess the reason being there will still be gambling online, so there would still be revenues coming in to NYRA and the state. We just don’t know yet.” 

Last year, the meet at Saratoga Race Course generated more than $700 million in all-sources handle for the first time in NYRA history at The Spa, despite losing one full racing day to a weather cancellation. The $705.3 million all-source handle bested 2018’s total by more than $46 million. 

• Late Fees for City, County and Delinquent School Taxes: Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan said the city had looked into the potential waiver of fees and penalties as they relate to tax bills. “Last week the late notices went out to anyone who was late paying their taxes and that really kicked off quite the firestorm,” Madigan said Tuesday, during a meeting of the City Council via Zoom. “Unfortunately, legal research shows that the city has no authority to waive these fees. The only person who can do so during the State of Emergency is the New York State governor.” The New York Conference of Mayors legal team reports that local governments do not have unilateral authority to extend the interest-free period with respect to the payment of property taxes, she added. 

Regarding other types of fees or late payments that are established via local law – such as water, sewer, garbage – local governments do have the ability to extend or modify late penalties and payments dates by promulgating an emergency order that suspends the relevant local law. 

• Funds: Given anticipated revenue losses due to the COVID-19 emergency, Madigan asked each department to submit by April 29 suggestions on where to potentially cut or trim non-mandatory expenditures. 

All city employees – full-time and part-time – had been paid full wages through April 17. “As of April 18, part-time employees have been furloughed, unless their departments deem them essential and they are actually working,” Madigan said. A temporary hiring freeze went into effect April 10. Until that order is rescinded, new hires may only be made on an emergency basis. 

Options under consideration include payroll reductions, layoffs, securing loans, and using the city’s cash fund balance, the latter of which is already underway, according to Madigan. 

• Land Use Board meetings will resume this week and will be held virtually with board members and applicants and may be viewed via live stream on the city’s website. Consult the city website for dates and times for meetings of the Planning Board, Design Review Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals.