NEW YORK — New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky and a host of colleagues have introduced legislation that shifts the responsibility and costs of recycling from municipalities to the producers of packaging and paper products. The legislation is called the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, and in other countries around the world, newspapers have been exempted from these recycling initiatives.  New York should follow suit.

In Canada, this product-focused approach is referred to as product stewardship. While each Canadian province has adopted different stewardship models, there are strong similarities in how newspapers are treated. Their approach is consistent with how newspapers are managed in recycling regimes all over the world.  Newspapers have been treated differently in recognition of the fact that they provide a public benefit, that they can make a significant contribution to public education on recycling, and that they are not a packaged good like other materials in the recycling stream. 

Newspapers perform an important role in our democracy, and they are not a consumable product – there are no contents and no packaging – the two are indistinguishable. Treating newspapers like packaged goods discriminates unfairly against newspapers – the packaged goods industry makes no investment in contents of their packages, just the packaging itself.

Further, newspapers have been good stewards of the environment for decades.  In 1989 New York’s newspaper industry entered into a voluntary agreement with the State of New York to increase their usage of recycled newsprint to 40% by the year 2000. Recycling damages the fiber in newsprint, so a minimum of 50% new fiber is required to maintain quality.  Newsprint with too little new fiber tears when the presses are running and causes the ink to blot.

Newsprint accounts for less than 7% of solid waste in a typical community.

Newspapers are environmentally sound – publishers use the remains of what other industries discard: recycled fiber.  Newspapers are compostable (you can use them in your vegetable garden), they are re-manufactured (used to produce home insulation and packaging materials).  They are reusable, biodegradable, and the ink is non-toxic – made from organic materials such as soy and linseed oil.

In November 2020, the EPA reported the following recycling rates: 

Plastic – 8.5%
Aluminum – 17.2%
Rubber/leather – 18.2%
Glass – 25%
Newspapers – 68.2%

Newspapers should be exempted from this legislation because they already recycle at a rate far higher than any other recyclable product. 

The proposed legislation will not increase or improve the recycling of newspapers – it will simply shift the cost of recycling from municipalities to newspapers.  Newspapers are already suffering from revenue declines caused by COVID 19 and big tech platforms. Burdening newspapers with the cost of recycling will result in layoffs, further eroding citizen access to essential local news and information.

Newspapers are good citizens, and they are cheerleaders and watchdogs for the communities they serve.  New York’s newspapers will be pleased to enter into a voluntary agreement to support, promote and educate readers and community leaders about the importance of recycling.  New York’s legislators should consider the devasting impact this legislation will have on newspapers, and subsequently, citizens’ access to local journalism.

WILTON — Mt. McGregor and Grant Cottage Historic Site are preparing to launch a new vision for the future of the historic site, which would include a series of improvements and some new development. 

Potential plans include improved parking access, the expansion of trails, the development of a rustic gazebo and replica train station that once stood at the site, a pavilion that could host more than 100 people, and using a five-acre parcel that was once part of the former Mount McGregor Correctional Facility recreation yard for signature events. 

Former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant spent six weeks at the cottage in 1885, completing his final memoirs prior to his death.

“Grant Cottage really started out as a little place in northern Saratoga County where Ulysses S. Grant was invited up to because he had terminal throat cancer,” Grant Cottage President Tim Welch explained, during a presentation to the county Board of Supervisors last week. 

“He was invited up because the temperature was so hot in New York City in 1885, his doctors didn’t think he would survive to complete his memoirs. He spent only six weeks in Saratoga County, but he completed his memoirs and Mark Twain published them. He wrote his memoirs because he was dead broke. His son got him into a Ponzi scheme and he lost $200,000 – everything he had – and he had like 89 bucks in his checking account. So, that’s why he wrote his memoirs. Within a year after his death, his wife got a check for $450,000 in royalties from Mark Twain, which today is worth $11 million,” Welch said. “This is part of the story we have to tell as we attempt to expand the footprint of Grant Cottage with the Master Plan the LA Group is helping us put together.” 

The expansion would help the site meet a growing interest and entice more visitors to the cottage specifically and the area in general, officials said. Attendance restrictions brought on by the pandemic aside, there have been positive signs of late regarding the site. Last year, the History Channel announced its presentation of a three-part mini-series on U.S. Grant, with the Grant Cottage featured in the docudrama. Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, which filmed at the cottage in October 2019, Grant Cottage also was the recipient of a $10,000 donation from DiCaprio. This past January, Grant Cottage was approved as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

Grant Cottage was headed to closure on the 100th anniversary of Grant’s death in 1985 until a group of concerned citizens got together to save it by having a volunteer staff and keeping it open to the public for five months of the year. 

The cottage is looking to reopen for the season “in the next several weeks,” Welch said. 

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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Saratoga Springs) is calling on Rivers Casino to pay its statutory obligation to the Saratoga Harness (SHHA).

“I have deep concerns that what has been proposed in the Governor’s budget, what has been termed a sweetheart deal for Rivers Casino, would in fact make all of this impossible,” said Woerner, during a press conference at the harness track March 16.   

The proposal in the Governor’s budget would eliminate statutory purse support payments to SHHA until six months after all COVID restrictions are lifted. According to Woerner, the proposal renders the SHHA inoperable and “there would no longer be harness racing in Saratoga Springs.”

Woerner explained that both the Casino and the Harness Track were closed for months during the pandemic and that SHHA doesn’t expect the full payment, which could amount to millions of dollars. But she and SHHA, did expect Rivers to come to the table in good faith and negotiate a reasonable outcome for both. Rivers has not paid its purse support payments since the beginning of 2020—two-and-a-half months before the pandemic shut down businesses across the state, Woerner added. 

In 2013 when New York sited four casinos upstate, the state also moved to support the harness racing industry by establishing purse support payments. The statutory purse payments were designed to offset the loss of income at the state’s harness tracks caused by the new casinos. These payments are sourced from revenues that casinos make from Video Lottery Terminals (VLT). The four upstate casinos–including Rivers Casino–have been required to make purse payments since their inception. The Saratoga Casino has made good on its commitment to SHHA but Rivers has not.

“This is a big casino. This is a wealthy corporation . . . Rush Street Gaming which is the parent company for Rivers Casino last year did a public offering. They are sitting on a quarter of a billion dollars of cash. Clearly enough to both operate their casino and meet their obligations,” said Woerner.

The funds provide financial support for trainers, drivers, groomers and the small businesses that support Saratoga’s Harness industry. Among other costs, these funds pay for: Mandatory state racing fees; Payment toward the Dept. of Environmental Conservation required program to remove manure from the back stretch; Minimum driver stipend paid to each driver for each race; Required program reimbursement fee for each live race card, and $31,451.18 per month ($377,414 annually) for SHHA member health insurance.

“There are 700 owners and trainers in Saratoga Horsemen. There are thousands of families—mostly black and brown families—that work in the barns, that work in local farms, that work in farms across the state in the harness business. There are farriers that shoe the horses, there are veterinarians, there are farmers that grow the hey, the straw, the oats—this is a big economic impact,” said Woerner. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — City Republican Chairman Chris Obstarczyk announced March 16 the committee’s endorsed slate of candidates for the fall 2021 city and county elections. 

The City of Saratoga Springs Republican Committee has endorsed first-time candidates Heidi Owen West, Mayor; Tracey LaBelle, Public Safety; JoAnne Kiernan, Finance; Samantha Guerra, Accounts, and incumbent Public Works Commissioner Anthony “Skip” Scirocco. 

In a prepared statement, Obstarczyk called the GOP slate “the most diverse and dynamic group of Saratogians that have been fielded to run for office in decades.” All four first-time candidates are women.

“It’s unprecedented. We’re going to make history. We have a unified, qualified and experienced ticket that is going to impress all Saratogians,” said Obstarczyk. “To have four talented, dynamic and impressive women, who have been leaders in our city for years, is inspiring. They’re going to do great things for our city.” 

West, a political independent, said her motivation to run for mayor is centered on improving the economic, social and community health of the city.

“We have to bring life back to downtown. The tourism destination that our city is requires it. It’s a significant factor in keeping taxes low while providing quality, reliable services to our residents,” West said, in a statement. She has been a resident of Saratoga Springs for 53 years. 

“Like so many Saratogians, I’ve invested a great deal of my own sweat equity into our city. What we’re facing and experiencing right now is testing our city’s strength. The only way we’re going to meet the daunting challenges ahead of us is having leadership in city hall that knows what it’s like to pour your heart and soul into the community that you love. I’ve been doing that as a business owner and community leader for over 30 years,” West said.

Regarding representation of the city at the county level, the Committee endorsed incumbent Supervisor Matthew Veitch, and John Safford for the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. 

Sarah Burger, chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, said city Democrats anticipate announcing their slate of candidates in the next few weeks. 

BALLSTON SPA — At its monthly meeting, held March 16, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved the adoption of a police reform report presented by its appointed seven-member “Executive Order 203 Compliance Group.” 

The group was charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office – including strategies, deployment practices, and policies – and submitting a report of potential recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, as per Gov. Cuomo’s Executive Order in 2020. 

The group stated the following recommendations: 

1. Facilitate and establish an advisory committee to continue to seek public input and community involvement in reviewing policies and procedures utilized by the Sheriff’s Office beyond April 1, 2021.

2. Encourage the Saratoga County Sheriff to take steps necessary to maintain compliance with the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

3. Encourage the Saratoga County Sheriff to maintain policies consistent with the model policies as provided by the New York State Municipal Police Training Council.

4. Encourage the Saratoga County Sheriff to study and implement training and programs related to topics such as: diversity and cultural education, and elimination of bias.

5. Recommend that the Saratoga County Sheriff explore the development of a body camera and in-car video program for agency. A draft policy should be submitted to the Public Safety Committee for review and recommendations. Recommend that the Board of Supervisors consider funding the establishment of the Sheriff’s body camera and in-car video program to include equipment, storage, and requisite staff for the review and management of video records.

6. Encourage the Sheriff to consult with the Board of Supervisors and its Public Safety Committee in exploring the feasibility of creation of a Professional Standards position or group within the Sheriff’s Office in lieu of the current ad-hoc method of collecting and investigating complaints, reviewing and updating policy and auditing agency performance.

7. Encourage the Sheriff to amend policies and procedures as needed to facilitate collection of additional demographic data on law enforcement contacts to include data related to race and ethnicity.

8. Facilitate the establishment of a County created and maintained list of resources for the public and county employees to reference in lieu of contacting or deploying law enforcement personnel for certain non-law enforcement incidents.

9. Encourage and Recommend the Sheriff continue to engage and support the inclusion of mental health resources in the daily functions of the Sheriff’s Office to the benefit of both the community and members of law enforcement.

10. Recommend to the Sheriff to examine whether methods exist to use equipment with military appearances where necessary to control public disruption and protect lives, but in a manner that reduces the possibility of instilling fear or apprehension on the part of citizens engaging in legitimate public assembly and speech.

“This is an important step forward for our Sheriff’s Office and our County,” said Theodore Kusnierz, Chairman of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. “We wanted to find updated approaches to policing in Saratoga County to ensure that our officers could do their jobs as effectively as possible while also making sure that our entire community feels safe and protected, and I believe this report and its recommendations will help us do that.”

Saratoga Springs City Supervisor Tara Gaston cast the lone vote against. While she said she favored the recommendations, Supervisor Gaston expressed concern that some of the recommendations – those instituting the use of body cameras and in-car videos, among them – lacked more urgent language that would see those recommendations implemented. “I’d like to see this not as a possibility to explore, but as a plan to be developed,” Gaston said.     

The county Compliance Group reported that from 2016 through 2019, there were between 11 and 22 use of force reports per year. None involved the discharge of a firearm. Over that four-year period, 25 civilian complaints were received, 11 of them sustained. One complaint alleged excessive force, and one complaint alleged bias. Neither allegation was sustained. 

Regarding last summer’s event in Saratoga Springs that involved a planned “Back the Blue” rally and a counter-protest by the groups “BLM” and “All of Us,” the Compliance Group said that while it had conducted no structured fact-finding hearing regarding the July 30 event, it did not identify any specific instance of misconduct on the part of any Sheriff’s Department employee. 

“Nevertheless, many comments were made concerning the use of the MRAP and the “militarization” of police departments in general,” reads the group’s report. “Accordingly, the Compliance Group believes that the Sheriff should examine whether methods exist to use equipment with military appearances where necessary to control public disruption and protect lives, but in a manner that reduces the possibility of instilling fear or apprehension on the part of citizens engaging in legitimate public assembly and speech.” 

Members of the Saratoga County Executive Order 203 Compliance Group are: Dr. Michael Prezioso, Director of the Saratoga County Mental Health Clinic, Chairman Undersheriff Richard Castle, Vice Chairman Darren O’Connor – Supervisor – Town of Malta Thomas Richardson – Supervisor – City of Mechanicville Opal Hinds – Community Member Karen Heggen – Saratoga County District Attorney Andrew Blumenberg – Saratoga County Public Defender.

The 30-page report may be found at: www.saratogacountyny.
gov/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/
02/Saratoga-County-Executive-Order-203-Compliance-Group-January2021-Report.pdf. 

BALLSTON SPA ­— The Church Hill Historic District, in the hamlet of Crescent in the Town of Halfmoon, has received nomination to be added to the State and National Register for Historic Places, the Saratoga County History Center announced this week. 

The Church Hill Historic District is in the hamlet of Crescent, just to the east of NYS Route 9, in Halfmoon. The district includes 13 residential structures, examples of how the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River shaped communities along the southern border of Saratoga County. A burst of prosperity in the second quarter of the 19th century related to the location of the Crescent Aqueduct was responsible for many of the architectural examples of high-style homes and businesses in this hamlet. Subsequently, the demise of the original canal and changing forms of transportation forced this community to evolve, first as a result of the Barge Canal and then as a result of increasing automobile traffic. Throughout these changes, stellar examples of both high-style buildings and vernacular structures remain to tell the story of the bygone canal era. They deserve the measures of protection that a listing on the register affords them.

Over 75 Saratoga County districts, sites, buildings, and structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the United States of America’s official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Buildings that are listed on the State and National Registers are eligible for various public preservation programs and services — such as matching state grants, or state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits — to assist property owners in maintaining and revitalizing the buildings.

The Saratoga County History Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing the diverse histories of Saratoga County. Previously focused on the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, the SCHC offers a wide variety of education programming online. When Brookside Museum re-opens this summer, the SCHC will debut new exhibits and family-friendly events. Visit: brooksidemuseum.org. 

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and other police agencies will participate in a special enforcement effort to crack down on impaired driving. The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown efforts continue through Sunday, March 21. 

St. Patrick’s Day Weekend is a notoriously deadly period for impaired driving due to the number of celebrations and drivers on the road. New York State Police, County Sheriff and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force in this across-the-board effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related injuries and deaths.

The STOP-DWI St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by STOP-DWI NY and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. The campaign also targets Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day Weekend, Halloween and the national Holiday Season in December.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have made great strides in reducing the numbers of alcohol and drug-related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers. 

County & City Police Reforms

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city is targeting an April 1 deadline to comply with an Executive Order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo stating that municipalities across the state adopt local plans for police department reform.  Two special meetings of the City Council – to take place March 23 and March 31 – have been scheduled to review and approve recommendations for Saratoga Springs police reform. 

Last June, in the aftermath of the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minnesota and subsequent protests across the nation demanding change and accountability among the law enforcement community, Cuomo directed a comprehensive review of existing police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures, and practices be conducted, and plans for reform adopted by local municipalities by April 1, 2021 to be eligible for future state funding.

Last week, the results of a survey used by them to assist in finalizing their recommendations to the Saratoga Springs City Council was posted online. The 97-page report may be read at: saratoga-springs.org.   

On March 5, the 13-member Saratoga Springs Police Task Force released its 108-page report: Reinvention Plan: Toward a Community Centered Justice Initiative. 

“It contains more than 50 recommendations intended to improve the policies and practices of the Saratoga Springs police Department,” city attorney Vincent DeLeonardis explained to the council during its meeting on March 16. “It is now up to the Council to review and deliberate on the proposed recommendations and determine which of those recommendations will be implemented – and how.” 

A draft of the report may be viewed on the city website at: saratoga-springs.org. 

“This is a big first step that we’re taking here, but it has to go on. We can’t possibly reform everything in seven months,” city Mayor Meg Kelly said, regarding the amount of time which the Task Force was granted to conduct their review – in between the time of Gov. Cuomo’s order and the city’ s adoption deadline. 

“We have to have a plan moving forward and I think that’s what we’re doing with this resolution. We’re going to continue working with the Commissioner of Public Safety (Robin Dalton) and working with the chiefs to continue on the reform,” she said. “We have to submit something April 1 and then we can continue to work through all these changes. Police reform has to continue after April 1, it doesn’t end.”   

Two special meetings of the City Council were scheduled to specifically review the task force recommendations for police reform. Those meetings will take place 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 23 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 31. The meetings will be live streamed via Zoom and on the city’s website, and public comment will be allowed at both meetings. 

2020 Overview

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Public Safety Department is comprised of a full-time administrative office staff, a Police Department, Fire Department, Code Enforcement Division, Central Dispatch, Traffic Maintenance, Animal Control Officers and a Health Officer. There are approximately 161 full-time and 11 part-time employees. The part-time employees work as school crossing guards, vehicle traffic controllers, part time cleaners, part time clerk and summer laborers at the traffic garage.

• The Fire Department operates out of two fire stations and serves the City of Saratoga Springs, which encompasses 29.07 square miles of residential, commercial, and agricultural properties and parks.

• Fire Department 2020: The Saratoga Springs Fire Department responded to 4868 calls for service, which represents a 7.38% decrease overall from 2019. Specifically, there were 85 calls for service regarding fires – the highest number of fire responses since 2017. 

• Ambulance 2020: 3,454 Emergency medical calls, a daily average of 9.46, and 2,269 transports.

• The Police department currently employs 72 sworn law enforcement officers. Over the past five years, averaged approximately 30,500 calls for service, 1,290 arrests, and 28.33 incidents involving uses of force per year.

• Police Department 2020: 30,880 calls for service. The Investigations Unit assisted in 39 missing person cases in 2020, and officers deployed Narcan on 16 separate calls for service.

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