January
• The year 2011 started out as a year of community unity and giving when the City of Cohoes threw together a fundraiser to benefit seven families who were displaced by an early morning Dec. 26 fire. On Jan. 2, the Cohoes-Waterford Elks Lodge hosted a fundraiser to support the seven families who were temporarily scattered throughout area hotels.
• Colonie Planning Department Chairman C.J. O’Rourke stepped down and the town appointed Peter Stuto to take his place on Thursday, Jan. 6. O’Rourke asked not to be reappointed because of problems he had with the department’s lack of development in the town and issues with Planning Department Director Joe LaCivita.
• The Capital District got a new service from the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) when Busplus was unveiled at the State of the Town address on Jan. 14 at Colonie Center. Busplus makes a 17-mile trip down Route 5 from Schenectady to Albany in only 18 stops and had a start date of early April. It was expected to cost about $36 million to implement.
• Eighth grade students from Sand Creek Middle School won several trophies at the National Engineer’s Week Future Cities Competition at Hudson Valley Community College on Jan. 22. The Engineering Club took away the “Rookie of the Year” award and “Best Air Transportation Design,” as well as $400. The project took 118 hours to complete and the end product was a “future city” that could exist in 2210 with 50,000 inhabitants.
• The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Albany pushed for peace and understanding across religions at an interfaith symposium on Jan. 30 at the Hindu Community Center on Albany-Shaker Road in Colonie. The seminar, titled “In Pursuit of Peace and Harmony” brought together religious leaders of Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and Sikh backgrounds with the goal of promoting social and spiritual peace.
February
• The creator of the popular PostSecret craze, Frank Warren, visited the area on Feb. 8 for a talk at the University of Albany Performing Arts Center. Postsecret.com is a site where Warren publishes thousands of postcards he receives from people all over the world, including New Zealand, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and the U.S. Postcards are secrets people submit anonymously to air thoughts they feel they can’t talk to anyone about.
• Assemblyman Bob Reilly, D-Loudonville, has donated his salary for six years, and on Feb. 16, he announced 15 local organizations that would benefit from the $68,000 payday this year. Chosen organizations included the Shaker Society, Wildwood Program, Inc. and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
• Police made an arrest in a Valentine’s Day shooting at a bowling alley in Colonie on Feb. 16 when Christopher T. Mozone, 23, was charged with attempted murder in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal use of a firearm in the first degree and reckless endangerment in the first degree, all felonies, according to police reports. Mazone allegedly shot Haseim Townsend, 27, of Albany in the bar area at Redwood Lanes on Central Avenue after a physical confrontation involving several subjects, according to police reports. Townsend suffered non-life threatening injuries and was released from the hospital the following day, according to police reports.
• Guptill’s Arena, the longstanding establishment that houses a roller-skating rink, youth dance club and ice cream on Route 9 in Latham, celebrated its 60th year in business by giving patrons a free pass to skate between Feb. 18 and 27. The skating rink is documented as the largest skating rink in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.
• Students from Christine Balkwell’s eighth-grade class at Sand Creek Middle School surprised employees at Aeropostale in Colonie Center with 356 jeans for the retailer’s fourth Teens for Jeans Campaign on Feb. 16. The campaign is part of DoSomething.org and provides jeans for homeless teens across the U.S. The Colonie Aeropostale had a goal of collecting 250 jeans but with the students’ donation reached 700.
• Sadness and outrage swept the North Colonie School District when the Board of Education voted unanimously on Feb. 17 to close Maplewood Elementary School. The decision was one that had been researched and discussed since November.
March
• Former President Bill Clinton visited the area on March 2 when he gave a talk to a packed audience at the SEFCU Arena at the University of Albany. Clinton spoke for over an hour and discussed what he achieved as president and what he’s doing now. He also emphasized “knowledge is power.”
• The South Colonie School District faced off against the Colonie Police Department on March 4 for a charity basketball game to benefit the Amy Tisa Memorial Charity. The funds raised would benefit Caryn Anderson and her children, who had recently lost their father unexpectedly. The previous year, the charity game had raised $6,000 for another local family.
• The Town of Colonie took another step in becoming energy efficient when the Town Board voted unanimously on March 10 to work with National Grid to replace light bulbs and fixtures in Town Hall for a projected yearly savings of $10,866. The idea came after the town created an energy committee to look at ways to reduce energy costs to the town.
• Police discovered a meth lab operating out of a home on Loudon Road after executing a search warrant on March 14, according to police reports. Miguel A. Manriquez, 23, was arrested on March 14 and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree and unlawful manufacturing of methamphetamine in the third degree, both felonies, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Several children—a 3-week-old, 2-year-old and 5- or 6-year-old—were living at the residence, according to police reports. The search warrant that led to the discovery was issued after a patrol officer observed residents of the home acting suspiciously and discovered unusual items near a trash fire, according to police reports.
• Verizon FiOS became an option for Colonie residents when the Town Board voted unanimously on March 24 to accept the contract that would bring the service to town. Supervisor Paula Mahan said it would bring “much-needed competition” to the town since Time Warner Cable has been the only cable service in Colonie for several years.
• A second-grader from Henry Johnson Charter School, Nick Koopman, 7, collected $525 for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and on March 25 presented the check to the American Red Cross Relief Fund for Japan.
• Jack Cunningham found out he could no longer serve as commissioner of the Town of Colonie’s Department of Public Works on March 31 after a ruling by the State of New York’s Appellate Court. The ruling stated that to hold the position of DPW commissioner the individual must be a resident of the town. Cunningham lives in Delmar. If the town adopted a resolution to clarify requirements for the position only be that the person reside in Albany County, which is what eventually happened, Cunningham would be able to be reappointed.
April
• County Executive Michael Breslin announced on April 12 that he would not seek a fifth term after serving for 16 years. Breslin was appointed Albany County executive in 1994 and elected to his first full term in November 1995.
• Colonie youth joined forces to clean up the town on April 16 as part of Global Youth Services Day. The kids cleaned up parks, heritage societies and senior housing during the largest service event in the area. Volunteers spent time at the Albany County Nursing Home, American Red Cross, Schuyler Flat Cultural Park and Sheehy Manor where they performed tasks like yard work, cleaning and painting.
• It was a cloth diaper changing extravaganza at Sonrise Diaper Service in Latham on April 23 when 35 families got together to try to break a world record. The Great Cloth Diaper Change was part of a worldwide event where people would try to set a record for the most number of cloth diaper changes to happen at the same time, with people on the East Coast starting to change diapers at noon.
May
• The United Public Service Employees Union filed a lawsuit against the Town of Colonie on May 3 in response to the April termination of former Colonie Fire Protection Specialist Daniel Torpey and former Civil Engineer John Reardon over residency requirements. The lawsuit contested that Reardon and Torpey should be considered public employees, not public officers, which would make residency a non-issue.
• With the backing of county Democrats, Albany County Legislature Chair Dan McCoy on May 12 announced his run for county executive in Washington Park. McCoy said the need for a “better and more effective government” played into his decision to seek the position.
• Voters in the North and South Colonie School Districts passed both budgets on May 17. South Colonie passed a $91.1 million budget that included a 1.99 percent spending increase and 2.93 percent property tax increase over the previous year. North Colonie passed a $92.9 million budget with a property tax increase of 2.97 percent and $4 million in reductions and savings.
• The Shaker Heritage Society unveiled a new footbridge on May 19 that would provide a connection between the Meeting House and the Barn, two structures that are heavily used for special events and programs. A $5,000 grant from Albany County and donations from Faddegon’s Building and Remodeling funded the bridge. Previously, people had to walk down the road and around a stream to get from site to site.
June
• Albany County Sheriff James Campell announced on June 2 that he was ending his 21 years of service by retiring, effective June 23. Campbell, 71, had been with the sheriff’s department for a total of 45 years. Undersheriff Craig Apple would step in to serve as sheriff until a special election could be held.
• Town Board member Bob Becker announced on June 7 that he would not be running for reelection, citing less time in politics and more time with his children as reasons for his decision.
• The results of the nearly yearlong Route 5 Corridor Study were presented on June 9 by Colonie Senior Planner Mike Lyons. Supervisor Paula Mahan commissioned the study to look at what resources the town has available to it and what the redevelopment possibilities are. The study looked at inventory for land use, lot size, infrastructure and environmental resources along the corridor.
• The Constantine Farm held its first Pink Day on June 11 to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. It also sold a special hydrangea called “Invincibelle Spirit” throughout the month and donated $1 from each sale of it to breast cancer research.
• Sgt. Robert A. Domenici of the 287th Infantry, a South Colonie grad, was awarded the Purple Heart on June 15 at the base in Kandahar, Afghanistan. During his second tour of Afghanistan, Domenici was on dismounted patrol when a solder in front of him stepped on an IED, setting off an explosion, and Domenici suffered a traumatic brain injury that took several weeks to recover from.
