Author: Kate Haggerty

Hey, Glens Falls! Let’s Talk About Parking!

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 12, 2023. Posted in Community, Downtown, Featured, Workforce.

On January 1, 2023, the City of Glens Falls returned to their pre-COVID parking regulations and enforcement methods – the City had previously suspended its parking enforcement in March of 2020, but the City now once again enforces the two-hour parking limit for parking spots in the downtown area. To communicate this upcoming change, the City had given out “warning” tickets when a car was parked in a spot for too long, issuing approximately 900 warnings in the last three months of 2022. The return of these regulations has been met by the business community with exasperation and support alike.

Bill Dingman – District Operations Manager for Spot Coffee – is concerned not only about the availability of parking spots, but also the cost to his employees: “My workers are 18 to 25 (years old), they are just starting out in their careers and they can’t afford the extra expense” Dingman said. Since the reinstatement, Spot Coffee employees have had to stop work to move their cars, with some even having been ticketed! “This is costing the company employee productivity… The tickets are $30 and $60 if you don’t pay in 10 days. For an 18-year old cashier at a coffee shop to pay a $60 parking ticket is punitive” Dingman said.

Dingman knows that the parking in the downtown area is a complex situation: “I fully understand that businesses need convenient parking for their businesses, I fully support that… (But parking) is equally important to the workers, the business owners and the residents who live downtown. There are not enough spots” Dingman said.

Dingman also has an eye on the upcoming tourist season when the parking will become that much harder for people in the community to navigate: “I think there has to be a solution from the City… whether it be a seasonal approach or a discounted rate for workers.”

Another perspective on the parking situation comes from Robb, who’ has been’s worked with the Lake George Olive Oil company for 8 years and has been vocal about the lack of parking enforcement – during the two-year enforcement hiatus, he has seen cars parked for hours taking up valuable downtown spots. This is a detriment to his business, where customers have come into the store because, “I saw a spot, so I stopped.”

Samantha from Rude Betty buys a pass for parking – she found that in a year’s time, she was paying about $300 for parking in the garages in town, while the parking pass was only $150, and she has always found a spot for her car.

The City is invested in finding parking solutions moving forward – there is a Special Parking Committee that is looking over the entire issue, who will provide recommendations in February. Glens Falls has also invested in parking sensors that will feed into an app that can be downloaded onto any phone; this app will show where the open parking spots and occupied parking spots are throughout the downtown area. The City is currently working on calibrating this system.

The COVID pandemic which led to the pause of the parking enforcement has had lasting effects on communities and businesses alike. “I think there has to be a solution for the workers and the employees… In the restaurant industry we, in this city, are lagging dramatically behind the state and the region… In re-employment… So, how can I then ask the employees that I’ve got to incur extra expense to work here?” Dingman asked.

Queensbury Alumni Writes Fifth Novel

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 12, 2023. Posted in Community, Education, Featured.

Photo Provided By: Queensbury School District

Mikaela Bee graduated from Queensbury High School in 2010, and has now written her fifth novel!

Up until her successful writing career, Mikaela worked as a teaching assistant and waitress. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bee had a golden opportunity to start writing; her first book “The Lake House” was written during the first year of the pandemic.

All of her books are thrillers set in the region between Lake George and Burlington, Vermont. Her latest book, “Hazardous Conditions” involves a serial killer in Lake George, and mentions both Warrensburg and Bolton in the plot. One of the main characters is modeled after Bee’s real life sister who likes to ride horses – in the plot of the book, the characters travel to a remote horse barn during a blizzard, and the plot twists and turns during their travels back home.

Mikaela enjoys writing and also works part time at a doggy daycare. Fans will be happy to hear that her writing career has only just begun – her next book is the first in a three-part series, called the “Wedding Nightmare Series”. Mikaela’s books are available in paperback on Amazon for $13.99, and also digitally on Kindle Unlimited.

Mikaela enjoyed her time in the Queensbury Schools, and has particularly fond memories of the fifth grade. Mikaela encourages anyone with an interest in writing to go ahead and try it: “If I had any clue a couple of years ago that people I’ve never met in my life would be reading my books and telling me it was their favorite book of the year, I would have never believed them” Mikaela said.

GFSD Welcomes New School Resource Officer

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 12, 2023. Posted in Community, Education, Featured, Uncategorized.

Officer Pete Casertino has joined the GFSD as a School Resource Officer (SRO). Officer Casertino is a Warren County Sheriff’s Deputy, who will have a desk at Glens Falls Middle School but be working throughout the whole district. He will be providing additional support to current SRO John Norton; Officer Norton became the school resource officer in 2019. He has a daily presence in Glens Falls High School and Middle School, and visits all three elementary schools.

The new position creates a new partnership between the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and Glens Falls City School District. Adding another resource officer is part of the district’s continued focus of safety and security throughout the district.

Officer Casertino is a familiar face in the community – he is a Glens Falls PAL sports coach, and a retired Detective Lieutenant for the Glens Falls Police Department. He is also a former Glens Falls Board of Education member, and his children recently graduated from GFHS.

Safety and security of the Glens Falls Schools has been in the forefront of the school community since the beginning of the school year – on the first day of school, the High School was put in lockout and the Middle School was put in shelter-in-place when a High School student engaged in an altercation with the school hall monitor and principal. During this time, a BB gun fell out of the student’s backpack.

It was less than a week later that a toy replica handgun fell out of the backpack of a Middle School student… In both incidents, the Glens Falls Police Department responded and removed the student. Due to those incidents, backpack searches and increased security have been implemented.

Gloversville Girls Basketball No Match For Queensbury

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 10, 2023. Posted in Education, Featured, Sports.

Queensbury 71, Gloversville 12… Queensbury hosted the Gloversville girls on Monday, January 10th, but the hosting was anything but hospitable; Queensbury scored 12 points in the first quarter of play, which was the total number of points that Gloversville would score for the entire match. Kayla Zehr, the Queensbury sophomore guard, scored 16 points with 4 assists and 2 rebounds to lead the Spartans to an easy victory over Gloversville. Only two players scored for Gloversville – Z. Tesi scored an impressive 10 points, and A. Christian added 2 points for Gloversville’s total 12 points.

Queensbury improved their overall record to 5-5, and are in 3rd place in Section 2 Foothills with a record of 5-1. Queensbury girls will take on Broadalbin at home on Thursday night; tip-off at 7:00 PM.

Menter Family Add Depe Dene Resort to Lake George Portfolio

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 9, 2023. Posted in Business, Featured, Property.

Depe Dene – a 39-acre seasonal resort located at 3494 Lakeshore Drive – was acquired by husband and wife team Jess Ferguson and Chris Menter for $11.4 million in the closing days of 2022; this acquisition was financed with a mortgage through Glens Falls National Bank. Located three miles north of Lake George Village, this lake front property was part of the estate of Ken Erminger. Mr. Erminger passed away in October of 2021, after having operated Depe Dene for 45 years.

Depe Dene adds to the Menter family’s portfolio in the Lake George area – Chris’s parents Dave and Theresa Menter purchased Scotty’s Lakeside resort in 2014, and Chris and his family recently purchased the Lakefront Terrace Resort for $7.4 million. The couple also own The Juliana Resort in Bolton, which they purchased in 2018 for $2.9 million.

“We are going to revive and revitalize the property itself and operate like our other properties, which has been effective” Ferguson reportedly said.

Depe Dene has a five-story, 12,000 square foot mansion, more than 700 feet of waterfront, and 84 rental units. The property has a variety of accommodations, which range from lakeview motel efficiencies, one and two-bedroom beach suites, lakefront and forest town houses, and cottages. The mansion which was built by Captain D.S. Denison has 11 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, and can sleep up to 24 people.

Depe Dene was one of the most valuable assets in the Erminger estate, which also has other properties around Lake George and in Syracuse which still have yet to be sold; amongst these properties is a 3.3 acre property at the tip of Copper’s Point on Lake George.

Queensbury Senior Center Medicare 101 Event

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 9, 2023. Posted in Community, Featured, Local Leads.

Kate Barkley is hosting a Medicare 101 Lunch and Learn event at Queensbury Senior Center (742 Bay Road) on January 24, 2023 at 12:30 PM. This event – which features a free lunch – is sponsored by CVS Health, and Aetna. Medicare is a federally funded medical insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and also provides coverage for people with end stage renal disease and ALS.

The topics covered at this event will include:

How Medicare works
When to enroll and how to avoid penalties
What do Parts A, B, C,& D cover
Prescription drug plans

Medicare is broken down to four different parts, and each part pays for different expenses and has separate enrollment procedures. Individuals can choose what coverages they want, and also who they would like to manage their coverage if they choose an advantage plan. When enrolling in medicare part B, people often make mistakes. Common mistakes while enrolling can result in late enrollment penalties, higher out-of-pocket costs, and gaps in coverage.

To register for this event, either go to the front desk of the Queensbury Senior Center, or call (518) 761-8224.

Glens Falls Water and Sewer Bills Mailed Out

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 9, 2023. Posted in Community, Featured, Local Leads.

The City of Glens Falls has sent out the quarterly water and sewer bill which reflects the last three months of 2022. These payments are due by February 16, 2023; after that date, a late payment fee will be incurred. These payments can be made by mail, online, on the city’s website (cityofglensfalls.com), or in person at City Hall. To pay in person, either bring the payment to the comptroller’s office, or place the payment in the after-hours drop box located outside of the front door at city hall.

Failure to receive a bill does not relieve the customer of their responsibility to pay. Customers can find current balance information on the city’s website. There are programs available to assist low income families – The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is a new drinking water and wastewater emergency assistance program funded through New York State. The amount of assistance is based on the amount of unpaid water and sewer bills owed by the applicant, and uses a similar structure to the Home Energy Assistance program. For more information, visit otda.ny.gov/LIH

There will be a 5% increase in the water bill, which took effect January 1, 2023; this increase on average is $0.10 per day, and approximately $0.74 per week. This is based on an average of 20,000 gallons of water, and will be reflected in the next billing cycle.

Queensbury Girls Basketball Takes the Win Over Schuylerville

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 9, 2023. Posted in Education, Featured, Sports.

Queensbury 44, Schuylerville 40: Queensbury girls varsity basketball hosted Schuylerville on Thursday night and took the win! Queensbury got off to a strong start scoring 18 in the first quarter of play, and their defense held Schuylerville to seven points. In the third quarter, Queensbury held a ten point lead 37 to 27. Schuylerville rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points; but the Spartans held them off by scoring seven points, and gaining the victory 44 to 40. S. Canavan led the scoring for Queensbury with 14 points, while Schuylerville was led by L. King and M. Koral, who both scored ten points apiece. Queensbury improved their overall record to 4-5 and 4-1 in Section 2 Foothills.

Queensbury will be facing Gloversville on Monday, January 9th – tip-off at 7:00 PM.

Queensbury Boys Ice Hockey (D2) 13-2 Victory Over Northeastern Clinton (Sect 7)

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 9, 2023. Posted in Education, Featured, Sports.

The Queensbury Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey squad recorded its highest goal total in nearly 13 years, on Saturday, January 7, 2023, against Northeastern Clinton. The last time Queensbury scored 13 goals was back in February of 2010. The most that the program has scored in one game is 16 goals. This occurred twice in the program’s history; first in 2008, and then again in 2010. Both of those victories were recorded against Mohonasen-Schalmont.

The Spartans scored seven goals in the second period. In the assist column, Queensbury’s 17 assists ties them for fourth on their all time record board. Tanner Fearman tied a career high of five assists, which only two other Spartans have previously accomplished. Fearman also scored six points, which ties him for the school’s third highest points for a single game. In addition, Mack Ryan and Keegan Lozier scored five points, and each had three assists. Goalie, Eagan Breault recorded 26 saves.

Glens Falls High School to Offer Unified Bowling

Written by Kate Haggerty on January 9, 2023. Posted in Community, Education, Featured.

Glens Falls High School will be adding to their sports program this year with the addition of Unified Bowling. The season will begin on February 15, 2023, and will last about four weeks, with five matches against other area schools. It is a commitment of three days a week for students who would like to participate. The Glens Falls home bowling alley will be Kingpin’s Alley in South Glens Falls, and transportation will be provided for both practices and matches. There will be a parent and athlete information meeting on January 18, 2023, at 5:30 PM at the high school.

Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center has been owned by Doug and Alison Bohannon since 2013. Doug started out as a bowler, and has been a part of the bowling industry for over twenty years – he is known for his exceptional work with leagues, pro shops, and lane machine technology. Doug’s bowling knowledge matched with Alison’s business knowledge make a perfect partnership – Alison graduated from SUNY Brockport with a degree in international business. The couple live in Queensbury with their two daughters.