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ESD: Enchanted Forest Water Safari to add three water slides
OLD FORGE — Water Safari Resort, Inc. plans to expand its Enchanted Forest Water Safari water theme park located in Old Forge in Herkimer County. The park will add three new water slides and replace two older slides, Killermanjaro and Serengeti Surf Hill, Empire State Development said in an Aug. 9 news release. Empire State […]
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OLD FORGE — Water Safari Resort, Inc. plans to expand its Enchanted Forest Water Safari water theme park located in Old Forge in Herkimer County.
The park will add three new water slides and replace two older slides, Killermanjaro and Serengeti Surf Hill, Empire State Development said in an Aug. 9 news release.
Empire State Development (ESD) has awarded $500,000 in funding from the Upstate Revitalization Initiative toward this project that, when completed, is “expected to increase traffic significantly in the region,” per the ESD. The agency said the total project cost is estimated at $3 million..
“We are thrilled to have the support of New York’s Empire State Development for this exciting new expansion project,” Katie Wojdyla, VP of Enchanted Forest Water Safari and director of marketing, said in the release. “It’s a win-win for everyone, most of all for our guests and for the region. Killermanjaro and Serengeti Surf Hill have provided millions of rides and memories to guests since 1988, and we look forward to continuing that tradition with our new rides.”
Construction is set to begin in September and should be finished for the start of the 2020 summer season next June, ESD said.
The three new water slides will include a four-lane, 300-foot mat slide with loops; a 200-foot speed slide, with a drop launch pad; and a brand new 295-foot speed slide with loops and a drop launch pad.
The expansion project includes demolition of the current slides, re-engineering and construction of the new slides, as well as the re-engineering of the water pumps and filtration equipment.
“Tourism stimulates economic growth and job creation, and the expansion of Enchanted Forest Water Safari will help boost tourism at attractions throughout the Mohawk Valley,” Howard Zemsky, president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development, contended.
Enchanted Forest Water Safari, located in Old Forge, is New York’s largest water theme park with more than 50 rides and attractions, including 32 water rides. The park also features classic amusement rides, food, games, storybook characters, and a family circus show. The Water Park is part of Water Safari Resort, which includes Water’s Edge Inn, Old Forge Camping Resort, and Calypso’s Cove Family Fun Park.
Enchanted Forest Water Safari attracts over 200,000 visitors annually from all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as other countries, per the release.

McGrogan Design brings fresh style to graphic design
WHITESBORO — The premature birth of his son helped Ryan McGrogan realize that time is precious and that there was no time like the present to pursue his dream of being in business for himself. While he has been providing freelance graphic-design services under the McGrogan Design name for more than a decade, in June
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WHITESBORO — The premature birth of his son helped Ryan McGrogan realize that time is precious and that there was no time like the present to pursue his dream of being in business for himself.
While he has been providing freelance graphic-design services under the McGrogan Design name for more than a decade, in June he took things to the next level and formally launched McGrogan Design (www.mcgrogandesign.com) as a full-service graphic design business.
“It’s always good to brand yourself,” he says. So he took the same advice he gives his clients and branded himself.
McGrogan runs the business on his own from his Whitesboro home. Currently, he has between eight and 10 steady clients and takes on between five and 10 one-time jobs a month.
A 2004 graduate of Whitesboro High School, McGrogan received an associate degree in graphic design from Mohawk Valley Community College. He first worked at the Observer-Dispatch in Utica and Northern Safety in Frankfort, but really honed his skills during a seven-year stint at FosterMartin Interactive Marketing in Utica. Following than, McGrogan worked at PAR Technology Corp. in New Hartford for just over three years as that company’s sole designer.
During that time, McGrogan took on freelance jobs where he got to exercise his creativity. The driving force to turn that freelance work into a full-time job came when his son Peter was born two years ago. Peter was premature, weighing less than 2 pounds and spent more than 100 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. McGrogan took time off when his son came home, but found he wasn’t as passionate about the work.
“When your child is hooked up to tubes and wires for months, you realize that you only have a certain amount of time here, and there is no reason to spend time doing something you don’t absolutely love,” he says.
McGrogan Design formally launched June 1 and held a ribbon cutting June 25 with the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce, where his wife Meghan McGrogan is executive director. The chamber is one of McGrogan Design’s clients.
Other clients include Broadway Utica, Boilermaker Road Race, Utica Coffee Roasting Co., United Way, Cliff’s, Mohawk Valley Wellness, and The Balanced Chef. McGrogan declined to discuss revenue totals or goals.
McGrogan works with a lot of businesses just starting out that need to brand themselves with things like a logo, web site, and business cards. “That’s kind of a sweet spot for me,” he says. He’s also works with existing businesses ready for a change and to mix things up when it comes to marketing.
His goal is to deliver something that is different from what his clients are used to. He was able to do that for Utica Coffee, bringing fresh eyes to tweak the company’s branding.
“They’re a great client,” he says. “They have the most fun ideas.” One of those ideas that McGrogan worked with the company on involved themed holiday mugs that will be arriving later this year.
McGrogan enjoys working at home and visiting his client’s locations, but says the next step for his business will be the find some office space. While he’s not actively searching, McGrogan says he’s keeping his eye out for a nice office or mixed-use space in Utica or Whitesboro.
At this time, he is unsure about hiring employees. His current level of business keeps him hopping and he enjoys being part of every project. However, McGrogan expects that he will need to eventually hire an employee or two to help with development.
“I am a one-man shop that can do anything from creative to web to video,” he says. “I offer everything an agency does, but I don’t have to charge a ton since I have low overhead.”

HEALTH-CARE CAREER NEWS – August 2019
DELTA MEDICALELIZABETH (LIZ) SCIALDONE has joined the staff of Delta Medical. She has eight years of experience as a family nurse practitioner in primary care. Scialdone

PACE-CNY VP Button discusses new telehealth service
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The vice president of Loretto’s PACE-CNY program says it’s contracting with a Poughkeepsie firm to offer participants round-the-clock access to a doctor

Oswego Industries completes renovation project
FULTON, N.Y. — Contractors have finished their work on a renovation project at the Oswego Industries location in Fulton. The 85,000-square-foot facility operates at 7

Cayuga Health clinic opens at Kinney Drugs in Cortlandville
CORTLANDVILLE, N.Y. — Ithaca–based Cayuga Health (CH) and Kinney Drugs on Thursday announced the opening of the Cayuga walk-in clinic at the Kinney Drugs store

Orthopedic surgeon experienced in sports medicine joins Rome practice
ROME, N.Y. — Dr. Alfred Moretz, III, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, has joined Rome Medical Practice Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, located at 107 E. Chestnut

People news: Fotokite names Marcinkowski senior VP of strategy and business development
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Fotokite, a startup with an office in the Tech Garden in Syracuse, announced it has appointed Craig Marcinkowski as its senior VP

Oneida Indian Nation selects NUAIR to “monitor and protect” environmental resources
NUAIR’s aviation staff will partner with the Nation to build the drone program, specifically on planning, evaluation and continued monitoring. They will also lend their

The MOST to welcome visiting exhibit focused on the brain
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) will welcome a visiting exhibit — BRAIN: The World Inside Your Head
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