Month: January 2017

By Maureen Werther

A sold-out crowd celebrated the long-awaited re-opening of the legendary Caffè Lena at 47 Phila St. in Saratoga Springs on Friday, Dec. 30. The first concert in the newly renovated space featured the one-man band of Matt Lorenz, the Suitcase Junket. In honor of its re-opening, the evening ended with musical tributes to Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez.

Caffè Lena holds the distinction of being the longest continuously running coffeehouse in America. They have been showcasing great folk artists for 56 years, putting on 16,000 shows since 1960, with 35,000 artists at the same iconic venue since opening there in 1960.

It’s been six months since Caffè Lena closed its doors to receive a log-awaited facelift that included upgrades. A successful $2 million fundraising campaign, including a philanthropic partnership with Bonacio Construcition, made the renovation and expansion possible. The result is a more spacious concert venue with seating increased from 85 to 110; along with a new, modernized kitchen, a green room and administrative offices.

By Sen. Jim Tedisco

New York’s aging water and sewer infrastructure, some of which dates back to the Civil War, is the lurking monster which will not go away if we just close our eyes and wish it away.

On the contrary, that monster can catastrophically attack at any time the safety of our drinking water, sewer and gas lines and the ability of taxpayers to afford repairs.

Support for infrastructure including our underground infrastructure that is an important part of the foundation under our roads, sidewalks and bridges is going to be one of my highest priorities this year as I join the New York State Senate as the new representative for the 49th Senate District.

Ryan E. McMahon has been selected as the new executive director of Saratoga Springs City Center. McMahon assumed the position as of Jan. 1.  He succeeds Mark E. Baker, who led City Center since its inception in 1984. He had been working for the City Center in the role of operations manager. Prior to...

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce will hold its 99th annual dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Saratoga Springs City Center. It will be the first event for the new chairman of the Chamber board of directors, David Collins of D.A. Collins, the construction company based in Wilton. Chamber officials said...

By Maureen Werther

Saratoga Polo, the iconic polo venue located in Greenfield, could be the site of some major residential and commercial development, according to plans being developed by ownership.

Jim Rossi, one of the owners of Saratoga Polo, is optimistic about the future of the historic Whitney playing fields and the proposed development plans for the venue located just outside the city of Saratoga Springs.

Negotiations have been in the works for a deal to develop a residential and commercial site around the Saratoga Polo fields since late spring of 2016. Plans are still being finalized. In July, it was reported that Rossi and Bucci were hoping to close a deal before being put into foreclosure by First National Bank of Scotia.

By October, Rossi and Bucci announced a partnership with The Michaels Group, one of the largest homebuilders in the region, and Carver Laraway, owner of the Port of Coeymans, to implement the plans to create a year-round residential and commercial property.

The development would be around the polo grounds and polo matches would continue each year.

“There is a process involved to get to the end result,” said Rossi.