BALLSTON SPA — With an annual budget of $381 million – approximately seven times the expense plan of the city of Saratoga Springs - the county spends on average more than $1 million per day, every day of the year, including weekends and holidays. For the first time, residents are now be able to witness from the comfort of their own homes how their elected officials are spending that money in real time.          

“I think this will be good for people to have the ability to see what’s going on here, to be more engaged, or at least more interested in county government. Good for the public and good for us,” said Saratoga Springs City Supervisor Matt Veitch, providing a tour this week of the newly installed technology equipment in the large supervisors’ meeting room at the county building complex in Ballston Spa.    

In one corner of the room, a multi-shelf cabinet houses an array of units that enable wireless mics and state-of-the art audio, disc storage, internal screen controls and the technology that transmits meetings to the public via live stream. Four cameras are fixed to the ceiling, one in each of the four corners of the room. A pair of large 65-inch flat screen TV’s hang in opposite corners. Two dozen or so smaller computer screens with attached mics line the desktops of the big room for board member use. 

“Before all this, the only way you could watch a board meeting was by being here,” Veitch said. An awkward phone call-in system was implemented for remote location meetings during the pandemic, but was often difficult for listeners to follow.      

“Now you can watch the meetings live from your house. It’s not easy for everyone to get here and it can be quite a haul from some of the more distant areas of the county, so I think it will be useful to those people as well,” the supervisor said. 

Visiting organizations making presentations to the Board will have their presentations showcased on the large screens and visible to those watching both on-site and in remote locations. In addition to live capabilities, county meetings will be archived and available for public viewing on the Saratoga County website – at saratogacountyny.gov - after the gatherings take place.    

“We eliminated the old-school projections and screens, which were era-2000, extremely expensive to maintain, and not very good for the audience,” Veitch said. Another benefit of the new system is cutting down on waste; with agenda items and attachments directly loaded onto supervisors’ screens, it is estimated nearly 20,000 pieces of paper will be saved annually, just from the Board of Supervisors meetings alone. 

In addition to the monthly Supervisor meetings, the county’s 12 other standing committees will be following suit. For some of those smaller-member committees an adjacent meeting room has, to a lesser degree, also been fitted with technology upgrades to provide audio and video capabilities.        

There are 23 supervisors in all - one each representing each of the 21 county cities and towns, with the two higher populous municipalities of Clifton Park and Saratoga Springs each having two supervisors. 

In 2021, the county Board of Supervisors initially entered into an agreement with Syracuse-based Presentation Concepts Corporation for the design and implementation of the audio/visual upgrades. Those unspent funds were reappropriated this past February and overall increased to a total budgeted amount of about $350,000. To date, about $178,000 has been spent. 

Veitch says replacing the paper-and-easel way of conducting business with more efficient technological tools was a long time coming. 

“I think through my urging of my colleagues, eventually we all came around to wanting to have better technology at the county. Last year (fellow Saratoga Springs Supervisor) Tara Gaston chaired the Technology & Resiliency Committee. The first part of this was with that committee, and now the end part is with my (chaired) committee, Buildings and Grounds – but we all really worked together, all the supervisors, Chairman Kusnierz, it came from everyone,” Veitch said. 

“We all voted for this, and basically have gone from a 2000’s-era room that had no internet and no way to get out to the public, built up with today’s technology. Going from something we had for 20 years to something beyond, so, it’s a big leap for us,” Veitch said.     

This week, as Board Chairman Theodore Kusnierz noted at the start of the supervisors’ April 19 meeting, the future has arrived. 

“Today is a momentous occasion,” he began.    

SARATOGA COUNTY - The multi-acre swath of land nestled between Wilton, Moreau and Corinth has in the past served as a correctional facility, a TB sanitarium, and a center for the developmentally disabled. 

Now, paranormal investigator Steve Brodt and business partner Mark Erskine are finalizing an offer to New York State to purchase the long-vacant Mount McGregor correctional facility property, with a goal of creating a new heritage tourism destination in Saratoga County. 

“Over my decade-plus as a heritage tourism fan and paranormal investigator - and more recently as owner of the Haunted Nights paranormal events company based in Glens Falls - I have had the pleasure of visiting more than two dozen cities around the country where abandoned hospitals and correctional facilities have been reimagined as heritage tourism and paranormal investigation destinations," said Brodt. “These facilities are enjoying a second, or third life and bringing significant numbers of visitors and economic activity to those regions. We see a tremendous opportunity to do the same at Mount McGregor."

The partners’ business plan is patterned after the success of facilities like Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, KY, Moundsville Penitentiary in West Virginia, Ohio State Reformatory, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, and Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. 

If successful in securing the currently state-owned site, Brodt and Erskine envision reopening the campus, which has been closed since 2014, early on for heritage tourism tours, photography tours and paranormal investigations, as one part of their multi-year, multi-million-dollar plan. 

The buildings are largely intact and structurally sound despite the many years of inactivity and the more than three hundred acres includes roughly seventy structures, about forty of them identified as buildings of substantial size. 

The duo has made the presentation rounds with town supervisors in Moreau, Corinth and Wilton. “We met with them, discussed this with them and got all their support as well as assemblymen and senators as well. They are all on board with it," Brodt said. 

Long-term plans envision investments that will accommodate corporate events and other private functions, community events, TV and film productions, a museum dedicated to the history of the facility and property, and possibly even accommodations and dining.

“I have been doing this on a smaller scale for the past several years as manager of the Saratoga County Homestead - the former tuberculosis hospital in Middle Grove," said Brodt, who has toured the local property with representatives of Empire State Development. “Mount McGregor has a fascinating history to share, first as a tuberculosis hospital and later as a correctional facility, and we have no doubt that its story will attract heritage tourists, photographers, and paranormal investigators from across the country to Saratoga County."

Dating back a century, the grounds have served as a tuberculosis center, a rest camp for World War II veterans, and a center for the developmentally disabled. Most recently, it sited a correctional facility where medium security inmates were housed within a perimeter security comprised of a row of fencing topped with coiled blades of razor ribbon, according to Empire State Development. ESD published a lengthy and architecturally detailed 146-page Report For An Adaptive Re-Use Plan in 2014 as the Mount McGregor Correctional Facility was closed. 

Brodt and Erskine toured the property last November with the organization and for the past several months has been working closely with the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation. 

Regarding the paranormal aspect, Brodt says one never knows what one may find. “It’s funny because it is hard to tell with the paranormal. You might go into a location two nights in a row and have absolutely nothing happen, and the next night might be really, really active. We’ve had a lot of former staff who have reached out and said: ‘Hey, I had this experience while I worked there at this time in this building.’ Many of the experiences matched up and they told us the exact same story that took place in the same part of the property when they didn’t even work together and did not know each other," Brodt said. 

“There are stories already starting to come to light and we know there will be a lot more once we reach out to former employees and their families and gather the first-hand experiences of people who had worked there for many years," he said. “Once we acquire the property, we’ll get up there, get our hands dirty, get the work done, get the buildings cleaned up and open up for public access - as soon as possible," Brodt said. 

The hope is to secure the property during this current spring season, and subsequently open during this calendar year. 

SARATOGA - You never know when a single event can change the trajectory of your life. In 2019, Allison Rodriguez and Scott Bonney were living in Staten Island with their son Joshua who is on the autism spectrum. As NYPD retirees, they wanted to move out of the city. Since Joshua was receiving valuable services, they knew where they chose to live was dependent upon finding him similar programs. Scott began researching programs when he read that Saratoga Bridges, in collaboration with the Upstate NY Autism Alliance (UNYAA), were hosting an Autism Expo & Art Exhibit. Having attended the Lake George Winter Carnival numerous times, they were familiar with the area. Allison and Scott attended and are thrilled to share these comments, “We were overwhelmed with all the available resources! It was truly unexpected as everyone was really friendly and welcoming - unlike what we were accustomed to in NYC. They explained everything very clearly and we left feeling elated." These experiences directly impacted their decision to move to Queensbury.

Since then, Joshua has been attending Living Resources Warren Day Community Opportunities Program where he enjoys bowling, playing with bunnies at Hop on Home, visiting the aquarium, parks and beaches and volunteering for Meals on Wheels and the Glens Falls Open Mission while working on his life skills. He is charming, funny, has a magnetic personality with many friends and an active social calendar. In fact, Allison and Scott have formed friendships with his friends’ parents. Joshua participates in his best pal Andrew’s Young Adult Social Group and together watch movies or eat dinner in Andrew’s apartment fi their arrangement is Andrew cooks, and he cleans up. He and another close friend Leah sing, dance, do karaoke, swim in her indoor pool and he wants to join her in Saratoga Bridges’ Becoming our Better Selves group. Joshua loves the Sky Zone and Fun Spot, playing video games and watching YouTube videos. The family hikes, enjoys their pontoon boat, entertains in their backyard pool and volunteers with UNYAA.

On Sunday, April 10 from 12-3 p.m., Joshua, Allison and Scott invite you to join them at the 10th Annual Autism Expo & Art Exhibit held at the Saratoga City Center. Allison gets tears in her eyes describing when Kristin Howarth from UNYAA asked to them to help because she knows the importance of having access to vital resources at one venue. She wants to make connections and give other families the same opportunities that changed theirs!

SARATOGA SPRINGS - City Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi introduced a new initiative to Saratoga Springs, which will specifically allow residents to decide how a portion of the city’s annual budget is spent.

Commissioner Sanghvi introduced the “Participatory Budgeting" plan at this week’s City Council meeting. 

“Participatory budgeting gives everyone a seat at the table and creates an inclusive budget process,‚ Sanghvi said. “This is an innovative finance tool we’re introducing in Saratoga Springs. It builds stronger communities. This is your taxpayer money, and you should decide how to spend it."

Essentially, the process sets aside a modest amount of the city’s annual spending plan and allows residents - through a submitted proposal plan and subsequent vote - to decide how that money is spent. 

Projects will be vetted by an 11-person committee and open to the public for a vote. An “assignment" has been established to fund projects - up to 0.25% of the fund balance - or 25 cents on $100. Based on Saratoga Springs’ $54 million budget in 2022, the council on April 5 approved by unanimous vote just over  $135,000 as an assignment, likely to be spent next year.

How it works: projects are divided into two groups - individuals, and organizations. The criteria for eligible projects: it does not exceed the annual dollar amount allocated, that it is a one-time expenditure and that the project can be completed with the funds, that it may be implemented by the city of Saratoga Springs on public property, and that it benefits the public as a whole. 

Developed in Brazil over 30 years ago and since incorporated into cities across the U.S. from New York and Chicago to Hartford, participatory budgeting is hailed as a tool for increasing civic engagement, improving the inclusivity of local government and promoting sustainable public good, Sanghvi said. “I believe we are the first in the Capital Region to do this." The New York Times has described participatory budgeting as “revolutionary civics in action." 

The goal is to make local government more inclusive by expanding and diversifying participation in the city’s budget process, secure meaningful social and community impact, make decisions that promote a sustainable, long-term future of well-being for residents, and create seamless civic engagement, Sanghvi said. “We’re Looking for a diversity of voices and opportunities of making Saratoga Springs more inclusive."

The first Participatory Budgeting meeting will take place 2 p.m. on Monday, April 11 at the Saratoga Springs Senior Center. Residents are invited to join the committee or share ideas for projects to be included in the city budget. One order of business will be to create a committee of 11 residents who will serve for two years, and who will review projects submitted from the community.

Anyone can come up with a project idea and submit it fi by email, or traditional mail, Sanghvi said.  Application forms and more information about the initiative may be found on the city website - go here.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Department of Public Works is deeply saddened to announce today the passing of Commissioner Anthony “Skip” Scirocco following a brief battle with cancer. He was 74.

Scirocco was surrounded by his loving family including the love of his life, Corinne (Armstrong) Scirocco, sons Anthony and Mark, their spouses, and his grandchildren.

The lifelong Saratogian passionately served the city he loved professionally as the animal control officer, an elected Saratoga County Supervisor – from 1998 to 2005, and as a standing Commissioner of Public Works, first elected in 2008.

Scirocco loved his work and serving the people of Saratoga Springs, and was especially proud of his time in DPW where he oversaw over $70 million of capital investment into the city’s infrastructure during his time in office. Another of his passions was music, and he loved being “Skippy” of the local band Skippy and the Pistons.

Information on services will be forthcoming from the family.