The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has received a grant of $35,000 to help in its effort to renovate the rundown structure at 65 Phila St. in Saratoga Springs.

The Phila Street building is the first property to be rehabilitated under the Foundation’s new Historic Property Redevelopment Program.  

“This generous grant from The 1772 Foundation provides critical funding for the successful rehabilitation of 65 Phila St. The net proceeds from the sale of this property will be reinvested into a future preservation project, potentially another endangered building, that will benefit the community,” said Samantha Bosshart, Foundation executive director.

The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation was one of 25 preservation organizations across the country to receive a grant from The 1772 Foundation.  

The 1772 Foundation, based in Connecticut, works to ensure the safe passage of our historic buildings and farmland for future generations.  It is named in honor of its first restoration project, Liberty Hall in New Jersey, which was built in 1772.  The 1772 Foundation plays a leading role in promoting HPRPs, also known as revolving funds, nationwide. 

StoredTech has acquired the assets of NOAH IT LLC in North Carolina for an undisclosed sum. 

Mark Shaw, CEO at StoredTech, said the move was made to increase its growing Raleigh, N.C., presence. NOAH IT’s employees joined StoredTech. 

The acquisition is effective immediately. All of the NOAH IT staff are working out of StoredTech’s Raleigh office. 

This acquisition brings more clients to StoredTech’s Managed Service Provider (MSP) platform and, it brings more services to NOAH IT’s base of clients. 

“We are always looking for ways to expand out footprint. Allan and the NOAH IT team certainly does that. We are also excited to offer more comprehensive services to our new clients.” Shaw said.

Allan Polak, founder of NOAH IT, said “this combination brings more depth of support and services to our clients. StoredTech has grown immensely here in Raleigh, and we are excited to be a part of it … “I was extremely impressed with the StoredTech team’s total focus on customer delight.”

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce recognized Cindy Schmehl with the 2022 Impact Sector Volunteer of the Year Award.

She received the award in may at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner.

The Impact Sector Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes and honors one community member annually who embodies a spirit of dedication, passion, innovation, and commitment to improving the community by working or volunteering for more than one non-profit organization.

“Our impact sector greatly benefits from individuals like Cindy Schmehl,” chamber president Todd Shimkus said in a press release. “Cindy’s tireless dedication to To Love a Child, as well as numerous other Saratoga County organizations, ensures our neighbors throughout the community are supported and provided with the services they need and deserve. We look forward to honoring her and her efforts to make a difference in our community.”

For more than a decade, Schmehl has dedicated her time and energy to helping people not only in Saratoga County but also in less fortunate parts of the world, including Zimbabwe and Haiti. Since founding the organization in 2009, Schmehl has acted in the volunteer position of executive director of To Love a Child, leading its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to impoverished children and their families to help create a better future and quality of life for all.

Through To Love a Child, Schmehl has spearheaded the construction of a school in Zimbabwe and worked with other team members to provide medical care, education, solar, gardens, food and other opportunities for people and families in remote villages.

By Christine Graf

When South Glens Falls native Steven Brodt was 5 years old, he had what he would later consider a paranormal experience. 

He said while sleeping over at his grandmother’s house, he woke in the middle of the night and saw an old woman sitting at the end of his bed. Ten years later, Brodt saw a picture of his great grandmother for the first time and surmised she was the woman he saw when he was 5.

“I can still picture her to this day. It was very clear and very real. As I got older, I became very interested in how it was possible that I saw what I saw,” he said.

When he was 16, Brodt and a friend established a nonprofit group called the South Glens Falls Paranormal Society. They purchased digital voice recorders, night vision cameras, handheld video cameras, and electromagnetic field detectors and offered free paranormal investigative services to the community.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor store in the heart of Saratoga Springs is poised to expand curbside, delivery and online retail services.

The move is one that the current generation of owners, Brandan Greczkowski and his wife Kristen, has looked forward to implementing for many years.

“There will always be a need for a brick and mortar presence where shoppers can come and get help in the store,” Greczkowski said. “But long before COVID I had planned to offer online services.”

State-mandated capacity limits in the early months of the pandemic posed obstacles for smaller stores in the community and some, Greczkowski noted, moved much of their business online. 

“Being a bigger store, we got a lot of their foot traffic,” he said. “But the name of Purdy’s had been out there and synonymous with wine well before COVID.”

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has signed on to be one of the major sponsors of the Saratoga Women In Business (WIB) Spectacular, the first-ever horse show created by women, operated by women, benefitting women’s health, and showcasing women in business. 

Scheduled for July 13-17, the one-of-a-kind event will be held at White Hollow Farm, 28 Brickhouse Road in Stillwater.

It is open to all competitors in the equestrian community, spectators and vendors.

Exhibitors and attendees will be offered multiple opportunities throughout the show to meet, interact with, listen to, and learn from many remarkable women, in all types of business, willing to share their stories and career paths. 

Proceeds from this event will help fund Wellspring, which provides domestic violence and sexual assault services for Saratoga County residents, and Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship Veteran and Active-Duty Military Program, as well as other women’s health organizations.