From Lake Champlain - Lake George Regional Planning Board
May 7
Time is Running Out to Take Advantage of Low-Interest Small Business Loans
Forward Together: Lake Champlain – Lake George Regional Planning Board is Ready to Help with Small Business Recovery.
The Lake Champlain – Lake George Regional Planning Board has partnered with the Washington County LDC to offer low-interest loans to businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Businesses are eligible for loans from $25,000 - $150,000 at an unprecedented 1.9% for up to seven years. No application or closing costs, and the first 12-months are interest-only payments. Eligible business must be located in Warren, Washington, Hamilton, Essex, Clinton, St. Lawrence, Lewis, or Jefferson Counties.
Loans can be used for working capital, equipment purchase, or facility upgrades related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All applicants must show how their business has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funds may not be used to pay off existing debt, refinance other loans, or acquire a position in a business. Funds may also not be used to pay for any personal expenses, investments, or expansion of a business. No start-ups.
The deadline for the program is May 1, 2022, while funds last.
If interested, please contact the representative in the county in which your business resides:
Washington County: Deanna Derway, Washington County LDC, (518) 746-2295
Warren County: Jamie White, LCLGRPB, (518) 307-8674
For more information about small business assistance, visit https://lclgrpb.org/revolving-loan-fund/.
From SBA
May 10
The SBA Funds 16,000 Restaurant Revitalization Fund Awards
Courtesy Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin delivering economic relief from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, established by the American Rescue Plan and signed into law by President Joe Biden, to more than 16,000 approved applicants. This first round of funding represents over $2 billion of relief awarded since last Monday’s successful program launch. Restaurants and other food and beverage businesses across the nation will begin to see funds in bank accounts as early as Tuesday, May 11.
Under RRF, restaurants are eligible for funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue losses, capped at $10 million per business and $5 million per location. The SBA will continue to fund approved applications until all funds have been exhausted. SBA has prioritized a customer-centric approach to the delivery of economic aid, eliminating cumbersome application requirements, streamlining the application process, and by partnering with point-of-sale (POS) vendors to provide seamless ways to apply to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
Following the 21-day priority period, all eligible applications will be funded in the order in which they have been received. While the SBA will continue accepting applications from any eligible establishment until funds are exhausted, the number of applications received so far could exhaust the funds authorized to fund the RRF. Interested onsite food establishments may still apply through SBA-recognized POS vendors or directly via the SBA online application portal: https://restaurants.sba.gov.
From ROOST
May 6
ROOST Earns Three Tourism Excellence Awards
Courtesy ROOST (2021)
Troy, NY – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) wins three honors during the 2021 New York State Tourism Excellence Awards, recognizing the work the organization accomplished during 2020.
Destination marketing organizations, museums, attractions, and other tourism-related businesses from around New York State gathered virtually at 11:30 AM on Thursday, May 6 for the annual awards ceremony, hosted by the New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA). The awards were juried by an impartial panel of industry experts under the auspices of NYSTIA. This year, nominations for the awards were up 250% over 2019 and the judges were challenged by both the volume and the caliber of the entries.
During the ceremony, ROOST was recognized for how they redirected their efforts in 2020 to support local communities, while rising to the occasion to meet unprecedented health-related guidelines and special needs for both residents and travelers.
ROOST’s “Pathway Forward Strategy” took home awards in the categories of “Best COVID Response Marketing Effort to Pivot to Success” and “Most Significant COVID-Related Impact in Support of A Community and/or Local Businesses.”
Additionally, ROOST was recognized for “Excellence In Tourism Marketing” in the Public Relations category for the “Politely Adirondack” campaign.
"We have a really fantastic team and over the last year they've shown so much willingness to use their creativity to adapt our messaging and support our communities," said Mary Jane Lawrence, ROOST COO. "We live here, we're personally invested, and it means a lot to see the hard work rewarded."
From Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce and CVB
May 6
Ride On! Weekend celebrates Warren County’s mountain biking opportunities
Courtesy Warren County (2021)
Warren County’s extensive mountain biking opportunities will be highlighted during the first weekend in June with the return of Ride On! Weekend!
Partners from around Warren County have developed professionally built trail networks from Queensbury to North River that will be the site of two days of riding excitement June 5th and 6th.
This event showcases four distinct mountain biking destinations in Warren County, and gives riders an opportunity to earn a meal at a local eatery just for exploring the county’s renowned trail systems.
Drew Cappabianca, one of Ride On!’s organizers and founder of The Hub bike shop/café in Brant Lake, said the event will give a glimpse of what Warren County has to offer mountain bikers.
“Ten years ago there wasn’t a single mile of publicly accessible, purpose-built mountain bike trail in the county,” Cappabianca explained. “Now we have four different professional built trail systems. We created the Ride On! Weekend to showcase Warren County’s mountain biking opportunities and communities, and put Warren County on the map as a mountain biking destination.”
Warren County has become a riding hotspot in recent years thanks in part to these four single track trail systems that are located from the southern tip of the county in Queensbury to North Creek, North River and Brant Lake up north.
The Saturday, June 5 event features riding at Gurney Lane Bike Park in Queensbury, and at Brant Lake Bike Park in Brant Lake.
Lunch that day is provided by The Hub, right at the Brant Lake Bike Park trailhead!
Sunday, June 6th’s event features riding at Garnet Hill Lodge in North River, and Ski Bowl Park in North Creek.
For more information, click on www.rideonny.com or rideonny.wixsite.com/weekend.
Sponsors of the event include The Hub, Adirondack Cycling Advocates, Town of Johnsburg, Garnet Hill Lodge, Bike ADK and Wilderness Property Management.
From Glens Falls Hospital
May 5
Glens Falls Hospital Medical Staff Contribute $20,000 to Landon Del Toro Education Fund
Courtessy Glens Falls Hospital (2021)
Landon Del Toro receives a check to help with college costs after the death of his mother, a nurse at Glens Falls Hospital.
When Glens Falls Hospital lost Kristin Stevenson, RN, in a tragic accident during a snow storm this past winter, the understandable first reactions were shock, grief, anger at the loss of one so young and vibrant, and then mourning the loss of a beloved colleague, friend, mother, and partner.
Out of grief and mourning comes the will to move forward, and to honor a life well lived. Then something wonderful happened.
The GFH team and the Stevenson and Del Toro families picked themselves up and made plans to honor Kristin’s legacy, and to assist her only child, Landon, and help secure his future. A fund was established to assist Landon with future education expenses, and local financial planning firm Legacy Planning Partners stepped in to manage the fund.
On May 5, another milestone was achieved when Dr. Christopher Mason, President of the Glens Falls Hospital Medical Staff, announced a major gift to the fund – and a challenge to all of the individual members of the Medical Staff.
“Today the GFH Medical Staff is proud to present Landon with this check for $20,000 to help fund his future education. And also today, we challenge all members of the Medical Staff to step up and make a personal contribution to the fund. Our goal is to at least double this $20,000 in memory of Kristin and to help insure Landon’s future.”
We know Kristin would be proud of the resilience shown by her family, friends, and colleagues. Together we can continue moving forward in remembrance of her kind and giving spirit.
From SUNY Empire State College
May 7
SUNY Empire Helps Veterans in Need Through Statewide Donation Drive
Courtesy SUNY ESC (2021)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY --In celebration of Military Appreciation Month, the SUNY Empire State College Office of Veteran and Military Education hosted a contactless donation drive to benefit organizations that support U.S. military veterans living in our communities.
The drives, held at three SUNY Empire locations in Saratoga Springs, Selden, and Rochester, New York, helped raise awareness of veteran needs and supplied critical food and personal needs for veterans in need. All together, the drives collected 212 food and personal-hygiene items for veterans throughout the state.
Donations benefitted the Veterans & Community Housing Coalition in the Capital Region, the United Veterans Beacon House on Long Island, and the Veterans Outreach Center Inc. in Rochester.
Desiree Drindak, director of veteran and military education at SUNY Empire, said the college's office of veteran and military education (OVME) exists to support military-aligned students and alumni, as well as those in the wider veteran community.
"The OVME mission supports military-aligned students from pre-application through to graduation and beyond," Drindak said, "but another part of our mission is supporting the military-aligned in our community. We have a long history of working with veterans organizations in our communities."
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