Transportation, Mobility and Commuting
Local leaders are asking the state to hurry up and start the trains to Saratoga Springs in early July to make sure people from New York City can get to SPAC and the track when they open, the Post-Star is reporting. The Ethan Allen line runs from from NYC to Rutland, Vt., with a stop in Saratoga Springs. The line is scheduled to reopen July 19, after the track season begins, the paper is reporting. Leaders would also like to see a commuter route from the Schenectady station to Saratoga Springs in the future, the story says.
Human Resources, Employees and Management
Bookings are up in Lake George Village, but employees are way down, the Albany Business Journal is reporting. They talk to Vinnie Crocitto Jr. who owns three hotels in Lake George with his family, and they are looking at staffing shortages from the lack of international workers, and people on unemployment who wish to stay that way.
See our EXCLUSIVE coverage of an Albany-to-LG shuttle, here.
Government, Law and Legal Services
The South Glens Falls Central School District is adding an HR director and cutting three elementary school teachers, all while raising taxes, on average, about $17 per person, the Post-Star is reporting. Under the proposed budget, the school system would add about $4.3 million, bringing the total to $64.3 million. The three teaching positions lost are currently unfilled.
Commercial Real Estate
Also in the ABJ, the owner of Sundowner Hotel and other properties in the Lake George area was ready to throw in the towel and sell everything last year after the loss of his mother, a catastrophic fire and the coronavirus pandemic. By January 2021, he changed course and is doubling down on the area, investing between $1 million and $1.5 million in 130 hotel rooms. Some will get kitchenettes, a reflection of the idea that people who are used to Airbnb, want a home-like experience, the story says.