July 17, 2025

The Town’s summer calendar remains very active, with the Parks & Rec’s Summer Recreation program going strong with mostly dry and hot weather, and the Guilderland Performing Arts Center’s concert series continues with a performance tonight at 7:30pm. Our heat wave (3 consecutive days with temps in the 90s) ends today, with nearly perfect weather this weekend. More details are shared below.

Town News & Announcements

At its Tuesday meeting, the Town Board held its third public hearing for the Comprehensive Plan Update. The presentation included a partial mark-up of the draft plan through Chapter 5 with changes recommended by the Planning Board. The balance of the draft plan should be ready for the continued public hearing on Tuesday, August 19. The Board also was shown a sample of how the final plan would look when published InDesign, with enhanced graphics, photos, tables, contrasting hues, and eye-catching features.

The Guilderland Performing Arts Center’s 2025 summer season continues tonight at 7:30pm with a performance by the Guilderland Town Band, with a food truck provided by Big D’s Meats BBQ. GPAC’s concert season continues each Thursday evening through August 14, including The Refrigerators for National Night Out on Thursday, August 5, and Park Playhouse Stage Company’s showings of Oklahoma! at 7:30pm on Thursday, July 31 through Saturday, August 2, and a matinee on Saturday, August 2 at 3pm.

The Parks & Rec’s 2025 Summer Program continues next week, with a registration deadline at midnight tonight. You can sign-up your children for one-week half-day camps through Friday, August 8, swimming lessons, and dozens of sports and enrichment camps. Tawasentha Park’s pool is now open for the season. There are also Tot Swim and Learn to Swim programs. Adult lap swimming takes place on Monday thru Thursday from 11am to Noon, and on weekends from 10am to 11:30am. Lap lanes are limited, and are provided on a first come, first serve basis.

Free CrossFit Classes

On this upcoming weekend, free outdoor CrossFit classes by Aevitas Fitness will be offered at Tawasentha Park’s adult fitness facility. The classes are beginner-friendly, with separate classes for children (6 to 11 years of age) and adults (14 years and older). You can register for adult classes on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 10am, and for children on Saturday and Sunday from 10:15am to 11am.

July 19, 2025

On this Saturday, July 19 from 10am to 1pm on the lawn in front of Hannaford Markets in Guilderland, the Town Police and EMS Departments and the Guilderland and Fort Hunter Fire Departments are sponsoring a Kids Bike Safety Day & LifeNet Helicopter Landing Event. The event will include demos, helmet fittings, obstacle courses, fun games, food trucks, and a LifeNet helicopter landing.

Garden Club

On Monday, August 11 at from 10am to Noon, the Guilderland Garden Club will meet at Town Hall, with a presentation on vermicomposting by Cody Futia, the owner of Vermiluv, a local worm composting farm.

Please remember that, in all Town parks and open spaces, dogs must be on a leash at all times. Your dog may be very friendly, but hikers and park patrons do not know that and the presence of an unleashed dog can be disconcerting. The exceptions to this rule are the Town’s two dog parks at Nott Road Park and behind EMS Station 1 in Westmere.

The Senior Services Department’s July newsletter has information about classes and seminars, book discussions, tax preparation assistance, trips, medical and shopping transportation, next month’s book discussion, legal aide, monthly meal calendar, games, and much more. On Wednesdays from 11am to 12:30pm, the Guilderland Public Library is the home for Senior Connects!, where seniors can have a friendly chat on a wide-range of interesting topics.

The Town is accepting letters of interest and resumes from candidates interested in applying for the full-time position of Keyboard Specialist or Senior Keyboard Specialist in the Assessor’s Office. The Town is also accepting letters of interest and resumes from candidates for Police Officer, Telecommunicator/911 Dispatcher, and Laborer positions in the Highway, Parks and Water Departments.

Upcoming Meetings at Town Hall

The following is a list of dates and times for currently scheduled meetings of boards and committees at Town Hall over the next 30 days. Please check the Town’s calendars for the latest news about public meetings and community events, possible changes in agendas and cancellations, and the latest contents of agenda packets. Unless stated otherwise, each of the listed meetings start at 7pm, and are livestreamed on the Town website, and broadcasted on Verizon channel 34, and Spectrum channel 1303. Within days of a broadcasted meeting, an indexed recording, with links to each listed agenda item, is also posted online.

Industrial Development Agency

Tuesday, July 22 (cancelled)

Planning Board

Wednesday, July 23 (cancelled)

Conservation Advisory Council

Monday, August 11

Town Board

Tuesday, August 19

American Revolution 250^th Anniversary Committee

Wednesday, August 20 at 3pm (not broadcasted)

Zoning Board of Appeals

Wednesday, August 20

Community Events & Resources

Please take the time to support our youth baseball teams that are participating in the 2025 9-Year-Old and 12-Year-Old Middle Atlantic Regional Baseball Tournaments at Keenholts Park this week starting tonight through Sunday. The tournaments are being hosted by Guilderland Cal Ripken Baseball. The tournaments involve 10 teams from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, and will end with the awarding of the regional champion. Town all-star teams are entered in both tournaments after winning back-to-back Eastern New York State champions.

The 2025 Altamont Fair returns this year from Tuesday, August 12 to Sunday, August 17, with an entertainment schedule listing new shows, amusement rides, demolition derby, circus, dog shows, and the return of favorite attractions.

The Guilderland Public Library’s summer calendar includes on Tuesday, August 5 from 2pm to 3pm, a virtual discussion with Smithsonian biologist Jay Falk, the author of The Bird Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Birds about the natural history of birds and cultural connection. The Library has launched a Long-Range Planning process for the Library. To ensure that the Library continues to meet the changing needs of our community, it has created a survey for your feedback. This is your chance to share what you value most about the library, as well as ideas for improvements or new services, and to help shape the library’s future. The survey is also available at the Library for your convenience.

The Altamont Free Library’s 2025 Orsini Park Concert Series continues this coming Tuesday, July 29 at 7:30pm, with a performance by One 118, a five-person local band. The Library is creating a new Long-Range Plan of Service that relies, in part, on a brief and anonymous survey on whether you use the Library, how you use it, and what it can do better for you in the future.

Lunchtime Chats

Community Caregivers’ weekly Lunchtime Chats includes The Incredible Great White Shark tomorrow at 1pm, and Lemon Essentials: From Tree to Table, on Wednesday, July 23. You can easily join and listen in on these one-hour chats by calling (518) 992-6661. You can help with Community Caregivers in fulfilling its mission by volunteering your time and/or making donations.

Albany County’s new transportation program (GoGoGrandparent) provides residents aged 60 and older with two free round-trip rides each month to any destination of their choice. The service is available Monday through Saturday, from 8am to 8pm. The program is funded by the New York State Office for the Aging. To participate, you can call a dedicated County line at 855-915-6601. Once enrolled, rides can be scheduled in advance by calling 855-464-6872.

Please remember that seniors (at least 60 years old) may be eligible for coupons for 2025 farmers markets. There are monthly income thresholds based on family size. To request a coupon booklet, please contact the Albany County Senior Services Office at 518-280-7607.

Regal Cinemas at Crossgates has announced the return of its popular family-friendly Summer Movie Express series. Over nine weeks this summer, Regal will offer two PG-rated movies every Tuesday and Wednesday only for $1. The double-bill showing on July 21 and July 22 is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” at 10:30am and “The Garfield Movie” at 10:45am.

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve’s summer calendar includes a Discovery Center Volunteer Gardening Opportunity on Tuesday, July 22 from 7:30am to 9am, when you can help maintain the Discovery Center, with invasive species removal, exhibit maintenance, litter clean-up and trimming vegetation. On Wednesday, July 23 from 4:00pm to 7:30pm, the Preserve is hosting "Nature Night Out", when the Discovery Center will open until 7pm. You can enjoy live music by Roben Kosek Jazz & Blues while enjoying a meal from Plated Pallette, go on a StoryWalk adventure along the trail and learn about the Preserve’s natural and cultural history.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.

Peter G. Barber

Town Supervisor