The Village Green apartments in Glens Falls are seen Friday, October 12, 2012.  by Jason McKibben

October 14, 2012 11:55 pm
By MAURY THOMPSON
Post Star

GLENS FALLS — Village Green Apartments, a federally subsidized housing complex in Glens Falls for low-income individuals and families, is going “smoke free.”

New rules, which take effect Jan. 1, prohibit smoking within apartments, in common areas, within 50 feet of entrances, or anywhere else on the property.

“This is an act (which), when discovered, will result in eviction,” the rules state.

Carrying of a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe also is prohibited anywhere on the property.

“It reduces destruction to the property related to nicotine deposits. It prevents fires. The overall health of our residents is a concern, as well,” said Cindy Irizarry, operations manager for the New York region for Preservation Management, the company that manages the 136-unit apartment complex between Hudson Avenue and Broad Street, near Glens Falls Hospital.

The action at Village Green is part of a national trend the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development began pushing in 2009, said Janine Stuchin, director of the Southern Adirondack Tobacco Free Coalition, an advocacy organization working with the Village Green management on the initiative.

Maine has banned smoking in all public housing complexes in the state, Stuchin said.

The Boston Housing Authority, the largest public housing authority in New England, recently banned smoking at all of its properties.

Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority is banning smoking, effective April 1, Irizarry said.

At Village Green, the process of enacting the ban has been going on for about a year, Stuchin said.

Stuchin said she and Preservation Management officials worked with HUD to rewrite property rules within HUD guidelines.

The new rules were presented to tenants in conjunction with a change in utility costs, and tenants signed statements that they were aware of the new rules, she said.

Signs have been posted encouraging tenants to stop smoking, and the coalition and Glens Falls Hospital have conducted several meetings to inform residents about a state program that assists people who want to stop smoking.

People who call the New York State Smokers’ Quitline — (866) 697-8487 — can receive a free two-week supply of nicotine replacement patches, said Julie Wright, coordinator of the Tobacco Cessation Center at Glens Falls Hospital.

The two-week supply gives people enough time to save up the money they otherwise would spend on cigarettes in order to begin purchasing the patches on their own, she said.

Pre-recorded information, motivational messages and personal coaching also are available when calling the toll-free line.

Some tenants, obviously, were upset by the new no-smoking rule, but she is not aware of any who have moved out specifically because of it, said Irizzary, the regional property manager.

She said others, who prefer not to be exposed to second-hand smoke, are happy about the new rule.

“They have people who are on oxygen. There are cancer survivors. There are children with asthma,” Stuchin said.

In apartment buildings, cigarette smoke can travel under door ways and through air conditioning and ventilation systems, Wright said.

“It’s really a positive thing. We understand that some of the residents who are smokers may not be so happy about it, but it really is in their best interest,” Irizarry said.

Stuchin said the new rule doesn’t discriminate against smokers. It merely prohibits smoking.

“A smoker can be on the property. They just cannot smoke,” she said.

Some private apartment complexes in the region also prohibit smoking.

Glen Street Associates, for example, prohibits smoking at all of its apartments in Glens Falls, South Glens Falls and Hudson Falls, said developer Peter Hoffman.

Initially, it lost some potential tenants because of the policy, but the prohibition is becoming more widespread in the housing market, Hoffman said.

“I think it’s gone to a positive as far as marketing,” he said.

Schermerhorn Properties, which has apartment complexes in Queensbury, Moreau and Kingsbury, prohibits smoking at its senior housing complexes, but not at any of its general properties, said developer Richard Schermerhorn.

Tuesday, March 21, 2012

Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce

Officials at Pyramid Management Group, LLC, owner and operator of 15 shopping malls throughout New York State and Massachusetts — including Aviation Mall in Queensbury — announced today that all of their properties will be 100 percent tobacco-free on May 31, 2012. Pyramid has been working with regional tobacco control partnerships funded by the NYS Tobacco Control Program and the American Cancer Society on implementation of the new policy.

“We strongly believe this new policy will not only support our employees and guests who are sensitive to secondhand smoke or are trying to quit smoking, but it also will provide a more enjoyable and healthier shopping experience to the millions of visitors who come through our doors each year,” said James L. Soos, Director of Asset Management, Pyramid Management Group.

The tobacco-free policy includes any and all tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco) and any other similar substances or instruments that are lit or burning such as electronic cigarettes. This tobacco-free policy is inclusive of entire properties, both inside and outside, including all entry points, hallways, sidewalks, loading dock areas, parking lots and construction areas. It applies to all mall associates, tenant employees, vendors, delivery people, contractors, subcontractors and guests.

“We congratulate Aviation Mall for launching a new healthy and safe environment free from the threat of secondhand smoke.  Together with the communities of Glens Falls and Queensbury which have some of the strongest tobacco-free outdoor policies in the state, we are partnering to establish a region for families to work, play and now shop together without the danger that tobacco poses especially for our most vulnerable,” said Matthew Andrus, Communications Coordinator for the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition.

“This policy means shoppers and their kids won’t have to walk a gauntlet of harmful secondhand smoke just to enter a mall,” said Alvaro Carrascal, Senior Vice President of Cancer Control, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ. “Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen with no safe level of exposure. Mall employees who smoke also will benefit from on-site resources that will help them quit.”

To raise awareness of the new policy, on Kick Butts Day (Wednesday, March 21st), members of Reality Check from Queensbury High School will be tabling at Aviation Mall from 2-5pm where they will be educating customers and youth alike on the ever present dangers of tobacco marketing found in retail stores and in the media. Pyramid will be providing opportunities for mall employees to obtain smoking cessation information and counseling.  Signage provided by the local tobacco control coalitions will be posted around mall property to alert employees and shoppers about the new policy.

The first mall in the Pyramid family to go smoke-free was the Carousel Center in Syracuse in 2007. Successful implementation at that facility led to the corporate-wide expansion of the policy. With implementation of the new policy, Carousel Center will become tobacco-free.

More information about the new policy may be found here.

For information on how to quit smoking, call the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487). For cancer information anytime, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or log onto cancer.org.

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About Pyramid Management Group, LLC:

Pyramid Management Group, LLC, headquartered in Syracuse, NY, is the largest privately owned shopping center owner and developer in the northeast. The portfolio consists of 17 properties in New York and Massachusetts.  With over 40 years of continued innovation, their ongoing success can be attributed to the unique combination of geographically centered sites, tremendous highway visibility, and an unmatched mix of new and exciting retailers.  Additional information regarding Pyramid can be found at www.pyramidmg.com.

About the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition:

The Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition (SATFC) is a grassroots coalition of local agencies and individuals committed to creating a tobacco-free environment. SATFC has been serving the Adirondack region for ten years with resources for stopping smoking, media campaigns on the danger of secondhand smoke and initiatives in preventing tobacco use among youth. SATFC serves a three county region of the Adirondacks including Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. SATFC is located in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Coalition is funded by the New York State Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program.

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

March 20, 2012

The Saratogian

QUEENSBURY — Aviation Mall and Crossgates Mall are both going tobacco-free May 31.

Both malls are owned by Pyramid Management Group LLC, the company will ban smoking at all 15 of its properties in New York and Massachusetts by May 31, according to a press release issued by the company Tuesday.

“We strongly believe this new policy will not only support our employees and guests who are sensitive to secondhand smoke or are trying to quit smoking, but it also will provide a more enjoyable and healthier shopping experience to the millions of visitors who come through our doors each year,” said James L. Soos, Director of Asset Management, Pyramid Management Group.

The tobacco-free policy includes any and all tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco) and any other similar substances or instruments that are lit or burning such as electronic cigarettes. This tobacco-free policy is inclusive of entire properties, both inside and outside, including all entry points, hallways, sidewalks, loading dock areas, parking lots and construction areas. It applies to all mall associates, tenant employees, vendors, delivery people, contractors, subcontractors and guests.

Pyramid has been working with regional tobacco control partnerships funded by the NYS Tobacco Control Program and the American Cancer Society on implementation of the new policy.

“We congratulate Aviation Mall for launching a new healthy and safe environment free from the threat of secondhand smoke. Together with the communities of Glens Falls and Queensbury which have some of the strongest tobacco-free outdoor policies in the state, we are partnering to establish a region for families to work, play and now shop together without the danger that tobacco poses especially for our most vulnerable,” said Matthew Andrus, Communications Coordinator for the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition.

In addition to Aviation Mall and Crossgates Mall, other New York State malls covered by the new tobacco-free policy include:

Carousel Center – Syracuse (became smoke-free in 2007, will be tobacco-free)

Champlain Centre – Plattsburgh

Galleria at Crystal Run – Middletown

Holyoke Mall at Ingleside – Holyoke

“This policy means shoppers and their kids won’t have to walk a gauntlet of harmful secondhand smoke just to enter a mall,” said Alvaro Carrascal, Senior Vice President of Cancer Control, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ. “Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen with no safe level of exposure. Mall employees who smoke also will benefit from on-site resources that will help them quit.”

To raise awareness of the new policy, on Kick Butts Day (Wednesday, March 21st), members of Reality Check from Queensbury High School will be tabling at Aviation Mall from 2-5pm where they will be educating customers and youth alike on the ever present dangers of tobacco marketing found in retail stores and in the media.

Pyramid will be providing opportunities for mall employees to obtain smoking cessation information and counseling. Signage provided by the local tobacco control coalitions will be posted around mall property to alert employees and shoppers about the new policy.

The first mall in the Pyramid family to go smoke-free was the Carousel Center in Syracuse in 2007. Successful implementation at that facility led to the corporate-wide expansion of the policy. With implementation of the new policy, Carousel Center will become tobacco-free.

Posted by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce
Monday, September 19, 2011 at 5:06 p.m.

As children return to school this month across the Capital Region, a coalition of tobacco-free organizations released the results of a Summer Community Survey conducted by Siena Research Institute (SRI) across 17 counties in the Capital Region showing overwhelming support for restrictions on tobacco sales to protect our children from tobacco marketing.

Research in the U.S. and abroad suggests that exposure to in-store tobacco promotions is a primary cause of youth smoking. Very few adult smokers begin after high school, with 90 percent of adult smokers starting at or before age 18.

Analysis provided by SRI concluded that two thirds of the residents of the 17 county capital region, and no fewer than 60% in each county say that tobacco products should not be sold in stores that are located near schools.  58% of residents support regulations banning the sale of tobacco products in stores that are located near schools.   56% think that tobacco products should not even be visible in stores.

“It’s very evident from this survey that Capital Region residents want to get tobacco products and their marketing out of view and that the sale of cigarettes should not be near schools.  We know that the more tobacco marketing that our children see, the more likely they are to smoke,” stated Judy Rightmyer, Director of the Capital District Tobacco Free Coalition.

In-store promotions are a major cause of youth smoking.  A National Cancer Institute study concluded that exposure to cigarette advertising causes nonsmoking adolescents to initiate smoking and to move toward becoming regular smokers.  Another study found young people are more likely to be influenced by cigarette advertising than by peer or parental smoking.  A 2008 analysis found a direct relationship between increased teen smoking and the density of tobacco retailers around schools, while a paper published earlier this year found a direct relationship between the frequency that a kid visited stores containing tobacco advertising and his or her risk of becoming a smoker.

“Tobacco advertisements are everywhere. I can’t purchase my items in peace knowing others are resting in peace because of these products. I don’t want to be targeted anymore,” said Jamie Bates, Saratoga County Reality Check member.

As a result of the recent Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FDA law) and the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), retail stores are one of the last places where tobacco companies can expose children to their advertising.  Consequently, tobacco companies spend billions of dollars each year marketing their deadly products at the point of sale.  This is done by controlling dominant display space in retail stores and through in-store advertising.  Both are typically found around the cash register, sometimes referred to within the industry as the “goal post” because it is the one place in the store where everyone must go.  Tobacco companies invest a lot at these locations in creating so-called “power walls,” large, visually appealing displays of products intended to attract the interest of customers.

Finally, 58% of respondents support a requirement in New York State similar to Ontario, Canada.  Since May of 2008 the Smoke-Free Ontario Act requires that, no person shall display or permit the display of tobacco products in any place where tobacco products are sold or offered for sale in any manner that will permit a consumer to view any tobacco product before purchasing the tobacco.  Already, major supermarket chains in the region such as Price Chopper and Hannaford have or are beginning to voluntarily remove tobacco products from display and place them in secure, discreet cabinets.

“The results are indisputable.   Capital Region residents no longer want to be bombarded with tobacco imagery and would rather remove tobacco products completely out of sight where they shop,” said Matthew Andrus of the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition.

SRI conducted six separate surveys this summer on behalf of the six Tobacco-Free Coalitions working within a 17 county area in the Capital Region.  All 5,969 total respondents are representative of the seventeen county universes and were weighted to reflect the relative population.  The data that SRI reports across the 17 county area has a margin of error of +/- 1.3% at the 95% confidence level.

The individual counties surveyed were: Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington.   For questions regarding methodology and analysis please contact Dr. Don Levy at SRI, 518-783-2901 or dlevy@siena.edu

About the Community Partners: The Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition, Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition, Project Action, Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Coalition, Rural Three for Tobacco-Free Communities and Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition are a group of grassroots coalitions of local agencies and individuals committed to creating a tobacco-free environment.  The partners are all grant funded programs from the New York State Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program.  Together they work to decrease the social acceptability of tobacco use, eliminate exposure to second hand smoke and prevent the initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults.   For more information on the partners and their programs, go to:

Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition

Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition

Project Action

Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Coalition

Rural Three for Tobacco-Free Communities

Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition

About the Siena Research Institute: Founded in 1980 at Siena College in Latham, New York, the Siena Research Institute (SRI) conducts regional, statewide and national surveys on business, economic, political, voter, social, academic and historical issues. The surveys include both expert and public opinion polls.  The results of SRI surveys have been published in major regional and national newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as well as in scholarly journals, books and an encyclopedia.

Point of Sale and Youth Tobacco Use Facts:

• Tobacco companies spend billions each year to market their deadly products in convenience stores, grocery stores and pharmacies.  In 2006, tobacco companies spent $12.5 billion nationally on advertising promotions and price discounts for wholesalers and retailers.
• Stores are one of the last venues where tobacco advertising can influence youth to begin smoking.  Ads on TV, radio and billboards are banned, as well as cartoon characters, sponsorships and giveaways. Magazine advertising is restricted to predominantly adult-oriented publications. In-store advertising, promotions and product displays remain.
• Although many adults are not aware of the effect of in-store tobacco ads on youth, research shows that exposure to tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking.
• In-store tobacco ads are located to entice youth.  Ads are often placed near candy and toys, and on the front of counters less than five feet in height.
• Weekly or more frequent exposure to retail tobacco marketing is associated with a 50 percent increase in the odds that adolescents will ever smoke, according to the American Journal of Public Health.
• In an Australian study, ninth graders were shown digitally-manipulated photos of a retail cash register area.  Compared to the students shown photos with no cigarettes, those exposed to photos displaying cigarette advertising and pack displays thought it would be easier to purchase cigarettes, and were better able to recall specific cigarette brands.
• Methods tobacco companies use to market in stores:
  • Payments and incentives to retailers to prominently display tobacco products.
  • In store advertising.
  • Large tobacco product displays called “power walls” that function as a subtle form of advertising, conveying the message that cigarettes are popular and desirable.
  • Price discounts.
• Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.  In New York, tobacco kills more than 25,000 people a year.
• The New York State youth (ages 12 – 17) smoking rate is 8.2 percent.
• The New York State smoking rate for high school students is 14.8%.
• 90 percent of adult smokers began at or before age 18. Very few begin after high school.
• Tobacco is not a normal consumer product – it kills when used as intended.
• Communities can reduce youth exposure to tobacco advertising in stores by banning the display of tobacco products and restricting the location and number of licensed tobacco retailers.

Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 3:07 pm
By MAURY THOMPSON
Post Star

GLENS FALLS — A local law banning smoking at city-owned parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities in Glens Falls is now in effect, said City Clerk Robert Curtis on Wednesday.

March 3, 2011
By Mark Mulholland
WNYT News Channel 13

GRANVILLE – With a few swings of a sledgehammer, the village of Granville has a new law.

As the signs being pounded into the ground Tuesday afternoon say, it’s now illegal to smoke on village grounds, including parks, playgrounds, museums and outside village hall, even in your car.

The mayor says the village offers a lot of outdoor events and smoke was casting a cloud over them. People were having trouble enjoying the free outdoor concerts in Veteran’s Park because others were smoking.

“Last summer, some folks came to me and said, ‘Mayor, there’s people smoking near us, we’re reluctant to ask anybody to move,'” says Jay Niles, village mayor.

So the village board worked with the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition and adopted a law that makes smoking on village grounds illegal.

“We didn’t want to consider smoking areas. We wanted to say either we’re going to be smoke-free or we’re not.”

Mayor Niles says village police will warn smokers at first, but second-time offenders could be fined a hundred bucks.

As she walked and smoked a cigarette in Granville Tuesday afternoon, Brenda Loveland says laws restricting smokers are going too far. “We work for a living, we buy our own cigarettes. It ain’t like the state’s buying them for us. It’s our money we’re wasting. So be a little lenient on us.”

Mayor Niles expected the new law to be put to the test Tuesday night when village court is in session. He says it’s common for court attendees to smoke outside village hall.

By Ashe Reardon
February 12, 2011 2:41 PM
CBS6- WRGB