Click Here for Saratoga County Chamber Restaurant Week

Universal Preservation Hall, a new 700-seat theater-in-the-round performance space, just prior to the first-night opening of the doors, on Feb. 29, 2020. Photos by SuperSource Media, LLC.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — “How do you like us now!”

Teddy Foster beamed beneath the sparkle of stage lights Saturday night, unveiling the grand room to the eyes of several hundred theater goers. 

“I’ve been waiting to say that a long time,” said the newly named director of Universal Preservation Hall, which stands on Washington Street, one block west of Broadway. “A really, really long time.” 

Foster joined the board at UPH in 2006, became its president three years later and has stewarded the grand old church building from the brink of obliteration to its present-day promise as a thriving performance and community center in downtown Saratoga Springs.

It was built in 1871 and served as a Methodist church for its first 100 years, as well as playing a role in the city’s civic life by providing a venue for visiting statesmen including Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan and Frederick Douglass. But by the 1960s, it had fallen on hard times. Downtown Saratoga was in decline and the Methodist congregation relocated to a new building outside of town. The church sat empty for several years. A local Baptist congregation bought it for $18,000 in 1976 but hadn’t the means to preserve and restore the aging structure.

In 2000, the city condemned the building. Local preservationists organized a nonprofit group and reached out to the Baptist congregation to help save the structure. Donations paid for an initial wave of renovation work beginning in 2003. The building was stabilized but the restoration effort ground to a halt with the economic collapse of 2008-09.

The venue had housed a smattering of events in recent years – from fashion shows to First Night celebrations, and concerts by Colin Hay and John Sebastian. Max Weinberg – drummer of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, brought his 15-piece big band to UPH in 2010, and Brooklyn-based band Cuddle Magic performed a memorable mixed-media show at the hall with pianist Phyllis Chen and novelist and short story writer Rick Moody in 2014. Because the renovations were only partly completed, however, the maximum occupancy of the hall was severely restricted.

 “I was smart enough to realize I needed either a plan to move forward or an exit plan,” Foster said, speaking about the future of UPH in 2015. “You’re remembered not for how you start something but how you leave it. I didn’t want to be remembered as the woman who let down Universal Preservation Hall. So, we got busy.”

{loadmoduleid 268}

In the summer of 2015, following three years of discussions, an operating alliance was created with Proctors, the historic theater in downtown Schenectady that has served as a performing arts destination in that city since the 1970s.

A $13.5 million renovation project followed. The original stained glass windows and the building’s pews have been restored. New seating descends from the rear balcony and, on the other end of the 7,000 square-foot room, ascend into the apse. Movable platforms allow the space to open up, depending on the requirements of any given performance. There is a new glass atrium entryway and elevator, and a state-of-the-art sound system. The architecture maintains its Gothic accents and re-opened to the public on Feb. 29, Leap Day.     

“When we saw it was possible to open on this day, we leapt,” quipped Proctors CEO Philip Morris on opening night. The Proctors Collaborative includes Proctors in Schenectady, Albany’s Capital Repertory Theatre and now UPH in Saratoga Springs. 

The 700-seat theatre-in-the-round set-up is not alien to longtime regional theater goers, sharing the performer-audience intimacy of the former Starlite Music Theater – which began its life as the Colonie Musical Theater in 1958, before taking the more familiar Colonie Coliseum name in the early 1970s. 

It seems fitting Rosanne Cash was selected as the debut performer in the re-christening of the grand hall. The eldest daughter of Johnny Cash was 9 years old when the Man In Black performed at the 5,000-seat Convention Hall on Broadway on a November night in 1964 in support of his then-new album “I Walk The Line.” One year later, Saratoga Springs’ largest indoor venue went up in flames. The emergence of UPH marks the return of a mid-sized, year-round venue to the downtown district. According to a statement issued in 2018, UPH will serve an estimated 65,000 visitors per year, with a $3.5 million annual economic impact as a year-round venue space. 

As for parking, UPH is located within a few hundred feet from the four-level parking garage on Woodlawn Avenue. The structure, built in 2012, holds about 450 vehicles. The garage will provide easy access to a planned glassed-in entryway to the east of the hall’s current entrance.

Upcoming concerts at UPH include:  An Evening with Chris Botti 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 6. $79.50 – $179.50; Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame Ceremony 6 p.m. Monday, March 9, $50; Howard Jones Acoustic Trio 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14, $29.50 – $69.50; Irish Hooley with the Screaming Orphans 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15, $25.

Rochmon Record Club which began its monthly gathering under the guidance of music savant Chuck Vosganian, AKA “Rochmon,” will mark its return to UPH at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, when the offering will feature a presentation of Paul Simon’s “Graceland.” Tickets are $25.

Tickets for all shows are available by phone at 518-881-4500, online at universalpreservationhall.org or at the Box Office at 25 Washington St. 

Saratoga Springs ­— Design proposal submitted to city Land Use Board for the construction of a 50 to 60-seat screened-in patio/garden at Whitman Brewing Company, which is located in the former building occupied by The Saratogian offices at 20 Lake Ave., Saratoga Springs. 

Remodeled with new sound, lights, floor and seating area, Soundbar hopes to offer a little bit of everything for every visitor and resident of Saratoga. Photos by Opal Jessica Bogdan.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — After remodeling early this year, Soundbar Saratoga has the goal to add to what Caroline St. has to offer.

After being known as The Reserve, Marketing Manager Brian Miller joined forces with Bar Owner Joshua Loucks to redesign the bar. Offering live music and a late happy hour, Miller believes Soundbar offers the best of what’s around.

“My goal is to make everyday like a wedding. Everybody always has fun at weddings,” Miller said. “If you think about it everyone is always excited about weddings, the music is always awesome at a wedding and you come down and you have fun. We want to recreate that every Friday and Saturday.”

The bar opened in February, completely remodeled with new floors, lights, sound system and sitting areas. Miller said they kept ideas such as the bottle service they previously offered. He said live music at an earlier hour is something new to both him and Loucks, but it was something they wanted Soundbar to have. From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Soundbar would be a live music venue and offer a happy hour until 8:30 p.m., which Miller thinks is the latest happy hour offered in the area. Soundbar also has a tiki influenced cocktail menu where guests can get drinks like a painkiller, mai tai and other classy cocktails.

“Not only can you come down and see a band at 8 p.m., you can still get some drink specials,” Miller said.

The idea for Soundbar came from Loucks and Miller after they asked their core staff as well as customers what they wanted to see the bar become.

“Up until the middle of December we didn’t know what to do. So we took the best of what’s around,” Miller said. “We’re kind of the best of what’s around. If you want a local pub, we have that upstairs in the Bourbon Room. If you want to do a bigger spectate down here, you can.”

Loucks purchased the Reserve in 2015 and the Bourbon Room in 2016. However, Miller has been marketing for the location since it was known as the Paddock. Miller said Soundbar is the best because the bar can serve multiple functions.

“This bar can be almost anything, it’s not really pigeon holed in anything. It looks like a club and has a light show like a club but I can turn the lights up and we could hold a conference down here if you wanted to,” Miller said.

Remodeled with new sound, lights, floor and seating area, Soundbar hopes to offer a little bit of everything for every visitor and resident of Saratoga. Along with live music, Miller hopes to host themed events to go along with the bands they bring in. He said through that, Soundbar won’t be just the place to listen to a band and dance, but also offer give- aways, raffles and contests depend- ing on the theme. They also host unique shows. This past month, Soundbar hosted Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos and plans to bring them back this April.

“To sit down and come up with a theme and watch it develop, this job is a creative output for me,” Miller said. “To work with a bunch of great people and see something develop. Even Soundbar is just an extension of that. Yes, we do a bunch of little events but Soundbar alone…we sat down with a group of people and discussed what we should do.”

Currently, Miller is preparing for the annual LepraCon event this March. The event is in celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day. Donations go to the American Cancer Society and participants can be entered for raffles and prizes. This will be their fifth year participating as a location, but their first year as Soundbar.

“100 percent of the registration fee goes to the Capital District Office for the American Cancer Society. Weather is a key thing for us. It has been very cold and I’m sure a lot of bars know its been really cold. So it’s great to try and do something that gets 400 to 500 people outside and supporting,” Miller said.

BALLSTON — After beginning the Ballston Lake Sewer Project in 2015, Town of Ballston officials hope to start the $17 million construction of the system this spring.

However, attaining a $5 million grant has halted the project until further notice. 

The town received notice about being awarded a $5 million Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant for the Ballston Lake Sewer project the week of Dec. 16, 2019. On Jan. 3, 2020 the board received a letter from the Director of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) stating the Office of the State Comptroller (OFC) would review the DEC’s paperwork. Once approved through OFC, the DEC would provide additional information to the Town of Ballston to create the contract. 

“We knew in December that we got the grant. The biggest concern we have is the construction season. Our contractors who have bid have all said they will hold the price until May,” Wes DeVoe, sewer committee member.

After the $5 million grant has been awarded, the board plans to have a $1.8 million contingency. According to the last meeting minutes, Ballston Town Supervisor, Eric Connolly said given the stage of the project that he is comfortable with that contingency.

Project funding was awarded as follows: $2.55 million grant Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA), $5 million grant WQIP, $7.65 million loan, $2.55 million loan from NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation Additional Funding. Total combined funding to total $17,754,661.

The project construction was approved in October 2015. A resolution was passed in October 2018 that capped what the town could pay at $12.8 million. Originally estimated at $12.5 million, bids for the project first came in at a cost millions higher than anticipated. 

“We chopped it into five pieces and we sent out bids to five companies. Some parts are small and others not so we broke it down that way. So we did get more bids,” DeVoe said. 

DeVoe said the initial bid on the project was around $10 million. The total bids the town has now totals $17 million but the additional $7 million added to the project is from NYS.

{loadmoduleid 268}

“So the dollar that the people voted on does not change or go up. Homeowners around the lake, also known as the sewage district, can expect about $900 in increased taxes,” DeVoe said.

During the February meeting, Drew Hamelink, chairman of the Sewer Committee, said they have received written price locks with the three largest contractors, locking up roughly 93 percent of the project costs through May 1. The remaining contractor gave a lock until Feb 1, which has since been extended by six-weeks.

In 2015 the sewer committee and town board selected Adirondack Mountain Engineering PC to operate as the project-engineering contractor. President of the company, Ed Hernandez did not attend the meeting.

Ballston Lake was added to NYS Priority Water Bodies List in 2012 as an impaired water body. The list defines a water body that cannot support uses. 

As part of the solution to mitigate the impacts to the lake, town officials proposed a goal to construct a sewer collection system for any equivalent dwelling units (EDU) adjacent to the lake including Main Street and Buell Heights. 

EDU are defined as one single-family residential household. There are 700 parcels in total, with a number of the properties adjacent to the lake on the east side lying within the town of Clifton Park. 560 EDU in Ballston and 91 EDU in Clifton Park. 

The Town of Ballston adopted a Sewer Use Law through which all properties located within a set distance of the completed sewer main will be required to connect to the system. DeVoe said any EDU in Clifton Park would not be required to hook into the system but the two towns have been working together. In fact, there are two representatives from the Town of Clifton Park on the Sewer Committee board as well as residents in the sewage district and Ballston Town members.

Each EDU would be responsible for installing a grinder system that could cost the homeowner up to $5,000 for installation. 

“The current cost of the Saratoga County standard is $5,300 list price,” Hamelink said.

However, a sliding scale discount can be put in place that allows a 30 percent discount in the first year that slides back each year by five percent.

The proposed 2015 sewer district included parcels around the lake on the east side from East Side Drive and Schauber Road to Lake Road extending to Eastline Road. On the west side of the lake, it included Westside Drive from Mill Road and Main Street, Glenridge Road, Whites Beach Road, Powers Lane and Outlet Road to a connection point on Lake Road. Also included is Buell Heights neighborhood.

Properties along the lake would utilize a low-pressure force main and would require each service connection to be equipped with the grinder pump station. 

Sewers in the Buell Heights residential subdivision and along Main Street are anticipated to be conventional gravity-type. Wastewater collected in these areas would flow by gravity to a new pump station located on or near Main Street in proximity to the stream. 

She perks up the moment you arrive. 

Quietly watching as you sit down, she slowly comes over, rests her head gently on your knee, and looks up at you with sympathetic eyes. “She naturally took to this job and 99 percent of people who walk through the door are happy to see her,” said Dr. Martin Ferrillo, an Osteopathic Physician at The Albany & Saratoga Centers for Pain Management

Meet Petunia

Petunia is a 3-year-old English Springer Spaniel who has been trained and certified as a therapy dog. 

Growing up with the spaniels his mother trained, Dr. Ferrillo was already familiar with the breed’s amicable nature when Petunia came into his life. 

Because his work as a physician focuses on a whole-body approach to healing, he knew Petunia would be a wonderful addition to his practice. 

“If you let her, she’d just love you until you didn’t want her to anymore,” he said.

She Sees Your Pain

The patients that he treats with neck, back, joint and nerve pain are also under a great amount of stress. 

“She can sense if people are nervous or apprehensive before going into the operating room for injections and tends to gravitate towards those people,” said Dr. Ferrillo.

Pet Petunia’s silky-smooth hair, look into her amazingly sweet eyes, and feel her softly lean against you. It releases feel-good chemicals within the body that help to lower blood pressure and ease a patient’s burden of pain. 

If you’re open to it, she’ll lure you into giving her a belly-rub or to shake hands. She is also allowed healthy treats as a reward.

{loadmoduleid 268}

Dr. Ferrillo and Nurse Practitioner Julie Cuneo have witnessed many instances when Petunia’s presence has had a healing effect on patients who come into the office.

“They just lit up and I saw a new side of this patient. They were moved to tears. Petunia makes this a warmer environment and takes the chill right away,” said Cuneo.

Play Days

Some days are for work and others are for play. 

On Mondays and Fridays, Petunia works at the Queensbury and Saratoga pain management offices, but three days a week she goes to doggie daycare, and on weekends, she’s usually running around outside.

Playing in puddles and going on hikes are among her favorite off-duty activities. 

Petunia enjoys her time off, but also takes her role as a healer very seriously. As soon as Dr. Ferrillo puts on her vest (which signifies that she’s a therapy dog and carries her business cards), Petunia knows she has a job to do.

“The second the uniform goes on, she’s no longer frolicking around, she knows it’s time to go to work,”he said. 

To find out more about how The Albany & Saratoga Centers for Pain Management are reducing pain in a variety of ways, go to ascpm.com.

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”  -John Muir

It is destiny for some people to come into your life to rekindle your spirit, motivate and inspire you. A decade ago, three strangers who discovered an interest in hiking and mountain climbing, found themselves among a group of Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) members at a trailhead at 6:30 a.m., preparing to hike the Santanoni Range. Alison Darbee, Joe Murphy and I would spend the next twelve hours ascending and descending Panther, Couchsachraga and Santanoni Mountains. It is among the most challenging of day trips in the Adirondack High Peaks. 

Joe and I had met once before on a hike, but we were all virtual strangers with little in common.  Joe, a Residence Life Community Coordinator at Skidmore College, was twenty-five. Alison, an art teacher, ten years older than Joe, and me, a banker, twenty years Alison’s senior.
On this morning of June 6, 2009, we never imagined our lives would become inextricably linked. Nor did we foresee that two years later another twenty-something young man, Jon Laurin, a teacher with whom Joe was acquainted in college, would by chance (or fate) come into our lives on a forest trail and complete what would become the MOLD (Murphy, O’Conor, Laurin, Darbee) Mountaineering Society.

It’s hard to say what has kept us connected for more than a decade. Perhaps it’s a common goal or interest. It could simply be a mutual love of ascending to new heights and being in wilderness. None of us can say for sure, except perhaps in Alison and Jon’s case.

Jon and Alison first met on an ADK group hike to Seymour Mountain. It is a long, challenging day, chugging up steep herd paths through thick forest to the summit. 

There is a commonality of purpose in such a task, but there was something more between Jon and Alison. Neither would have predicted that a chance meeting in the wilderness that day would lead to love and marriage. Nor would they have guessed that the officiant at their wedding would be a new hiking buddy, Joe Murphy.

Although the four of us share common values and interests, on occasion the thirty year gap in our ages is evident. While traversing the Willey Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, a storm approached as we started the ascent of the final peak in the range, Mount Tom. Hearing thunder in the distance, we debated whether we could reach the summit and retreat to safety before the storm.  “Is it over?” Joe lamented. I instantly responded, “Over? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”

Joe shot me a brief glance, then charged ahead leading us through the mud, roots and rocks up to the summit. We spent only a moment at the peak for a photo before descending quickly as thunder roared, rain poured and lightning illuminated the sky. Once we reached safety, Joe asked, “Ray, you do know the Germans didn’t bomb Pearl Harbor, right?” With an incredulous stare I countered, “Joe, are you serious? You’ve never seen Animal House?”

{loadmoduleid 268}

It isn’t always fun and romance on MOLD outings. As a foursome, trio or in pairs, we have ascended more than 200 peaks. There was a confrontation with a bull moose; we lost our way a time or two; we’ve fallen into spruce traps and suffered an assortment of cuts, scrapes, bruises, sprains and other injuries. When assessing risk, we try not to cross the fine line between bold and stupid, but sometimes the line moves on you.

On an attempted winter traverse of part of The Great Range, blizzard conditions struck as Joe and I crossed the summit of Gothics. Visibility was reduced to a few feet as gale force winds slowed us to a crawl. Sub-zero wind chills and an unrelenting snowfall jeopardized our safe return.  Joe shouted over the deafening howl of the wind, “Are we going to die today?” We may lose a few toes or fingers I thought. But, I assured Joe, and perhaps myself, “No one’s dying today.” We struggled to find a bailout trail and although equipped to spend the night, were grateful that with the aid of map and compass, we battled our way down the mountain.

Alison and Jon’s most challenging ascent was far from the Adirondacks. In 2012, we traveled to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. At 19,341 feet, it is the highest peak on the African Continent. Our guide was Protus Mayunga, a native of Tanzania and the founder of Roof of Africa Adventures. The ascent was uneventful until midnight of the fifth day when we began to climb the last 4,000 feet to Uhuru Peak, the summit of the world’s tallest free standing mountain. The air is so thin that you gasp for air, can experience dizziness and nausea and be overcome with fatigue.

With the summit still 2,000 feet above and miles away, Alison stopped. “I don’t think I can go any farther,” she uttered while resting against a trailside boulder. She suggested to Jon that he go on without her, but he would have none of it. “We came here to do this together. So, whether we go up, or we go down, we go together.” It was at times like these that Protus would invoke a simple Swahili expression, Imara kama simba (Be strong like a lion). By her personal fortitude and strength, along with Jon’s encouragement, Alison fought through the pain and exhaustion. Hours later, exhaustion turned to exhilaration as they stood together and watched the sun rise over the Serengeti from the Roof of Africa.

After summiting all of New York’s high peaks, we set out to conquer all of the high peaks in the Northeastern United States and the New England Hundred Highest. Thousands of road miles would be logged along highways and country lanes. We ventured down rough and often impassable dirt roads, occasionally thwarted by washed out bridges throughout Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Our adventures took us across hundreds of miles of trail and tens of thousands of feet of elevation gain and loss. This past summer, a decade since we first met, we set out to ascend Mount Coe, South Brother and Fort Mountains to fulfill our mission.

We traveled to the far reaches of Maine and set up camp the night before. The cool, crisp night air and the soothing sound of a nearby stream created the ideal environment for a good night’s rest. An early rise had us on the trail shortly after dawn. We knew it would be a long day, having to cross three mountains (Coe, South Brother and North Brother), before beginning a bushwhack to our 100th peak. The sky was brilliantly blue with a scant number of clouds floating by like feathers, ushered by a gentle breeze. 

The steep ascent up Mount Coe challenged us, as sections of the rock slide route were treacherously slick. As we approached Coe’s summit, we marveled at the superb views of Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak. The wooded saunter from Coe’s summit to South Brother’s was gradual, along well maintained trails. What followed was a very steep ascent to the apex of North Brother, the launch point to Fort Mountain.

Fort is one of several New England Hundred Highest trail-less mountains. Jon led us, thrashing through a thick maze of trees, brush and blowdown. Bare arms and legs were nicked, scraped and cut as we rumbled and stumbled along. While some call this rarely trodden upon course a herd path, Jon coined the phrase herdwhack to describe it. I would argue hurt path is a more accurate characterization.

There was some hesitancy during the final approach to the summit. It marked an end to another epic journey for the four of us. However, as we broke through the tree line and crossed Fort’s rocky ridge to its peak, hesitancy was replaced by awe. Standing atop Fort, hundreds of miles of natural beauty surrounded us. Neighboring peaks pierced the sky. Deep blue pristine lakes, with surfaces as smooth as glass, lay below. There is always a bit of magic in the mountains and a sense of feeling so small in such a vast wilderness. Naturalist John Muir said it best, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

Seldom is any worthwhile goal achieved alone and it is most gratifying when accomplished as part of a team. There is an old adage that goes, Get lost in nature and you will find yourself. How fortunate are we four adventurers that we not only found ourselves in the wilderness, but also discovered friends in whose hands we entrust our lives.

Click Here to See What Happened
on Leap of Kindness Day 2020

ALBANY — Congressman Paul Tonko announced this week that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will award major grants to eight public housing authorities in the Capital Region totaling $9,763,637. The funding will allow e local agencies to make needed investments to repair and improve their properties. 

The grants to public housing authorities in the Capital Region include $764,749 awarded to Saratoga Springs Housing Authority.

“Our Capital Region communities are stronger and more resilient when people here know they can access secure, affordable housing that offers a safe place to live, work and raise a family,” Congressman Tonko said. 

“Maintaining and improving these local public housing resources helps ensure that our neighbors can get the help they need and deserve while also contributing to our economy,” Congressman Tonko said, in
a statement. 

HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. This funding to the Capital Region is part of more than $2.7 billion awarded to public housing authorities across the nation provided through HUD’s Capital Fund Program. 

The Capital Fund Program offers annual funding to around 2,900 public housing authorities to build, repair and renovate the public housing in their communities. Housing authorities use the funding to complete large-scale improvements such as replacing roofs or making energy-efficient upgrades to replace old plumbing and electrical systems.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — There will be additional green space at Saratoga Race Course this summer with the elimination of a long-standing hospitality tent alongside the paddock. 

The 240-square feet of picnic space will be restored prior to the start of the 2020 summer meet, offering fans an unimpeded view of the historic Saratoga paddock, according to a statement issued by the New York Racing Association this week. The Paddock Tent had been a fixture at Saratoga for more than a decade.

“A great deal of what makes Saratoga so special is the ability to see both the horses and jockeys up close. We are removing the Paddock Tent in order to offer more fans the exciting opportunity to watch these incredible athletes as they parade through the paddock prior to each race,” NYRA CEO and President Dave O’Rourke said, in a statement. 

The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation also endorsed the tent’s removal. “The landscape of the paddock is a significant historic feature of the Saratoga Race Course.  We are very pleased that the large tent is being removed, allowing the green space and important views of the paddock and original saddling shed to be restored,” said Samantha Bosshart, executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, in a statement. 

Opening Day at Saratoga is Thursday, July 16 and the meet will run through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Following Opening Weekend, July 16-19, racing will be conducted five days per week, Wednesdays through Sundays. For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com/Saratoga.