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Warren County Receives Funding for Bike Path

Written by Dylan McGlynn on . Posted in Community, Downtown, Featured.

Warren County will receive $160,000 in federal funding to be used for an improvement plan for the Warren County Bikeway and Feeder Canal Trail. The Northern Border Regional Commission is providing the funding through a grant, according to a release from the County.

“Warren County is very thankful for this funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission, which will help connect the communities of Lake George, Glens Falls, and Hudson Falls to the Empire State Trail through the Multi-Use Trail Modernization and Linkage Initiative,” said Warren County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Geraghty in the release. Geraghty also serves as Warrensburg Town Supervisor. “The funding will provide support for our regional economy by modernizing tourism infrastructure and increasing opportunities for our residents and visitors.”

The trails connect to the Empire State Trail, which runs from Manhattan to the Canadian border, north of Plattsburgh. The Warren County Bikeway runs from Platt Street in Glens Falls to Ft. George Road in Lake George. The Feeder Canal Trail runs from Glens Falls to Fort Edward, connecting to the Empire State Trail.

Warren County Planning & Community Development will oversee the plan, which is expected to “modernize” and connect the multi-use trails, according to the release. The grant will provide funds for an analysis of existing conditions, public outreach, and estimates for trail crossing, extension work, and evaluation of trail spurs. 

The release states that development for the plan will begin in 2023.

LARAC Executive Director Phil Casabona Curates A Love for the Arts

Written by Katy O’Keefe Haggerty on . Posted in Columns, Community, Education, Featured, In the Arts.

The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council was founded in 1972, and is fondly known as LARAC. LARAC is a non profit arts organization, which operates on a volunteer basis. It is  located in a charming yellow house in the shadow of city hall at 7 Lapham Place in Glens Falls N.Y. The location had originally been a carriage house for the Lapham estate. It sits  across from Downtown City Park, and is one of the city’s many historic buildings. LARAC bought the carriage house 25 years ago. The historical building’s previous incarnation was as a women’s specialty shop named Honigsbaum’s.

In this location LARAC’s Lapham gallery hosts 7 gallery shows a year, and is open to the public with art activities all year round. The gallery space is painted white to accentuate the art. The open floor plan means that the art can be seen from several different vantage points and in several different ways.

Phil Casabona, the executive director of LARAC explained, “The space is set up so that the art on the right hand side in the back corner is the focal point. When people come in they are often drawn to that point.” He explained the work and care that goes into laying out a show. Casabona’s love of the space and his work is evident. He started as a volunteer at LARAC and has risen to the position of executive director.He hopes that he is a steward of the art and of LARAC. His participation with LARAC has expanded since he started volunteering. “I started one day a week, and then three days a week, part time then full time and now I’m the executive director.” He seems, both pleased and astonished about how his role evolved.

Casabona’s relaxed demeanor is welcoming and his attention to detail apparent. Every inch of the gallery is as important as every other. The gift shop with original handmade works, to the smaller gallery room which allows the viewer a more personal experience with the art.

The gallery is open to the public 6 days a week all year round, and has provided $83,000 in grants to artists. Casabona works closely with Alyssa Shiel who is in charge of community outreach for LARAC. He has worked with the organization since July of 2014.

Property Transactions: July 11 – July 17, 2022

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Property.

GLENS FALLS

Collette Construction, LLC sold property at 11 Windy Ridge Rd to Daniel & Jill Wagner for $70,000.

John & Anastasia Rusu sold property at 196-204 Sanford St to Douglas & Denise Thorn for $50,000.

Seth R. Landry sold property at 12 Byrne Ave to Daniel Mooney for $230,000.

Nicholas Lamkins sold property at 14 First St to Caryle Ackermann and Fred Bartlett for $204,900.

Robert Green sold property at 25 Thomson Ave to Dean Lari & Joy Payne for $152,000.

HORICON

Steven & Janice Schmitt sold property at 7778 State Route 8 to Anthony & Rebecca Besthoff for $350,000.

LAKE LUZERNE

Marion Allan and Kenneth & Betty Prescott sold property at 121 E. River Dr to Janine Ruggiero and Edward Haguen for $350,000.

QUEENSBURY

Elena & Joseph Scrivo sold property at 18 Helen Dr to Christopher Murphy & Kristen O’Conner for $400,000.

James Hicks & Noelle Stevens sold property at 11 Amethyst Dr to Adam & Michelle Crysel for $374,400.

Joan G. Wheeler sold property at 11 Forest Ln to Michael LeRoux & Kerri Moser for $37,000.

Glenmoore Lodge, LLC sold property at 330 Glen Lake Rd to Shelly Park, LLC for $950,000.

Ann K. Ellithorpe sold property at 21 Hall Rd to Tomasz & Marta Sarzynski for $315,000.

Property Transactions: July 4 – July 10, 2022

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Property.

CHESTER

Charles R. Werner sold property at 617 Byrd Pond Rd to Dylan Baldwin for $17,000.

Ryan & Nicole Belden sold property at 27 Andrew Pond Ln to Brad & Shaela Schmidt for $295,000.

GLENS FALLS

Karen Roush sold property at 37 Grove Ave to Amanda N. Clark for $240,000.

Craig Mackenzie sold property at 59 Elm St to E.N.W. Properties, LLC for $127,500.

JOHNSBURG

Christina & Robert Brodie sold property at 39 Summit Ridge to S3 Homes, LLC for $310,000.

William Keegan, Jr. sold property at 83 Holland Rd to Rodrigo Suarez-Navarro for $25,000.

QUEENSBURY

Angela & Robert Kladis sold property at 260 Lockhart Mountain Rd to Anthony & Christina Virtuoso for $1,650,000.

Michael & Tammy Cerny sold property at 36 Hidden Hills Dr to April & Jeffrey Smith for $385,000.

Kendall & Carole Minges sold property at 161 Mannis Rd to Suzanne Zilka for $525,000.

Collette Construction, Inc. sold property at 882 Sherman Ave, Lot #1 to Chelsea & Joshua Hewitt for $460,000.

STONY CREEK

Lucille A. Hastings sold property at 30 Harrisburg Rd to Caleb & Morgan Ratliff for $145,000.

Property Transactions: June 27 – July 3, 2022

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Property.

GLENS FALLS

Zoe Herrick & Chase Gregory sold property at 24 Crandall St to Justin Ermiger for $218,000.

JOHNSBURG

Richard Minucci sold property at 711 Peaceful Valley Rd to Shelly Park LLC for $700,000.

Scott Willoughby sold property at 134 Goodman Rd to Capex International Corp. for $38,000.

Milton Ross & Vivian Babin sold property at 113 Beach Rd to Wild Real Estate Holdings, LLC for $125,000.

LAKE LUZERNE

Robert & Sandra Rose sold property at 4 Hyland Dr to Barbara Nelson for $275,000.

QUEENSBURY

Seth A. Merrill sold property at 71 Sunnyside North to Patricia & Raymond Soresino for $72,000.

Geoffrey & Terri Welcyng sold property at 14 Oakwood Dr to Victoria R. Merrill for $360,000.

Mary A. Mannis sold property at 214 5th St to Todd Corcoran for $160,000.

Mark & Amy Cronin sold property at 11 Homer Ave to Luke Kelly for $75,000.

Irene A. Lam sold property at 196 Meadowbrook Rd to Keith Norton for $250,000.

STONY CREEK

Patricia L. Billen sold property at 735 Harrisburg Rd to Steven Rosen for $254,000.

Glens Falls High School Student Engages in Altercation with Staff

Written by Gary Scott on . Posted in Community, Education, Featured.

The first day of class at Glens Falls High School yesterday was shaken up by an altercation between a student and school personnel.

According to the school, at approximately 11:20 a.m. the student was getting lunch in the cafeteria when a staff member ordered him twice to leave the building. It is currently unknown what prompted this initial command. As the student exited the building he damaged school equipment, and was subsequently directed to vacate the campus entirely.

The student then walked around the building to a locked side entrance, and knocked at the door until another unknowing student let him in. Upon re-entering the building, the student put on a face mask before instigating an altercation with a hall monitor and the school’s principal.

During the altercation, a BB gun fell out of the student’s backpack and onto the floor. The school’s resource officer then called the Glens Falls Police Department to report the incident, and requested assistance in removing the student from the campus. 

A lockout was issued by the school as soon as the conflict began. The adjoining district middle school entered a shelter-in-place procedure at the same time. Most of the high school’s students remained outside the building until the situation was resolved. At 11:51 a.m., the lockout and shelter-in-place were both lifted, and students returned to their normal class schedules.

In accordance with the school district’s code of conduct, disciplinary action for the student is already underway.

In a statement on the school’s website, Superintendent Dr. Krislynn Dengler wrote that the incident “underscores the need for students and staff alike to maintain the security of external doors, which includes leaving them closed in their locked position at all times.” She also requested that parents have conversations at home with their children about keeping a secure environment at school.

New Glens Falls Athletic Director: Building a Future With Help From the Past

Written by Katy O’Keefe Haggerty on . Posted in Community, Education, Featured.

The leaves on the trees along Quade street were showing the first hints of fall. The summer was winding towards its inevitable end.  Attention naturally turns to the beginning of the school year, Glens Falls High School will see new faces in some of its top administrative positions. Among the new arrivals Shane Jones will be Athletic Director. He is taking over the position from recently retired Chip Corlew. Jones is open about replacing someone who had filled the position for almost two decades. “ I have big shoes to fill.” He said with an apprehensive smile. “But, Chip has been a great friend. He has been available to me anytime I need clarification on an issue. He is someone that I look up to and he has built a strong culture here.”

Corlew’s involvement in the transition has helped Jones immensely. “We have worked together to make the transition seamless. And expectations are high.” Jones said as he sits behind the desk of the office he is still moving into.  “I started July first. It’s been a quick turn around.” Although Jones is confident in the program that he is taking over, there are changes he would like to make. “We would like to increase our social media presence, and find ways to highlight student achievements both on and off the field.”  He said.

Jones, originally from Hudson Falls, is happy to have settled back into an area that is familiar. He knows the importance of the support that is offered by the Glens Falls Community.  “The Grandstanders are awesome.” He said.  They are the booster club that helps support the Glens Falls athletic program. They are a celebrated volunteer workforce raising money helping to provide quality experiences for student athletes. 

Jones is happy with the participation in fall sports for his first year. “Of the seven fall sports that we have, only field hockey had to drop its J.V. program because of low participation.”

As the interview drew to a close Jones remarked on how exciting it would be to have the kids back in the facility. “It’s a bit spooky around here with the hallways quiet and the lights off.” He joked as he led the way through the darkened offices. After the interview Jones was heading over to the fields to watch the pre-season practices. 

Downtown Mural Takes Art to New Heights

Written by Katy O’Keefe Haggerty on . Posted in Community, Downtown, Featured.

A late Saturday in August showcased the first hints of silvery autumnal light but still held the oppressive heat of summer. This was the first weekend that one could witness the artist, Jesse Melanson working on the first of three murals slated for Glens Falls. The murals are part of a $10 million dollar revitalization initiative for downtown Glens Falls It was mid-morning when Jesse Melanson, hailing from Austin Texas, set to work on the side of the building at 144 Glen Street.

This was his second day of prepping the wall that had been a deep color blue. He was covering the entire wall with white primer. This primer would create a better canvas for his art. He explained the struggles of working on a massive exterior wall. “The surface is rough and takes a lot of paint. There are areas of the wall where the bricks can just be pulled out.” He said as he gazed up at the jagged surface.

The logistics of working outdoors had already been challenging. “I just got power today. The lift broke yesterday and I have limited amounts of water (to work with).” He said with a smile. “Every time I work on a mural I think I should farm out the prep. But, it’s part of the process. This way I can make the work all of my own.”

Melanson went on to explain the stages of his art. “People don’t like the first stage of the work. I use a doodle grid. It will look trashy. But it will evolve.” He said. The artist hopes to beautify the downtown but also to open people’s hearts. “Everything evolves. I hope this art will teach people to look for a deeper meaning.” He said. “People should give things a chance and see what they can turn into.”

This theme can be found as an introduction on Jesse’s website as well.“I am Jesse Melanson, an innovator solving problems by design and empowering communities through art.” According to his website, Jesse has been collaborating with communities since 2017. To see more of Jesse’s work go to Jmelart.com.

This project has been funded by the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. This initiative is a $10 million dollar grant that is being used to improve the downtown area of Glens Falls. Kate Austin-Avon and Jaqueline Toubia are amongst the founding members of The Glens Falls Arts District. The group held weekly meetings to move this project forward. When asked what she hoped would come out of this project, Kate Austin-Avon replied, “For people to enjoy the arts, help fund the arts, and grow their love of art here in Glens Falls.”

The next two murals will be located on Warren Street. These murals are expected to be completed by the end of the year. The two other artists creating murals are Hannah Williams who will be working at 20 Warren Street and Toni Ardizone who will be working at 103 Warren Street. Melanson is expected to finish his mural in two weeks.