An early morning water main break at the intersection of U.S. Route 9, Glen Road/Lake George Road and State Route 254 (Quaker Road) has shut down much of the travel through the intersection.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is currently assisting New York State DOT and the Town of Queensbury Water Department with the water main break, which occurred near Texas Roadhouse and the Northway Plaza.
Effective immediately, the western portion of the intersection will be closed to all traffic, and all other traffic through the intersection will be extremely limited due to the extent of the damage to the roadway.
When students return to campus in September, they will see a new face in uniform – retired NYPD lieutenant Robert Sannasardo will take on the role of School Resource Officer on September 5th, replacing Harry McDonald, who will be leaving the district.
Sannasardo will be joining George Carpenter as the second SRO at Queensbury Union Free School District.
Sannasardo, 43, moved his family to Queensbury from New Windsor in July after retiring from the New York City Police Department… They moved to Queensbury for the school district and the number of after-school activities.
He took a job as a bus driver for the district in October.: “I enjoy talking and interacting with the kids on my bus,” Sannasardo said. “I want to do more than just drive them to and from school, so I looked into becoming a school resource officer.”
Sannasardo has already formed positive relationships with the students on his bus route and with those he drives to sporting events.
“I park the bus and I sit there and I cheer them on,” said Sannasardo, who also has two young children who attend Queensbury UFSD.
In his new role, Sannasardo will continue to build positive relationships with district staff, students and parents as he patrols school campus and responds to any emergency situations.
He will be a liaison between the school and the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, as well as a liaison for the school safety committee and part of the incident command structure, assisting with fire drills and lockdowns and walking the buildings looking for propped doors… His job, overall, will be to prevent or minimize dangerous situations.
Sannasardo received training this summer, and will tour the 222-acre campus and its property lines. He will start the first week of school.
“The safety of our students and staff is our No. 1 priority at Queensbury,” said Superintendent of Schools Kyle Gannon. “I am excited to bring Officer Sannasardo onto our team to ensure we continue to give our students a safe learning environment.”
A portion of Quaker Road in Queensbury will be closed to all traffic during the evenings of Sunday, August 20th through Thursday, August 24th, as contractors resurface a section of the road.
The stretch of Quaker Road between Ridge Road and Quaker Ridge Boulevard (entrance to Walmart) will be closed to traffic between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM these evenings. Those who plan to visit the Walmart store on Quaker Ridge Boulevard – the only business in this stretch of road regularly scheduled to be open during these hours – will be able to do so from Quaker Road by entering the road from Dix Avenue.
From 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM, the Quaker Road will be closed from Ridge Road to Dix Avenue. Those intending to head east on Quaker Road during the closure will be able to use a signed detour onto Ridge Road to Hicks Road, Queensbury Avenue, and Dix Avenue.
The closure will occur as contractors resurface the road in preparation for re-paving. This work is part of a rehabilitation of 3.96 miles of Quaker Road that began in June, and is expected to wrap up in the Fall.
Motorists are reminded to move over and slow down significantly whenever encountering roadside vehicles displaying red, white, blue, amber, or green lights, including maintenance and construction vehicles in work zones.
Tim Drawbridge, the City’s first full-time Communications Director, is taking a new position in the Capital District closer to his daughter, and will be leaving the City before the end of the month.
“Tim has taken on a significant challenge here in Glens Falls,” said Mayor Collins. “Tim is the City’s first true communications director – and if we learned anything during his tenure, it’s that the position is critical to keeping City residents informed.”
“While we all are sad that he is leaving, we appreciate all of his hard work to blaze the trail on the outreach processes we are now using every day,” Collins said.
During his tenure, Tim created hundreds of press statements and news releases, developed processes to ensure that critical information was distributed as widely as possible, and set in motion a number of upcoming changes that are expected to streamline how City news and events are published.
“It has been my incredible honor to work with Mayor Collins and all of the talented City employees who go about their work largely unnoticed,” said Drawbridge. “I hope that we’ve been able to shine a light on all of the hard work being done for the benefit of the community.”
Thanks to Tim, the City has presences on social media channels that didn’t exist previously, expanding the ability for the City to reach out directly to more residents than ever before: “With Tim’s departure, we will be posting the position immediately in an effort to have little to no break in outreach with our residents,” said Collins. “You can find job information on the City’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn), and on the City website at https://cityofglensfalls.com/jobs.aspx
The Second Annual “Celebration and Awards Night for Warren County Summer Workforce in Hospitality, Tourism and Retail” at Six Flags Great Escape will be held on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
For this event, each member of the Warren County summer workforce is given free admission to Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor, and they may also bring one guest for $5.00. Last year’s attendance was over 200 people!
The proceeds from this event benefit the Wait House – an organization which has a mission to provide stability to youths who present themselves as homeless. The Wait House provides safe and supportive housing, as well as services to help the individual live and grow.
Award categories for this celebration include:
Excellence in Customer Service
Emerging Leader
Patience of a Saint
Most Team Spirit
Sales extraordinaire
Lake George Royalty
The Frank Dittrich Hospitality Management Award
For more information regarding this event, to register for the event, or to nominate an employee, colleague, or manager for an award, please contact the Warren County Department of Workforce Development at (518) 743-0925, or email ochsendorfl@warrencountyny.gov.
Queensbury Union Free School District has positions available in both instructional and support staff roles! Queensbury is looking to fill positions for a High School English Teacher, Kindergarten Teacher, and Modified Football Coach, as well as Substitute Teachers, Teachers’ Aids, and a School Nurse. Support Staff positions include roles as an IT Support, Typist, Bus Driver, Substitute Bus Driver, and Cleaner.
Queensbury Union Free School District is ranked among the top school districts in the Capital Region for both academics and fiscal efficiency… There are about 3,000 students in grades K-12 that attend school on a single campus! The mission of Queensbury Union Free School district is to empower all students to be lifelong learners, inspired to pursue their dreams and contribute to the global community.
Along Main Street in Queensbury, people drove by honking their horns in support as the UPS Teamsters were out practice-picketing. Wearing their brown UPS uniforms and carrying brown and yellow, “Just Practicing for a Just Contract” signs, workers looped along the sidewalk near the entrance to the Northway. Jason Hughes – a driver for UPS – was amongst the practice picketers: “The company and the Teamsters are at a standstill with negotiations. Right now, we are fighting for the part-timers that the company doesn’t want to pay a living wage… We are just out here showing them that we are going to do what it takes to win a strong contract. The contract expires at midnight on July 31st, so if they don’t have a deal by July 31st at midnight, we will be out here permanently, and that will be a full blown strike. Right now, we are out here from 8:15AM to 8:45 AM, before our start time,” Hughes said.
The credible strike threat is one of the most powerful tools of the Teamsters Union. UPS is the single largest employer in the Teamsters Union, with the largest private collective bargaining agreement in North America… The Teamsters and UPS have agreed to eliminate the two-tier wage system for part-time and full-time employees, establish Martin Luther King Jr. day as a full holiday, and end forced overtime on drivers’ days off. UPS Teamsters include more than 340,000 full-time and part-time workers that deliver millions of packages a day.
The value of the goods that are delivered annually is estimated at 6% of the U.S. economy. In the latest round of negotiations, each side accused the other of walking away from the table… The Teamsters have stated that UPS members will not work beyond the expiration of the current contract. In June, rank-and-file UPS Teamsters authorized a strike, with 97% of the members voting in favor.
Longtime executive with the firm will oversee operations and provide strategic support for all ADNET locations.
ALBANY, NY – ADNET Technologies, a managed IT services, cloud, and cybersecurity provider with offices in Rocky Hill, Connecticut and Albany, New York, announced it has appointed Lynette Maffei to become its new President, taking on an expanded role in which she will continue to drive the firm’s work to deliver client success, develop technology talent and maintain operational excellence.
Maffei joined the firm in 2015 as Controller and has served on ADNET’s Executive Leadership Team as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for the past three years – contributing directly to the firm’s growth and transformation.
In a strategic move, ADNET is separating the roles of Chief Executive Officer and President within the firm. This decision is rooted in the belief that having both positions will allow the organization to scale in unprecedented ways. Christopher J. Luise will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer for the firm and provide strategic guidance and growth planning, with Maffei becoming President and overseeing operations. This new leadership structure will optimize ADNET’s delivery of client technology solutions and further equip the firm to quickly adapt and capitalize on emerging opportunities, while adhering to its longstanding, people-first approach to business.
“Lynette Maffei’s leadership has been instrumental in helping ADNET become the award-winning organization it is today,” said Christopher J. Luise, CEO of ADNET Technologies. “Her dedication to our culture and growth has truly transformed how we do business. I’m so proud of how she has evolved as a leader and helped us shape the future of the firm. I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes as President.”
“I’m thrilled to be part of ADNET’s journey, and I look forward to continuing working alongside such a great team. We’ve had an unparalleled period of growth and innovation over the last few years – expanding geographically, hiring more talent, reimagining our services, and becoming part of the New Charter Technologies national platform,” Maffei said. “I’m excited for the next chapter and to continue supporting clients and our local business communities in this new role.”
“It’s always exciting to see a new leader emerge in one of our operating companies,” said Mitch Morgan, CEO, New Charter Technologies. “New Charter is proud to support Lynette Maffei in her new role, and we’re looking forward to her continued commitment to driving growth and innovation at ADNET Technologies.”
In her tenure at the firm, Maffei has managed the firm’s day-to-day finance, accounting and purchasing functions, while also contributing to organizational growth objectives such as acquisitions and partnerships. Throughout her career, she has focused on operations, administration, finance and human resources.
Formerly the head of finance and operations for the Americas’ region of a global company, she has years of experience with leadership and client service on a global scale. Having worked closely with both small and large organizations, Maffei has a unique perspective on the market. Her focus and experience will benefit ADNET clients, employees, and the local business communities ADNET serves.
About ADNET Technologies
Founded in 1991, ADNET Technologies is a SOC 2, Type II Compliant IT management and cybersecurity firm with offices in Rocky Hill, CT and Albany, NY. ADNET works closely with clients to provide industry-leading service across three core areas—Managed IT Services, Cybersecurity and Cloud—and is distinguished by its human-centered approach to client engagements. From providing seamless access to a vast support network to a dedicated local Engagement Team, ADNET is proud to be both recognized globally and loved locally.
Recognized regionally as one of the Best Places to Work by the Hartford Business Journal and Albany Business Review, ADNET Technologies ranks nationally and globally among the top Managed Services Providers (MSPs) in Channel Futures’ MSP 501 list, ChannelE2E’s Top 250 Public Cloud MSP list and the CRN MSP 500 2022 award. In 2021, ADNET joined the New Charter Technologies national platform of locally led MSPs, which works collaboratively to grow their people-first workplace cultures, create opportunities for technology and cybersecurity professionals and drive innovation within the IT industry. For more information, visit thinkadnet.com.
City of Glens Falls Human Resources Director: Judy Villa-White
“I am the Human Resources Director for the city, and have been in this position since 2013, so this is my tenth year” said longtime Glens Falls resident Judy Villa-White, as she settled in behind her desk.
Prior to her work at City Hall, Judy was an elected official for the city. She spent almost eight years on the Common Council: “It’s been a nice transition coming from the legislative side to working on behalf of the city employees. Prior to that, my life was in retail and management… I was with The Gap for over 20 years, and ended that career with a district manager’s title,” she said; at that time, Judy and her husband Steve were raising three young kids.
“I truly love what I do, and I am happy to keep doing it. As Human Resources Director, I am a department of one… So, I wear many hats. My main role is to support the city employees,” she said. The City of Glens Falls has about 200 employees, with an additional 50 employees that fill seasonal positions.
Judy describes the role she fills at City Hall: “I do all of the posting of positions, I sit in on all interviews, then I do the extending of the job offers, I do all of the onboarding… I also handle all of the workers’ comp issues that come in with any employee. Sometimes accidents happen, there are a lot of things that could cause an accident to happen on the job… We do work with the County for safety training to educate employees on the safest ways to do things. In addition, I handle disability, and FMLA,” she said.
Judy also has a different side to her job – filling the role of the lead negotiator when the contracts are up with the three collective bargaining unions: The Police, Fire Department, and Civil Service Employee Association (CSCA). In that role, she represents the city as opposed to representing the employees.
One of the challenges of Judy’s job is filling positions that have been vacated due to retirement. The City of Glens Falls is experiencing what Judy describes as a “Tsunami of retirements”: “These are big shoes to fill. These are people who have a lot of institutional knowledge… The Fire Chief retired after thirty years, that is a lot of institutional knowledge that has left us,” she said.
Hiring for a municipality has its specific challenges: “Under the Civil Service laws, jobs have very specific minimum qualifications… There are civil service exams, and if the exam isn’t being offered, the position is filled in a provisional role, with the expectation that the individual will take the exam when it is offered… This is very different from the private sector. Municipal jobs are good jobs, especially if people are thinking about the long term… These are jobs with a pension, a monthly pension check at the end of your career,” She said.
Over her tenure as the Human Resources Director, Judy has seen generational shifts occur in the workforce: “The intergenerational work philosophies shift and change… How we look at a job and the perceptions of different generations shift over time. It’s about retaining help, and currently the workforce is focused on quality of life aspects of work, which may include working remotely. It’s not necessarily about the money. I’m thankful that the Mayor is open to the idea of looking for new ways to retain employees,” she said.
Judy believes that part of her role is to be in the office, approachable, and available to employees: “I don’t want to lose touch with the employees. The questions and concerns that they have are important… I like to be available if someone wants to pop-in or make an appointment,” she said.
Judy enjoys her work at City Hall, and loves the community of Glens Falls: “I love the city. I grew up in Glens Falls and lived in Syracuse for a bit, but when we were talking about raising a family, my husband and I both knew that we wanted to raise our family here… It’s a great place to live, and we’re excited to see the renaissance that is happening in the city and where it will go from here,” she said.
Herzog Law Firm PC is pleased to welcome Phillip K. Vacchio, Esq. to the firm as a Senior Associate.
Phillip will provide comprehensive legal counsel to existing and new clients in the areas of Estate Planning, Elder Law, Estate Administration and Guardianships and will work out of Herzog’s Albany, Clifton Park and Saratoga Springs offices.
Phillip was formerly a partner of a Long Island-based law firm handling the same areas of law and brings his extensive experience to the Capital Region and the North Country. Phillip is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences in 2009 and Hofstra University School of Law where he graduated cum laude.
Phillip has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list for the last three years, and he will be an incredible addition to our team.
