Month: December 2015

Large Buildings On Broadway In Saratoga Are Getting Major Rooftop Upgrade To Solar Power

December 3, 2015November 8, 2017

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A worker from Apex Solar Power walks a Broadway rooftop where a 60,000-watt solar system
is installed that stands to offset 74 percent of the combined electrical usage of the buildings.

BY MAUREEN WERTHER

Douglas Ward, Mark Straus, and Tom Gardner
know the history of Saratoga Springs and its
downtown district.

Their buildings, located at 464-468 and 454
Broadway are between 100 and 150 years old,
bringing with them a historical significance that
comes with many of the buildings on Broadway
in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Straus views himself not as a landlord, but “as
the steward of the building, the caretaker. We
continually reinvest in the properties so they can
last another 100 to 150 years,” he said. “Continued
improvement is our goal.”

Solar power was the next step to take as a way
to ensure these buildings continue to endure, but
in a modern and environmentally responsible way.
It began on Nov. 23, when Apex Solar Power started
installation of a solar power system.

City Officials To Review Parking Concerns, Traffic, Before Decision On High Rock Site

December 2, 2015November 8, 2017

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This rendering shows part of Highrock Village, proposed by Paramount Realty Group as a mutli-use complex on the city-owned parking lot between Maple Avenue and High Rock.

BY R.J. DELUKE

Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen said a
technical review team is going over the two proposals
for a multi-use project on the city-owned land
along High Rock, Maple and Lake avenues–currently
a parking lot–and she hopes to hear from
that group by the end of the year.

They are both expansive, multimillion dollar
projects that would–if eventually approved by
the city–result in a combination of shops, apartments
and parking spaces. Representatives of two
development groups gave presentations on Nov.
10 at a special City Council meeting. The projects
differ, but both specify parking spaces for Saratoga
City Center, the general public and residents who
would occupy the proposed housing.

Yepsen said Dec. 1 that the technical review
team was appointed by the council.

At the end of the November meeting, the city
council compiled a list of questions they want answered
by both development groups. The technical review
team did the same, and all have been sent
off and are awaiting comment. The mayor said the
same questions went to both groups.

American Natural Gas Will Build Natural Gas Fueling Station In W.J. Grande Industrial Park

December 2, 2015November 29, 2017

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This architect’s rendering depicts the
compressed natural gas station being built.

American Natural Gas (ANG), a distributor of
alternative motor fuels, will unveil its first public
compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in
the W.J. Grande Industrial Park, Saratoga Springs.

Currently under construction, the facility will be
just off the Northway, located halfway between New
York City and Montreal.

“We’re proud to run our business from Saratoga
Springs and are excited to be building this station
in our home town,” said Drew West, CEO of ANG.
“We believe this will be an opportunity for those
that desire to switch to a cleaner, more reliable fuel
solution, but don’t have the luxury or budget to build
their own infrastructure.”

ANG has guided regional fleets, such as Tops
Friendly Markets in Buffalo and Casella Waste
Systems in Rutland, Vt., through the conversion to
CNG. In return, the fleets have reduced their emissions,
carbon footprint, and dependency on foreign
oil, company officials said.

Lillian's Restaurant, A Downtown Fixture For 40 Years, Being Sold; Will Close As Of Jan. 1

December 2, 2015November 8, 2017

For over 40 years, restaurateur Ray Morris
served home-style meals in the relaxed Victorian
setting of Lillian’s Restaurant on Broadway
in downtown Saratoga Springs.

After four decades, Morris will leave the
demands of restaurant ownership and start a
new chapter in life beginning in 2016.

He said someone approached him to buy the
60-year-old, multi-story building.

“I have decided to sell 408 Broadway and will
be closing Lillian’s doors at the end of the year
after a New Year’s Eve farewell,” Morris said in
a statement issued in November.

Julie Bonacio Opens Real Estate Agency, Handling Residential, Commercial Properties

December 2, 2015November 8, 2017

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Julie Bonacio launched a new company, Julie & Co. Realty LLC in Saratoga Springs located in
Suite 314 at 18 Division St., one floor below the offices of Bonacio Construction.

BY MAUREEN WERTHER

Julie Bonacio and her newly assembled
team of real estate agents and brokers
launched a new company on Nov. 15, Julie &
Co. Realty LLC.

“We had a great opening, with lots of traffic
going through the properties. And we
capped off the launch with a party afterward
at Max London’s to celebrate,” said Bonacio.

Julie & Co. Realty represents a natural
business progression for Bonacio, who will
remain vice president of Bonacio Construction.

She described the new venture as a “boutique”
firm with a focus on residential resale,
commercial projects and Bonacio Construction
projects. The company’s goal is to provide
clients with an “exemplary” real estate
experience. She said her team of experienced
agents will succeed in their mission.

Oakcliff Bed And Breakfast In Halfmoon Was Host To Presidents And American Statesmen

December 2, 2015November 8, 2017

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John Szemansco and Susan Ruckdeschel stand outside Oakcliff Bed and Breakfast located at 78
Church Hill Road in Halfmoon, a home where some famous U.S. statesmen have stayed.

BY JILL NAGY

George Washington didn’t sleep there, but four
other American presidents did: Ulysses S. Grant,
Chester A. Arthur, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James
Garfield, boasts John Szemansco, owner and
host of Oakcliff Bed and Breakfast located at 78
Church Hill Road in Halfmoon.

Szemansco did not host them personally, of
course. That distinction belongs to the second
owner of the home, T.G. Younglove, the first
speaker of the New York State Assembly and onetime
state Republican Party chairman. Younglove
lived in the house from 1850 to 1882 and was
speaker in the 1860s. (The house was built in 1835
by County Judge Duncan MacMartin).

However, the current host can offer guests use
of the Grant Library and rooms named for the
former presidents.

That history has helped attract guests to the
inn.

Hamlet & Ghost In Saratoga Offers Limits Seating, Offers Custom-Crafted Drinks, Food

December 2, 2015November 8, 2017

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Hamlet & Ghost opens this month on
Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs.

A new establishment, Hamlet & Ghost, opens
this month on Caroline Street in Saratoga
Springs, in the heart of the city’s thriving bar
scene.

Owners said it will add a new dimension to
the Saratoga Springs hospitality experience, providing
high-quality, custom-crafted drinks and
small plates of food in a “welcoming, industrial-chic,”
historic building.

In contrast to the local norm, Hamlet & Ghost
will accommodate only as many guests as it can
seat, the owners said.

It is located at 24 Caroline St., on the corner
of Putnam Street, in the portion of the building
that was last Silverwood Gallery gift shop. In
recent years, it was home to Boyce and Drake, a
plumbing, heating and air conditioning company.

Group Proposes Aquatic Center In Malta With Multiple Pools For Teaching, Training, More

December 2, 2015November 8, 2017

BY ANDREA PALMER

An aquatic center is being proposed in Malta
would have multiple swimming pools for training,
competing and fitness swimming.

“A group of us got together about three years ago
and said, ‘wouldn’t it be great to have a 50 meter pool
in the Capital District?’ The closest Olympic-sized
pool is about two hours away, and we all thought
there was a need in our market for it,” said Tara
Sullivan, one of three officers for what would be
called the Adirondack Aquatic Center.

The group hired a consulting company to conduct
a feasibility study.

“Our consultant is very highly regarded in the
competitive aquatics world. He was president of
USA Swimming, and he writes for FINA (the governing
body of Olympic swimming and aquatic
sports),” said Sullivan.

Scholarship Created At Empire State College In Memory Of Environmentalist Amy Stock

December 2, 2015November 29, 2017

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Amy Stock was an adjunct lecturer and
professor with SUNY Empire State College.

The Amy Stock Memorial Scholarship in
Sustainability has been established by the Stock
family and the Empire State College Foundation,
in memory of Amy L. Stock, who died July
19, in Albany at the age of 48, the victim of a
drunk driver.

An adjunct lecturer and professor with
SUNY Empire State College’s Center for
Distance Learning for nearly a decade, she
designed many of the courses she taught on
ecology and the environment. In 2008, Stock
co-founded Sustainable Saratoga, a grassroots
advocacy group established to educate people
living in the greater Saratoga Springs community
about the benefits of achieving environmental
sustainability.

In reflecting on her life, the Stock family
shared their thoughts with the college.

“Whether Amy was composting, gardening,
taking the bus, riding her bike or reusing plastic
Ziploc bags, she lived her life in a sustainable
way every day,” said a family statement. “She
believed and demonstrated how one person
could make a difference, which is why teaching
and advocacy for environmental sustainability
were such an important part of her life.

Ballston Spa Business & Professional Assoc. Gives Out Its Annual Beautification Awards

December 2, 2015November 8, 2017

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Henry’s Tavern at 19 Front St. in Ballston Spa won two awards for both interior and exterior
renovation at the BSBPA’s annual beautification awards ceremony.

The Ballston Spa Business & Professional
Association, in partnership with Curtis Lumber,
honored business owners, residents, and nonprofit
organizations whose renovations, restoration,
and beautification efforts have enhanced
the Ballston Spa community over the past year.

The winners were chosen from nominations
submitted by others in the community.

At a reception on Nov. 16 at the First Presbyterian
Church, each award recipient was given a
framed certificate along with a Curtis Lumber
gift card in recognition of their efforts.

The presentations were made by BSBPA board
member and beautification chairperson Michelle
Burlingame, Curtis Lumber representative Doug
Ford, and Pete Bardunias of the Chamber of
Southern Saratoga County.