The GlobalFoundries-Town of Malta Foundation has awarded $142,964 in grants to community organizations that serve Malta residents and the school districts in the town.
The largest single grant was $16,500 to the Malta-Stillwater Emergency Medical Service for purchase of a ventilator to be available in ambulances.
Both the Ballston Spa and Shenendehowa school districts each received multiple grants to support STEM learning, robotics and general education programs.
The grants are in addition to a $50,000 grant provided in March to help the town of Malta to provide local individuals and families with grocery store gift cards, as the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic first began to emerge.
The foundation was established in 2011 with $3 million donated by GlobalFoundries as part of the host community package negotiated in return for town approval of the computer chip manufacturing plant in Luther Forest that employs about 3,000 people.
The foundation is managed by a board made up of town and GlobalFoundries representatives. Since 2011, it has donated more than $1.4 million to organizations that serve Malta.
‘Once Upon A Child’ In Clifton Park Plaza Has Clothing Selection For Children, Babies
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Jennifer Farnsworth
The Winmark Corp., parent company of Style Encore and Plato’s Closet “gently used clothing stores”, has opened a babies and children version of the businesses in Clifton Park.
Once Upon A Child in Clifton Park Town Plaza, off Route 9, buys and sells used kids’ clothing, shoes, toys and baby gear and offers cash on the spot for qualified items. Franchise store owner Rhonda McMaster-Allendorph has owned of both Style Encore and Plato’s Closet stores. She said opening Once Upon A Child seemed like the next step.
McMaster-Allendorph said like all other new business owners, opening the store during the COVID-19 pandemic came with hesitation. She said that business has been slow to start since the official opening in November, but she remains optimistic that things will pick up.
“It’s been tough with the pandemic, but I think we are going to do okay. We are working on spreading the word. The people that have come in have been pleased with the selection of what they see,” she said.
Business Briefs: January 2021
The Adirondack Trust Co. has again secured a 5-Star rating from BauerFinancial, a bank rating firm.
A five-star rating indicates that the bank excels in areas of capital adequacy, profitability, asset quality and much more. Earning and maintaining this top rating for 58 consecutive quarters puts Adirondack Trust in a prestigious bracket as an exceptional performance bank.
BauerFinancial, Inc., based in Coral Gables, Fla., has been reporting on and analyzing the performance of U.S. banks and credit unions since 1983. No institution can pay for or opt-out of a BauerFinancial rating.
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Eighteen members of the Sterling Homes Real Estate team recently graduated from a New Homes Sales Specialist training program. The education consisted of a five-week intensive course with the top new home sales trainer in the country.
OrthoNY Moves Some Operations Into New Building On Route 9 In Clifton Park
©2020 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Christine Graf
OrthoNY has relocated its Clifton Park office to a newly constructed $6.9 million building at 1768 Route 9.
The state-of-the-art 40,000-square-foot square foot facility had its ribbon cutting at the end of October. The practice previously operated a Clifton Park office out of a 5,000-square-foot leased space in the Ellis building on Sitterly Road.
The new Clifton Park location offers clinical orthopedic care, walk-in urgent care, and physical therapy. It also houses a spine center that provides both comprehensive care and pain management procedures.
Officials said patients are able to receive epidural steroid injections and other treatments in the spine center’s on-site procedure suite. This eliminates the need for them to travel to ambulatory surgery centers or hospitals to receive these treatments. The Route 9 location also provides on-site imaging services including MRIs. It is the only one of OrthoNY’s locations to offer such a comprehensive range of services.
Victorian Streetwalk, First Night Canceled By COVID; ‘Re-Imagined’ Festivities In Place
Courtesy Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association
The annual Victorian Streetwalk, that would have been held Dec. 3 in downtown Saratoga Springs, will not be held this year—another victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saratoga First Night, the New Year’s Eve entertainment event, is also canceled.
Both events drew thousands of people to Saratoga Springs every year,
Normally for the Victorian Streetwalk, the main section of Broadway would be blocked off and revelers would crowd the main thoroughfare and surrounding streets.
First Night had entertainment events in many venues across the city.
But in an effort to preserve the holiday traditions, the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association has re-imagined the downtown holiday celebration for 2020.
The Saratoga Springs DBA, which has presented the traditional Victorian Streetwalk for the past 33 years, in collaboration with Discover Saratoga, is bringing an enhanced holiday look to Broadway and the downtown area for a month-long celebration called Victorian Streetscapes.
“The DBA is excited to collaborate with our partners to add the festive element for all to enjoy during this holiday season,” said Deann Devitt, president of the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association. “It has been a challenging year for our local businesses, but the outpouring of support from the community has been remarkable.
As COVID And Online Shopping Hurt Stores, Malls Shift Strategies To Attract Business
©2020 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Christine Graf
As more retail stores are forced to close due to the rise of online shopping, malls are being forced to reinvent themselves in order to survive. They are adding attractions and businesses that traditionally wouldn’t be located in malls.
“What you have seen over the course of the last several years is the re-purposing of space within the mall to alternative uses that actually make our mall more diverse,” said Wilton Mall property manager Mike Shaffer. “This started for us back in 2012 with the opening of Healthy Living Market and Café at the mall along with Planet Fitness gym.
“And then we transitioned to putting a Home Goods in a mall site which is not typical for them. That took up six previous small spaces. We did the same thing with Ulta Beauty a few years ago. We boxed up three small spaces into one larger space. And now, the welcome addition of Saratoga Hospital is a re-purposing of Sears which was a large anchor store,” he said.
“Quite frankly, those kinds of retailers are hard to find to fill big spaces. It’s about re-purposing space to continue to keep the mall relevant.”
Saratoga Hospital moved into a 56,000-square-foot space in September.
The majority of the square footage is occupied by more than 100 information technology and health information services staff members. The employees were relocated to the mall from the main hospital campus off Church Street in Saratoga Springs.
Louise Kerr Takes The Helm At Saratoga Arts; Hopes To Form New Partnerships
Courtesy Saratoga Arts
Saratoga Arts has named Louise Kerr its new executive director, replacing Joel Reed who stepped down in March.
“We are thrilled to have Louise as the new leader for Saratoga Arts,” Susanne Simpson, president of the board, said in a statement. “She brings an energy and enthusiasm as well as a wealth of knowledge and experience that will truly honor our vision for the future.”
Kerr comes from The Olana Partnership in Hudson, where she served as the director of engagement and visitor operations. She was once the operations manager of the Betty Cuningham Gallery in Manhattan. She has more than 20 years of business experience in both New York and California.
“It is with great enthusiasm, a fresh perspective, and the belief in a dedicated team of staff and volunteers at Saratoga Arts, that I look forward to forging new relationships, partnerships and connections that will continue to build upon Saratoga Arts successful history with a focus on the mission of making the arts accessible to all,” Kerr said.
Kerr has an undergraduate degree in architecture and design from the Glasgow College of Building and Printing in Scotland. She has a master’s degree in fine arts from the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.
Kerr is the third executive director of the nonprofit, which was founded and initially directed by Dee Sarno.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for me to return to what I love best—connecting and nurturing artists across all genres, at all points of their careers and working collaboratively on a local and regional level to promote and sustain the meaningful impact a public arts center can have serving the community,” said Kerr.
Personnel Briefs: December 2020
The Towne Law Firm PC announced the addition of recently retired state Appellate Division Justice Eugene Devine and attorney Jessica A. Rounds to its team.
Eugene, an Albany native, has been in private practice for more than 30 years, with a focus in the fields of pension/health insurance, labor, commercial, banking, real estate, and criminal law. He was elected justice of the New York Supreme Court in 2006. In 2014, he was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, Third Department.
Before taking the bench, he was the Albany County public defender overseeing a staff of 35 attorneys and was also the chief attorney for the Albany County Department of Social Services.
Rounds is an associate attorney in the firm’s Albany office, focusing in the areas of civil litigation, commercial litigation, professional malpractice, personal injury, and general negligence.
Nafeesa Koslik Brings Cuisine From Her Native Country To ‘Nani’s Indian Kitchen’
©2020 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Jill Nagy
Nafeesa Koslik grew up in India, the oldest of five children. So, “by means of necessity” she started cooking when she was eight years old, she said.
While living in Milton with her husband and three children, a restaurant building became available at about the time she was laid off from her job in hotel management. As a result, Nani’s Indian Kitchen opened at 256 Milton Ave., Ballston Spa.
The business is “going like wildfire, very busy,” she said.
After a soft opening, the restaurant officially opened the day after Thanksgiving. That Friday and the following Saturday, Koslik served meals in the restaurant. However, with COVID-19 restrictions, the establishment can only seat eight to 10 people at a time, instead of the normal 33. Consequently, Koslik switched to a take-out only format for the time being.
Development Company Will Add 64 Rental Units To ‘The Lofts At Saratoga Boulevard’
Courtesy Hayes Development Co.
By Christine Graf
Hayes Development Co. of Saratoga Springs is building 64 additional townhouse apartments at its The Lofts at Saratoga Boulevard property in Malta.
The project includes eight townhouse buildings, a tennis court and a dog park. It was designed by Cotler Architecture, and Bonacquisti Brothers Construction of Albany is the general contractor.
Construction began in July. The first townhouses will be ready for occupancy in early spring. By summer 2021, the remaining townhouses will be available. “We anticipate reaching full absorption before the completion date,” said Hayes.
The townhouse apartments are being built on a portion of a six-acre parcel of land that was purchased by Hayes Development for $1.35 million in January. The previous owners had planned a mixed-use development called Blacksmith Square on the property. After they defaulted on tax and mortgage payments, Sunmark Credit Union foreclosed on the land.
Hayes Development got it divided into two parcels.