Editor’s Note: The following is a recap of news in the town of Clifton Park and its surrounding areas from the second half of 2008. A recap of the first six months of 2008 appeared last week, Dec. 26. To view Spotlight Newspapers’ Year in Pictures 2008, click the link below
https://www.spotlightnews.com/gallery/view_all.php?category=In%20Your%20Community
July
The Malta Town Board passes legislation to allow residents living in R-1 residential zones to apply for permission to keep horses on their property. The equestrian use law requires applicants have at least 3 acres of land with a minimum of 200 feet of road frontage and at least 50-foot setbacks from neighboring properties for all buildings. The decision came after months of lobbying by Jim and Mary Pellerin, who were shocked to learn they were not allowed to keep a horse for their daughter on their 10 acres on East Line Road.
A late-night fire ravages three businesses along Route 50 near Lakehill Road in Burnt Hills. The Burnt Hills Fire Department says the fire likely originated in the Hott Tropics Tanning Salon, which is destroyed. The two other businesses, a Dunkin’ Donuts and Reflections Hair Salon, suffer water and smoke damage.
Ground is broken on the Halfmoon Family Park. The project, which was in the works for nine years, is located on Route 236 on a 50-acre parcel of land and will be built at an estimated cost of $6 million. With hopes for a spring 2010 opening, the park will feature pavilions with restrooms, a clubhouse, soccer fields, recreation areas and trails.
The Ballston Spa School District mourns the death of William R. Scott, founder of the school’s football program, longtime coach and namesake of the Scotties sports teams. He founded the football program in 1940 and retired from the post of athletic director in 1976, but helped at football and baseball practices until 1999. He was 97.
Ground is broken on an expansion to the David R. Meager Community Center in the Town of Malta. The $6.1 million project will add a gymnasium, fitness room, media center and Round Lake Library branch to the building. In December of 2007, the expansion was subject to a public referendum when residents presented a petition objecting to the cost, but it ultimately won voter approval. The town hopes to open the expansion in September 2009.
August
Hollywood comes to Ballston Spa as the Ballston Spa Business and Professionals Association hosts the village’s first film festival. Though the municipality doesn’t have a movie theater, films are shown outdoors at Wiswall Park and in the Malta Avenue School. Former Hollywood residents Daniel DeFabio, Nicole Coady and Eric Vollweiler organized the event, which features short films from both local artists and world-renowned filmmakers.
The Town of Malta accepts the supplemental environmental impact statement for a proposed AMD microchip manufacturing plant in the Luther Forest Technology Campus. The unanimous vote brings the project one step closer to approval.
A primary election in the 20th Congressional District is ruled out when the state Board of Elections throws out signatures on the petitions of Republicans John Wallace and Michael Rocque, leaving them short of the 1,250 signatures needed to appear on the September ballot for the right to challenge incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson. The displaced candidates say that technicalities forced legitimate signatures off their lists, but adhere to the decision. Their petitions had been challenged by the only other Republican in the race, Alexander `Sandy` Treadwell.
In the same process, the petition of Saratoga Springs Supervisor Joanne Yepsen, Democrat, is left 32 signatures short in her bid to seek the 43rd Senate District seat vacated by Joseph Bruno, leaving Brian Premo and Mike Russo to battle it out in the primary. Yepsen also objects to the board calling out `hyper-technicalities` in her signatures and files a motion to validate. Despite having her day in court, not enough decisions are reversed to complete her petition.
The Saratoga Springs School District fires an English teacher nearly one year after he was placed on administrative leave for `inappropriate conduct` with a 14-year-old female student. Mark Oppenneer, 37, allegedly pursued the relationship during the spring semester of the 2006-2007 school year and through the following summer. The relationship was not physical in nature, but Oppenneer sent more than 100 communications by e-mail, instant messenger and MySpace.
Preparations for the new school year take an unexpected turn at the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School District when coats of gym floor finish neglect to dry in gyms at the high school and middle school. It takes two months for the district to fix the problem, during which time sports teams are bused to other locations. The repairs and associated costs ultimately create an $80,000 bill for the district, which they hope to recover from Wisconsin-based Essential Industries, maker of the floor finish.
The Town of Malta signs off on planned development district legislation regarding zoning in the Luther Forest Technology Campus, clearing the way for AMD to obtain construction permits to build multiple chip fabrication facilities at a then-estimated cost of $3.2 billion. Some residents say they feel the legislation does not provide enough protection for the town, but others express delight at the prospect of growth in Saratoga County.
September
The Sept. 9 primary election culls a large field of candidates into frontrunners for the upcoming general election. Roy McDonald easily wins the Republican nod in the race for the 43rd District Senate seat vacated by Joseph Bruno, and Democrats pick Mike Russo to run against him. In the 112th Assembly District, two political newcomers emerge as frontrunners: Republican Tony Jordan and Democrat Ian McGaughey.
A hard-fought race for the 110th District State Democratic Committee seat ends with incumbent Shawn Thomas retaining his position. His challenger, Patrick Southworth, came just 172 votes short of deposing him.
The City of Saratoga Springs rolls out preliminary plans to develop a 4.6-acre parcel of waterfront property off of Crescent Avenue into a park. It was part of the 2009 capital programs budget, and was the costliest item at $1.33 million, with another $545,000 investment suggested for 2010. Plans call for a beach and swimming area, boat launch and natural amphitheatre.
Clifton Park adopts changes to its leash law that will keep dogs leashed except when on the owner’s property or in one of two parks in town. More of a clarification than an outright change, the law had been subject to much public discussion before its passage. Under the law, dog owners must purchase a $30 license to allow their pets off-leash at Mary Jane Row Dog Park (where the fee was already required) or at Kinns Road Park.
Town of Ballston Supervisor Patti Southworth changes her political affiliation from Democratic to Independence Party on Sept. 10. The freshman supervisor says her decision was long in coming, and had no relation to her husband’s failed bid for the 11th District State Democratic Committee chair.
Carney’s, a historic restaurant and tavern in Ballston Lake, sets a late-September date to close its doors amid failing negotiations with the state Department of Environmental Conservation over its septic system. Carney’s has been in business since 1982, but found itself paying more than $900 every week to have its wastewater hauled away when it couldn’t afford the costly system the DEC wanted installed. An outpouring of support from residents and letters from Sen. Hugh Farley, R-Niskayuna and Assemblyman James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, bring the DEC back to the table, though, and Carney’s is still in business.
Thomas Filion, 68, of Saratoga Springs, a man who was accused of grabbing the penis of a 15-year-old boy in the showers of the Saratoga YMCA in November of 2007, pleads guilty to several charges, including a count of sexual abuse.
The Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library is granted LEED certification, an official recognition of its `green` design and energy-saving features. Opened in December of 2006, many parts of the library were constructed with recycles materials and the structure saves an estimated $66,000 per year in energy expenses.
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces it will be ending 2008 in the black, despite a 9 percent decline in attendance during its classical season. SPAC officials attribute decreased attendance to a slowing economy and poor weather in the early summer.
October
Chipmaker AMD commits to building a $4.5 billion manufacturing facility at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta. Along with the news came the announcement of a restructuring of the company. AMD’s manufacturing elements, including the Malta facility, are to be spun off into a new entity, The Foundry Company, which is be heavily supported by foreign investment from a United Arab Emirates-backed company. In addition, AMD sells off stock to an Abu Dhabi-based investor amidst financial troubles. Local officials praise the commitment, and AMD looks toward a groundbreaking in 2009.
Later in the month, it is revealed that AMD will be offering Malta and Stillwater $5 million in grants. About $1 million is to be set aside to construct recreational fields in LFTC, $1 million is to go to Stillwater and the remaining $3 million is to be paid out to Malta over the course of the plant’s construction.
The Town of Malta cuts the ribbon on its ecological park, host to three-quarters of a mile of trails and informational signage. The 188 acres of open space was acquired in 2005, and the plan is to expand the trail system in the future, hooking up with a heron rookery and large fishing pond further back in the woods.
The East Side Recreation Football Field in the City of Saratoga Springs is dedicated as the Beau Kilmer field, in honor of the longtime Pop Warner coach and former recreation commission chairman. Kilmer also served as a deputy commissioner for the city and retired as the superintendent of public works in 2001.
The City Council of Saratoga Springs teeters on a decision to step up installation of a new phone system in municipal buildings, including city hall, voting a resolution down one week and adopting it the next. Commissioner of Public Works Anthony Scirocco reversed his original vote. By spending more money now, the city hopes to save $70,000 in the phone upgrades. There was significant discussion about the investment in light of possible cuts in the 2009 budget.
The Town of Clifton Park returns the 125-year-old Grace Episcopal Church bell back to Jonesville. It is placed in the Jonesville Cemetery, seated in a tower donated by the Hinman Construction Company.
November
The general election shakes up the rosters of representatives in Saratoga County. Republican Assemblyman Roy McDonald cruises to a win in the 43rd Senate District, upgrading his seat and replacing outgoing majority leader Joseph Bruno.
Political newcomer Tony Jordan, a Republican attorney hailing from Jackson, fills McDonald’s vacated seat in the 112th Assembly District. He defeats Democrat choice Ian McGaughey with 57 percent of the vote in one of the closest races in the area.
Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, has no trouble holding on to her seat in Congress. She beats out challenger Alexander `Sandy` Treadwell with 62 percent of the vote.
Robert Reilly, D-Newtonville, also holds on to his Assembly seat representing the 109th District. He defeats John Wasielewski by a comfortable margin.
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces that its time spent hosting the New York City Ballet will be reduced from two weeks to one in July 2009. SPAC and NYCB lost a combined $2.3 million during the 2008 residency amidst a 6 percent drop in ballet attendance.
A social worker who worked with the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School District is arrested on charges she forged her credentials. Maria Geizer, 38, of Grand Central Avenue in Saratoga Springs, worked as a social worker at Charlton Heights Elementary School from 1999 to 2003, then at the Richard O’Rourke Middle School from 2003 to 2007. She was charged with unauthorized practice, grand larceny in the second degree and criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, all felonies.
Gov. David Paterson announces that the state is facing a budget crisis of cataclysmic proportions, predicting that in four years the deficit will total $47 billion. He proposes a $5.2 billion reduction plan that includes a $585 million mid-year reduction in school aid, causing districts across the Capital District to grit their teeth. Inaction in the legislature causes Paterson to push such cuts into his 2009 budget, though.
Thomas Fillion, who pleaded guilty to sexual abuse charges in September, is sentenced to three months in Saratoga County jail, 10 years of probation and lifetime enrollment on the sex offender registry. District Attorney Jim Murphy balks at the sentence, calling the jail time `inadequate.`
Paid parking is put on the table in Saratoga Springs as the city examines three proposals from area developers for a public safety building and parking garage behind city hall. Two of the proposals include a cinema, housing and retail space, and suggest the city begin charging for downtown parking at some scale in order to pay for construction. The city is still examining its options.
Saratoga Springs passes a 2009 budget that plans for a 50 percent reduction in video lottery terminal aid from the state, amounting to a $1.9 million shortfall. Though the city says it will continue to lobby for the retention of the aid, the budget makes cuts across the board, including the elimination of jobs. The city also dips into its $4 million reserve in order to avoid a tax hike.
December
The Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency approves $27.8 million in sales tax breaks pertaining to the construction of AMD’s manufacturing facility in the Town of Malta. Of the seven-member IDA board, only one opposed the motion. Charles Hanehan, a Town of Saratoga councilman, said that the county could use the revenue and that the $1.2 billion AMD is getting from the state should be enough.
An early contender in the November 2009 race for Saratoga County Sheriff makes his presence known. Michael DiGioacchino, a South Corinth resident who works as a corrections officer in Schenectady County, says he wants to toughen up Saratoga County Jail to make it a more effective crime deterrent. Sheriff James Bowen, who took office in 1972, did not reply to DiGioacchino’s statement.
Voters in the Ballston Spa School District vote down a referendum to make upgrades and expansions at the district’s middle school, 843-to-1,664.
The Village Board of Ballston Spa approves a resolution supporting efforts to make the village a `fair trade town,` the final step required for certification. The fair trade designation on a product means that the buyer can be confident that the producer was paid a fair wage for his or her work, and they have become increasingly more available in the village.
Residents across the Capital District awake on Friday, Dec. 12, to find the area pummeled by an ice storm. Over 260,000 homes and businesses are without power and roads are blocked by fallen tress. The damage is particularly heavy in southern Saratoga County, where states of emergency are declared in Halfmoon, Stillwater and Clifton Park.
Days after the Saratoga Springs planning board approves a site plan for an indoor recreation center, the city is sued by a group of residents on claims it did not follow proper procedure. Friends of the South Side Park (the site of the proposed facility) seek to challenge the project’s environmental review, zoning and contend that the project was never placed on the city’s six-year capital program, violating the city charter.
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