By Megan Collelo
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the New York State Budget Bill on April 12, he enacted more than requirements for the state’s spending for the fiscal year.
Additionally, the bill enacted new requirements for all New York employers to combat sexual harassment. Here are five takeaways to help local business owners make dollars and cents out of the new requirements:
By Jennifer Farnsworth
Phila Street in Saratoga Springs will soon be home to an authentic Italian eatery that is promising to offer an atmosphere that takes its customers to the heart of Italy.
Owners, and siblings, Giovannina and Ronnie Solevo will open the doors to Solevo Kitchen + Social in September, fulfilling a long-time dream of opening a restaurant in Saratoga.
The restaurant is at 55 Phila Street, part of the Bonacio Construction project that created Spencer Condominiums and the renovation of Caffe Lena. The restaurant is in the ground floor.
The restaurant will feature an open kitchen, a 14-seat bar and an intimate dining room. The decor will be a throwback cocktail club atmosphere.
Ronnie Solevo, the chef, said his family, natives of Connecticut, spent their summers in Saratoga. His parents eventually settled in the Spa City.
Tickets are on sale for the 2018-19 season of the Adirondack Thunder.
The price of a season ticket remains unchanged at $13 per ticket per game. The total for a season ticket is $540 including all taxes and fees. A season ticket includes tickets to the preseason game on Oct. 5, all 36 regular season home games and the first two 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs contests. Children aged 12 and younger can have their own season ticket at a youth rate of $387 for the 2018-2019 season.
For the second year in a row, all Thunder season ticket holders will be offered a ticket to a New Jersey Devils game at no additional charge.
Rebuilding Together Saratoga County has received $25,000 in support from the Adirondack Trust Co. toward their Together We Transform Capital Campaign.
Rebuilding Together launched this campaign in 2017 with the goal of raising $750,000 over three years in order to purchase and renovate 132 Milton Ave. in Ballston Spa. This building provides permanent office and warehouse space, along with the ability to support the organization’s operations with the opening of The Store at Rebuilding Together Saratoga County.
By R.J. DeLuke
“There’s a reason why the Hall of Fame is here,” said Tom Bellhouse, CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds, an ownership consortium, on the day before the 2018 meet began at Saratoga Race Course.
He was speaking at the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, where the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce had organized a panel to speak about the historic race track.
“Saratoga is our mecca,” he said of the local track and its importance in the industry not only nationwide but worldwide. “This is where it really counts.”
State officials announced on June 26 that the new $2.9 million Peerless Pool Complex at Saratoga State Park was completed ahead of schedule, in time for the 2018 swim season.
Funded as a NY Parks 2020 initiative to rejuvenate and modernize the state park system, the new complex provides improved pool facilities and offers more green space nearby.
“New York State Parks are second to none and serve as catalysts that drive and energize local economies,” Gov Andrew Cuomo said. “By returning them to their original grandeur and reimagining them we are providing recreational destinations that will be enjoyed for generations to come.”
By Maureen Werther
The Saratoga Economic Development Corporation announced in June a major new initiative it said will empower world-leading integrated circuit and electronic system design in Saratoga County and New York’s Capital Region.
The Electronic Design and Innovation Initiative (EDI² Saratoga) founding partners feature a cross-section of international, national, regional, and local leaders including SEDC, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Clarkson University, National Grid, Siemens, Center for Economic Growth, New York State Electric & Gas, SUNY Adirondack and locally based ReWire Energy.
SEDC President Dennis Brobston estimated that the initiative will create over 100 jobs over the next five years.
By Maureen Werther
Cantina Restaurant recently re-opened at its new location at 408 Broadway, in the building that was formerly the home of Lillian’s Restaurant.
Owner Jeff Ames said he felt the former Lillian’s property would lend itself well to his plans for the new Cantina. If it had been another building, he might not have made the move.
Ames hired the Clifton Park firm of Syvertsen Rigosu Architects PLLC and Bonacio Construction in Saratoga Springs for the renovation. The building is now is a marked departure from the more traditional style of the former Lillian’s. The façade of the building is completely open, with large glass-paneled doors that can open to the sidewalk during good weather.
NBT Bank announced that retail market manager Ian Townsend has been promoted to vice president.
Townsend has over 13 years of experience in the financial services industry. After completing NBT’s management development program, he advanced to positions of increasing responsibility in the bank’s Albany and Saratoga County branches.
He was named assistant vice president in July 2015 and was promoted to retail market manager in June 2016.
Townsend is responsible for managing the teams at NBT’s 12 branches in Clinton, Essex, Saratoga and Warren counties.
Alpin Haus, an outdoor recreation retailer, continues to grow in Saratoga County.
In June, the company unveiled its newly expanded Saratoga County RV sales facility at 30 Gordon Lane in Gansevoort.
The grand opening is the culmination of a multi-year project that transformed the dealership and created a new sales office and customer lounge at Alpin Haus RV of Saratoga, company officials said.
The expansion adds 3,600-square-feet of space to the northern Saratoga County facility and features new service bays, a new parts and accessories store, and a re-designed sales lot that created more space for customers to browse the latest recreational vehicles and campers.