The next meeting of the City of Troy's Charter Review Commission is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, May 8, in the City Council Chambers.
The purpose of the meeting is to allow city employees to comment on any changes they would like to see made to the revised Charter the Commission is preparing to be put on the November ballot.
While this session is for city employees, any member of the public is welcome to attend, as has been made clear of all Commission meetings and hearings.
So far, the Commission has held three hearings -- one for the general public, one for members of city government, one for City Council members. A second hearing for the general public will be scheduled for some time after May 8, making a total of five.
Feel free to exercise your civic responsibility and attend, comment and/or submit your suggestions in writing to Charter Review Commission, c/o Ian Silverman, City Hall, 433 River Street, Troy NY 12180, or by e-mail to the Commission as a whole.
In addition to Silverman, the other members of the Commission are Bill Dowd, Flora Carr, Kevin Glasheen, Patrick Madden, Patrick Morphy, Jill Nagy, Kevin Vandenburgh and Ken Zalewski.
If you are not familiar with the City Charter, you can access it online by clicking here.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
And then there were none
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| Chubby's Subs Eastside closed. |
While the Lansingburgh location at Fifth Avenue and 114th Street closed several months ago, it was only in recent days that the remaining venue, at 769 Pawling Avenue near the Wynantskill line, went dark. A hand-scrawled, ripped piece of paper taped to the door reads: "CLOSED until further notice." Given the look of the interior -- furniture in a pile, no sign of beverages or foodstuffs, shades pulled down -- "further notice" won't be coming anytime soon.
Chubby's Subs was founded by the late Hank D'Arcy, who closed an East Greenbush location in the 1990s to open the Eastside spot that turned out to be the most successful of the trio. Eventually, his daughter Deanna D'Arcy took over the Eastside shop, and in 2011 brought ownership of the 'Burgh Chubby's back to the family. However, she closed it several months ago, while the Eastside shop had several different subsequent operators with brief tenures.
Chubby's had long been a local favorite, offering much more than its name implied. In fact, the extensive menu put many chain sandwich shops to shame. At one time, more than 40 basic sandwiches were available in two sizes each or as wraps, with a huge variety of toppings and breads. Doing the math, as they say, literally pushed the possibilities into the thousands. The shops also offered fish fry dinners, housemade soups and chili, four kinds of fries, chips made daily, and numerous specials, as well as catering.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Former paint manufacturing building may get restaurant
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| The former Connors Paint building at 669 River Street. |
The Times Union reports today on its website that Mike Phinney and Jon Haynes "recently purchased a large, brick industrial building at 669 River Street in Troy" along with partner Brian McCandless from the city for $30,000. "Phinney, an architect who owns Phinney Design Group in Saratoga, [said] 'We’re strongly considering' a bar or restaurant for the ground level of the three-story, 40,000-square-foot building, with apartments upstairs. ... 'We think the location would be great for it. We’re very excited about what’s happening in North Central Troy'."
Back in 2006, plans were floated by a group calling itself 669 River Street Properties, with headquarters in Albany, to convert the derelict building to a commercial spot including office space, warehouse and trailer storage.
The new owners obviously have their work cut out for them since the condition of the structure has gotten only worse since 2006. The seller of the building, located between North Street and Middleburgh, cautioned in an online ad: "This building is without heat, electric, plumbing and in need of serious repair and rehabilitation. It is not a property for an inexperienced builder/developer/user."
The hulking brick building, formerly home to the William Connors Paint Manufacturing Co., makers of American Seal paint, is one of numerous large former manufacturing and/or warehousing facilities in the area of North Central that slowly is coming back to life. The first such major resuscitation was the Hedley Park Place office complex that now houses, among other tenants, City Hall.
Monday, April 13, 2015
'Burgh in line for $1 million+ in rebuilding grants
You would if you've read details of the "Proposed Project Funding 2015 Annual Action Plan." That document -- sometimes referred to as the "One Year Annual Action Plan" -- covers a wide range of potential grants all over the city. You can see it in its entirety by clicking here.
The 'Burgh portion of the proposal is broken into two components, one for $1 million and a the other for $100,000. It is an intriguing and promising idea that, if approved, could go a long way toward cleaning up a major neighborhood that has suffered through a rash of arsons, building abandonments, boarded-up structures, neglected vacant lots, lack of maintenance by both renters and absentee landlords, and general disregard for quality of life by far too many residents who either don't care about where they live or who have grown weary at the continual downslide.
Here, in the words of the document, are the two possibilities (I corrected its misspelling of Lansingburgh):
Lansingburgh Target Area Reinvestment (City of Troy Housing Department, $900,000): The Lansingburgh Target Area will consist of targeted infrastructure improvements, and neighborhood quality of life improvements including, new sidewalks and curbing, street milling and paving, streetscape improvements, lighting, street trees, public safety and neighborhood park improvements.
Program Delivery Expense (City of Troy Housing Department, $100,000): Direct program expenses related to the Lansingburgh infrastructure project including onsite project management oversight, design and engineering, Davis Bacon compliance and related work and coordination with contractors and homeowners.(On the latter item, don't worry if you don't know who "Davis Bacon" is. Actually, it's not a he. The term should have been written "The Davis-Beacon Act." It refers to a 1931 federal law that requires the local prevailing wage be paid to laborers and mechanics on public works projects. It also applies to contractors and subcontractors who work on federally-funded or federally-assisted contracts in excess of $2,000 for construction, alteration, repairing and/or decorating public buildings or public works.)
Anyway, if you'd like to make comments about this part of the proposal or any and all other parts, the process is simple. The proposal explains that a 30-day public comment period will end on Friday, May 8. Until then, "All residents. property owners, and other stakeholders of the City of Troy are encouraged to submit written comments or questions regarding the draft One Year Annual Action Plan to the Department of Housing & Community Development, 433 River Street, Troy, NY 12180, or e-mail to tim.mattice@troyny.gov."
There also is a public hearing scheduled for 5:30 p.m. this Thursday at City Hall, which this week remains located at 433 River Street on the fifth floor of the Hedley Building.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Here's how deliberate lies can derail civic progress, Part 2
In the latest instance of deliberate distortion and distribution of misinformation -- or, to be blunt, outright untruths -- in the service of the same partisan politics that have soiled this community's reputation for decades, we are seeing people fanning the flames of something that does not exist. Namely, the matter of the bipartisan, all-volunteer Charter Review Commission allegedly working to eliminate term limits.
The latest person to do so is, I am greatly disappointed to report, mayoral candidate Carmella Mantello. In a press release she just fired off, Mantello claims, " ... It has become readily apparent that the new Troy Charter Commission is discussing ways to eliminate term limits without any justification. ... This is something we should all stand up and fight against.”
And, the proof of this thing that has become "readily apparent" to her? There is none, for the simple reason that there is not even the tiniest shred of truth to her statement.
My response to her nonsensical charge is precisely the same as the one I posted on this blog after reading the same charge lodged in that cowardly and anonymous "Sound Off" column in The Record newspaper on Sunday. If you missed it, here it is again:
The Record's "Sound Off" column is a daily catch-all of phoned-in comments, frequently laden with complaints, uninformed declarations, purposeful misstatements and outright lies, all submitted under a cloak of anonymity and without any effort made by the newspaper to check their accuracy.
In the latest batch, published today, one topic is the Troy Charter Review Commission. Normally, I would ignore such ramblings, but as a Commission member I think it wise to make an effort to keep the public honestly informed.
The anonymous sniper claims Mayor Lou Rosamilia, a Democrat, and City Councilman Jim Gordon, a Republican, conspired to appoint a Commission to eliminate term limits, a topic that always is a hot-button issue in Troy.
That claim is more than an error, it is an outright lie, as the anonymous caller well knows.
First of all, the matter of term limits came up at the Commission's first public hearing only because representatives of the League of Women Voters brought it up. The Commission assured the LWV and the very few others in attendance -- including reporters for The Record and the Times Union -- that (a) no discussion of term limits, pro or con, had been held -- indeed, the topic had never been raised, and (b) that the subject would be evaluated just as every item in the current City Charter would be handled. A few comments were made around the table about the topic, but that is as far as it went. If any Commission members made public comments outside the Commission sessions, I have not heard them repeated to the group as a whole.
That is the sum and substance of it. The Commission has since held a hearing, open to the public, to listen to suggestions from the mayor and a number of department heads; will hold another hearing, open to the public, to hear suggestions from City employees, and will hold yet another hearing to receive suggestions from the public -- all before going heavily into the meat of the Charter.
And, that is the accurate picture of the matter.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Here's how deliberate lies can derail civic progress
In the latest batch, published today, one topic is the Troy Charter Review Commission.
Normally, I would ignore such ramblings, but as a Commission member I think it wise to make an effort to keep the public honestly informed.
The anonymous sniper claims Mayor Lou Rosamilia, a Democrat, and City Councilman Jim Gordon, a Republican, conspired to appoint a Commission to eliminate term limits, a topic that always is a hot-button issue in Troy.
That claim is more than an error, it is an outright lie, as the anonymous caller well knows.
First of all, the matter of term limits came up at the Commission's first public hearing only because representatives of the League of Women Voters brought it up. The Commission assured the LWV and the very few others in attendance -- including reporters for The Record and the Times Union -- that (a) no discussion of term limits, pro or con, had been held -- indeed, the topic had never been raised, and (b) that the subject would be evaluated just as every item in the current City Charter would be handled. A few comments were made around the table about the topic, but that is as far as it went. If any Commission members made public comments outside the Commission sessions, I have not heard them repeated to the group as a whole.
That is the sum and substance of it. The Commission has since held a hearing, open to the public, to listen to suggestions from the mayor and a number of department heads; will hold another hearing, open to the public, to hear suggestions from City employees, and will hold yet another hearing to receive suggestions from the public -- all before going heavily into the meat of the Charter.
And, that is the accurate picture of the matter.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Water torture created by drips, worsened by fibs
The calls from beleaguered Lansingburgh residents about their much-publicized frozen water pipes that went unanswered by the mayor and his staff, the failure to respond to e-mails and calls about poor snow removal, the lack of follow-through on requests for replacement trash receptacles damaged by city pickup crews, the misinformation given out to callers by the Department of Public Works about garbage pickup on snowy days, the City failing to notice that County-provided tax information was wrong and passing it along to City taxpayers to cause confusion ... The list goes on and on.
The latest problem is clearly one more case of bureaucratic incompetence and disdain for the public.
It's a flap over a letter sent out to many City residents -- not just a handful in the Miami Beach neighborhood as the Times Union is erroneously reporting -- replete with scare tactics and an unnecessarily nasty tone.
The smarmy letter -- my first reaction to reading it was "Who the hell do they think they are?" -- informed recipients that new digital water meters needed to be installed in their homes, gave them 30 days to schedule the work or else -- and this was emphasized -- their water would be shut off.
Not a polite notice and a request to make an appointment. No, that would have been too intelligent. Public Works made the conscious and foolish decision to take a routine bit of work and turn it into an imperious demand-and-threat situation, thereby alienating the people the department is supposed to serve, not dictate to.
I asked the city workers who installed my new meter if they had heard any negative feedback from other homes they had visited. "Just about every single one," was the reply. "People say they are really pissed at the tone and the threat."
Mayor Lou Rosamilia's spokesman Michael Morris told reporters the wrong notice was mailed out by the City. He said residents should have received a 30-day notice followed by, if that was not met, a 10-day shutoff notice. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
He also was quoted as saying the miscue was in only one area of the City and that homeowners had been contacted to advise them of the mistake.
Note to Mr. Morris and the whole world: Neither of those statements is true.
I do not live in the Miami Beach neighborhood yet I received one of the offensive notices, and I am not alone in that as busy social media makes clear. No one ever contacted me to own up to a mistake. As a matter of fact, even when I called Public Works to schedule an appointment, the person who answered the phone -- with barely-disguised annoyance at being bothered by a mere member of the public that pays her salary -- never mentioned anything about a mistake.
When I moved to Troy 20 years ago, I was looking forward to being part of a city on the upswing. Today, I can say with conviction that, yes, downtown Troy is on the upswing but the rest of the City is, for the most part, just left swinging.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Rosamilia out, let the games not begin
In his case, one-and-done is a good thing. But, now it's up to the people-who-would-be-mayor to clearly make their views known on the many pressing topics affecting the future of the city.
And, they all could do the voters a favor by focusing on real issues, and not indulging in the usual childish bickering and petty politics that passes for thoughtful discourse in this city and has harmed its reputation for decades no matter which party is in power. Incessantly posting "gotchas" on social media is not a real credential for chief executive of a multi-million-dollar enterprise.
The Times Union, quoting "officials familiar with his plans," reported today that Rosamilia will call it quits after a single term and make that announcement tomorrow. Considering the endless problems and controversies he has faced in his 3+ years, that is understandable. However, those problems will not go away when he does. They will be inherited by his successor. That's where each mayoral candidate's platform is critical. What, for example would they do about this string of problems? Not just some of them, but all of them.
• Slumlike conditions persist in many neighborhoods, caused not only by the lifestyles of people living there but by lax maintenance by building owners and lax code enforcement by the City.
• A rash of arsons in Lansingburgh that began last summer remains unsolved. Fear has hung over the residents for too many months, and with winter slowly disappearing, firebugs will again be on the prowl.
• Major fiscal woes have the state once again looking over the collective shoulder of city government, and huge pension payments loom. Short of tax hikes, which should be ruled out without question for a population with a generally low average income, what to do?
• Rampant overspending on overtime by the police and fire departments has become institutionalized, but it shouldn't be. Better planning and administration are needed.
• Streets and major road surfaces throughout the city are in worse shape than they've been in years, with cavernous potholes causing motorists to swerve like drunk drivers to avoid rupturing a tire.
• The City shows a continued lack of willingness to obey the City Charter and require sidewalks to be kept clear in winter, forcing far too many pedestrians to walk on icy roads in traffic day and night.
• The continuing lack of a real, cost-effective City Hall is ridiculous. Going into an office building and taking an elevator to the fifth floor is not the way to impress people with how you do municipal business.The list could go on to include such things as the federal government investigating some highly questionable building-demolition decisions, and the snail's pace "development" of Monument Square that in actuality has been nothing but talk and aborted plans for years while the site of the former City Hall just sits there like a broken tooth in an aging mouth.
On the upside, what the next mayor also will inherit is the encouraging number of small businesses flocking to the city to take advantage of its empty commercial building stock, its walkable downtown, and its riverside ambiance; the number of entrepreneurial young people willing to put in the sweat equity needed to revive some of our once-beautiful buildings; and, the number of young, taxpaying residents making either the decision to stay or to come here for all the attractions.
But, that high tide of interest could easily ebb if the major woes of the City are submerged in a swamp of backbiting, political BS and lack of innovative municipal management.
Demand better, folks. If you do not, then you deserve what you get.
Troy Charter Review Commission notice
At that time the Commission will receive input, comments and suggestions from Mayor Lou Rosamilia and various department heads regarding potential changes to the City Charter. The public is invited to attend.
Future hearings of the Commission will be posted on the City’s website and the Troy City Council Facebook page.
The current City Charter can be found online.
The Charter Review Commission welcomes and encourages citizen input and participation in this review process. Written comments may be directed by e-mail to charter-review@troycitycouncil.com or by postal mail in care of Ian H. Silverman, Corporation Counsel, Troy City Hall, 433 River Street, Suite 5001, Troy, NY 12180.
We had a small turnout at our first public hearing, held on March 12, but will hold another public hearing as the last of five hearings. The public is welcome at any of them, and we encourage you to attend. The final product of the Commission's work will be on the ballot in November for your consideration.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Famous Lunch's famous Steve Vasil dead at 88
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| Steve Vasil (right) with son Scott. |
Steve Vasil, who operated the Famous Lunch at 111 Congress Street in Troy for more than a half-century, has died at the age of 88.
Vasil, a Greek immigrant known for serving his miniature hot dogs with meat sauce, owned the business with his brother, Nicholas, and served customers from 1955 until he retired in 2006. He died on Friday at the Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home.
The Famous Lunch began in 1932 under the name Quick Lunch. The brothers changed the name to Famous Lunch after a brief brush with fame in 1958 when a local Marine posted at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow ordered a round of hot dogs to be sent there to mark the American ambassador's birthday.
Vasil delighted in posting online other brushes with fame -- comedian Jay Leno ordering 250 minidogs, a mention in the newspaper USA Today, and numerous mentions in various national publications among them.
Vasil is survived by his wife, Christina, daughter Paula, son Scott, and grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and godchildren. His funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church in Troy. Burial will follow at the Elmwood Hill Cemetery on Belle Avenue, Troy.
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