Marissa Gonzalez

Marissa Gonzalez

Thursday, 02 August 2018 14:43

The Annual Turning Point Parade and Festival

Photos provided.

SCHUYLERVILLE — The annual Turning Point Parade and Festival will take place on Aug. 4 and Aug. 5. This year’s theme is “Honoring the Brave;” the parade’s Grand Marshalls are the Adirondack Chapter #60 Korean War Vets.

The Turning Point Parade and Festival commemorates the turning point of the Revolutionary War, when in 1777, the American Army defeated the British Army in the Battle of Saratoga and the later surrender of General John Burgoyne. The victory also convinced the French government to enter the war as an American ally.

Saturday, Aug. 4 - Festival

The annual celebration guarantees a fun and exciting weekend that the whole family can enjoy. On Aug. 4, the 14th annual festival portion of the celebration will take place at Fort Hardy Park beginning at 1 p.m. and will end at 11 p.m. Attendees can enjoy bouncy house rides, fighting Irish laser tag, a dunk tank (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) vendors, food and live music. This year’s highlight is the human foosball games beginning at 1 p.m. and ending at 4 p.m.

2 p.m. | Byron’s Village Market 6th annual hot dog eating contest. (Two divisions: children and adults)

2:30 p.m. | Sweeney’s 4th Annual Pie Eating Contest

3 p.m. | 4th Annual Kids Water Balloon Toss Contest

4 p.m.| J.D. Winslow Horse Show

4:45 p.m. | Smokey and Scott Greene

5:45 p.m. | Mikki Bakken 6:45 p.m. | “River Jack Z and Mikey D.” (live entertainment) 7:45 p.m. | Open Bar Band (Classic Rock/Country)

9:30 p.m. | Fireworks by Santores Fireworks

Sunday, Aug. 5 - Parade

The parade will take place on Broad St. and begin at 1 p.m. The 24th annual Turning Point Parade is one of the largest parades in Upstate New York; it marches on for one and one- half hours and contains 15 musical groups and over 100 other units.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new office concept for professionals in Saratoga County is in the works courtesy of Roohan Realty. Individual commercial workplace spaces are headed for The Mill office space.

Fifteen 49-squarefoot cubicles located on the second floor of The Mill will be available soon for working professionals that wish to have their own space for work and business. The cubicles will have a built in desk and chair. These individual workplace spaces will also be available to their tenants 24 hours a day.

“It’s one of those things that we’ve had a lot of people inquiring about, that don’t need a big office of their own but they need a space to work out of... maybe to kind of get away from the kids or what not; or just a space where they can have some quiet, hook up to the Internet... that’s not going to break the bank for them,” said Amy Sutton, a commercial real estate agent for Roohan Realty.

Other amenities available to the tenants that are within The Mill include staff and reception desk, a waiting room, a full kitchen and eating area, two conference rooms and two private parking lots. For $150 a month the cubicles include Internet and utilities. However, there is minimum of a one-year lease.

“This will be a space that they will have 24-hour access to and be something that they can just hook up to when they’re not on the road. If they have business in which they travel but they need a location where they can plop down and work a bit or they can perhaps meet with a client... they’ll have a conference room or a selection of conference rooms to do that,” Sutton said.

The Mill has other professional office spaces as well. These offices include psychologists, lawyers and financial services. The Mill, located at 125 High Rock Ave. is also within walking distance from downtown Saratoga Springs.

“We’ve already leased three cubicles without even putting them out there and we’re hoping it will be a concept that we might even expand upon but this is kind of our trial and we’re going to test it out and see how it goes,” Sutton said.

According to Sutton the cubicles are set to hit the marketplace in the next week or so.

According to a blog series about history and architecture in Saratoga Springs conducted by Roohan Realty, The Mill is a historic property in the area. In 1906 the property was the Clark Textile Plant, it was then sold to the Van Raalte family in 1919. Van Raalte made silk gloves, mesh stockings, and rayon underwear for stores like Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Employees of Van Raalte then purchased the facility and ran it as the Saratoga Knitting Mill that operated until 1986. Soon after, Tom Roohan of Roohan Realty and Sonny Bonacio of Bonacio construction renovated the facility to create what stands today.

Thursday, 26 July 2018 14:13

Pig ‘N Whistle Headed for Broadway

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Popular restaurant, Pig ‘N Whistle located in Burnt Hills is opening a Broadway location on July 31. The new spot is located at 392 Broadway, formerly Circus Café.

According to Jordan Bush, proprietor of Pig ‘N Whistle, the restaurant first opened its doors in 2012. The Clifton Park native, who comes from an Irish family says that in Irish terms Pig ‘N Whistle means health and happiness. Bush is currently in a lease to buy out and has been at the Broadway location since last month. The dining room in the new location is 1,002 square feet and can seat 116.

“It’s a little different, the other one is more of a rustic feel. The one we are bringing up here is more of a modern authentic Irish feel. There are a lot of copper and brass stuff,” said Bush.

“Everything in the entire building and when I say this, I mean it, it’s like every single thing in there is brand new, we gutted the entire place,” he added.

The menu will feature an Irish American Cuisine with a focus on burgers. However, the menu is about half the size of the menu in Burnt Hills.

“There will be Irish fare on the menu but I don’t think that Saratoga has a real burger spot so we are going to try to specialize on our burgers, but we’ll definitely be able to come here and get awesome Irish food. Anything from fish and chips to bangers and mash to shephard’s pie. We are going to feature prime rib every Friday night and then we’re going to have corned beef and cabbage on the 17th of each month,” Bush said.

“Our burgers here are going to be much different; they’re going to be beef chuck and brisket blend, so its very juicy. It’s a large burger, 7 oz., a big big burger,” he added.

It was an obvious decision to open a Broadway location for Bush and his business partner Scott Solomon. Solomon was the former owner of Mingle on the Avenue located in Saratoga Springs.

“Well, when we saw the opportunity for Saratoga, Saratoga has kind of always been the place that I’ve always loved. This is one of the places that when I go out or when I want to go have fun somewhere, this is where I go... Just growing up I loved the track, I loved the population up here, I like that you can walk everywhere, I like that its a local community base so as soon as we had the opportunity ... Me or Scott didn’t really see a reason not to jump on it,” Bush said.

SARATOGA COUNTY — On July 19 Saratoga PLAN finalized protection of 219.9 acres of productive farmland called Wildwood Farms located in the towns of Northumberland and Saratoga, located near the village of Schuylerville, and adjacent to historic Stark’s Knob. The property, owned by Allen D. Wayne Wood and Wood Family Trust, is now protected for scenic enjoyment by the public and for agricultural use by a permanent conservation easement that will be forever monitored by Saratoga PLAN.

“We’re very pleased that this land will never be developed and will likely always be farmed. That’s what we’re all about,” Wayne Wood said.

This significant project was supported by Hudson Valley Agricultural Enhancement funding from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Saratoga PLAN managed the grant funding and the transaction, and performed all necessary legal steps to secure the transaction. The terms of the agreement will be monitored, upheld, and documented by PLAN.

Saratoga PLAN is a nonprofit land trust that works to preserve the rural character, natural habitats and scenic beauty of Saratoga County so that these irreplaceable assets are accessible to all and survive for future generations. PLAN also helps landowners conserve farmland, woodlands and natural habitats and connects people to nature through an extensive trail network, including 10 public nature preserves open for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and kayaking.

“Through this conservation easement project, Wayne and his family demonstrated their steadfast commitment to honoring the agricultural heritage of their family and of the Bacon Hill community. Their wish to ensure that 220 acres of their farm continues to feed future generations was made possible by funding from New York State, recognizing the importance of both agriculture and open space in Saratoga County. PLAN looks forward to helping other families conserve important properties throughout Saratoga County,” Maria Trabka, Saratoga PLAN’s executive director,said.

She added that Saratoga PLAN is currently working on 11 more farmland conservation projects in the county, as well as numerous trail and habitat projects.

Wildwood Farms is located in an important agricultural district that includes several dairy farms, and the property currently raises a large herd of heifers for an area dairy farm, as well as fields of corn, hay, and straw. Wildwood Farms supplies 12,000 bales of straw to the racetrack in Saratoga Springs, and another1,400 bales to local thorough bred horse farms.

Stark’s Knob, adjacent to the property, played a significant role in U.S. history. The basaltic outcrop served as a lookout and gun station during the 1777 battles of the Revolutionary War, and many artifacts have been found in nearby farm fields. Historic maps depict Colonel Morgan and his American “sharp shooter” riflemen with a defensive line in the area.

Thursday, 26 July 2018 13:10

100+ Jobs: New Hannaford in B’Spa

BALLSTON SPA — On July 24, Hannaford Supermarkets announced plans to build a 38,000-square-foot, full-service supermarket off Rt. 50/67 (Church Avenue) in Ballston. After a July 25 Ballston planning board meeting, members voted to be the lead agency for the site plan review.

The new store will offer a pharmacy, Hannaford To Go online shopping service and thousands of the fresh and packaged products that customers need. Between 100 and 110 full- and part-time associates will work at the store.

Hannaford has reached an agreement with the owners of the property, Frank and Rose Marie Rossi, and has filed a site plan application with the Ballston Planning Board. The property on which the Hannaford store will be located is 76 acres. Lot one of the property, where the store will be, is 22 acres while the store will total in 38,000 square-feet.

“We are very excited for them to try to build something here next year,” Frank Rossi II said. Rossi is son to owners Frank and Rose Marie Rossi and a representative for the family.

“We are excited to provide Ballston customers with a convenient, new location for meeting all their grocery shopping needs,” said Eric Blom, company spokesman.

“Hannaford looks forward to working with residents, charitable organizations and municipal officials, in making this supermarket a vibrant, contributing member of the Ballston community,” he added.

The Ballston store will be located between existing Hannaford supermarkets in Milton and Malta, providing another convenient spot off Route 50 (Church Avenue). With Ballston, Hannaford will operate 50 stores in New York.

Previously the Rossi family had reached an agreement with Walmart for plans to build on the property. However, on Nov. 30, 2016, Walmart had walked away from the project.

“Literally hours later we had a message on the home answering machine basically saying this is Hannaford and we’re interested,” Rossi said.

Founded in 1883 by Northeast farmers, Hannaford is known for its fresh food, commitment to local products and communities. Hannaford Supermarkets is based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 180 stores in the Northeast. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Friday, 20 July 2018 10:07

Mazel Tov: Saratoga’s Broadway Deli

Photo by Marissa Gonzalez

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga’s first Jewish deli is open for business as of July 15. Luckily seasoned chef and owner Daniel Chessare says, he didn’t feel like working nights anymore.

"I figured it’s something we really needed,” Chessare said of Saratoga’s Broadway Deli.

“It was lacking. I saw that Saratoga really needed a diner or a deli, so I didn’t feel like working nights anymore so I went with the deli,” he added.

The new business, located at 420 Broadway suite 2, celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Saratoga County Chamber, “It went really well,” Chessare said. The idea for the Jewish deli came to Chessare, who leases the 1,787 square-foot space, in April.

“I quit my last job in September and took some time off and then during that time off, the last thing I wanted to do was go back and work for anybody else,” Chessare said.

“That’s when it really started percolating... It was around April and then we really got the ball rolling in May and June,” he added.

However this is not Chessare’s first job working behind the counter. Chessare was head chef at the Merry Monk in Albany, he’s worked at Scallion’s on Lake Avenue, he was the sous chef at The Wine bar on Broadway and was manager at Bread Basket Bakery on Spring Street for two years.

Chessare hopes to satisfy the cravings that only a classic delicatessen can. “I grew up with Passover and all that,” Chessare said. His stepmother’s side of the family is Jewish. His family moved from New Jersey to the Saratoga area in 1996.

“The potato pancakes, the knish and the Matzo ball soup, they sell out really quickly, you gotta come in pretty early to get them,” Chessare said.

The potato pancakes, or Latkes, are a traditional Jewish dish that dates back to the mid- 1800s. At Saratoga’s Broadway Deli, Latkes are also served with sour cream, red onion, capers, chives with the option to add smoked Salmon. The menu also features hot Pastrami and hot tongue sandwiches, and cold smoked salmon and chopped liver sandwiches with options to create your own sandwich with other meats.

Photos provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Intrada Saratoga Springs is a multi-unit affordable housing facility planned to begin construction at the end of July. The planned housing facility will be located on Washington Street by the Saratoga Springs train station. The 19-acre property was purchased on June 13 for $3.7 Million by the Vecino Group from Saratoga Route 29 Plaza Ltd.

The Vecino Group has partnered with Bonacio Construction Inc. for the project. The Intrada Saratoga Springs will be comprised of four buildings; three four-story buildings and one three-story building, totaling 158 residential units. The units will be a mix of one, two and three bedroom apartments. The total construction time is expected to take 18 months.

“What we’re aiming for is the first building would come online in 15 months or so, with one building coming online every month after,” said Rick Manzardo, President of the Vecino Group.

The Vecino Group is a development firm based in Springfield, MO. The company also builds student housing and has developed or plans to develop housing in Elmira, Troy and Cohoes. Seven of the 19 acres will be dedicated to the housing while around 12 acres will go back to the city through a conservation easement.

“There may be a park or something like a small play area... But there may be something outside still, we are kind of working with the city on what will work best there,” Vecino said.

The first 10 apartments available will be dedicated to children transitioning out of foster care.

“It’s a project we’ve done in a couple of locations. We’re asking these kids to do under the worst of circumstances what most 18-year- olds can’t do under the best of circumstances.You’ve got 18-year- olds aging outwith no security; it’s a road to a horrible life. So this is a way working with CAPTAIN, a great organization to really give  the kids a chance,” Manzardo said. CAPTAIN is a grass-roots human services agency that provides support to people of all ages in Saratoga County to reach their goals of personal growth and self-sufficiency.

Also within the facilities will be a fitness center, community room, an onsite lease office, a superintendent that will reside onsite, as well as an office for CAPTAIN to provide services for tenants.

“It’s pretty terrible to see just as many driving in as they do for work, there just needs to be more affordable residences within the city,” Manzardo said.

“Its definitely not going to solve the problem but it's a good start,” he added.

Thursday, 19 July 2018 12:15

New Barns at Fasig-Tipton

Photos by Marissa Gonzalez.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The addition of two new barns at Fasig-Tipton nears completion just in time for this year’s upcoming annual horse sales.

Fasig-Tipton hired Kodiak Construction to build two barns housing 19 horse stalls in a new 2,580 square-foot facility on 0.45 acres of vacant Fasig-Tipton land. The new barns were designed to mimic the styling of the existing barns, maintaining the historic character of the equine property.

“Decorative perimeter fence with Fasig-Tipton's characteristic copper-capped corner posts enclose the property from George Street and Case Street with two 12-foot-wide gates that make for easy movement of horses; stone dust walking circles for the horses are centered with grass inner-rings and shade trees to allow guests to view horses during events; new curbs and sidewalks have been installed on George and Case Street as part of the City's 'Complete Streets' program, further promoting Saratoga Springs' plan to provide safe pedestrian access within the City and Sternberg street lighting along the street fronts illuminate the sidewalks after dusk,” says Jesse Boucher of Kodiak Construction about what apassersbycanexpecttosee.

In addition to the new barns and site improvements, Fasig-Tipton is in the process of renovating the former feed store on East Avenue. Plans include adding awnings, and repainting and repairing the exterior to provide storage for materials and equipment.

Construction of the new barns is expected to reach major completion on Friday July 20 with final items complete the week of July 23. According to Boucher Fasig-Tipton began design work for the construction of the barns the end of 2017 and reached out to Kodiak Construction in April after receiving City approvals.

“The Building Department issued a building permit on May 22, and with eight weeks until the staff at Fasig-Tipton needed to stage the barns for the auction, Kodiak set and maintained an aggressive and organized construction schedule to turn the vacant parcel into a world-class thoroughbred facility to support an event that brings so many people to our community each August,” Boucher said about the speedy building process.

Kodiak Construction is the building entity for the project; site plans that were created by The LA Group provide for a mix of elements to finish the project. The LA Group is the site engineer while Frost-Hurff Architects designed the new barns.

Fasig-Tipton was formed in 1898 and is North America’s oldest thoroughbred auction company. Now headquarted in Lexington, Kentucky unbeknownst to most the first headquarters were in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga sale of selected yearlings dates back to 1917 when Fasig-Tipton formed an alliance with some of the top Kentucky breeders to sell their yearlings during the race meet in upstate New York.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Casino Hotel is teaming up with the American Red Cross to host a Blood Drive on July 23. Members of the local community are urged to join dozens of Saratoga Casino Hotel team members to give blood. The blood drive will take place inside the hotel ballroom and begin at noon and end 6 p.m.

This isn’t the first blood drive hosted by the Saratoga Casino Hotel.

“We always go into each one of our blood drives hoping to collect 50 donations. With the Red Cross recently issuing an emergency need for blood, we certainly would love to exceed our goal,” said Alex Tucker the General Manager at Saratoga Casino Hotel.

“We’ve partnered with the Red Cross on blood drives for over five years now... We strive to be good corporate stewards within our community whenever we have the chance, and our blood drives provide us with great opportunities to do just that. The work the Red Cross does is truly commendable,” he added.

The blood drive comes as the Red Cross recently raised the need for blood from a critical level to an emergency need on July 9. The Red Cross experienced a shortfall of more than 56,000 blood donations in May and June, resulting in a significant draw down of the Red Cross blood supply. It is about 7 percent short of what was needed during these months. In the New York-Penn Blood Services Region, more than 3,000 fewer donations were collected than needed during this time frame, contributing to the overall shortfall.

According to the American Red Cross, the shortfall is the equivalent of the Red Cross not collecting blood for more than four days and blood shortages are often worse around Independence Day due to fewer volunteer-hosted blood drives at places of work, worship or community gathering.

To date, Saratoga Casino Hotel has collected over 1,400 blood donations at their biannual blood drives. The collections have gone on to directly help over 3,200 patients in need.

“Our team members and the local community always respond with tremendous generosity when we host our blood drives,” said Tucker.

“Our partnership with the Red Cross is something we value, and we look forward to helping them out in a time of need,” he added.

“There is a very serious need forimmediatebloodandplatelet donations,” said Patty Corvaia, Communications Manager for the New York – Penn Blood Services Region.

“If you’ve ever considered giving blood to help save lives, now is the time to do it,” she added.

All presenting donors at this year’s Blood Drive will receive a $10 voucher to Perks Café, located in the hotel lobby. Donors are encouraged to make an appointment prior to the July 23 Blood Drive. To schedule a time, call 518-581-5774 or visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Thursday, 12 July 2018 13:18

Battery Plant Charges Up Local Economy

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Key Capture Energy LLC, headquartered in Albany, plans to build a 20-megawatt (MW), utility-scale battery energy storage facility at the Luther Forest Technology Campus. The facility will be one of the largest facilities of its kind in New York and will create a more stable grid to drive economic growth.

Groundbreaking is expected this fall for the KCE (Key Capture Energy) NY 1 project, which will have no emissions, a low noise profile, and be screened byexisting vegetation and landmasses.

The project is supporting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s goal of achieving 1,500 MW of energy storage by 2025.

The project will enable the creation of 25 construction jobs and 9 full-time positions. Just as importantly, the facility will provide clean energy to enhance power grid performance and reliability, addressing the needs of advanced technology companies, including GlobalFoundries, and promoting further economic and job growth in Saratoga County.

“So the installation is going to be on a fenced gravel yard that is probably going to be about one acre,” said Key Capture Energy Chief Development Officer Dan Fitzgerald.

“The way the batteries are set up is using lithium ion technology and the cells of the batteries are put into racks, which are put into modules, which are put into the big containers. So it’s really a series of many smaller cells in racks and modules within the containers,” he added.

According to Fitzgerald the project will be completely built and operational by the end of January in 2019 and is private equity backed. Fitzgerald also noted that the installation at Luther Forest will be situated behind natural land rises and tucked away behind trees so it will not be visible to the naked eye.

Key Capture Energy is an energy storage development company focused on becoming the leading east-coast independent developer for utility-scale battery storage projects being responsive to needs of an intermittent grid. Key Capture identifies opportune locations, sites, develops, deploys and operates energy storage systems.

The KCE NY 1 facility will address a growing reality in energy generation and delivery. As more large-scale renewable energy projects come online, and intermittent resources are added totheenergymix,itisbecoming increasingly important to find ways to keep the electrical grid stable. Energy storage can play a significant role in helping to integrate renewables into the grid while maintaining grid stability, as well as providing firm energy output during periods of peak usage, which prevents system outages during extreme weather conditions.

The Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership announced on July 5 that it has secured incentives to enable Key Capture Energy LLC to build the battery storage facility. The Saratoga Partnership will rebate its share of IDA fees, estimated at $33,750, to Key Capture Energy to provide additional savings to the company.

“The Saratoga Partnership is delighted to assist Key Capture Energy in developing this project, which will serve as an important economic driver for Saratoga County,” said Marty Vanags, President of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership.

“In better enabling green energy, creating direct jobs, and supporting job growth at companies in Saratoga County, this project exemplifies a long-term, sustainable approach to economic development,” Vangas said.

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Blotter

  • Saratoga County Court  Kathleen M. Callanan, 62, of Saratoga Springs, was sentenced to 1 year in local jail, after pleading to felony grand larceny.  Cassandra R. Barden, 38, homeless, was sentenced to 1-1/2 to 3 years incarceration after pleading to felony attempted assault, charged in Milton.  Ashley Vetrano, 35, of Glens Falls, pleaded to felony robbery, charged in Moreau. Sentencing May 23.  Gabrielle Montanye, 63, of Stillwater, was sentenced to 5 years probation, after pleading to felony attempted identity theft, charged in Ballston Spa.  Daniel J. Koenig, III, 53, of Round Lake, was sentenced to 2 to 4 years incarceration, after…

Property Transactions

  • BALLSTON Eastline Holdings LLC sold property at 12 Aspen Dr to Shaun Scott for $596,673 Sunmark Credit Union sold property at 15 17 & 19 Main St to Landmark Holdings 2023 LLC for $240,000 CORINTH Gary ONeil sold property at 115 Hollister Dr to Aaron Schips for $345,000 GREENFIELD Jeffrey Fuller sold property at 4 Lanie Dr to Jacob Brooks for $221,700 Bernice Moeller sold property at 395 North Creek Rd to Devin Vernon for $270,000 MALTA  Maureen Weise sold property at 13 Pepperbush Pl to Robert ONeill for $245,000 MECHANICVILLE Robert Murphy sold property at 406 Park Ave to…
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