SARATOGA SPRINGS — The former long-time home of the Saratoga Senior Center on Williams Street has been made available to non-profits for a short-term lease by the city of Saratoga Springs.  

Currently vacant, the city of Saratoga Springs owns the 5 Williams St. building. In anticipation of the Senior Center’s relocation, the city last year had planned to site a 24/7 year-round homeless shelter at the building. Those plans were quashed, however, following a backlash from some members of the nearby Saratoga Central Catholic School.      

The building is approximately 7,800 square feet and includes a parking lot with 27 spaces. The term of the lease will be for 6 months, with optional month-to-month leasing for up to an additional six 6 months. Total potential duration of the lease will be no more than 12 months, commencing in November 2023. 

Rental Fee: The proposal should include a monthly rental fee not less than $250 per month, which will be considered as the bid amount. 

According to the bid published by the city on Sept. 1:  Sealed bids for the non-profit short-term lease of 5 Williams St. will be accepted by the city’s Office of the Commissioner of Accounts, 474 Broadway Suite 14, Saratoga Springs, New York, 12866, by 2 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 12, at which time they will be publicly opened and read. That RFP opening date has since been moved to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14.  

Bidders are limited to non-profit social service organizations providing services to residents and/or visitors to the city. Due to the short-term nature of the lease, the building will need to be utilized “as-is” for the duration of the lease period. The selected organization will be prohibited from making any substantial improvements to the building, excluding minimal cosmetic improvements.  

Copies of the Request for Proposal (RFP) may be obtained on the City’s web page at www.saratoga-springs.org, under current bids. 

WILTON — Following incidents of vandalism at Gavin Park during the summer, Wilton Town officials unanimously approved a resolution to initiate a bidding process that would result in a bid award to install surveillance cameras at the recreation complex.    

Town Supervisor John Lant informed the board that he had received a phone call informing him that 40 to 50 people were having a beer party at the park, followed a few days later by “more vandalism there this weekend,” Lant said, according to the most recently published town meeting notes. He did not elaborate on the extent of the vandalism. The Board, which meets monthly, was scheduled to gather for their next meeting on Sept. 7.      

Gavin Park, a central recreation complex for Wilton Town residents and surrounding communities, sites numerous youth sports programs, regional athletic tournaments, and includes two multi-purpose gymnasiums, two pavilions, and 15 athletic and baseball fields. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Franklin Community Center will celebrate its 40 years of service with an anniversary celebration Sept. 28 at 550 Waterfront by Druthers. The anniversary celebration – “Cheers To 40 Years” will take place 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 and available at franklincommunitycenter.org.  

Franklin Community Center has served as a social service hub for the less fortunate in and around Saratoga since 1983. The Center’s programs include a food pantry, a free after-school prevention program for local students and affordable housing for low-income individuals, as well as assisting with furniture and clothing and household needs, among others.

The initial plan in the 1980’s was to develop a west side community center that would offer a hub of services to meet the needs of local residents. Housed at 10 Franklin St., the central location would prove ideal for programming, outreach and counseling services.

The organization soon would expand services to meet its core mission of making a positive difference in the lives of others.

“Our campus today encompasses four buildings, each housing a different aspect of what we do,” says Mary Beth McGarrahan, development director at Franklin Community Center.   

Project Lift was launched as a prevention-based after-school program in Greenfield and Division Street Elementary Schools. By 2017, all six of the elementary schools in the district were added to the Project Lift program, supporting over 100 students and their families in Saratoga. 

Franklin Community Manor was built in the late 1980s as a low-income housing alternative for homeless. Additional programs included the Toy Library, Head Start Pre-School Program and a Dispute Mediation Program.

The decades that followed saw the establishment of a distribution center offering household items and clothing, and the offering of additional housing in a building purchased by FCC at 101 Washington St. Other services included case management, crisis intervention and an ever-expanding food pantry. 

In late 2021, FCC opened the doors of its newest facility, located at the intersection of Franklin and Washington streets. FCC raised about $1 million toward the building acquisition and the Arpey Family, local philanthropic supporters, stepped forward to donate an additional $1 million to complete the purchase. Formerly the MASIE center, the new FCC location is named the Michael and Stacie Arpey Family Community Center. 

The organization’s new building provides more than 10,000 square feet of expanded space, features individual offices, common areas, large meeting rooms, and stands a few yards from its 10 Franklin St. building, which remains active as an enlarged and often-used food pantry. 

“Since last year we’ve seen about a 30% increase in those being served solely by the food pantry,” said McGarrahan, explaining that during this past August the food pantry served about 360 families and over 1,000 individuals, compared to August 2022 when it had served approximately 250 families and 800 individuals.    

For more information about Franklin Community Center and/or  the organization’s 40th anniversary celebration, go to:  franklincommunitycenter.org.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city of Saratoga Springs will hold a 9/11 ceremony to remember and honor the lives that were lost and those who served. 

The ceremony will begin 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 at the Tempered by Memory Sculpture at High Rock Park. 

The 25-foot-tall sculpture was commissioned by Saratoga Arts and created by artists Noah Savett and John Van Alstine from five twisted pieces of Trade Center steel. Four pieces came from the North Tower, one came from the South Tower. The sculpture was dedicated at High Rock Park in 2012, following lengthy public and political discourse regarding its location placement.  

Monday’s ceremony will feature speakers Kathleen Shaw, who responded with NYS Urban/Technical Search and Rescue team NYRRT-1, Lt. Tucker Bonow of the Saratoga Springs Naval Support Activity

STILLWATER — Saratoga National Historical Park continues its 2023 special events program in September. 

Programs include: 

• History Caravans on Tuesdays, Sept. 12 and 26, 9:30 a.m. Meet at the Visitor Center Park. Volunteers lead caravan-style tours of the Saratoga Battlefield.

• Continentals Return to Saratoga Battlefield on Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Saratoga National Historical Park Battlefield Tour Road Stop 2. Soldiers of Colonel Thomas Marshall’s 10th Massachusetts Regiment return to Bemus Heights at Saratoga Battlefield.

• 18th Century Medicine on Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitor Center Lawn. Volunteer Joe Craig explains the Healing Arts at the time of the Revolutionary War.

• Loyalist Refugee Encounters, Sunday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saratoga National Historical Park Battlefield Tour Road Stop 9. When considering the American Revolution, many only think of two sides, the British and the Americans. Yet there is another important and often neglected contingent, those who chose to maintain their loyalty to England. 

• Battle of Freeman’s Farm Walking Tour, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m. Saratoga National Historical Park Battlefield Tour Road Stop 6. Join Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer as he gives a guided tour of Freeman’s Farm, the place where most of the first battle of Saratoga was fought on Sept. 19, 1777. No sign-up required; those interested should meet at the Freeman Farm parking lot (stop 6); the tour will last for about one hour.

• “Are we there yet?” Saturday, Sept. 30, 10:30 – 11: 30 a.m. Visitor Center. Join Park Ranger Bill Valosin for an introduction to map and compass use. Discover the essential workings of a compass, what a map is, and how to use these tools together to find your way.

For more information, go to: go.nps.gov/saraevents.