The state Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 18 varied properties to the state and national Registers of Historic Places, including a former one-room schoolhouse in Greenwich, Washington County.
State and National Registers listing can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.
Greenwich School District School No. 11, Center Falls, opened in the 1850s. The one-room schoolhouse served one of the mill hamlets that developed along the Battenkill River during the 19th century. The school closed in 1944 and is currently vacant.
It is located at the intersection of Ryan Road and Route 29 in the Center Falls area of Washington County.

By Christine Graf
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties has started construction of a new home at 9 Hovey St. in Glens Falls. The property was purchased from the city of Glens Falls for $1,000.
The project follows one in Saratoga Springs, at 8 Locust Grove, which was affected by COVID-19, but nonetheless completed in 2020.
“We took over a blighted, asbestos-ridden, foreclosed on home,” said Habitat for Humanity executive director Adam Feldman of the Glens Falls property. “We had to do asbestos remediation and tear down the home. There was a boatload of expense.”

By Lisa Balschunat
Use of online classes and parking lots kept some clients of local gyms and fitness centers participating in their exercise routines, but the lack of social connection was an important element that was lacking during the shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
The state recently allowed gyms to reopen in late August. They had been closed since March 16.
“Our members are coming back to the Y to get back into their daily routines, but in addition to the exercise, they are back because they’ve missed their friends and the socialization that happens here everyday,” said Brian Bearor, chief executive officer of the Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Area marina owners are fondly calling this the “summer of boating” as the 2020 season comes to an end. Many are saying they never could have anticipated the high demand for marina use the past few months have brought during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From experienced boaters to rookies, those in the business said the season brought an unprecedented amount of people to water in search of a summer escape.
In Bolton Landing, Norowal Marina manager Sean Loonan said business has been non-stop since early spring. He believes the demand will continue well into the fall.

State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras has named SUNY Empire State College Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief Operating Officer Beth Berlin as officer-in-charge at SUNY Empire State following Malatras’ appointment as SUNY chancellor.
Working with senior leadership at SUNY Empire, Berlin will continue the work begun under President Malatras to reform and streamline the college’s operations to enhance the student experience, increase access to higher education for more students, raise the public profile of the college, and build a solid financial foundation for future growth, college officials said.
The SUNY Empire College Council will begin planning a presidential search immediately.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County and the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce will co-host a Virtual Taste NY Producer Showcase on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Officials said the event will be the first of its kind in the state. The two-hour online event, offered in partnership with Taste NY and NYS Grown & Certified, will provide a unique opportunity for New York food and beverage producers to connect with area food buyers.
The event will help these businesses to expand their reach in the marketplace that, in many cases, has been affected due to the nationwide pandemic.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon.

By Lisa Balschunat
Patience was the name of the game for bowling centers in New York state. Some 200 lanes statewide were given the green light from the governor’s office to reopen recently with strict COVID-19 requirements in place.
Doug Bohannon, owner of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center in South Glens Falls and president of the New York State Bowling Proprietors Association, said many bowling centers within the association already had COVID-19 requirements in place because the original lift date for bowling centers was July 1.