Steve here, with a couple of quick updates. First, Andrew's got some breaking news about the the proposed South Side Rec Center (here's a link to the article on the main site, so you can leave comments there, too):

Rec center labor violations?

By ANDREW J. BERNSTEIN
The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Construction on the indoor recreation may have been hit with a second delay in as many days following a complaint to the New York State Department of Labor.

Larry Bulman, acting on behalf of the Steam Fitter’s Union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Sheet Metal Workers, filed a complaint with the state agency alleging that the city had improperly bid construction on the 35,500 square-foot facility slated for construction on the South Side Recreation Field, and in doing so, violated Wick’s Law.

Wick’s Law, adopted by the state in 1922, requires that municipalities bid separate contracts for four aspects of construction for projects costing more than $50,000: general construction, plumbing, heating and ventilation, and electrical systems.

“He bid it as one contract, and that would let the (general contractor) run the job, and go out and play games,” said Bulman. “The contractor could go out and get subcontractors to lower prices and the city wouldn’t see any savings.”

Rumors circulating Thursday evening and Friday morning say that the city has been served with a stop-work order by the State Commissioner of Labor, but this has not been confirmed.

“If she (M. Patrician Smith, commissioner of Labor) did act, she did so properly, because this is definitely a violation,” Bulman said.

“This is not the action we wanted to take. We went to the mayor, and he basically said he did not have to follow Wick’s because he said Saratoga Springs is exempt from labor law, and that is not true,” said Bulman.

On Wednesday the city was served with a temporary restraining order by Judge Thomas Nolan, to prevent the city from beginning construction until a hearing on an injunction, scheduled for March 13. The order stems from a civil suit filed by the Friends of the South Side Park, which seeks to stop the project on several grounds.

Last week, the City Council voted 3 to 2 to approve a contract with Bast hatfield of Halfmoon for construction on the project.

Reach Andrew J. Bernstein at abernstein@saratogian.com or 518-583-8729 ext. 219.

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Second, and unrelated to above, is a press release from Scott Murphy's camp that invites you to fill out a petition:

Scott Murphy Continues to Blast Tedisco for his Refusal to Support President Obama’s Economic Recovery Package

Murphy Campaign Issues Online Petition to Get Straight Answers from Career Politician Jim Tedisco on Economy

Glens Falls, NY—On Friday, local businessman and congressional candidate Scott Murphy continued to call out his opponent, 26-year career Albany politician, Jim Tedisco for refusing to support President Obama’s Economic Recovery package. The Murphy campaign is now offering people a chance to tell Tedisco to give us a straight answer about the economic recovery bill in an online petition: Assemblyman Tedisco – “Take A Stand!”

“As we face the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, voters in Upstate New York deserve straight answers from congressional candidates as to how they would vote on President Obama's recovery package. The least Assemblyman Tedisco can do on his 'road to recovery tour' is answer for why he is refusing to support President Obama’s Economic Recovery Package, which creates and saves over 76,000 jobs Upstate,” said Murphy.

“Like Senator Gillibrand, I’m proud to support President Obama’s Economic Recovery package, because it provides middle class tax relief, creates and saves over 76,000 jobs in Upstate New York immediately, and provides significant budget relief to help hold the line on property taxes.

“As a fiscal conservative and businessman, I know that in these difficult times we need bold and decisive leadership in Congress to get our economy back on track, while not losing site of our long term goals of restoring fiscal discipline and holding career politicians accountable for how they spend our tax dollars.”