SARATOGA SPRINGS — With its work completed, the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness is expected to provide a report to the City Council in early September, Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim said this week.
The ad hoc group was formed earlier this year to target solutions regarding a permanently placed 24/7 homeless shelter in the city.
“They did a lot of great work – they recommended the site, they recommended an RFP for us to consider, they’ve recommended financing options,” Mayor Kim said. “There’s a lot of story to tell.”
During its meeting Aug. 1, the City Council unanimously approved, by a 5-0 vote, a Local Law to set a 1,000-foot minimum distance between a homeless shelter and any primary or secondary educational facility. That 1,000-foot buffer would apply to daycare centers, provided those centers are part of a school.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — During its meeting on Aug. 1, the City Council approved a long-debated ordinance prohibiting intoxication or impairment by alcohol or drugs in a public place when in possession of a firearm.
The measure passed by a 3-2 vote. Commissioners Dillon Moran and Jason Golub, who each voted against the proposal, expressing general agreement with a majority of the ordinance’s components, but took issue with certain aspects of it.
“I think it’s a great idea as a piggy-back onto another offense – If someone is arrested for assault and you have reasonable suspicion that you can now search them for firearms or give them a breathalyzer,” Golub told the council. “But, to expect the police to identify those who are both drunk and carrying a firearm independent of another violation is a near-impossible exercise unless you want to violate people’s civil rights,” he said. “That’s my biggest concern.”
According to the ordinance, “intoxicated” and/or “impaired” is as defined by State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Wesley Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Wesley Community in Saratoga Springs, will host its annual Saratoga 9 & Wine golf fundraiser on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at the Saratoga Lake Golf Course in Saratoga Springs.
Registration opens at 12 p.m. with a shotgun start at 2 p.m. Golfers will receive a grab-and-go lunch and enjoy wine tastings along the course, followed by a Party on the Patio following the tournament. Guests who don’t participate in the golf tournament can purchase tickets to attend the Party on the Patio, featuring live music, light fare, tastings and complimentary beverages.
Saratoga 9 & Wine is a nine-hole scramble format golf outing with fun contests and a wine theme. Proceeds will support Wesley Health Care Center’s Life Enrichment Program. This initiative provides ongoing, meaningful social and therapeutic activities tailored to the capabilities and needs of each Wesley resident so they may continue to pursue their interests and passions.
Founded in 1972, The Wesley Community was established as a long-term senior care facility and has steadily grown into a continuum-of-care campus featuring independent and assisted living apartments, compassionate skilled nursing and memory care services.
Tickets for Saratoga 9 & Wine can be purchased for $150 per golfer via Saratoga9Wine.com. Non-golfers can purchase tickets to attend the Party on the Patio, starting at 5 p.m., for a $50 donation.
ROUND LAKE — Saratoga County will hold a free Narcan training and distribution event noon – 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church in the Town of Clifton Park – located at 2001 US-9, Round Lake.
Participants will learn how to recognize an opioid overdose and administer nasal Narcan, and will receive a free Narcan rescue kit, which includes two doses of Narcan, a rescue breathing face shield, a certificate of training, a drug disposal system, and a mental health and substance use disorder resource guide.
Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, is a safe medication that can save someone’s life by reversing the effects of an opioid overdose. It only works on opioids, such as heroin, prescription pain medications and fentanyl, but it is safe to use even if opioids are not present. 911 should always be called after administering Naloxone. New York State’s Good Samaritan Law allows people to call 911 without fear of arrest if they are having a drug overdose that requires emergency medical care or if they witness someone overdosing.
Residents who are unable to attend the distribution can register to obtain an overdose rescue kit at www.saratogacountyny.gov/narcan.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Temple Sinai, Saratoga Springs’ Reform Jewish Congregation, will host a grand used book sale of hard and soft cover books for the public, honoring the memory of Jack Schoen, whose large and varied donation of Jewish books forms the majority of the hundreds of good-quality used books the temple’s library is offering.
The book sale will be held at Temple Sinai at 509 Broadway on Tuesday-Wednesday, Aug. 8-9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Schoen, who died in 2020, was a Jewish literature omnivore: his donations range from the textual and philosophical to the light and humorous, with a very generous quantity of first-rate fiction and memoir.
Proceeds from the sale will help maintain and further expand and house the library. Today the library contains approximately 2,500 unduplicated volumes.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) is hosting a series of blood drives across the 113th Assembly District this summer to support our region’s blood supply. Woerner will be donating blood herself in both July and September and encourages others to make an appointment for blood donation at www.redcrossblood.org.
“Local blood centers need our help. Their stocks are critically low, so please consider donating,” said Woerner, in a statement. “These drives allow upstate New Yorkers to give back to their communities. From emergencies to cancer treatments, blood is needed for a variety of medical procedures.”
Blood and plasma donations are used to treat various severe medical conditions, including cancer, leukemia, sickle cell disease, anemia, severe burns and trauma, internal bleeding and premature births.
Before giving blood, donors are encouraged to get a good night’s sleep, drink extra liquids and consume iron-rich foods, such as red meats, fish, poultry, beans, spinach, ironfortified cereals or raisins. On the day of their appointment, donors should drink 16 ounces of water and eat a healthy meal.
The next blood drive will take place noon – 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10 at Saratoga Knights of Columbus, 50 Pine Road, Saratoga Springs.
For more information about the blood donation process, visit www.RedCrossBlood.org or contact Woerner’s office at 518-584-5493 or WoernerC@nyassembly.gov.
SARATOGA — Congressman Paul Tonko has reintroduced his Scientific Integrity Act, bipartisan legislation that sets clear, enforceable standards for federal agencies and federally-funded research to keep public science independent from political and special interest meddling.
Tonko introduced the legislation alongside Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
“Public science must be about the pursuit of truth—not about serving political objectives,” Tonko said, in a statement. “The Scientific Integrity Act provides much-needed protections for our federal scientists, helps repair public trust, and better enables us to address and solve the pressing challenges our communities face.”
The Scientific Integrity Act requires federal agencies that fund or direct public science to establish and maintain clear scientific integrity principles, formalizing and strengthening these policies with the force of law; Clarifies that science should determine policy, free from inappropriate politics, ideology, or financial conflicts of interest, and holds public scientists to the highest standards while guaranteeing their rights and protections under the law.
Briefing session during SSFD Fire Academy. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Fifteen recruits graduated from the first Saratoga Springs Fire Department-hosted fire academy.
The need for Saratoga Springs to host its own fire academy is a result of the receipt of a SAFER grant and the number of new hires needed to open the city’s third station. Ultimately, 16 positions need to be filled, said SSFD Lt. Alan Hiltz.
Of the 15 who graduated, three are from Albany Airport Fire Department, two from Glens Falls Fire Department and ten are from Saratoga Springs Fire Department.
The academy lasted 17 weeks and was held at the Wilton Fire House #1 on Ballard Road.
“The tile work which we performed could only be compared in extent and quality with that found in such places as Newport, R.I. or Hollywood, California where price was of secondary consideration. The objective for the entire house and grounds was it be the finest that could be produced. The first consideration was always quality.”
– Excerpt of a letter written by J. Francis Purdy, of the J. Francis Purdy tile and marble company of Albany, to J.B. White, J.B. Realty of Saratoga Springs, Sept. 14, 1951.
photo provided
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Strands of rope and twisted wire span the metal gates and stone entryway stations of the Ballston Avenue estate. A pair of ornate lamps peek streetside across the busy Route 50 thoroughfare where motor vehicles speed on by. A large marquee standing tall atop all of it spells out the most recent use of the property: Villa Balsamo – Restaurant, Cocktail Lounge.
The property, which measures 14 acres in all and features natural ponds, sites a nine-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion set back approximately 350 feet from the road. In its near-century of existence, the 10,240 square-foot structure has served a small handful of owners and has functioned as a private home and as a public restaurant. A return as either one of those options is possible in the future.
“It’s waiting for its next owner and occupant,” says Patrick Gibson of the Diehl Done Team at Keller Williams. The property is listed at $4.3 million.
Floyd J. Shutts, a bank manager-turned-knitting-business-wholesaler, purchased the land in 1927 and reportedly invested a half million early 20th-century dollars to build his 15-room mansion two years later. Following his death – Shutts’ was buried at Ballston Spa Village Cemetery in 1934 – the estate was purchased in turn by restaurateur Gerald King (during whose ownership in the 1960s Bing Crosby was among the visitors, vintage scribes insist), and by Schenectady businessman Chester Hotaling – who turned it into the Chester House restaurant.
At some point in the mid-20th century, Saratoga Springs realtor J.B. White, whose offices were at 100 Broadway, sought to put the property up for sale and apparently reached out to the J. Francis Purdy Co. of Albany for detailed information about the work Purdy had conducted during the initial development of the mansion. The historical files of the Saratoga Room in the Saratoga Springs Public Library provide a copy of the letter response penned by J. Francis Purdy to J. B. White dated September 14, 1951.
“In reply to your letter of the 12th regarding the Shutts estate on Saratoga-Ballston Road – the tile work which we performed for Mr. Shutts in his home could only be compared in extent and quality with that found in such places as Newport, R.I., or Hollywood, California where price was of secondary consideration,” the letter reads.
The tile used in the master bathroom “were of the most expensive produced,” Purdy writes, and “the tile work in the other bathrooms, solarium, game room, kitchen, halls, pavement over garage, etc., represented the best that our industry could produce according to the standards of 1929.”
Purdy concludes: “It was a sad development that Mr. Shutts did not live long to enjoy with his family the beautiful home and grounds he developed.”
An undated advert regarding “The King Shutts Estate” indicates the property would to be shown only through appointment by J.B. White. Price for the complete property: $85,000.
In the mid-1970s, the property was purchased by Joseph Balsamo. Balsamo came to America in 1950 from Sorrento, Italy, served in the Merchant Marine, and was reportedly part-owner of a restaurant in Queens that stood half a mile north of Kennedy International Airport and half a mile east of Aqueduct Racetrack.
“When he saw this place, it took him a year of driving up here from Brooklyn once a week and waiting for the owner to come out to collect his mail,” Ralphie Balsamo told Saratoga TODAY regarding his father’s efforts to purchase the estate.
The persistence paid off. Joseph Balsamo, who died in 2018, successfully convinced the owner to sell, and soon after Villa Balsamo began its offering as a restaurant, showcasing the culinary talents of the family’s Southern Napolitan cooking.
Aiden Rodriguez visits with miniature donkeys from Maple Rock Farms at Saturday’s fundraiser. Photo by Super Source Media Studios.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Sunshine Kids and the Ribbon Café held their third annual fundraiser on July 29, raising money for local seven-year-old Aiden Rodriguez of Queensbury.
In September 2022, Rodriguez was diagnosed with Grade 3 Choroid Plexus Carcinoma, a rare form of brain cancer, and Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, which causes an increased risk for several types of cancer. Patricia Rodriguez, Aiden’s mother, said the community support shown on Saturday was “very overwhelming.”
“We are humbled, we are surprised, thankful,” said Patricia Rodriguez. “I mean, beyond grateful.”
“We didn’t ask for any of this, it just came around,” added Jason Rodriguez, Aiden’s father. “We’re very appreciative of how the community has put this together.”
The fundraiser was initially started by local parents Kate DuBois-Huskie and Tricia Stevenson, who said they have worked with Ribbon Café owner Kevin Myers and his sister Christine Pyle to hold the event each of the past three years.
“It’s just amazing to see people in the community that want to help,” said DuBois-Huskie. “I feel lucky to have the connections and the people that want to help. Hopefully every year we get a little bigger, and help more kids.”
The lemonade stand itself was run by DuBois-Huskie and Stevenson’s children; four-year-olds Dax Huskie and Sophia Stevenson, six-year-old Addison Huskie, and seven-year-old Scarlett Stevenson.
“I think any time the community can come together to support somebody, it’s just a really feel-good environment for everybody,” Tricia Stevenson said.
The portion of Prospect Street directly in front of the Ribbon Café was closed to traffic on Saturday, instead filled with the stands of numerous local businesses and organizations. The fundraiser featured a DJ, children’s games, miniature donkeys from Maple Rock Farm, and many local vendors.
The event also featured performances by dancers from the Carol Lawrence School of Dance, where DuBois-Huskie and Stevenson’s daughters participate. The two parents said they initially met after enrolling their daughters at Carol Lawrence.
“Again, it’s just great to see the community show up,” said DuBois-Huskie.
Aiden has undergone numerous procedures, and recently was the first person to be enrolled in a clinical trial in New York, where he underwent intra-arterial fusion of chemotherapy, his mother said.
Following the clinical trial, the tumor was removed on June 13, Patricia Rodriguez said. The family recently traveled to Rochester, where Aiden received what was described as “high doses of chemotherapy.” Aiden will return for another round of chemotherapy this month, his parents said.
The Rodriguez family offered thanks to several hospitals and medical centers that have assisted in Aiden’s treatment. Patricia Rodriguez emphasized she believes that everyone should be tested for Li-Fraumeni Syndrome at birth, and again mentioned the strong community support the family has received.
Saturday’s event raised over $4,300 as of Aug. 2, DuBois-Huskie said via email, while a GoFundMe page for Aiden (https://gofund.me/687adc9d) has received over $12,000 in donations.
“The community has been great for us everywhere,” said Patricia Rodriguez. “So much support. … There’s no words to describe it.”
