First, it would appear that the Friends of the Aquifer were used by Gardner to make their case against Marrotta IF in fact it was a code violation and not a Watershed violation.
Second, I am still against any new park anywhere! People don't do parks anymore. And it will be an obvious added expense to the town.
Third, the town should be working on their comprehensive plan and building a tax base BEFORE they commit to developing anything that will cost the taxpayers more money. It is like putting the cart before the horse. Or better yet, like the city of Schenectady, spending money they don't have and budgeting on speculation only!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
ROTTERDAM JUNCTION Onrust volunteers hammer away on ship Replica will eventually be floating museum BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
After nearly 18 months of backbreaking labor to re-create the first European ship built in New York, it’s hard for Schenectady County’s volunteer boat-building crew to remember what they did before the Onrust came along. “We used to be retired,” said Jerry Bobar, a former General Electric employee who has been working on the Dutch yacht for three days a week in rain, sleet, snow and now mud. They have about a year of work left on their epic project, but all of the major challenges are behind them. As they cut deck planking for the finishing touches on Tuesday, they said they can’t quite believe it’s nearly over. “They’re already saying, ‘What will we do when it’s done?’ ” said project organizer Greta Wagle. “I said, ‘Well, I can think of another project …’ ” The Onrust will become a fl oating museum and a showcase in the state’s quadricentennial festivities, which will commemorate Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage to America. Onrust will memorialize an event that took place five years later, when a desperate crew of Dutch traders built a ship after theirs burned off the Manhattan shore. To add to the challenge, the shipbuilding novices in Schenectady are trying to replicate the Dutch ship using authentic 17th century shipbuilding techniques, which they believe has never been done before. The idea seemed like a pipe dream when it was first proposed two years ago. Organizers for the nonprofi t New Netherland Routes struggled to raise money at first and then hit delays as they searched for oak trees to build the 50-foot-long sailing craft. They were allowed to use modern tools to cut down the trees and mill the boards. Then the adventure started. None of the volunteers had ever before even wanted to build a boat, much less learn to warp boat ribs over a fire pit or hammer the planks into place with wooden nails. They joked that Wagle had to trick them into volunteering for such a task. “Little did I know it was going to be so much work,” said George Bowdish. “It was supposed to be a hobby.” Now his Princetown house is home to every volunteer who can carry a board. Men warm up around the kitchen table between stints at the portable sawmill. His dog carries around scraps of lumber and begs visitors to toss the boards for a game of fetch. His front yard hosts a pile of 50-foot-long logs, destined to become the Onrust’s rudder and lee-boards. Behind his house, the ground has been trampled to a sea of mud around a stack of freshly cut lumber. In short, the Onrust has enveloped his entire life. And he can’t get enough of it. On Tuesday, he gathered up his crew at 9 a.m. and headed out into the cold to carefully mill Onrustsized boards. After lunch, they all went right back outside to continue the job. There were no complaints about sore muscles, poor weather or the tedious repetition of the sawing. Instead, they said they were lucky to have such an experience. “It’s something we’ll never get to do again,” Bobar said. “It’s one of a kind. I don’t think anyone will ever build anything like it.” Volunteer Dan Grzybowski added that it will give the entire crew bragging rights for the rest of their lives. “There aren’t many people in this country who can say they built a wooden ship,” he said. The group has to harvest just two or three more trees and raise only another $80,000 to finish the $400,000 project, Wagle said. “We’ve passed the major challenges,” she said. “We’re nicely on time — we might even be a little bit ahead because of the core team. They worked all winter. They didn’t want to quit.” Much of the work has taken place in backyards around the state, where New Netherland Routes purchased oak trees from anyone they could find. Money also went into contracting for the expensive, custom-made sail and other equipment, including the mandatory engine. The ship is taking form at the Mabee Farm in Rotterdam Junction, under a Dutch pole barn built specifically to shelter the Onrust. ANA N. ZANGRONIZ/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Historian Don Rittner stands below decks in the Onrust at the Mabee Farm on Tuesday. After nearly 18 months of labor to re-create the fi rst European ship built in New York, volunteers still have about a year of work left on the project. Bringing history to life
ROTTERDAM History center plan unveiled $2M site near Mabee Farm would be for education BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Fitting Schenectady County's history into a 17th century farmhouse isn't easy these days. Already, many of the county's artifacts are packed in barns around the historic Mabee Farm in Rotterdam Junction. The small farm house off Route 5S is barely large enough to fit the offices the Schenectady County Historical Society now maintains there, much less the programs the organization runs from spring until the fall. gazette.com "Right now, our gift shop is on the front porch," said Ed Reilly Jr., the society's president. But all this could change with the long-awaited proposal of the George E. Franchere Educational Center. Members of the Rotterdam Planning Commission got a fi rst glimpse Tuesday of the 13,000-square-foot building the historical society aims to build on 27 acres acquired from Schenectady County in February. The proposed $2 million facility would serve as a visitor center for the historical society and allow the organization to operate programs year-round. In addition to a 120-seat lecture hall, the center would include space for a kitchen, gift shop, exhibits and the historical society offices now on the second floor of the Mabee home. Historical society member and architect Keith Cramer said the new building would include two stories in addition to a basement that would also be utilized for space. He said the design would blend with the architecture of other historic buildings on the property. "It will look like a farmhouse with a modern addition," he said. The center would also allow the organization to move all of its operations out of the Mabee home, which is recognized as the oldest house in the Mohawk Valley. About half of the new building would be used to house an ever-expanding collection of artifacts. "One of our greatest needs right now is space," said Merritt Glennon, the historical society's vice president and chairman of the Mabee Farm Committee. Parking would be included in front of the new building and utilize the entrance leading to the Mabee home. In addition, a bus circle and second entrance would be added to the lot, while the existing driveway to farmhouse would be closed off to vehicle traffic, according to the plans. YEARS OF HOPES For more than a decade, historical society members have advocated building an education and visitor center on the property, but were unable to fi nd space on the 9-acre Mabee farm. Last year, Schenectady County officials agreed to sell the organization 27 acres adjacent to the farm and formerly used by the Keepers of the Circle, a Native American heritage group. Any project to build on the land will face a number of approvals due to the property's location within Zone III of the aquifer recharge area. Planning commission members also questioned whether archaeological studies had been conducted at the site of the new building. Documents have shown the Mabee farm had a slave population up until 1827. Historical society members have previously searched for an unmarked slave burial ground, but have never located a plot. Planning commission member Richard Karp also questioned whether Rotterdam Junction's water districts could sustain the new building. Plans are in the works for a new water tank for the two districts, which are now about 60,000 gallons short of the volume needed to support the area's daily use. "We've had a lot of problems with water and this will just exacerbate them," he said. But overall, commission members seemed receptive to the project, which also includes environmentally friendly elements, such as solar powering and geothermal heating. Chairman Lawrence DiLallo said the new building would be a benefi t for both the town and county. "It's a very exciting project," he said.
I wonder id the town could get grants to clean up the area surrounding it. There is Historical value in the area, but it seems to be falling apart. New lighting, sidewalks etc. would make ir appealing to visit. I thought at one point the New York State Thruway authority had money to help clean the area up ??
My first question when I read this is..."Where is the 2 Million dollars going to come from to cover this?" Does the farm have this money set aside already? Are the town residents or the county residents going to be expected to pick this up? Or will Schenectady County finally get some pork barrel spending from somewhere, instead of continuously paying higher taxes to allow someone else to get THEIR projects?
I realize there's not many people out there, but the fact is, that's part of Rotterdam's budget in general, so it goes for the entire town, not just the Junction.
Kevin, that's exactly the right attitude we all have to have. We all live in the Town of Rotterdam and are all affected by it's problems and budget. We must all stick together and help one another to resolve the problems in the town and not let them divide us into sections there by weaking us.
I know. Since "they" are known as Rotterdam Junction, or "they" are known as Pattersonville, "we" are all part of Rotterdam, and we need to keep it "A Nice Place to Live," no matter what part you live in.
The next Rotterdam Town Board meeting on Wednesday, May 14th is being held at the Rotterdam Junction firehouse, by the way. If no one dies, I'm intending on making the trip.
ROTTERDAM Replacement of deteriorating water tank to be discussed BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Town-hired engineers are expected to discuss replacement of the deteriorating water tank off Leggerio Lane during a meeting in Rotterdam Junction this week. Staff from Barton & Loguidice are expected to pitch plans for the new tank during the Town Board meeting at the Rotterdam Junction Fire Department, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday. Liz Urban, an engineer working on the project, said the latest plans call for a half-million-gallon tank on property located near the SI Group’s manufacturing plant off Route 5S. “For this particular site we will be doing an elevated tank,” she said. But Supervisor Steve Tommasone said the elevated design doesn’t mean the town has abandoned plans for an expandable tank. He said preliminary plans call for the construction of a steelreinforced concrete pedestal for a tank, which could eventually be expanded to accommodate growth in Rotterdam Junction and Pattersonville. “I don’t anticipate any changes in design,” he said. Tommasone said the project could be scheduled for a public hearing sometime this spring or summer. If funding is approved, he anticipates construction could begin before the end of the year. Town officials have long discussed replacing the old 200,000-gallon tank serving about 577 users in water districts 3 and 4. Aside from its deteriorating condition, the existing tank holds roughly 60,000 gallons less than the area’s daily usage. “It’s not about future growth,” Tommasone said of the new tank. “It’s about handling the volume that is there now.” In February, the SI Group agreed to grant the town a site for the tank as part of their payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the Rotterdam Industrial Development Agency. Cost estimates to replace the aging tank range between $1.4 million and $2.1 million. This amount would be bonded by the town and paid for by users within the district. New construction in the area may also help reduce the cost. Tommasone said the town intends to dedicate connection fees toward lowering the project’s debt service.
So the water tank idea will be bandied about again on Wednesday in a presentation during the Supervisor's Report portion of the agenda. Who wants to bet on the anticipated construction comment?
There will also be a presentation during this portion for the Exit 26/CDTC Study.
Also on the agenda is a resolution to conduct a referendum on Masullo Estates sewers in June.
STONEWARE EXHIBIT ROTTERDAM JUNCTION — The Mabee Farm Historic Site is now open for the season with a new exhibit titled, “Stoneware: crocks, jugs and pots.” A variety of these items were left on the property when it was donated to the Schenectady County Historical Society. The exhibit also describes how “salt glazed” stoneware was created and who the artisans were who produced it. The Mabee Farm is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday or by appointment until Sept. 27. For more information, call 887-5073.
There was also a presentation regarding the proposed water tank followed by a bunch of questions from concerned and informed residents. I thought it seemed reasonable. Again, with rising costs, time will be of the essence and they are a long way from nailing this one down but if they get it in gear it could be completed in Spring 2009 according to the Town Board.
I inquired about the sewer extension resolution for Masullo Estates which was on the agenda too but I think I'll take my comments on that to the other thread.
I've got two-plus hours of digital recording to review and then I'll probably have more to say on matters but Kevin was there and I'm sure he'll have some thoughts too.
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