One big pool of uncertainty
By DREW KERR
dkerr@poststar.com
Published: Thursday, June 26, 2008
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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Summer swim season arrives Saturday when the doors to the Victoria Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park are opened for the first time this year.
But the Peerless Pool, just up the road in the park, will remain shuttered as park staff continue to repair its floor and sides.
Park Manager Michael Greenslade said Wednesday the pool is getting a new rubber membrane and paint job to seal water leaks.
He said the new coating has to be done gradually and allowed several days to dry.
Work on the $163,000 overhaul began in May, but recent rain has prevented workers from getting the job done in time for the scheduled opening, Greenslade said.
When the pool will open is still weather-dependent, but Greenslade said he wants the work done "as soon as possible."
Visitors expecting a dip at Peerless may opt to visit the Victoria Pool, but it’s likely to be crowded.
The Victoria Pool can fit just 350 people, compared to the 2,864-person capacity at Peerless. In past summers, people have had to wait to enter the Victoria Pool because it was full.
"It will boost the demand, for sure," Greenslade said,
although he added that camps and other large groups
expecting to use the Peerless Pool have been redirected to other area swimming centers.
Crowded or not, Louise Goldstein, co-founder of the Save the Victoria Pool Society, said she’ll be among the first in line when her pool of choice opens at 10 a.m. Saturday.
"Unless there’s a hurricane, I’ll be there," she said.
Still, Goldstein said, she is disappointed that park staff are again opening the Victoria Pool in late June rather than on Memorial Day. She will continue to advocate for an earlier opening until the policy changes, she said.
"They’re acting like it’s their private property and not our tax dollars that pay for this pool," Goldstein said.
Greenslade said staff could open the 73-year-old pool earlier, but the early-season crowds are too small to justify it.
"We just don’t get the crowds and it’s not been worth it, in my experience," he said.
The June openings are now scheduled to coincide with the school calendar, Greenslade said.
The pools, which saw a combined 59,093 visitors last year, will be open — once they do open — seven days a week until Labor Day.
Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts
Thursday, June 26, 2008
And work on the Peerless Pool was not done in the Fall because?????!!!!!!
Peerless Pool
opening delayed
by rehab work
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Peerless Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park will not open Saturday, as earlier scheduled, because of ongoing rehabilitation work, state park officials said Wednesday.
Wet weather in June is being blamed on the delay. However, the Victoria Pool, which is also located in the state park, will open at 10 a.m. Saturday as scheduled, according to regional parks director Alane Ball Chinian.
A new liquid rubber membrane liner is being installed in the Peerless Pool to replace the deteriorating pool surface. The $168,000 project will improve the durability and appearance of the pool as well as eliminate water leakage and improve footing for swimmers.
The new liner must be applied to a dry surface and the liquid rubber membrane requires five days of dry weather to cure, according to a park statement.
Local weather conditions will determine when this process has been satisfactorily completed and the popular Peerless Pool can be filed with water and opened for swimming, the statement said.
The improvements to the Peerless Pool are among many construction projects being funded through a $132 million state parks revitalization program, Chinian said. The revitalization money will also provide improvements to the bike and pedestrian trail along the Avenue of the Pines and road and parking lot resurfacing throughout the park.
“We appreciate the patience of our park patrons while these important projects are under construction,” Chinian said in a prepared statement. “The unfortunate shortterm disruptions will be offset by long-term benefits of these projects to the park.”
opening delayed
by rehab work
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Peerless Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park will not open Saturday, as earlier scheduled, because of ongoing rehabilitation work, state park officials said Wednesday.
Wet weather in June is being blamed on the delay. However, the Victoria Pool, which is also located in the state park, will open at 10 a.m. Saturday as scheduled, according to regional parks director Alane Ball Chinian.
A new liquid rubber membrane liner is being installed in the Peerless Pool to replace the deteriorating pool surface. The $168,000 project will improve the durability and appearance of the pool as well as eliminate water leakage and improve footing for swimmers.
The new liner must be applied to a dry surface and the liquid rubber membrane requires five days of dry weather to cure, according to a park statement.
Local weather conditions will determine when this process has been satisfactorily completed and the popular Peerless Pool can be filed with water and opened for swimming, the statement said.
The improvements to the Peerless Pool are among many construction projects being funded through a $132 million state parks revitalization program, Chinian said. The revitalization money will also provide improvements to the bike and pedestrian trail along the Avenue of the Pines and road and parking lot resurfacing throughout the park.
“We appreciate the patience of our park patrons while these important projects are under construction,” Chinian said in a prepared statement. “The unfortunate shortterm disruptions will be offset by long-term benefits of these projects to the park.”
Friday, April 18, 2008
Save the Victoria Pool Society meets with Mayor Johnson, Saratoga Springs, to discuss concerns about Victoria Pool and Saratoga Spa State Park
Louise Goldstein, Andrew Jennings, Mayor Scott Johnson, Maureen O'Connell Godlewski, Peter Tulin
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Trying for an earlier opening for Victoria Pool once again!
Parks funding to get boost from state
By DREW KERR
dkerr@poststar.com
Published: Tuesday, April 08, 2008
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To order copies of staff-produced photos from The Post-Star, please visit http://reprints.poststar.com/. SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Louise Goldstein is hoping New York's state budget translates into a June dip at Saratoga Spa State Park's Victoria Pool.
Her enthusiasm is based on a $95 million commitment to state parks included in New York's tentative 2008-09 budget -- an investment the governor's office is calling the largest monetary dedication to capital projects in state history.
"They're always crying about money, so this certainly gives us a push when we call for an early opening," said Goldstein, the co-founder of the Save the Victoria Pool Society, a group formed in 2003 to fight for the park and lengthen the season at Saratoga Springs' only public pool.
But Alane Ball Chinian, the director for the Saratoga-Capital parks region, said the money is more likely to go toward maintenance and repair projects that have been put off during years of lesser financial support.
"The park system has been very underfunded for years, and it's been a real Band-Aid approach to keeping them open," Chinian said Monday. "The infrastructure was really suffering, and this is just playing catch-up."
The state estimates there is a $650 million backlog of necessary work statewide, and Chinian said this year's budget is only a starting point.
"This covers a tiny fraction of the needs the park has," she said. "There's still a lot of work to do."
Improvements at Saratoga Spa State Park, which are already under way and will continue this summer, total $3.6 million this fiscal year. Moreau Lake State Park is getting $1.83 million. The money will be used to update and replace restrooms, install new playground equipment, repair water and electric lines and improve roadways and trails.
Money to replace rotting siding on the exterior of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center is also expected to be delivered, allowing the project to begin this fall.
Though they may not seem like terribly exciting projects, Chinian said, combined, they will ultimately lead to a safer, more comfortable park experience.
"When bathrooms are in disrepair and lights don't work -- those are the kinds of things that discourage people from coming," she said.
The funding comes as officials at Saratoga Spa State Park begin to devise a new master plan, among the first in the state.
But Chinian said that process is directed toward the park's future -- whether or not it will invite camping, for example -- and shouldn't be affected by the work afforded in the budget.
In statements, both Carol Ash, commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, and Gov. David Paterson lauded the state's increasing commitment to park funding.
With fuel prices peaking, Ash said, she is expecting an increasing number of people to frequent close-to-home parks.
"In light of climbing gas prices, this coming summer season may be the perfect time to explore a new destination or visit a familiar spot," she said.
Paterson, who sought to rein in spending given a projected $4 billion budget gap, said the investment could also help rejuvenate the state and local economies in the long run.
"Making long-overdue investments in our state parks will not only preserve New York's natural resources and protect our environment, but it will also serve as a critical engine of economic growth," he said. "A first-class parks system will draw residents, tourists and private investment to communities around our state."
By DREW KERR
dkerr@poststar.com
Published: Tuesday, April 08, 2008
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To order copies of staff-produced photos from The Post-Star, please visit http://reprints.poststar.com/. SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Louise Goldstein is hoping New York's state budget translates into a June dip at Saratoga Spa State Park's Victoria Pool.
Her enthusiasm is based on a $95 million commitment to state parks included in New York's tentative 2008-09 budget -- an investment the governor's office is calling the largest monetary dedication to capital projects in state history.
"They're always crying about money, so this certainly gives us a push when we call for an early opening," said Goldstein, the co-founder of the Save the Victoria Pool Society, a group formed in 2003 to fight for the park and lengthen the season at Saratoga Springs' only public pool.
But Alane Ball Chinian, the director for the Saratoga-Capital parks region, said the money is more likely to go toward maintenance and repair projects that have been put off during years of lesser financial support.
"The park system has been very underfunded for years, and it's been a real Band-Aid approach to keeping them open," Chinian said Monday. "The infrastructure was really suffering, and this is just playing catch-up."
The state estimates there is a $650 million backlog of necessary work statewide, and Chinian said this year's budget is only a starting point.
"This covers a tiny fraction of the needs the park has," she said. "There's still a lot of work to do."
Improvements at Saratoga Spa State Park, which are already under way and will continue this summer, total $3.6 million this fiscal year. Moreau Lake State Park is getting $1.83 million. The money will be used to update and replace restrooms, install new playground equipment, repair water and electric lines and improve roadways and trails.
Money to replace rotting siding on the exterior of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center is also expected to be delivered, allowing the project to begin this fall.
Though they may not seem like terribly exciting projects, Chinian said, combined, they will ultimately lead to a safer, more comfortable park experience.
"When bathrooms are in disrepair and lights don't work -- those are the kinds of things that discourage people from coming," she said.
The funding comes as officials at Saratoga Spa State Park begin to devise a new master plan, among the first in the state.
But Chinian said that process is directed toward the park's future -- whether or not it will invite camping, for example -- and shouldn't be affected by the work afforded in the budget.
In statements, both Carol Ash, commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, and Gov. David Paterson lauded the state's increasing commitment to park funding.
With fuel prices peaking, Ash said, she is expecting an increasing number of people to frequent close-to-home parks.
"In light of climbing gas prices, this coming summer season may be the perfect time to explore a new destination or visit a familiar spot," she said.
Paterson, who sought to rein in spending given a projected $4 billion budget gap, said the investment could also help rejuvenate the state and local economies in the long run.
"Making long-overdue investments in our state parks will not only preserve New York's natural resources and protect our environment, but it will also serve as a critical engine of economic growth," he said. "A first-class parks system will draw residents, tourists and private investment to communities around our state."
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New Management at Gideon Putnam Hotel
SARATOGA SPRINGS
Changes under way at park hotel
New management installing exhibits, information panels at Gideon Putnam
BY LEE COLEMAN Gazette Reporter
The new management of the Gideon Putnam Resort is already making changes at the historic hotel in the Saratoga Spa State Park.
“We want to tell the story of this place where we are,” said Michael Barnes, the new manager for the 125-room luxury hotel and health spa.
Work has already started on interpretive exhibits and information panels about the hotel, who Gideon Putnam was and the Spa State Park. The material will be erected in the hotel’s portico area near the main entrance.
Gideon Putnam was a founding father of Saratoga Springs who settled near the High Rock Spring in 1789 and later built the city’s fi rst tavern and hotel.
The interpretive materials will tell the story of the hotel, the park itself and the history of the Geyser spring, among other things, he said.
Barnes works for Delaware North Parks and Resorts.
Delaware North was awarded a 20-year contract last fall by the state to operate the hotel and nearby health spa, replacing Xanterra Parks and Resorts of Colorado.
Barnes said Gideon Putnam LLC, the new company formed by Delaware North, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, and Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, plans to invest $20 million in capital improvements in the hotel and nearby Roosevelt bathhouse in the coming years.
Barnes’ last position for the Buffalo-based Delaware North was as general manager of Niagara Falls State Park.
He said engineers and architects are currently developing a floor plan of the hotel, which was built in 1934, to detail the way the systems and layout exist today.
“We need a good foundation to get good [renovation] estimates and a good plan,” Barnes said.
Once the improvement plan is completed over the next four months, it will be shared with the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation for approval.
In addition to the interpretive initiative, the new management is also buying brand new bedspreads, blankets, sheets and towels.
Nearly 90 percent of the hotel employees who worked at the Gideon Putnam last year were hired by Gideon Putnam LLC. Barnes said the hotel currently employs about 150 people, but this number jumps to 225 people during the summer tourism season.
Delaware North is also spending $500,000 in marketing the hotel as the “Gideon Putnam Resort,” which includes the Roosevelt bathhouse health spa as well as the other amenities in the 2,000-acre Spa State Park.
“We want to get the word out that this is a different place,” Barnes said.
The hotel’s Web site (www.gideonputnam.com) has been changed to include the broader approach the new management is taking.
Barnes said the Saratoga Spa State Park has so many special attractions that it’s a natural thing to mention these when describing the Gideon Putnam hotel and Roosevelt baths.
Barnes, a 1987 graduate of St. Bonaventure University in Olean, has moved with his wife and four children to a home in Queensbury.
He was general manager of the Niagara Falls State Park for 10 years, during which a new visitor center and retail shops were opened there.
Delaware North also operates the gaming portion of Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Crescent Avenue in Saratoga Springs as well as luxury resorts at the Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
BRUCE SQUIERS/ GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Barnes, general manager of the Gideon Putnam Hotel, stands in the Arches room, pointing out some of the changes the hotel will be undergoing.
Changes under way at park hotel
New management installing exhibits, information panels at Gideon Putnam
BY LEE COLEMAN Gazette Reporter
The new management of the Gideon Putnam Resort is already making changes at the historic hotel in the Saratoga Spa State Park.
“We want to tell the story of this place where we are,” said Michael Barnes, the new manager for the 125-room luxury hotel and health spa.
Work has already started on interpretive exhibits and information panels about the hotel, who Gideon Putnam was and the Spa State Park. The material will be erected in the hotel’s portico area near the main entrance.
Gideon Putnam was a founding father of Saratoga Springs who settled near the High Rock Spring in 1789 and later built the city’s fi rst tavern and hotel.
The interpretive materials will tell the story of the hotel, the park itself and the history of the Geyser spring, among other things, he said.
Barnes works for Delaware North Parks and Resorts.
Delaware North was awarded a 20-year contract last fall by the state to operate the hotel and nearby health spa, replacing Xanterra Parks and Resorts of Colorado.
Barnes said Gideon Putnam LLC, the new company formed by Delaware North, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, and Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, plans to invest $20 million in capital improvements in the hotel and nearby Roosevelt bathhouse in the coming years.
Barnes’ last position for the Buffalo-based Delaware North was as general manager of Niagara Falls State Park.
He said engineers and architects are currently developing a floor plan of the hotel, which was built in 1934, to detail the way the systems and layout exist today.
“We need a good foundation to get good [renovation] estimates and a good plan,” Barnes said.
Once the improvement plan is completed over the next four months, it will be shared with the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation for approval.
In addition to the interpretive initiative, the new management is also buying brand new bedspreads, blankets, sheets and towels.
Nearly 90 percent of the hotel employees who worked at the Gideon Putnam last year were hired by Gideon Putnam LLC. Barnes said the hotel currently employs about 150 people, but this number jumps to 225 people during the summer tourism season.
Delaware North is also spending $500,000 in marketing the hotel as the “Gideon Putnam Resort,” which includes the Roosevelt bathhouse health spa as well as the other amenities in the 2,000-acre Spa State Park.
“We want to get the word out that this is a different place,” Barnes said.
The hotel’s Web site (www.gideonputnam.com) has been changed to include the broader approach the new management is taking.
Barnes said the Saratoga Spa State Park has so many special attractions that it’s a natural thing to mention these when describing the Gideon Putnam hotel and Roosevelt baths.
Barnes, a 1987 graduate of St. Bonaventure University in Olean, has moved with his wife and four children to a home in Queensbury.
He was general manager of the Niagara Falls State Park for 10 years, during which a new visitor center and retail shops were opened there.
Delaware North also operates the gaming portion of Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Crescent Avenue in Saratoga Springs as well as luxury resorts at the Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
BRUCE SQUIERS/ GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Barnes, general manager of the Gideon Putnam Hotel, stands in the Arches room, pointing out some of the changes the hotel will be undergoing.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Good news for Saratoga Spa State Park
SARATOGA SPRINGS
State makes parks renovation plans
Nearly $18M will be spent on projects
BY LEE COLEMAN Gazette Reporter
From swimming pool renovations to new restrooms, the state plans to spend nearly $18 million this year in improvements to state parks in the Saratoga-Capital District.
At Saratoga Spa State Park, for example, $2.5 million has been earmarked for exterior and walkway improvements to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
At the John Boyd Thacher State Park in Albany County, $3 million has been set aside for the redesign and reconstruction of the former pool area, according to a project list released Wednesday by state parks officials.
“We are thrilled,” said Heather Mabee, chairwoman of the Saratoga-Capital District State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation asked the 10 state parks and seven state historic sites in the Saratoga-Capital District to submit requests for much-needed maintenance and renovation projects at their facilities.
Robert Kuhn, acting regional director, said the Saratoga-Capital District parks and historic sites received a substantial share of the $100 million Gov. Eliot Spitzer put in his 2008-09 state budget for the state park system.
“The moment we get the money we can start hiring contractors,” Mabee said at a park commission meeting Wednesday in the Saratoga Spa State Park’s administration building.
Mabee said many of these contractors will be local businesses.
Kurt Kress, capital facilities regional manager for the state parks office, said seven of the proposed projects have already been put out to bid.
“We are assuming the money will come,” Kress said.
Spitzer included the $100 million in his executive state budget, but the money must also be part of the final state budget expected to be approved by the state Legislature by April 1.
“You are going to notice a lot of work going on everywhere,” Kuhn said about the state parks in the region.
Some of the larger projects in the Saratoga-Capital District are:
$1.75 million for new comfort stations at the Moreau Lake State Park.
$3 million to demolish a vacant “Bleachery” building at the Peebles Island State Park near Waterford. $500,000 to build a park police station at Grafton Lakes State Park in Rensselaer County.
$1.5 million to stabilize the historic Erie Canal aqueduct on Schoharie Creek at the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Schoharie County.
The governor’s $100 million commitment is “the single largest capital investment in the history of the New York State Park System,” according to Eileen Larrabee, a spokeswoman for the state parks office.
She said the spending is part of the governor’s upstate revitalization plan.
The idea is to make long overdue capital improvements to state parks across the state.
“The Spa State Park is a great draw,” Larrabee said Wednesday about tourism in the Saratoga region.
“We need to make sure it’s in great shape,” she said.
The projects on the revitalization list were selected to address “the agency’s highest priority capital needs,” according to a state parks statement. “The list includes a strong emphasis on public health and safety, as well as rehabilitation of deteriorated park and historic site facilities.”
State makes parks renovation plans
Nearly $18M will be spent on projects
BY LEE COLEMAN Gazette Reporter
From swimming pool renovations to new restrooms, the state plans to spend nearly $18 million this year in improvements to state parks in the Saratoga-Capital District.
At Saratoga Spa State Park, for example, $2.5 million has been earmarked for exterior and walkway improvements to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
At the John Boyd Thacher State Park in Albany County, $3 million has been set aside for the redesign and reconstruction of the former pool area, according to a project list released Wednesday by state parks officials.
“We are thrilled,” said Heather Mabee, chairwoman of the Saratoga-Capital District State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation asked the 10 state parks and seven state historic sites in the Saratoga-Capital District to submit requests for much-needed maintenance and renovation projects at their facilities.
Robert Kuhn, acting regional director, said the Saratoga-Capital District parks and historic sites received a substantial share of the $100 million Gov. Eliot Spitzer put in his 2008-09 state budget for the state park system.
“The moment we get the money we can start hiring contractors,” Mabee said at a park commission meeting Wednesday in the Saratoga Spa State Park’s administration building.
Mabee said many of these contractors will be local businesses.
Kurt Kress, capital facilities regional manager for the state parks office, said seven of the proposed projects have already been put out to bid.
“We are assuming the money will come,” Kress said.
Spitzer included the $100 million in his executive state budget, but the money must also be part of the final state budget expected to be approved by the state Legislature by April 1.
“You are going to notice a lot of work going on everywhere,” Kuhn said about the state parks in the region.
Some of the larger projects in the Saratoga-Capital District are:
$1.75 million for new comfort stations at the Moreau Lake State Park.
$3 million to demolish a vacant “Bleachery” building at the Peebles Island State Park near Waterford. $500,000 to build a park police station at Grafton Lakes State Park in Rensselaer County.
$1.5 million to stabilize the historic Erie Canal aqueduct on Schoharie Creek at the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Schoharie County.
The governor’s $100 million commitment is “the single largest capital investment in the history of the New York State Park System,” according to Eileen Larrabee, a spokeswoman for the state parks office.
She said the spending is part of the governor’s upstate revitalization plan.
The idea is to make long overdue capital improvements to state parks across the state.
“The Spa State Park is a great draw,” Larrabee said Wednesday about tourism in the Saratoga region.
“We need to make sure it’s in great shape,” she said.
The projects on the revitalization list were selected to address “the agency’s highest priority capital needs,” according to a state parks statement. “The list includes a strong emphasis on public health and safety, as well as rehabilitation of deteriorated park and historic site facilities.”
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