Week in Review

The man accused of cornering a 15-year old boy and abusing him in the locker room at the Saratoga Springs YMCA was sentenced to three months in Saratoga County jail Monday.

Thomas A Filion, 68, of 26 Elizabeth Lane, was previously arrested on Nov. 28, 2007 by Saratoga Springs police after the teenager came forward three weeks after the incident had occurred and accused Filion of cornering and touching him while taking a shower in the facilitie’s locker room. He later indentified the man on a YMCA surveillance tape.

Filion was first charged with felony sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanor. Additional misdemeanor charges of forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child were added by a grand jury in March.

Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy advocated for a lengthy jail sentence because of the nature of the act. However, the defense decided to plead guilty to the charges, thus taking the decision out of the jury's hands and putting it in the hands of Saratoga County Judge Jerry Scarano. After interviewing Filion, the Probation Department recommended he receive a three month jail sentence and ten years probation. Scarano upheld the department's request and sentenced Filion to the terms requested above.

Filion, a retired guidance counselor, was also forced to give up his teaching licenses, sign an order of protection to never contact the victim again and register as a sex offender.

Spa City budget vote delayed

The Saratoga Springs City Council had hoped to pass a 2009 budget by Monday, but failed to do so after a revised budget cut the anticipated VLT revenue in half and increased taxes from 2.7 percent to 3.5 percent.

The council was previously close to passing a budget before Gov. David Paterson announced that he would cut the city's VLT funding from $3.8 million to 1.8 million in 2009.

Commissioner of Finance Kenneth Ivins latest budget anticipates the loss in revenue and decreases spending from $38.8 million in 2008 to $37.3 million in 2009.

To cut spending Ivins proposed eliminating all but five capital projects proposed in the budget. He also proposed implementing a one-year salary and hiring freeze for city personnel. The newest proposal also called for taking $800,000 from the city's $4 million reserve fund to reduce the tax increase in 2009

City Council members said they could not vote on the revised budget without more time to consider its implications. The city was scheduled to hold a special meeting Tuesday night to vote on the budget. They have until Nov. 30 to pass a 2009 budget or the original budget proposed by Ivins in October will be the adopted budget for 2009.

Proposed Geyser Road Trail moves forward

A feasibility study to construct a 2.8 mile trail along Geyser Road was recently announced by Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matthew Veitch and the Saratoga Springs Southwest Neighborhood Association (SWNA).

The group has hired Greenman-Pederson, Inc. of Albany to perform a survey and feasibility study for the proposed trail.

"We have been working on getting this project off the ground for several years now." Veitch said in a press release. "There is a group of many dedicated volunteers from the neighborhood that have given so much of their time to this project. This is a very important first step in getting this project off the ground."

The Geyser Road Trail is a 2.8 mile path that will begin at the city line between Saratoga Springs and the town of Milton. It will run along the north side of Geyser Road and eventually connect with the trails in the Saratoga Spa State Park and the Railroad Run Trail in the city. It also includes possible expansions to both trails.

The trail is intended for multi-use, allowing for both pedestrian and bicycle access. It will be the first link between the outskirts of the city to the downtown area. The estimated cost of the trail is currently at $1.7 million.

CDTA could raise fares

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) will hold a series of public hearings in early December to consider increasing its fares to close a $9 million budget deficit in 2009.

CDTA prices have remained at $1 for 13 years even though operation costs have risen. The company is considering an increase of $1.50 to respond to an increase in services and operational costs. If they decide to implement a fare increase, the charges will not be put into effect until April 2009.

CDTA has seen an increase in ridership over the past few months. In October, the group saw close to 1.5 million boardings, which was 13 percent higher than the October 2007 number and 6 percent higher than the previous month.

CDTA ridership is currently up 15 percent from 2007. It is on schedule to exceed 15 million boardings this year. In 2006, the company saw 13 million boardings throughout the entire year.

CDTA officials will hold a public hearing in each county that they currently operate in to get public input. The Saratoga County meeting will be held Monday, Dec. 1 between 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Saratoga Public Library.