I am very pleased to report that Tim and Melinda Boyd have returned home. Upon arrival to his residence, the first thing that Tim saw when the ambulance door opened was all of his DPW guys waiting to welcome him home. That brought a huge smile to Tim’s face. There was also a small gathering at Poppy’s for the rest of the Village staff and others to see Tim. He was as happy to see us as we were to see him. We continue to keep Tim and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

I had a nice visit with the Seniors and thank President Diane Leonard for the invitation. I brought with me some informational brochures that I received from Albany County regarding emergency services that they provide. One is their Yellow Dot Program which allows residents to secure their emergency contact and medical information in the event of an emergency. The other is a Special Needs Registry application for those with special needs to have on file with the 911 system to help expedite an emergency response. These programs are available to all residents and if you would like further information please contact Village Clerk John Berry @ 434-2922. I am very grateful to Sheriff Craig Apple and his staff for their continued support of our emergency preparedness efforts in Menands.

Congratulations to Menands School Music teacher, Sarah Horaczek on being chosen as one of the 2014/15 NewsChannel 13 best educators in the Capital Region. What a great honor for Sarah and her students.

There is already steady movement on an Economic Development front. Hudson Valley AAA moved into 10 Broadway. This facility will be used as a dispatch center for their tow and recovery vehicles. There will be a four phase renovation done to the building later this spring.

Dr. Eric Luper will open Peak Performance Chiropractic at 319 Broadway on March 30th, with a Grand Opening being planned for late April. We welcome Dr. Luper and are pleased that he choose Menands for his place of business.

I received a call last week from real estate developer Uri Kaufmann to let me know that the he secured his finances and construction has begun to convert the Albany International site into 145 luxury apartments. In addition to the apartments, the renovation plans also include a pre-school, outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, golf simulator and other amenities for the tenants. With a price tag of  $30 million this is huge for Menands. I look forward to the end of the year when the apartments are expected to begin occupancy. I appreciate Uri taking the time to call me personally with the good news and am very grateful that he decided Menands was a good fit for this project.

Karate for Kids has opened up at 100 Broadway #5 (in the Ideal Supermarket Plaza) in Menands.  The Albany Council of Traditional Karate-Do Organization, Inc. is dedicated to  high quality, compassionate and caring instruction that is affordable for the whole family.  To nurture a driving force in the community for personal safety, respect for oneself and others, refinement of character and responsible citizenship. Scholarships are available for all students.  Questions contact Joan Dittmer at 453-2456 or email at email hidden; JavaScript is required

2015 is already shaping up to be an exciting year and there are still more projects in the works. It is going to be a good year.

Until next time.

Mayor Meg