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THROUGH THE WOODS: Recovering from the storm
THEY WARNED US the coming storm would be bad in our area of Austerlitz and I believed them. The house was stocked with essentials like milk and eggs, jugs of drinking water, cat food, and a working generator with lots of fuel. The tank was full of fuel oil for the furnace and the cat’s litter box was clean. Outside on the porch, I filled the bird feeders, hung extra suet, and had a good stock of corn and seed. Cell phone, laptop and camera batteries were charged. Extra batteries were stocked for flashlights and radios. I was concerned about some of my large pine trees near the house but glad I had the yard and driveway trees trimmed last fall. I am on top of a hill and tend to catch precipitation from all directions. It is nice to have the views; unfortunately, one must also accept the negative aspects. NYSEG warnings were ominous along with updated weather warnings. I hoped it was hype. It was not.
The heavy wet snow broke off numerous pine boughs that formed green skirts around the trees. I could hear them snapping off like gunshots which scared the cat into hiding. Power went off and lights occasionally flickered for several days. Then the wind came. The radio gave updates of thousands without power. My town declared a state of emergency. I was on Facebook with friends from coast to coast. California had torrential rain and New Hampshire looked like our area. My poor plowman had little to no sleep and had extra help with him shoveling when he got stuck. I am retired so am happy to wait while others need him more. (more…)
New Baltimore service area slated to open within weeks
Site will include area’s first Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack
By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
NEW BALTIMORE — The New Baltimore rest area on the New York State Thruway is slated to reopen in a matter of weeks.
When the station reopens its doors, it is expected to host a Chick-fil-A restaurant, Shake Shack, Panera Bread, a drive-thru Starbucks and an Applegreen Market Store, according to the Thruway website.
The new 20,145 square foot facility is also slated to include a seasonal farmers market, a Mobil gas station, free Wi-Fi, Taste NY products and an ATM.
The rest area, located on the southbound side of the Thruway between Exit 21B in Coxsackie and Exit 21A leading to the Massachusetts Turnpike, is one of 27 service areas on the Thruway that are being renovated as part of a $450 million project.
The Service Area Redesign and Redevelopment project is being conducted by Empire State Thruway Partners, and is funded through a public-private partnership, with no toll dollars or tax dollars used for construction, according to the state.
The New Baltimore service area is one of 16 facilities that are being renovated as phase 1 of the project. Six have already been completed and reopened, including service areas in Indian Castle, Chittenango, Junius Ponds, Iroquois, Clifton Springs and Plattekill, according to the Thruway Authority.
The Plattekill service area, between exits 17 and 18, was the latest to reopen on May 3.
The New Baltimore rest area has been closed since July 2021. The old facility was torn down and completely rebuilt. The gas station has remained open throughout the construction project.
A specific reopening date has not been announced but is expected sometime in June.
Phase 2 of the project includes reconstruction of 11 additional service areas beginning this year.
“To ensure continuity of services to Thruway customers during construction, no two consecutive service areas in the same direction of travel will be closed for renovations at the same time,” according to a statement on the Thruway’s website.