PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
GBJ 9 Broad Street, #7 Glens Falls, NY 12801
VOL. 37 NO. 04
PAID
GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600
HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
JUNE 2025
Northern Power & Light Spearheads Project BOCES To Break Ground On $96M Wilton Campus To Deliver Renewable Energy To Glens Falls To Train Students For High-Demand Careers
Powered by a hydroelectric generating plant at the Warrensburg Dam, the region is benefitting from renewable energy through the Glens Falls Community Hydro Project. Courtesy of Advokate
BY ROD BACON For years, Emmett Smith, co-founder and CEO of Saranac Lake-based Northern Power & Light, and Dr. Jeffrey Flagg, economic development director for the City of Glens Falls, discussed hydro-based projects but couldn’t find one that was actionable. That changed when the Glens Falls Community Hydro Project went live on May 21. The project is delivering clean, renewable energy to National Grid customers in Warren, Washington, and Saratoga counties and beyond. Northern Power & Light has partnered with Boralex Hydro Operations, Inc., a developer of environmentally friendly projects that owns and operates the Warrensburg Dam. They operate 199 wind, solar, and hydro facilities in the United States and abroad.
Customers enrolling in the program are guaranteed a 5 percent saving on their energy bills. Qualifying low-income customers may see savings of up to 25 percent. Cost savings are due in part to the recent implementation of the H-Value, a pricing structure that enables small-scale hydro producers to participate in New York state’s Community Distributed Generation program. This policy reform allows the energy producers to provide cost savings for customers, similar to incentives available for solar producers. To be eligible for the program a facility must have five megawatts or less of capacity. The old power grid model had a large central fossil fuel or nuclear generating station. Distributed generators are distributed throughout the territory Continued On Page 10
Architectural rendering of the new $96 million BOCES campus in Wilton, scheduled to open in 2027. The facility will expand access to career and technical education, special education, and workforce training. K-6 EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS
Editor’s Note: July 7, 2025 This article incorrectly stated in the headline that BOCES had broken ground on its new $96 million Wilton campus. The groundbreaking has not yet occurred. The headline has been updated to reflect that the event is forthcoming. BY PAUL POST BOCES officials are eagerly awaiting groundbreaking for a $96 million campus that will increase capacity for current programs such as construction trades while making new offerings such as green energy and a standalone electrical course possible. Plans call for three buildings totaling 290,000 square feet on 25 acres at the corner of Ballard and North roads, just off Exit 16 in Wilton. Two buildings would be for special education (grades K-6 and 7-12) and a third for career and technical classes. The complex would replace the current Southern
Courtesy WSWHE BOCES
Adirondack and F. Donald Myers learning centers in Hudson Falls and Saratoga Springs, respectively. A BOCES program for special education elementary students at the Sanford Street School in Glens Falls would also move to Wilton. “Currently we tend to have a wait list for our programs,” BOCES District Superintendent Turina M. Parker said. “So we’ll be able to take more students into current programs. And some programs we’re only able to offer at one center now. All programs will be offered at the new center, so it expands our capacity to serve all 31 school districts in the five counties we serve. It expands our reach for students across the region.” Approximately 1,275 students from Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton and Essex counties are currently enrolled in local BOCES district Continued On Page 8
The Albany Med Health System Elects 72 New Units Added At Greylock’s Daniel T. Pickett III To Chair Its Board Broad Street Glens Falls Location Capital Region entrepreneur Daniel T. Pickett III has been elected chairman of the Albany Med Health System board of directors, beginning a two-year term July 1. Pickett is founder and CEO of AptiHealth, a behavioral-healthcare company that connects high-need patients with comprehensive care, and CEO of Hudson River Capital Holdings, a private investment firm. He previously served as president of Zones and CEO of nfrastructure, two global technology companies, and joined the Albany Med board in 2012 when it oversaw only Albany Medical Center and Albany Medical College. Today, the board includes 30 members guiding a system that spans multiple hospitals, outpatient sites, the Albany Med Research Institute and partnerships with affiliated organizations across northeastern New York. “A strong health-care network allows communities to thrive,” Pickett said. “Having 16,000 colleagues who live and work here means we understand local needs. It is an honor to lead a System that remains independent and able to define the future of care. As we move forward, we must develop new approaches to meet patients where they are.” Pickett plans to focus on workforce development, expand access to specialized services
Daniel T. Pickett III has been elected chairman of Albany Med Health System board of directors. such as cardiac and oncology care, and deepen integration among the System’s hospitals. The Albany Med Health System, the region’s largest private employer, offers more than 60 specialty Continued On Page 2
BY ROD BACON A facility that has been a mainstay in the region’s storage business since 1946 has been rebranded and undergone significant upgrades. In 2022, Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based Mountain Capital Partners LLC purchased the storage operation of Mullen Moving and Storage from owner Martin Mullen. The company was founded by Patrick Ryan Mullen, who held a stevedore license, in the late 1800s. He moved the company to North Adams, Massachusetts, in the early 1900s and it later expanded to Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, and Schenectady. Mountain Capital Partners, which owns other storage facilities in Pittsfield and Adams, Massachusetts, and Schenectady, New York, is operated by Anthony Massimiano and several others. They recently rebranded the local facility as Greylock Storage and started the process of making it the premier site for safe records storage in Glens Falls. “We had been looking at the acquisition for quite some time, and felt the storage and warehousing part of the business was a good investment,” said Massimiano. “We viewed it as an accretive addition to our portfolio.” Significant improvements have been made at the site. The original 10,000-square-foot
The former Mullen facility has been completely revamped to provide clients advanced storage. Glens Falls Business Journal
structure has been repainted and has a new roof. A secured building with 24-hour video surveillance, it houses Greylock’s records business and two floors of temperature controlled storage Continued On Page 9