By LEE COLEMAN

West Mountain ski center in Queensbury is preparing to open early this season with a larger variety of trails to offer skiers.

“We are really going to try to open early, but it depends on the weather,” said Spencer Montgomery, co-owner and managing member.

He said 4,000 feet of new snowmaking pipeline has been added on the Frolic trail to replace older piping that was in disrepair. The goal is to open more terrain on the Northwest Base area along with the Main Base, which traditionally opens first. The mountain also offers a large snow-tubing park for young people.

Ski center workers have been running compressors on the snow guns, testing pipelines, checking power and lighting for the popular night skiing, and cutting back the trail edges. All is ready to make snow when the temperature allows.

In recent years, West Mountain has offered year-round programming, with adventure courses, mountain-biking trails and scenic rides to promote use of the mountain in spring, summer and fall.

By Paul Post

Commercial and residential tenants are ready to occupy three newly rehabilitated buildings that are transforming South and Elm streets in downtown Glens Falls.

Bonacio Development is putting the finishing touches on the former Sandy’s and Hot Shots taverns and on an adjoining three-story building behind Hot Shots at 36 Elm Street.

“They’ll all be ready for occupancy around January 1,” company President Larry Novik said.

Each of the three-story buildings will have first-floor commercial space and apartments overhead. Meanwhile, steel beams and girders are rising for a large five-story structure next to and behind the former Sandy’s building, scheduled for completion in early 2027.

SUNY Adirondack is slated to lease ground-floor space there for a health care workforce development program, including a mock exam room. The remaining space, and four stories above, will be dedicated to mixed-income affordable housing.

The apartments are designed to serve households across a range of income levels—generally between 30 percent and 70 percent of the area median income.

“We believe this approach, tying rates to the area median income, is a good way to create a community with a wide mix of residents,” Project Manager Steve Licciardi said.

Bonacio, a Saratoga Springs-based firm, is developing this project as well.

The Economic Development Corporation of Warren County (EDC) used its Annual Luncheon on Oct. 27, 2025, to reaffirm its commitment to a place-based economic-development strategy and to announce a significant new initiative: the formation of a steering committee charged with guiding the creation of a national Fresh Water Center. The goal of the center is to harness the expertise developed at Lake George and position the region as a leader in research, education and commercialization of freshwater protection.

The event, held before a full house at the Carriage House at the Fort William Henry Hotel, recognized outgoing board chair Dr. Kristine D. Duffy for emphasizing the importance of creating a “long-term sustainable economy.” Incoming chair Melanie Weber also assumed her new role. Moderator Ryan Moore and EDC President Jim Siplon highlighted recent development successes, including the Glens Falls Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which leveraged nearly $50 million from a $10 million state award. Other achievements included expanding Warren County’s broadband access from 75 percent to more than 95 percent and stimulating private development in North Creek through installation of a new wastewater system.

The luncheon’s theme of place-based growth was underscored by keynote speaker Greg Tehven, CEO and co-founder of Emerging Prairie and board chair of Grand Farm in Fargo, N.D. Tehven described how Fargo transformed its economy by embracing its local assets and becoming an innovation hub for agricultural technology. A fifth-generation North Dakotan, he urged attendees to be bold and action-oriented, attributing Fargo’s success to its “world-class public education and world-class health care.” Tehven challenged the audience to “declare your major, go public, and invite the world,” and emphasized supporting artists who “drive creativity and ego,” praising the local arts community.

Siplon closed the program with the anticipated announcement of the Fresh Water Center Steering Committee. Initial members include Siplon; Dr. Martin A. Schmidt, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI); Dr. John E. Kelly III, co-founder of the Jefferson Project; and Dr. Brendan Wiltse, executive director of the Lake George Association (LGA). The committee will also seek participation from New York State and regional business and elected leaders.

By Anne Donnelly

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Economic Outlook Breakfast was held Oct. 16 at the Holiday Inn Resort Lake George, bringing together local business leaders to review economic trends and outlooks for the coming year.

Katie Cook and Dylan Forsyth of Zartico Inc., a visitor-intelligence company that partners with the Chamber to analyze spending, lodging, and geolocation data across Warren County, presented several key findings. Visitor spending rose to 35 percent at local businesses in the third quarter of 2025, up from 32 percent a year earlier. Despite a slight dip in average daily spend, restaurants, retail, and arts sectors saw gains.

Lake George continued to attract more visitor spending than most of the Capital Region, underscoring the area’s diverse, resilient economy. Hotel occupancy slipped slightly from 84 to 82 percent, but the average stay increased to 2.2 days, boosting overall revenue. Cook noted that travelers are now booking further in advance—a positive sign for the tourism sector.

The Industry Conversation Panel, moderated by Gina Mintzer, LGRCC executive director, featured:

For just over 10 years, Alexander Bodensieck ran his tax preparation services as a side business, focusing primarily on friends and family. However, in September 2025, AVB Taxes was established as a full-time venture in the Glens Falls area. The transition was prompted by Bodensieck’s genuine fascination with the complexity of tax law and a desire to serve those often overlooked by larger firms.

Bodensieck began his career after graduating from Nazareth College in Rochester and qualifying as a CPA. While working at an accounting firm, he realized that he enjoyed tax work more than audit work. “I could talk forever about taxes, just because they are fascinating,” Bodensieck said. He notes that this enthusiasm creates the perfect pairing with clients who “really don’t want to deal with it.”

While AVB Taxes started with personal returns, the business quickly developed key specialties. One core niche is rental real estate. Bodensieck’s personal experience owning a rental property led him to recognize that “a ton of help is needed” in preparing Schedule E returns for landlords.

Another significant focus is on startups and small businesses, an area often ignored by larger firms. Bodensieck explains that bigger accounting firms “won’t take on those people as clients just because the amount of work that they need is higher than what they really want to tolerate.”

AVB Taxes focuses strictly on income tax, referring clients to partner firms for sales tax and payroll services. He also connects clients with trusted lawyers and financial advisors for related needs.

Bodensieck aims to alleviate the fear and stress that clients experience when organizing their records. He is prepared to start from a blank slate—whether it’s a QuickBooks file, bank statement exports or a digital folder replacing the traditional shoebox. Bodensieck says, “I want to alleviate the fear of, What do I do with all this information?”

By Rod Bacon

Foodies in the Glens Falls area have a new choice in the plethora of culinary options. 

On October 23, Fire Mission Smokehouse & Taproom opened at 126 Glen Street, specializing in Texas-style barbecue.

The restaurant is owned by United States Marine Corps veterans Kris and Heather March and business partner Justin Prescott, who is a veteran of the United States Army.

A Connecticut native, Kris March served first as an infantryman and later an explosive ordinance disposal technician in the Marines from 1997 to 2016, retiring with the rank of staff sergeant. He was deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan before postings stateside. One of these was Quantico, Virginia, where he met Heather.

A field radio operator, she had been posted in Okinawa, Japan, prior to being assigned to Quantico.

The couple had several postings in the U.S., the longest of which was in San Diego, California. 

Heather grew up in Fort Ann, which drew the them to the area when they retired from the Marines. 

By Paul Post

Drivers, start your engines!

Former professional race car driver Jeremy Treadway has just the thing for people who feel the need for speed.

Cars buzzing around an indoor quarter-mile track are one of many fun offerings at ADK Karting Experience, a huge new entertainment complex at Aviation Mall’s former Sears store site. Visitors may also test their skills on racing simulators, play glow-in-the-dark miniature golf or choose from a wide variety of challenging arcade games.

“It’s this end of the building that needed help, needed to be revitalized,” said the 46-year-old Treadway, a Ticonderoga native. “We’re excited. The traffic flow is going to be huge. It’s good for the mall, it’s great for Queensbury.”

He started racing in Karts, at age 12, and won a world championship in Ireland a year later. “From there we kind of spiked up through the ranks,” he said. “When I was 15 I was too young to race in the United States because it had a law that you had to be 18 at the time. So I raced in Canada.”

“Sports Car Club of America changed their age limit to 16 because of me and started a program called First Gear,” Treadway said.

The Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES broke ground Nov. 12 on its Vision 2027: Future-Focused Facilities project. The announcement was made in a recent press release from the organization.

The groundbreaking marks a major step toward a modern, centralized K–12 instructional campus designed to expand hands-on learning and student support. The ceremony brought together component school superintendents, WSWHE BOCES board members, regional legislators, workforce development partners, students and staff to celebrate the start of construction.

The project stems from the WSWHE BOCES 2023 Strategic Plan and facilities study process, incorporating input from school superintendents, business officials, educators, and community and workforce partners. The New York State Education Department approved the project in August.

“This groundbreaking reinforces our commitment to creating modern instructional environments that equip students with the skills and confidence they need for success,” said Dr. Turina Parker, district superintendent of WSWHE BOCES. “Vision 2027 expands access to high-quality educational opportunities for students across our region and will benefit generations to come.”