Category Archives: Construction Planning

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) has plans to reconstruct the historic Wilson Chute at Saratoga Race Course, which will be in use during the 2022 summer meet and allow for one-mile races to be contested on the main track.

Construction plans for Saratoga Race Course include a major renovation of its first-floor grandstand and the inclusion of a permanent saddling stall structure. The projects are set to get underway this year at the Union Avenue venue, NYRA officials said.

Long a distinctive part of Saratoga Race Course, the Wilson Chute was dismantled after the 1972 season to accommodate additional parking, officials said. It was brought back briefly in 1992 when 25 races started in the chute, including an off-the-turf edition of the Grade 3 Daryl’s Joy, later renamed the Fourstardave Handicap and now one of the most popular Grade 1 races of the annual summer meet.

“The Wilson Chute will only add to the quality and consistency of dirt racing at Saratoga,” said Glen Kozak, NYRA’s senior vice president of operations and capital projects. “It’s a thrill to be able to reconstruct a historic element of Saratoga in a way that will undoubtedly prove beneficial to the summer meet.”

The Wilson Chute was named to honor the contributions of the late Richard T. Wilson, a banker and president of the Saratoga Racing Association for most of the first quarter of the 20th century. The reconstructed Wilson Chute will carefully follow the route of the original chute along the Clubhouse Turn, just to the west of the 1863 Club.

The Saratoga Builders Association Inc. has announce its continued monetary commitment to education. The organization  will be awarding two student scholarships in 2022. 

One is the SBA $1000 Scholarship award and the other is the $1000 Bob Best Memorial Scholarship award. The organization makes these cash scholarships available annually to students who are planning to pursue a construction industry education.

These scholarships are open to any high school senior or college undergraduate in Saratoga County who is planning to pursue a construction education at a two- or four-year accredited college or university or to students who would like to purchase tools and/or equipment for employment/career or to start a business in the construction industry. 

Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. They must demonstrate current or past involvement in the construction field, including classes taken in high school or college, to be eligible for these awards. Each applicant must also submit a high school or college transcript or list of construction classes taken plus a short essay describing why they are interested in a construction industry career and what events led to this decision.

Applications for the Saratoga Builders Association Scholarship program must be postmarked on or before April 1. Only the first 25 completed applications will be accepted so people should apply early, officials said. 

The winner and their school will be notified by June 1. To receive a scholarship application, please contact Barry Potoker, executive director at 518-366-0946 or bpotoker@saratogabuilders.org.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
Barbera Homes & Development will embark this year on a 132-unit condominium neighborhood in Clifton Park.
The 28-acre Park West community will be connected via sidewalks throughout leading to an open space common area, mail kiosk and gazebo, according to company president Frank Barbera.
The Park West project is comprised of 27 4-unit buildings, five 2-unit twin-style duplex buildings and 14 single-family homes. A combination of first floor master suites and one-floor, ranch-style homes will be the design for the 2- and 4-unit buildings. Single-family units will offer a contemporary colonial style.
Floor plans will be between 1,200 and 1,700 square feet.
The community is centrally located near the new round-about at routes 146 and 146A in Clifton Park, behind the Raven’s Wood Restaurant. Route 146 is a primary commercial corridor through the town.

Curtis Lumber announced the acquisition of Wiley Brothers at 1854 Route 40 in Schaghticoke.
Wiley Brothers has been a family-owned lumber yard and home improvement store for 75 years.
Adding this new location brings the number of Curtis Lumber Co. locations to 23, all of which are independent, family-owned, full-service home centers and building supply yards.
Officials said moving forward, the store location will carry Curtis Lumber’s premium products, superior hardware assortment, and be staffed with the expertise to cater to both builders and homeowners.
Curtis Lumber has long served the area with delivery service from nearby stores and this acquisition will serve to increase delivery and product availability to more of Rensselaer county.

By Christine Graf
Economists and industry experts predict that the construction industry will continue to be plagued by rising material costs, material shortages and supply chain disruptions throughout 2021.
“The price increases are pretty drastic,” said Sara Turoczy, manager of business development at MLB Construction Services in Malta. “Along with lumber, we are seeing steel pricing skyrocket.”
MLB is a commercial builder. When the pandemic hit, they were working on projects for several customers including Saratoga Performing Art Center. The work at SPAC included construction of a two-story concession and venue space, as well as a smaller concessions building and an outdoor pavilion.
In addition to continuing work on projects that were underway, MLB took on numerous last-minute projects.
“We’ve been able to take on emergency calls in everything from medical to the hospitality industry,” said Turoczy. “In the beginning, when no one really knew protocol or what needed to happen, healthcare was really scrambling to try to do the best that they could to section people in the right areas and keep everyone safe.”
When company president Jim Dawsey received an emergency call from Wesley Health Care Center in Saratoga, he and a crew of workers were there the next day to build a space for the center to house COVID patients.
“Jim took the call on Friday, and he was up there on Saturday morning building it out himself with a small crew of people,” said Turoczy.
MLB, a company with 66 employees and a second office in North Carolina, works in many different sectors of the construction industry and frequently bids on large projects. According to Turoczy, an increasing number of these projects are being postponed. She said state agencies are not currently awarding contracts.
“There is some uncertainty of whether some project will move forward at all. We haven’t had any projects that have been specifically canceled. They have just all been postponed—at least the ones we were looking at,” she said. “For the most part, we are just being told that these projects are being postponed and reevaluated.”
These postponements can have major implications for companies that are bidding on jobs. If the owner of a project delays the awarding of the contract, there is the potential for material prices to increase dramatically during that time frame.
“Since we have to hold our (bid) number, it becomes a challenge when the prices keep increasing between the bid due date and months later when the project gets awarded,” said Turoczy. “We are nearing the third month of being asked by one owner to hold our price.”

Skidmore College is planning to build a two-story fitness and tennis center on its 315-acre Saratoga Springs campus.
The college is working with Consigli Construction of Albany, The LA Group landscape architecture firm of Saratoga Springs and Barton & Loguidice in Colonie to design the project.
Plans filed with the city Planning Board call for a 50,000-square-foot building with weight rooms, offices, locker rooms and four indoor tennis courts.
The college, located off North Broadway, also is in the midst of constructing a multiphase Center for Integrated Sciences. The 58,000-square-foot first phase, scheduled to be finished this year, will include 58 laboratories and classrooms.