July
• At the monthly County Legislature meeting on July 8, lawmakers approved hiring Downstate nursing home administrators Lowell Feldman, Martin Liebman and Larry Slatky. If approved, Slatky would be the day-to-day operator of the Colonie facility and work on ways to raise money for the home, legislators said. The legislature also voted to move $2.4 million from a contingency fund to keep the nursing home afloat through the end of August.
• The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court sided with the Town of Colonie July 3 in the appeal of a lawsuit that had been leveled by Albany County Comptroller Michael Conners and other residents challenging the town’s landfill operating agreement. Conners contended the operating agreement between the two parties was in fact a lease agreement, but the court ruled that claim was “without merit.”
• Residents voiced concerns about the number of motels on Central Avenue. The busy Route 5 corridor is home to 22 hotels and motels in a less than seven-mile strip, and the town planned to implement a policy that would force developers to secure a special use permit if they want to expand or build. Town Attorney Mike Magguilli said this would be a burdensome process, and the hope is for commercial and retail to step in instead.
• A check run by Albany County Department of Public Works Traffic Safety Education Programs, Capital Region Safe Kids, the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and Crossgates Mall was one of several that took place throughout the year aimed at teaching parents how to safely install their child’s car seat. While Albany County Executive Dan McCoy called the 55 incorrectly installed car seats on July 17 an “eye opener,” Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor Bill Van Alstyne said the tally was not surprising.
• After a second public hearing on July 25, the Colonie Town Board voted unanimously to pass a local law that would regulate the expansion and construction of hotels and motels along Central Avenue. The new legislation makes the process of trying to expand or rehabilitate existing Central Avenue hotels and motels a burdensome process, town officials said.
• Activists stood outside of the Albany County Courthouse voicing their concerns about keeping hydrofracking waste off the streets of Albany County. The small group rallied shortly before a scheduled public hearing July 23 on proposed Local Law C, which, if passed, would ban the use of hydrofracking waste for de-icing on winter roads in Albany County. Legislator Bryan Clenahan, the law’s primary sponsor, joined the activists.
• Colonie Town Supervisor Paula Mahan announced on July 31 the town is constructing two dog parks, with one at the Colonie Mohawk River Park and the other on town property adjacent to the Colonie Town Golf Course. The dog parks will provide a place for canines to run unleashed within a fenced-in area.
• The former state police barracks in Latham is getting a second life as Siena College unveiled the school’s newest addition at the end of July. The Troop G Headquarters on Route 9 was vacated last November as the troopers moved into their new facility. Siena College then purchased the 2,800-square-foot property and remodeled it to make room for the school’s administration.
August
• After only five years at its original location, the Habitat for Humanity Capital District ReStore outgrew its home on North Pearl Street in Albany and will be opening new, much larger doors on Fuller Road this month. Volunteers and staff members were working to convert a former lumber warehouse into 24,000 square feet of retail space by mid-August.
• Lord & Taylor will return to Crossgates Mall under new ownership, with plans to open its doors in the fall of 2014. Construction on the new two-story, 100,000-square-foot department store will begin in January. The store will occupy space once used by Macy’s before it moved to the west side of the mall to replace Filene’s. Lord & Taylors’ return to Crossgates will make it the retailer’s 12th location in the state.
• The Albany County Legislature passed a local law to keep hydrofracking waste out of the county. Local Law C, which passed by a vote of 30-7, bans the use of hydrofracking waste for de-icing wintry roads in the county and prohibits the treatment of fracking brine in the county’s wastewater and sewage treatment facilities.
• Two candidates are gearing up their campaigns for the Albany County Legislature’s 14th District. The district encompasses the entire Village of Menands, parts of the City of Watervliet and a part of Colonie. The position became vacant in February when Democrat Phil Steck moved from the legislature to the Assembly in January. Democrat Alison McLean Lane was appointed to fill the vacancy and is now running for the full term against Republican Mark Lansing.
• South Colonie struck a deal with Rensselaer-based Monolith Solar that could see a total of 5,700 solar panels installed on the roofs of its eight schools and the Transportation Department offices by next year. The project is contingent on the award of a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority grant.
September
• Despite recently naming Colonie as one of the most fiscally stressed municipalities in the state, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has released a report saying the town has improved its financial situation significantly in the recent years.
• Republican candidate for Colonie town supervisor Todd Drake has laid out a platform that chiefly targets the town’s finances and calls for an end to “one-party rule,” a scant few years after the GOP effectively exercised singular control of town government.
• Colonie Supervisor Paula Mahan proposed a tentative 2014 town budget that, if adopted unchanged, would raise property taxes for the average homeowner by about $10.96. The 8-cent increase per $1,000 of assessed property value would fall within the state’s tax cap. Although the general property tax would increase by more than 11 cents, that would be offset by decreases in areas, such as the election tax.
October
• Colonie’s Mohawk Riverside Landing Park is officially open for public use, a milestone that was marked with a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony. A small crowd gathered on Oct. 3, at the park located in Latham on River Road to celebrate the opening. Colonie Town Supervisor Paula Mahan was there to cut the ribbon.
• In stepping up his campaign for Colonie town supervisor, Republican candidate Todd Drake took aim at his rival’s handling of town finances. On Oct. 2 at the Colonie Town Hall, Drake discussed the effectiveness and transparency of Supervisor Paula Mahan’s administration, focusing specifically on the supervisor’s often referenced 10-year fiscal plan.
• The first of two town dog parks opened Oct. 11, near the Mohawk River Park at 71 Schermerhorn Road. The night before, at a meeting of the Town Board, a new fee schedule for the Town Clerk’s Office was approved for dog licensing.
• The Village of New Loudon project came before the Colonie Planning Board on Oct. 8. Daniel Clarey, of Clarey Development Services, LLC addressed the board concerning four different amendments he said were necessary due to changes in the housing market and the building process. The top issue that needed to be addressed was confusion over whether the project was made up of condominiums or townhomes. The issue is delaying construction of the Loudon Road development.
• On Oct. 17, the group Grannies for Peace held a peace vigil against the use of drones by standing on the corner of Wolf Road and Central Avenue in Colonie. The grannies all wore shirts that read, “Grannies Against Drones” and held up signs that said “diplomacy not drones,” “build peace not drones” and “Grannies say no to drones.”
• New York State troopers are now keeping in contact and responding to emergencies with the help of a state-of-the-art communication section at Troop G’s recently finished barracks in Latham. On Oct. 23, the New York State troopers gave a peek into the finished communication section (COMSEC) at the Troop G headquarters on Route 7 in Latham, which has been open for nearly a year. Troop G is responsible for covering a 10-county area.
• Town of Colonie Supervisor Paula Mahan focused on her track record during a debate against her opponent, Todd Drake. But so did her challenger. The Oct. 30 debate was held for the candidates running for supervisor and town board. Mahan and Drake discussed a number of issues facing the town.
November
• On election night, Nov. 6, Supervisor Paula Mahan was re-elected for her fourth term with nearly 60 percent of the votes, beating out Republican candidate Todd Drake.
• The Colonie Town Board approved an $83.1 million budget for 2014. A slight increase in taxes is included in the budget. On Nov. 7, the town voted to pass the budget, which included a 1.54 percent increase but remainsed under the two percent tax-cap. The increase will cost the average homeowner $10.96 more a year.
• A local developer is hoping to build a sports complex next to Memory Gardens, a memorial park on Watervliet-Shaker Road, but opponents say such a move would destroy the serenity of the place. Much of the outcry from the public and Memory Gardens’ board of directors stems from concerns that cheering crowd noise could interrupt a funeral service or a solemn moment as someone is paying respects to a loved one.
• South Colonie Central School District was one of 60 schools in the country to be awarded a federal grant for its physical education department. The district was awarded $1.7 million as part of the Carol M. White Physical Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant. The money will be distributed over the next three years.
• Siena College sent a satellite named Firefly, which is not much bigger than a football, into outer space. On Nov. 19, the cube satellite, created by Siena College students, faculty and engineers, hitched a ride on a Minotaur I rocket for the U.S. Air Force ORS-3 mission.
• Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced at a Nov. 19 news conference at the Times Union Center that benefits from a concert will go toward building a campus for veterans at the former site of the Ann Lee House in Albany County. On May 31, following an all-day block party, Brett Michaels, the Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels Band will perform at the Times Union Center to raise money for Soldier On.
• After three hours of deliberation, the Colonie Zoning Board of Appeals opted to allow attorneys for Memory Gardens and Afrim’s Sports more time to submit documents pertaining to a proposed sports complex next to the cemetery before making a final decision. The Nov. 21 meeting stretched long into the night, and the Public Operations Center on Old Niskayuna Road was filled to capacity with supporters and opponents of the contentious proposal.
December
• Albany County will become the first county in the state with a program to help juveniles earn money required to repay restitution for their crimes. On Dec. 3, at the Albany Family Courthouse, Albany County Executive DanMcCoy announced the new restorative justice program called Project Growth. The project goes into effect Jan. 1 and is a group effort among Albany County, Albany Family Court, the University at Albany, The College of Saint Rose, Capital City Rescue Mission and Central Avenue Business Improvement District.
• On the one-year anniversary of the Northway accident that killed two Shenendehowa students, injured another and also injured Shaker student Bailey Wind, students at both schools took the time to show that the connection between them remains strong. On Dec. 3, students at Shaker High School held a Remembrance Day by selling over 700 Shen green shirts. Shenendehowa had a similiar event at their school, selling roughly 500 Shaker blue shirts.
• The Colonie Police Supervisors Association agreed to a contract that would give them their first pay raise since 2011. The Town of Colonie Town Board voted unanimously on Dec. 10 for a resolution authorizing the supervisor to execute a Memorandum of Agreement between the Town of Colonie and the Colonie Police Supervisors Association.
• According to a recent survey conducted at the Albany International Airport, a majority of travelers overwhelmingly oppose the use of cell phones while in flight. A survey of 428 business and leisure travelers conducted Dec. 2-5 indicated that most passengers don’t want cell phone use to be allowed on airplanes. The survey comes as the Federal Communications Commission looks into whether or not to lift the ban on in-flight cell phone usage.
• The Town of Colonie held a meeting with residents to discuss the Sand Creek Road rehabilitation project, which is set to begin in the spring of 2014 and will be a complete overhaul of a portion of the road to deal with drainage issues. The Town Hall meeting at the West Albany Fire Station on Dec. 10 described the different phases of the $1.8 million project, which is part of the town’s 2014 Capital Plan, and how it will affect residents.
• Town officials argue that a Central Avenue motel is in such poor condition that they aim to shut it down. Town Attorney Michael Maggiulli executed a search warrant Dec. 16 to check on the living conditions at the motel. According to Maggiulli, a man fell through the floor injuring his foot or leg earlier in the month.
• Colonie recently received a new bond rating that decreased the town’s interest rate, a development that is projected to save nearly $200,000 in interest over the next seven years. The town’s bond rating of A- from Standard & Poors, which was announced Dec. 16, is an improvement from the previous rating of Baa1 from Moody’s Investor Services in 2010