Month: November 2024

By Paul Post

Olympic Regional Development Authority has invested $17 million on capital upgrades at Gore and Whiteface mountains for the upcoming ski season.

Projects include replacing antiquated lifts, updating and maintaining existing lifts, improving snowmaking and electrical infrastructure, and modernizing buildings and lodges.

At Gore, workers broke ground last spring on a new 18,300-square-foot lodge at North Creek Ski Bowl, operated by ORDA adjacent to the main ski center but owned by the Town of Johnsburg. The new lodge, complete with a restaurant and two levels of outdoor patios, is scheduled for completion in 2025.

In addition, the Ski Bowl’s old Hudson chairlift has been replaced with a new detachable quad servicing all levels of ski trails.

These are the latest in a series of Ski Bowl upgrades ORDA has undertaken since December 2022. It has installed chairlifts, improved trails, upgraded snowmaking systems, modernized, and expanded the Joe Minder Lodge, and developed a professional Nordic center with certified racecourses.

By Paul Post

Peckham Industries has 17 hot-mix asphalt plants and 26 stone quarries in five states including a large operation on Vaughn Road in Kingsbury where crowds gathered recently to celebrate the fourth generation, family-owned company’s 100th anniversary.

“Not too many businesses make it to 100 years and less than three percent make it to the fourth generation,” said Damian Murphy, the firm’s president and chief executive officer. “It goes back to the values that have been there since the founder’s days. We talk about safety, integrity, dedication.”

“Be consistent,” he said. “Even though things are always changing, those values never change. People know that about our business, whether it’s our customers, communities or work force. They know they can trust us and that we’re here for the long term.

“The bigger story we like to talk about is the culture in our business,” Murphy said. “That’s what really differentiates us. One of the key phrases is, ‘Our word is our bond’.”

Recent large projects have run the gamut, such as paving a long stretch of the Northway from Schroon to North Hudson, and construction of large parking facilities in The Bronx and at UBS Arena where the NHL’s New York Islanders play.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County has taken over management of the Taste NY shop at the Adirondacks Welcome Center in Glens Falls, according to Greg Stevens, assistant director of the extension.

For those unfamiliar with CCE, it is a subsidiary of Cornell University, the land grant university for New York. CCE translates Cornell’s world renowned, science-based research into knowledge through educational programs administered by independent associations in nearly every county in the state.

“We are about building vibrant communities through education,” said Stevens, who has a 26-year career with CCE. 

Stevens oversees the 4-H Youth Development Program and the Family and Consumer Science Program for the Saratoga extension. There is a third area, Agriculture, which Stevens said is how land grant universities were established.

Taste NY was launched by New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets to highlight the quality, diversity, and economic impact of food and beverages grown, produced, or processed in the state, says the department’s web site. Its events, promotions, and stores are seen state-wide.

A Taste NY store has been operating in the Adirondacks Welcome Center located between Northway Exits 17 and 18 with oversight by the Lake George Visitors Center. The Department of Agriculture and Markets approached CCE to see if the Saratoga association would be interested in taking over.

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) has announced that the 36th Annual J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award will be presented to George A. Ferone. He will be presented with the award at the ARCC Annual Dinner on the evening of March 7, 2025 at The Sagamore Resort.

Ferone had a long-standing career at Tribune Media Services, Inc. where he completed a tenure of just over 44 years. Upon his retirement he was a highly respected member of their executive team and regarded as a leadership role model in the business community. One of his major contributions was working with local municipalities to build a 40,000-square-foot facility on Media Drive in Glens Falls, which led to keeping 400 jobs locally. His commitment to the local workforce included service on the Saratoga/Warren/Washington Counties Workforce Investment Board, and the Job Discovery Promotion & Planning Committees.

“Mr. Ferone gave so much to our community and we are so grateful for his service,” said ARCC President & CEO Tricia Rogers. “His dedication to his career, coupled with his many years of community service, clearly demonstrate his love for our community.”

Ferone’s commitment to the health of the region is evident in his board and committee service for Glens Falls Hospital, the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation, and Albany Med Health Systems. Having served Glens Falls Hospital for close to 20 years, his continued dedication to the well-being of local communities goes above and beyond. His extensive service also includes serving as a board member for the Tri-County United Way, Adirondack Civic Center Coalition, Prospect Child and Family Center, and the Adirondack Hockey Coalition, to name a few. Additionally, he served 14 years on the ARCC board, including two terms as chairman, and even serving as interim president for a time.

By Christine Graf

There’s a new business in downtown Glens Falls, one that will appeal to lovers of romance novels. 

Just One More Chapter, a book store focusing primarily on the romance genre, opened it’s doors in mid-October. Located at 14 Ridge Street, the 1,400-square-foot shop is owned by Ashley Brownell.  

Before opening her own store, Brownell was a successful food blogger, her blog devoted to Instant Pot recipes. She started the blog as a way to earn income after becoming a stay-at-home mom. The blog garnered a devoted following, providing Brownell with a steady stream of income.

“I did that for over ten years,” she said. “I sold my website about two years ago and was looking for a new passion project. I decided to open a bookstore because reading helped me get through some times in my life that I really struggled with.”

When Brownell saw a for rent sign in the window of 14 Ridge Street, she knew it was the perfect place to open a bookstore.

“I’ve lived here for fifteen years, so I knew that the foot traffic here is fantastic,” she said. “If a bookstore is going to survive anywhere, it would be right here.”

Brownell’s husband, Mike Saville, transformed the space, building book shelves and installing new flooring as well as a reclaimed wood wall. Saville, the owner of Stone Saver Plus, a counter top company in South Glens Falls, also built a granite bench for the store. 

By Susan Elise Campbell

This past July, the iconic Nemec’s Sports Shop became Green River Lumber General Store. Karen Ovitt, owner of Green River Lumber, said she took advantage of the opportunity to purchase the business that had graced Main Street in Warrensburg for 52 years.

“The community depended on Nemec’s for animal feed, propane, hunting licenses, bait and lures, and more,” said Ovitt. “We are going to fill their legacy by offering these staples, which are hard to find elsewhere, and regularly introduce new things for the locals and tourists who visit us.”

The new store does not sell guns and ammunition as before, she said. But it has added items to decorate the home and yard as well as gifts.

The location at 4036 Main Street is only about a mile away from Ovitt’s original location, where she housed a retail business, Green River Lumber, and its inventory of sustainable reclaimed plywood, redwood, and quality hardwood flooring under the Superior Flooring brand.

By Paul Post

Warren County officials say a sales tax increase is inevitable as the state keeps passing costly programs on to local government.

Medicaid, juvenile detention and mental health services are among the fiscal burdens contributing to a $4 million gap in the county’s proposed $207.1 million 2025 budget that’s $14.3 million higher than this year’s spending plan.

A public hearing is scheduled for November 15.

“Costs are going up, we’re going to have to find revenue somewhere either now or in the future,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Geraghty, of Warrensburg. “We do get aid from New York State, but they always seem to find a way to shift costs to us each year.”

Budget Officer and Stony Creek Supervisor Frank E. Thomas said a 1 percent sales tax hike from 7 percent to 8 percent would raise an estimated $12 million, enabling the county to cover rising costs for at least several years. The county would keep approximately half this amount with the rest distributed to towns and the City of Glens Falls.

Christopher R. Dowd, president and CEO of Ballston Spa National Bank (BSNB), has announced that Amber Hensley has been named assistant vice president/business development officer.

In this role, Hensley will be responsible for developing and cultivating relationships with business banking customers across the Capital Region. She will play a pivotal role in expanding commercial banking opportunities, retaining existing business, and driving growth in the bank’s market share through the acquisition of new customers. Hensley will also leverage her experience to identify cross-sell opportunities for BSNB’s full suite of business services, including cash management, loan, deposit, investment, and insurance products.

Hensley joined BSNB following a successful tenure at Pioneer Bank in Albany, where she served as a business banking relationship manager. Prior to that, she also managed Pioneer’s headquarters branch, overseeing sales performance and business growth initiatives. Now on board with BSNB and joining the bank’s new business development team, she will be located at the bank’s Guilderland location, 

“Amber grew up in the Capital Region and her expertise in business banking and her proven track record of building strong relationships with customers make her an invaluable asset to our team,” said David Omicinski, vice president of commercial banking. “Her deep understanding of the industry, combined with her dedication to our local businesses that are the backbone of our economy will be instrumental in furthering BSNB’s mission to serve businesses in our community.”

The Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center completed its third season of operation with a record number of visitors, a series of improvements both inside the center and throughout the park, and plans for further program enhancements under the coordination of the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance.

Alliance President John DiNuzzo reported that the total 2024 VC attendance of 3,492 represents a 45 percent climb over last year’s figure of 2,409. Fresh additions, which elevated the visitor experience this season, include two adjacent resin park orientation signs that interpret the role of the Battlefield Park during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, at the VC’s entrance. The signs were funded by the Lake George Park Commission and installed by the State Department of Environmental Conservation. DEC also constructed a new paved walkway which connects the VC to the network of walkways in Battlefield Park.

According to Russell Bellico, a former Battlefield Park Alliance trustee who remains active on its curation committee, French and Indian War exhibits in the VC were expanded by the addition of two circa 1758 13-inch diameter mortar bombs, which had been raised offshore from the park during the 1960s. A scale model of a colonial military bateau was completed and displayed, helping to explain the case of original bateau artifacts from Lake George. The model was built by Paul S. Andriscin from a kit donated by Joseph W. Zarzynski.