McDonald and Meager Announce Hudson Valley Community College Saratoga Campus

Assemblyman Roy McDonald and Malta Town Supervisor Dave Meager have been working on a plan to locate a new Hudson Valley Community College campus in the town of Malta.

McDonald and Meager explained a strategy involving their partnership with the town of Malta, Hudson Valley and a private-sector developer to help ensure that there would be no additional costs to Saratoga County, Malta residents or Hudson Valley Community College.

McDonald, a graduate and current member of the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation Board, said, “I think that this is just a great proposal and I commend the Malta Town Board for its aggressive pursuit of projects that address quality-of-life issues on behalf of their community. This will undoubtedly benefit the residents of Malta as well as the communities located in the greater Saratoga and Washington County area.

“The demographics of this region are drastically changing, there is a population shift and people are moving north into Saratoga County. We understand there to be over 1,130 students from this area attending HVCC. This campus would be a tremendous asset for the community and would certainly be more efficient for all students traveling from Saratoga County, especially for adult students who commonly balance a heavy schedule while taking night courses.”

Supervisor Meager said, “I was very pleased with the positive response we received from Hudson Valley at our meetings. They were extremely enthusiastic about the idea and expressed a very ‘can do’ attitude.”

Supervisor Meager also announced that the town board would be assembling a special task force to move forward on this project, and he welcomed any input from residents.

Promoting Economic Development

Assemblyman McDonald has continued his efforts to promote economic development in Saratoga County by working with new local businesses.

McDonald, along with the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, has been assisting Schuylerville as it attracts new businesses like DrugRisk Solutions to the village.

DrugRisk Solutions has located its headquarters at the old school house on Spring Street in the village of Schuylerville and will be employing between 12-15 people.

DrugRisk Solutions is a progressive company that has developed, patented and now markets a unique, portable on-site hair testing system for detection of commonly abused drugs. This cutting-edge technology offers the ability to complete high-efficiency testing in as fast as an hour with a procedure that requires only 20 strands of hair and provides results that test for the previous 90 days.

“Supporting new high-tech companies and creating high-tech jobs is vitally important to the future of our county as well as the future of our children who will be pursuing careers in these types of technological fields,” said McDonald.

McDonald has met with CEO Dr. David Brill to discuss and explore potential public-sector uses of this technology.

Assemblyman McDonald with Dr. David Brill and Mayor John Sherman, village of Schuylerville.

The company is located within an Empire Zone and has recently been approved by Empire State Development to receive $500,000 in equity investments from the New York State Small Business Technology Investment Fund.

“I am always very pleased to assist local entrepreneurs who are interested in bringing their businesses to Saratoga County and creating jobs for our community. I would also like to praise the hard work of Schuylerville Mayor John Sherman as well as the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation team,” added McDonald.

Wilton Wildlife Preserve &
Park Visitors Center

Assemblyman McDonald is working with town officials and the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park to explore the possibility of creating a new visitors center at one of the trailhead sites of the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park.

There are currently trail heads at four different locations with a main entrance to the park beginning at Camp Saratoga on Scout Road in Wilton.

McDonald, who proposed creation of the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, remains enthusiastic about the park’s progress and ever-growing list of opportunities and programs sponsored by the park.

“The preserve and park have become a tremendous success story for our community. It is an absolutely wonderful place to enjoy the natural surroundings, and partake in various outdoor activities like hiking or biking.”

Assemblyman McDonald has recently met with Supervisor Art Johnson to discuss the development of a proposal to create a new visitors center in Wilton.

Assemblyman McDonald with Town Supervisor Art Johnson

McDonald Offers Plan to Bring State Police Headquarters to Malta

Assemblyman McDonald has been working with the Malta Town Board to help formulate a plan to encourage New York State Police Troop G to relocate their Regional Headquarters from their current location on Route 9 in Colonie to the town of Malta.

McDonald said, “Malta would certainly be a natural fit for Troop G. This town is geographically centered in the middle of their 10-county jurisdiction and also possesses many potential sites that would allow the officers quick access to the Northway.”

A potential new facility in the town of Malta would necessitate approximately 15 acres, with a building of about 35,000 square feet. Troop G covers a 10-county area that includes the entire Capital District, and the staff working at or from the headquarters would number around 100.

“The presence of the New York State Troop G Headquarters in our community would greatly enhance the quality of life for the residents of our town. We are certainly dedicated to helping Troop G find a home in Malta,” said Supervisor Meager.