Saratoga Business Journal

Restaurants Must Post Allergy Awareness Lists

June 12, 2023

Two state agencies are marking Allergy Awareness Month by informing the public about a new law affecting New York restaurants and other food service establishments.

Beginning May 20, any business that serves food in New York is required to post an allergy notice that is visible for employees involved in preparing and serving food. The notice also includes information on how staff should respond to a customer who reveals they have a food allergy, how to prevent cross-contamination in food preparation and service, and directs them to call 911 if a customer has an allergic reaction.

The policy is the product of a bill sponsored by state Sen. Cordell Cleare and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the legislation in November. The legislators explained that the bill’s intent is to “educate restaurant personnel and ensure that safety mechanisms are utilized in food preparation and service.”

The new law also requires restaurants and food delivery services to label the eight major food allergens on menus.

Student Nurses Can Use Simulated Experiences

June 12, 2023

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation into law in May that officials say strengthens New York’s health care workforce by permitting nursing students to complete up to one-third of their clinical training through simulation experiences.

Overseen by the state Education Department, simulation training gives students hands-on experience in clinical environments while allowing nursing education programs to offer more options for clinical education. As New York currently faces a nursing shortage, expanding simulation experiences can help expedite training and deliver an influx of nurses where they are needed most.

“Our nurses have been invaluable to our health care system, especially throughout the pandemic, but too often feel overworked doing the jobs that they love, which has only been amplified by the current nursing shortage,” Hochul said. “I’m proud to sign legislation strengthening our health care workforce expediting training and allowing more capable nurses into the workforce improving care for all and creating a safer, healthier New York.”

Legislation allows for up to one-third of clinical education in nursing certificate and degree education programs to be completed through simulation experience. It will make nursing education more accessible, helping to address New York’s nursing shortage, which is projected to reach a workforce need of nearly 40,000 employees by 2030.

Malta Med Emergent Care Expands As It Meets Diverse Community Health Care Needs

June 12, 2023

Officials say Malta Med Emergent Care is a pivotal point of access to the broad scope of services throughout the Albany Med Health System.

In June 2013, Albany Medical Center and Saratoga Hospital entered a partnership to bring cutting-edge health care closer to the homes of Capital Region residents.

The vision was to provide surgical, urgent, and specialty care outside the hospital and in a place that was more comfortable and convenient. Today, officials say Malta Med Emergent Care is a pivotal point of access to the broad scope of services throughout the Albany Med Health System, including those provided by the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.

The system practices more of the most advanced medical specialties than any other local health care network, according to Albany Med.

“In its first year, Malta Med Emergent Care saw more than 28,000 visits, underscoring its role in the community,” said medical director Dr. Joanne McDonough. “Today, we are providing care for more than 45,000 visits annually, offering a reliable alternative to the emergency department for all but the most critical conditions.”

The success of Malta Med fueled expansion. The complex now includes facilities for same-day orthopedic surgery in collaboration with Capital Region Orthopedic Associates through the Center of Advanced Ambulatory Surgery, which opened on the Malta Med campus in 2021. Care and treatment for oncology, physical therapy, and other services are also performed at Malta Med.

Contractors Say Inability To Fill Jobs Drives Up Costs And Brings About Project Delays

June 12, 2023

People earn good wages via construction jobs in the area, but contractors continue to report that there are not enough people to fill the positions that are needed.

By Paul Post

In the 1989 baseball classic, “Field of Dreams,” a mysterious voice tells character Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), “If you build it, they will come.”

These days, Kinsella might have a hard time finding the help he needs as a nationwide labor shortage continues to impact the building trades industry, a problem that’s especially acute in the Greater Capital Region.

“There’s not nearly enough bodies to fill the openings,” said Chris Dudley, a heavy equipment instructor at the WSWHE BOCES center in Hudson Falls. “All the big employers like DA Collins and Peckham Materials are really hurting for heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and laborers. State, county and town highway departments are reaching out to us, looking to hire kids directly out of high school. They’ve never had to do that before. Everybody’s really having issues.”

There are so few truck drivers that the state recently lowered the age for obtaining a Class A commercial drivers license from 21 to 18, allowing more young adults to drive tractor-trailers.

At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, ‘People See They Have A Future’ Manager Says

June 12, 2023

Officials at Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitter say they have union members ready to take on jobs in an industry that complains of worker shortages.

By Christine Graf

At a time when local contractors are struggling to find qualified skilled trade workers, Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters has at least 40 qualified applicants anxious to join the union’s five-year apprenticeship program.

The union represents more than 450 plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, refrigeration fitters, and service technicians in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. The local headquarters is in Glens Falls.

“I am seeing no shortage, and I know that I can recruit the people I need because we pay a living wage,” said Mike Jarvis, business manager at Local 773. “People see that they will have a future with us. They know they will be treated right.”

Despite being overwhelmed with applicants, Local 773 has been able to accept just three people into the Glens Falls apprenticeship program so far this year. Jarvis expects that number to top out at six, with an additional three apprentices likely be selected from another large applicant pool in Plattsburgh where the union has its second location, he said.

Expanding its apprenticeship program will be possible only if the union is able to secure additional signatory union contractors.

In recent years, Jarvis and Brian Kill, business agent at Local 773, have been working to attract contractors from the residential and light commercial sectors.

North Country Commons Shopping Center Gets New Look, Working On New Tenants

June 12, 2023

Work is ongoing at North Country Commons, 1206 Route 146, Clifton Park.

By Jill Nagy

North Country Commons, one of Clifton Park’s oldest shopping centers, is in the midst of a major facelift— a new facade and a new layout—and is welcoming new tenants, including a swim school and computer games parlor.

Part of the center, at 1206 Route 146, is a former church that once housed an Albany Public Market. That has been divided into four smaller spaces. The occupant of one of them, Flipside Gaming, opened in November and already has customers lined up every morning waiting for the video and computer game facility to open, according to Howard F. Carr, a broker with Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate, who is managing the center and the renovation project.

Goldfish Swim School, a swim school, already has 600 children signed up for lessons, Carr said. He represents the owners, Whitney Lane Holdings LLC of New York City.

Another tenant new to the center is Clifton Park Beverage Center. The center already has outlets in Colonie and South Troy.

Caruso Builders Plans To Build Townhomes In Malta; Some 68 Units Are Projected

June 12, 2023

By Christine Graf

Anthony Caruso, president of Saratoga-Springs based Caruso Builders, has plans to build townhomes at Sage Estates, a subdivision at 2782 Route 9 in Malta.

Caruso purchased the land for the subdivision for $2.38 million from 3D Lundy LTD, a company controlled by Dean DeVito. DeVito, principal of Prime Companies, first submitted the proposal for Sage Estates to the Malta Planning Board in November 2018. In 2022, he received approval to build 34 two-family homes on the property.

Although this will be the first townhouse project for Caruso, his company has been building homes throughout the Capital Region since 2009. For the past five years, the majority of the projects have been in Saratoga County and downtown Saratoga Springs.

“I mostly do semi-custom to full-custom builds, and we’ve got a very high-end project in phase 2 of Oak Ridge,” he said.

Oak Ridge, an upscale residential development, is located just east of Saratoga National Golf Course. One of Caruso’s Oak Ridge homes, a 3,700-square-foot house located at 23 Jenna Jo Avenue, will be featured in the 2023 Saratoga Showcase of Homes.

Sage Estates will be comprised of 34 two-family residential lots, and there will be several different floor plans for the 68 units that will be available for sale.

He said one of these plans will feature a master bedroom on the first floor, something that is expected to appeal to empty nesters and snowbirds who are looking for a less expensive alternative to living in downtown Saratoga Springs.

“Sage Estates has such nice proximity to downtown Saratoga and SPAC and the Northway,” said Caruso. “It’s going to be a beautiful project, and my plan is to do a slightly higher-end townhome. We’re still working out the details of exactly what will be included in the HOA (homeowners association) — whether it will be a fully maintenance-free exterior.”

Make-A-Wish Northeast New York To Make Saratoga Springs Its New Headquarters

June 12, 2023

This space, next door to Fat Paulie’s Delicatessen, 92 Congress St. in Saratoga Springs, will be the new headquarters for Make-A-Wish Northeast New York.

Make-A-Wish Northeast New York is moving its office from Albany to Saratoga Springs this summer.

Its new headquarters, will be in downtown Saratoga, right off Broadway next door to Fat Paulie’s Delicatessen, 92 Congress St. It will serve as the heart of Make-A-Wish Northeast New York’s community of wish families, volunteers, and staff.

The organization also welcomes back Kirsten Broschinsky as director of development. Broschinsky brings with her nearly a decade of experience building crucial community and corporate partnerships

“Saratoga, with its cultural heritage, beautiful scenery, and abundant recreational opportunities, provides an ideal stage for creating inspirational wish experiences for children with critical illnesses, their families, and the people that love them,” agency officials said about the move.

“On behalf of all Saratogians, I extend a joyful welcome to Make-A-Wish Northeast New York,” said Saratoga Mayor Ron Kim in a release. “We are thrilled they have chosen Saratoga Springs as their new home to pursue their all-important mission of making dreams come true to children and their families.”

Company Plans To Build 60 Apartments, 40 Garages At 1471 Route 9 In Clifton Park

June 12, 2023

This is a rendering of what some of Crescent Commons development will look like.

By Christine Graf

MRK Real Property, a Clifton Park-based real estate development company, plans to invest between $4 million and $5 million to build apartments at Crescent Commons. Located at 1471 Route 9, the retail and office plaza is currently home to several businesses.

According to MRK’s Michael Klimkewicz, “the units will be built on top of the existing plaza’s footprint. All of the existing tenants will remain, and there will be a new roadway going out to Plank Road which will be done this fall.”

The current tenants occupy the first floor of the two-story building, and the second floor is currently vacant. The second floor will be converted into apartments, and a third floor will be added to the building. The residential component of the building will have access to Plank Road while the retail component will face Route 9.

MRK owns several office buildings in the area, and Klimkewicz said it was the decline in demand for office space that was the impetus for the company’s decision to build apartments. At one time, the second floor of Crescent Plaza was occupied by office tenants.

“The medical market is very strong, but the demand for general office space has been in decline for the past four to five years, and we found that it was becoming more difficult to keep those spaces occupied long term. So, we looked at alternatives, and one of them was to convert that space into apartments. It just made sense,” he said.

The company received Planned Development District approval from the town of Halfmoon to construct 60 apartments, 40 garages, two new means of access to the plaza, expansion of the Fred the Butcher business, expansion of Emma Jayne’s Restaurant, and a new commercial building on Route 236. Emma Janye’s has already added a 1,400-square-foot deck to the restaurant.

Cooperative Extension Breaks Ground On New Community STEM And Ag Building

June 12, 2023

4-H volunteer Paul Laskey, left, and 4-H program leader Greg Stevens pose at the site of the new STEM and Agricultural Educational Center at the 4-H Training Center in Ballston Spa.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County has broken ground on a new Community STEM and Agricultural Educational Center at the 4-H Training Center on Middleline Road in Ballston Spa.

The 3,650-square-foot facility will encompass three state-of-the-art classrooms and will increase opportunities for the Saratoga County 4-H program as well as outside youth organizations, officials said. The project has been on the table for over eight years.

“The Program Committee and I saw a need for increased classroom space. We had outgrown the meeting space that we currently have, which is utilized by our 4-H clubs, as well as many other organizations from across the county,” said Greg Stevens, 4-H program leader.

The program looked at many options and landed on expansion via a totally new educational center. The CCE/Saratoga County board of directors gave their approval for the project, and the committee quickly got to work and began to design.

When the pandemic hit, the capital campaign to raise funds for building was put on hold.