By Maureen Werther
Jay Rifenbary, president of Rifenbary Development in Saratoga Springs, was recently honored by Vistage Worldwide Inc. with the 2017 Speaker of the Year Award.
According to Vistage, the award “recognizes the MVP of the Vistage speaker community, which includes nearly 1,000 experts on topics ranging from leadership to health and wellness.”
Vistage Worldwide is a business advisory and executive coaching organization based out of San Diego.
The number of applicants for the incoming class at Skidmore College has broken the record in each of the past three years, college officials said.
This year, Skidmore received 10,750 applications, the largest number in college history, representing a 7 percent increase over 2017 and a 30 percent increase in applications over the last five years.
College officials said Skidmore continues to experience growth in applications from international students, as well as domestic students who self-identify as students of color. In the past decade, the percentage of domestic students of color in the college’s applicant pool has increased to 30 percent from 21 percent, and the percentage of international student applicants has increased to 30 percent from 6 percent.
By Susan E. Campbell
Imagine calling for an ambulance and wondering when it will arrive, if at all. Yet that was the reality for first response some 50 years ago.
“Each township had different response territories, and it could take a long time for an ambulance to get from one end of a territory to another,” said William Smith, a recently retired career firefighter and chief of operations for Community Emergency Corps based in Ballston Spa.
Community Emergency Corps is a nonprofit organization Smith has been a member of since 1998. Founded in 1966 by a group of concerned citizens, it provides emergency transport for the Village of Ballston Spa, Milton, the northern part of Ballston, and Middle Grove, an abutting section of Greenfield.
By Rachel Phillips
For almost half a century, The Wesley Community, located at 131 Lawrence St. in Saratoga Springs, has offered care and housing for seniors and aging adults. Though the organization is well known for the services it offers to elderly patients, its outpatient therapy program is open to patients of all ages.
The Wesley community is a 36-acre, nonprofit agency offering a broad variety of services. The senior-care services the organization is known for include providing market rate, affordable housing for independent seniors, as well as enriched living apartments for seniors who desire additional support, and in-home health care services, short-term rehabilitation and long-term nursing care.
BlueShield of Northeastern New York has recognized Saratoga Hospital with a Blue Distinction Center+ designation for bariatric surgery as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.
The Saratoga Bariatric Surgery and Weight-Loss Program at Saratoga Hospital, located at 1 West Ave. Suite 300, in Saratoga Springs, is the only program in the region to have earned this national distinction.
“The Bariatric Team was elated when we heard the news,” said Dr. Dmitri Baranov, medical director of the Saratoga Bariatric Surgery and Weight-Loss Program. “We have earned the Blue Distinction Center for the last three years, but to earn the ‘plus’ distinction this year is a true testament to the quality, safety and care our dedicated team has been consistently providing for our patients at every stage of their weight-loss journey. This recognition is quite special, and we could not be more proud.”
Royal Philips, a health technology company, has integrated the Philips IntelliVue Guardian system—with automated Early Warning Scoring (EWS)—into the general care units of Saratoga Hospital to help improve patient safety and clinical outcomes.
Since implementing Philips’ patient monitoring technology, Saratoga Hospital has reduced patient transfers to the intensive care unit (ICU) by 63 percent and eliminated patient codes within its 20-bed orthopedic unit, which dropped from three or four codes per year to zero, according to the company.
New York state announced a second solicitation for large-scale renewable energy projects under the state’s Clean Energy Standard.
The solicitation for up to 20 projects will accelerate New York’s transition to a clean energy economy and is expected to spur up to $1.5 billion in private investment and create more than 1,000 new well-paying jobs for New Yorkers, state officials said.
The solicitation is expected to support 1.5 million megawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power 200,000 homes, and advance New York’s nation-leading commitment to secure 50 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
“This administration continues to champion renewable energy projects across New York, and this is a major step forward in our efforts to create clean jobs and set an example for the rest of the nation,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “With this action we will continue to capitalize on our natural assets, expand economic opportunities and lay the groundwork for a cleaner, greener New York for generations to come.”
The Landmark Motor Inn, 1418 Saratoga Road in South Glens Falls, has sold for $3.67 million, according to the Muroff Daigle Hospitality Group, which brokered the transaction with Vanguard-Fine.
The seller was John Naja of Landmark Motor Lodge Corp. and the buyer was Nadeem Lodging Corp., which previously owned the Red Roof Inn in Albany.
The landmark Motor Inn was owned by the Naja family for more than 43 years, according to the Muroff Daigle Hospitality Group.
Circus Smirkus, the international youth circus, returns to the outdoor soccer field at the Saratoga Casino Hotel for four performances this summer.
On July 9 and 10, families can gather as the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs presents the Circus Smirkus 2018 Big Top Tour.
The theme of this year’s circus tour is “Vaudeville!” a celebration of the grand American tradition of variety entertainment. The show will include acrobats, magicians, jugglers and wirewalkers.
Saratoga Springs will receive $750,000 from New York state to help renovate Universal Preservation Hall, a historic nonprofit community arts organization, into a performing arts center.
In 2019, the heart of the hall will be a 700-seat, arena-style performance venue, geared toward live music, but capable of hosting theater, dance, comedy and fashion, as well as conventions, weddings and community events. The reonovations also include administrative offices and an elevator for increased accessibility.
The project is approaching its stated fundraising goal of $5 million.