CENTENNIAL VILLAGE HALL EDITION 518-869-7562 Mayor Tom Tobin 518-869-6760 TRUSTEES Ed Sim • 518-869-1742 Patty Schwarz Lockart 518-456-3866 Art White • 518-869-0812 Jim Rubino • 518-378-3312 The Villager UPCOMING EVENTS — Your Calendar— June 22-Aug 31  Tuesday Nights A Message from the MAYOR in the Park Dear Residents, As summer approaches I hope everyone is well and safe. I thank you all Concert Series for keeping a positive attitude and remaining committed to overcoming the pandemic. July 5 I am happy to report that our Village offices, DPW, and the Recreation Center are now open to the public. Also, all Village Board of Trustee and  Village closed in Commission meetings are back in person at the Village Hall. We look observance of forward to reopening the H.B. Kuhn Senior Center in the near future. For now, the drive-thru lunch program continues to be open at the Senior Center. Please Independence Day contact each department for specific hours and programs. The Village staff has been busy planning summer events as they also continue to plan the Centennial Celebration. Listed below are just some highlights of Village events and May 2022 future plans: Village Complex • On March 2, 2021, the Village of Colonie turned 100 years old! • The Village held a special election on March 16 and Art White and Jim Rubino were Open House elected Village Trustees. Congratulations! • The Easter Bunny was in the Village on March 27 and 28 and handed out 500 treats July 2022 during the Easter Parade to our “little Villagers.” Centennial Picnic • Applications are being accepted for rentals of our pavilions and the Recreation Center. • It was a beautiful sunny day on April 24 when the Colonie Little League held its August 2022 Opening Day at Cook Park. Mayors Cup Run & Walk • We will resume our Tuesday Nights in the Park Concert Series starting June 22 to August 31. It will be a limited line up this year, with a few changes to accommodate September 2022 everyone’s safety, but we are thrilled to enjoy these concerts with our community once again. Please see inside  Centennial Parade for more details. Thank you for your October 2022 ongoing support. Centennial Dinner Please remain safe, and continue to check our website at colonievillage.org for the latest Village news. Sincerely, Tom Tobin, Mayor An Official Publication of the Photo L to R: Ed Sim, Art White, Tom Tobin, Jim Rubino, Patty Schwarz Lockart Village of Colonie • Summer 2021 Village Directory • Message from Department of Public Works 518-869-6372 Department of Public Works Trustee Art White, Liaison Yard Waste Pick-Up Place your yard waste in biodegradable paper bags or in Les Decker, Superintendent your reusable containers. Containers MUST NOT be over 32 Chris Bisognano, Assistant Superintendent gallons in volume or 40 pounds in weight and be identified Chris Ciota, Recycling Coordinator by a special sticker. Brush no larger than 3” in diameter Village Hall 518-869-7562 must be cut in lengths no longer than 4 feet and bundled with string (no wire) in a bundle that one man can lift. Kathleen Haas, Treasurer Place the bags and/or containers at the curbside for pick- Jamie Blot, Clerk up. There is no set pick-up day. Yard waste is picked up Benjamin Neidl, Attorney each week on a continual cycle. Victor Caponera, Attorney Biodegradable paper bags can be purchased at supermar- kets, hardware stores and home centers. Stickers to identify Building Department 518-869-7562 your 32-gallon reusable containers are $3.00 each and are Steve Meservey, available at the Village Hall. Code Enforcement Officer, Head, 518-275-3666 Randy Rivera, Stormwater Management Officer, Code Enforcement Officer, 518-857-3654 Senior Citizens Center 518-869-7172 CORRECTION... Trustee Patty Schwarz Lockart, Liaison Despite our best efforts to Chrissy Lanza, Recreation Leader provide you with a high quality, Ginny Ritz, Office Administrator accurate, and updated news- letter, mistakes sometimes do Family Recreation Center 518-218-7782 occur. It is important to us to Brian Casey, Youth Monitor correct this when it happens. Katie Ciota, Youth Monitor Please note a correction to the Mayor Russel Goulty Outreach Center 518-218-1030 previous spring Villager. In the April 1937 - April 1953 photograph gallery of past May- Sue Bredice, Outreach Worker ors titled One Hundred Years of Joan Rueckert, Outreach Worker History, the two photographs of Fire Company 518-869-9306 Mayor Russel Goulty and Mayor Trustee Jim Rubino, Liaison Fred Bauer were accidentally Jeffrey Kayser, Fire Co. Chief swapped. The correct pictures Ronald Coy, Fire Co. President and their labels are shown here. We were also able to attain a For a complete list of photograph of Mayor Howard Mayor Fred Bauer all Village board and Bennett, one of the Mayors April 1953 - April 1961 commission members, pictures we were missing. We please visit the Village would like to thank Steve Garry Website. for this contribution. We are still looking for photographs of May- or Charles N. Collins and Mayor Justin Cain, if you or anyone you know has photographs of these Visit the Village Website at: past mayors, we would be so Mayor Howard Bennett www.colonievillage.org grateful to get a copy of them. April 1935 - April 1937 2 • The Villager / Summer 2021 IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! Heavy Item Pick-Up Procedures for 2021 2021 Planning The Heavy Item program will run from the first Monday in May through the first Monday in October. Reservations Commission Approvals can be made Monday to Friday at Village Hall between the The Mayor and Board of Trustees would like to hours of 9am to 4pm. WELCOME the fol­lowing businesses approved by the You will need to bring in a proof of Village residency in Planning Commission and wish them much success! the form of a driver’s license, cable bill, utility bill or tax bill. Upon your reservation, you will receive a copy of the Village 1440 Central Ave – BJ’s Wholesale Club – Exterior façade change of Colonie Heavy Item Pick-Up Form signed and dated 1440 Central Ave – Empire Wine & Liquor expanded into the space along with a list of rules of the program (what is accepted formerly occupied by Dress Barn. and what is not). If you have any further questions, please 1586 Central Ave – DePaula Car Dealership – New Madza dealer- direct them to the Department of Public Works at 518-869- ship. 6372. 1647 Central Ave – Aria Kabab – New restaurant offering Afghan • Message from Village Hall Halal cuisine. 1692 Central Ave – Accustaff – Temporary employment services. Sewer bills were mailed June 1, 2021 and are due by July 15, 2021, U.S Post Office postmark is accepted. 1757 Central Ave - JDRF – Non- profit organization that funds type- Village tax bills were mailed out June 1, 2021 and are due 1 Diabetes research. by July 1, 2021, U.S Post Office postmark is accepted. 1767 Central Ave - West Coast Partners LLC – Demo existing build- If you do not receive your bills by June 15, 2021, please ing to make way for a used car lot with sales office contact Village Hall at 518-869-7562. If you have an escrow account for your Village tax bill, those bills will be sent to 1770 Central Ave – MKS Industries – Modern Kitchen Showroom your bank, upon their request. If you receive your Village tax 1814 Central Ave – Untapped Nutrition – Offering high protein bill, and it should have gone to your bank, please forward shakes and energizing herbal teas. the bill to them as soon as possible to ensure payment is 1850 Central Ave – LabCorp – Full-service patient facility within made in a timely manner. Walgreen’s Drug Store. We are now accepting credit cards as a payment method. To pay by credit card, you must come in person to Village 1892 Central Ave - Colonie Wine & Liquor – Wine and Liquor store Hall. We are accepting credit cards as a form of payment located between Big Lots and Price Chopper. for all Village bills and invoices. There will be a 3% fee for 18 Computer Drive West – Rohan & DeLancey, P.C – Lawfirm credit card transactions. specializing in residential and commercial real estate. We will also continue to accept cash or check as a pay- ment method. 10 Jupiter Lane – Stone Management, Inc – Provides warehousing, If paying by check, please make sure to note in the memo logistics and truck transport services for vendors. field the service address or account number. You may write 14 Jupiter Lane – Sun Systems Technology – Solar repair and main- one check for multiple payments, but please note if there is tenance for residential and commercial solar systems. an error made on the check, neither bill will be processed, 132 Lincoln Ave – McCashion Brother’s Holding Co – Masonry which may cause delays and late fees. business relocating from 124 Lincoln Ave. This will be a storage Village Hall is unable to hold credits on accounts, so warehouse. please only pay the amount due or your payment will be sent back. 132 Lincoln suite 104 – NOSO Development – Warehouse for As always, if you should have any questions, please give storage of construction and carpentry tools and equipment. us a call at 518-869-7562 or stop in and see us! 132 Lincoln Ave suite 402 – Junk King – Non-Hazmat junk remov- al with emphasis on donations of usable and recyclable refuse. • Message from the 132 Lincoln Ave suites 403-405– W2LS Corp – One of the largest Traffic Committee FedEx contractors in the US. Repairs and paints FedEx trucks. Dear Village of Colonie Residents, 8AA Petra Lane – Spark Power Corp – Provides operations and Join us in welcoming summer and help us to keep our maintenance service to solar companies throughout New York State. Village streets safe for all who use them. The Village of 12A Petra Lane – Hurricane Home Solutions – Sale and installation Colonie Traffic Committee would like to remind you that of top-quality backup generators, water purification systems and summer not only means warmer weather but also more tankless water heaters. people venturing outdoors and being more active. We are 16 Petra Lane – California Closets – Warehouse and showroom Continued on page 4 expansion. www.colonievillage.org • 3 Welcome Street Paving, Aboard! Past and Present... We would like to introduce our two new Creating an edge Trustees who were elected in March and line down Village sworn in April 2021. Congratulations to Art street in 1963.” White and Jim Rubino, we look forward to seeing you contribute to our Village community. Preparing to apply oil to the stone base of the new road, 1963.” Rolling the new oil Art White and stone road, August 1963. Traffic Committee... Continued from page 3 very proud to live in such a wonderful community where we can enjoy our many parks, trails, and well-kept streets for walking, bicycling and other outdoor activities. We are asking that you help us all and be respon- sible, slow down when driving; remind family, friends, and neighbors to be aware of the speed limits and report problem drivers to the police by using the non-emergency line 518-783-2744. However, if you need to Jim Rubino report an emergency, please call 911 or 518-783-2811. Lookout for children playing, people exercising and walking their pets. Remember that summer also means sharing the road with bicycles and REMINDER motorcycles, so please be patient and alert when out and about. You will also notice the many lawn signs reminding people to “slow The Village Offices, D.P.W. down”, that were placed along various streets last year and will be placed and Recreation Center will on lawns again this year as well. There will be an opportunity for all Vil- lage residents to display these signs in the future. We invite you to send be closed: requests to the Village Hall; attention “Traffic Committee”. Also please remember to “Drive 25” through the Village residential streets. After all, • Monday, July 5th this is your community, and we all want to be safe. Independence Day Thank you, observed The Village of Colonie Traffic Committee 4 • The Villager / Summer 2021 Boy Scout Troop Drive-Up Bottle & Food Drive Boy Scout Troop 278 would like to thank the Village community for their donations. They were able to collect over 14,480 bottles Grading the road before paving. & cans and over 1,560 food items. The bottles and cans will help support Troop activities and the donated food items will be delivered to local food pantries within our community. Laying a stone base for the new road, 1963” Today we are able Recycling Reminders to mill and pave Village streets much quicker with advanced machin- ery. These ma- chines are strung for Summer: together to create • Use reusable masks when safe to do so, making a procession that sure to follow CDC guidelines for masking. Single use will simultane- masks are not recyclable, please throw them away. ously mill the old road, recycle that Remember that any other single use personal protective material within equipment such as gloves, should go into the trash and minutes and re- pave the existing not be thrown onto the ground. road surface with • Many stores are now allowing you to use reusable those recycled shopping bags again. A helpful tip, put them in your car materials.” or by your door so you remember to take them with you. • With warmer weather, we all tend to partake in a bit of cleaning and clearing out at home. As you clean out your house, remember to donate items that can be used again. There are also some fantastic groups on Facebook and Nextdoor where you can give away or sell your gently used items. Keep it Green, Keep it Clean -Chris Ciota Recycling Coordinator www.colonievillage.org • 5 To make way for the new amphitheater, the old maintenance shed, that was also used as a skate shed when the pond was frozen in winter, was burned down. The Colonie Village Fire Company did a control burn of the building for training. The ground was then cleared and leveled for construction. 2021 CONCERT SCHEDULE June 22nd The Lustre Kings Rockabilly Alternate Tuesday July 6th Jim Gaudet & The Railroad Boys Evenings @ 6:30pm July 20 th Bluegrass Joe’s Boys June 22 nd - Aug 31 st 60’s/70’s/80’s & Beyond Frank A. Leak Amphitheater August 3rd TS Ensemble Sinatra to Today Cook Park Village of Colonie August 17th Triskele Celtic We request We request all attendees all attendees tocurrent to adhere to adhere toNYS CDC & CDC & NYS Guidelines. Guidelines Rain dates will beregarding masking on the following & social day (Wednesday) distancing at the Amphitheater,in August 31st New York Players outside weather crowded permitting. areas. If there Please weather is inclement remain on6the feet rainapart from date, the Jazz/Funk/Disco/Motown otherwill concert groups of attendees and wear your mask. be cancelled. 6 • The Villager / Summer 2021 Frank A. Leak Amphitheater for the Arts TUESDAY NIGHTS 2021 in the PARK Opportunities to give: Gold Sponsor Silver Sponsor $1,000 Donation $500 Donation *Corporate Name in Tuesday Night Programs *Corporate Name in Tuesday Night Programs *Corporate Name on Season Event Signage *Corporate Name on Season Event Signage *Opening Night Recognition bronze Sponsor patron of the Arts $250 Donation $100 Donation *Corporate Name in Tuesday Night Programs *Corporate Name in Tuesday Night Programs *Corporate Name on Season Event Signage Friend of the Arts Donation $25 Donation *I/we are unable to become a sponsor, but *Name listed in Tuesday Night Programs enclosed is a contribution of $_______ in support of the Amphitheater Arts Program PLEASE FILL OUT & RETURN: Contact Name: Business: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: NAME/BUSINESS *PRINT EXACTLY HOW YOUR NAME/BUSINESS SHOULD APPEAR ON THE PROGRAM* Please address all checks to “Village of Colonie - Amphitheater” Return this paper with your payment to: Christina Secor, Village of Colonie, 2 Thunder Road, Colonie, NY 12205 If you have any questions please call Brian at the Family Rec Center, 518-218-7782 Thank you for your generosity, without your donations these concerts would not be possible. www.colonievillage.org • 7 Department of First Highway garage located at the rear of Public Works 27 Locust Park in 1958. Through the Years Fleet of DPW trucks and equipment in the 1970’s. Fleet of DPW trucks and equipment in the 1970’s. Fleet of DPW trucks and equipment in the 1970’s.. DPW garage, trucks and large machinery in the 1970’s. 8 • The Villager / Summer 2021 Above: DPW garage and fuel pumps in the 1970’s. Renovations begin on the DPW office and original garage in 2008. Picture of trucks at the Open house of the DPW garage after it's addition in 2010. Picture of heavy machinery at the Open house of the DPW garage after its addition in 2010. Current DPW after renovations com- pleted in March 2010. First addition to the Department of Public Works garage. The original DPW garage was demolished and rebuilt to the cur- rent DPW offices and breakroom. Current Department of Public Works Garage www.colonievillage.org • 9 Cook Park Playground... The original Cook Park Playground was constructed in 1980, it has gone through one or more upgrades since then. In 2017-2018 it underwent a massive re- construction and is now an ADA compliant play- Workers and volunteers building playground in 1980 ground that has become First Cook Park Playground being built in 1980 one of the most popular playgrounds in the area. Through community donations, Village funds, as well as a partial grant, our DPW workers with the help of volunteers, constructed this beautiful new playground from the ground up. Village DPW workers persisting through adverse weather to finish pouring the cement footings for Completed Cook Park playground in 1980 the structures before the cold weather sets in Village DPW workers and volunteers building the playground Mayor Frank Leak, the Board of Trustees and Village Outreach structures. workers at the beginning of construction to the new playground Playground under construction Complete ADA compliant Playground at Cook Park. 10 • The Villager / Summer 2021 Copy of election results from Senior Corner original Village Charter For Village Residents 55+ and Village Senior Center Members: The Senior Center To-Go lunches have continued to be a success with our Seniors! We will continue offering curbside To-Go lunches throughout the upcoming months! Monday – Friday from 12-12:30pm Drive-up for pick-up, no need to leave your car! You MUST CALL AHEAD at 518-869-7172 Meals are $5 each, cash & check are accepted. • Menus are released month- ly on the Village’s website www. colonievillage.org/senior-citizens/ you can call to order and pay up to a week in advance! • If you are shut in and cannot leave your home, we can arrange for accommodations. • If you need anything or have any questions, please call Chrissy or Ginny at 518-869-7172. If no one answers, please leave a message and someone will get back to you as Below is an article from the Times Union that appeared on Tuesday, February 16, soon as possible. 2021 in the Around the Region section under Looking Back. Above is the election • Please make sure you are inspectors statement of results from the special election referenced in the article. wearing your mask before you roll Special thanks to Town of Colonie Clerk Julie Gansle for sharing the document with us. down your window to pick up your lunch. 100 Years Ago • We cannot wait to see you all back at the Senior Center when we Incorporation proposals gain favor The largest and most enthusiastic meeting so far in the call for several local can safely open back up! communities to incorporate themselves was held at School 20 in Colonie. The big- • Check the menus for each gest push at the meeting was for the town of Colonie to convert into the village of month’s Special Luncheon! Don’t Colonie. James R. Cline, the former mayor of Amsterdam, spoke in support of the forget to always order the Specials move, pointing out the importance of the value of community life and the duties of early as quantities are limited! citizenship. There were also two speakers advocating for the incorporation of Del- Message from the Senior Center mar. Likewise, representatives were also present from West Albany, Menands and Staff, Chrissy, Ginny, Joan, Holly, Stop 11, all of whom favored village incorporation. The first village election was set Mike & Mink: “We miss everyone! for the upcoming Saturday, and it was expected that all legal requirements would Stay safe and have a wonderful be completed, and that the vote for incorporation would pass almost unanimously. summer.” -Times Union, Feb. 16, 1921 www.colonievillage.org • 11 The Villager PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PA I D VILLAGE HALL ALBANY, NY PERMIT NO. 532 2 Thunder Rd, Albany, NY 12205 518-869-7562 villagehall@colonievillage.org Visit the Village website at… www.colonievillage.org MAYOR • Tom Tobin TRUSTEES Ed Sim Patty Schwarz Lockart Art White • Jim Rubino You're Invited Village of Colonie Trustee Meetings held 1st & 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 pm, Village Hall. To submit pictures, stories or ask questions about our Centennial Celebration, contact us at colonievillage100@gmail.com Tull Lumber Tull Lumber was originally located at corner of Central Ave and Tull Dr. It was a full mill work shop and lumber Enterprise rent-a-car. This ter pharmacy, Strawberry Re- or photos about Tull Lumber yard. Currently at this loca- location also housed stores cords and a teen disco. If you or this location, please feel tion is Caliber Collision and such as Albany Medical cen- have any other information free to contact us. 12 • The Villager / Summer 2021