Yes, I'm the guy who tagged Troy with "Plywood City," a dubious
distinction marking the widespread practice of boarding up buildings and
letting them rot.
I am, however, beginning to think a new nickname may be in order. At least for some neighborhoods.
Not that there is any less plywood being nailed up by people who,
in general, are abandoning both residential and commercial buildings to
the ravages of weather and scavengers. But, as I was again driving in
and out of the main streets and side streets of the city the other day
to stake out some vantage points for an architectural photography
project I've been working on, I noticed more and more instances of
freshly painted buildings that are perking up previously dull or
neglected neighborhoods.
Large groupings of both rental and owner-occupied housing in the south
end of the city, particularly on First and Second streets, are showing
the effects of some basic care, with imagination.
A rainbow of creams, greens, blues, grays and reds is providing a hint
of the charm often seen in old residential enclaves in foreign cities.
The kind of places we call quaint and take pictures of when we visit
there, but often ignore as routine when we see such things back home.
Don't misunderstand. Troy isn't the Emerald City of Oz just yet. A lot
more buffing, polishing and magic are necessary for that. But compared
to just a few years ago, the city is cleaner, busier and far more
attractive.
So, it is jarring when certain areas show zero signs of improvement
despite the energies of the Tutunjian/Mirch administration's "Action
Team" of public works staffers.
Take the lower part of Tenth Street,
just off the bustling Hoosick Street corridor. It is -- how can I put
this gently? -- a pit.
And, it is not merely an annoyance for the businesses and the occasional
self-respecting resident. Because it is a major commuter thoroughfare,
it is representative of Troy to thousands of people who pass by there.
On most days it is impossible to miss the piles of trash and refuse piled along the curb.
No matter that the City Council a few years back passed a toothless
regulation about keeping trash in covered containers or that the city
has a selective policy of limiting some neighborhoods to one trash can
while letting others do whatever they want with impunity.
Few people on
this part of the street pay attention to either of those rules. Instead,
you can regularly find carpet remnants, broken furniture, plastic or
paper bags spilling over with rags, trash and old clothes, the
occasional shopping cart and other junk on display.
The same goes with certain parts of the city leading into Lansingburgh,
especially along portions of River Street and Fifth Avenue. A little
beyond the small store that advertises, with equal billing, "subs" and
"bait."
There, where plywood still reigns as the decorative material of choice,
we often are treated to the same sorts of debris piled at curbside or
visible in untended yards or alleyways.
This is not a matter of economic circumstance, ethnicity or absentee
ownership. This is a matter of choice. Your income or heritage have
nothing to do with whether you choose to make a mess of the place you
inhabit.
It is long past time for some "Action" on this blight if Troy is truly
serious about its comeback aspirations for more than selected streets.
So, what have your Rensselaer County legislators been up to lately?
Let's look at the recent activities of just one segment of that largely
unnecessary governmental body, the one that has dubbed itself "The Team
for Troy."
The "team" consists of Neil J. Kelleher, who as chairman of the
Rensselaer County Legislature gets the ludicrously large salary of
$30,000 a year for his part-time job; Majority Leader Bob Mirch, who
makes $25,000 a year for his part-time efforts; and part-time
legislators -- at $20,000 each -- Jim Brearton, Laura Bauer and Nancy
McHugh.
They all, you may recall, rose to their current bloated salary
levels by passing a sneak raise for themselves just before last
Christmas.
According to a press release "The Team for Troy" handed out to anyone
gullible enough to publish it verbatim, here's what they and the rest of
their legislative colleagues did at their Oct. 10 meeting in addition
to discussing County Exec Kathy Jimino's proposed $278 million budget
for 2007 that, unless trimmed, will raise taxpayers' bill 25.9%.
(I've bold-faced the key words for emphasis.)
"Approved a resolution recognizing the Troy Senior Center upon reaching its 50th anniversary."
"Adopted a resolution recognizing Oct. 8-14 as Fire Prevention Week."
"Recognized October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month."
"Recognized Oct. 28 as Special Olympics Day."
"Recognized the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month."
And, my favorite:
"Recognized our county executive ... upon being recognized at the YWCA of Troy and Cohoes 2006 Resourceful Women dinner."
That's a whole lot of recognizing going on. Perhaps one of these days
voters will recognize the boondoggle that is the County Legislature.
Perhaps.
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| (Rob Yasinac photo) |
Give credit to J.W. Pfeil & Co. of Saratoga Springs for what it's doing in Troy.
Having completed the transformation of an old factory in Lansingburgh
into the 18-unit Powers Park Lofts condominium and purchased the little
Lansing Plaza shopping strip on Second Avenue near the 112th Street
bridge in the 'Burgh with an eye toward upgrading it, J.W. Pfeil now has
turned its attention to the former Stanley's department store building in
downtown Troy.
Work on the building, across from the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall,
means temporary closure of some traffic lanes and sidewalks, but it's
for legitimate work.
True, the Pfeils will end up making money on the
project, but they also will be improving the city, attracting new
residents, and paying a chunk of taxes.
Meanwhile, around the corner on Fourth Street, the desolate hulk that
was Proctor's theater remains wrapped in ugly scaffolding with no sign
of life.
As I have noted before, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which
owns the building, may be a good citizen in many ways, but by its
steadfast refusal to take serious action on this eyesore it continues to
thumb its nose at the city and its residents who are serious about
continuing the rebirth of downtown.
Figuring out what to do with Proctor's may not be easy, but given the
brainpower on the RPI campus and the huge building projects going on
there as evidence of what that brainpower can conjure up, fixing the
Proctor's mess should be a snap.
If RPI cares to do it, that is.
