Save The Victoria Pool Society, Post Star 6/16/07

Locals anticipate Victoria Pool opening
By THOMAS DIMOPOULOS tdimopoulos@poststar.comPublished: Saturday, June 16, 2007
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DEREK PRUITT - DPRUITT@POSTSTAR.COM Save the Victoria Pool Society founders Andrew Jennings and Louise Goldstein stand next to their pride and joy in Spa State Park on Tuesday morning. Jennings and Goldstein started the society in June of 2003 to help revitalize the pool and ensure that it stays visible and open to the public. To order copies of staff-produced photos from The Post-Star, please visit http://reprints.poststar.com/.
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick, tick ... splash.Louise Goldstein has been waiting nine months for this morning to arrive."Saturday at the crack of 10, we'll be there," she said earlier this week while counting down the days to today's opening of the Victoria Pool.Concerned over the future of the classic pool in the Saratoga Spa State Park, Goldstein teamed up with fellow advocate Andrew Jennings in June, 2003 to co-found the Save the Victoria Pool Society. Six months later, then-Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro announced $1.5 million would be spent restoring the pool. The next priority, Goldstein said, is having the pool open long enough for everyone to enjoy it.
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Traditionally, it has been open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Weekend, she said.This year's opening was scheduled for June 23.State Parks officials said the northeast's cool spring temperatures and sparsely attended previous openings were both factors in deciding on the later date.Goldstein disagreed."Why isn't this pool open right now?" she asked, when joined by Jennings at a table overlooking the nearby pool earlier this week."Here we are, 80 degrees and beautiful," she said.

DEREK PRUITT - DPRUITT@POSTSTAR.COM Save the Victoria Pool Society co-founders Andrew Jennings and Louise Goldstein enter the old formal entrance to the Victoria Pool in Spa State Park on Tuesday morning. To order copies of staff-produced photos from The Post-Star, please visit http://reprints.poststar.com/.
"This is Saratoga's best-kept secret," said Goldstein, looking down the long arched hallways of the buildings surrounding the pool. "From the outside of the building, you would never even know there is a swimming pool inside."Goldstein has been coming to the pool long enough to see the style of swimwear change from rubber-topped bathing caps to two-piece bikinis."I had my swimming lessons here when I was a little girl. All there was at the time then was the race course. Coming here during the summer when you were a kid was magical," she said, recalling vintage movie star visitors Bing Crosby and Sophie Tucker.Jennings, who has been coming to the pool for the past 25 years recites a more recent celebrity line-up."Cyndi Lauper, Liza Minnelli, people from the New York City Ballet have all come here," Jennings said. "You see the signs that read: Health, History and Horses. Hospitality is the new 'H.' This should be a national destination," he said.
A national destination was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's original plan when the Victoria Pool and a number of other park buildings around it were built more than 70 years ago.When Roosevelt was state governor, he hired an architect to create an American version of European spas that were popular at the time. The plan for what would become the Spa State Park became a reality after Roosevelt became president and put the Works Progress Administration into practice.Armed with an agenda of getting the pool to open earlier than June 23, Goldstein and Jennings secured hundreds of signatures on a petition. State Park officials later announced the pool would open today and Sunday, close during the week and reopen for the entire season beginning June 23."They gave us two days," Goldstein said. "We feel they responded to the voices of the people."Eileen Larrabee, spokeswoman for the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said opening June 16 or 17 was always a possibility.
"What we said all along was that if weather permitted and we were able to get our maintenance work done, we wouldbe able to open a weekend earlier," Larrabee said Friday afternoon."We are so pleased that the public loves the pool and love going there. And we're pleased that it has strong advocates as well," she said.The Victoria Pool will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $6 adults and $3 for children.When the pool opens, Goldstein and Jennings said they will be in their regular spot, under an umbrella and just to the left of the clock facing the pool.
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300+ happy faces, opening day, 6/16/07. John Tighe first in the pool in 2006&2007.

keep signing: www.gopetition.com then put victoria pool under petitions

Schenectady Gazette: 6/14/07


NEWS BRIEFS Saratoga state park opens this weekend SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Victoria Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park is slated to open ahead of schedule this weekend. The pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday only, then close again next week and reopen for good on June 23, its official opening date. Good water-testing results led park officials to OK the early opening, although a petition circulated by the Save the Victoria Pool Society to open early didn’t hurt, said Park Manager Michael Greenslade. Closing next week is necessary because the park hires high school students to staff the pool and pool attendance is usually low until after school lets out for the summer, Greenslade said.

Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor

June 11,2007

Letter to the Editor:

In reply to the letter of June 4, 2007 from Peter Anastos about the Save the Victoria Pool Society. We have always been "selfish" on behalf of the citizens of Saratoga Springs and the Capital District having a beautiful place to swim financed by our tax-dollars from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our "selfish" concern is also that future generations will be able to enjoy Saratoga Spa State Park, the Victoria and Peerless Pools, SPAC, the New York City Ballet and all the other buildings and trees and trails as we have our whole lives.
We quietly watched all of Saratoga State Park and its magnificent historic architecture and natural surroundings and springs deteriorate for many years while the state ignored our pleas for help. Save the Victoria Pool Society has never accepted one cent of private or public money but financed everything we have done out of our own very working class pockets. Save the Victoria Pool Society wishes there were more "spoiled" citizens willing to give up thousands of hours of their own time to fight the powers-that-be on behalf of restoring beauty and history to its rightful place.

Louise J. Goldstein and Andrew M. Jennings , Co-Founders
Save the Victoria Pool Society
www.save-the-victoria-pool-society.blogspot.com
vicpool@aol.com
See what's free at AOL.com.

Sebastian and the children of Saratoga And the Capital District are anxiously awaiting their chance to swim in the Victoria Pool in 2007

Victoria Pool early morning summer line-up for admittance

Victoria Pool to open June 16, Albany Times Union

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Making waves for Saratoga Springs pool's opening
State agrees to open Victoria Pool on June 16, one week early, after hearing from residents

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Friday, June 1, 2007
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Louise Goldstein will be chilling waterside when the Victoria Pool in Saratoga Spa State Park opens on June 16. Of that you can be almost sure.
"Unless hell freezes over or there's a hurricane," Goldstein said.
The fierce advocate for the pool collected more than 200 signatures from area residents who objected to the state's scheduled June 23 pool opening. The signers wanted the stately swimming spot to open as soon as possible, preferably on Memorial Day weekend, as it once did.
But the pool stayed unfilled over the sunny holiday as workers painted and resealed it.
"It was lonely, empty and pathetic," Goldstein said.
Well, it won't be soon.
The state decided this week that, weather permitting, it will move forward the opening date of the Victoria Pool to June 16, said Eileen Larrabee, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The Great Depression-era pool will close again from June 18 to 22 before becoming available for water and sun bathing on a regular basis beginning June 23.
"We have always said that if the weather cooperates, we will open earlier," Larrabee said. "We have said that in response to (Goldstein's) numerous requests."
The park's other swimming hole, the Peerless Pool, will not open until June 23.
The Victoria Pool last opened on or before Memorial Day weekend in 2003. But it averaged only 10 customers during the holiday weekend from 2000 to 2003, Larrabee said.
"The weather this time of the year in this part of the country is not reliable, so even when they've tried to open earlier in previous years, there was not interest in attending," Larrabee said.
Last year the pool opened on June 24.
The state made $1.5 million in improvements to the pool in 2004 and 2005 after Goldstein and Andrew Jennings of Ballston Spa organized the Save the Victoria Pool Society to raise awareness and pressure the state to make renovations. The work included new locker rooms, the restoration of fountains, a new clock, masonry work and roof repairs.
Goldstein has attended the Victoria Pool since she was a young girl. She says the Northeast needs all the pool time it can get.
May was warm all month, and the taxpayers of New York should have been able to enjoy what they pay for, she said. She calls the facility "the most beautiful pool in America ... magical."
Yusko can be reached at 581-8438 or by e-mail at dyusko@timesunion.com.
All Times Union materials copyright 1996-2007, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.HOME CONTACT US SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSPAPER HOW TO ADVERTISE PRIVACY RIGHTS COPYRIGHT CLASSROOM ENRICHMENT

Saratogian, Victoria Pool to open for weekend on June 16, 2007

05/30/2007
Victoria Pool to open earlier than expected
By JIM KINNEY , The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - In the next few days, state Parks employees will start filling the Victoria Pool with water in Saratoga Spa State Park in anticipation of a June 16 opening.That's a week earlier than the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation had expected to open the pool. The original opening date was to have been the weekend of June 26 and 27, the state said Wednesday afternoon."Should we call that a victory?" said Louise J. Goldstein, co- founder of the Save the Victoria Pool Society that's pushed hard for a Memorial Day-weekend opening.Her group collected more than 100 signatures on a petition calling for an earlier pool opening.State Parks spokeswoman Eileen Larrabee said the state was able to move up the opening date because work at the pool progressed faster than expected."It's all dependent on the weather," Larrabee said. "The weather has been in our favor."Larrabee said the pool will be closed during the weekdays from June 18 to June 22 then reopen for the weekend and on a regular schedule thereafter.She doesn't anticipate early openings being a regular event, either. In past years, the pool would have as few as 10 visitors on a weekday in early June.The Peerless Pool, also in Saratoga Spa State Park, won't open until the weekend of June 22 and June 23, Larrabee said. That pool takes a bit more work to open each spring.Goldstein pointed out that many municipal pools around the region open on Memorial Day, if only just for the weekends."The problem is that state Parks sees this as one of the 190 parks they have responsibility for around the state," she said. "For people who live in Saratoga Springs, this is our only park."Two years ago, the state spent $1.5 million to rehab the Victoria Pool. It was the first heated pool in the country when it opened in 1935 with the support of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.The Park, which also includes two golf courses, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, a dog park and other attractions, has about 947,000 visitors a year.Goldstein said people have been complaining to Society members about the park and upkeep."Taxpayers are wondering what happens to all the money they put in," she said.Larrabee said: "I wish every park had a Louise. It's wonderful that she's that committed."The state plans to repave the Avenue of the Pines in a few weeks and state Parks is working with state Sen. Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, on a master plan for the park.Bruno, who represents most of Saratoga County, is one of the most powerful lawmakers in Albany and has a keen interest in the park.Reach Jim Kinney at jkinney@saratogian.com or 583-8729, ext. 216.

posted 5/30/07 on www.isaratoga.blogspot.com

i-Saratoga
An appeal by the community for the failings of local journalism.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Pool cue
It seems like every month lately, Lousie Goldstein begins pining for the Victoria Pool to open early. Just as the spring flowers begin to poke through the thawing earth, it seems like the co-founder of the Save the Victoria Pool Society hits the media circuit with pleas –even demands –for the State Park administration to add a few more weeks to either end of the pool season.And it’s high time the bastards begin listening.The Victoria Pool, much like the park it inhabits, is a treasure to both Saratoga Springs and New York as a whole. Seldom is there a person who visits the pool’s sun drenched deck nestled in a piney grove and leaves without feeling replenished in some way shape or form. It is a unique place where plutocrats freely mix with plebeians and the only discerning factor between the two is who managed to claim rights to the sparsely numbered lounge chairs.The Victoria Pool was built in 1935 as an excercise component part of the state-owned hydrotherapy resort, which also included the mineral bathes, the springs and the Gideon Putnam Hotel. Visitors were expected to drink spa’s medicinal spring waters, bathe in the mineral water and give their muscles a gentle workout at Victoria.When the spa was incorporated into the state park system in 1962, the pool started a slow descent into what many considered abject decay. By the turn of the century, what was once known as the nation’s first heated public pool became renowned for its frosty waters. Everything from the fountains to the surrounding brick work showed marked deterioration; the innerworkings also showed age, rupturing once in August 2o03 to shut down both the park's pools for a spell.Earlier that year, Goldstein and Andrew Jennings, two of the pool’s frequent visitors, formed the Victoria Pool society to lobby for marked state improvements to the structure. After six months of heavy lobbying, the parks administration announced an 18-month $1.5 million renovation project to restore “the Vic” back to its former grandeur, including the once-heated water.Now that the renovations are done, Goldstein and her organization are petitioning for a few extra days in the season to enjoy them, as well they should. But state park officials can’t seem to open the pool until late June at the earliest, and then refuses to keep it open past Labor Day. They claim this is to keep up on the necessary regiment of maintenance needed to ensure the pool’s water quality and the grounds are properly tended.While there may be a hint of truth to this, the bottom line is more likely economics. In years of running the pool, the parks administration has realized it makes no money in May, early June or September. So rather than subsidize a loss-leader among other areas of the park that do make money, the economic thing is to shut it down, regardless of the public will.Problem is the public owns Victoria; it always has, it always will. It was built by the public under Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration and has been funded by the public for more than seven decades. So when the public is asking –rather demanding –more time to enjoy its property, the state is obligated make a concession at the very least.In this case, how much would it hurt to open the gates a week earlier than normal and keep them open a week later? Not much. Could it be done? Certainly. Will it happen? Well, that’s up to the public. As Goldstein and her organization have proven, people talk and politicians generally ignore them; but when groups shout, their feet get moving pretty quickly.
posted by Horatio Alger at 8:47 AM 0 comments
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Victoria Pool Lions started flowing today, May 30,2007

Results of Saratogian Reader Poll of May 27, 2007

Do you believe the state should open city pools sooner in the year?
go to:

www.saratogian.com

Reader Poll results in Saratogian, Monday, May 28,2007 more than 2 to 1 in favor of Victoria and Peerless Pools opening sooner in the year.

66.7%:Absolutely. they are wasting the summer away if they don't.

33.3% No, there is a reason why they open it at the time that they do.

www.gopetiton.com-- sign up at Victoria Pool under petitions

05/26/2007
Pool closed despite heat
By CARL DeNOVIO , For The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Since 1935, the Victoria Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park has served the people of Saratoga and its countless visitors. The first heated pool in the country, built with the support of Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself, is not just a spot to cool off on a hot day, it is yet another piece of Americana in a city filled with history.Traditionally opening its doors to the public on Memorial Day, today the pool sits empty and alone. Spa State Park is active with maintenance workers, golfers, hikers, and other guests. But sitting on the deck of Victoria Pool, the only thing that can be seen is the blindingly white glare off the bone dry cement that for so many Memorial Days would have been home to splash fights, Marco Polo, and cannonballs.Only two years after the state spent $1.5 million to renovate the pool and its surrounding facilities, and with temperatures approaching 90, Louise Goldstein, co-founder of the Save the Victoria Pool Society, can only wonder why the only two public pools in Saratoga Springs, including the Peerless Pool, also in Spa State Park, are not yet open - plans are to not open the pool until June 23, consistent with recent years.Goldstein, 66 years old and a native Saratogian, has gone as far as to start a petition, which she plans to present to state senators, assemblymen, and parks officials this weekend at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center's grand reopening celebration, aimed at getting the pool open as soon as possible - within a week - she hopes.If the pool was open, she says, "I guarantee you there would be 500 people here this weekend."Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Spokeswoman Eileen Larrabee disagrees, though. According to Larrabee, between 2000 and 2003 when the pool opened on Memorial Day, attendance averaged as low as between nine-to-10 people a day. This was before renovations took place in 2005."We don't understand why the pool's not opening till the end of June," said Goldstein. "Why miss a third of the summer?"Goldstein has gathered more than 100 signatures both in person and online through the Web site gopetition.com to "lobby our appointed and elected New York State Parks Department officials to stop letting the Victoria Pool sit empty," and that the pool "should be opened as soon as possible."While Larrabee said she "truly appreciates (Goldstein's) advocacy and enthusiasm," it is simply not possible to open the pool right now. With maintenance procedures currently underway at the pool, including painting the pool and resealing the deck. Unfortunately, according to Larrabee, the time of year when these things are able to be done coincides with the time of year when the pool would, in the past, have been opened, causing the delay.Goldstein claims that the reason for the delay in opening is that the Office of Parks is choosing to wait until schools close before opening, since much of their revenue comes from children. This, she states, is "ridiculous" and that while the pool is closed during the early summer weeks, those same children are spending their weekends going to places like Lake George and The Great Escape and other area attractions when they could be coming to the Spa State Park and spending their money in Saratoga, boosting local economies rather than going elsewhere.If they opened the pool now, Goldstein said, "it would pay for itself 10 times - a million times - over. ... Open that pool, now. It can be filled and opened within a week, and the weather could not be better."

Grand reopening for SPAC, Saturday, May 26,1-4PM

SARATOGA SPRINGS
SPAC prepared for grand reopening
$2.1 million interior renovation includes new seats, painting, aisle lighting
BY TATIANA ZARNOWSKI Gazette Reporter At 89, Gerald Strait has seen a lot of big buildings go up, brick by brick and board by board. But what catches his attention when he visits the Saratoga Performing Arts Center now are the two trees that were supposed to be chopped down more than 40 years ago. Two huge pines south of the amphitheater’s south ramp were slated for removal when Strait, who lives in Poestenkill, supervised SPAC’s original construction in the 1960s. “Since they were so large, I didn’t see need for their removal,” he said. The trees are still growing near the amphitheater, “and I was the one that saved them,” he said. “They’re about the biggest pine trees in the whole park.” When SPAC was dedicated in 1966, Strait met then-Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller and his wife, Happy, and presented the state’s first lady with a dozen roses from the construction workers. As construction superintendent for the L.A. Swyer company, “I was the first construction worker on the job,” Strait said. He then had to hire foremen in carpentry, masonry and labor, while the electrical and plumbing work was done by subcontractors. Strait will join with others who had a role in getting SPAC off the ground at a reopening ceremony on Saturday that celebrates the completion of the center’s $2.1 million interior renovation. Founding SPAC members Marylou Whitney and Duane La Fleche, the Albany newspaper editor who inspired the project, both plan to attend the event. La Fleche had spotted a story on the wire that said Stowe, Vt., officials were trying to entice the New York Philharmonic to locate their summer home there. He wrote a column in the now defunct Knickerbocker News wondering why a New York orchestra had to look outside the state for a summer residence and suggested the state should locate a venue in Saratoga Springs, according to the SPAC Web site. The idea struck a chord with Saratoga and state officials, who began the effort to build what eventually came to be known as SPAC. The free Grand Re-Opening Celebration will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and will feature backstage tours of the refurbished dressing and rehearsal rooms, strolling magicians and children’s entertainment, refreshments sold at 1960s prices and demonstrations by members of the New York City Ballet, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Lake George Opera. Renovations that have been under way since last fall and are now complete include 5,350 new padded seats throughout the theater, new canvas rain screens, acoustical sound panels, interior painting, drainage and walkway improvements and new aisle lighting. A couple rows of “premium” seats with extra padding will command higher prices — about $8 more than the other new seats, depending on the performance — although all of the chairs will be more comfortable than the metal ones they replaced, said SPAC spokeswoman Vesna Gjaja. Those improvements represent the second phase of a $10 million, multi-year rehabilitation plan. The first phase was completed in 2005. State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, whose district includes Saratoga Springs, secured the funding for the fi rst phase and will attend Saturday’s event, along with Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, RSchenectady, who also represents Saratoga Springs, and Carol Ash, commissioner of the state Offi ce of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia White said she hopes the recent improvements will pave the way for another $2.1 million in funds to refurbish the amphitheater’s exterior, which is the project’s next phase.

On-Line Petition to get Victoria Pool open Now!

Save the Victoria Pool Society is collecting signatures to open the Victoria Pool before June 23 as scheduled. We are once again appealing to Parks, Senator Bruno and other elected officials to open the Pool sooner. Traditionally, Victoria Pool opened on Memorial Day. No renovations have been done since 2005 so there is no reason not to open the pool as soon as possible. If you wish to add your signature directly we will be on Broadway, the Library and other locations in the Capital District.

You can sign the on-line petition BELOW or go to:

www.gopetition.com and put Victoria Pool under search petitions. Make sure to sign the most recent petition May 2007.
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Victoria Pool in Saratoga Spa State Park should open immediately
1 Signatures
Created by louise on May 23, 2007
Category: Health
Region: United States of America
Target: lovers of the victoria pool
Description/History:
Save the Victoria Pool Society formed in 2003 pressured our elected and appointed NYS Officials to put $1.5 million of our taxpayer money into rehabilitating the Victoria Pool. This was completed in 2005 even though much more could be done if funding is found. The Victoria Pool traditionally opened Memorial Day until its neglect of recent years. With all the improvements the NYS Department of Parks, OPRHP, will not open the Victoria Pool until June 23.
Petition:
Victoria Pool should be opened as soon as possible and not June 23 as OPRHP has planned.

Sign the petition
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The Victoria Pool in Saratoga Spa State Park should open immediately petition to lovers of the victoria pool was written by louise and is hosted free of charge at GoPetition.com.
Tell a friend Signature list Contact author Petition's forum
To link to this petition, copy the following code to your site:

Call now to open Victoria Pool before the end of June

call:518-486-1868 to get Victoria Pool open before the end of June. After spending over $1.5 million to save it the Victoria Pool sits empty until the end of June. Please call the Albany Parks Office above to urge them to open it sooner.

518-486-1868: NYS Parks

Please call Senator Bruno also:
518-455-3191: Senator Bruno

Ave. of Pines and all Spa Park roads continue to deteriorate, Saratogian, 5/22/07

05/21/2007
A bumpy ride
By JIM KINNEY , The Saratogian
A vehicle tires to avoid one of several large potholes in the Avenue of The Pines. RICK GARGIULO/The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - State agencies plan to repave the Avenue of The Pines in June, but it's merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the work needed at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs and Moreau Lake State Park near South Glens Falls.At Spa State Park's Avenue of The Pines, potholes mar the pavement in several areas. Pavement also is crumbling on the shoulders of the scenic drive linking Route 9 with the Gideon Putnam Hotel and Conference Center, the Saratoga Automobile Museum and the park's pools and golf courses among other attractions. People have been calling to ask when the repairs will be done. "It bothers us, too," said Eileen Larrabee, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.She said work will begin in early June and the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is buying the materials for $40,000. The state Department of Transportation will be doing the paving, which was last done in 1999.Spa State Park gets about 947,000 visitors each year.This past fall, a private organization called Parks and Trails New York reported there are $300 million in overdue capital projects in New York's state parks, spokeswoman Larrabee said Monday."To give you some perspective, this year, our maintenance budget went up from $25 million to $30 million," she said. "That's why it's clear we need another source of funding."The "Bigger Better Bottle Bill" being pushed by the Spitzer administration would mandate 5-cent deposits on noncarbonated drinks such as juice and water. Unclaimed deposits would then go to the state's Environmental Protection Fund. Larrabee said parks like Saratoga Spa and Moreau Lake would get a part of that money.State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, opposes the Bottle Bill on the grounds that it will drive up the price of those drinks by as much as 15 cents a bottle."We are opposed to another tax," Bruno spokesman Kris Thompson said Monday.Bruno, who represents parts of Saratoga County, and state parks officials are working together on a "master plan" of projects and improvements for Spa State Park. Thompson said that plan will be ready by mid- to late summer - about three months after Bruno announced the master plan during a visit to the Roosevelt baths.The contract for the franchise to run the baths and the Gideon hotel expires this year, and the new franchise holder will be required to spend $10 million on capital improvements at the park with the state's direction. That would include not only the baths, but other facilities as well, Thompson said. Three companies are vying for the new contract."We're moving forward, and things are falling into line," Thompson said. "The next thing is to get it implemented. A group of people filling water bottles at the park's spring pavilion Monday said the park looks good overall. But they did have some suggestions."Stop dumping gravel on the cross-country trails," said John Noonan of Malta. "I understand they are doing it to control erosion, but it defeats the point of running in the woods. It's too much like paving."Linda McAllister of Saratoga Springs said she'd like to see state parks have informative signs warning of the dangers posed by deer ticks and Lyme disease. She's a Lyme disease sufferer who believes people don't take the threat seriously.Larrabee said state officials have already identified masonry and trail repairs they'd like to make at Spa State Park.At Moreau, the county's other large state park, the state has identified the following projects:ä $800,000 in repairs to the showers, comfort station and bathhouse, which has already been partially funded.ä $1 million for paving and road work that remains unfunded.ä $250,000 for the underground electrical system serving the camp sites. This is also unfunded.

Let's get Victoria Pool open ASAP, call518-486-1868

Lifeguards "up to speed"

Eillen Larabee of NYS Parks in Albany told us today, 5/14/07, that they are "up to speed" on lifeguards for this summer. We'll keep the pressure on for an earlier opening date for Victoria Pool.

OPRHP pledges to restore Saratoga Spa State Park

NEWS RELEASE
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic PreservationEmpire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12238
April 11, 2007
FOR RELEASE:IMMEDIATEPress Contact:Eileen Larrabee (OPRHP)518-486-1868John McArdle, Matthew Walter (Senator Bruno) 518-455-2264
JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ACTING STATE PARKS COMMISSIONER CAROL ASH AND SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOSEPH L. BRUNO
Bruno and Ash Announce Renewed Commitment to Saratoga Spa State ParkEffort Seeks to Ensure That Park Is Restored to Its Original Splendor
Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno and Acting Commissioner of New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) Carol Ash today announced a joint commitment to Saratoga Spa State Park and an effort to ensure that the historic locale remains a unique and spectacular destination for New Yorkers and travelers from around the world.
"Saratoga Springs derives its name and identity from the mineral springs and baths that have played such a critical role in the history, economy and culture of this region," said Senator Bruno. "We are here today to renew our commitment to that rich tradition by working to restore the baths to their former prominence and reinvigorate all the assets of Saratoga Spa State Park as a destination for tourists from around the world."
"Historic Saratoga Spa State Park is a unique and spectacular treasure among our world-renowned park system," said Ash. "This is a wonderful and important facility and I look forward to working with Senator Bruno, in ensuring that it continues to be a cultural and recreational mainstay in the community and top-notch destination for travelers."
The two-part initiative announced today seeks to address issues that have been raised regarding the mineral baths at the park, while also establishing a longer-term capital and infrastructure needs assessment at the facility and throughout the entire regional park system.
As part of the effort, Ash announced that late last month the local engineering firm, Malcolm Pirnie was commissioned by OPRHP to conduct a comprehensive review of the mineral bath operations in Saratoga Spa State Park.
The study, which is expected to take up to three months, will include: an analysis of the current bath system at the Roosevelt Baths and the mineral waters content used at the facility, as well as a feasibility study for any corrective actions that the consultant may recommend. Among those corrective actions to be considered by the firm is the direct heating of the mineral bath water.
Along with the mineral bath review, Bruno and Ash noted that a Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued for the operation of the Gideon Putnam Hotel and the Roosevelt Bath House. The 20-year RFP requires a minimum of $10 million for improvements to the properties. Since the RFP was issued late last year, nearly 20 firms with both national and international portfolios of significant lodging and hospitality properties have expressed interest in the project. RFP bids are due April 30 and an extensive evaluation process will commence immediately. The new contract will begin January 1, 2008.
"By placing special emphasis on the need to promote the many and varied assets of Saratoga Spa State Park, the RFP process will identify a new operator of the Gideon Putnam Hotel and Roosevelt Bath House who will market and promote the Park as another jewel in the crown of Saratoga Springs, along with the historic race track, vibrant downtown and other local attractions," added Senator Bruno.
"The baths made Saratoga a world renowned destination. By investing in them, and the park and its environs, we can only enrich Saratoga's reputation as the place to be, not only in the summer but throughout the year."
In addition, a long-term capital assessment will be conducted at Saratoga Spa State Park, along with other state parks in the region and throughout the state. Among those projects identified on a preliminary list for Saratoga State Park are the rehabilitation of the Hall of Springs and the restoration of the Route 50 bike path and the well-known Avenue of the Pines. Bruno and Ash acknowledged that a multi-year approach would be necessary to address these and other capital projects identified by OPRHP.
According to Ash, while New York State Parks and Historic Sites are widely recognized as among the best in the nation, the system is facing significant challenges.
"A number of our state parks require attention. Issues such as outdated water supply systems, wastewater treatment plants, electrical systems and aging dams need to be addressed," she said.
"In addition, much of our park buildings and infrastructure - our visitor centers, recreational facilities, cabins, campgrounds, swimming pools, nature centers and historic buildings - are aging and deteriorating, diminishing the outdoor experience for the nearly 60 million people who come to our parks every year," said Ash.
Saratoga Spa State Park, distinguished by its classical architecture and listed as a National Historic Landmark, is noted for its diverse cultural, aesthetic and recreational resources.
In addition to the nationally-known Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), the Spa Little Theater, the National Museum of Dance, the Saratoga Automobile Museum, the Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa and the famous mineral baths, the park offers a multitude of traditional recreation opportunities.
The park boasts two pool facilities. The Peerless Pool Complex consists of a main pool with a zero-depth entry, separate slide pool with a 19' double slide and a children's wading pool with a mushroom fountain. The Victoria Pool is a smaller pool surrounded by arched promenades. Both pool areas include showers, locker rooms and restrooms.
The park also has two public golf courses; a championship 18-hole course and a challenging 9-hole course, complete with pro shop and restaurant. The park terrain offers picnic areas, shady streamside trails, suitable for the nature-lover or the casual walker, as well as certified running courses used by joggers and high school and college athletes.
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© 2007 New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. All rights reser

Victoria Pool vintage picture