Make Voting Easy Act passes
The New York State Assembly leader Carl Heastie announced yesterday that the act that will give Saratoga Springs an early voting location has passed out of the Assembly. According to the Assembly website, the "Make Voting Easy Act" passed out of the Assembly June 10 and was returned to the Senate. The Senate has been looking at an identical bill. [See our coverage, here.]
GGFT, CDTA sharing bus drivers
Greater Glens Falls Transit and the Capital District Transportation Authority are in talks to share bus drivers this summer, as GGFT faces the same labor shortages as other employers in the region, officials have said. For now, they are not releasing details.
GGFT Transportation Director Scott Sopczyk confirmed yesterday that the Glens Falls bus company is having “a very difficult time recruiting drivers” this year, and that the situation is not improving as the summer begins.
He said he is in talks with people on the CDTA side. They are working on particulars that are being finalized, adding that it is not appropriate to talk about the details at this time. He expects to bring a plan to the Glens Falls Common Council at their June 22 meeting, he said.
Jaime Watson, a spokesperson for CDTA, said that they are discussing seasonal service but little more could be said, mentioning that the talks are down to "logistical details at this point.”
Glens Falls Mayor Dan Hall said last month that he is happy the negotiations are moving forward.
“We’re trying to hire drivers,” Hall said at a ribbon cutting event. CDTA officials were there at the time. “Maybe we can tap into some of their resources.”
[Read about the bike share event here.]
Ribbon Cuttings in Schuylerville
Steve Thurston (2021)
Dr. Jacob Merryman cuts the ribbon on his new dental practice. His children and his wife, Veronika (behind him, to his right) cheer.
Amigos Restaurant, Merryman Family Dentistry, Revibe Gifts & Wellness and Schuyler Yacht Basin’s canoe and kayak rentals each got their turn clipping the green ribbon along Broad Street.
Revibe’s owner Danielle Meyers said Schuylerville barely had a business community 20 years ago, and look at them now. She attributed the better business environment to a strong school system and solid direction from mayor Dan Carpenter.
Rob Chrust, of Amigos Restaurant, said the establishment, in business since 2007, survived the pandemic with carry-out orders and had a small fire that could have been much worse just before they reopened to indoor seating last week.
For Dr. Jacob Merryman, the return to Schuylerville was a homecoming, of sorts, his wife Veronika Merryman said. They both grew up on Pearl Street in Schuylerville and have known each other almost since birth. Though they live in Greenwich, she said, for their business they like the bustle of Schuylerville and its proximity to the Northway and through-traffic on Route 29.
Jack Yeaton, of Schuyler Yacht Basin, has canoe, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for rent, along with stays in the container cottages he is building. [Read more about that, here.]
Eight winners in DRIVE
Eight businesses will be awarded forgivable loans as part of the Glens Falls DRIVE initiative. The Downtown Revitalization Initiative Venture Enterprise program was a way for the city to loan-then-forgive funds to small businesses inside the downtown core, or to those that would move to within--or start-up within--the core target district. The program especially aims to help businesses renovate, expand or build a space, officials said previously.
[See our earlier coverage, here.]
Payment on the loans will be deferred, officials said when it launched in January, but they are not automatically forgiven. A resolution passed Thursday morning by the Glens Falls Local Development Corporation, explains that awardees must follow the requirements of the initiative in order for the loan to be forgiven. The money comes from the state Home and Community Renewals fund, part of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding that the city won previously.
Winners include:
- Flight on South, $20,000 for furnishings and equipment.
- Sweet Beet Bistro, $20,000 for furnishings and equipment.
- Sidekick Creative, $15,000 for furnishings and equipment.
- Market at Park and Elm, $40,000 for gourmet market and food display equipment.
- Abby’s Cookie Jar, $20,000 for equipment.
- Lilian’s Bookstore, $40,000 for furnishings.
- Gamestarr Group, $40,000 for start-up capital and equipment.
- Worksmart, $40,000 for office furnishings.