A $2.8 million project to upgrade broadband service for emergency call centers throughout the North Country, Capital Region and Mohawk Valley has been completed, state officials said on Nov. 1. The modernization effort provides 1 Gigabit service--with the potential...
Harness Racing Resumes At Saratoga Casino Hotel, Four Days A Week, Thursday To Sunday
Harness racing resumed in September and will be running four days a week through Dec. 18 at the harness track that is part of Saratoga Casino Hotel on Crescent Avenue.
Courtesy Saratoga Casino Hotel
Live harness racing resumed in September and will continue to be held four days a week through Dec. 18.
Thursdays will feature a 4 p.m. post time. Friday and Saturday racing begins at 6:45 p.m. and Sundays start at 12:15 p.m.
The racing season features eight New York Sire Stakes Consolation Finals, which will offer a combined $200,000 in purses. Other highlights include the Jim Derue Memorial Trotting Series and Gary Kamal Memorial Pacing Series, both kicking off their first legs on Oct. 10.
“We look forward to an exciting second half of our 2016 season,” said John Matarazzo, director of racing operations at Saratoga Casino Hotel. “We’ve already seen some tremendous moments thus far, and we wish all of our horsemen the best of luck as we look to cap out the year on a high note.”
GlobalFoundries Says Billions To Be Invested In Malta Plant To Produce New Microchips
GlobalFoundries will make an additional investment in its plant in Malta to enable development and production of its new cutting-edge 7 nanometer (7nm) technology.
Courtesy GlobalFoundries
GlobalFoundries plans to make an additional multi-billion dollar investment in Fab 8–its plant in Malta–to enable development and production of its new cutting-edge 7 nanometer (7nm) technology.
Company officials said the new technology is expected to deliver more than twice the logic density and a 30 percent performance boost compared to today’s 16/14 nanometer foundry FinFET offerings.
The platform is based on an industry-standard FinFET transistor architecture and optical lithography, with EUV compatibility at key levels. Officials said this approach will accelerate the production ramp through significant re-use of tools and processes from the company’s 14nm FinFET technology, which is currently in volume production in Malta.
The 7nm semiconductors are expected to complement the 14nm products, not replace them, Fab 8 Senior Vice President And General Manager Dr. Thomas Caulfield said in Malta on Sept. 15.
He said the technology is expected to be ready for customer product design in the second half of 2017 ramp to production in early 2018. The multi-billion dollar investment in Fab 8 will come before the production stage, to enable development and production.
Uncommon Grounds Set To Open A Coffee Shop In March In Clifton Park, Its Third Store
By Jennifer Farnsworth
Uncommon Grounds, a local coffee and bagel shop, is planning to open a third store, this one in Clifton Park.
Owner Dan Murphy said the new location will be ready in March of 2017, putting it between the two current locations, Western Avenue in Albany and 402 Broadway, Saratoga Springs.
With the continued success of the two current locations, Murphy said he feels this is the perfect time to expand, adding that Clifton Park has the perfect demographic for Uncommon Grounds.
“Using market awareness to pick the locations, Clifton Park just seemed like a great choice,” said Murphy.
Leadership Saratoga's 13th Class Under Way; Projects Will Benefit Four Nonprofit Groups
Participants in the 13th Leadership Saratoga class held its opening retreat in September at Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake.
Courtesy Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
Leadership Saratoga, a program of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, announces its 13th class of participants.
The group held its opening retreat on Sept. 18-19 at Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake. The program selects up to 24 people each year to participate in an intensive nine-month training program designed to teach skills for stronger leadership, group dynamics and issues facing Saratoga County and area nonprofit organizations.
After completion of the program participants are expected to volunteer as leaders in their communities within Saratoga County.
'Pet Lodge' Day Care And Board Business Eyes Building A New Location In Saratoga Springs
This is the Pet Lodge facility in Saratoga County, located in Clifton Park. The company is making plans for a new building in Saratoga Springs, which would be its sixth overall.
Courtesy Pet Lodge
By Liz Witbeck
Pet Lodge, a dog day care and boarding company, is seeking to establish a sixth location, this time in Saratoga Springs.
The owners have proposed a plan to construct a new facility at the southern end of the city.
The company started in 2012. Currently there are locations in Clifton Park, Latham, Glenville, Plattsburgh and Williston, Vt.
“We love Saratoga. We think it is a perfect place to open a business,” said Matt Sames, managing partner of Pet Lodge. “People have been asking us for years if we would open a location in Saratoga.”
Sames and his business partner, Dr. Tom Brown, are proposing the construction of a new building on Route 9, South Broadway, next to the Hibachi Sushi Bar restaurant. The building would be approximately 3,000 square feet.
Pet Lodge is in the process of meeting with Saratoga Springs officials to get approval for construction. Sames said if approved, construction could start in early 2017. He plans on having the facility constructed by the middle of next year.
He said each Pet Lodge location offers state-of-the art, luxury kennels that have monitoring systems so owners can see their dogs while they are away. There is a large yard at each location for dogs to get exercise. Those will also be features of the proposed Saratoga Springs location.
Sames said there are a lot of benefits to placing a dog in a day care or boarding facility.
GEICO Insurance Sponsors Program To Urge People To Stop Texting-While-Driving Habit
State officials and GEICO representatives, along with its well-known mascot, gather at an event to announce the Text Stops program that encourages people to pull of the highway if they are gong to text.
Courtesy GEICO
State Department of Transportation Commissioner Matthew J. Driscoll announced in September that GEICO is sponsoring a Text Stops program along state highways operated by the department that it hopes will discourage texting while driving.
Officials said it could also provide nearly $1.3 million in revenue to New York state over the next five years.
“This innovative partnership with GEICO supports New York’s broad efforts to curb distracted driving and the traffic safety hazards it creates,” Driscoll said. “This sponsorship agreement provides one more way to encourage motorists to focus on driving and pull off the road to text or use mobile devices.”
The program was started in September 2013, expanding upon efforts to reduce distracted driving by highlighting places for motorists to pull off the highway, park and use their mobile devices. Park-and-ride facilities, rest stops and parking areas along state highways and the state Thruway serve a dual function as texting zones.
Saratoga Cycling Studio Expands With New Location For Personal Training On West Ave.
By Liz Witbeck
Saratoga Cycling Studio, opened in 2012 at 422 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, has expanded its services and has an additional studio at 120 West Ave., also in the city.
“We’re really excited to expand our offerings,” said owner Angela Amedio.
At the new studio, she has added personal training to the lineup of services.
The Broadway center offers a wide variety of spinning classes for beginners up to lifetime enthusiasts. It also has as barre, yoga, and combination classes.
Personal Training by SCS is officially opened for business on Sept. 1.
The space is being used exclusively for personal training. Five personal trainers, including Amedio, are available. All of the instructors are certified and have additional degrees in their fields.
Amedio holds the designation of master spinning instructor, held by only approximately 60 people in the United States, she said. She is involved in continuing education for spinning classes and holds dozens of other fitness certifications.
Patient Growth Leads To Expansion For The Saratoga-Schenectady Endoscopy Center
This rendering shows what the new Saratoga-Schenectady Endoscopy Center building off of Route 50 in Burnt Hills will look like when complete some time next year.
Courtesy SSEC
By Susan E. Campbell
Saratoga-Schenectady Endoscopy Center LLC has broken ground on a 35,000-square-foot structure that will more than double the existing capacity to perform endoscopy procedures, according to Deborah Hunt, RN, and administrator for the center.
The buildings at 846 and 848 Route 50 in Burnt Hills currently are used as offices for a number of independent gastroenterologists and their practices. One-half of the space also houses four operating rooms. Even though the physicians do procedures at Saratoga Hospital and Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, as well as the Endoscopy Center, the demand for these types of procedures has been mounting.
“We never thought we would outgrow the four-room facility,” said Hunt.
Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a person’s digestive tract. Using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it, a doctor can view pictures of a patient’s digestive tract on a monitor.
“More important, we do a good job at performing high-quality, low-cost procedures,” said Hunt. “The insurance companies like us and so does the community.”
“There are many other facilities like ours,” Hunt said. “But our patients are coming from Albany and Fulton counties as well as Saratoga and Schenectady.”
American Institute Of Architects New York State Gives Award To Phinney Design Group
Phinney Design Group in Saratoga Springs, recently won the People’s Choice award for this Bio Building, part of the Wild Center/Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks in Tupper Lake.
Courtesy Phinney Design Group
Phinney Design Group in Saratoga Springs, recently won the People’s Choice award for 2016 from American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York State.
The People’s Choice award winner was selected by popular vote online, open to the public.
The company was recognized for its design efforts on the Bio Building, part of the Wild Center/Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks in Tupper Lake. The mission of the museum is to “ignite an enduring passion for the Adirondacks where people and nature can thrive together and set an example for the world.”
Michael Phinney, principal architect, accepted the award on behalf of Phinney Design Group at the AIA New York State Design Awards event in Saratoga Springs on Sept. 30.
Earlier in the year, Phinney Design was awarded an Excelsior Award from AIA New York State for the Bio Building. The winners of the Excelsior Awards are chosen for providing a model of excellence for state-funded design, professional practice and advocacy.