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NEWS
Week of April 6 – April 12, 2018
DRIVE-IN FLEA MARKET STRAIGHT AHEAD continued from front page... O’Connell, who works full time as a marketing specialist at the CapCom Federal Credit Union based in Albany, conveyed how he has been involved with flea markets in his spare time for more than 20 years. This new plan in Malta has received a “a tremendous amount of feedback,” he said, noting how the closest similar markets are set up farther south on Route 9, at the Guptill’s Roller Skating
Arena in Cohoes, and in the Washington County fairgrounds west of Greenwich. O’Connell estimated that the flea market fees would generate approximately $1,000 for the CapCom Cares Foundation, which supports local children and families. Earlier this week, the Malta Town Board took an action related to the flea market by voting to schedule a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 7 for the purpose of amending the so-called
File photo. Caro Planned Development District (PDD). According to Malta Supervisor Vincent DeLucia, a section of that particular PDD needs to be amended because it currently specifies that a flea market can operate at the drive-in between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. O’Connell said the new flea market will operate between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. only on Saturdays,
as a means to avoid any potential traffic problems in connection with services at the St. Peter Lutheran Church directly across Route 9. DeLucia noted how such a time change “extends the traffic pattern” and would benefit flea market enthusiasts who “want to get there early.” Malta Councilman John Hartzell was the sole vote in opposition to the public hearing measure. He opined that changing the
hours of operation in the Caro PDD does not “strike” the right balance for residents who live near the Malta Drive-In. “I wish them well with their business,” Hartzell said. “I think this goes farther than I am comfortable with.” Yet DeLucia thinks the new flea market will be good for Malta. “It’s supportive of economic development and brings people into the town,” he said.