LOCAL • INDEPENDENT • FREE Volume 11 • Issue 49 • December 16 – December 22, 2016
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Deli Celebrates 20 Years
by Norra Reyes Saratoga TODAY
Spring Street Deli and Pizzeria co-owners Anthony Gargano, left, and Brian Brumley celebrate 20 years of success for the popular neighborhood eatery. Photo by MarkBolles.com.
Hunter Heads to West Point
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Imagine two young men, 22 and 23 years old, riding their mountain bikes to a meeting that could make or break their dream of creating a local deli and pizzeria, and walking in with their caps still on backwards. That was 20 years ago, and the man who then owned the 132 Spring Street building, George Lega, tossed them out
by Kiersten Racela Saratoga TODAY SARATOGA SPRINGS — Senior goalkeeper Hunter Choy has been
named Athlete of the Week. This season Hunter was a co-captain and standout for the varsity boy’s soccer team. Leading the defense on See Hunter pg. 45
See Deli pg. 16
Federal Deadline Urges City to Action on Affordable Housing by Thomas Dimopoulos Saratoga TODAY
Photo provided by Mike Miller, Student Council Advisor, SSHS.
on their ears. “He wouldn’t even talk to us,” remembered Spring Street Deli and Pizzeria co-owner, Brian Brumley. “Fortunately, our attorney was a good friend of Mr. Lega’s, so he convinced him to give us a second chance. We went back – without hats – and sat with him for four hours. We really hit it off, and he later sold the building to us and held the papers, a pretty big deal for
SARATOGA SPRINGS — City Mayor Joanne Yepsen looked up at the 50 or so people who crowded into City Hall Wednesday afternoon and spoke to the reason for the gathering. “We don’t want to become a community that only the elite can afford,” the mayor said. The City Council’s special mid-day meeting on Dec. 14 effectively kicked-off an 18-month project to address affordable housing in Saratoga Springs. “Residents are saying, ‘We are pricing ourselves out of our own
city,’ meaning that the market rates are higher than what they can afford. I think it’s time for us as a council to address some of the short-term needs as best we can with some longterm solutions,” Yepsen said. “And affordable housing may not just be an option any more – it may be required by the federal government.” The 1968 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), was amended in 2015 with a final rule that states communities must address affordable housing needs and come up with a consolidation plan to carry out actions. That plan is specifically due from Saratoga See Dealine pg. 14
Gift Guide
See pg. 28-31
Inside TODAY Blotter 5 Obituaries 6-7 Business 16-17 Education 22-23 Pulse 36-39 Sports 43-47