Report: Skidmore pours more into county than Race Course

Skidmore College commissioned a study by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Skidmore President Philip Glotzbach reported that the commission found that the college's operations and capital expenditure contribute $342.2 million to the Saratoga County economy. This contrasts with the $186 million to $214 million than Saratoga Race Course contributes to the regional economy.

The Post Star reports:

The college also provides the equivalent of 875 full-time jobs, with a $68.6 million payroll for 2006-2007, according to the report.

The report also used figures from a Harris International poll that found that discretionary spending by undergraduates averaged $3,470 per year, to calculate that Skidmore's 2,400 students spend $8.3 million yearly. Visitors to campus spend $1.4 million in the local economy, according to the report.

At the breakfast Tuesday, Glotzbach led the attendees in a brain-storming session to develop more ways to bring students downtown and Saratoga residents onto campus, to further strengthen the town-gown relationship.

When the issue of affordable housing was raised, Glotzbach said 240 more students were living in new on-campus housing this year, presumably opening up some of the lowest-priced apartments in the city for non-students.

As Glotzbach points out, the partnership between the college and the City of Saratoga Springs is valuable for the city. This is an essential consideration for planning the future of our city. This is a long-standing partnership.