Displaying items by tag: Nicholas P Morelli

Stewart’s Holiday Match Raises Over $1.5M for Children’s Charities

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Donations to the Stewart’s Holiday Match program set a new record in its 28th season; raising funds which will help support hundreds of local children’s charities year round. From Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Day, Stewart’s customers donated over $770,000 to the program, which is then doubled to more than $1.5 million with the Stewart’s match. 

 

This impressive number was made possible by the generosity of Stewart’s customers, many regularly giving their spare change and others who contributed larger gifts, as well as the hard work of Stewart’s partners and support from media partners.

 

“Each year our customers meet the challenge of raising more funds for children’s charities,” said Stewart’s Foundation President Susan Dake.  “We are so grateful to our customers for their generosity and loyalty to Stewart’s Shops.”

 

This was a 15 percent increase in customer donations compared to the past two years, where $1.34 million was raised. The previous Holiday Match record, set in 2011, was $1.39 million. After this year’s funds have been distributed, the Stewart’s Holiday Match program will have allocated more than $20 million since the program’s inception in 1986.

 

Donations were collected from Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Day at all 331 Stewart’s Shops in upstate New York and western Vermont. Stewart’s then matched all individual customer donations. There are no administrative costs and 100 percent of the funds collected and matched benefit children’s organizations directly within the communities where Stewart’s Shops are located. Those funds will be allocated in March. 

 

Children’s charities can still apply for funding from the Holiday Match program. Applications are available at all Stewart’s Shops or online at stewartsshops.com. 

 

Applications must be submitted or postmarked by January 31, 2015 to be considered for funding. All groups applying must be locally based, benefit children under 18, and be a qualified, charitable 501c3 organization.  

 

For more information visit stewartsshops.com.

Where Your Contributions Go

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Stewart’s Shops uses the tag line of “We are closer to you,” and nowhere is that more true then with its Holiday Match. When you drop your change into the Stewart’s Holiday Match containers at any of their shops, you are making a direct impact upon a staggering number of organizations right in your own community. All of these organizations are not for profit and benefit children under 18 years of age. The following are a list of Saratoga County groups – touching every aspect of society – that received funds from last year’s Holiday Match:

- Arthur Gonick

 

4-H Fillies & Colts

After the Fire

AIM Services, Inc. 

Angel Names Association

Arthritis Foundation of NENY

Ballard Elementary H S A 

Ballston Area Community Center

Ballston Spa Education Foundation

Ballston Spa High School PTSA

Ballston Spa HS Robotics Team 3044

Ballston Spa Jr Baseball

Bemis Heights CAR

BH-BL Education Foundation 

BH-BL Junior Baseball

Birthright

Boy Scout Troop 18, Middle Grove

Boy Scout Troop 24, Wilton

Brave Will Foundation 

Bridging People and Places

Capital District Young Life

CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services

Catholic Charities of Saratoga County

Catie Hoch Foundation

Charlton Historical Society

Charlton School

Children’s Museum of Saratoga

Christopher Dailey Foundation

Civil Air Patrol, Wullenwaber

Clifton Park Chabad/Chabad Center

Clifton Park Nursery School

Corinth Cub Scout Pack 22

Corinth Youth Comm. Summer Theatre

Corinth Youth Hockey

Cub Scouts Pack #18

Cub Scouts Pack #25

Division Street PTA (12-082)

Domestic Violence/Saratoga Rape Crisis

DonovanHouse/Catholic Charities 

Dramahawks Corinth School Drama Club

Faith Baptist Church Food Pantry

First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa

floydwarriors.com

Franklin Community Center

Friends and Neighbors of Ballston Spa

Friends of Shendehowa Crew

Friends of the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library

Friends of the NYS Military Museum

Friends of the Stillwater Glen Hollow Park

Gabby Rocco Let It Shine Foundation

Galway Ambulance Corps, Inc. 

Galway Food Panty

Galway High School Drama Club

Galway Players Youth Theatre

Galway PTSA, After Prom Party

Galway Public Library

Girl Scout Service Unit 165

Girl Scout Troop 3228

Girl Scouts of NENY – Troop 3126

Gordon Creek Elementary PTA

Greater Schuylerville Youth Program

Halfmoon Baseball League 

Halfmoon Girls Softball, Inc. 

Harrison Avenue Elementary HAS

Harvest Church

Hawley Foundation for Children

Helping Hands School

Historical Society of Moreau

Hudson Crossing Park, Inc. 

I Am I Can

Iroquois Reading Council

Jake’s Help From Heaven

Junior Achievement of NENY

KIDS Reaching Out Club, Inc. 

Koda Mentor Program

Lake Ave. Elementary School Drama Club

Little Ones Child Care Center Inc.

Malta Avenue Elementary PTA

Mechanicville Area Community Services Center

Mechanicville District Public Library

Mechanicville-Stillwater Youth Soccer

Miss Scotties Softball

Miss Shen Softball

Moreau Elementary School

National Bottle Museum

National Museum of Dance

Newmeadow, Inc. 

Nick’s Fight to be Healed Foundation

Northeast Mobile Search & Rescue

Northeast String Orchestra

NorthStar Church

Not So Common Players

Odyssey School of Fine Arrts

Okte PTA 

Old Saratoga Athletic Association

Opera Saratoga

Race Track Chaplaincy of America

Round Lake/Malta Youth Baseball League

Rugrunners  Robotics Inc.

Saratoga American Little League

Saratoga ArtsFest

Saratoga Bridges

Saratoga Center for the Family

Saratoga Challengers Inc.

Saratoga Children’s Theatre, Inc.

Saratoga Co. Children’s Committee

Saratoga County 4-H

Saratoga County E.O.C.

Saratoga County Historical Society

Saratoga Hospital – Community Health Center

Saratoga Mentoring ProGram

Saratoga PLAN

Saratoga Reads!

Saratoga Regional YMCA

Saratoga Rowing Association, Inc. 

Saratoga Sponsor A Scholar

Saratoga Springs Recreation

Saratoga Synchronized Skating

Schuylerville Community Theater

Schuylerville High School After Prom Party

Schuylerville Robotics

Search Team 5-1

Second Chance Sports

Shelters of Saratoga

Shenendehowa Dollars for Scholars

Skribblers Magazine Inc. 

Southern Saratoga County YMCA

Spa Christian School

Stillwater Area Community Center

Stillwater Battle Youth Football

Stillwater Education Foundation

Stillwater Free Library

Streaks Running Club

Tesago Elementary School PTA

The Beagle School

The Fisherman’s Net Youth Program

The Karen & Gary Dake Foundation for Children

The King’s School

The Moreau Community Center 

The Prevention Council

The Salvation Army

The Saratoga Automobile Museum

The TEARS Foundation

The Wildlife Institute 

Transitional Services, Inc. 

Troy USBC Youth Association

Venturing Crew 936, BSA

Village of Round Lake

Waterford Little League

Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park

Wilton Youth Baseball

Youth2-Youth Helping Youth

 

Source: Stewart’s Shops.

 

MALTA— The Malta Town Board meeting on Monday, April 7 brought about significant actions on two fronts:

 

The first was the adoption, by a 4-1 vote (with Councilman Peter Klotz voting against) of the adoption of the Stewart’s Planned Development District (PDD) #315, which would eventually lead to the issuing of a building permit for a Stewart’s Shops (with gasoline pumps) and an Adirondack Trust branch office. 

 

This building would be sighted on the high traffic roundabout at the intersection of NYS Route 67 and Luther Forest Boulevard – on the way to and from the nearby technology park. 

 

As noted in Saratoga TODAY’s issue of February 28, the Stewart’s Corporation has offered a sum of $200,000 in seed money to the town, to pay for the costs of construction extending water lines (via Saratoga Water Services) along old Route 67 and Dugan Hill Road in a neighborhood to several homes, in the nearby neighborhood of Maltaville. Stewart’s agreed to not receive their building permit until this condition was completed. 

 

A presentation/public hearing preceded the final vote, the last in a series over several town meetings, that was delivered by Mr. Tom Lewis, who has retired as Real Estate Representative at Stewart’s, but was staying on to shepherd this project through the process. 

 

At Monday’s meeting, he delivered his portion of the proceedings before an audience which included Charles Wait, Jr. and Mr. Lewis’ successor at Stewart’s, Chuck Marshall. 

 

On February 28, the story was subtitled “Growth That Works” and despite Klotz’ dissent, it says here that this was a favorable deal for the town and for everyone concerned. It is an example of a good public-private sector partnership that any place, let alone the Town of Malta, should want to replicate as often as possible. 

 

The epitome of win-win. As in you get your water; I get a make-your-own sundae and some unleaded on the way home from the tech park. Mr. Lewis scored on his final drive and those who have seen him in this arena before were not at all surprised with the result.  

 

The second front concerned a trio of resolutions regarding what is labeled the Round Lake Improvement Plan, or more commonly “the roundabouts”. The town board voted, also 4-1, but this time with Councilman John Hartzell voting no, to formally seek determination of the town itself as the lead agency, and to authorize the town’s designates to begin the process of eminent domain on several parcels along the corridor by evaluating the public benefit and providing a calculation of ‘just compensation offers’ to the given landowners for their parcels, a mix of both commercial and residential properties. 

 

Round Lake resident Woody Sloat, in the pubic comment period, reminded the town board that continued action on roundabouts was contrary to the wishes of over 500 petition-singing area residents (see: mymaltany.nationbuilder.com) and later elaborated: 

 

“A number of citizens who live in this area consist of professional engineers, educators, doctors, lawyers and law enforcement professionals who work in highway safety every day. These residents refused to be duped by the slanted statistical data that supports the point of view of individuals who created their position based on profit. The residents’ genuine concern is safety and quality of life.” Mr. Sloat said. 

 

 

“It is a big disappointment to see the town supervisor and three of his councilpersons dismiss the 514 residents who appealed to their common sense. Their poor decision will not be forgotten.”

Stewart’s Seed Money To Make It Happen in Maltaville

MALTA— The town of Malta has been challenged with coping with some of Saratoga County’s greatest growth issues arising out of the as a result of the siting of GlobalFoundries at the Luther Forest Technology Campus. 

 

Often the results have been regarded as haphazard: either overreaching or inadequate – a dozen roundabouts (with potentially more on the horizon) and the retail vacancies in the Ellsworth Commons project being two visible examples. 

 

The Town Board, to its credit, has attempted to take a fresh approach. At the February 3 town meeting, they established a Route 9 South/Route 67 Rezoning Committee, which is charged with looking at the entire area in a comprehensive way to avoid individual “spot zoning” of parcels in this key gateway area to the GlobalFoundries plant. 

 

This will be a developing story for quite a while, but there is a situation in process currently that, if adopted, can illustrate how growth and development can have multiple positive outcomes. 

 

It may come as no surprise that this situation sprang forth from the private sector. 

 

The Stewart’s Shops Corporation is advocating the formation of a Planned Development District and the Town Board has heard presentations by Mr. Tom Lewis, who is now a consultant but formerly was the company’s Real Estate Representative. Stewart’s has an option on a key parcel (see aerial map) along the roundabout located on route 67 and Luther Forest Boulevard – a key entranceway to GlobalFoundries and the LF Tech Park. It would like a building permit to construct a shop that would have gas pumps. 

 

The desirability to Stewart’s to have this site is obvious; also obvious is the desirability of having a convenient gas/convenience store for the thousands who will be passing by to and from work at Fab8 and other sites.  

 

Stewart’s would be able to hook up to an existing water main. As part of an incentive to receive a building permit for the site, they have offered the town the sum of $200,000 as seed money for the purpose of extending water lines along old Route 67 and Dugan Hill Road in a neighborhood known as Maltaville. Mr. Lewis had a representative from Saratoga Water Services verify that for that amount of seed money, a 10” water main could be extended 1000 feet, which includes lateral connections to individual (both existing and future) parcels as needed.  

 

This could be the spur needed to stimulate future residential development in a desirable location that is very close to the Technology Campus. After this, the water lines could be extended further in the neighborhood by residential developers. 

 

The next stages are to develop the final legislative language. There are some minor issues to be settled, such as the Saratoga County Water Authority taking ownership of the parcel upon which a water tower would sit. The water authority needs that provision in order to borrow money for the tower.  Mr. Lewis also indicated that he was willing to accept a contingency that Stewart’s would receive a building permit after the pipes were in the ground.

 

Once the legislation is finalized, an item can be put on the town board’s agenda that would schedule a public hearing. It appeared that everyone was going to push to finalize the language in time for this item to be on the next meeting’s agenda, which takes place on Monday, March 3, with a public hearing at the April meeting.

 

This could be an example of growth that works—a win/win for everyone concerned. 

 

As noted above, Stewart’s option on the parcel is contingent upon receiving a building permit but “the optimist in me says this is going to happen,” Tom Lewis said.

 

 

Water and Zoning Issues May Prevent Approval

MALTA — There are a few more obstacles for Stewart’s Shops to overcome before they are able to get their plans for Shop #315, potentially to be located on Route 67 across from the entrance to Luther Forest Technology Campus, approved by the Malta Town Board.