Tedisco & Walsh Pass New Legislation to Benefit Ballston Spa, Milton & Saratoga County Residents

Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston)  today announced new legislation they sponsored to benefit residents in the Village of Ballston Spa, Town of Milton, and Saratoga County had final passage in both houses of the legislature.

The first bill sponsored and passed by Senator Tedisco and Assemblywoman Walsh is for a conservation easement land transfer of the Woods Hollow Nature Preserve from the Village of Ballston Spa to the Town of Milton (S.9269A). The Woods Hollow Nature Preserve will continue to remain protected and forever undeveloped. The land will now be owned by the Town of Milton. 

The second piece of legislation sponsored and passed by Senator Tedisco and Assemblywoman Walsh enables the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office the option of boosting its recruitment efforts to find the most talented candidates to serve as assistant district attorneys by allowing those who reside in adjoining counties to Saratoga the opportunity to apply for the job (S.8634).

“As Ranking Member of the Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism and Parks and Recreation Committee, I know how important it is for our area’s quality of life to preserve our parkland and nature preserves. I’m proud to have sponsored this legislation to forever protect the Woods Hollow Nature Preserve for the residents of Ballston Spa and Milton,” said Senator Jim Tedisco.

“These are challenging times for our law enforcement and district attorneys with rising concerns about crime in New York State. We need to support our district attorneys and ensure they have the tools they need to recruit and retain the best and brightest prosecutors to serve residents in Saratoga County and protect our communities. That’s why this legislation is so important,” said Senator Jim Tedisco.

“One of the greatest opportunities I have as a member of the NYS Assembly is to help my local communities. This session, I was grateful for the opportunity to have sponsored two local bills, which passed unanimously, doing just that,” said Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh. “The first, which waives the residency requirement for Assistant District Attorneys in Saratoga County, will expand the pool of eligible applicants for this position, and allow for the justice process to go more smoothly for all involved.  Additionally, my bill allowing for the sale of the Woods Hollow Nature Preserve from the village of Ballston Spa, to the town of Milton, creates a lasting effect on the community, guaranteeing the future protection of this beloved park for generations to come.”

Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen noted the significance of the district attorney legislation, “This legislation affords the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office the flexibility that over 20 counties in New York State currently have, which is to hire the most qualified attorneys without concern for where they are residing.  I truly appreciate the support of Senator James Tedisco and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh who sponsored this legislation for recognizing the challenges in recruiting the best and the brightest to serve the citizens of our county.”

“I would like to express my gratitude to Senator Jim Tedisco and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, our state district leaders for the town of Milton. These two legislators went above and beyond to get a bill passed with the state Senate and Assembly Majority for the sale of the Woods Hollow Preserve from the Village of Ballston Spa to the Town of Milton. It’s leadership like this in our state that represents our town that makes a difference and makes Milton such a wonderful place to live and raise a family,” said Milton Town Supervisor Scott Ostrander.

“We truly appreciate the hard work of Senator Tedisco and Assemblywoman Walsh and their staffs in helping to get the legislation enabling the Village of Ballston Spa’s sale of Woods Hollow Nature Preserve to the Town of Milton unanimously approved by both houses of our New York State Legislature. The sale is critical to the future of Woods Hollow, as it will require the addition of a conservation easement that will ensure it remains forever undeveloped, and it makes future maintenance of the large parcel more certain as it is likely to be better maintained by the Town in which it resides moving forward. We look forward to the Governor’s signature on this important bill and to closing the transaction hopefully before the end of 2024,” said Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi, Jr.

Both bills now will move to the Governor’s desk for her review.