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Jonathon Norcross
Hochul Mandate: Saratoga Schools Braces for Electric School Buses
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District’s Transportation Department has until 2035 to convert its entire fleet to zero-emission vehicles. This electric bus requirement established by Gov. Kathy Hochul will require significant funds and may involve some logistical hurdles.
“It’s not just buying an electric vehicle, as you know, it’s the infrastructure and everything else that goes with it,” said Jerry Keenan, the district’s director of transportation, at a Board of Education meeting last month. “We have a lot of work to do in a very short period of time.”
According to an annual report delivered by Keenan, Saratoga’s 116-vehicle fleet includes 88 large buses, 21 small buses, 5 Chevrolet Suburbans, and 2 attendance officer vehicles.
Electric buses can cost as much as $400,000, nearly three-times the cost of a diesel or gasoline bus. But according to New York State’s Electric School Bus Roadmap report, “the total cost of ownership is expected to reach parity by 2027 due to advances in battery technology, increased supply chain outputs, as well as lower fuel and maintenance expenses.”
“Providing the tools for school districts to swap out diesel and gas school buses with zero-emission bus fleets will help students and their communities across the state breathe cleaner air and enjoy a healthier way of life,” Governor Kathy Hochul said when the Roadmap report was released in September.
Some state lawmakers have pushed back against the governor’s requirements. State Senator James Tedisco, who represents Saratoga County, co-signed a letter to Hochul written by State Senator Dan Stec, who represents part of the Capital District. In the letter published last month, Stec wrote that the “governor should either lift this mandate or allocate enough funding in next year’s budget to cover the $20 billion it’s expected to cost to convert the 45,000 school buses in operation statewide.”
Ballston Spa Education Board Approves Tax Exemption for Volunteer Firefighters
BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa Board of Education member Holly Barker-Flynn struggled to hold back tears as she spoke of the “sacrifices” made by volunteer firefighters, including her husband. “They put their lives on the line, lose sleep, and miss time with their families all without pay,” she said.
At a Board of Education meeting on January 3, Barker-Flynn abstained from voting on a resolution to provide property tax exemptions for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers because she would benefit from it. Moments later, the board approved the resolution to a round of applause from attendees.
For Ballston residents who have served as volunteer firefighters or ambulance workers for at least two years, the exemption has an estimated annual value of $389 for an average single-family home. As local fire companies struggle to find volunteers, the exemption is designed to entice more firefighters to sign up.
Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi spoke in favor of the resolution during public comments. “We are with you essentially in this quest to make sure we’re doing what we can to benefit our firefighters, and we’re going to try to take every step we can,” Rossi said.
Ballston Spa Fire Chief Mike Bashore also supported the resolution. “Our volunteer firefighters are hardworking individuals that are dedicated to our community and provide an invaluable service for no personal financial gain,” Bashore said. “Getting individuals to dedicate their free time and volunteer in our community has become increasingly difficult over the past decade.” Bashore said that the exemption could help his department add and retain more firefighters.
Ballston Spa joined several other local school districts, such as Shenendehowa, Burnt Hills, and Mechanicville, in approving the exemption.
B-Spa Beats Blue Streaks in B-Ball Nailbiter
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Scotties basketball team beat the Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks in a nailbiter finish last week. The Scotties were ahead by only one basket with 30 seconds left in the game, and they managed to keep the Blue Streaks at bay to win with a final score of 68 to 64. The victory marks BSpa’s first win of the new year.
“It seems like it always is [a nailbiter] with Saratoga,” said Scotties Head Varsity Coach Benjamin Eldridge. “I think the kids have fun with it.”
The neighboring school districts have developed something of a friendly rivalry, especially after Ballston Spa’s dramatic come-from-behind victory last year. “That was one of the more fun games I’ve been a part of,” Eldridge said. “Both groups of kids like to compete against each other and take away some sense of earned respect and pride.”
In last Wednesday’s game at home, Michael Pritchard led Ballston Spa with 17 points and Blaine Zoller contributed 14. Zoller “stepped up his intensity and physicality in the game and just really played hard the whole time,” Eldridge said.
Despite the win, Coach Eldridge said his team has more work to do. He anticipated that his team would have to improve as the year progresses, and play their best basketball towards the end of the season. “It’s taken time to start clicking on the same page and get the basketball skills up there but Wednesday night was a good night,” he said.
Eldridge said that the slower start to the season is partly the result of most of his players being multi-sport athletes transitioning out of football and baseball. “It’s a fun little puzzle to figure out,” he said. “I definitely had a vision coming in of what these guys would be most successful with and I don’t know if 100% buy-in is there yet but I think there was a good step towards it on Wednesday and hopefully we keep it going.”
The Coach maintains “relatively high expectations” for the rest of the season. “I’m looking forward to seeing how February looks,” he said.
Fast and “Fun” Spa Catholic Basketball Team Overcomes Hurdles
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Midway through its season, the Spa Catholic Saints basketball team is finding creative ways to overcome a serious disadvantage: height.
“We’ve played everybody in the league now and we are the smallest team height-wise, and it’s not really close,” said Coach Shea Bromirski. “We basically start five guards.”
The Saints’ strategy has been to speed up the pace of its games, and force opponents to play faster than they’d like. “To do that, you have to take care of the basketball,” Bromirski said. “If you play fast and turn it over all the time, that’s a recipe for disaster.”
The squad is also focused on grabbing more rebounds despite missed shots sometimes sailing over their heads. “We have to just swarm to the ball,” Bromirski said. “That’s a challenge for us but we’re getting better.”
On offense, the Saints use speed to their advantage by getting open looks from beyond the arc. The team has had multiple games with more than 10 three-pointers. All those threes have resulted in the Saints averaging nearly 62 points per game. “We’re a fun watch,” Bromirski said. “This has been one of my favorite seasons I’ve ever had.”
Less fun was guard Hunter Fales’ recent injury. The junior averaging 8 points per game broke his wrist at the end of December and will be out of action for 5 to 6 weeks.
Last year, the Saints finished 12-8 in the regular season and were the third seed in the Class C sectionals. Midway through this season, their record stood at 7-4.
Hannaford Raising Funds to Protect Saratoga Lake
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Hannaford supermarket on Weibel Avenue is raising funds throughout January for the Saratoga Lake Protection and Improvement District (SLPID). The SLPID will receive a $1 donation from every purchase of a $2.50 Hannaford Community Bag.
“SLPID is very grateful to be recognized and have the community’s support,” said Cristina Connolly, Executive Director of the organization. “This Program and its contribution will assist in our vital environmental programs and community outreach for the future protection of Saratoga Lake.”
To learn more about the SLPID, visit www.SLPIDny.gov.
Stewart’s Exec to Lead Commerce Chamber’s Board of Directors
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Chad Kiesow, the Chief Operating Officer of Stewart’s Shops, has been elected this year’s Chair of the Board of Directors of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. He’ll take over the position from Amy Smith, owner of the Saratoga Arms Hotel. Smith will now become the Immediate Past Chair.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Saratoga County Chamber’s Board of Directors in 2024, a year that will undoubtedly be historic as our community prepares to host the Belmont Stakes this coming June,” Kiesow said in a statement. “While Saratoga’s economy has outperformed many other communities in Upstate New York, we realize that the number one challenge facing local employers across every sector is our historic labor shortage and that is why the Chamber will focus much of its time and resources in 2024 on talent recruitment via our online Job Zone and expansion of our Live Like You’re On Vacation talent recruitment campaign.”
The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors has 27 members. The Chamber has an annual budget of approximately $1.8 million.
Brooklyn Wine Shop Owner Arrives in Saratoga
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Joseph Grillo cut his teeth working at trendy Brooklyn wine shops, and now he’s brought his experience and sensibilities to By the Bottle, a wine store located in downtown Saratoga.
The shop was previously owned by Annmarie Guglielmo, who now works at the Kindred wine bar on Henry Street. Grillow took over By the Bottle in July of 2023. His goal is to create an unpretentious neighborhood shop where customers don’t feel intimidated by wine.
“I just want people to be at ease in the shop and ask questions,” Grillo said. “I’m more concerned with people and building a sense of community.”
By the Bottle offers a large selection of orange wines, as well as biodynamic and organic wines. The shop tends to favor smaller production bottles, hoping to offer customers a unique selection. “There are tens of thousands of wines in the world and I’m happy to represent different things, maybe things people don’t see every day,” Grillo said.
“Everything I have, other than maybe two wines, is between $12 and $40,” Grillo said. “I don’t have a lot of expensive stuff because I think that there’s so much wonderful stuff out there that you don’t have to break the bank to try.”
Grillo previously ran Northside Discount Liquors & Wine in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He still goes there regularly to check in, but is now managing By the Bottle full time. Prior to owning Northside, he worked at Trojanowski Liquor in Williamsburg. “That’s where I learned about wine,” Grillo said.
Grillo and his wife were married in the Spa City twelve years ago, and when the pandemic hit, they decided to move their kids to Saratoga in search of a safer, gentler city. “It has a cinema, it has a beautiful book store, it has Caffe Lena, it has all these great things,” Grillo said. “I do like it up here.”
By the Bottle is located at 11 Spring Street in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Salvation Army Shines Light on Human Trafficking
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The U.S. State Department estimates that, at any given time, there are 27.6 million victims of human trafficking across the globe. There are even victims right here in Saratoga County. Susana Lehan, the Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory Anti-Human Trafficking Director, knows some of them personally. “This is everywhere,” Lehan said. “This is happening in everyone’s backyard.”
Human trafficking is defined as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor services against his or her will.
To raise awareness of this issue, the Salvation Army is hosting an event on January 11 from 12pm to 3pm at 27 Woodlawn Ave in Saratoga Springs. “There’s not a lot of awareness in the communities and all the counties in this area,” Lehan said.
The Human Trafficking Awareness Day event includes a free lunch and a presentation by Julie Chapus, LMSW. Chapus is from Rochester, New York and works with both hair and nail salons, where trafficking victims often interact with workers. “Those are people that have intimate connections with victims,” Lehan said. Traffickers often bring their victims to salons, where workers can see scars and other signs of physical violence.
Lehan said that evidence of trafficking can be hard to spot, even among trained professionals and police officers. “I’ve been in the field for thirty years and I even was not aware of the nuances until I started working with the clients,” she said.
Lehan’s Anti-Human Trafficking program at the Salvation Army helps to stabilize victims’ lives with housing, employment, clothing, food, and other basic needs. Since she first began working on this program four months ago, Lehan has already acquired at least twenty clients.
According to Lehan, only about 1% of victims report trafficking to anyone, and reports to law enforcement occur even less frequently. While trafficking can be organized by criminal groups, it can also happen in intimate partner relationships. “Individuals are coercing people to enter these situations that they can’t get out of, and it’s by use of force, coercion, or fraud,” Lehan said. The Polaris Project, a nonprofit that aims to combat human trafficking, estimates that in 2020, 39% of victims were recruited via an intimate partner or marriage proposal.
The objective of the Human Trafficking Awareness Day event in Saratoga is to bring awareness of this ongoing issue to community members and leaders.
“We’re not asking people to intervene or anything in any kind of situation because it’s dangerous,” Lehan said. “However, we’re asking people to just be aware and to be able to pass on a phone number, and if the client feels safe enough to come to us, they can.”
To contact Susana Lehan, call 518-584-1640 or send her an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Stewart’s Raises $2 Million for Children’s Charities; Applications Now Open for Funds
BALLSTON SPA — Stewart’s Shops’ annual Holiday Match program raised $2 million for local children’s charities this year. Customers donated $1 million, with Stewart’s contributing the rest. The money will be distributed over the next few months across New York and Vermont.
“Even during uncertain economic times, our customers continue to amaze me with their generosity,” said Stewart’s COO Chad Kiesow.
Stewart’s Holiday Match fundraiser began in 1986, and has raised more than $38 million since then. According to Stewart’s, the company does not charge any administrative fees, meaning that all of the funds are re-distributed into the community.
Stewart’s is currently accepting applications for Holiday Match funds until the end of the month. Local 501c3 charitable groups that benefit children can apply online at stewartsshops.com. The funds will be distributed by the end of March.
Districts Scramble: Bus Driver Shortage Continues
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa school districts are both plagued by bus driver shortages that may threaten to eliminate some bus routes.
At a Board of Education meeting last month, Saratoga Springs City School District Director of Transportation Jerry Keenan delivered an annual report that stressed the urgent need for new hires.
“We were scheduled to have 76 permanent drivers approved in our budget this year,” Keenan told the board. “Unfortunately, we’ve lost more drivers than we’ve hired since school has started.” Keenan said that the district will have twelve openings for permanent positions this month.
Keenan said that he and Assistant Director of Transportation Kim Ross both drive buses themselves to help make up for the lack of drivers. “We work very hard to ensure every day that we are getting our kids to school,” he said.
Ross said that the transportation department hired five new employees but all of them left their positions for various reasons. “We bring them in and they go out, but we do try,” she said.
The Ballston Spa Central School District also needs more transportation workers. “Unfortunately, the Ballston Spa Central School District continues to eliminate certain bus routes as we are confronted with a need for additional staff members,” the district said on its website. “Bus drivers, substitute bus drivers, and bus attendants are all needed to ensure the district can transport all students on the district’s bus routes each morning and afternoon.”
Bus driver shortages are not unique to the region. Data from the Economic Policy Institute indicates that from September 2019 to September 2023, there was a 15.1% decrease in the total number of K-12 bus drivers nationwide. Private school bus driver employment also declined by 21.5% over the same four-year period.
Those interested in an open transportation position at the Ballston Spa Central School District can call the department at 518-884-7140 or visit www.bscsd.org/Page/279.
For information on openings at the Saratoga Springs City School District, visit saratogaschools.org/departments-services/employment/.
