Discover Latham and Boght 2019 Spotlight News

Discover Latham & Boght

January 30, 2019 | SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS 7

www.spotlightnews.com

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

A special place Over the years, Latham and Boght have developed into ideal places to live A young rollerskater benefits from a guiding hand as they both make their way around Guptil’s skating rink in Latham.

Jim Franco / Spotlight News

By SPOTLIGHT STAFF news@spotlightnews

L

atham was once defined by two landmarks — a traffic circle and a watertower.

The watertower is gone, and scores of neighborhoods have blossomed around that traffic circle, turning both Latham and Boght into ideal places for a family to live and grow.

8 SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS | January 30, 2019

www.spotlightnews.com

108225_4

www.spotlightnews.com

Discover Latham & Boght

January 30, 2019 | SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS 9

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

Something out of nothing

Ayco developing on the long-vacant lot of land once the site of The Starlite Theater

By JIM FRANCO francoj@spotlightnews.com

“I am proud Ayco chose Colonie for its new headquarters. Ayco’s decision means that at least 600 good jobs will stay right here in Colonie.”

— Paula Mahan, Colonie Town Supervisor

COLONIE — Nobody likes giving tax incentives to corporations, especially when the corporation falls under the umbrella of Goldman Sach’s, a synonym for affluence that’s spanned generations.

But, such is the reality of economic development. If a municipality doesn’t offer incentives, any company or developer in the business of making a profit will just go where the pot is a bit sweeter. While there was some understandable push back, albeit minor, when the Colonie Industrial Development Agency gave the Galesi Group, the company building a 150,000-square-foot headquarters for Ayco on the Starlite Theater site a $12 million package, it wasn’t done without just cause.

Prior to granting the incentives, the IDA commissioned Camoin Associates, a Saratoga based economic development consulting firm, to perform an in depth study on the impacts the Ayco headquarters, and the some 800 employees who will call it home, will have on the Boght Road area and the town as a whole The Starlite Theater, a 3,000-seat performance venue, opened in 1958 with a production of Damn Yankees, that sits on nearly 60 acres off Route 9. It’s last “show” was the 1998 Shaker High School graduation and it was torn down in 2012. The land has remained vacant since, and while a number of proposals were introduced, some formally and some not so much, they all fell by the wayside.

Continues on Next Page

Stop by every TUESDAY for…

Your Local Chamber Serving Businesses Since 1985

$2.99 / lb.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast & Ground Chuck

Every week try a new…

664 New Loudon Road LATHAM, NY

For more information visit

(518) 786-5150

or call the Chamber at

Like us on at TheFreshMarketNewLoudon

(518) 785-6995

108321_4

www.coloniechamber.org

Little Big Meal for just

$20

Feeds a family of four

thefreshmarket.com

108317_4

Discover Latham & Boght

10 SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS | January 30, 2019

www.spotlightnews.com

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

From page 9 ...

Galesi

Ayco

“In my mind it is a competitive nature. There were 29 sites Ayco was looking at and we were fortunate enough to get chosen,” Joe LaCivita, the IDA executive director who also serves as head of the town’s Planning and Economic Development Department, said previously.

“And if it is so easy and desirable to develop why has it been vacant since 1998?”

Supervisor Paula Mahan said the fact Ayco chose Colonie “speaks volumes about our desirability.”

“I am proud Ayco chose Colonie for its new headquarters. Ayco’s decision means that at least 600 good jobs will stay right here in Colonie. Plus, there is a potential for 160 more. Remember, these are the jobs everyone wants — highly paid, highskills jobs that support the local economy in countless ways,” she said. “Also, the connector road between Route 9R and Route 9 being built in connection with the project helps realize one of the town’s long-time goals — helping to alleviate traffic issues in that sector. That’s another big plus for Colonie.”

In October, 2017 ,the Galesi Group, one of the Capital District’s largest developers, said it wanted to build a 150,000-square-foot headquarters for Ayco on the site. The price tag is about $56 million, according to the Business Review.

And, the company said it would construct the long awaited road between Route 9 and Route 9R that will not only serve as access the new building but also alleviate traffic congestion at the busy intersection of Columbia Street/9R and Route 9.

It wasn’t until the company got the necessary approvals from the Planning Board, though, that it went before the town’s IDA to solidify some $12 million in benefits.

Saratoga had also wanted Ayco and in 2016 the City Council had talked about building a new deck on the parking garage at Congress Park Center to accommodate the employees. There are about 225 Ayco employee working in the Saratoga office and instead of Colonie, the rest would have consolidated to the north.

In April, the IDA made public the results of the Camoin Associates study that looked at the financial benefits Ayco would bring to town.

Roughly, the incentives are:

• A 10-year Payment in Lieu of Taxes that starts with a total town, county and school tax bill of $106,509 in year one that gets progressively larger until maxing out at $1 million in year 10.

The company will pay more than $6.5 million over the 10-year period including $4.8 million to the North Colonie School District, just more than $1 million to the county and $685,719 to the town.

Without the project, the site would generates a total of $304,230 over the same 10-year period including $223,465 to the school district, $48,094 to the county and $32,671 to the town. That is based on today’s tax rate with a 2 percent annual increase, according to Michael N’dolo, of Camoin Associates.

• Access to sales tax exemptions worth up to $2.3 million and mortgage tax exemption worth up to $350,000. The mortgage tax exemption would not have any impact on the town because it is collected by the state and county.

Camoin estimates 50 percent of building and other materials to set up the individual offices would be purchased in Albany County and 25 percent of those purchases would be taxable. About 40 percent of all sales tax collected by Albany County are distributed back to the towns and villages, with the Town of Colonie’s

share at 27 percent.

Based on a combination of those two formulas and the exemption, the town would not receive $126,360 if the project were taxed without incentives. Without the project, the amount of sales tax generated by construction materials would be zero.

The town would, according to Camoin, receive a nominal amount, about $3,000, in sales tax from construction workers spending money in Albany County businesses while working on the building.

The town would, too, collect some $53,893 a year in sales tax by the money spent in Albany County by employees working in the new building, according to the study.

“This property was sitting vacant for a very long period of time and national and local developers all competed for this project,” said Galesi President and CEO David Buicko, in a previous interview.

“Every property we developed in the Capital Region, and anywhere in state or out of state, have utilized a variety of tax incentives and they are the only way to level playing field. But for getting the IDA benefits this project would not work. The numbers in this report add up big

Continues on Next Page

BE SMART.

Latham’s

Hometown Law Firm

Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, DWI, General Litigation and More…

518.738.1800

Route 9, Next to the Century House attorney advertising

JOHN B. CASEY

107705_4

www.caseylawlatham.com

www.spotlightnews.com

Discover Latham & Boght

January 30, 2019 | SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS 11

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

time as far as the economic impact to the community.”

The road

Galesi also applied for a $5 million grant from the state to build the road bifurcating the site but it was turned down. The $6.5 million road will now be funded through mitigation fees assessed any project within the Boght RoadColumbia Street Generic Environmental Impact Statement.

Based on a formula dictated by the GEIS, the town is responsible for paying $338,000 out of the general fund for the road, Galesi would have to pay $998,000 out of pocket. The balance would come from mitigation fees other developers have paid and will pay in the future to cover the impacts of their respective projects on transportation within the Boght Road GEIS. Right now, there is some $2.8 million in the fund waiting to get spent on traffic improvements within the GEIS. “We look at what the project is providing the municipality. Is it a good project and what does it bring to the town,” said IDA President John Kearney prior to granting the incentive package.

“With Afrims they are extending water and sewer so public infrastructure improvements is one thing we can look at.

Ayco is building a road connector to help

alleviate traffic.

Ayco

“Ayco is a long time employer in the Town of Colonie and in the region and our focus is to continue that and to look at the bigger picture,” Ayco Executive Vice President Kathryn Matthews told the Colonie IDA. “We are projecting to bring 160 new jobs by 2021 and we are confident we can meet those job projections and we will report back to the IDA to say we met those job projections.

But, our lease commitment is contingent on making sure we have the financial assistance of the IDA to move the project forward.”

In addition to Latham and Saratoga the company also has offices in the City of Albany. Once construction is complete, sometime in 2019, all three office will consolidate in the new headquarters.

The some 800 financial sector jobs will equal $72.8 million a year with total sales — the amount of product or services the company will sell — coming in at $147.7 million a year, according to the analysis by Camoin Associates.

The new annual direct earnings associated with the project is nearly $17.7 million a year onsite plus $55.1 million from retained jobs and $27 million in indirect earnings.

Town residents sit in at a May 2018 planning board meeting to hear a presentation on what to expect — including estimated financial impacts — from the proposed Ayco Headquarters.

Jim Franco / Spotlight News

The study also found Ayco’s construction and ongoing existence at the site would create or retain some 475 indirect jobs such as maintenance and/ or construction workers and workers at businesses supporting Ayco employees around the site.

“The one thing I heard the loudest was

900 parking spots — I sell cars,” said Alan Goldstein, of the Goldstein Auto Group, during a meeting of the IDA. “Based on this presentation on the economic impact, it really is a ‘no-brainer.’ It is just going to make so much activity and I think the presentation of the economic numbers is conservative.”

108323_4

Discover Latham & Boght

12 SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS | January 30, 2019

www.spotlightnews.com

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

Guptill’s still provides family fun almost seven decades after opening

By KAITLIN LEMBO lembok@spotlightnews.com LATHAM — Millions of tiny wheels have made countless laps around Guptill’s Roller Skating Arena. Up to four generations of families have made that happen, making Guptill’s one of the last thriving long-standing family-owned businesses in the Capital District.

“We’ve always been a safe spot for kids, teens and adults to have fun and spend time together,” Wes Guptill, part-owner, said. “Hundreds of thousands of people have come through those doors looking for quality family fun.”

Guptill’s is an icon in the Capital District.

The rink itself is the same oak that was put down when doors first opened in 1951. When you walk through the doors, 1950s-inspired lights and decorations greet you. Guptill’s father, Skip, has always maintained the retro feel of the rink, only updating the “guts,” if you will, of the rink to keep up with the changing times. This includes the sound system, light show machines and most importantly, the music that is played. “[My father] always wanted to keep the feel of the rink because it’s just Americana,” Guptill explained. “You come here, you make friends, you

Guptill’s: Still going round and round

Continues on Next Page

The Kumon Math & Reading Program builds:

Outstanding MATH SKILLS

Excellent

READING COMPREHENSION

Disciplined STUDY HABITS

Schedule your free orientation today!

518.313.4090

Kumon of Latham 515 Troy Schenectady Rd., Latham, NY 12110 kumon.com

* Enroll between 2/1/19 and 2/28/19 to waive the Enrollment Fee of up to $50. The Enrollment Fee includes services such as processing, student evaluation and lesson plan development. Enrollment Fee waiver only valid at participating Kumon Math & Reading Centers. Most Kumon Centers are independently owned and operated. Additional fees may apply. See center for applicable terms and conditions. © 2019 Kumon North America, Inc. All rights reserved.

107980_4

108324_4

www.spotlightnews.com

We only use the finest ingredients in January 30, 2019 | experts SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS 13 best taste.

Our make sure ev of batter on a perfectly heated pan, in every order. Each bite, no matter s with fresh decadent flavors.

Discover Latham & Boght A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

skate around, you make memories that you will then share with your children, your grandchildren, your family and your friends.”

Guptill’s was just a roller rink until 1979. As disco began seeping into American radio waves in the late 1970s, the family saw an opportunity to expand their entertainment empire. In 1979, dance club Secrets was opened, along with a video gaming room. Like the rink, the dance club was alcohol-free and supplemented with impressive light shows and an impressive playlist. Guptill explained the dance club, now a teen hotspot, was originally for adults.

“It became a destination for those 18 to 21 years old around 1985,” he explained.

“When the drinking age was raised in 1985 to 21, many people were shut out of the places they were planning to attend.

The dance club became a place they could go and dance, hang out with friends and have a night out.” Guptill added the evolution of the dance club’s primary audience has shifted as the generations have gotten older.

“Around 1990, high schoolers would come to Secrets more. In 1995, middle schoolers began showing up in greater numbers,” he said. “Now, we’ve noticed, since around 2010, it’s families. Parents with young children who want a safe place to spend time together and make lifelong

business opened. Every day, staff members clean and patch up any minor scuffs the floor might have gotten from skaters.

Once a year, the entire floor is refinished, slathering a fresh coat of polish across the three rinks.

“It’s hard work, but it keeps things authentic and maintains the Americana of the business,” Guptill said.

The indoor rink, which is broken up into three areas, occupies a record-breaking 44,000 sq. ft. The main rink alone is 36,000 sq. ft., with the beginner’s rink and kiddie rink cumulatively totaling the other 8,000 sq. ft. Because of the impressive size, Guptill’s is not just the biggest indoor roller rink in the country, but in the world.

It wasn’t planned to be that way, though, and the Guptills did not seek out the record-breaking title.

“We did not necessarily set out to be the biggest,” he explained. “We knew we Guptill’s Roller Skating Arena has been owned and operated by the same family since it were bigger than anywhere else we had was first opened in 1951.

Jim Franco / Spotlight News seen, but had no intention of trying to get the world record.”

“Roller skating is now back in a huge memories.”

That all changed in the 1970s when way,” Guptill said. “In the ’90s, we saw so Guptill continued the rink has always representatives from Guinness Book many people with rollerblades or in-line been for all ages. While the dance club of World Records visited the family in skates. Now, skating is back and kids are has evolved with the times, the rink has Latham. They had heard about the large not learning to rollerblade the way they did rink and were impressed. faced the revival and death of fads like roller skating and rollerblading. One thing 20 years ago. It’s all on skates.”

“They asked us for the blueprints has not changed for the family, though — because they wanted definitive proof regardless of what wheels people put on The iconic hard-wood floor has been Continues on Next Page maintained every single day since the their feet, they would come to Guptill’s.

The presentation of our crepes is as eyes first, therefore crepe is not only carefully rolled into a bouquet made

Unique, Fresh & Delicious!

T-swirl BLT

T-swirl Fruits Cocktail

Our crepe, inspired by the Japanese crepe, uses rice flour which is naturally 100% gluten-free.

Once cooked, it takes on a crispy yet chewy texture that is exceptionally unique.

We only use the finest ingredients in our crepes in order to bring customers the best taste. Our experts make sure every crepe is cooked with a similar amount of batter on a perfectly heated pan, creating the same tasty and unique texture in every order. Each bite, no matter sweet or savory, is identical and bursting with fresh decadent flavors.

622 New Loudon Rd., Latham

(518) 362-2355

HOURS: Mon.-Thu., 11am-10pm, Fri., 11am-11pm, Sat., 12am-11pm , Sun., 12am-10pm

The presentation of our crepes is as paramount as the taste. We eat with our eyes first, therefore crepe is not only a meal to us. We treat it as a piece of art, carefully rolled into a bouquet made of exquisite ingredients.

t-swirlcrepe.com

Shrimp Avacado

We Offer Catering Services & Party Orders

108325_4

Discover Latham & Boght

14 SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS | January 30, 2019

www.spotlightnews.com

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

From page 13 ...

Round and round

Guptill’s Roller Skating Arena is in the Guinness. Book of World Records for being the largest indoor roller skating rink in the world. Jim Franco / Spotlight News

y a d n u S r Supe ls… a i c e p S od Roma Fo Foot $ 10 off 3-6Long PARTY SUBS PULLED PORK BABY BACK RIBS ALL 99 NAATLULRAL $ 99 L$ A R U T A N lb.

4

2

lb.

5

$

ALL AL A N TUR

99

qt.

WestTroyLaundry@gmail.com

Now Covering the Capital Region

Introducing Couples Therapy in Latham, NY

S

pecializing in Couples Therapy, Jo Anne brings a well-balanced, real-life approach to assisting clients with their therapeutic goals.

Working under the supervision of Diana Palmer, LMFT assisting clients in achieving a deeper sense of understanding, awareness, empathy, and connectedness within their relationships. Trained in Gottman’s Couples Therapy. Evening & Saturday appointments available.

299

$

Pickup & Delivery

108327_4

6 / dozen

TURA ALL NADY TO REA K COO

Wash & Fold Your Laundry

1507 2nd Ave. | Watervliet | 518-953-0624

CHICKEN 8-10 WINGS LB. BEEF CHILI L, CHEF DAVE’S

Let Us

Open 6am-9pm

LITTLE NECK CLAMS BUSHEL $ 95 200 • 1/2 $ 49 Count

84

the dimensions were,” Guptill recalled.

“They didn’t lie down tape measures and start hatching out measurements.

“Sure enough, we received the world record for the biggest indoor rink in the world,” he continued, adding the world record has been fantastic for business.

“Avid skaters come here to see the rink and to skate,” he said. “We have people coming from New Jersey, Vermont and Massachusetts, among other states, to stay the weekend and have some fun.”

The success is only expounded by the adjacent ice cream stand that opened in 1995, which is now known as the Capital District’s ice cream stand, he said. The family’s drive for quality in everything it does has resulted in Guptill’s Coney Express becoming synonymous with the area’s love for ice cream.

“People will not travel far usually for ice cream; they will go to the stand that is closest to their house,” Guptill said. “That’s not the case here. People travel from neighboring towns and counties to get the ice cream. It truly belongs to the Capital District now.”

Today, the business is doing as well as it

ever has, Guptill explained. He credits this to the resurgence of parents and children wanting to participate in a physical activity instead of sitting around and dawdling on technology.

“Skating is a participatory sport because you can skate up to someone and ask to do a lap together, or you can meet your friends and skate in a group,” he said. “It’s not like bowling, another sport of the ’50s where it’s really a more independent sport.

“People want to make memories that will last a lifetime,” Guptill continued.

“We have couples who come in and tell us they met here. We have lifelong friends who come in and tell us their friendship was sparked on this rink. Those great memories will be passed down to the next generations, who will make their own memories and continue the cycle.” Guptill added the rink has now almost lasted four generations.

“One of our mottos is fun, smiles, memories,” Guptill concluded. “That’s what we’re about. We want to provide a safe, fun place for parents to feel comfortable bringing their children or dropping them off for an afternoon while they go run errands or work. We want to be at the top of the roller skating business, and we think we’ve done a great job at being that for the area and beyond.”

lb.

Plus…full catering menu, pizza, sub platters & more!!!!

www.RomaFoods.com

518.785.7480 Latham • 518-785.7746 Butcher • 518.587.6004 Saratoga

108322_4

Open Super Sunday 9:00–3:00. Prices effective Jan. 31st–Super Sunday Feb.108322_4 3rd

623 New Loudon Rd., Latham, NY 12110 jammft7@gmail.com | 518.618.4392 | joannemitchum.com

108310_4

Please, best to pre-order!!

www.spotlightnews.com

Discover Latham & Boght

January 30, 2019 | SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS 15

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

‘Hero’

The official report from the National Transportation Safety Board indicated there was no alcohol or drugs present in Rukieh’s body. The official report cited fatigue as a cause of the crash, referencing Rukieh’s request of a friend to fly with him that night to “keep [him] awake.”

Tom Murnane reported on the accident for Spotlight News the day after the collision. Murnane drove to the scene but was not able to get close to the crash site.

“I remember it being a chilly, cold day,”

By KAITLIN LEMBO Murnane said. “I heard about the crash lembok@spotlightnews.com once I arrived at the office.

“When I arrived at the scene, it was LATHAM — There is a plaque on cordoned off by tape and people were not Route 2, right in front of the old K-Mart building, resting in a bed of green, luscious allowed to get close to the site,” Murnane continued. “I was able to see the fire and grass, that commemorates the death of a the crater. I did not see the remains of the 25-year-old man who should have lived body, the wreckage of the plane, or the full beyond Dec. 10, 1994. crater until after it all had been cleaned Hosam “Sam” Rukieh, an Ohio native, up.” was flying from Boston to Buffalo on that Some residents saw the crash, chilly December day. His twin-engine prop commenting the plane seemed to be cargo plane, an empty Starcheck Flight struggling for power in its final moments, 221, crashed at approximately 2:23 a.m. before exploding into a fireball and thick on a freezing, overcast night. Rukieh was killed instantly; he was alone in the aircraft cloud of smoke when it hit. and no one surrounding the impact site Murnane remembers then Colonie was injured. The crash left a six-foot crater Police Lt. Steven Heider telling reporters, in the ground; a gas main was broke and “There’s nothing left here that looks like a caused a blaze, with flames reaching 30 plane.” Police spent the rest of the weekend feet high, to burn for several hours. The scouting the surrounding area and cleaning crash knocked out power to hundreds of up the small debris and body parts that surrounding homes and closed the road had been launched over 100 yards from the until mid-afternoon that day. impact site.

Nearly 25 years after plane crash we remember how a community was spared a more horrific tragedy

Then-Albany County Coroner Timothy Cavanaugh was unavailable for comment as Murnane’s story went to print. Cavanaugh did say there were not enough remains for an autopsy, however remains were given to federal aviation investigators to determine if there was anything unusual in Rukieh’s blood. The

Continues on Next Page

A memorial plaque dedicated to Hosam Deen Rukieh stands near the site of a fatal plane crash that killed only the pilot on Dec. 10, 1994.

Jim Franco / Spotlight News

They matter They to me.matter to me.

Maryann Fazzone, Agent 619 New Loudon Rd. RT 9 Maryann Agent Latham,Fazzone, NY 12110 619Bus: New518-783-7897 Loudon Rd. RT 9 Latham, NY 12110 maryann.fazzone.buj0@statefarm.com Bus: 518-783-7897 maryann.fazzone.buj0@statefarm.com

1706814 1706814

I get it. Your home and car are things.

Imore get it.than Yourjust home andThey’re car are where you make your memories more than just things. They’re and they the right where youdeserve make your memories protection.

It’s why I’m here. and they deserve the right LET’S TALKIt’s TODAY. protection. why I’m here.

LET’S TALK TODAY.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Fire and Casualty Company State Farm MutualBloomington, Automobile Insurance Company IL State Farm Fire and Casualty Company Bloomington, IL

108308_4

108301_4

Discover Latham & Boght

16 SPOTLIGHT NEWSPAPERS | January 30, 2019

www.spotlightnews.com

A GREAT PLACE TO... • LIVE • WORK • PLAY • STAY

From page 15 ...

‘Hero’

young pilot had accumulated 37.5 hours in the air and 66 hours of duty that week, according to the report.

Pilot: maintaining control is everything

Rukieh lost control of his aircraft due to fatigue. The root of the crash lies in that fact. That being said, control of the aircraft is the number one concern for any pilot, Roger Shapiro, a commercial and militarytrained pilot, said.

“Maintaining aircraft control is primary,” Shapiro said. “The extraneous circumstances around you are secondary, depending on the situation.”

Shapiro continued his training for emergencies can be summarized in three words: aviate, navigate and communicate.

“You maintain aircraft control, you analyze the situation and you take appropriate action. In the event of emergencies, you rely on your experience, your knowledge of aircraft systems and the experience and support of your crew to bring the situation to a logical conclusion.”

SAINT GREGORY’S SCHOOL

To Learn. To Achieve. To Grow.

The memorial

Members of the community wanted to make sure Rukieh was remembered. In 1995, Colonie-based Girl Scout Troop 134 raised funds to erect a memorial at the site of the crash. The troop named the fundraiser “Operation Hero.”

On Sept. 15, 1995, the memorial was unveiled and opened. The troop leader, Joan Slish, said the results of the official report does not change the troop’s wish to memorialize Rukieh.

“The fact remains that a 25-year-old died in our community and took no one

else with him,” Slish said at the time.

Rukieh left behind a fiancee. The woman, Emily Merritt, said at the time the troop’s kindness and generosity was special to her.

“It made me feel very happy and proud that they are thinking of him,” Merritt said at the time.

Rukieh has now been gone almost as long as he was alive. The memorial has aged and weathered, almost 24 years old.

However, the plaque still stands out against the nature surrounding it; a stark reminder of a young life cut short.

The red dot on the map above indicated the location of the 1994 plane crash near the present-day location of Trustco Bank. Hosam “Sam” Rukieh was flying his double-prop cargo plane from Boston to Buffalo in the early morning of Dec. 10, before he crashed. His plane crashed in an empty parking lot surrounded by hundreds of homes, and within five miles from Albany International Airport.

Map via Google

BREAK OUT!

Honor Their Sacrifice. Educate Their Legacy.

www.foldsofhonor.org

Saint Gregory’s School is Proud to Host

Folds Of Honor NY Chapter Event Folds of Honor is a charitable organization that provides scholarships to the children and spouses of America’s fallen and disabled service members.

Get involved in

Please STAND WITH US

breaking local news

Saint Gregory’s School 121 Old Niskayuna Road Loudonville, NY 12211

in your community.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Major Ed Pulido

Email your local news tips, social events, sports & photos to:

Lee Brice

news@spotlightnews.com

February 7, 2019 • 6:00-9:00 PM

U.S. Army (RET.) Sr. Vice President Folds of Honor Country Music Superstar

Please call Saint Gregory’s school at 518-785-6621 to purchase tickets.

Individual Tickets $500 each Saint Gregory’s School is the Capital Region’s Premier, Independent, Academic Institution serving boys and girls from preschool through eighth grade.

108362_4

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

www.spotlightnews.com