New York Public Library Exhibition Explores the Far-Ranging Influence of a Fabled Artist’s Retreat
Yaddo: Making American Culture on view October 24, 2008 – February 15, 2009
New York, NY, October 24, 2008 - The iron gate that has welcomed generations of artists to Yaddo is now welcoming guests of The New York Public Library to a new exhibition about the fabled artists’ retreat, Yaddo: Making American Culture.
Founded more than a century ago on a wooded 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York, Yaddo has nurtured the creative work of some of the nation’s most distinguished writers, composers, performers and visual artists, while fostering a multitude of friendships, rivalries, collaborations and cross-influences. Artists who have worked at Yaddo have garnered 63 Pulitzer Prizes, 58 National Book Awards, 25 MacArthur “genius” awards, 8 Emmy Awards, a Nobel Prize, and countless other honors. By making a multigenerational community out of these artists, Yaddo has helped to forge a distinctive American tradition in the arts.
Now The New York Public Library explores the far-ranging influence of Yaddo, and opens a window onto some of the most significant events in twentieth-century life as experienced by its artists, in this richly detailed multimedia exhibition. The free exhibition is on view from October 24, 2008 to February 15, 2009 in the D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Exhibition Hall (First Floor) of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Sociologist and cultural critic Micki McGee, Fordham University, has served as the Spencer Trask & Co. Curator for Yaddo: Making American Culture.
Through a lively mixture of letters, papers, photographs, books, artworks, film clips and sound recordings Yaddo: Making American Culture offers a rare glimpse into the workings of this most private of institutions, revealing how it has hosted such luminaries as James Baldwin, Saul Bellow, Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Aaron Copland, Philip Guston, Patricia Highsmith, Jacob Lawrence, Carson McCullers, Flannery O’Connor and Sylvia Plath. At the same time, the exhibition provides a new perspective on public events throughout the period. The economic and social turmoil of the 1930s, the destruction and displacements of World War II, the paranoia of the McCarthy era, the strife born of resistance to Jim Crow segregation, and the rise of the feminist and gay rights movements are among the developments that shaped Yaddo, the lives of the artists who sought shelter there and the works they produced. As a result, the exhibition gives an intimate yet panoramic view of American culture, from Yaddo’s first official season in 1926 through 1980.
The exhibition showcases extraordinary materials from the Yaddo Records—the retreat’s uniquely fascinating archive, which reveals the story of Yaddo and its artists. Since 1999, the Records have been a part of The New York Public Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division, which makes them publicly accessible to researchers and preserves them for future generations. Additional installments to
the Library’s holdings from Yaddo’s ongoing records will be made through 2026, the hundredth anniversary of Yaddo’s first official season for invited guests. Joining the wealth of materials from the Yaddo Records in the exhibition are exceptional items from other NYPL collections, from Yaddo’s holdings of rare books and artworks and from other lenders.
“The Yaddo Records are a prized holding of The New York Public Library,” stated Paul LeClerc, President of the Library. “We take great pride in being able to offer the public access to materials that were once only accessible by a few. Our collection of Yaddo materials and the exhibition itself will be an exciting and eye-opening experience for anyone with an interest in American culture and the arts.”
“We are honored that The New York Public Library has chosen to make Yaddo the centerpiece of its fall and winter exhibition program,” stated Elaina H. Richardson, President of The Corporation of Yaddo. “Thanks to the Library’s enthusiasm, the cooperation of the lenders to the exhibition and the expert curatorship of Micki McGee, Yaddo: Making American Culture will initiate a festive celebration of Yaddo, in New York City and around the country.”
Plan of the Exhibition
Yaddo: Making American Culture unfolds its story in seven sections, organized according to the overall themes of what is given at Yaddo, and what is made.
Visitors enter the first section, What Is Given, through the actual Yaddo gate—brought to the Library for the exhibition—and are immediately surrounded by the atmosphere of the estate in its early years. Here visitors learn how the wealthy Spencer and Katrina Trask acquired Yaddo, remade it over the years and eventually resolved to convert it into a retreat for artists. Among the rare materials in this gallery is a portrait painting of Katrina Trask by Eastman Johnson, photographs of life at Yaddo taken by Spencer Trask, and a hand-drawn map of the grounds by artist Philip Reisman.
Refuge examines the different functions of Yaddo as a safe haven: from the bustle of city life, from the economic pressures of the Depression, from political persecution during the rise of European fascism. A stained-glass window by Louis Comfort Tiffany offers a pastoral view of the Yaddo grounds. Pictures by artists such as Louis Lozowick reflect the turmoil beyond Yaddo’s gate in the 1930s. Correspondence from Newton Arvin to Truman Capote tells the story of how Yaddo gave a place in America to the Danish novelist and political refugee Karin Michaëlis.
Running down the middle of the exhibition hall is Community. The centerpiece of this section is the Yaddo dining table, around which the resident artists gather every day. Projected onto the table are the names of artists, both celebrated and obscure, who were guests at Yaddo during the time period of the exhibition, from 1926 to 1980. A wall projection at the far end of the gallery displays maps of the social networks developed and fostered at Yaddo. Other highlights of this section include a colorful selection of handmade holiday cards from Yaddo artists.
Contention shows how Yaddo has been not only a refuge from the world’s conflicts but also a place where they have been played out. Compelling letters, photographs, books, press clippings and documents from the 1930s through 1960 reveal the struggles at Yaddo over admitting African American artists such as Langston Hughes and James Baldwin; the clash over accusations of covert Communist influence at the retreat; and the tragic outcome of the police persecution of Newton Arvin—literary scholar, long-time Yaddo advisor, and lover and mentor of the young Truman Capote—because of his homosexuality.
In contrast to the conflicts seen in Contention, Collaboration concentrates on the artistic partnerships that have emerged among Yaddo’s guests. Outstanding among these were the highly influential music festivals (later known as the Music Periods) that Aaron Copland originated in 1932, and that continued through 1952. At audio stations, visitors are able to hear historic recordings from the Yaddo festivals, as well as examples of collaborations among Yaddo’s writers and composers, including Ned Rorem’s settings of poems by Elizabeth Bishop.
Recognition explores how the reputations of Yaddo artists have fared over the years and considers the role of Yaddo in raising or lowering the barriers between high art and popular culture. Books, papers and other materials in this section reflect the diminishing fame of once-celebrated authors such as Evelyn Scott, James T. Farrell and Josephine Herbst; document Yaddo’s decision in 1967 not to admit sculptor Eva Hesse (now seen as one of the key artists of her generation); and provide insight into the careers of Yaddo authors such as Mario Puzo and Irving Stone, who gained popular success but paid for it with a loss of critical esteem.
The final section, Made at Yaddo,is devoted to a summary of the work that has been produced thanks to the retreat, which according to John Cheever has “seen more distinguished activity in the arts than any other piece of ground in the English-speaking community or perhaps in the entire world." In this section, visitors may listen to excerpts of music by composers including Marc Blitzstein and Leonard Bernstein; see original works by visual artists including Milton Avery, Clyfford Still, Philip Guston, George Rickey and Anne Truitt; view a montage by artist Shelly Silver, developed from films based on the works of Yaddo authors; and stand at the foot of a towering pile of more than a thousand books, representing only a fraction of the works published by authors within five years of their residence at Yaddo, 1926-1980.
Major Companion Volume to the Exhibition
Yaddo: Making American Culture, edited by exhibition curator Micki McGee, offers a fascinating glimpse into Yaddo and the lives and historical circumstances of the artists who lived and worked there. Richly illustrated with photographs, prints, intimate letters, documents and ephemera, primarily from archives and collections at Yaddo and at The New York Public Library, the volume includes essays by Marcelle Clements, David Gates, Allan Gurganus, Tim Page, Ruth Price, Helen Vendler, Barry Werth, and Karl Emil Willers; an introductory overview by Micki McGee; and a Yaddo timeline. Published in cloth and paperback by Columbia University Press in association with The New York Public Library, the book is available in The Library Shop.
Free Public Programs - Yaddo: Making American Culture
Curatorial Lecture
Humanities and Social Sciences Library
Celeste Bartos Education Center, South Court
Wednesday, January 14, at 6 p.m.
Repeated Tuesday, February 10, at 2 p.m.
An illustrated lecture by exhibition curator Micki McGee about the themes and content of the exhibition.
Film Programs
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Yaddo Authors on Film
Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m.: January 6, 13, 20, 27; February 3, 10
Film adaptations of works by Yaddo writers in residence, including Patricia Highsmith, Carson McCullers, John Cheever, Flannery O’Connor, Walter Mosley and Raymond Carver.
Yaddo Filmmakers
Fridays at 2:30 p.m.: January 9, 16, 23, 30; February 6, 13
Special screening of The City, with program following: Wednesday, February 11,
at 6 p.m. at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library
Works by filmmakers who have had residencies at Yaddo, among them Laurel Chiten, Shelly Silver, Su Friedrich, Abigail Child and Ralph Steiner.
Special Screeningof The City
A special screening of the 1939 documentary The City in the South Court Auditorium on Wednesday, February 11, at 6 p.m. will be followed by a conversation between Joseph Horowitz (Artistic Director, Post-Classical Ensemble), who prepared liner notes on the Aaron Copland score for the new Naxos DVD release of the film; and documentary filmmaker/scholar George Stoney. The City (screening only; no program) will also be shown on February 13 at the Library for the Performing Arts.
These programs are free on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information about these and other Library programs and classes, pick up a copy of the Now brochure, available in Astor Hall, or visit www.nypl.org/southcourt or www.nypl.org/lpa.
Panel Discussions
Fordham University, Lincoln Center,
Pope Auditorium, 113 West 60th Street
The Lowell Affair: Catholics, Communists, and Yaddo’s Red Scare
Wednesday, October 29, at 6 p.m.
In February 1949, poet Robert Lowell ignited controversy and created dissent in the ordinarily quiet community of Yaddo with allegations that the renowned artists’ retreat had been harboring Communists. The ensuing imbroglio, known as "the Lowell Affair,” has since become the stuff of literary legend, as anti-Communist Catholics, including Lowell and Flannery O'Connor, faced off against members of the literary Left. Months before Senator Joseph McCarthy’s nationwide campaign made the “Red Scare” the central preoccupation of America, Yaddo served as the stage for the culture war to come.
Hosted by the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University, this panel discussion on the Lowell Affair will include speakers Paul Elie, author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own; Saskia Hamilton, editor of The Letters of Robert Lowell; Steven Axelrod, author of Robert Lowell: Life and Art; Vince Passaro, Yaddo’s director of special projects; and guest curator Micki McGee.
This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged. To make a reservation, or for additional information, e-mail cacs@fordham.edu or call 718.817.0662.
College of Arts and Science at New York University
100 Washington Square East
A series of three panel discussions organized by Matthew S. Santirocco, Seryl Kushner Dean of the College of Arts and Science at New York University, will use the experience of Yaddo to explore questions of High and Low Culture (November 12, moderated by Marcelle Clements), Arts Patronage and Social Policy (December 4, moderated by Rick MacArthur) and Culture Wars from the 1930s Until Now (February 4, moderated by Marianne Weems).
Docent Tours
Free public tours of the exhibition are conducted Monday through Saturday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. All group tours, including school groups, must be scheduled well in advance. Unauthorized tours are not permitted. To schedule a tour, call 212.930.0650. Group tour fees are $7 per person ($5 for seniors); there is no charge for full-time students.
Exhibition Support
For their support of the exhibition, The New York Public Library is grateful to The Corporation of Yaddo and its donors: The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, Spencer Trask & Co., Mary H. White and J. Christopher Flowers, the New York Council for the Humanities, public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, George Rickey Foundation, Inc., Harold Reed, Allan Gurganus, Peter C. Gould, Anthony and Margo Viscusi, Susan Brynteson, Nancy Sullivan, Bruce and Ellen Cohen, Rick Moody, Barbara Toll, Rackstraw Downes, Matthew Stover, Van der Veer Varner, Gardner McFall and Peter Olberg, Joseph Caldwell, John Ashbery, Geoffrey Movius, Patricia Volk, and two anonymous donors.
Support for The New York Public Library's Exhibitions Program has been provided by Celeste Bartos, Mahnaz Ispahani and Adam Bartos, Jonathan Altman, and Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III.
Yaddo Exhibitions Around the Country
In celebration of Yaddo and the presentation at The New York Public Library, libraries and archives nationwide will present fifteen exhibitions in 2008-09, showcasing Yaddo artists for whom they hold papers. The participating institutions are the Grolier Club of New York; the Saratoga Springs Public Library; the Houghton Library at Harvard University; the University of Maryland Libraries; the Green Library at Stanford University; the Hayden Library at Arizona State University; the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin; the Eudora Welty Education and Visitors Center of The Mississippi Department of Archives and History; the Northwestern University Library; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the Pennsylvania State University Libraries; the William Allan Neilson Library at Smith College; the Flannery O’Connor Collection at Georgia College & State University; the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University; and the University of Delaware Library.
Yaddocast
Timed to coincide with the presentation of Yaddo: Making American Culture, Yaddo has launched Yaddocast, a multimedia podcast series that explores the history, culture and artistic achievements of the acclaimed artists’ retreat and its artist guests. Written and maintained by noted podcasters Shannon Clute and Richard Edwards, Yaddocast episodes are available for download at yaddo.org through February 2009, and indefinitely for download through media players such as iTunes or Juice, and through the video-sharing website YouTube. For more information, visit: www.yaddo.org and click on the “Looking for Yaddocast” icon in the top left corner of the home page.
About Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists’ community established in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1900 by the financier Spencer Trask and his poet wife, Katrina, to offer creative artists the rare gift of a supportive environment with uninterrupted time to think, experiment and create. Over 200 artists are invited each year for residencies lasting up to two months, and their accomplishments in all fields are a testimony to Yaddo’s long and distinguished history as one of America’s most important cultural institutions. Over the years, Yaddo has welcomed more than 5,500 artists working in one or more of the following media: choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance art, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video. The guests have included such notable men and women as Milton Avery, James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Elizabeth Bishop, Truman Capote, John Cheever, Aaron Copland, Philip Guston, Ulysses Kay, Langston Hughes, Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Katherine Anne Porter, Clyfford Still, Virgil Thomson and William Carlos Williams.
About The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. It comprises four research centers—the Humanities and Social Sciences Library; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the Science, Industry and Business Library—and 87 branch libraries in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items, including materials for the visually impaired. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, beginning genealogy classes and English as a second language. The Library serves some 16 million patrons who come through its doors annually and another 25 million users internationally, who access collections and services through the NYPL website, www.nypl.org.
Hours and General Information
The exhibition is open during regular Library hours: Monday, Thursday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Tuesday–Wednesday, 11 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1–5 p.m. Closed federal holidays and Sunday, December 7. For more information on hours, current and upcoming exhibitions, programs, and services at The New York Public Library, call 212.592.7730 or visit the Library’s website at www.nypl.org
###
Contact: Nadia Riley | 212.592.7177 | Nadia_Riley@nypl.org
Contact: Amy Wentz | Ruder Finn A&CC | 212.715.1551 | wentza@ruderfinn.com
nr: 10.24.08:nypl
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Congratulations America!
This ain’t your father’s revolution
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
A swelling crowd of 200 to 300 people came together to form a loud, jubilant street walk down Broadway at midnight on Tuesday to celebrate the victory of Barack Obama.
They wore American flags, pounded on snare drums and chanted the new president’s name as they crowded onto the down-sloping hill of Caroline Street.
City Police arrived on the scene and closed off the street for the young revelers, who expressed their joy and quickly dispersed, walking back up the hill and onto Broadway, where they were last seen headed in the northerly direction of Skidmore College.
Post Star, 11/5/08
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
A swelling crowd of 200 to 300 people came together to form a loud, jubilant street walk down Broadway at midnight on Tuesday to celebrate the victory of Barack Obama.
They wore American flags, pounded on snare drums and chanted the new president’s name as they crowded onto the down-sloping hill of Caroline Street.
City Police arrived on the scene and closed off the street for the young revelers, who expressed their joy and quickly dispersed, walking back up the hill and onto Broadway, where they were last seen headed in the northerly direction of Skidmore College.
Post Star, 11/5/08
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Rejoice in your vote and Weep for the Ballet and SPAC, Saratogian, 11/4/08
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center will cut back the season of the NYC Ballet, seen here performing in July, from three weeks down to two next year due to economic pressures. The Saratogian/File photo
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The New York City Ballet will be spending only two weeks at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center next July, instead of the usual three.
The decision, announced Monday at a SPAC board meeting, followed a great deal of soul searching, said Ken Tabachnick, the NYC Ballet general manager.
"It is necessary for us to be realistic," Tabachnick said.
The reality is in good years the New York City Ballet and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center each lose about $1 million a year to bring the ballet to Saratoga Springs for three weeks each summer. So, while he said the ballet remains firmly committed to its residency in Saratoga Springs, the decision was in the ballet's best economic interest.
The reduction helps cut SPAC losses, too.
"Overall we are optimistic that this change will be a net positive for both SPAC and the NYCB. We believe that a shorter season will not only reduce expenses, but encourage higher attendance at each performance, which is a goal that we both support," said William Dake, the SPAC board chairman.
SPAC has seen a decrease in attendance for the ballet in the past few years, a statistic on par with national figures.
Dake said he sees the shortened NYC Ballet season - from July 7 to 18 - as an opportunity to broaden the SPAC programs with some other form of dance for the third week, likely a group of national prominence. SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia J. White declined to offer suggestions to the board as to what might replace the ballet's third week. She said ideas are being discussed and SPAC is open to ideas from the public, but directed the conversation about a possible replacement to occur at another meeting.
Advertisement
Monday's announcement came as a surprise to local officials. "This is precisely why our community fought so hard to get a city representative on the SPAC board," said Saratoga Springs Supervisor Joanne Yepsen when called for comment. "Whenever decisions have significant affect on our local economy it is important to work closely with the host city."
A few years ago, a bombshell announcement by the SPAC board that it would be dropping the NYC Ballet caused an uproar, which contributed to a turnover of SPAC management and an almost entirely new board.
This time, a reduction of the residency is not likely to cause such a stir.
"It is certainly unfortunate that the season will be cut back, but it's a sign of our tough economic times," said Saratoga Springs Mayor Scott Johnson. "If people want a three-week ballet season, they need to support the ballet more when it's here. Attendance has been down. Whenever you have tough economic times, the arts are the first to suffer."
White called SPAC a cultural icon and a cultural hub, which the state considers at budget time.
"We are an economic engine bringing in $30 million to the immediate community," she said.
The board of directors received a brief overview of the organization's financial situation at the meeting, which took place in Albany. SPAC is projected to end the year "slightly in the black," but the organization's investments are down 16 percent.
The 2009 budget is still being worked on, with a draft form expected at the end of November. Board members will likely have the draft to review the first week of December and the matter introduced at the scheduled Dec. 12 board meeting.
White said ticket prices and membership prices will remain the same as this year. Although state money has been earmarked for the rehabilitation for the exterior of the SPAC amphitheater, some of those funds have not yet been received. The $2.5 million project will remove the exterior siding and replace it with a new façade - the look has been a subject of controversy and is being redesigned - as well as putting in new railing, lighting and sound systems.
While Dake said the organization seems to be in a "stable position," he reminded the board that most not-for-profits depend on half of their revenue coming from contributions and support. The 2009 season will be the last season for a number of endowments created after a state audit in 2004 resulted in a complete overhaul of the board of directors as well as the firing of the previous SPAC president.
"I don't want to be as dependent as we have been," Dake said of the endowments. He suggested some of the benefactors may opt to continue their gifts.
In addition to the ballet, SPAC's summer season also features the Philadelphia Orchestra. When asked whether the orchestra will also be looking to reduce its time in Saratoga Springs, Dake said, "As far as we know it is not on the table at this point."
"People are more amenable to making changes in these tough economic times," Dake said. "This may be an opportunity to create a greater interest in some areas."
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The New York City Ballet will be spending only two weeks at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center next July, instead of the usual three.
The decision, announced Monday at a SPAC board meeting, followed a great deal of soul searching, said Ken Tabachnick, the NYC Ballet general manager.
"It is necessary for us to be realistic," Tabachnick said.
The reality is in good years the New York City Ballet and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center each lose about $1 million a year to bring the ballet to Saratoga Springs for three weeks each summer. So, while he said the ballet remains firmly committed to its residency in Saratoga Springs, the decision was in the ballet's best economic interest.
The reduction helps cut SPAC losses, too.
"Overall we are optimistic that this change will be a net positive for both SPAC and the NYCB. We believe that a shorter season will not only reduce expenses, but encourage higher attendance at each performance, which is a goal that we both support," said William Dake, the SPAC board chairman.
SPAC has seen a decrease in attendance for the ballet in the past few years, a statistic on par with national figures.
Dake said he sees the shortened NYC Ballet season - from July 7 to 18 - as an opportunity to broaden the SPAC programs with some other form of dance for the third week, likely a group of national prominence. SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia J. White declined to offer suggestions to the board as to what might replace the ballet's third week. She said ideas are being discussed and SPAC is open to ideas from the public, but directed the conversation about a possible replacement to occur at another meeting.
Advertisement
Monday's announcement came as a surprise to local officials. "This is precisely why our community fought so hard to get a city representative on the SPAC board," said Saratoga Springs Supervisor Joanne Yepsen when called for comment. "Whenever decisions have significant affect on our local economy it is important to work closely with the host city."
A few years ago, a bombshell announcement by the SPAC board that it would be dropping the NYC Ballet caused an uproar, which contributed to a turnover of SPAC management and an almost entirely new board.
This time, a reduction of the residency is not likely to cause such a stir.
"It is certainly unfortunate that the season will be cut back, but it's a sign of our tough economic times," said Saratoga Springs Mayor Scott Johnson. "If people want a three-week ballet season, they need to support the ballet more when it's here. Attendance has been down. Whenever you have tough economic times, the arts are the first to suffer."
White called SPAC a cultural icon and a cultural hub, which the state considers at budget time.
"We are an economic engine bringing in $30 million to the immediate community," she said.
The board of directors received a brief overview of the organization's financial situation at the meeting, which took place in Albany. SPAC is projected to end the year "slightly in the black," but the organization's investments are down 16 percent.
The 2009 budget is still being worked on, with a draft form expected at the end of November. Board members will likely have the draft to review the first week of December and the matter introduced at the scheduled Dec. 12 board meeting.
White said ticket prices and membership prices will remain the same as this year. Although state money has been earmarked for the rehabilitation for the exterior of the SPAC amphitheater, some of those funds have not yet been received. The $2.5 million project will remove the exterior siding and replace it with a new façade - the look has been a subject of controversy and is being redesigned - as well as putting in new railing, lighting and sound systems.
While Dake said the organization seems to be in a "stable position," he reminded the board that most not-for-profits depend on half of their revenue coming from contributions and support. The 2009 season will be the last season for a number of endowments created after a state audit in 2004 resulted in a complete overhaul of the board of directors as well as the firing of the previous SPAC president.
"I don't want to be as dependent as we have been," Dake said of the endowments. He suggested some of the benefactors may opt to continue their gifts.
In addition to the ballet, SPAC's summer season also features the Philadelphia Orchestra. When asked whether the orchestra will also be looking to reduce its time in Saratoga Springs, Dake said, "As far as we know it is not on the table at this point."
"People are more amenable to making changes in these tough economic times," Dake said. "This may be an opportunity to create a greater interest in some areas."
Monday, November 03, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Parks closes Schodack Island State Park with no public notice. Will Saratoga be next?
10/24/2008
Park closure spurs forum
By KRISTIN SHAW
SCHODACK--A meeting to discuss the closure of the Schodack Island State Park and to brainstorm ideas on how to keep the park open this winter, will be held Thursday, October 30 at 7 p.m. at the town hall, 265 Schuurman Road.
Advertisement
Supervisor Beth Secor and Assemblyman Tim Gordon (I-108th District) called for the forum and the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), agreed to meet with local residents and elected officials.
The park closed after business hours on Monday, October 13.
"The residents of Schodack and the surrounding areas utilize this wonderful resource throughout the winter," said Mr. Gordon. "It's sudden closing without public knowledge and input is a real blow to the community. It is essential that OPRHP hear what the people have to say."
Residents were rankled when they learned of the park's closing, only days before it happened, and strongly objected to the action being taken without considering the needs and desires of the people who use the park.
Close to 700 people have signed petitions against the parks closure, an effort spearheaded by resident Elizabeth Peters, who brought the issue to the attention of The Independent.
"We're glad parks and recreation have agreed to this meeting," said Mrs. Peters. "We want to keep it a positive one though and not just a forum for people to complain, but to come up with ideas on how to keep the park open, even if on a part-time basis."
Mrs. Secor said the meeting may help all parties discover a way to keep the park open.
"The town has resources that may be used to help address some of the needs for services over the winter," she said. "Communicating with us prior to the closing may have led to a different outcome."
According to Elaine Chinnian, regional director for the Saratoga/Capital District Region, every year since the park opened the usage has increased.
"The Department of Parks and Recreation should listen to the people and take into consideration the impact the closing will have on their quality of life," Mr. Gordon said. "They must work with the residents and local officials to arrive at a solution that will both save the state money in these difficult times and allow residents access to this unique recreational resource on the Hudson River."
Mrs. Secor hopes to get the word out to as many residents as possible before next Thursday.
"This was not the best way to go about this; to make a unilateral decision," she told The Independent. "Input from residents and officials was needed before action was taken."
Mrs. Secor said she expects OPRHP representatives will explain their budget and why Schodack's park was selected as the one to close.
"I'd like to see real numbers and also what is being done to save money at other state parks," she said.
She noted that the state paid $2 million to have the road leading into the park constructed.
"They have a tremendous investment here," she said.
The park here is the only to close down, but other parks throughout the state are operating with reduced hours and less staff, according to Ms. Chinnian.
Rensselaer County Legislators Martin Reid and Alex Shannon are calling on New York State and Governor David Paterson to allow for a public hearing and public comment on the closure of the Schodack Island State Park.
"Residents are still very upset that the Schodack Island State Park was closed and they are also angry with the abrupt manner the park was closed. The residents who use this park or are affected by the closing deserve a chance to be heard," said Mr. Reid (R-District 4).
"We are certain that if state officials allow a public hearing that they will hear loud and clear that the people want the park reopened. A public hearing on the park closing would be good and open government," added Mr. Shannon.
The two lawmakers said they will send a letter to the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation requesting the public hearing. Mr. Reid and Mr. Shannon are also considering a resolution at the November 12 legislative meeting urging the scheduling of a public hearing.
The park is just below the Village of Castleton on Route 9J. Open year-round, the park features boating, hiking, great views of the Hudson River and during the winter months, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Mr. Shannon, chairman of the Legislature's Environmental Committee, said the turnout at the park was strong during the final weekend. During an hour-long period at the park entrance, Mr. Shannon said he counted more than 30 cars and trucks entering the park.
The decision by the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation was made after Governor Paterson called for a 7% reduction in the Parks and Recreation overall budget. The park is expected to reopen in April or May.
Ms. Chinnian said the gate will be closed, as will all of the parks buildings and there will be no staff on site. People can, however, enter at their own risk.
Supervisor Secor and Mr. Gordon met with Deputy Parks Commissioner Andy Beers, in Albany, Friday, October 10 and delivered petitions with more than 400 signatures opposing the parks closure.
According to Eileen Larabee, parks director of communication, it is estimated the state will save $83,000 by having the park closed for six months. People argue, however, that reopening the park in the spring will be more expensive than usual because the park and its trails will not have been maintained during that time frame.
People are also worried about the possible danger to people who access the park, if hunters are on the land without supervision.
At its meeting October 9, the Town Board unanimously adopted a resolution asking the office of parks and recreation to reconsider it's decision. The legislature adopted similar legislation Tuesday, October 14.
Resident Ken Stokem is concerned that this seasonal closing is just the beginning of the end for the park.
"Much of the year, the park does not charge for visits, so they have no real idea how much we use it," he said. "I wonder how saving less than $12,000 a month going to help the state in resolving its fiscal concerns.
"If they don't maintain it, it will cost them much more to reopen and repair it for each summer season, than they may save by closing it," he added "Unplowed and un-patrolled there is substantial opportunity for damage, vandalism, poaching, and other mayhem to occur. Just clearing and reopening it trails will entail a lot of time and expense. This decision makes little real sense and is unfair to the public."
To file a complaint call 584-2000 or log onto www.nysparks.state.ny.us.
Park closure spurs forum
By KRISTIN SHAW
SCHODACK--A meeting to discuss the closure of the Schodack Island State Park and to brainstorm ideas on how to keep the park open this winter, will be held Thursday, October 30 at 7 p.m. at the town hall, 265 Schuurman Road.
Advertisement
Supervisor Beth Secor and Assemblyman Tim Gordon (I-108th District) called for the forum and the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), agreed to meet with local residents and elected officials.
The park closed after business hours on Monday, October 13.
"The residents of Schodack and the surrounding areas utilize this wonderful resource throughout the winter," said Mr. Gordon. "It's sudden closing without public knowledge and input is a real blow to the community. It is essential that OPRHP hear what the people have to say."
Residents were rankled when they learned of the park's closing, only days before it happened, and strongly objected to the action being taken without considering the needs and desires of the people who use the park.
Close to 700 people have signed petitions against the parks closure, an effort spearheaded by resident Elizabeth Peters, who brought the issue to the attention of The Independent.
"We're glad parks and recreation have agreed to this meeting," said Mrs. Peters. "We want to keep it a positive one though and not just a forum for people to complain, but to come up with ideas on how to keep the park open, even if on a part-time basis."
Mrs. Secor said the meeting may help all parties discover a way to keep the park open.
"The town has resources that may be used to help address some of the needs for services over the winter," she said. "Communicating with us prior to the closing may have led to a different outcome."
According to Elaine Chinnian, regional director for the Saratoga/Capital District Region, every year since the park opened the usage has increased.
"The Department of Parks and Recreation should listen to the people and take into consideration the impact the closing will have on their quality of life," Mr. Gordon said. "They must work with the residents and local officials to arrive at a solution that will both save the state money in these difficult times and allow residents access to this unique recreational resource on the Hudson River."
Mrs. Secor hopes to get the word out to as many residents as possible before next Thursday.
"This was not the best way to go about this; to make a unilateral decision," she told The Independent. "Input from residents and officials was needed before action was taken."
Mrs. Secor said she expects OPRHP representatives will explain their budget and why Schodack's park was selected as the one to close.
"I'd like to see real numbers and also what is being done to save money at other state parks," she said.
She noted that the state paid $2 million to have the road leading into the park constructed.
"They have a tremendous investment here," she said.
The park here is the only to close down, but other parks throughout the state are operating with reduced hours and less staff, according to Ms. Chinnian.
Rensselaer County Legislators Martin Reid and Alex Shannon are calling on New York State and Governor David Paterson to allow for a public hearing and public comment on the closure of the Schodack Island State Park.
"Residents are still very upset that the Schodack Island State Park was closed and they are also angry with the abrupt manner the park was closed. The residents who use this park or are affected by the closing deserve a chance to be heard," said Mr. Reid (R-District 4).
"We are certain that if state officials allow a public hearing that they will hear loud and clear that the people want the park reopened. A public hearing on the park closing would be good and open government," added Mr. Shannon.
The two lawmakers said they will send a letter to the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation requesting the public hearing. Mr. Reid and Mr. Shannon are also considering a resolution at the November 12 legislative meeting urging the scheduling of a public hearing.
The park is just below the Village of Castleton on Route 9J. Open year-round, the park features boating, hiking, great views of the Hudson River and during the winter months, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Mr. Shannon, chairman of the Legislature's Environmental Committee, said the turnout at the park was strong during the final weekend. During an hour-long period at the park entrance, Mr. Shannon said he counted more than 30 cars and trucks entering the park.
The decision by the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation was made after Governor Paterson called for a 7% reduction in the Parks and Recreation overall budget. The park is expected to reopen in April or May.
Ms. Chinnian said the gate will be closed, as will all of the parks buildings and there will be no staff on site. People can, however, enter at their own risk.
Supervisor Secor and Mr. Gordon met with Deputy Parks Commissioner Andy Beers, in Albany, Friday, October 10 and delivered petitions with more than 400 signatures opposing the parks closure.
According to Eileen Larabee, parks director of communication, it is estimated the state will save $83,000 by having the park closed for six months. People argue, however, that reopening the park in the spring will be more expensive than usual because the park and its trails will not have been maintained during that time frame.
People are also worried about the possible danger to people who access the park, if hunters are on the land without supervision.
At its meeting October 9, the Town Board unanimously adopted a resolution asking the office of parks and recreation to reconsider it's decision. The legislature adopted similar legislation Tuesday, October 14.
Resident Ken Stokem is concerned that this seasonal closing is just the beginning of the end for the park.
"Much of the year, the park does not charge for visits, so they have no real idea how much we use it," he said. "I wonder how saving less than $12,000 a month going to help the state in resolving its fiscal concerns.
"If they don't maintain it, it will cost them much more to reopen and repair it for each summer season, than they may save by closing it," he added "Unplowed and un-patrolled there is substantial opportunity for damage, vandalism, poaching, and other mayhem to occur. Just clearing and reopening it trails will entail a lot of time and expense. This decision makes little real sense and is unfair to the public."
To file a complaint call 584-2000 or log onto www.nysparks.state.ny.us.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
"Tip of the Iceberg"
print story
back
Shuttering parks for winter is just the tip of iceberg
First published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
As a sign of the long, cold winter ahead in more ways than one, the notice from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation did not move the planets out of alignment.
But it was an ominous sign all the same.
Because of budget constraints, the relatively new state park on Schodack Island will be closed for the winter. So will another small park in the central part of the state, some boat launches and a few winter programs
As a practical matter, Schodack Island doesn't get a lot of use in the winter anyway. Unlike, say, Thacher up in the Helderbergs or Grafton in Rensselaer County, both of which offer very popular and varied winter sports and activities.
Closing Schodack Island for the winter will only save the state about $83,000, a spokesman said, The roads won't be plowed, the parking lot will be chained closed and there will no bathroom facilities.
But because 83 percent of the agency's budget goes toward operating parks and their programs, there's not much wiggle room when mandated cuts are imposed on the existing budget, as they have been. Twice this year already.
At the Department of Environmental Conservation, which runs other state parks and recreation programs — don't ask — planned cutbacks for the same reason are so far equally modest. One tow rope at the beginner slope and one lift will be closed at Belleayre, about 10 percent of the operation. Elsewhere, a couple of maintenance offices will be consolidated.
But don't fool yourself for a second. These are only the smallest of hints of things to come.
Not a one among the state's wisest fiscal prognosticaters can tell us yet how bad it's going to get, but that it most certainly will be bad remains a safe bet.
The bottom line of what we will witness between the Legislature's Nov. 18 special session and and the end of the next budget cycle, around April 1, is a profound downsizing of what we can reasonably expect our state government to do for us. Closing or tightly restricting the use of other state parks and recreational facilities is the least of it.
The really big ticket items for the state budget, Medicaid and education funding, will have to take major hits. The only question is how much.
New York's platinum Medicaid benefits have to be scaled back, and that's all there is to it. We can't afford it anymore.
On the education side, tell Washington to stick No Child Left Behind in its ear. Many other states have done so already, because it is a largely ineffective, mostly unfunded mandate driving up the cost of local school budgets.
Some of my conservative friends, I'm sure are saying, ah-men to much of that.
Those same folks, though, who tend to be Republican, have to be blanching at the promises Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos is making concerning no cuts ahead in education spending. Those assurances are mindboggling given the state's catastrophic revenue stream.
There is such a thing as going too far with political opportunism. Skelos has slipped into irresponsible by promising the New York State United Teachers union that his house won't entertain education budget cuts.
Given that we don't know where we're going in terms of state finances, those are promises that can't be made. Or worse, they guarantee gridlock in upcoming delicate negotiations for the downsizing of our government, which is bound to be ahead of us.
Education cuts have to on the table.
Now, I do not fault the teachers unions for backing whoever they think will give them what they want. The union represents a special interest. No doubt, we'll be hearing from the health care industy and related unions along the same lines.
How can the Republican Senate feverishly vote for tax caps, and at the same time hold the line against education cuts when we have drastically reduced revenues? Those are absolute opposites in terms of effect on the taxpayer.
It's the logic of desperation politics, I suppose.
Certainly the infusion of scads of NYSUT lobbying money and the union's phone banks promoting endorsed Republican candidates might help the GOP keep their Senate majority.
Although the promises necessary for NYSUT's support could fuel a backlash against them just as easily. Not to mention pose quite a dilemma when the time comes to actually make good on those promises.
Fred LeBrun can be reached at 454-5453 or by e-mail at flebrun@timesunion.com.
back
Shuttering parks for winter is just the tip of iceberg
First published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
As a sign of the long, cold winter ahead in more ways than one, the notice from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation did not move the planets out of alignment.
But it was an ominous sign all the same.
Because of budget constraints, the relatively new state park on Schodack Island will be closed for the winter. So will another small park in the central part of the state, some boat launches and a few winter programs
As a practical matter, Schodack Island doesn't get a lot of use in the winter anyway. Unlike, say, Thacher up in the Helderbergs or Grafton in Rensselaer County, both of which offer very popular and varied winter sports and activities.
Closing Schodack Island for the winter will only save the state about $83,000, a spokesman said, The roads won't be plowed, the parking lot will be chained closed and there will no bathroom facilities.
But because 83 percent of the agency's budget goes toward operating parks and their programs, there's not much wiggle room when mandated cuts are imposed on the existing budget, as they have been. Twice this year already.
At the Department of Environmental Conservation, which runs other state parks and recreation programs — don't ask — planned cutbacks for the same reason are so far equally modest. One tow rope at the beginner slope and one lift will be closed at Belleayre, about 10 percent of the operation. Elsewhere, a couple of maintenance offices will be consolidated.
But don't fool yourself for a second. These are only the smallest of hints of things to come.
Not a one among the state's wisest fiscal prognosticaters can tell us yet how bad it's going to get, but that it most certainly will be bad remains a safe bet.
The bottom line of what we will witness between the Legislature's Nov. 18 special session and and the end of the next budget cycle, around April 1, is a profound downsizing of what we can reasonably expect our state government to do for us. Closing or tightly restricting the use of other state parks and recreational facilities is the least of it.
The really big ticket items for the state budget, Medicaid and education funding, will have to take major hits. The only question is how much.
New York's platinum Medicaid benefits have to be scaled back, and that's all there is to it. We can't afford it anymore.
On the education side, tell Washington to stick No Child Left Behind in its ear. Many other states have done so already, because it is a largely ineffective, mostly unfunded mandate driving up the cost of local school budgets.
Some of my conservative friends, I'm sure are saying, ah-men to much of that.
Those same folks, though, who tend to be Republican, have to be blanching at the promises Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos is making concerning no cuts ahead in education spending. Those assurances are mindboggling given the state's catastrophic revenue stream.
There is such a thing as going too far with political opportunism. Skelos has slipped into irresponsible by promising the New York State United Teachers union that his house won't entertain education budget cuts.
Given that we don't know where we're going in terms of state finances, those are promises that can't be made. Or worse, they guarantee gridlock in upcoming delicate negotiations for the downsizing of our government, which is bound to be ahead of us.
Education cuts have to on the table.
Now, I do not fault the teachers unions for backing whoever they think will give them what they want. The union represents a special interest. No doubt, we'll be hearing from the health care industy and related unions along the same lines.
How can the Republican Senate feverishly vote for tax caps, and at the same time hold the line against education cuts when we have drastically reduced revenues? Those are absolute opposites in terms of effect on the taxpayer.
It's the logic of desperation politics, I suppose.
Certainly the infusion of scads of NYSUT lobbying money and the union's phone banks promoting endorsed Republican candidates might help the GOP keep their Senate majority.
Although the promises necessary for NYSUT's support could fuel a backlash against them just as easily. Not to mention pose quite a dilemma when the time comes to actually make good on those promises.
Fred LeBrun can be reached at 454-5453 or by e-mail at flebrun@timesunion.com.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
SPAC facade delayed until 2010----43 yrs. and counting
10/12/2008
SPAC façade won't be in place until 2010
By PAUL POST , The Saratogian
The present exterior view of SPAC. ERICA MILLER/The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Saratoga Performing Arts Center visitors will see noticeable improvements next year, but a new façade won't be in place until 2010, officials said Friday.
In May, SPAC unveiled a controversial new exterior design that critics quickly dubbed "The Stack," because of its likeness to a stack of pancakes.
That work - along with newly designed exterior ramps, lighting and sound - is part of a $2.5 million project, the third and final phase of a multi-year effort to upgrade the 42-year-old venue.
Work on the entire Phase III project was originally scheduled to begin this fall. Instead, only the ramps, lighting, sound and new restrooms will be done.
Advertisement
"That type of work can go on in the winter, so there's no squeeze and there should be plenty of time in the spring," SPAC Chairman William Dake said.
The façade, however, is taking longer because of the time involved with creating and getting an alternate design approved.
"We're looking at new designs and new estimates of those designs," said Alane Ball-Chinian, regional director of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. SPAC's property is owned by the state.
By next year, familiar globe lights on exterior ramps will be removed and replaced with more of a subdued type of lighting. The old sound system will be improved, too.
"They've just gotten more effective at projecting sound," Dake said.
The first two phases of SPAC work brought various infrastructure upgrades such as roof repairs, rehearsal room renovations and improvements to heating and ventilation systems. New drainage was also installed and old seats were replaced with more than 5,000 new padded models.
SPAC façade won't be in place until 2010
By PAUL POST , The Saratogian
The present exterior view of SPAC. ERICA MILLER/The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Saratoga Performing Arts Center visitors will see noticeable improvements next year, but a new façade won't be in place until 2010, officials said Friday.
In May, SPAC unveiled a controversial new exterior design that critics quickly dubbed "The Stack," because of its likeness to a stack of pancakes.
That work - along with newly designed exterior ramps, lighting and sound - is part of a $2.5 million project, the third and final phase of a multi-year effort to upgrade the 42-year-old venue.
Work on the entire Phase III project was originally scheduled to begin this fall. Instead, only the ramps, lighting, sound and new restrooms will be done.
Advertisement
"That type of work can go on in the winter, so there's no squeeze and there should be plenty of time in the spring," SPAC Chairman William Dake said.
The façade, however, is taking longer because of the time involved with creating and getting an alternate design approved.
"We're looking at new designs and new estimates of those designs," said Alane Ball-Chinian, regional director of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. SPAC's property is owned by the state.
By next year, familiar globe lights on exterior ramps will be removed and replaced with more of a subdued type of lighting. The old sound system will be improved, too.
"They've just gotten more effective at projecting sound," Dake said.
The first two phases of SPAC work brought various infrastructure upgrades such as roof repairs, rehearsal room renovations and improvements to heating and ventilation systems. New drainage was also installed and old seats were replaced with more than 5,000 new padded models.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Governor Picks Delaware North already running Gideon Putnam Hotel and Racino for Aqueduct Race Track slots
10/11/2008
Racino contract awarded
By PAUL POST , The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Gov. David Paterson has chosen Delaware North Companies and its partner - Saratoga Harness Racing Inc., which owns Saratoga Gaming & Raceway - to open and run a racino at Aqueduct Race Track.
Advertisement
It's a long-awaited decision that will mean millions to Saratoga Race Course, because the summertime thoroughbred track is slated to receive a cut of the money generated by the downstate racino.
However, one of the people whose approval is required - Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Center - isn't happy with the choice, saying it doesn't address economic development and job creation surrounding Aqueduct. So the selection may not be a done deal.
"It is shocking that Sen. Skelos, who claims to understand the importance of this revenue stream and who has repeatedly and publicly called on the governor to award this contract, has now decided to stall a significant economic development project," Paterson spokeswoman Rita Heller said in a press statement. "Delaware North presents the strongest financial proposal with an upfront payment of $370 million."
Delaware North's New York roots apparently weighed heavily with Paterson. The Buffalo-based firm runs Saratoga Gaming & Raceway's video lottery terminals and manages the Gideon Putnam Hotel at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs. In addition, it owns and runs Finger Lakes Race Track, a thoroughbred venue near Rochester, and operates Fairgounds Gaming at Buffalo Raceway.
"They have a proven successful track record in New York state," said Sisa Moyo, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, the other person whose approval is required. "The governor selected them and we're comfortable with that decision."
Delaware North/Saratoga Harness is one of three entities that bid for the contract to run a 4,500-machine VLT facility at Aqueduct.
Construction is expected to take 15 to 18 months, meaning it would likely start up in early or mid-2010, generating a projected $450 million per year that would boost purses at each of the state's three main thoroughbred tracks - Saratoga Race Course, Aqueduct Race Track and Belmont Park.
Delaware North President William Bissett issued a one-paragraph statement Friday saying the company looks forward to bringing "a new and exciting Aqueduct to the Queens community and much needed economic stimulus to the state of New York."
Skelos and the competing bidders were quick to denounce the governor's choice.
"It appears that Gov. Paterson is supporting a bid that only includes plans for a racino and does not include any proposal to generate needed economic development," Skelos said. "It appears that in an effort to close the budget deficit, Gov. Paterson has made a choice that may not be in the best longterm interests of the state or for the communities that surround Aqueduct. It is our belief that unless we made Aqueduct a true destination venue, this project will not generate the largest possible benefit."
Skelos, however, isn't saying which firm he prefers.
Aqueduct is bordered by John F. Kennedy International Airport - one of the world's busiest airports - a New York subway line, residential neighborhoods and Rockaway Boulevard, a heavily-traveled commercial strip.
The best proposal would provide for job creation in that area, which Delaware North hasn't, said Skelos spokesman Mark Hansen. But he didn't specify the type of development Skelos envisions.
Delaware North/Saratoga Harness offered the state the largest upfront payment - $370 million. Competitor SL Green/Hard Rock Entertainment offered $250 million, and Capital Play/Mohegan Sun offered $100 million. Both of the latter proposals included plans for large-scale entertainment-retail complexes beyond the VLTs.
Mohegan Sun's proposal includes a hotel. President and CEO Mitchell Etess said his firm would generate $6 billion more than other entities over the life of the 30-year contract.
"This would be a very bad mistake," he said of the governor's selection. "Our longterm revenue far exceeds any of the competitors. If the state is willing to accept far less money in the long run, there's nothing we can do about it. It's very shortsighted."
The gaming selection process was decided by the governor, Senate and Assembly leaders earlier this year, a political insider said. There are no clear-cut rules as to whether the state's top three leaders just need to agree, or whether the decision requires a full legislative vote, he said.
Robert Bellafiore, a spokesman for SL Green, said, "The governor can't give this contract out. The governor's office makes a recommendation."
The New York Racing Association has been anxious for Aqueduct's gaming to get started because of the added revenue it will produce. President and CEO Charles Hayward said he felt confident that any of the three bidders would run a "first-class racino."
"We're going to be motivated to work with these guys, to make them a bigger success, because we get 7 percent of the net win - 4 percent for capital expenses, 3 percent for operating expenses," he said. "I've seen Delaware North in action at Finger Lakes and Saratoga so we're very comfortable with them."
NYRA has no official voice in the selection, but has made its wishes known to the state. Previously, Hayward said he didn't want Capital Play (Mohegan Sun), which challenged NYRA for the latest racing contract. This year NYRA was granted a |25-year contract to continue as operator of Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track.
Mohegan Sun runs what is generally considered the Northeast's most successful casino, in Connecticut, which left some doubting how actively it would market Aqueduct.
Etess, however, said, "We had planned to turn Aqueduct into a premier destination."
Mohegan Sun has an extensive customer database, and Etess said it planned to promote Aqueduct much more heavily than Connecticut to the New York City market.
Etess said he's unsure why Paterson made the choice he did. "I would not want to speculate," he said. "I'm sure he'll have to explain it to the people."
Racino contract awarded
By PAUL POST , The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Gov. David Paterson has chosen Delaware North Companies and its partner - Saratoga Harness Racing Inc., which owns Saratoga Gaming & Raceway - to open and run a racino at Aqueduct Race Track.
Advertisement
It's a long-awaited decision that will mean millions to Saratoga Race Course, because the summertime thoroughbred track is slated to receive a cut of the money generated by the downstate racino.
However, one of the people whose approval is required - Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Center - isn't happy with the choice, saying it doesn't address economic development and job creation surrounding Aqueduct. So the selection may not be a done deal.
"It is shocking that Sen. Skelos, who claims to understand the importance of this revenue stream and who has repeatedly and publicly called on the governor to award this contract, has now decided to stall a significant economic development project," Paterson spokeswoman Rita Heller said in a press statement. "Delaware North presents the strongest financial proposal with an upfront payment of $370 million."
Delaware North's New York roots apparently weighed heavily with Paterson. The Buffalo-based firm runs Saratoga Gaming & Raceway's video lottery terminals and manages the Gideon Putnam Hotel at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs. In addition, it owns and runs Finger Lakes Race Track, a thoroughbred venue near Rochester, and operates Fairgounds Gaming at Buffalo Raceway.
"They have a proven successful track record in New York state," said Sisa Moyo, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, the other person whose approval is required. "The governor selected them and we're comfortable with that decision."
Delaware North/Saratoga Harness is one of three entities that bid for the contract to run a 4,500-machine VLT facility at Aqueduct.
Construction is expected to take 15 to 18 months, meaning it would likely start up in early or mid-2010, generating a projected $450 million per year that would boost purses at each of the state's three main thoroughbred tracks - Saratoga Race Course, Aqueduct Race Track and Belmont Park.
Delaware North President William Bissett issued a one-paragraph statement Friday saying the company looks forward to bringing "a new and exciting Aqueduct to the Queens community and much needed economic stimulus to the state of New York."
Skelos and the competing bidders were quick to denounce the governor's choice.
"It appears that Gov. Paterson is supporting a bid that only includes plans for a racino and does not include any proposal to generate needed economic development," Skelos said. "It appears that in an effort to close the budget deficit, Gov. Paterson has made a choice that may not be in the best longterm interests of the state or for the communities that surround Aqueduct. It is our belief that unless we made Aqueduct a true destination venue, this project will not generate the largest possible benefit."
Skelos, however, isn't saying which firm he prefers.
Aqueduct is bordered by John F. Kennedy International Airport - one of the world's busiest airports - a New York subway line, residential neighborhoods and Rockaway Boulevard, a heavily-traveled commercial strip.
The best proposal would provide for job creation in that area, which Delaware North hasn't, said Skelos spokesman Mark Hansen. But he didn't specify the type of development Skelos envisions.
Delaware North/Saratoga Harness offered the state the largest upfront payment - $370 million. Competitor SL Green/Hard Rock Entertainment offered $250 million, and Capital Play/Mohegan Sun offered $100 million. Both of the latter proposals included plans for large-scale entertainment-retail complexes beyond the VLTs.
Mohegan Sun's proposal includes a hotel. President and CEO Mitchell Etess said his firm would generate $6 billion more than other entities over the life of the 30-year contract.
"This would be a very bad mistake," he said of the governor's selection. "Our longterm revenue far exceeds any of the competitors. If the state is willing to accept far less money in the long run, there's nothing we can do about it. It's very shortsighted."
The gaming selection process was decided by the governor, Senate and Assembly leaders earlier this year, a political insider said. There are no clear-cut rules as to whether the state's top three leaders just need to agree, or whether the decision requires a full legislative vote, he said.
Robert Bellafiore, a spokesman for SL Green, said, "The governor can't give this contract out. The governor's office makes a recommendation."
The New York Racing Association has been anxious for Aqueduct's gaming to get started because of the added revenue it will produce. President and CEO Charles Hayward said he felt confident that any of the three bidders would run a "first-class racino."
"We're going to be motivated to work with these guys, to make them a bigger success, because we get 7 percent of the net win - 4 percent for capital expenses, 3 percent for operating expenses," he said. "I've seen Delaware North in action at Finger Lakes and Saratoga so we're very comfortable with them."
NYRA has no official voice in the selection, but has made its wishes known to the state. Previously, Hayward said he didn't want Capital Play (Mohegan Sun), which challenged NYRA for the latest racing contract. This year NYRA was granted a |25-year contract to continue as operator of Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track.
Mohegan Sun runs what is generally considered the Northeast's most successful casino, in Connecticut, which left some doubting how actively it would market Aqueduct.
Etess, however, said, "We had planned to turn Aqueduct into a premier destination."
Mohegan Sun has an extensive customer database, and Etess said it planned to promote Aqueduct much more heavily than Connecticut to the New York City market.
Etess said he's unsure why Paterson made the choice he did. "I would not want to speculate," he said. "I'm sure he'll have to explain it to the people."
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Seasonal employees only cuts at Saratoga Spa State Park so far.....
10/09/2008
Tree nursery, parks feeling state budget cuts
By: PAUL POST , The Saratogian
David Lee, supervisor at the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Saratoga Tree Nursery on Route 50, examines 3-year-old red oak trees grown from acorns at the site. (ED BURKE/The Saratogian)
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The head of state-owned Saratoga Tree Nursery is concerned that his facility could fall victim to the budget chopping block.
With 10 full-time and nearly two dozen seasonal workers, the nursery distributes 1.5 million seedlings per year to private land owners for use in valuable projects such as erosion control, reforestation, wildlife habitat restoration and buffering agricultural lands from nearby water sources.
Founded in 1911, the 200-acre site is the last remaining state-owned operation of its kind, down from the half-dozen or so that previously served various parts of New York. Recently, the cash-strapped state cut the nursery's non-personnel budget by 14 percent ($30,000) that will make it difficult to collect seeds needed for growing new trees and shrubs.
Advertisement
"I have a concern that they might take a look at the program and decide that we are no longer needed, which would be a loss to New York residents as far as having a source to obtain low-cost seedlings," Supervising Forester David Lee said.
Autumn is normally a time for collecting and sewing some plant and tree seeds in the ground. Nursery employees collect seeds on their own, but also rely on a statewide network of people who, in the past, have been reimbursed for turning in seed-bearing cones and fruit.
"We've been forced to cut back due to budget cuts," Lee said. "Some species (red pine, red oak) we might have to eliminate if we're not able to obtain the needed amount of seed ourselves. The amount we're going to be able to plant is going to be a lot less."
In addition to providing seedlings to residents at cost, the nursery also has an extensive school program.
Classroom groups are allowed to get 50 free seedlings that may be planted on school grounds or used in some other type of educational program determined by their teacher.
State forest rangers, whose headquarters are at the tree nursery, are also feeling budget cut impacts. No staff reductions are anticipated, but equipment and supply purchases are being kept to a minimum. "We are cutting back on training, meetings, conferences, which will translate into less overtime being used and a savings in mileage," said Lori O'Connell, a state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman.
Elsewhere, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has sent seasonal workers home early and is cutting back on some facilities and services.
"We had to cut the season short for several of our employees who would normally work till the end of November, office staff and grounds people," Saratoga Spa State Park Manager Mike Greenslade said.
Saratoga-Capital Region Director Alane Chinian said that seasonal layoffs have occurred across the board, throughout the area. Also, the state has imposed a hiring freeze meaning that retiring employees aren't being replaced.
Chinian said that her region has been directed to reduce spending $250,000 before the start of the state's next fiscal year on April 1. Some equipment purchases have been delayed to help meet that goal.
However, Chinian said she's extremely concerned about the cost of this winter's heating costs, even though the park took a number of energy conservation measures, installing new boilers.
The parks department has already decided not to keep Schodack Island State Park in Castleton open this winter. The gate will be closed and an access road won't be plowed, meaning that hunters and cross-country skiers will have to park elsewhere and hike in.
Two campgrounds in Rensselaer and Schoharie counties have closed early, too.
Tree nursery, parks feeling state budget cuts
By: PAUL POST , The Saratogian
David Lee, supervisor at the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Saratoga Tree Nursery on Route 50, examines 3-year-old red oak trees grown from acorns at the site. (ED BURKE/The Saratogian)
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The head of state-owned Saratoga Tree Nursery is concerned that his facility could fall victim to the budget chopping block.
With 10 full-time and nearly two dozen seasonal workers, the nursery distributes 1.5 million seedlings per year to private land owners for use in valuable projects such as erosion control, reforestation, wildlife habitat restoration and buffering agricultural lands from nearby water sources.
Founded in 1911, the 200-acre site is the last remaining state-owned operation of its kind, down from the half-dozen or so that previously served various parts of New York. Recently, the cash-strapped state cut the nursery's non-personnel budget by 14 percent ($30,000) that will make it difficult to collect seeds needed for growing new trees and shrubs.
Advertisement
"I have a concern that they might take a look at the program and decide that we are no longer needed, which would be a loss to New York residents as far as having a source to obtain low-cost seedlings," Supervising Forester David Lee said.
Autumn is normally a time for collecting and sewing some plant and tree seeds in the ground. Nursery employees collect seeds on their own, but also rely on a statewide network of people who, in the past, have been reimbursed for turning in seed-bearing cones and fruit.
"We've been forced to cut back due to budget cuts," Lee said. "Some species (red pine, red oak) we might have to eliminate if we're not able to obtain the needed amount of seed ourselves. The amount we're going to be able to plant is going to be a lot less."
In addition to providing seedlings to residents at cost, the nursery also has an extensive school program.
Classroom groups are allowed to get 50 free seedlings that may be planted on school grounds or used in some other type of educational program determined by their teacher.
State forest rangers, whose headquarters are at the tree nursery, are also feeling budget cut impacts. No staff reductions are anticipated, but equipment and supply purchases are being kept to a minimum. "We are cutting back on training, meetings, conferences, which will translate into less overtime being used and a savings in mileage," said Lori O'Connell, a state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman.
Elsewhere, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has sent seasonal workers home early and is cutting back on some facilities and services.
"We had to cut the season short for several of our employees who would normally work till the end of November, office staff and grounds people," Saratoga Spa State Park Manager Mike Greenslade said.
Saratoga-Capital Region Director Alane Chinian said that seasonal layoffs have occurred across the board, throughout the area. Also, the state has imposed a hiring freeze meaning that retiring employees aren't being replaced.
Chinian said that her region has been directed to reduce spending $250,000 before the start of the state's next fiscal year on April 1. Some equipment purchases have been delayed to help meet that goal.
However, Chinian said she's extremely concerned about the cost of this winter's heating costs, even though the park took a number of energy conservation measures, installing new boilers.
The parks department has already decided not to keep Schodack Island State Park in Castleton open this winter. The gate will be closed and an access road won't be plowed, meaning that hunters and cross-country skiers will have to park elsewhere and hike in.
Two campgrounds in Rensselaer and Schoharie counties have closed early, too.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
State Parks take hits from budget cuts, times union,10/7/08
Schodack Island access curtailed
State budget cuts close Rensselaer County park until April
By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer
Last updated: 7:26 a.m., Tuesday, October 7, 2008
SCHODACK — Schodack Island State Park will close next week for six months as part of a 10 percent cut in the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation budget.
"The gate will be locked. The buildings will be closed,'' Bob Kuehn, assistant regional director of the Saratoga-Capital District Park Region, said Monday. He said the action is in response to Gov. David Paterson's directive to make buget cuts
Schodack Island State Park will shut after the upcoming Columbus Day holiday weekend. It is not expected to reopen until after April 1, which is the start of the state's next fiscal year.
It's the only Capital Region park that is closing completely and one of three statewide. The other parks shutting down are Woodlawn and Silver Lake in the western park of the state.
Rensselaer County Legislators Martin Reid, R-Sand Lake, and Alex Shannon, R-Schodack, said closing Schodack Island is unfair to Capital Region residents.
"In our view, Schodack Island State Park offers residents important access points to the river and is operated at a relatively small cost when compared to other parks,'' said County Legislator Martin Reid, R-Sand Lake. The park is in both Reid's and Shannon's districts.
"We believe the state could have gone about this in a different manner and found solutions to keep the park open,'' Reid continued.
Decisions on where to make budget cuts were left up to the parks department's 11 regions. Of $9 million cut from the parks department budget, $4 million was directly related to park operations and the rest from delaying equipment purchases and projects plus not filling vacancies, said Eileen Larrabee, a department spokeswoman. The Saratoga-Capital District Region cut $225,000 in park services.
"We're trying to minimize the impact on the public. ... There are realities we have to deal with,'' Larrabee said.
Kuehn said the campgrounds at Cherry Plain State Park in Berlin and Max V. Shaul State Park in Schoharie County were closed early and the hours at the state boat ramp on Saratoga Lake, part of Saratoga Spa State Park, were reduced to weekends after Labor Day.
State budget cuts close Rensselaer County park until April
By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer
Last updated: 7:26 a.m., Tuesday, October 7, 2008
SCHODACK — Schodack Island State Park will close next week for six months as part of a 10 percent cut in the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation budget.
"The gate will be locked. The buildings will be closed,'' Bob Kuehn, assistant regional director of the Saratoga-Capital District Park Region, said Monday. He said the action is in response to Gov. David Paterson's directive to make buget cuts
Schodack Island State Park will shut after the upcoming Columbus Day holiday weekend. It is not expected to reopen until after April 1, which is the start of the state's next fiscal year.
It's the only Capital Region park that is closing completely and one of three statewide. The other parks shutting down are Woodlawn and Silver Lake in the western park of the state.
Rensselaer County Legislators Martin Reid, R-Sand Lake, and Alex Shannon, R-Schodack, said closing Schodack Island is unfair to Capital Region residents.
"In our view, Schodack Island State Park offers residents important access points to the river and is operated at a relatively small cost when compared to other parks,'' said County Legislator Martin Reid, R-Sand Lake. The park is in both Reid's and Shannon's districts.
"We believe the state could have gone about this in a different manner and found solutions to keep the park open,'' Reid continued.
Decisions on where to make budget cuts were left up to the parks department's 11 regions. Of $9 million cut from the parks department budget, $4 million was directly related to park operations and the rest from delaying equipment purchases and projects plus not filling vacancies, said Eileen Larrabee, a department spokeswoman. The Saratoga-Capital District Region cut $225,000 in park services.
"We're trying to minimize the impact on the public. ... There are realities we have to deal with,'' Larrabee said.
Kuehn said the campgrounds at Cherry Plain State Park in Berlin and Max V. Shaul State Park in Schoharie County were closed early and the hours at the state boat ramp on Saratoga Lake, part of Saratoga Spa State Park, were reduced to weekends after Labor Day.
Saratoga's "bubble" could continue.....AMD is coming!
AMD announces new partnership, plans to build Luther Forest plant
From Staff and wire reports
Updated: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 6:37 AM EDT
Larger Text
Smaller Text
Print
Email
RSS
NEW YORK – Advanced Micro Devices announced this morning it is going forward with construction of a new computer chip manufacturing facility in Malta’s Luther Forest technology campus – with a little help from its friends.
The struggling semiconductor firm – the second largest in the world – is partnering with the Advanced Technology Investment Company of Abu Dhabi to create a new company, temporarily called “The Foundry Company,” that will infuse AMD with cash, take on some of the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based firm’s debt and upgrade its manufacturing facilities, according to a prepared statement.
Construction of the Malta plant, expected to employ 1,400 once it comes online, is dependent on whether AMD is successful in transferring state incentives – totaling about $1.2 billion in tax breaks and other perks – to the new company, which will take on operation of AMD’s manufacturing facilities.
Construction could begin on the plant in the middle of 2009, according to the press release.
In return, the Abu Dhabi firm will contribute $2.1 billion to purchase its stake in The Foundry Company, of which $1.4 billion will be invested into The Foundry Company, while the rest will be given to AMD in return for an ownership stake in the tech firm.
ATIC has committed additional equity funding to The Foundry Company of a minimum of $3.6 billion and up to $6.0 billion over the next five years to fund the expansion of The Foundry Company’s chip-making capacity beyond the manufacturing facilities initially contributed by AMD.
These funds will be used by The Foundry Company to begin construction of the Malta facility. The New York facility is expected to create more than 1,400 direct jobs, and, through its operation, to generate an additional 5,000 jobs in the region, AMD has said.
Once operational, the New York facility will be the only independently-managed, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing foundry in the United States.
The Board of Directors of The Foundry Company will be equally divided between representatives of AMD and ATIC. AMD will own 44.4 percent and ATIC will own 55.6 percent of The Foundry Company’s fully-converted common stock upon its formation.
Doug Grose will relinquish his current role as AMD’s senior vice president of manufacturing operations to become chief executive officer of The Foundry Company. Hector Ruiz will relinquish his current role as AMD’s executive chairman and chairman of the board to become chairman of The Foundry Company. To augment its announced leadership, the new company plans an aggressive recruitment strategy to round out a world-class semiconductor manufacturing leadership team.
ATIC is an investment company formed by the government of Abu Dhabi to invest in advanced technology opportunities.
“Today is a landmark day for AMD, creating a financially stronger company with a tightened focus,” said Dirk Meyer, president and chief executive officer of AMD. “With The Foundry Company, AMD has developed an innovative way to focus our efforts on design while maintaining access to the leading-edge manufacturing technologies that our business needs without the required capital-intensive investments of semiconductor manufacturing.
“I particularly want to congratulate our Chairman Hector Ruiz, whose vision and leadership of our Asset Smart strategy is fulfilled today.”
Upon closing of the transaction, The Foundry Company will commence operations with approximately 3,000 employees who will transition into the new company from AMD facilities in Silicon Valley, New York, Dresden, and Austin. The new company’s principal headquarters will be in Silicon Valley and its research and development and manufacturing leadership teams and ecosystems will be based in New York, Dresden, and Austin.
After the upgrade and expansion in Dresden and the build-out of the New York facility, The Foundry Company envisions expanding its global manufacturing footprint over time, if commercially justified, to also include new fabrication facilities in Abu Dhabi.
The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of 2009, following satisfaction of conditions such as approvals from regulators, transfer of previously-confirmed New York incentives to The Foundry Company, and stockholder approval for the issuance of common stock and warrants to the Abu Dhabi company.
The Post-Star will update this story throughout the day today. Read more in Wednesday’s edition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out!
From Staff and wire reports
Updated: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 6:37 AM EDT
Larger Text
Smaller Text
RSS
NEW YORK – Advanced Micro Devices announced this morning it is going forward with construction of a new computer chip manufacturing facility in Malta’s Luther Forest technology campus – with a little help from its friends.
The struggling semiconductor firm – the second largest in the world – is partnering with the Advanced Technology Investment Company of Abu Dhabi to create a new company, temporarily called “The Foundry Company,” that will infuse AMD with cash, take on some of the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based firm’s debt and upgrade its manufacturing facilities, according to a prepared statement.
Construction of the Malta plant, expected to employ 1,400 once it comes online, is dependent on whether AMD is successful in transferring state incentives – totaling about $1.2 billion in tax breaks and other perks – to the new company, which will take on operation of AMD’s manufacturing facilities.
Construction could begin on the plant in the middle of 2009, according to the press release.
In return, the Abu Dhabi firm will contribute $2.1 billion to purchase its stake in The Foundry Company, of which $1.4 billion will be invested into The Foundry Company, while the rest will be given to AMD in return for an ownership stake in the tech firm.
ATIC has committed additional equity funding to The Foundry Company of a minimum of $3.6 billion and up to $6.0 billion over the next five years to fund the expansion of The Foundry Company’s chip-making capacity beyond the manufacturing facilities initially contributed by AMD.
These funds will be used by The Foundry Company to begin construction of the Malta facility. The New York facility is expected to create more than 1,400 direct jobs, and, through its operation, to generate an additional 5,000 jobs in the region, AMD has said.
Once operational, the New York facility will be the only independently-managed, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing foundry in the United States.
The Board of Directors of The Foundry Company will be equally divided between representatives of AMD and ATIC. AMD will own 44.4 percent and ATIC will own 55.6 percent of The Foundry Company’s fully-converted common stock upon its formation.
Doug Grose will relinquish his current role as AMD’s senior vice president of manufacturing operations to become chief executive officer of The Foundry Company. Hector Ruiz will relinquish his current role as AMD’s executive chairman and chairman of the board to become chairman of The Foundry Company. To augment its announced leadership, the new company plans an aggressive recruitment strategy to round out a world-class semiconductor manufacturing leadership team.
ATIC is an investment company formed by the government of Abu Dhabi to invest in advanced technology opportunities.
“Today is a landmark day for AMD, creating a financially stronger company with a tightened focus,” said Dirk Meyer, president and chief executive officer of AMD. “With The Foundry Company, AMD has developed an innovative way to focus our efforts on design while maintaining access to the leading-edge manufacturing technologies that our business needs without the required capital-intensive investments of semiconductor manufacturing.
“I particularly want to congratulate our Chairman Hector Ruiz, whose vision and leadership of our Asset Smart strategy is fulfilled today.”
Upon closing of the transaction, The Foundry Company will commence operations with approximately 3,000 employees who will transition into the new company from AMD facilities in Silicon Valley, New York, Dresden, and Austin. The new company’s principal headquarters will be in Silicon Valley and its research and development and manufacturing leadership teams and ecosystems will be based in New York, Dresden, and Austin.
After the upgrade and expansion in Dresden and the build-out of the New York facility, The Foundry Company envisions expanding its global manufacturing footprint over time, if commercially justified, to also include new fabrication facilities in Abu Dhabi.
The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of 2009, following satisfaction of conditions such as approvals from regulators, transfer of previously-confirmed New York incentives to The Foundry Company, and stockholder approval for the issuance of common stock and warrants to the Abu Dhabi company.
The Post-Star will update this story throughout the day today. Read more in Wednesday’s edition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
bravo to the Friends of Saratoga State Park staff and Friends.
Congratulations to the terrific engineering staff and Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park for redoing Hawthorne #3 Pavillion. Hawthorne #3 is a great treasure and one of the historic springs that brought our beautiful Saratoga Springs into existence.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Alert!! Dog Park at Saratoga Spa State Park in danger.
Rumor has it Saratoga Spa State Park is planning to shut down the immensely popular Dog Park on the other side of the Route 9 Avenue of Pines entrance because of the Karner Blue butterflys. With 2500 acres why isn't there room for both? Our tax dollars NOT at work again?
Friday, September 26, 2008
SPAC Rocks, Times Union 9/26/08
SPAC sales: Rock rocks, but orchestra strains
By DANIELLE FURFARO, Staff writer
Last updated: 7:17 p.m., Friday, September 26, 2008
COLONIE - The Police, Journey and other big-ticket rock acts put on by promoter Live Nation helped the Saratoga Performing Arts Center break even this summer, despite a continuing slide in the number of tickets sold for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Ballet.
The orchestra, ballet and other SPAC-run shows accounted for $2.6 million in ticket sales, but the amount was still a 9 percent drop from 2007. The total attendance for those shows was about 88,000, also a 9 percent drop, SPAC Chief Financial Officer Richard Geary said.
The board blamed the downturn in classical sales on a crumbling economy and a soggy summer that saw rain mar several performances.
"We had the same kind of season as the track, where sales were (also) down," Board Chairman Bill Dake said during a SPAC board meeting today at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center.
The board said ticket sales for Live Nation's show, which also featured the Dave Matthews Band and Bob Dylan, shot up by more than 27 percent. The board declined to say exactly how many people went to the rock shows, but said that the high attendance kicked in SPAC's bonus clause with Live Nation and it received another $65,000 on top of its guaranteed $1 million.
But SPAC lost more than $1 million alone on the New York City Ballet, which had $1.2 million in sales and $2.3 million in expenses. The performing arts center took an even more devastating hit with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which saw sales of only $742,000 but had expenses of more than $2 million.
"It's disappointing that, with the orchestra, we are now covering only 37 percent of the costs with ticket sales," Geary said.
SPAC had budgeted for $375,000 more in classical sales - including its Freihoefer Jazz Festival - this year. Regardless, some board members said they were happy with the turnout.
"The overall attendance, while not pleasing to all of us, is good compared to what's happening elsewhere in the art world and sales at organizations similar to us," said Dake.
Other elements that helped make up for the classical sales shortfalls were more advertising and more endowments, SPAC President and Executive Director Marsha White said.
Dake made dire predictions for the 2009 summer season.
"The economy will have an impact not only on us but also on our partners," he said. "There is a triple threat: sales go down, endowments go down and subscriptions go down."
By DANIELLE FURFARO, Staff writer
Last updated: 7:17 p.m., Friday, September 26, 2008
COLONIE - The Police, Journey and other big-ticket rock acts put on by promoter Live Nation helped the Saratoga Performing Arts Center break even this summer, despite a continuing slide in the number of tickets sold for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Ballet.
The orchestra, ballet and other SPAC-run shows accounted for $2.6 million in ticket sales, but the amount was still a 9 percent drop from 2007. The total attendance for those shows was about 88,000, also a 9 percent drop, SPAC Chief Financial Officer Richard Geary said.
The board blamed the downturn in classical sales on a crumbling economy and a soggy summer that saw rain mar several performances.
"We had the same kind of season as the track, where sales were (also) down," Board Chairman Bill Dake said during a SPAC board meeting today at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center.
The board said ticket sales for Live Nation's show, which also featured the Dave Matthews Band and Bob Dylan, shot up by more than 27 percent. The board declined to say exactly how many people went to the rock shows, but said that the high attendance kicked in SPAC's bonus clause with Live Nation and it received another $65,000 on top of its guaranteed $1 million.
But SPAC lost more than $1 million alone on the New York City Ballet, which had $1.2 million in sales and $2.3 million in expenses. The performing arts center took an even more devastating hit with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which saw sales of only $742,000 but had expenses of more than $2 million.
"It's disappointing that, with the orchestra, we are now covering only 37 percent of the costs with ticket sales," Geary said.
SPAC had budgeted for $375,000 more in classical sales - including its Freihoefer Jazz Festival - this year. Regardless, some board members said they were happy with the turnout.
"The overall attendance, while not pleasing to all of us, is good compared to what's happening elsewhere in the art world and sales at organizations similar to us," said Dake.
Other elements that helped make up for the classical sales shortfalls were more advertising and more endowments, SPAC President and Executive Director Marsha White said.
Dake made dire predictions for the 2009 summer season.
"The economy will have an impact not only on us but also on our partners," he said. "There is a triple threat: sales go down, endowments go down and subscriptions go down."
Friday, September 19, 2008
SPAC facade stalled, Saratogian, 9/16/08
09/18/2008
Budget, design stall SPAC facade overhaul
By ANN MARIE FRENCH , The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - While renovations of other parts of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center are moving forward, the overhaul to the facade continues to be stalled in discussion of conceptual designs and budget numbers.
Advertisement
Alane Chinian, regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, said Wednesday the conceptual redesign of the building came in over budget, but she did not offer detailed figures.
The original design, presented in May, was meant to reflect musical sound waves and the waves of streams passing through the park, said Bob Bristol, president and CEO of Saratoga Associates, the company behind the design. Bristol said the amphitheater's new look was under design for roughly a year, with input and review by Parks and the SPAC board. The wave-like patterns were to be made of beige-colored recycled material. Critics said it looked more like a stack of pancakes than waves.
"They are proposing something much more conservative, which is really an updating of what is there now," said Chinian. "We want to reflect SPAC as a modern, contemporary, world-class facility but still stay in budget."
The amphitheater has not seen major exterior improvements since it opened in 1966. Globe lights on outside ramps leading to the balcony will be replaced with more subdued ground illumination. The ramps themselves will see a facelift as will the sound system and renovations to the lower level restrooms.
Budget, design stall SPAC facade overhaul
By ANN MARIE FRENCH , The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - While renovations of other parts of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center are moving forward, the overhaul to the facade continues to be stalled in discussion of conceptual designs and budget numbers.
Advertisement
Alane Chinian, regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, said Wednesday the conceptual redesign of the building came in over budget, but she did not offer detailed figures.
The original design, presented in May, was meant to reflect musical sound waves and the waves of streams passing through the park, said Bob Bristol, president and CEO of Saratoga Associates, the company behind the design. Bristol said the amphitheater's new look was under design for roughly a year, with input and review by Parks and the SPAC board. The wave-like patterns were to be made of beige-colored recycled material. Critics said it looked more like a stack of pancakes than waves.
"They are proposing something much more conservative, which is really an updating of what is there now," said Chinian. "We want to reflect SPAC as a modern, contemporary, world-class facility but still stay in budget."
The amphitheater has not seen major exterior improvements since it opened in 1966. Globe lights on outside ramps leading to the balcony will be replaced with more subdued ground illumination. The ramps themselves will see a facelift as will the sound system and renovations to the lower level restrooms.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
why were the Victoria Pool fundraisers stopped by Parks after 2 yrs.?
09/18/2008
Parks asked to trim budgets
By ANN MARIE FRENCH , The Saratogian
A Saratoga Spa State Park groundskeeper mows the grass near the Lincoln Baths.
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The Saratoga-Capital District region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has been asked to trim an additional 7 percent from its current budget in addition to the 3 percent the governor had asked of all departments.
Alane Chinian, the regional director, said all 11 regions have been asked to trim their costs in this year's budget even as they are submitting their proposed 2009-2010 budgets. The announcement came Wednesday morning at the quarterly meeting of the Saratoga-Capital District State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission. The commission voted to approve the proposed $9.9 million state operations budget request presented by Chinian.
Advertisement
"There are no capital costs in this budget. This is purely just trying to keep the doors open," said Heather Mabee, chairperson of the commission. The operational budget does not provide money for building renovations or expansion of services. Ten parks and seven historic sites are located within the region, which includes all of Saratoga County and all or part of seven other counties.
To develop the proposed budget, Chinian said the group did what it has always done - use the current fiscal year base and add in fixed cost increases and contractual increases.
The current fiscal year base is $9,452,600 and Chinian said the figure includes the 3 percent in cuts already completed. It does not, however, reflect the additional 7 percent of cuts the region is currently making.
"It has really been hurting us," said Chinian. She said many of the cuts are coming from not replacing people who are retiring or leaving their positions. The decision not to fill vacant positions is not one Chinian made voluntarily but is a result of a statewide hiring freeze, which went into effect over the summer. To make the necessary cuts, Chinian said other changes will take place.
"There will be more people let go," she said. "Temporary and seasonal staff will be let go early."
While the discussion of closing some of the parks in the region was broached, Chinian said to do so may prove to be more expensive than keeping them open. Currently, a number of park managers are responsible for the operation of multiple parks and in some cases there is no other staff in place to do the work if those managers were to retire or move into other positions.
"I think the big fear is there is a perception we're fat," Chinian said. "We've been operating a lean budget for years. There is going to be an impact."
The chairpersons of each region met in July and one topic of discussion centered on private fundraising for the state park system in anticipation of limited funding from the state. Mabee said the state has never utilized private fundraising but acknowledged that many of the regions have volunteer, non-profit programs they are affiliated with that do seek out private funding.
"We just have so much in our capital budget needs," she said. "There is $700 million across the state that needs to be done today."
While talks of fundraising are in their infant stages, she said the statewide initiative would be executed on a regional level. More information is expected at the commission's December or March meetings.
Parks asked to trim budgets
By ANN MARIE FRENCH , The Saratogian
A Saratoga Spa State Park groundskeeper mows the grass near the Lincoln Baths.
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The Saratoga-Capital District region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has been asked to trim an additional 7 percent from its current budget in addition to the 3 percent the governor had asked of all departments.
Alane Chinian, the regional director, said all 11 regions have been asked to trim their costs in this year's budget even as they are submitting their proposed 2009-2010 budgets. The announcement came Wednesday morning at the quarterly meeting of the Saratoga-Capital District State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission. The commission voted to approve the proposed $9.9 million state operations budget request presented by Chinian.
Advertisement
"There are no capital costs in this budget. This is purely just trying to keep the doors open," said Heather Mabee, chairperson of the commission. The operational budget does not provide money for building renovations or expansion of services. Ten parks and seven historic sites are located within the region, which includes all of Saratoga County and all or part of seven other counties.
To develop the proposed budget, Chinian said the group did what it has always done - use the current fiscal year base and add in fixed cost increases and contractual increases.
The current fiscal year base is $9,452,600 and Chinian said the figure includes the 3 percent in cuts already completed. It does not, however, reflect the additional 7 percent of cuts the region is currently making.
"It has really been hurting us," said Chinian. She said many of the cuts are coming from not replacing people who are retiring or leaving their positions. The decision not to fill vacant positions is not one Chinian made voluntarily but is a result of a statewide hiring freeze, which went into effect over the summer. To make the necessary cuts, Chinian said other changes will take place.
"There will be more people let go," she said. "Temporary and seasonal staff will be let go early."
While the discussion of closing some of the parks in the region was broached, Chinian said to do so may prove to be more expensive than keeping them open. Currently, a number of park managers are responsible for the operation of multiple parks and in some cases there is no other staff in place to do the work if those managers were to retire or move into other positions.
"I think the big fear is there is a perception we're fat," Chinian said. "We've been operating a lean budget for years. There is going to be an impact."
The chairpersons of each region met in July and one topic of discussion centered on private fundraising for the state park system in anticipation of limited funding from the state. Mabee said the state has never utilized private fundraising but acknowledged that many of the regions have volunteer, non-profit programs they are affiliated with that do seek out private funding.
"We just have so much in our capital budget needs," she said. "There is $700 million across the state that needs to be done today."
While talks of fundraising are in their infant stages, she said the statewide initiative would be executed on a regional level. More information is expected at the commission's December or March meetings.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Pool rehabilitation 2004-5
.jpg)
Lots of recent comments do not acknowledge the reason Save the Victoria Pool Society was formed in 2003 following ten years of trying to work with NYS Parks to no avail as the pool and park deteriorated at an increasingly alarming rate.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Not a moments too soon for NYS Parks to develop a Senior Lifeguard Corps for next Memorial Day
NYS Parks could actually develop a senior lifeguard program probably with the Y and easily solve the personnel shortage. Just check out the Y pool all year long. Certainly the Victoria Pool is primarily for adults and a senior life guard corps would be a great addition. Below are general qualifications for Senior Lifeguard._
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SENIOR LIFEGUARD 4042
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS
Under general supervision, an employee in this class supervises and assigns the work of Lifeguards at a public beach or swimming pool. Work includes conducting regular swimming, lifesaving and artificial resuscitation exercises to maintain maximum efficiency and physical fitness of Lifeguards. The employee may assume complete responsibility for lifeguard operations in a small public swimming area, or assist in supervising a large swimming facility. Work is reviewed by a Chief Lifeguard or administrator through the observation of swimming area activities, daily consultations and reports. Does related work as required.
TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES
Plans and supervises the work of Lifeguards assigned to a small public beach or swimming pool, or assists in the supervision of a lifeguard program at a large public beach;
Maintains physical fitness and efficiency of Lifeguards by allotting time for daily swimming, rowing, running and lifesaving exercises; assists or conducts an in-service training program for Lifeguards;
Assigns Lifeguards to routine beach maintenance patrols to dispose of debris, when this does not interfere with bathers' safety;
Enforces the rules and regulations relating to beach or pool areas; resolves disputes between Lifeguards and patrons and refers more difficult problems to the appropriate authorities;
Keeps abreast of the latest lifesaving techniques and methods;
Keeps time records on employees; prepares routine and emergency activity reports.
FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Thorough knowledge of lifesaving and resuscitation methods and first-aid techniques; thorough knowledge of facility rules and regulations; skill in pool and surf swimming, lifesaving and first-aid techniques, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; ability to plan, supervise and direct the work of Lifeguards in a manner conducive to full performance and high morale; ability to establish and carry out preventive water safety precautions, to recognize emergencies and to take effective action; ability to establish and maintain effective public relations; physical condition commensurate with the demands of the position.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Two (2) seasons' experience as a Lifeguard.
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
1) t the time of appointment, candidates must possess or have possessed a certificate as a Lifeguard appropriate for the facility to which the incumbent is assigned, issued by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services or a New York State Department of Health approved testing agency.
2) t the time of appointment, candidates must possess a certificate in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, issued by the American Red Cross or Heart Association within the last year.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SENIOR LIFEGUARD 4042
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS
Under general supervision, an employee in this class supervises and assigns the work of Lifeguards at a public beach or swimming pool. Work includes conducting regular swimming, lifesaving and artificial resuscitation exercises to maintain maximum efficiency and physical fitness of Lifeguards. The employee may assume complete responsibility for lifeguard operations in a small public swimming area, or assist in supervising a large swimming facility. Work is reviewed by a Chief Lifeguard or administrator through the observation of swimming area activities, daily consultations and reports. Does related work as required.
TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES
Plans and supervises the work of Lifeguards assigned to a small public beach or swimming pool, or assists in the supervision of a lifeguard program at a large public beach;
Maintains physical fitness and efficiency of Lifeguards by allotting time for daily swimming, rowing, running and lifesaving exercises; assists or conducts an in-service training program for Lifeguards;
Assigns Lifeguards to routine beach maintenance patrols to dispose of debris, when this does not interfere with bathers' safety;
Enforces the rules and regulations relating to beach or pool areas; resolves disputes between Lifeguards and patrons and refers more difficult problems to the appropriate authorities;
Keeps abreast of the latest lifesaving techniques and methods;
Keeps time records on employees; prepares routine and emergency activity reports.
FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Thorough knowledge of lifesaving and resuscitation methods and first-aid techniques; thorough knowledge of facility rules and regulations; skill in pool and surf swimming, lifesaving and first-aid techniques, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; ability to plan, supervise and direct the work of Lifeguards in a manner conducive to full performance and high morale; ability to establish and carry out preventive water safety precautions, to recognize emergencies and to take effective action; ability to establish and maintain effective public relations; physical condition commensurate with the demands of the position.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Two (2) seasons' experience as a Lifeguard.
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
1) t the time of appointment, candidates must possess or have possessed a certificate as a Lifeguard appropriate for the facility to which the incumbent is assigned, issued by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services or a New York State Department of Health approved testing agency.
2) t the time of appointment, candidates must possess a certificate in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, issued by the American Red Cross or Heart Association within the last year.
September 5, 2008, 90 degrees and Victoria Pool closed
A perfect weather week since Labor Day, sunny and 80's and hitting 90 on Friday. All that money lost in these difficult economic times.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Hearty thanks to Park Staff and friends for a great Labor Day closing Party
Everyone brought great food and pool staff was great. Let us all hope that next years opening day party on Memorial Day will be the BEST ever. Let's make it happen.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
saratogian article on peerless pool plus recent comment
08/28/2008
Sections of Peerless Pool closed
By NEIL KIRBY , The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - While not quite a flop, this year's season at Victoria and Peerless Pools at Saratoga Spa State Park has hardly gone swimmingly.
Advertisement
Not surprisingly, a three-week-late opening at the family-oriented Peerless Pool this year resulted in lower attendance figures than the 2007 season.
But that's not the only problem - the pools have become short-staffed as lifeguards leave to return to school, forcing officials to close sections of the Peerless Pool, including the popular slide pool.
"A lot of them started going back to school," said Mike Greenslade, park manager of Saratoga Spa State Park, as only one section of the Peerless Pool remained opened. Greenslade said more lifeguards will be home from school and available to work this weekend, so more sections will be open.
"We try to open as much as we can when possible," he said. "Each pool has a minimum number of guards needed to open it. It's quite an area to cover."
The opening of the Peerless Pool was delayed when wet weather in May and June prevented workers from finishing a $168,000 rehabilitation project. The pool finally opened July 18 with a new rubber liner, which required at least five days of dry weather to install.
Lower attendance for all the pools resulted in substantially lower revenue for 2008. According to Greenslade, 33,914 patrons attended the pools as of Aug. 27 this season, while 57,617 people visited the pools up until Aug. 27 of last season. Attendance data for each individual pool is not collected, Greenslade said.
"Of course we've had crummy weather late July and early August," he said. "Generally this time of year our numbers do dwindle anyway. People are going home from vacation, they're kind of done with the pool thing for the year, a lot of the big day camps don't come anymore, they're done, and generally the last week or two of the pool being open, it's much quieter."
The pools began the season with fewer lifeguards than previous seasons. While park officials aim to hire 20 to 25 lifeguards, they started the season on the lower end of that spectrum, Greenslade said.
"It's not flipping burgers," said Alane Chinian, regional director for New York State Parks and Recreation. "This is a job where you have to have some training, and we're looking for responsible people and they do an excellent job, but it's a commitment and it's tough to find young people willing to put in that kind of effort."
Lifeguards are sometimes borrowed from the nearby Grafton and Moreau State Parks to fill in the gaps.
"Generally we have the largest staff here at this park, so if we have the guards to spare we'll send them out from here," Greenslade said. "It does pose some problems for travel and such, but we try to work with the guards themselves to make sure we have the time. If we have a vehicle available, they use that."
Two lifeguards also had to bow out after injury, Greenslade said. One hurt her ankle during required service training, while another slipped during a rescue and smashed his face, breaking his nose and an arm.
Visitors will be told at the gate which sections of the pool are open.
While parking for Victoria Pool is free, the price to enter is $6 for adults and $3 for children.
Parking at Peerless Pool costs $6. Attendance costs $3 for adults and $1.50 for children. Ages 5 and under are free at both pools.
The pools' hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. The pools will officially close after Labor Day.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Peerless Pool bathrooms are a disgrace and noone w...":
the bathrooms at peerless pool are ABSOLUTELY DISCGUSTING. I am a mother who brings her two children to both the Victoria and Peerless pools, and even my children prefer the Vic because it is cleaner. We went into the bathroom at the Peerless this summer to find fecal matter all over the floor in one stall. There is no excuse for that.
Sections of Peerless Pool closed
By NEIL KIRBY , The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS - While not quite a flop, this year's season at Victoria and Peerless Pools at Saratoga Spa State Park has hardly gone swimmingly.
Advertisement
Not surprisingly, a three-week-late opening at the family-oriented Peerless Pool this year resulted in lower attendance figures than the 2007 season.
But that's not the only problem - the pools have become short-staffed as lifeguards leave to return to school, forcing officials to close sections of the Peerless Pool, including the popular slide pool.
"A lot of them started going back to school," said Mike Greenslade, park manager of Saratoga Spa State Park, as only one section of the Peerless Pool remained opened. Greenslade said more lifeguards will be home from school and available to work this weekend, so more sections will be open.
"We try to open as much as we can when possible," he said. "Each pool has a minimum number of guards needed to open it. It's quite an area to cover."
The opening of the Peerless Pool was delayed when wet weather in May and June prevented workers from finishing a $168,000 rehabilitation project. The pool finally opened July 18 with a new rubber liner, which required at least five days of dry weather to install.
Lower attendance for all the pools resulted in substantially lower revenue for 2008. According to Greenslade, 33,914 patrons attended the pools as of Aug. 27 this season, while 57,617 people visited the pools up until Aug. 27 of last season. Attendance data for each individual pool is not collected, Greenslade said.
"Of course we've had crummy weather late July and early August," he said. "Generally this time of year our numbers do dwindle anyway. People are going home from vacation, they're kind of done with the pool thing for the year, a lot of the big day camps don't come anymore, they're done, and generally the last week or two of the pool being open, it's much quieter."
The pools began the season with fewer lifeguards than previous seasons. While park officials aim to hire 20 to 25 lifeguards, they started the season on the lower end of that spectrum, Greenslade said.
"It's not flipping burgers," said Alane Chinian, regional director for New York State Parks and Recreation. "This is a job where you have to have some training, and we're looking for responsible people and they do an excellent job, but it's a commitment and it's tough to find young people willing to put in that kind of effort."
Lifeguards are sometimes borrowed from the nearby Grafton and Moreau State Parks to fill in the gaps.
"Generally we have the largest staff here at this park, so if we have the guards to spare we'll send them out from here," Greenslade said. "It does pose some problems for travel and such, but we try to work with the guards themselves to make sure we have the time. If we have a vehicle available, they use that."
Two lifeguards also had to bow out after injury, Greenslade said. One hurt her ankle during required service training, while another slipped during a rescue and smashed his face, breaking his nose and an arm.
Visitors will be told at the gate which sections of the pool are open.
While parking for Victoria Pool is free, the price to enter is $6 for adults and $3 for children.
Parking at Peerless Pool costs $6. Attendance costs $3 for adults and $1.50 for children. Ages 5 and under are free at both pools.
The pools' hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. The pools will officially close after Labor Day.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Peerless Pool bathrooms are a disgrace and noone w...":
the bathrooms at peerless pool are ABSOLUTELY DISCGUSTING. I am a mother who brings her two children to both the Victoria and Peerless pools, and even my children prefer the Vic because it is cleaner. We went into the bathroom at the Peerless this summer to find fecal matter all over the floor in one stall. There is no excuse for that.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
WGY radio said it all about the summer of 2008 this morning.
"Saying this summer is a little rainy is like saying Michael Phelps is an ok swimmer".
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Rain, rain go away
Oh, Capital Region. Why so soggy this year? According to the folks at the National Weather Service, A-Town and surrounding areas have received twice the usual share of rain this summer. This is no surprise to those of us that have had to carry umbrellas to the track, the pool, the barbecue and -- oh hell, just about everywhere.
So why is it so wet this year?
We asked Brian Frugis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albany.
How do you account for all the storms we're having this year?
Many times when we have summers that are hot and dry there will be a ridge -- a large
amount of air with high pressure. This year we have the opposite of that. A lot of frontal
systems with areas of very low pressure. We call it a trough. The upper level pattern has been favorable for storms. And that pattern has been pretty stagnant.
How much rain have we gotten this summer?
The average rainfall for July in the Capital Region is 3.5 inches. This year we measured 6.94 inches at Albany International Airport. In June we got 5.45 inches this year. That's normally around 3.74.
It seems like quick thunderstorms are just cropping up all over the place this year. Are seasons like this harder for meteorologists to predict?
More active years like this one keep us on our toes. They require a little more attention. They can be difficult to predict.
Are seasons like this one more fun for meteorologists? Do they look at all the colors on the radar and go "ohhh coool?"
(Laughs) They can certainly be interesting for us, but we're in the business of trying to protect people from harm, so we do take them seriously.
So is this going to stop soon or should we start lining animals up in pairs?
Most of the storms this year have brought a lot of rain for short periods, so there's been some flash flooding but things time to dry up a bit in between. But it looks like this pattern will continue for at least the next week or so.
The Bottom Line
Why's it been so rainy? Because we've been stuck in a pattern of very low pressure (also know as a trough). And it's doesn't look the weather will be unstuck anytime soon.
3 commentstags: weather, weird
So why is it so wet this year?
We asked Brian Frugis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albany.
How do you account for all the storms we're having this year?
Many times when we have summers that are hot and dry there will be a ridge -- a large
amount of air with high pressure. This year we have the opposite of that. A lot of frontal
systems with areas of very low pressure. We call it a trough. The upper level pattern has been favorable for storms. And that pattern has been pretty stagnant.
How much rain have we gotten this summer?
The average rainfall for July in the Capital Region is 3.5 inches. This year we measured 6.94 inches at Albany International Airport. In June we got 5.45 inches this year. That's normally around 3.74.
It seems like quick thunderstorms are just cropping up all over the place this year. Are seasons like this harder for meteorologists to predict?
More active years like this one keep us on our toes. They require a little more attention. They can be difficult to predict.
Are seasons like this one more fun for meteorologists? Do they look at all the colors on the radar and go "ohhh coool?"
(Laughs) They can certainly be interesting for us, but we're in the business of trying to protect people from harm, so we do take them seriously.
So is this going to stop soon or should we start lining animals up in pairs?
Most of the storms this year have brought a lot of rain for short periods, so there's been some flash flooding but things time to dry up a bit in between. But it looks like this pattern will continue for at least the next week or so.
The Bottom Line
Why's it been so rainy? Because we've been stuck in a pattern of very low pressure (also know as a trough). And it's doesn't look the weather will be unstuck anytime soon.
3 commentstags: weather, weird
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
SPAC Ballet attendance figures for 2008, Albany Times Union
Attendance, revenue drop at SPAC ballet
Staff reports
Last updated: 3:53 p.m., Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The New York City Ballet's residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center ended its 2008 season with a 6 percent drop in attendance from last year, according to preliminary figures.
SPAC Executive Director Marcia J. White said in a written statement that audiences were still enthusiastic about the ballet this year, crediting promotions like "American Girl Night" and "Sports Night" for bringing in spectators. This year's season ran from July 8 to 26.
"Yet, impacting our bottom line was the fact that high gas and food prices have left many people struggling financially," White said. "That is a reality that is affecting virtually every segment of our economy and the arts are no exception."
Overall, attendance at the ballet was 42,354, and the total income was $1,176,442, a 2 percent drop from last year.
Despite the down figures from last year, White did find successes in the season.
Due to the ``Free Children on the Lawn'' program, SPAC saw a 64 percent jump in children attending performances, resulting in 1,162 kids in total taking in classical ballet. Also, ``West Side Story Suite's'' attendance neared 10,000, making it the highest-attended event of the season.
All Times Union materials copyright 1996-2008, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.
Staff reports
Last updated: 3:53 p.m., Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The New York City Ballet's residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center ended its 2008 season with a 6 percent drop in attendance from last year, according to preliminary figures.
SPAC Executive Director Marcia J. White said in a written statement that audiences were still enthusiastic about the ballet this year, crediting promotions like "American Girl Night" and "Sports Night" for bringing in spectators. This year's season ran from July 8 to 26.
"Yet, impacting our bottom line was the fact that high gas and food prices have left many people struggling financially," White said. "That is a reality that is affecting virtually every segment of our economy and the arts are no exception."
Overall, attendance at the ballet was 42,354, and the total income was $1,176,442, a 2 percent drop from last year.
Despite the down figures from last year, White did find successes in the season.
Due to the ``Free Children on the Lawn'' program, SPAC saw a 64 percent jump in children attending performances, resulting in 1,162 kids in total taking in classical ballet. Also, ``West Side Story Suite's'' attendance neared 10,000, making it the highest-attended event of the season.
All Times Union materials copyright 1996-2008, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Hail to the King, Saratogian, 7/27/08
Victoria Pool king reigns
Stanton Williamson, known to all his friends as "King of the Victoria Pool," was feted July 13 on his 75th birthday at the pool by the Save the Victoria Pool Society and many other fans.
Everyone feasted at lunch, which was preceded by hors d'oeuvres, assorted cheeses and fruits, catered by society board members. Also served was everything from crabmeat and shrimp salad to assorted wraps, finished off by a large birthday cake with an edible picture of the "king."
Faces in the crowd included board members: Louise Goldstein, Andrew Jennings, Tom Marino, Rick Nacy, Doug Jasinske, Maureen O'Connell Godlewski and Barbara Proctor. Former Saratoga Springs mayor J. Mike O'Connell and his wife Betty were also in attendance, along with Williamson's oldest friend Billy Farrell, who now lives in Florida.
Jasinske and Sebastian Medina-Tayac came from Takoma Park, Md. Others were here from New York City and the |Capital District.
Stanton Williamson, known to all his friends as "King of the Victoria Pool," was feted July 13 on his 75th birthday at the pool by the Save the Victoria Pool Society and many other fans.
Everyone feasted at lunch, which was preceded by hors d'oeuvres, assorted cheeses and fruits, catered by society board members. Also served was everything from crabmeat and shrimp salad to assorted wraps, finished off by a large birthday cake with an edible picture of the "king."
Faces in the crowd included board members: Louise Goldstein, Andrew Jennings, Tom Marino, Rick Nacy, Doug Jasinske, Maureen O'Connell Godlewski and Barbara Proctor. Former Saratoga Springs mayor J. Mike O'Connell and his wife Betty were also in attendance, along with Williamson's oldest friend Billy Farrell, who now lives in Florida.
Jasinske and Sebastian Medina-Tayac came from Takoma Park, Md. Others were here from New York City and the |Capital District.
Friday, July 25, 2008
"Everything is beautiful at the ballet"
Big night at the balletJuly 25, 2008 at 3:32 pm by Susan Mehalick, Executive Features Editor
(Photo credit: Beth Arnold)
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is reporting that last night (Thursday) attendance at the New York City Ballet performance was 4,200 — the best turnout of the year. The big draw for the night, no doubt, was “West Side Story Suite,” which has popular audience appeal. John Hendrickson, Saratoga socialite Marylou Whitney and New York City Ballet’s Peter Martins, above, were together at a preperformance party.
If you haven’t been to the ballet yet this season, you have three more chances. Tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) at 8 p.m. and tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon at 2 p.m.
Tonight’s performance features mixed repertory: Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (Brahms/Balanchine); Rococo Variations - A SPAC PREMIERE (Tschaikovsky/Wheeldon); Brahms/Handel (Brahms/Robbins & Tharp)
Tomorrow’s matinee is a Jerry Robbins fest: “Goldberg Variations,” which clocks in at 1 hour and 20 minutes. (TU dance critic Joseph Dalton told me it was the best dance on the SPAC schedule this season.) And “Western Symphony.”
Tomorrow night: “West Side Story” is on the program, along with Robbins’ “The Four Seasons” and his silent dance “Moves,” with made its SPAC debut this summer.
Posted in General |
(Photo credit: Beth Arnold)
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is reporting that last night (Thursday) attendance at the New York City Ballet performance was 4,200 — the best turnout of the year. The big draw for the night, no doubt, was “West Side Story Suite,” which has popular audience appeal. John Hendrickson, Saratoga socialite Marylou Whitney and New York City Ballet’s Peter Martins, above, were together at a preperformance party.
If you haven’t been to the ballet yet this season, you have three more chances. Tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) at 8 p.m. and tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon at 2 p.m.
Tonight’s performance features mixed repertory: Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (Brahms/Balanchine); Rococo Variations - A SPAC PREMIERE (Tschaikovsky/Wheeldon); Brahms/Handel (Brahms/Robbins & Tharp)
Tomorrow’s matinee is a Jerry Robbins fest: “Goldberg Variations,” which clocks in at 1 hour and 20 minutes. (TU dance critic Joseph Dalton told me it was the best dance on the SPAC schedule this season.) And “Western Symphony.”
Tomorrow night: “West Side Story” is on the program, along with Robbins’ “The Four Seasons” and his silent dance “Moves,” with made its SPAC debut this summer.
Posted in General |
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Peerless
SARATOGA SPRINGS
Peerless Pool given OK to open
Delayed capital work to be done in time for Friday
BY TATIANA ZARNOWSKI Gazette Reporter
After a three-week delay, Peerless Pool is finally expected to open Friday.
Saratoga Spa State Park’s largest pool got the OK Tuesday from the state Department of Health to reopen after a $168,000 renovation project set back the start of the season.
The pool originally was scheduled to open June 28 along with the Victoria Pool, but wet weather in June and this month made it difficult to complete the work.
“It was a very complicated project because it involved the restoration of the concrete structure and the application of a rubber membrane system,” said Alane Ball Chinian, regional parks director.
Although the main pool will be open, the adjacent slide pool and kiddie pool won’t be open for about another week because work is still being done on them, Chinian said.
“We’re really sorry about it and trying to minimize it as much as we can,” she said of the closures.
Victoria Pool has been better attended than usual, she said, and swimming lessons usually held at Peerless have been moved to the smaller Victoria Pool.
The 21 lifeguards that were hired for Spa State Park now rotate between the Victoria Pool and either Grafton Lakes State Park in Rensselaer County or Moreau Lake State Park, said Patricia Forward, who oversees the water safety program for the Saratoga region of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Most lifeguards work 40 hours a week, starting at $10.35 an hour and getting a boost to $12.47 if they come back for a third year.
Forward said there are usually two or three lifeguards stationed at the Victoria Pool and at least 15 at Peerless when the water slide is open.
On weekends, a group of lifeguards carpools to Grafton in a state vehicle, Forward said. But on weekdays, they’re on their own to drive and pay for the gas.
Grafton is a 40-mile trip one way, or nearly an hour drive from Saratoga Spa State Park, while Moreau Lake is 21 miles from the park.
The Grafton beach has been seeing greater attendance than usual this summer, so the lifeguards are needed there, Chinian said.
“We’re going to be stretched pretty thin when the Peerless does open,” she said.
Hiring lifeguards is always difficult, since other summer jobs can pay just as much but require fewer skills and training, Chinian said.
The delay also is likely to mean less revenue for the state park, Chinian acknowledged, since swimmers at Peerless not only pay a fee of $3 per adult or $1.50 per child, but also pay $6 to drive into the picnic area of the park where Peerless is located.
She’s not sure how much money the state lost from the delay. “We won’t know that until the end of the month.”
Still, the park won’t charge more to swim, Chinian said.
She said state park officials preferred to wait for the right conditions to complete the project rather than rush it. “This is a capital improvement that we don’t want to make every year.”
Three layers of the rubber material had to be applied and then a special paint to top it off, and the application required several consecutive days of good weather.
“You could only really work when you knew you were going to have a stretch of really good weather.”
The pool renovation is part of a $132 million capital program that the state Legislature and governor approved in the budget this year.
Peerless Pool given OK to open
Delayed capital work to be done in time for Friday
BY TATIANA ZARNOWSKI Gazette Reporter
After a three-week delay, Peerless Pool is finally expected to open Friday.
Saratoga Spa State Park’s largest pool got the OK Tuesday from the state Department of Health to reopen after a $168,000 renovation project set back the start of the season.
The pool originally was scheduled to open June 28 along with the Victoria Pool, but wet weather in June and this month made it difficult to complete the work.
“It was a very complicated project because it involved the restoration of the concrete structure and the application of a rubber membrane system,” said Alane Ball Chinian, regional parks director.
Although the main pool will be open, the adjacent slide pool and kiddie pool won’t be open for about another week because work is still being done on them, Chinian said.
“We’re really sorry about it and trying to minimize it as much as we can,” she said of the closures.
Victoria Pool has been better attended than usual, she said, and swimming lessons usually held at Peerless have been moved to the smaller Victoria Pool.
The 21 lifeguards that were hired for Spa State Park now rotate between the Victoria Pool and either Grafton Lakes State Park in Rensselaer County or Moreau Lake State Park, said Patricia Forward, who oversees the water safety program for the Saratoga region of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Most lifeguards work 40 hours a week, starting at $10.35 an hour and getting a boost to $12.47 if they come back for a third year.
Forward said there are usually two or three lifeguards stationed at the Victoria Pool and at least 15 at Peerless when the water slide is open.
On weekends, a group of lifeguards carpools to Grafton in a state vehicle, Forward said. But on weekdays, they’re on their own to drive and pay for the gas.
Grafton is a 40-mile trip one way, or nearly an hour drive from Saratoga Spa State Park, while Moreau Lake is 21 miles from the park.
The Grafton beach has been seeing greater attendance than usual this summer, so the lifeguards are needed there, Chinian said.
“We’re going to be stretched pretty thin when the Peerless does open,” she said.
Hiring lifeguards is always difficult, since other summer jobs can pay just as much but require fewer skills and training, Chinian said.
The delay also is likely to mean less revenue for the state park, Chinian acknowledged, since swimmers at Peerless not only pay a fee of $3 per adult or $1.50 per child, but also pay $6 to drive into the picnic area of the park where Peerless is located.
She’s not sure how much money the state lost from the delay. “We won’t know that until the end of the month.”
Still, the park won’t charge more to swim, Chinian said.
She said state park officials preferred to wait for the right conditions to complete the project rather than rush it. “This is a capital improvement that we don’t want to make every year.”
Three layers of the rubber material had to be applied and then a special paint to top it off, and the application required several consecutive days of good weather.
“You could only really work when you knew you were going to have a stretch of really good weather.”
The pool renovation is part of a $132 million capital program that the state Legislature and governor approved in the budget this year.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Peerless Pool, Post Star, 7/14/08
SPA: Pool opening expected Friday
July 14th, 2008
The folks over at Save the Victoria Pool Society are more than a little perturbed that Saratoga Spa State Park’s Peerless Pool remains shuttered halfway through the summer.
But park manager Michael Greenslade said today the group will be able to rest, er swim, a little easier come this weekend.
Parks staff are planning to open Peerless’ large pool — but not the slide or kiddie pools – on Friday, assuming water tests come back OK, he said.
So far, the Victoria Pool – the small, historic pool down the road – has reached capacity only a handful of times, Greenslade said.
“People have been bearing with it and taken it pretty well,” he said.
– Drew Kerr
Posted in Saratoga Snippets | No Comments (Add a Comment) »
July 14th, 2008
The folks over at Save the Victoria Pool Society are more than a little perturbed that Saratoga Spa State Park’s Peerless Pool remains shuttered halfway through the summer.
But park manager Michael Greenslade said today the group will be able to rest, er swim, a little easier come this weekend.
Parks staff are planning to open Peerless’ large pool — but not the slide or kiddie pools – on Friday, assuming water tests come back OK, he said.
So far, the Victoria Pool – the small, historic pool down the road – has reached capacity only a handful of times, Greenslade said.
“People have been bearing with it and taken it pretty well,” he said.
– Drew Kerr
Posted in Saratoga Snippets | No Comments (Add a Comment) »
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sorry, please resend comments if not posted in 2 days.
Folks, we are very grateful for your comments and had a computer glitch yesterday, Wednesday, 7/9/08. If your comment has not been posted in 2 days please resend. We welcome all your thoughts including constructive criticism which always promotes growth.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Peerless lifeguards await opening?
Eleven, 11, LIFEGUARDS at Victoria Pool waiting for the Peerless to open, July 9, 2008.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Rumors run rampant in Saratoga in the Good Ole' Summertime
Rumor has it that the Contractors working on the Peerless Pool do not begin working till 3 PM so let us hope it will reopen by the end of the week as predicted.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Peerless Perils Continue, Schenectady Gazette, 7/3/08
SARATOGA SPRINGS
Pool won’t open by the Fourth Peerless closed Victoria usable
BY LEE COLEMAN Gazette Reporter
The Peerless Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park won’t be open July 4, but renovation work should be complete and the swimming pool opened late next week, a state official said Wednesday.
“It’s still a work in progress,” said Michael Greenslade, park manager. The pool had been scheduled to open June 28.
Contractors are finishing a $168,000 renovation of the pool’s surface using a rubber compound that requires a period of dry weather to cure. The onand-off rain in the past month has delayed the work that was started May 15, according to park officials.
Greenslade said the final coat of epoxy paint was applied Wednesday to the surface of the Olympicsized pool in the southwest corner of the park.
“It’s a four-step process,” Greenslade said.
The steps include the application of a primer, the application of a rubber-based filler, a topcoat of rubber membrane material over the filler and a final coat of epoxy paint.
“It has to cure five days,” Greenslade said. He said Wednesday’s sunny, dry weather was a good start for the new surface.
“We hope the surface lasts for years to come,” Greenslade said.
The old surface had started to deteriorate and develop leaks. The new surface is also expected to improve swimmers’ footing around the pool and improve the pool’s appearance.
Park employees will wait for fi ve days for the surface work to cure and then start filling the pool as soon as possible, Greenslade said.
The Peerless Pool, the largest of two pools in the state park, underwent a major renovation in 1996-97. A kiddie pool and a slide pool were added to the complex at that time.
Greenslade said the main pool will open first and the slide pool and kiddie pool somewhat later.
“We want to focus on the main pool first; it will open first,” Greenslade said. He estimated that the main Peerless Pool would be able to open July 10 or July 11.
He said the pool chemicals and all of the people who work at the Peerless Pool are lined up and ready to go when the signal is given.
The Victoria Pool, the park’s other pool, located near the 18-hole championship golf course, opened last Saturday and remains open for swimming from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
“Today we reached capacity,” Greenslade said about the Victoria Pool on Wednesday. Capacity is 350 people using the pool at any one time. When people leave the pool after swimming, others are allowed in to replace them.
The cost to swim at Victoria Pool is $6 for adults and $3 for children.
The cost to swim at Peerless Pool is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children. However, the Peerless Pool is located in an area of the 2,200-acre park that requires a $6-per-car entry gate fee.
The state park will issue a public announcement as soon as an opening date has been determined for the Peerless Pool.
For additional information, contact the state park office at 584-2000 or visit the state parks Web site at www.nysparks.com.
Pool won’t open by the Fourth Peerless closed Victoria usable
BY LEE COLEMAN Gazette Reporter
The Peerless Pool at Saratoga Spa State Park won’t be open July 4, but renovation work should be complete and the swimming pool opened late next week, a state official said Wednesday.
“It’s still a work in progress,” said Michael Greenslade, park manager. The pool had been scheduled to open June 28.
Contractors are finishing a $168,000 renovation of the pool’s surface using a rubber compound that requires a period of dry weather to cure. The onand-off rain in the past month has delayed the work that was started May 15, according to park officials.
Greenslade said the final coat of epoxy paint was applied Wednesday to the surface of the Olympicsized pool in the southwest corner of the park.
“It’s a four-step process,” Greenslade said.
The steps include the application of a primer, the application of a rubber-based filler, a topcoat of rubber membrane material over the filler and a final coat of epoxy paint.
“It has to cure five days,” Greenslade said. He said Wednesday’s sunny, dry weather was a good start for the new surface.
“We hope the surface lasts for years to come,” Greenslade said.
The old surface had started to deteriorate and develop leaks. The new surface is also expected to improve swimmers’ footing around the pool and improve the pool’s appearance.
Park employees will wait for fi ve days for the surface work to cure and then start filling the pool as soon as possible, Greenslade said.
The Peerless Pool, the largest of two pools in the state park, underwent a major renovation in 1996-97. A kiddie pool and a slide pool were added to the complex at that time.
Greenslade said the main pool will open first and the slide pool and kiddie pool somewhat later.
“We want to focus on the main pool first; it will open first,” Greenslade said. He estimated that the main Peerless Pool would be able to open July 10 or July 11.
He said the pool chemicals and all of the people who work at the Peerless Pool are lined up and ready to go when the signal is given.
The Victoria Pool, the park’s other pool, located near the 18-hole championship golf course, opened last Saturday and remains open for swimming from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
“Today we reached capacity,” Greenslade said about the Victoria Pool on Wednesday. Capacity is 350 people using the pool at any one time. When people leave the pool after swimming, others are allowed in to replace them.
The cost to swim at Victoria Pool is $6 for adults and $3 for children.
The cost to swim at Peerless Pool is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children. However, the Peerless Pool is located in an area of the 2,200-acre park that requires a $6-per-car entry gate fee.
The state park will issue a public announcement as soon as an opening date has been determined for the Peerless Pool.
For additional information, contact the state park office at 584-2000 or visit the state parks Web site at www.nysparks.com.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Flapjack flap continued
Hold the ‘pancakes’ design at SPAC
Since the change in management a few years ago, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center not only is doing better financially, it has come a long way in terms of openness and public relations. After unveiling a new design for the amphitheater, and seeing it mocked by some bloggers, SPAC officials say they are considering going back to the drawing board. Good idea.
Unlike a bad show, which is here today and gone tomorrow, a bad-looking building will be there to get bad reviews for a long time. And with the new facade proposed as part of a $2.5 million renovation, this would be a bad-looking building.
The problem is those horizontal wavy layers that would cover the outside, which the bloggers likened to a “stack of pancakes.” The waves are supposed to evoke the contours of the SPAC lawn; and the material, beige-colored recycled paper and forest products, is supposed to remind people that this is a “green” building. “It’s a balance of trying to retain the feeling of the past but trying to move forward into the future,” said Executive Director Marcia White.
But what the new design would do is make a delightfully open, angular place look closed in and bowl-like. There is nothing wrong with the muted brown of the spaced vertical boards now covering the outside — other than that they are rotted. The building, which was constructed in 1966, is already modern in the best sense of the term: light, airy and tasteful. There is no need to make it look futuristic just for the sake of “moving forward.”
The interior of the amphitheater needed a good makeover, and has gotten it. As for the outside, leave well enough alone.
Since the change in management a few years ago, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center not only is doing better financially, it has come a long way in terms of openness and public relations. After unveiling a new design for the amphitheater, and seeing it mocked by some bloggers, SPAC officials say they are considering going back to the drawing board. Good idea.
Unlike a bad show, which is here today and gone tomorrow, a bad-looking building will be there to get bad reviews for a long time. And with the new facade proposed as part of a $2.5 million renovation, this would be a bad-looking building.
The problem is those horizontal wavy layers that would cover the outside, which the bloggers likened to a “stack of pancakes.” The waves are supposed to evoke the contours of the SPAC lawn; and the material, beige-colored recycled paper and forest products, is supposed to remind people that this is a “green” building. “It’s a balance of trying to retain the feeling of the past but trying to move forward into the future,” said Executive Director Marcia White.
But what the new design would do is make a delightfully open, angular place look closed in and bowl-like. There is nothing wrong with the muted brown of the spaced vertical boards now covering the outside — other than that they are rotted. The building, which was constructed in 1966, is already modern in the best sense of the term: light, airy and tasteful. There is no need to make it look futuristic just for the sake of “moving forward.”
The interior of the amphitheater needed a good makeover, and has gotten it. As for the outside, leave well enough alone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)