June saw the launching of the First Call notification system.  This system will provide a tool for the Village to stay in touch with the residents and businesses in Menands, in a matter of minutes, in the event of an emergency.  It can also be used for other notices of things going on in the Village, including the school community.  We are hopeful that everyone will take a few minutes to sign up for First Call by going to the Village website at www.villageofmenands.com

On June 8^th, I had the pleasure of joining the Pre-school class from the Academy of Holy Names for lunch at the Menands Park.  These 3, 4 & 5 year old students, of Menands resident Stacey Apfelbaum, came to Menands for a walking tour of our neighborhood.   They started at St. Joan of Arc Parish followed by a walk down to Mancini’s where they were able to make a pizza.

The students then headed down to the Firehouse and were given a tour  by Vice President Will Sheridan, 2^nd Asst. Chief James Sher and Lieutenant Brian Sheridan.  Following their tour they walked up to the park where I met them for lunch.  They loved our playground and the adult chaperones commented on what a great neighborhood we had.

I also had an opportunity to tour another business in Menands. Bill Giering, our Economic Development Director and I were given a tour of Vicarious Visions, which is located in a 40,000 square foot state-of-the-art studio in Riverview Center at 150 Broadway. Vicarious Visions employs over 150 talented, energetic and highly motivated programmers, artists and designers, who create video games.  They come from all areas of the globe and bring a diverse mix of styles to their games.  They have sold over 40 million games worldwide including Guitar Hero, Spider-Man and Tony Hawk.

They are an independent studio with Activision, a leading worldwide publisher of entertainment software.  Our tour was lead by Marketing Director Nehme Grangie and their studio is as intriguing as the people that work there.  The workspace is very modern and provides a casual work environment, with non-stop creativity.  It was very exciting to tour another Menands business whose product is delivered worldwide.

June 21^st Menands School 8^th grade graduation commences.  Marking the 40^th Anniversary of my own graduation from Menands School, the Class of 1972 will present the

Class of 2012 with a gift for each of the graduates, as our way of congratulating them and letting them know that they have opportunities far beyond what we did and they can achieve anything they set their minds to and are willing to work towards.  Congratulations to all of the graduates.

As school ends and summer begins, please be mindful of the increase of kids playing outdoors.  I wish all of the residents a safe, healthy and happy summer.

Until next time,

Mayor Meg