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Friday, 14 February 2014 14:40

Saratoga Beer Week: Great Events On Tap

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Beginning next Tuesday, February 18 the suds will be flowing throughout town as the Third Annual Saratoga Beer Week takes hold. 

 

Todd Garofano, President of the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau observed, “Saratoga Beer Week has quickly grown into one of Saratoga’s signature events. Having expended already to accommodate the growing crowds and participants from its first year in 2012, this year’s incarnation promises to build on that success. We expect more visitors filling hotel rooms, spending time in our shops and restaurants and enjoying the amazing variety of craft beers in the many venues Saratoga has to offer.” 

 

A complete schedule of events appears online at saratogabeerweek.com. The event week all leads up to Saturday’s Saratoga Beer Summit at the Saratoga Springs City Center, with anticipated crowds so large that admission has been broken into two sessions: 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. During each of these 3-hour sessions you have the opportunity to sample over 150 different beers from over 80 American craft breweries, plus enjoy food samples and live music.

 

It all begins on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Olde Saratoga Brewing Company at 161 Excelsior Avenue. This ‘Beer and Barbeque Bash’ kicks off a full slate of Olde Saratoga’s activities, which will see them take it on the road around town to venues like the Local on Beekman Street, Maestros and The Stadium on Broadway, The Olde Bryan Inn and Uno’s on Route 50. Some of these promotions, in the spirit of good cheer, will be in conjunction with other regional brewers such as Adirondack in Lake George and Brown’s in Troy.

 

The two Stadium Cafés each have their own promotions this week. At the Westside location, they will feature a special “Slides and Suds” promotion throughout Beer Week, which features four types of sliders with four different crafted beers selected by the Craft Brew Alliance.

 

Local craft brewers Druthers (381 Broadway), as expected, have a full slate of activities and events, including a brewery tour on Thursday, February 20 at 4 p.m. 

 

Two music events of note precede the Beer Summit at the City Center. On Thursday evening at 7 p.m., fresh off their headlining gig at First Night, are Beatles tribute band Hey Jude. 

 

On Friday at 7 p.m. the nationally acclaimed Irish band Black 47 will take the stage. This is extra notable as the band has announced that they will be disbanding this November after 25 years touring worldwide together. 

 

As always, there are incentives for early ticket buyers to many events. You can avoid any day-of-event increases and order tickets online at saratogabeerweek.com

 

Published in News

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Head coach Ken Mantia and the Saratoga Central Catholic Saints have completed the first Western Athletic Conference undefeated regular season since Fort Plain accomplished the feat in 2000.

Being on the coaching staff for the 1999 Spa Catholic team that went 20-1, losing to Mechanicville by two in the semifinals of sectionals, this is the first group Mantia has head coached to an undefeated league record (12-0) in his six years at the Saints’ helm.

Q. If you could describe this team in one word, what would it be?

A. Relentless

Q. How are they relentless?

A. We keep the pressure on them the entire game. Even if we get behind, we’re never out of it because we tend to come up with a steal and wear teams down. We can beat you in many ways: in transition or offensive rebounding or good ball movement. So I think that’s really our strength is we keep coming the whole game.

Q. What would you say has been the most surprising thing this year?

A. The thing that has made me the happiest is the ball movement. I knew we had seniors and the capability to play unselfishly, but we’ve moved the ball as well as any team has moved it here in several years.

Q. What does this team have to do to remain successful as they head into sectionals against the Lake George’s and Hoosic Valley's, if it comes to that?

A. I told the kids Monday, it’s kind of like looking at the Super Bowl. Defense wins championship. Well, Denver played defense. They held [Marshawn] Lynch down, but you have to play elite defense. You have to force turnovers. You have to dictate the tempo of the game with your defense, get deflections and hold teams to one shot. If we do that and really contest all shots, the offense will take care of itself. But we cannot have an off game on the defensive end.

Q. Where would you rank both the on and off-the-court chemistry of this group compared to other teams you have had in the past?

A. We always have great kids here, but as far as unselfishness, this team would be at the top. It’s almost to the point where you need to get on guys to shoot the ball because they may be overpassing, but that’s a great problem to have. If you find yourself being frustrated because your kids are too unselfish, feel lucky because that happens once every 10 years.

Q. As a coach, is it safe to say this is a fun group?

A. Oh yeah. It’s been very enjoyable. I know there are great things we could potentially accomplish, but it’s already been a tremendous season that we can always look back on. We’d love to do more things, but what these guys accomplished and the unselfish way in which they did it…everyone chipped in. Everyone contributed, so it’s been a very rewarding season.

Q. If there was one guy who you had to choose as the glue who holds this team together, who would it be?

A. It’s funny because Evan [Pescetti] and Keegan [Murphy] are tremendous kings of the unorthodox play. They can post up, make runners in the lane, do spin moves. Michael [Naughton] and Brian [Hall], every game they bring tremendous defense, they play tough, they can score points for us. They give us that consistency every game, but the guy who is kind of the glue—seems to come up with a deflection, the assists and free throws at the end—I think would be [Luke] Spicer. Luke’s been outstanding the whole season and it’s kind of funny because he’s the one guy who could have two points and dominate the game. That’s a rare talent.

Q. A big key this season has been the bench, right?

A. [Ryan] Czarnecki—this is a kid who would start for 99 percent of teams in the area and he’s totally embraced his role. I give him full freedom. I want him to run the lane and look for his shot. He has no problem doing that, but he’s playing unselfishly when he comes in. This is a kid who will be All-League next year and he’s totally embraced his role. Jake VanPatten and JR Hmura, they just pound people in practice and make them better and work hard. When they come in the game I know we are going to get tremendous defense and these kids understand their role is to defend and rebound. When you have that consistency, it really completes the team.

Q. As far as your preseason expectations, was going undefeated anything that you visioned?

A. No. I had no thought of that. When we had our league meeting, really the sense was that Canjo, Fort Plain, us and St. Johnsville were almost a flip of the coin—any of us could win it. There was absolutely no chance we thought we could go undefeated, but we thought we could compete for a title if we were unselfish and defended. Because of all the unselfishness, we overachieved what we thought was possible.

Q. Are there any coaches you draw inspiration from or try to emulate?

A. Early in my career it was Coach [Jim] Zullo at Shenendehowa. If you don’t defend for him, you just wouldn’t play…tremendous coach who believed in ball movement. Coach [Mike] Beson, who gave me a shot at Shenendehowa, also taught team play, defense and enthusiasm. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to coach with Coach [John] Catone here at Spa Catholic. He totally believed in the up-tempo game. You don’t give up any of the court. You pressure full court. You wear the other team down. You take the fight to them. You don’t back down no matter how good the other team is. Coach Catone really influenced me seeing that you really can win a game on the defensive end by forcing turnovers and getting into your transition. I was also lucky enough to play here for coach [Bob] King. If you did not defend for Coach King, you didn’t play, and you had to play unselfishly. They all had kind of the same mindset. I’ve been coaching for 25 years now and that’s just how I look at basketball because of who I’ve coached under.

Q. When you look back at this season, what would you like to say you accomplished?

A. This was a year the main thing we wanted to accomplish was to do something memorable in honor of Coach Beson. We felt some pressure in the first tournament and I felt we just took it out on the teams we played. A lot of the kids have Coach Beson’s name written inside their sneakers. And I felt the pressure. To go on and win a league championship and go undefeated, that’s what the season has been about. For them to accomplish that, it makes the season memorable no matter what happens the rest of the way.

Q. If you have three dinner guests, all-time, who do you sit down with?

Peyton Manning, Larry Bird and my wife [Mary Beth].

Friday at 7 p.m., the Saints play Duanesburg at Fulton Montgomery Community College in the first of two WAC crossover games. Aside from Duanesburg, the tournament also includes the Southern Division’s Mekeel Christian Academy, as the Saints warm up before the Section II Class C tournament begins. 

 

Published in News
Friday, 07 February 2014 10:09

Reporter’s Notebook- Council: Time’s Up

“Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way…”

                  - Pink Floyd, “Time”

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Our review of the proceedings of the Saratoga Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 4 must include something about what occurred later in the night, after the meeting room was all but abandoned except for a hardcore group of stalwarts, perhaps about six people, including myself.

 

I was hoping it would not be necessary to revisit the issue of ponderous, self-serving time wasting on behalf of  council members with a new year and a new administration. In truth, I believe Mayor Joanne Yepsen is making a valiant effort to keep the meetings moving along as quickly as possible. 

 

Having experienced being at the tail end of many council meetings, she certainly has tried to keep the pace brisk while coping with longer than usual public comment periods since taking office due to the divisive casino issue. 

 

It’s important for everyone to make a commitment to making meetings more brisk, not because as a reporter I want to get out earlier (although that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world) but because as an active citizen and voter, I would like more citizens to take an active interest in what is, after all, the people’s business. 

 

However, nobody in their right mind will elect to sit through overly lengthy meetings, agendas padded with ponderous items that have no purpose and no respect for fellow council members’ and the audience’s time. 

 

Case in point: as we approached 10:30 p.m., fully 3.5 hours into a long meeting, we finally arrived at the Public Safety agenda, which had these items:

 

- Four discussion items. None of which had a vote attached to it.

- One motion to set a public hearing.

- One announcement.

 

In truth, only one of the four ‘discussion’ items was a discussion in the classic sense, for none of the council members had any response (except in some cases to inspect the ceiling) to anything Commissioner of Public Safety Chris Mathiesen had to say, except for an item regarding eleventh hour appointments by former Mayor Johnson. 

 

Otherwise, library silence. 

 

The first ‘discussion’ item was perhaps the biggest time waster. Commissioner Mathiesen actually thought it was a good use of public time to read into the record a two-week old reader’s view he had written, and which had already been published in the media, on his opinion on the casino issue. 

 

Regardless of what you think of the merits of his opinion on the subject (you can search it out yourself if you like – it appears to advocate unilaterally changing the thrust of the language of a proposition that has passed statewide in this reporter’s opinion and therefore has zero shot of happening), the point is why he needed to take up everyone’s time in the first place with this. 

 

Other commissioners have written reader’s views; some for us, some for other publications. When was the last time someone read it into the record? If it must be part of the record (a dubious point), why not just hand it in to the person taking minutes and move on?

 

This was followed closely by two other ‘no-discussion’ items, both pet subjects for the commissioner; one on the subject of bar-closing hours and a noise ordinance. Commissioner Mathiesen saw fit to say that he was planning to introduce motions on each at some undefined time in the future. Again, at this late hour are future motion forecasts really a good use of public time?

 

In fact, why are pure ‘discussion’ items, without a vote attached, even on the agenda? Last time I looked, council members were allowed to talk to each other before meetings. This is why other meetings, including Saratoga County’s Board of Supervisors and many other municipalities are able to get their business done in a fraction of the time it takes this council to do so.

 

Finally, Commissioner Mathiesen made an announcement about his next public safety forum, over a month from now. If you missed this announcement because your eyes had glazed over by this point, no need to worry. He promised to repeat this announcement again at the next couple of council meetings. Oh, goody!

 

While we are singling someone out here, I want to make it clear that Commissioner Mathiesen is by no means the only one on the council who engages in this kind of thing – just the latest and perhaps most illustrative example. 

 

 

I do promise to point out this kind of time wasting by any of our elected officials in the future, as I believe it is discourteous to the county supervisors who sometimes have to wait over three hours to give their reports, to fellow council members and most importantly, to the public at large. 

Published in News
Friday, 07 February 2014 10:04

‘Selfie’: Area Native Debuts Film At Sundance

PARK CITY, UTAH – Sharon Liese, a Saratoga Springs native daughter and proud Blue Streak graduate received another accolade in an impressive film producing career as her short film ‘Selfie’ made its debut on January 20 at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. 

 

The film itself is a result of collaboration with the Dove Corporation’s long-standing “real beauty” campaign and the Sundance Institute. Sharon’s partner on the film is Director Cynthia Wade.  

 

‘Selfie’ was filmed at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington, Mass., where Ms. Wade has a residence. The story line centers on female students (and often their mothers) discussing their issues with particular features that make them unique. They overcome self-esteem issues by participating in a project which involves taking self-portraits (‘selfies’) with their camera phones and displaying them at an exhibit where guests are invited to comment. 

 

The process of “putting yourself out there” with this form of expression is a modern social media phenomenon and the Dove campaign for Real Beauty has a stated goal of “widening the definition of beauty.” 

 

In this connection, the subjects of ‘Selfie,’ by being strong and brave enough to photograph and display those personal aspects that heretofore were a major source of anxiety, turn them into sources of empowerment and reinforcement. 

 

The phenomenon of social media is shown to be a powerful tool to help broaden what we consider beautiful, allowing the “unique” to supplant the stereotypes and in the process enabling us all to:

 

“Imagine a World Where Beauty is a Source of Confidence, Not Anxiety”

- Source: dove.us/social-mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx

 

All in eight minutes and three seconds! 

 

It is hard to imagine any young person, male or female, or their parents for that matter, not being positively affected by the messages of ‘Selfie.’ 

 

Sharon and Cynthia’s film treatment was chosen for underwriting by Dove and the Sundance Institute from over 60 filmmakers who submitted applications.. 

 

After graduating high school, where she worked on her first film, entitled “Autumn” Sharon acquired a communication arts degree at SUNY New Paltz and served as an intern at WMHT, where she got some “front of the camera” experience as an on-air host. 

She has several career highlights as a producer prior to ‘Selfie’ and has previously collaborated with Cynthia Wade on several indie film projects, including “Wrestling the Monster,” has produced in several capacities (field and casting producer, for instance) for several projects on networks such as Oprah Winfrey Network, MTV and Lifetime.

 

Perhaps Sharon’s previously best-known project was as executive producer of reality-documentary “High School Confidential,” which ran for two seasons on the WE Network.  The premiere of this show attracted 1.3 million viewers, a tremendous number for a smaller cable network. It was featured on Tyra Banks’ talk show and garnered a “Best Producer” award for Sharon from indie TV bible CableFAX Magazine in 2008. 

 

To be sure, there’s plenty of creativity and ‘glam’ in Sharon’s life as a multi-media producer, yet she makes it clear to those who aspire to something similar: be prepared to work. 

 

“I’d love to spend all my time on the creative side of things,” she said, “but at least 50 percent of my work is what I would call ‘development,’ at various crucial times it’s a lot higher than that. Between negotiating, fund-raising, planning and gaining that elusive ‘access’ my workday is not dissimilar from a lot of business people outside of Hollywood.”

 

But as a result of that hard work, Sharon and Cynthia have reached the point where they get to choose what projects they will develop and pitch, and their bona-fides make it a pretty safe bet that the right people will be inclined to ‘take a meeting’ with them and hear what they have to say.

 

While some details had to remain a secret for now, Sharon indicated that she was working on two new projects: a series pilot in the crime/documentary genre, as well as another film, but “about a completely different subject” than ‘Selfie.’ 

 

Also in her future: frequent visits to her hometown. “I never miss a summer here,” Sharon says. “I’m blessed to have a home, family and great friends who are still in this area.” 

 

 

To join the millions of viewers who have enjoyed ‘Selfie’ worldwide, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkm1Hg4dTI#aid=P-xsVU20HNA

Published in News
Thursday, 06 February 2014 13:49

Saratoga Springs City Council

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 4 had a shorter public comment period than in previous meetings. While some commenters ventured opinions on both sides on the expanded gaming issue, the numbers were far less than recent meetings.

 

This was good, as the regular agenda was robust with three interesting, well-prepared presentations about various topics that are important to the city. 

 

Only one of these presentations could be regarded as time sensitive, however (the Bog Meadow water infrastructure project had a vote scheduled to amend the capital budget to fund it later in the evening) and it might be a wise move on the part of those who schedule these things to limit the number of presentations per meeting when possible to avoid information overload. However, all three were chockfull of information. 

 

Regarding Bog Meadow, a well system that eventually could be built out to four wells was proposed to elevate the safe daily yield of water to well above what is needed on peak demand days, while diversifying the sources for city water. During the public comment on this topic, which followed the presentation, some took issue with the contention that this diversified scenario would actually achieve the goal of keeping the supply at adequate levels should an emergency arise with one of the major water sources (for instance, at Loughberry Lake), the council voted by a 5-0 roll call vote to amend the capital budget and fund the project. 

 

The next presentation was a traffic study on Broadway, presented by the firm of Greenman Pedersen, Inc., where a total of nine intersections from Grove to Congress Street along and near Broadway were examined to gauge the impact of options such as timing sequences, turn arrows (with or without an extra left turn lane), eliminating left turns altogether and accommodations for increased dedicated pedestrian crossing time with an eye towards each options’ impact on traffic flow. The entire report is available online at saratoga-springs.org. Note well that it is over 200 pages. The options led to questions and discussions by many council members. No action was taken at this time, but the council appeared to be leaning towards some of the more moderate options such as time adjustments and sequencing.

 

The third presentation was by members of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation regarding the Spirit of Life Statue and Trask Memorial renovations in Congress Park. Dedicated on June 26, 1915 on the same day as the city’s incorporation, it is hoped that all renovations will be completed in time for the city’s centennial. Executive Director Samantha Bosshart led the presentation, which was supplemented by comprehensive reports by Martha Lyons on the site’s history and landscaping, and Dan Wilson on the masonry restoration and other related topics. 

 

The complete reports and other data about the project can be accessed at  spiritofliferestoration.org.

 

Mayor Yepsen presented a proclamation to Father Dominic Ingemie in honor of his retirement from St. Peters church and his support for Code Blue. She also had a moment of silence for the passing of city resident Robert Pascuillo, who was active in many ways to make the city a better place to live.

 

Published in News
Thursday, 30 January 2014 13:53

No Ordinary “Joe”

50th G.I. Joe Birthday Commemorated at Military Museum

SARATOGA SPRINGS – “A boy’ll never play with a doll but he will play with a soldier.” 

- Don Levine, creator, G.I. Joe

 

Beginning with the release of the original iconic 11½ inch action figures in 1964 by Hasbro representing the Army, Navy and Marines (and shortly after - the “Action Nurse”) G.I. Joe has captivated a large segment of the toy loving public for it’s realism (with its 21 moving parts), inspiration to children’s imagination and for stimulating, at least through most of it’s existence – patriotism. 

 

The New York State Military Museum (61 Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs) is holding a birthday party of sorts for G.I Joe, and the public is invited on the afternoon of Saturday, February 8. 

 

Tearle Ashby, a local G.I. Joe collector, will speak about the history of the G.I. Joe at 1 p.m. Mr. Ashby has a collection of more than 2,500 of the military action figures, some of which are currently on display at the museum in their ‘Toys and Tanks’ exhibit.

Among the items on display in this exhibit is a one-of-a-kind G.I. Joe modeled on actor Tom Hanks, who portrayed an Army officer in the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” 

 

Mr. Ashby will be bringing along several rare pieces from his private collection to the Museum for examination. 

 

He estimates that some of the rarer pieces in his collection are worth upwards of $2,000 on the collectors market. He showed me one with its original box in a Lucite case. Original cost: $3.49.

 

Joe himself has gone through many missions and forms through the years. After his introduction in 1964, his orientation could be termed “military realistic.” As sentiment against the Vietnam War increased in the late 1960s, Hasbro redefined Joe’s mission to that of an “adventurer.” 

 

The adventure team “mission” continued through 1976, a period that saw innovations to Joe’s repertoire such as “kung fu grip,” “eagle-eye vision” and lifelike hair and beards. The popularity led to spin-off toys, games, cartoons and comics, among many other items.

 

While no one enemy could deter G.I. Joe from his heroic deeds, an energy crisis in 1976 caused Hasbro to shrink his size and led to the introduction of several lines of 3.75” figures, giving a new dimension to the phrase “small but mighty” perhaps, with special editions to commemorate various anniversaries such as the 15th and 25th. 

 

Later, the 12-inch Joes made a triumphant return to the delight of collectors and little boys… and girls too! In the equal time for women department: note that towards the end of the last century, G.I. Janes were introduced in a series called the Classic Collection. These were the first 12-inch female dolls in the G.I. Joe line-up since 1967. 

 

And Tom Hanks is but one of the special G.I. Joes modeled after real people throughout his 50 years of service. Consider this partial list:

Buzz Aldrin
Omar Bradley
•  SFC Charlie Bury, 1999 "Real-Life Spirit of G.I. Joe" contest winner
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ulysses S. Grant
Bob Hope
John F. Kennedy (as skipper of the PT-109)
Robert E. Lee
Douglas MacArthur
Audie Murphy
George S. Patton
Colin Powell
Ernie Pyle
Theodore Roosevelt
George Washington
Ted Williams

No ordinary Joe, indeed. Apparently, this old soldier has no intention to die, retire, or as MacArthur said “just fade away.” 

So happy birthday G.I. Joe. I have no doubt that you are strong enough to blow out all 51 candles by yourself.

 

Comments on this story are always welcome.

Published in News
Thursday, 30 January 2014 13:39

How Saratoga’s Soup-er Bowl Began

Gavin Landry Recalls the Beginnings

NEW YORK – As it approaches its 16th edition this Saturday, Chowderfest has achieved iconic status. A signature event that is so intrinsically interwoven with the fabric of our lives that we sometimes assume that it always has been here. 

 

But yes, there was a Saratoga before Chowderfest. It just wasn’t as tasty. 

 

Just over sixteen years ago, Gavin Landry was President of the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau when he formulated the concept of Chowderfest and presented it to the Winterfest committee at the Gideon Putnam Hotel. 

 

At the time, it was presented as a way to augment the Winterfest week of events and, to an extent, generate a bridge with downtown Saratoga Springs with the activities going on in the Spa State Park. But within short order, while Winterfest continues to be a strong event to this day, there was no doubt that Chowderfest had dwarfed it in terms of popularity and participation. 

 

Thanks to the groundwork Mr. Landry laid down sixteen years ago, Chowderfest grows larger each year. We reached him at his new post at Empire State Development in New York City, where he shared some insights into Chowderfest’s origins.

 

Looking back, How did you develop this idea?

GL: I created Chowderfest to generate tourism demand during a need time for Saratoga’s annual calendar. The idea behind Chowderfest was to help create awareness for the various wonderful restaurants that were members of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau.

 

Who helped get things off the ground in the beginning? 

GL: The key players that helped launch this initiative were Mark Baker, Jim Sheridan (Gideon Putnam), Denise McDonald and Joe Dalton. It could have never been accomplished without the help of our wonderful restaurateurs such as Steve Sullivan and the Morris Brothers and my great team at the Bureau especially Kathy Price and Kathy Denkenberger. They were a tremendous help to get it off the ground.

 

What were some of the major goals at the time?

GL: The goal was to invite trial by the people participating in Chowderfest. We wanted to drive them to the actual restaurant to experience it. The idea was to encourage future return trips by already having visited the restaurant; experiencing the décor, the ambience and knowing the distance the restaurant is from their home.

 

Do you remember how many participants there were in the early years?

GL: The first year we started, we had 16 restaurants join us. It resulted in 5,000 restaurant visits. Last year there were over 70 restaurants, bars and shops serving chowder. They served over 115,000 cups of chowder and the crowd was estimated at 20,000 – 25,000 people. This year, I’m told there are over 85 chowder vendors.

 

You probably have a few anecdotes and stories about the first years…

GL: Every year the Chowderfest ballot count grew and grew. I would have all the ballots put into boxes and delivered to the Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs. I would count them in by hand in order to do a notification the following day with the newspapers. 

 

By the time I left the Bureau in 2007, it took me nine hours to tally up all the ballots. That year, it happened to be Super Bowl Sunday, I remember thinking I need to have a better solution than to be counting ballots at half time during the Super Bowl.

 

Also, the addition of the Doggie Chowder to allow man’s best friend a chance to participate was something we were especially proud to incorporate.

 

 The idea of incorporating Chowderfest t-shirts into the mix proved to be popular. Some of the older ones are collector’s items these days if you can even find them

 

GL:The t-shirt enhancement started in year one. I believe we also gave away a sweatshirt pretty early on. I always reserved a certain number to give to charity, such as Saratoga ARC and to the sponsors, but yes, they all sold out.

 

Who were some of the artists that developed the early logos and set the standards for each year?

 

GL: Hud Armstrong was my artist for all of the original art through 2007. Our goal was to create stylized art using the same characters in different scenarios that demonstrated happiness during that time of year. A little known fact is that in all of the artwork we had a squirrel that harkened back to some early debate about the squirrels in Congress Park.

 

Has your schedule allowed you to visit a recent Chowderfest? 

GL: I have not visited Chowderfest in person since 2007 but have enjoyed watching the videos online, which I think Ralph Pascucci of Myriad Productions is still shooting.

 

What are you doing now? 

GL: In 2013, I became Executive Director of Tourism for New York State, working with members of the Tourism Division to lead the iconic I LOVE NY program, and develop and implement new strategies to support the growth of the tourism industry across the state.

 

Shout it Louda! We Love our Chowda!

Some fun “ChowderFacts”:

 

- Participating Chowderfest Restaurants:

First year: 16

2013: 74

2014: 85

 

- Chowder Servings:

First year: 5,000

2013: Over 115,000

2014: ???

 

- What’s New This Year?

The Chowderfest Hat Contest! The hat contest is on Henry Street from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. It’s a family fun event with Best Hat (inspired by your favorite chowder, of course) with prizes for adults and kids.

 

Who Is Defending Their Title?

2013 Winners:

Dog Chow Down Winner: Impressions of Saratoga

Best On Broadway and Best Newcomer: Druthers

Best Off Broadway: Seven Horse Pub

Best Non-Downtown: Longfellows

Best Dessert-Themed Chowder: Ben & Jerry's

Most Chowder Served: Parting Glass

People's Choice under 1,000 bowls Served: The Local Pub

People's Choice: Seven Horse Pub 

2014 Winners will be announced at 6:30 on Saturday evening at the Saratoga Springs City Center

 

For more fun chowder facts and other information

 

Visit discoversaratoga.org/chowderfest

 

Published in News
Thursday, 30 January 2014 06:15

Mayor Joanne Yepsen's State of the City Address

2014 SARATOGA SPRINGS STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

GIVEN BY MAYOR JOANNE D. YEPSEN

JANUARY 28 – 7:00PM, SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY CENTER

Good evening my fellow Saratogians and welcome to the Saratoga Springs City Center.  Tonight, as your mayor, it is my distinct honor and privilege to give the 2014 State of the City Address.

First, I want to recognize several current and former elected officials who are with us this evening. And most importantly, I want to thank my family – my three children:  Emma, Laura and Cole and thank you to all of the local businesses that are participating tonight and thank you to all of my fellow citizens who are here with us this evening

We don’t need to have a speech, or a formal meeting, for all of us to agree that Saratoga Springs is a very special and very unique place.  With our long and storied history, wealth of natural resources, vibrant culture, and prosperous economy, we are indeed the envy of small cities not only in New York and the Northeast, but across the nation as well.  It seems that every time we turn around Saratoga Springs is being named as a “top small city”.  Just two weeks ago The Huffington Post named Saratoga Springs as one of “America’s best main streets.” These accolades haven’t come by chance; they have come as the result of years of hard work, and we look forward to building on what we’ve accomplished together.

As you all know, this evening’s address is the State of the City, not just the State of the Mayor's Office.  We are a commission form of city government and so I was happy that my fellow commissioners contributed to this address and I’m grateful they could be here this evening. Commissioner of Public Works, Skip Sirocco, Commissioner of Public Safety, Chris Mathieson, Commissioner of Accounts, John Frank, Commissioner of Finance, Michele Madigan. Please stand and be recognized. I’d also like thank our two county supervisors:  Matthew Veitch and Peter Martin, please stand and be recognized.

The State of our City is a busy one.

We are modernizing and renovating our Public Safety Department and the newly configured offices on the second floor of City Hall should be ready for use by summer.  We’ve been successful in expanding our DWI efforts and our Police Department has disrupted several drug houses that have no place in our city.  The Fire Department had another successful year in the operation of the ambulance service and the City approved a land acquisition that will allow for a strategically located third fire and EMS station.

DPW is in the final stages of design for the $2.1 million Ballston Avenue Traffic Improvements Project.  This project will enhance overall safety in this area, and features a wider street, new traffic signals and sidewalks.  DPW also completed the water treatment plant filter replacement project, ensuring the reliability of the City's water treatment facilities.

Our Accounts Department is recognized nationally for the risk and safety programs and standards it develops.  The Assessment Office proactively works with seniors across the community and within the next week, the Assessment Office will be contacting community members by telephone to remind folks of the Senior Citizen Exemption so they get the tax relief they are entitled to.

At a time when many cities and towns are struggling to find resources and balance budgets, our fiscal footing remains sound.  Our sales tax collection in 2012 was the highest in Saratoga Springs history and we have very good reason to believe that 2013 may surpass 2012.  Our property tax rate has been stable and well within the newly enacted 2% property tax cap.  Our city budgets have held property tax increases at bay, while confronting increasing costs associated with pensions and healthcare, and providing critical public services that we all rely on.  Our finance department has worked hard to ensure that we have adequately funded reserves in addition to keeping the  “AA+”, (read: “double A plus”) bond rating which allows us to finance capital projects at comparatively low interest rates and recognizes our on-going commitment to being a fiscally responsible city. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to say to you tonight that the state of our city is strong and as your mayor I look forward to making it even stronger in the months and years ahead.  We will work together, and we will move our city forward toward a sustainable and prosperous future – not just for a select few, but for everyone. 

While we enjoy all that our city has to offer, we cannot and will not rest on our laurels.  There is work to do and improvements to be made.  Much of what you will hear tonight will mirror what I was saying on the campaign trail.  However, now we are not just talking about it, we are doing it.  I have outlined five areas my administration will be focusing our attention on:

I) Open-Government/Transparency:

In a few short weeks, my staff and I have been busy.  During the campaign, I promised to put my schedule online – I’ve done it.  I assured voters that I would establish open office hours for citizens to come in freely and talk with my staff and me – I’ve done it.  I said that we would remove the barrier in the mayor’s office that served as both a physical and symbolic barrier between the mayor and the citizens – and in the coming weeks we will be doing just that.  To be even more transparent, and cut down on FOIL requests, I suggest that all study reports by consultants be made available in the city library and city hall.  And, in the coming weeks, I will work with the City Council to clean up the way we appoint citizens to our boards and committees so that appointments cannot be made in the dark of night, or in the final hours of a mayor’s tenure in City Hall.  Our citizens deserve non-partisan openness and transparency and they will get nothing less. 

II) Economic Development/Business:

My administration will be particularly aggressive in seeking input from our business community in ways that has not been done before.  Our city cannot reach its potential if the private sector and public sector are isolated in their respective silos with little-to-no communication.  To the contrary, the path to augmenting our prosperity lies in building public-private partnerships that can open the lines of communication and facilitate actions between city government and businesses.  So tonight, I’m happy to announce the creation of the first-ever Saratoga Springs Business Advisory Council. 

This 15-member council will be made up of businessmen and businesswomen who will be tasked with creating recommendations to cut red tape; eliminate unnecessary regulations; create sustainable economic growth and job creation; and more effectively market the city’s economic and cultural assets. 

I’m very pleased to announce that Colleen Holmes of Wheatfields Restaurant, Matt McCabe of Saratoga Guitar, Rich Ferguson of Saratoga National Bank, and Alisa Dalton of The Dalton Law Firm have agreed to be the founding members of this council.   This will be an on-going, standing committee to bridge the gap between City Hall and the business community, foster economic growth and encourage prosperity; the Business Advisory Council will prepare their first report of recommendations for presentation to the Mayor and the City Council publicly by May 30th. 

Better communication is a two-way street and City Hall can do more. For example, the City currently offers loans for various business projects, but we haven’t done enough to market them.  Now we will.  We will look to have more “Project Roundtables” so that our city staff and private businesses can sit down together and talk about what both sides need so we can reduce unnecessary bureaucratic back-and-forth.  The City does not proactively recruit new businesses. Now we will.  The City Comprehensive Plan is identifying three areas of the City for future growth but we don’t have a proactive economic plan that can be implemented for those three areas.  We soon will.  How?  By redirecting our City staff and boards and making new efforts to leverage regional partnerships - because great things can happen when you leave politics at the door and get passionate, energetic people in the same room. 

A shining example of this is the “Experience Saratoga” event that the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is partnering with our city on.  Over two days in early April, officials from other cities and towns will have the opportunity to come to our downtown, experience all it has to offer first-hand, and speak with local business owners about how they can replicate our success as a vibrant downtown.  I want to thank Todd Shimkus and the Chamber and the many local businesses for all the work they’ve done on this event and I look forward to showcasing our city with them in April. 

To ensure more great results, we will hold regular meetings between the Mayor and our private sector leaders of the Chamber of Commerce, SEDC, the DBA, the City Center, and the Convention and Tourism Bureau.  Greater communication and partnership can, and will, benefit our business community.     

As we build the public-private partnerships, let me assure you that, under my leadership, City Hall will do its part as well.  My team is already proactively seeking out new grants and thinking of better ways to spend precious public funds.  We will work to resolve the six outstanding labor contracts we inherited as soon as possible. Auditors have told us that letting labor contracts linger is bad for our city’s finances and it’s bad for employee morale as well.

At his Executive Budget address last week in Albany, Governor Cuomo proposed a two-year freeze on property taxes with certain conditions. For the first year, any locality staying within the 2% property tax cap would be eligible for the freeze; the second year would require localities to take steps toward reducing costs through shared services and consolidations.  My fellow citizens, and my fellow City Council members, let’s not let this opportunity pass us by! Let’s hold the line on spending, let’s explore opportunities for shared services and greater efficiencies, and let’s make sure Saratoga Springs is in a position to take advantage of this type of tax relief. 

 

III) Sustainability and Comprehensive Planning:

As we work diligently toward growing our economic success, we must endeavor to grow our city in a balanced and sustainable way.  Saratoga Springs has worked hard over the years, one day at a time, to establish a quality of life with a thriving downtown core and once again, the current Comprehensive Plan Committee has identified “The City in the Country” as the vision that summarizes what we want our city to be.

In contrast, during the housing boom, communities in Florida, and Nevada, and Arizona witnessed unbelievable growth in housing and business, only to realize a short time after that their supply greatly outweighed any realistic demand; and communities that were growing by leaps and bounds one day, were full of closing businesses and unoccupied houses the next.   And while our city is on a different scale in a different place, we would be foolish not to heed the lessons of other places that have grown too fast and too recklessly.  We want to keep Saratoga Springs on the right track.

Accordingly, I am going to make our Comprehensive Planning process a TOP priority with the goal of having a product we can all be proud of.  Let’s not fear a forward-thinking vision; let’s embrace it.  To help us get there, I will count on the current 15-member committee and, tonight I’m pleased to announce Geoff Borneman as our new chairman and Jamin Totino, as our new vice-chairman.  The first meeting of the 2014 Committee effort will be February 10th at 6 p.m. and I would encourage all those who are interested to attend. 

As Mayor, and a mother of three, I am very interested in attracting more young professionals to Saratoga Springs.  Research shows we must offer them a walk able, bike-friendly community and that’s why I’ve ordered my staff to look high and low for grant funding that can help complete the Geyser Road Trail and advance the newly designed Green belt trail around the City and we look forward to working with Supervisor Matt Veitch and the County to advance our trail systems. 

As our downtown core continues to grow, we must find other ways to increase the volume of people and transport them conveniently to downtown.   Our community needs to be good stewards of our natural resources and I will work to ensure that our city has enough green space for generations to come.

It’s been 26 years since the Department of Environmental Conservation issued its report on environmental conditions at Loughberry Lake, our primary water supply, and it’s watershed.  Let’s work with DEC to update this information so we have a clear idea of where we stand with our water quality and quantity.

The funding for the project at the waterfront property purchased by the City is in jeopardy.  The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has not received adequate documentation from the previous administration regarding any work that has been done.  It is because of that lethargic attitude we are at risk of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in reimbursable state funds.  The City has 15 months to fast track this project and I intend to do my best to make up for lost time.  We’ve already had several meetings on this project and I will again be having a meeting this week with the involved parties on an implementation strategy with strict deadlines and budget constraints.  It is imperative that we try to save our credibility with the State and we show them Saratoga Springs is a good investment; let’s get this done and give our citizens a waterfront park they can enjoy.

Economic development and sustainability are not mutually exclusive and we can have both.  Let’s work together to grow our economy in a balanced way so that 20, 30, 40 years from now people are still talking about our city the way they talk about it today, not a city that became a victim of its own success because it lacked the foresight or the strategic vision to stay balanced and on track.

 

IV) CONSTITUENCY SERVICE:

While we work toward building a sustainable and more prosperous economy, we must realize that prosperity often does not trickle down to some of our most vulnerable citizens.  In America today, income inequality is on the rise and social mobility is on the run.  This is not my own assessment of the socio-economic reality; it is a simple fact.  And while Saratoga Springs is thriving in so many ways, we are not immune to having people who are down on their luck, struggling to make ends meet, and coping with mental illness that is beyond their control.  These people are our fellow citizens and we, as a community, have an obligation to look out for them the same way we look out for business owners and taxpayers.   I take great pride, both as a citizen and as your mayor, in starting a much-needed and long over-due Code Blue program right here in Saratoga Springs, because YES we have homelessness, YES we have people struggling, and NO it’s not okay for them to sleep outside in extreme weather conditions.  To date we have had over 30 different guests, 17 code blue nights, and over 150 volunteers.  This would not have happened without our non-profit colleagues and partners.  I would ask that the members of the Code Blue Steering Committee to stand and be recognized.

Too often, at all levels of government, our senior citizens and veterans are left behind and are treated like second-class citizens.  As both a citizen and elected official I have worked tirelessly to do more for these deserving populations and my tenure as mayor will be no different.  In my first 100 days, we will set up a special help desk in a central location where seniors can go for answers to their questions regarding housing, Medicaid, and resources.  We look forward to working with the Senior Citizens Center and the Mayor’s Senior Advisory Council to even better address the needs of our seniors.

The brave men and women who risk their lives and leave their families and communities behind should have some place they can turn; they deserve elected officials that understand their needs. So we will count on our newly formed Vietnam Commemorative 50th Anniversary Committee to help bridge the gap between civilian life and military service AND to serve as advisors to the city council on what we can do to help our veterans and their families. I look forward to partnering with newly elected Supervisor Peter Martin, who was recently named to the Veterans’ Affairs Committee on the County Board to explore new ways we can help this most deserving population. 

Those in our community who live in public housing deserve better. That’s why in the near future I will be meeting with board members of the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority and coming up with solutions to improve the legal and general working relationship between the Board and the City Council. 

 

V).  HORSE RACING AND SPORTS TOURISM:

Nothing is more identified today with our beloved city than world-class horse racing.  This “sport of kings” has played such a significant role in our city’s economy and culture and just last summer we were proud to celebrate 150 years of racing at the Spa.  Once again I want to congratulate the 150 Committee for a huge success.  There is no doubt that Horse Racing and gambling are significant parts of the history and culture of this City.  However, it’s not the only thing we are.  We are a City devoted to prosperity, civic engagement, arts and culture and the preservation of our environment and our history.

But with the passage of Proposition #1 in New York State, we are at a crossroads, and we are at the mercy of the State.  Our community and local elected officials are nervous about having little-to-no voice in this decision that rests between the Governor, his citing panel and the commercial operators, and rightfully so.  As Mayor, I promised to represent all and that’s just I have been doing and will continue to do so, but our city is divided on this issue.  And we while there is a spirited debate taking place, let us not overlook the common ground that I believe already exists.

As I said on Inauguration Day, a Las-Vegas style casino has no place in Saratoga Springs. I stood by that sentiment then, and I stand by it now. And from my many conversations with our citizens on this topic, I think that is something that we can agree on.  Another thing that most of us can agree on is the tremendous frustration we feel when we cannot come together and control our own destiny as a city.  And nobody can deny that one expanded gaming casino license will be issued in our 8-county region, either in Saratoga Springs, or somewhere close by. That is not up for debate; it is happening.

With these basic agreements, we can then work from there to try to negotiate terms and conditions for a more practical, more moderate solution to prevent radical change to our City in the Country.  A solution that says “NO” to a massive event space that will take away business from our City Center; a solution that says “NO” to a colossal casino hotel; a solution that says “NO” to an untold number of restaurants and shops that could threaten the vitality of downtown, but a solution that says “YES” to creating good jobs; “YES” to ensuring that harness racing stays alive and well in Saratoga Springs where it belongs and where it’s been since 1847; a solution that says “YES” to increased city revenue and lower taxes and a solution that features a group of owners who will promise to work through our city zoning and planning process and who will work proactively toward not just the betterment of their own business, but the betterment of downtown Saratoga Springs as well. 

If Albany and the casino industry are interested in having that very fair and very reasonable conversation then they have my undivided attention, but until then I remain very concerned about this issue, and I will continue to listen to all our citizens.  Because even though Albany and the governor’s citing panel have the final determination, we will do everything in our local power to have our voices heard.  Being divisive and disingenuous will get us nowhere and I implore all of you to find common ground and think about how we can maximize the precious little input we have.  And I want to assure our citizens that they will have a mayor who will keep fighting for downtown; keep fighting for horse racing and keep fighting to maintain our seat at the table so our community can have a say in what’s best for City of Saratoga Springs.

As we witness our city change and grow, and ponder the pros and cons of an expanded casino, let us not forget horse racing and the pivotal role it continues to play in our lives today.  Let’s look at the facts:  1) The VLTs saved Harness Racing and all the jobs and the 1200 horsemen who depend on our Harness Track for their livelihood. 2) The VLTs at Aqueduct protected further decline in the Thoroughbred business in and around Saratoga County and propped up NYRA when pink slips were being handed out, breeders were moving and business was closing; 3) 10 % of our City budget was lost when Albany decided to change the distribution formula of VLT funds.  Today, instead of $3.5 M, our City budget gets $1.8 M.  I am not comfortable leaving 10% or any percent of our City’s finances and future fiscal stability in the hands of Albany politics.

That’s why I am asking key members of the Thoroughbred and Harness industry – trainers, breeders, and riders - to serve on City Racing Advisory Council.   The Racing Advisory Council will be key in determining the effects of the state gaming law on the horse racing industry.   Now more than ever we need to remember what is really important to our local economy and bring horse racing back to the center of this conversation.  On the Council will be well-respected and very knowledgeable leaders in the industry -- Bill Wilmot, Joe McMahon, Mickey McGivern, Paul Kelley and Bill Mott to name a few.  We must all be custodians of this great sport, not merely spectators, and as long as I’m mayor, horseracing – harness and thoroughbred -- will be a top priority for the City of Saratoga Springs.  

As I repeatedly have said, our City has a balanced package of assets but we must continue to find ways to diversify our future and rely less on gambling money that may not be sustainable.   I intend to ramp up the leadership our beloved Visitor’s Center (Heritage Area) to better reach its potential as a business, cultural, entrepreneurial portal.  There is more revenue to produce and more services that can be provided to educate people and grow the pride of Saratoga Springs.  One way is to better utilize the Visitors Center as a hub for the healing community including a full-fledge effort to bring the spring waters back to the forefront.  A second way is to create a Makers market and promote local products especially those made right here in Saratoga Springs. 

Also, Sports Tourism has a great future in Saratoga.  We must work closely with the new organization growing out of the Convention and Tourism Bureau.  My administration will develop a “Recreation and Sports Master Plan” to enhance our tourism efforts and better serve our year residents needs.  When someone comes here to run a 5K, or play in a tournament, or watch their children’s event they have an opportunity see our city and there’s a good chance they will want to come back and visit us.  A Blue Ribbon Committee I am establishing will consist of each sport that is played in Saratoga Springs from baseball to Polo to Crew to enable closer communications, more coordination and collaboration among sporting organizations and teams and more efficient use of dollars.   Founding members of the newly formed blue ribbon committee are: Greg Griskowitz, Bob Mansier, Meg Kelly and Eric Catalino.

Last summer, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of horse racing at the Spa.  Next year, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of our incorporation as a city.  And to ensure that this Centennial milestone is celebrated in true Saratoga fashion, I’m happy to announce that Mary Lou Whitney and John Hendrickson have agreed to chair our 100th anniversary committee.  Many community members have already expressed interest in working with them to establish a full program of activities to celebrate all the Saratoga Springs as to offer.

In closing, I stand before you tonight as your mayor because on November 5th, voters made a choice. They chose a mayor who campaigned on open government, transparency, accountability, fairness, and most importantly they made a choice to have a mayor who listens to, and represents, each and every citizen of this great city.  For me, these were not empty campaign promises, or catchy talking points – they are the foundation on which I intend to govern and I will ask all my colleagues in City Hall to join me.  Let’s make city government more professional and more productive! Let’s grow our economy in a sustainable way!  Let’s protect horse racing! And let’s have a city that looks out for all citizens, not just a select few!!   It’s what our citizens have asked for and it is what they deserve. 

 

Thank you all for coming tonight, get home safe, and God bless you all.

Published in News
Friday, 24 January 2014 16:02

The ‘White Wave’ Waves No White Flag

Saratoga Springs City Council

SARATOGA SPRINGS— The public comment period at the beginning of the Saratoga Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 21, was, as expected, longer than usual and dominated by members of the public expressing their opinion on the issue of expanded gaming. 

 

But, as opposed to the council’s previous meeting (January 7) the composition of the commenters might best be described as a “horse of a different color.”

 

Another overflow city council chamber was, this time, dominated by white-shirted advocates for expanded gaming at Saratoga Casino and Raceway (SCR). (This later led Commissioner of Public Works Chris Mathiesen to lead a discussion regarding moving future meetings to a larger room, perhaps the Music Hall on the third floor). These advocates were largely drawn from the ranks of people who were employees or had some connection to SCR, or were members of the advocacy group “Destination Saratoga”. 

 

The SCR employees that spoke came from all levels of the facility, from management to part-timers. It was apparent to this reporter that many were not used to public speaking and some read from comments that were on paper. 

 

But it is important to note that there was nothing that was apparent that indicated that they were handed a script to read, or that they were being compelled to read said script. 

 

It appeared that everyone spoke from the heart, and there was no reason from this vantage point to doubt anyone’s sincerity in their feelings of gratitude for their position and their employer. 

 

One standout commenter who of course needed no script was former Commissioner of Public Works Tom McTygue, who spoke in his trademark “plain folks” language and garnered the most thunderous applause of the evening. 

 

Of course, there were some commenters and members of the gallery who were against expanded gaming at SCR, among them were members of SAVE (Saratogians Against Vegas-style Expansion.) However, that group had sent out a memo to the press and their membership saying that the jobs at SCR as currently constituted “…are protected under the legislation that passed in November,” and therefore they were sitting this meeting out. Some decided to come a la carte’ anyway to observe, leaflet and in one case, hand out pastries donated by Mama Mia’s restaurant. 

 

The sugar was certainly welcomed by this member of the media, as well as Mayor Yepsen, who had a full agenda which was underway with an executive session nearly 80 minutes after we had all saluted the flag.

 

In Other Council News: 

- After emerging from executive session, Mayor Yepsen detailed and the council unanimously approved the ratification of the collective bargaining agreement with the police administrative officer unit, which covered the Chief, Assistant Chief and Captain. 

 

This contract had expired in 2008 and will run though the end of this year. As such, there were pay increases that were retroactive that totaled approximately $57,000 (which would be paid out of a contingency fund which had been set up previously in Finance Commissioner Madigan’s budget) as well as a $17,000 increase in the current budget. The mayor saluted her team for their diligence in getting this expired contract up to date.

 

- The mayor made three appointments: James Helicki to the zoning board, Mark Torpey to the planning board and Carol Maxwell to the heritage area program advisory committee. Later, Commissioner of Accounts John Franck appointed Alexandra Besso to the board of assessment review.

 

- The mayor discussed Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address and it’s impact on city residents and reminded everyone that her annual State of the City address will take place next Tuesday evening, January 28 at the Saratoga Springs City Center. 

 

- By a 4-0 vote, the council approved a Public Works addendum to an agreement related to the Ballston Avenue Improvement Project with Greenman Pedersen, Inc., with Commissioner Franck recusing himself, as he owned property in the affected area. Also, the council approved 5-0 a change order with Bunkhoff General Contracts for an ongoing project related to moisture removal and structural strengthening in the historic Canfield Casino’s basement.

 

 

- Commissioner Mathiesen received unanimous approval for his motions to begin alternative side of the street parking on Greenfield Avenue between North Broadway and Clement Avenue. He also received unanimous approval for increasing base parking violation fees from 30 to 35 dollars and adding a scofflaw fee of $10.

Published in News
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Adirondack Trust Company today announced an increase in its dividend of 50 cents per share, from $25.00 per share to $25.50, due to overall business performance, including record levels of deposits (excluding assets held in trust), commercial loans, consumer loans and residential mortgages in 2013. As of December 31, 2013, The Adirondack Trust Company’s total loan balances increased 12.7% to a record $568 million due to record levels of new mortgages, consumer loans and commercial loans. Credit quality improved as measured by both net charge-offs and delinquent loans. Deposits, excluding assets held in trust, grew 1.34% to a record of $785 million. Net income for the year was $7.4 million. The Adirondack Trust Company is an independent, employee and locally owned and operated community bank offering a wide variety of business and personal services. The bank has $1 billion in assets and twelve branches. The Adirondack Trust Company is rated by Bauer Financial as a 5-Star bank for the period ending December 31, 2013. The bank offers trust, insurance and investment services and originates real estate mortgages, both residential and commercial, and commercial business loans throughout its market area. The bank’s website is www.adirondacktrust.com.
Published in News
Page 18 of 25

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  • New York State Police The New York State Police announced that it issued 5,576 tickets during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day enforcement initiative. The campaign began on Friday, March 15, and continued until Sunday, March 17. During the campaign, funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, State Police utilized sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, and underage drinking and sales to minors detail. State Police also ticketed distracted drivers who use handheld electronic devices. State Troopers arrested 132 people for DWI and investigated 199 crashes, which resulted in 25 people being injured and no fatalities. As part of the enforcement, Troopers also…

Property Transactions

  • BALLSTON Heather DiCaprio sold property at 473 Garrett Rd to Justine Levine for $288,000 Sharon Willman sold property at 99 Jenkins Rd to Charles Lemley for $165,000 CORINTH George Montena sold property at 422 Oak St to Stephen James for $142,250 Mark Makler sold property at 313 Oak St to Sabrina Sinagra for $195,000 GREENFIELD Landlord Services of Upstate New York sold property at 1935 NYS Rt 9N to Cochise Properties LLC for $210,000 MALTA  Linda LaBarge sold property at 35 Snowberry Rd to Qu Haozheng for $270,000 Dennis Mitchell sold property at 60 Village Circle North to BGRS Relocation…
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