After a heat wave, with three consecutive days of highs in the 90s, the upcoming weekend will be much better, with temperatures in the 70s on Saturday and 80s on Sunday, with chance of thunderstorms each day.  At 7:30pm tonight, the Guilderland Performing Arts Center opens its summer concert series, and Monday morning is the start of the Summer recreation program.  More details are shared below. 

Town News & Announcements

Guilderland Performing Arts Center opens its 2025 summer season tonight at 7:30pm with a performance by the Guilderland Town Band.  Please check the Town’s website for weather updates that might impact scheduled GPAC events.  GPAC’s nine concert season continues each Thursday evening through August 14, with performances by popular local groups and the return of 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, and The Refrigerators for National Night Out on Thursday, August 5.  

On Wednesday, July 9 from 1pm to 5pm, the Town EMS Department is hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive in memory of Richard W.O. Beebe at EMS Station 1, 200 Centre Drive in Westmere.  It is easy to make an appointment online and entering the code “GuilderlandEMS”.   

A reminder that Parks & Rec’s 2025 Summer Program starts on next Monday, June 30 and runs through Friday, August 8, with one-week half-day camps, swimming lessons, and dozens of sports and enrichment camps.  The printed lime-colored 2025 brochures are available at Town Hall and the Park & Rec’s Office.  The program also lists events and activities during summer months and beyond for all ages.   

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.

Hike Guilderland! provides interactive mapping of all trails, including the Town’s hiking trails at Tawasentha Park and Vosburgh Open Space, and also hiking trails managed by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, DEC (Black Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area), and Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy (Bozen Kill Preserve).  The interactive map allows you to zoom on for each trail’s description, length, difficulty, and trailhead locations.  Please be aware that ticks are present, with reports of far more ticks this spring than prior years.  

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 June 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, Verizon channel 34, and Spectrum channel 1303. Within days of the meeting, an indexed recording, with links to each listed agenda item, is also posted online.

Town Board (Special Meeting)

Tuesday, July 1 at 5pm

Traffic Safety Committee

Tuesday, July 8

Conservation Advisory Council

Monday, July 14

Town Board

Tuesday, July 15

American Revolution 250^th Anniversary Committee

Wednesday, July 16 at 3pm

Zoning Board of Appeals

Wednesday, July 16

Tree Preservation Committee

Thursday, July 17 at 2pm

Industrial Development Agency

Tuesday, July 22

Planning Board

Wednesday, July 23

Community Events & Resources

On next Tuesday, July 1 from 5pm to 7pm, the Guilderland Public Library is inviting the community to 2025 Summer Reading Program, with the theme “Color Our World!”  The Library has created reading logs for children, teens, and adults to track their reading, earn raffle tickets, and participate in events for all ages.  The Kick-Off will include a collaborative community mural, treats, bubbles, a free Library tote (while supplies last), and a chance to meet Library staff and learn more about this summer’s programming at the Library.

If you are interested in local history, the Library has two upcoming events, including on Wednesday, July 2 at 6:15pm, NYS Throughout the American Revolution, an in-person presentation by Siena College’s McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution.  On Saturday, July 12 from 1pm to 2pm, the Library is hosting Murder at Cherry Hill, when you can learn about the murder in 1827 at the Cherry Hill farm, the home of the Van Rensselaer family. The crime aroused tremendous public interest, and the subsequent trial resulted in the last public hanging in Albany.  Registration is recommended for both events.  

The Library’s summer calendar has many other in-person and virtual learning opportunities, including on Thursday, July 31 from 2pm to 3pm, a virtual discussion with neurologist and author Pria Anand about her recently released The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains, about the complexity and wonder of brains in health and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity.  On Tuesday, August 5 from 2pm to 3pm, the Library is hosting 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 is launching its 2025 Orsini Park Concert Series, with a performance by local jazz master Keith Pray and his band on Tuesday, July 1 from 7pm to 8:30pm.    There are different performances each week on Tuesdays through August. 

On Friday, June 27 at Noon, the New York State Library is hosting Queer Revolutionary: The Trials of Robert Newburgh, a one-hour virtual conversation with historian John Gilbert McCurdy about the British army’s court-martial of a chaplain, Robert Newburgh, who had been accused of having intimate relations with a man. Newburgh’s enemies cited his flamboyant appearance, defiance of military authority, and seduction of soldiers as proof of his low character.  

Albany County has launched a new transportation program with GoGoGrandparent that 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.  

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 at 11am only for $1.  The double-bill showing on June 30 and July 1 is “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “The Wild Guy.” 

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve’s summer calendar includes a School’s Out Hike on this Sunday, June 28 at 10:30am, a way to celebrate the start of summer vacation for children, who bring an adult, for a 2.6-mile hike over rolling sand dunes. On Wednesday, July 2 at 9am to 11am, the Preserve is sponsoring From Fronds to Pinnae: Fern Identification Workshop, when botanist Jesse Hoffman will join you for a morning walk along the banks of the Hunger Kill to learn about ferns and fern identification. 

Town Hall and the Transfer Station will be closed next Friday for the 4^th of July holiday.    

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.  

Peter G. Barber

Town Supervisor