Jake Van Ness

2231 Articles

Getting Permits For All-Day Use Of Islands On Lake George Is Automated BY DEC

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Fork Island is one of the islands on Lake George where people can recreate. The state has automated the system for signing up get all-day use permits for the islands.
Courtesy NYS

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has automated its online sales for all day-use permits at the Lake George Islands.

“Automating the sales of day use permits for the Lake George Islands is easier and faster for visitors,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Instead of boating to an island headquarters to purchase a permit through a manual, labor intensive process, visitors can now quickly and easily book their day use permit online and spend more time enjoying the beauty of Lake George.”

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SUNY Empire State Gets Grant To Ensure Inclusion Of Students In Science Programs

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Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) recently announced that SUNY Empire State is one of a select group of colleges and universities receiving phase-two grants through its Inclusive Excellence 3 (IE3) initiative. 

The grant will help SUNY Empire continue its critical work in ensuring inclusion of all students in science. The college is one of only two SUNY institutions chosen to participate in this prestigious national program funded by one of the largest research philanthropies in science.

SUNY Empire’s grant—totaling $531,600 over six years—along with prior funding for previous phases, is being used to design experiments aimed at improving the introductory undergraduate science experience for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Along with 14 cohort institutions, including University of California Santa Cruz, Fordham University, and Middlebury College, SUNY Empire will be tasked with finding ways to make the content of the introductory science experience more inclusive through faculty development, student engagement, and curricular change.

SUNY Empire also was selected to participate in the first phase of the project, which began in April 2021 and ends in March. In this phase, SUNY Empire worked with its partner institutions to identify and better understand institutional and cultural barriers to inclusion at colleges and universities of all sizes and geographies. SUNY Empire’s work specifically focused on systemic issues that affect the student learning experience in introductory natural science courses, such as biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science.

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Business Briefs: February 2023

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The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold its Lunch with Legislators event on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Queensbury Hotel, Adirondack Room, 88 Ridge St., Glens Falls.

Registration will start at 11:30 a.m. and the event will run until 1:15 p.m.

It will feature remarks from state and federal legislators that represent the area. The conversation will be moderated by ARCC President Tricia Rogers.

Featured will be state Sen. Dan Stec, District 45; state Sen. Jake Ashby, District 43; U.S. Rep.  Elise Stefanik, District 21; state Assemblyman Matt Simpson, District 114; and state Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, District 113.

Cost is $60 for ARCC members and $80 for non-members.

For more information, contact Carol Ann Conover, ARCC member services and events manager, at  518-798-1761 ext. 220 or by email at caconover@adirondackchamber.org.

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Hudson Mohawk Area Health Education Center (Hudson Mohawk AHEC) will be awarding 10 scholarships of $500 dollars each to individuals who will be entering an approved healthcare related certificate or degree program at a local community college, university or training entity within New York state. 

Applicants must reside within the Hudson Mohawk AHEC 10-county service region, which includes: Albany, Essex, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties. 

Interested applicants can learn more about the scholarship opportunity by visiting the Hudson Mohawk AHEC website www.hmahec.org or emailing admin@hmahec.org 

Applications are due no later than Monday, March 17.  Awards will be made in May.

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Garvey Hyundai Dealership In Queensbury Gets Major Upgrade As Business Soars

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Drive Garvey’s Hyundai dealership on Dix Avenue in Queensbury is undergoing a $4 million expansion being done by Hilltop Construction.
Paul Post

By Paul Post

This winter’s mild weather has been a hindrance for those who enjoy outdoor activities such as ice fishing, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. But it’s been a big help to contractors such as Hilltop Construction, which is handling a $4 million expansion and makeover of Drive Garvey’s Hyundai dealership on Dix Avenue in Queensbury.

The business, which includes selling Hyundai’s high-end Genesis vehicles, is nearly doubling in size. Also, the current facilities—from service bays to bathroom tiles—are getting completely redone.

“We’re even replacing furniture, lighting fixtures and switches, and everything is going to be as environmentally kind as possible,” said Mark Garvey, who owns the business with his daughters, Shannon Bruhns and Kyle Garvey. “We really had no choice, but to do it. Hyundai has grown by leaps and bounds the past few years. Our sales are up about 18 percent from 2021. Our best sellers are SUVs.”

“We’re revamping 98 percent of the store inside and out,” he said. “Everything is going to be brand new. We’re adding a second floor to the existing building that will have five huge offices for sales, management and our e-commerce business.”

The Parts Department is getting a second floor, too.

In December, industry sources reported that South Korea-based Hyundai surpassed General Motors as the world’s third-largest automaker by volume (3.3 million), surpassed only by Toyota (5.1 million) and Volkswagen (4 million).

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Town Of Bolton Awarded Nearly $1.8M For Revitalization Of Lake Waterfront Areas

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The town of Bolton was awarded nearly $1.8 million in two state grants for revitalization of its Lake George waterfront area.

Bolton will receive $1.725 million from the state’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP), and $50,000 from the state’s Smart Growth Planning and Zoning grant program.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 29 announced over $22 million in grant funding was awarded to 76 communities across the state through Round XII of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative to promote smart, sustainable and equitable community growth.

The funding will help communities revitalize their waterfronts, clean up and redevelop abandoned industrial sites and create neighborhoods that are environmentally sustainable through three state programs including the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program and the Smart Growth Planning and Zoning grant program.

The $1.725 million is for Veterans Memorial Park improvements. Bolton will advance its Local Waterfront Revitalization Program by designing and constructing the second phase of the Veterans Memorial Park Master Plan.

Improvements include a new multi-use waterfront recreation building which will house visitor information services and accommodate special events throughout the year, pedestrian access connections into the park, and stormwater management improvements for continued water quality protection of Lake George.

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‘Industrial And Performance Machining’ Is Name Of BOCES Program With A New Aim

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The WSWHE BOCES has changed the direction for its career and technical education machine tool technology program. Its new title is Industrial and Performance Machining.

The Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services (WSWHE BOCES) announced a new name and direction for its Career and Technical Education (CTE) machine tool technology program.

The new title—Industrial and Performance Machining—reflects the industry today and better positions the program to prospective students, officials said. 

Officials said the program places a heavy emphasis on high-tech equipment and precision in the machining of component parts for automobiles, performance vehicles, industrial machines, and more. This consists of fabricating component parts to specification for these applications using milling, drilling, grinding, and boring machines.

While “Machine Tool Technology” is often used by technical colleges, WSWHE BOCES administration and educators said that students did not immediately identify the program in line with career goals.

In an effort to continuously offer programs and curricula that best support our students and the current job market, the transition from Machine Tool Technology to Industrial and Performance Machining reflects a growing need to reach high school students interested in machining careers.

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Report: Construction Firms Added Workers In December, Unemployment Rate Dropped

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Construction firms added 28,000 employees in December and continued to raise wages for hourly workers more than other sectors as the industry’s unemployment rate fell to a record low for the month, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data. 

Association officials said the data align with their newly released survey, which found the majority of contractors are optimistic about demand for most construction types, despite reporting difficulty filling positions.

“There are more people working in construction today than ever before, and those figures are likely to continue to increase,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But as optimistic as contractors are about 2023, they remain worried about their ability to find enough workers amid record-low unemployment.”

Construction employment totaled a record 7,777,000, seasonally adjusted, in December, an increase of 231,000 or 3.1 percent from a year earlier. Nonresidential firms—comprising nonresidential building and specialty trade contractors along with heavy and civil engineering construction firms—added 17,900 employees in December. Residential building and specialty trade contractors together added 9,500 employees.

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Placentric Digital Marketing Offers Strategic Planning As Well As Website, Promotions

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Ann Donnelly is the founder of Placentric Digital Marketing in Glens Falls.
Courtesy Placentric Digital Marketing

By R.J. DeLuke

A woman who’s career has taken her to London and Ireland is now entrenched in the North Country, operating Placentric Digital Marketing in Glens Falls.

Ann Donnelly has years of marketing experience dealing with a great many companies overseas and in the U.S. She’s concentrating on the Queensbury, Lake George, Glens Falls region, though she can take on clients from virtually anywhere.

Her office is on the third floor at 33 Park St., Glens Falls.

“It’s going well,” she said, noting she belongs to three different chambers of commerce “and they’ve been super supportive of me … The chambers have been a great resource for me and getting to know the area, but also getting to meet the right people.”

 Donnelly is from Fulton County in New York state, but circumstances found her moving to Ireland, where she began digital marketing. A job she held at the time was high pressure, allowing little free time.  It was time to find something else. 

“This was 1998-99. People were starting to use the internet for business and stuff. But I first started doing it just to keep in touch with my family.” With her husband at the time, thy started an accountancy firm. She made a website for the business, “then in a couple of months, we were starting to get inquiries from all over the world.”

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Lake George Regional Convention Bureau Launches A New, Group-Focused Website

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The Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau website provides a focus on meeting spaces and ballrooms, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, wedding venues and services.
Courtesy Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau, an extension of Warren County Tourism, recently launched a refreshed, group-focused website that provides a regional/seasonal focus on meeting spaces and ballrooms, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, wedding venues and services. 

The site—meetlakegeorge.com—has information on group-friendly lodging, activities and dining options, officials said. It features venues that can accommodate festivals, smaller reunions and retreats, and unique gatherings with guests who wish to meet and lodge separately.

“Meetlakegeorge.com was designed to be an extension of visitlakegeorge.com with content that would speak to meeting and event organizers that have group business with the potential to bring their business to all of Warren County,” said Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB Executive Director Gina Mintzer.

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