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Hiigh taxes in village vs. town unwarranted


   Now that the final piece of the puzzle has arrived in the form of my school taxes, I am stunned at the total tax burden (property/school/village) on my new home in Scotia.
   I used to live about two miles north, in Glenville, prior to moving into my newly constructed home. This home is smaller and all on one floor, which was the deciding factor in moving. The new house has one less bedroom, no family room, no fireplace, smaller garage, no enclosed back porch, no dining room and a smaller yard. It does have an unfinished basement.
   To my astonishment, my taxes are $7,900 vs. the former home’s 2005 amount of $5,600 — an increase of $2,300. What am I getting for the money? Let’s see, I now have sewer services vs. septic, which used to cost $120 every three years to clean; and garbage service, which used to cost $258 annually through County Waste. That’s it. I am closer to my old firehouse in Thomas Corners than to the village firehouse. I see no more police presence here vs. my old home on Robinson Road. The roads here are a mess, although the ones in my immediate area were just paved in September.
   I am currently cutting common area grass by myself, since the village has done no mowing here all year. A drainage issue on my property was fixed by the builder, but he was stopped from tapping into the drain sewer by the village; thus the water runs on the roadway and turns to ice in winter. This makes for an interesting school bus trip up and down our hill.
   Recently I have been reading articles related to the possibility of Scotia and Glenville police and fire departments sharing buildings. Nice, but it’s the duplication of staffing and services which is costing dearly, and of that we hear nothing.
   I think I could go on with examples, but you get the picture. Since I hear very little about the high cost of living in the village, I must assume that most villagers don’t realize the high premium they are paying for little — if any — benefit. Does anybody care?
   JOSEPH A. DEFONCE
   Scotia  

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11/1/07 - Correction
Due to a transcription error, the Oct. 26 letter by Joseph Defonce misstated the size of his tax increase. On his new home in Scotia he will be paying $3,300 more than the $4,600 he was paying on his former home in Glenville, not $2,300 more.  

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GLENVILLE
Firm to expand on 20 acres at airport
Fortitech to build new facilities
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

   A Schenectady company with a world market for its custom nutrient systems will spend $5 million to purchase land at the Schenectady County Airport and build a distribution facility and a research and development center, local officials announced Thursday.
   Fortitech, headquartered in the Riverside Technology Park on Maxon Road Extension, will purchase 20 acres off Route 50 for $1 million. The parcel will be renamed Airport Tech Park.
   It will spend $4 million to build a 40,000-square-foot distribution facility and a new corporate research and development center on the property and to purchase equipment, said company spokesman Mark Fanion.
   The county will use the sale of the property to help reduce what had been a projected 9.7 percent increase in the tax levy proposed under a $283.4 million budget for 2008. The Legislature approved the budget Thursday night.
   Fortitech will start construction in 2008 and complete work in 2009, Fanion said. “We are expanding globally, and we want to expand globally and in our backyard. We needed something close by for a distribution center.”
   At its Maxon Road Extension site, the company is building a 35,000-square-foot addition. It also is constructing a 53,000-square-foot facility in Ontario, Calif., and a manufacturing and lab facility in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It recently expanded its sales and distribution facility in Mexico City.
   The privately held company employs 180 in Schenectady County and has annual sales in excess of $100 million, Fanion said. He said the new facilities at Airport Tech Park will create new jobs but was unable to state a number.
   Fortitech selected the airport site for its accessibility to Route 50 and its proximity to its Maxon Road Extension facility, Fanion said.
   Under the deal, the Schenectady County Industrial Development Agency will buy the airport land and sell it to Fortitech, said Ray Gillen, chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority. Metroplex administers the county IDA.
   “The county IDA can buy the property and it can sell it to a private company at a fair market price under the Public Authorities Law,” Gillen said. “We are getting full payment from the company, $50,000 an acre.”
   Gillen said the county will seek Empire Zone program benefi ts for the airport site. This would allow Fortitech to pay full property taxes and receive complete reimbursement through the program. Fortitech also has an option to purchase land at the site for additional expansion, Gillen said.
   The federal government decertified the county-owned land several years ago for aviation use and “it’s been sitting there. It’s prime property,” Gillen said.
   He said many communities have successfully built business parks at general aviation airports and this trend is expected to continue as smaller and more affordable jets make private air transportation an option for business travelers.
   Schenectady County Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage said, “This is another great win for our unified economic development team that has brought over $250 million and more than 2,000 new jobs to Schenectady County in just the past three years.”
   “We are thrilled that Fortitech, a fast growing firm headquartered in Schenectady County, will become the first new tenant at the Airport Tech Park,” Savage said in a news release.
   Founded in 1986, Fortitech develops custom nutrient premixes for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, Fanion said. The company has a global network of manufacturing and distribution facilities.
   The 700-acre Schenectady County Airport is home to the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard and to aviation facilities for private and corporate aircraft. Richmor Aviation is the fixed base operator at the airport, which features a staffed control tower and 7,000-foot runway. It also contains a $20 million Armed Forces Reserve Center nearing completion.
   The center is expected to open later this year and will measure 95,000 square feet. Some 600 reservists in the Capital Region will train there annually.

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Glenville Democrats have done little but raise taxes

   I recently received a postcard from the Scotia-Glenville Democrats touting their town board candidates. I take exception to their characterization that the there has been progress in the past two years. I am not sure whose tax bill they’re paying, but mine continues to rise.
   Progress is defined as steady improvement. What has happened since the Democrats took control of the town can hardly be described as any improvement. True, they are taking credit for many of the projects that were started under former Republican Supervisor Clarence Mosher, but they have no significant achievements of their own to boast. They are left trying to manufacture good news where none exists. In reality, under their leadership, we have seen two years of property tax increases, no real economic development and cuts to our town’s work force that are threatening to undermine our public safety.
   This year, the Democrats have proposed a 68 percent tax increase and cuts of over 25 employees townwide. They have admitted trying to scare people into accepting more cuts in services. Worse yet, they have moved the budget approval date to Nov. 7, one day after election. They need to show their progress and approve the budget before the election, not after. We need new leadership on the town board, someone with a new vision for holding down property taxes, cutting spending and someone who can bring more small businesses to Route 50 in an effort to diversify our tax base. That new leader is Chris Koetzle.
   CLINTON WOODWARD
   Ballston Lake  

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SCOTIA
Board to see new Rite Aid store plan

   Rite Aid officials are coming back to the Planning Board tonight with an adjusted design.
   Diamond Development LLC proposes to construct a 14,564-squarefoot store with drive-through window on a lot at the intersection of Mohawk and Ballston avenues. The proposal would call for the demolition of the buildings housing Attanasio’s Restaurant, the Scotia Diner and an antique shop. Four houses along Glen Avenue would also be leveled.
   The board in September postponed its review after expressing concern with how the new store would fit in with the character of the village.
   The new plan features predominantly various shades of brick with a pre-cast concrete base and a fl at roof. The Rite Aid Sign would be above two arched windows on the front elevation of the building. The pharmacy would front both Mohawk and South Ballston avenues and the parking would be on the side and in the rear.
   Rite Aid spokeswoman Ashley Flower said there have been a “few little changes” since the previous design, but was not able to provide specifics.
   This project has been going through the approval process for nearly a year. Rite Aid officials had initially proposed a design that would match pharmacies located in Lake George and East Greenbush, which board members believed would not match the character of Scotia.
   Planning Board member Tom Gifford said he was pleased with the changes and say they mimic the design of the First National Bank.
   “It looks like they’re trying to work with us,” he said.
   The project would also require a number of zoning variances.

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ELECTION RESULTS
GLENVILLE
   In Glenville, Republicans took both Town Board seats on Tuesday as Mark Quinn was re-elected to a second term along with newcomer Christopher Koetzle, who had suffered a stroke that same day.
   Koetzle and Quinn received 3,760 and 3,593 votes, respectively. Koetzle, 38, said by telephone from Ellis Hospital that he woke up at 5:30 Tuesday morning with a bad case of vertigo and spent the day at home. He went to the doctor in the evening, who told him to go to the emergency room for tests, which revealed a small stroke. Koetzle said his doctor is predicting a full recovery and it will not affect his political future.
   He was happy about the Republican sweep, saying it was a sign that the message of bringing in more small businesses on Route 50 succeeded. “I’m excited to get started,” he said.
   Koetzle is vice president of marketing for Support Services Alliance Inc., a small-business advocacy group based in Schoharie.
   Quinn, 46, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. He said during the campaign he would like to see “smart growth” on the commercial side with a mix of restaurants, retail, office and light industrial uses. Quinn is owner of Execusearch, a sales and marketing recruiting company.
   Finishing out of the running were the two Democrats. Deputy Supervisor Robert Bailey, 58, had 2,934 votes and Christopher “Todd” Godlewski, 37, had 2,637.
   This changes the makeup of the board two Republicans and two Democrats. Supervisor Frank Quinn, who is also a Democrat, was elected in 2005 on a slate along with Edward Rosenberg and Valerie DiGiandomenico. Rosenberg and DiGiandomenico were not enrolled at the time, but Rosenberg has since become a Democrat.
   In the other contested race, Republican Paul Davenport, 45, was elected to a four-year seat as a town justice — receiving 3,909 votes to Democrat Carol Dillon’s 2,594. Davenport replaces Benjamin Migliore, who decided not to seek re-election. Davenport currently serves as active justice of the Village of Scotia.
   Town Clerk Linda Neals was running unopposed for re-election and received 4,468 votes.

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SCOTIA
Planning Board concerns delay plans for Rite Aid
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

   A proposal for a Rite Aid at the intersection of Mohawk and Ballston avenues is stalled as the Planning Board has continuing concerns about how the building would look.
   The board on Monday reviewed some revised plans for a 14,564-square-foot store with drivethrough. In September, it had postponed its review after expressing concern with how the new store would fit in with the character of the village.
   Rick Diamond of Diamond Development said the design team has made some tweaks including proposing some wide arched false windows in the facade.
   Chairman Bob Powell told project officials that the board needed some more time to review the material.
   “I’m a little disappointed to be put off another month,” Diamond said.
   After the Rite Aid officials left, the board engaged in an hourlong work session expressing concerns about the layout of the store on the site.
   Powell said he met with Department of Transportation officials on Monday who said that the proposed entrance from Mohawk Avenue would likely not be allowed since the lot can be accessed from Glen Avenue and Ballston Avenue.
   He said that perhaps the building should be reoriented on the site so the parking is in the rear. He also expressed concern about whether trucks making deliveries would have sufficient room to maneuver.
   He added that he does not believe the proposed design changes go far enough. “Even though they made it out of brick, it still looks like a Rite Aid,” he said.
   Powell noted that he received four telephone calls from the public expressing concern with how the site was going to be developed. Member Jim Basil asked, “What are we trying to get it? What is the vision of the village?”
   Board member Dave Moehl added that it is difficult to determine the vision. “There’s so many different styles of architecture in this village. Which one are you going to pick?” he said.
   Board members plan to meet again in another work session so they can formulate their concerns and send them in a letter to the developers.  

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Prescription for Rite Aid

   The Scotia Planning Board deserves credit for continuing to hang tough with Rite Aid, which wants to build one of its typical drugstores in the village. The board is insisting that the project fit with the character of Scotia. With enough changes, that may be possible design-wise, but it’s doubtful the project can ever be made to fi t at its current size and scale.
   After a few previous attempts, Rite Aid was back last week seeking approval from the board. But Board Chairman Bob Powell says the plan was presented only two days before the meeting, which didn’t leave enough time to adequately review it. And from what he saw, it still didn’t fi t.
   For instance, there would still be a huge (30-foot) entrance and exit driveway on Mohawk Avenue, breaking up the street wall and endangering pedestrians.
   The design changes that Rite Aid made in an attempt to accommodate the board’s concerns were minor and inadequate (“tweaks,” a spokeswoman called them). Want something to break up the big, long blank wall on the west side? OK, we’ll give you arched false windows. Don’t want the oversized, free-standing sign out front? OK, we’ll give you an oversized sign attached to the building. Want brick? OK, we’ll give you brick, but it will still look like a Rite Aid.
   While these issues might eventually be worked out, the biggest problem remains the sheer size of the building, which would occupy about a third of the almost one-acre site. This is simply too big for a small-scale village.
   Powell says the board will meet in a work session at the fire station Thursday (open to the public), and after that will draft a letter to Rite Aid telling it what the board wants. This project would require a number of variances and special-use permits, giving the Planning Board plenty of leverage. It should tell Rite Aid to come back with a much better designed, much smaller project.

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GLENVILLE
Town Board OKs 6.1% tax hike
Police, highway layoffs possible; board splits on vote
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net

   The Town Board voted 3-2 Wednesday to approve a $16.8 million spending plan that increases the tax rate an average of 6.1 percent.
   People who own a home in Glenville with an average assessment of $173,000 would see their taxes increase by roughly $35, to $513. Those who live in Scotia with a home assessed at $124,000 would see a decrease of about $17, to $90. The tax bill will appear with the county bill; school taxes are paid separately.
   The board did not achieve Supervisor Frank Quinn’s stated goal of no more than a 3 percent tax increase.
   “It’s the best I could do,” Quinn said following the vote. “The average town citizens’ taxes are going up less than a dollar a week. That’s a pretty good effort by the town board.”
   The final vote came after the board made some last-minute amendments to reduce what had been a 7.2 percent tax increase. Quinn offered an amendment to cut overtime in the budget across the board by $84,000. The town placed some of that money in its surplus and used the rest to reduce taxes. This shaved a full percentage point off the increase.
   This budget reduces the number
of town positions by about six. Police Chief Michael Ranalli said previously if the budget went through as proposed he would have to lay
off one police officer and not fi ll
another position, as well as leave
a 12th dispatcher position unfilled.
Highway Superintendent Rick
LeClair said two highway workers
would get cut and he would have
to eliminate the loose leaf pickup
program.
   Board member Mark Quinn said he would have preferred to take another $100,000 out of the town’s surplus account — reducing it from $900,000 and $800,000 and explore some of his revenue-generating ideas such as moving the town history center to a property recently donated to Glenville on Swaggertown Road and selling its current site on Glenridge. He would use some of this money to restore positions cut.
   “I’m very, very concerned about the impact to those departments,” he said. “That’s why I’m voting ‘no.’”
   Board member Valerie DiGiandomenico also voted no, saying she was confused by the constantly changing amount of money in the town’s fund balance — or surplus — for 2008.
   In previous discussions, the town projected about $900,000 in its fund balance. However, Comptroller George Phillips said the number is actually closer to $850,000, which prompted the supervisor to make his amendment.
   Deputy Supervisor Robert Bailey, who was defeated for re-election last week, cautioned that rougher financial times may be ahead. A weakening economy could bring declining or stagnant revenues and salaries and benefits increasing. “You’re looking at a 22 percent increase next year and that’s if we have another ‘buy nothing’ budget,” he said.
   Bailey and Edward Rosenberg joined the supervisor in voting for the budget.
   Ranalli declined comment following the meeting. However, Police Benevolent Association President Stephen Janik said he does not understand why the board did not listen to the dozen people — which included some town employees — that spoke against cutting positions at a public hearing last week. He says the police are already shortstaffed and development including the new Lowe’s could worsen that problem.
   “I think that’s irresponsible and I think it’s extremely demoralizing on the workers here,” he said.  

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The Scotia Planning Board deserves credit for continuing to hang tough with Rite Aid, which wants to build one of its typical drugstores in the village. The board is insisting that the project fit with the character of Scotia. With enough changes, that may be possible design-wise, but it’s doubtful the project can ever be made to fi t at its current size and scale.
   After a few previous attempts, Rite Aid was back last week seeking approval from the board. But Board Chairman Bob Powell says the plan was presented only two days before the meeting, which didn’t leave enough time to adequately review it. And from what he saw, it still didn’t fi t.

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GLENVILLE
$78K fine levied in land filling case
Owner to appeal, says town knew
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

   A local property owner, James Hale, has been fined $78,000 for dumping construction debris at his vacant property off Barhydt Road near Route 5.
   Hale on Wednesday said he plans to appeal. He also said that the Department of Environmental Conservation had no issue with the dumping, and some of the material is from a town construction project.
   The site is in Zone 2 of the aquifer recharge area and it is illegal to dump construction and demolition waste in this zone, according to Ray Gillen of the Schenectady County Intermunicipal Watershed Board. Gillen is also commissioner of Schenectady County Economic Development and Planning.
   The issue dates back to May 2006. Glenville Town Administrator Tony Germano said Hale brought in some fill materials, planning to develop the site. Town officials informed Hale that he was operating an illegal dump site. The matter was resolved with a decision in Town Court on Oct. 11 to fine him $78,050.
   Germano said the fine was based on the number of weeks of violation at $1,000 a week. The balance of the fine is for code violations of improper dumping. He said he would like Hale to have tests done at the site to determine what is underneath the fi ll material.
   “We’re equally interested in ensuring that whatever materials on that site are not hazardous,” he said. Germano estimated that this testing could be completed by the end of the year. Hale said he was simply trying to level his 6.7-acre property, which is from 3 to 6 feet lower than the adjacent road. He wants to build four houses on the property. He said during a two-year period he dumped, dirt, brick, block and concrete on the land and graded it daily.
   He said the previous town officials knew what has happening.
   “I did this with the Town of Glenville’s knowledge,” he said. “I got three-quarters of the property level — dead level — with the road. All of a sudden in June of last year, they served me with operating an illegal dump.”
   Hale said he went to the Department of Environmental Conservation, which had its solid waste landfill director visit the site and declared his property “clean fill.”
   “It’s not a landfill,” Hale said. There is not any garbage on the property, but just a piece of land with brown grass. He said he had even offered on three separate occasions to do test wells on the property to show there was no contamination and town officials refused.
   “They will not accept any testing results no matter what they say — good, bad or indifferent,” he said.
   He claims that Glenville dumped fill material from construction at the site.
   Supervisor Frank Quinn disputed Hale’s accusations about the town knowing about the dump site.
   “I don’t accept what Mr. Hale says. He’s claiming that. It’s his word against ours.”
   County officials endorsed the fine. Gillen, who informed The Daily Gazette of the matter, said it represented a major victory for protection of the Great Flats Aquifer, which is Schenectady County’s source of drinking water.
   “We have a tremendous asset here and we’ve got to protect it. Not enough was done in the past,” he said.
   County Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, also said it is important that there are stiff fines involved in protection of the aquifer.
   “The biggest part of our efforts is to make sure the watershed board is actually monitoring the activities that are taking place around the aquifer,” she said.

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A policeman’s lot is never as easy as letter writer implied

JANET M. MEANEY Burnt Hills

   Gerard F. Havasy’s Nov. 8 letter, “Glenville must cut its bloated government,” caused quite a furor in my family, as a relative is a police officer. Mr. Havasy criticized Glenville and its police department as a “laughingstock”; I think much of his letter was bloated.
   A police force of 20 is not “enormous.” If you break that number down, that could amount to six officers (two of whom might have their day off on any given day, since unlike regular nine-to-five jobs, they don’t typically get the traditional weekend off) and a supervisor per shift. The Glenville police department is currently short a supervisor, and is not being allowed to hire another. What if people get sick? That could potentially bring the number of officers on patrol for a shift down to two or three.
   If you consider Glenville as the main businesses and neighborhoods along Rte. 50, that may be acceptable. But the Glenville officers are responsible for everything from East Glenville to the Schenectady border to West Glenville and the Glenville hills. In the middle of winter, if a shift is short due to understaffing, illness, etc., and the department has to respond to multiple calls at once, those officers face treacherous roads (especially in the deep and winding hills), having no one to back them up, and the potential of walking into extreme danger.
   These officers have been fired on before. They don’t face simple traffi c stops every day. I’m shocked at the flippancy with which Mr. Havasy regards domestic disputes. Officers are called to domestic disturbances because they’ve become unmanageable to the common citizen. I’m not sure when society started referring to these situations as nonthreatening.
   No one comments about the fact that many of the officers are eligible for retirement at younger ages (most people want young, spry officers), and yet some towns won’t provide them with health insurance unless they stay on until age 55 — an age at which many organizations consider you a senior citizen. They’re rarely thanked by the people they protect. Most of the time they just get cursed by people, especially when writing a ticket for driving at a speed the person should be ashamed of.
   I may not be a Glenville taxpayer, but I am a member of a family. The Glenville police officers miss their own family’s moments (gatherings, holiday dinners, children’s concerts and sporting events) because of their schedules or being called in when the department is shorthanded.
   They cause their spouses, children and other relatives worry and fear about their safety, solely to look out for the well-being of town residents like the unappreciative Mr. Havasy. Twenty individuals working every day to protect over 25,000? To me, that doesn’t seem like nearly enough.  

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SCOTIA
Rite Aid plan key to how village will look in future
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

   When people travel over the Western Gateway Bridge into Scotia, they immediately see Jumpin’ Jack’s on the right and the Glen Sanders Mansion a little farther on the left.
   Continuing on Route 5, which becomes Mohawk Avenue, they see the familiar brick design of a McDonald’s, all boarded up and with green felt covering what had been a patio and the remnants of a dilapidated outdoor seating area.
   Driving farther into the village, there is a mix of offices, restaurants, the Scotia Cinema movie theater, Gabriel’s supermarket and a car dealership.
   Village officials would like to see a more pleasing gateway into the village.
   The Planning Board, however, is struggling with the concept as members review a proposal for a new Rite Aid at the intersection of Mohawk and Ballston avenues — the first
major intersection past Glen Sanders.
   The Rite Aid proposal, which has been before the board for about a year, has prompted some strong feelings by people who fear it may hurt the village’s character of small stores and a walkable streetscape.
   “I don’t think it’s necessary,” said Mardis Preston, a 37-year-resident who lives on Glen Avenue.
   She said she did not want to see businesses like the Scotia Diner replaced by the Rite Aid.
   Judy Goodwin, a partner in Sweat Pea Antiques on Mohawk Avenue, said another drugstore is the last thing the village needs. Instead, it should have more specialty shops to create a unique shopping experience — which is in contrast to how things are now in society.
   “We’re herded into the big boxes and it’s no fun,” she said.
   At a recent meeting, Planning Board members had some concerns with how the building would be located on the site, as well as its design. Chairman Bob Powell said that even though Rite Aid officials shifted the design to brick and added some fake windows with brick arches, it still looks a modern building with a flat roof.
   Powell said he would like to see the village maintain its unique architectural character.
   “When that store goes out, what else can go in?” he said.
   Powell said he believes that the village has a lot going for it, with its own movie theater, supermarket, banks and a park, and people can easily walk downtown. “It’s got a lot of the amenities that other towns and villages don’t have.”
   He anticipates that any changes to the village are going to be small. However, filling in the whole block with a Rite Aid would be a big change.
MODERN OR TRADITIONAL?
   For Armon Benny, former Planning Board member and current village trustee, the proposed Rite Aid is more than just the latest controversy to hit the village.
   “This is key to development of future downtown Scotia,” he said. That is why it is so important to get the design right.
   There have been more modern-looking buildings, such as the vacant McDonald’s, which closed in January 2005, on this side of the street, and there are the more traditional buildings further along on Mohawk Avenue, including the one that houses Vern’s Barbershop and the Cruise Port.
   If Rite Aid puts up a traditionallooking building, that would help unify that corner and create a more pedestrian-friendly environment. Benny noted that under the village’s original 1932 master plan, Mohawk Avenue was supposed to be a walking mall and closed to vehicular traffic.
   The current master plan, which was adopted in 2000 with a lot of community comment, called for an expansion of the core downtown, which has been from Route 50 west on Mohawk Avenue to Gabriel’s market. The plan stressed mixed use buildings of two to four stories.
   Benny said about 500 people responded to the survey for the 2000 master plan. They wanted new buildings to continue the architectural look of the village — not necessarily having all brick but having many different style. Also, they wanted the street facades to be right up to the sidewalks and historical street lighting.
   “What they don’t like — as you can imagine — is the CVS-type buildings,” he said.
   The CVS at 227 Mohawk Ave, which was built in the mid-1990s originally as a Revco, has become a frequent target for critics. People have said it is too big and does not fit in with the character of downtown with its two-story glass entrance canopy.
   “It looks like a jail. It’s just an eyesore,” said Vern Foster, who has had a barbershop at 37 Mohawk Ave. for 50 years.
   The CVS design prompted the design guidelines that grew out of the current master plan. Benny said now the Planning Board has control over the “look” of buildings and also updated its sign ordinance.
   Benny said the village is trying to avoid is wide gaps between buildings where there are parking lots. They want parking behind buildings, rather than in front or in between buildings.
   Maintaining a thriving business district is a priority for village officials.
   “I’d like to make sure what comes into our business district are viable businesses that are going to stay,” said Mayor Kris Kastberg.
   Along the main strip, the village has a series of home improvement-related businesses selling appliances to vacuum cleaners, and Kastberg said he’d like to see some more of these small type of businesses.
   Merchants seem happy with the overall business atmosphere. Anthony Lawcon, owner of All Star Body Art at 143 Mohawk Ave., said there is not a lot of foot traffic, but the merchants work together. “I really try and promote the other businesses,” he said.
   Debbie Hildenbrandt, a hairdresser at the On The Avenue Hair Salon at 125 Mohawk Ave., said she likes the different events that attract people to the village, including the Holiday on the Avenue — an annual December event where they close down Mohawk Avenue to have music and holiday-themed activities.
COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT
   As the city of Schenectady has seen some economic revitalization downtown with some more shops, county officials are looking to expand that outward to adjacent communities. Metroplex Development Authority Chairman Ray Gillen said he would like to expand to Scotia a county program to improve a community’s architecture and signs. “It’s an important way to improve the appearance and marketability of a commercial corridor,” he said.
   County Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, said she believes very strongly in improving the county’s major corridors. She planned to meet with Kastberg and would like to set up a community meeting with the merchants and residents.
   “I think it’s a beautiful community. It has great potential. I would love to partner with Metroplex to try to make investments in that area. I think there are very good, solid businesses there,” she said.
   Benny said that during the 2000 study, people had cited the need for a bakery, which the village had many years ago.
   “We’re very fortunate in Scotia to build on something that is so good. You’ve got your downtown theater that is always busy and you’ve got your downtown supermarket that is always busy,” he said.
   Foster, who said he can see the need for the Rite Aid because the CVS is so busy, said the village tends to stay the same year after year.
   “Buildings change, people change,” he said. However, the village offers a perfect environment to raise a family. “It’s a small-town atmosphere here. I don’t know of any place that has the park we do. The school system is great.”

MEREDITH L. KAISER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER The vacant McDonald’s restaurant on Mohawk Avenue in Scotia is photographed Wednesday.

MEREDITH L. KAISER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER The CVS pharmacy is pictured on Mohawk Avenue in Scotia. A proposal to build a Rite Aid drugstore has stirred some controversy over the appearance and types of businesses in the village.

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SCOTIA
Junk sailboat frustrating village officials; police look for owner
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

   An unseaworthy sailboat on North Holmes Street has frustrated village officials who are seeking to arrest its owner.
   Police have an arrest warrant for Rex Lyons, who they say has refused to remove the sailboat from his property. Lyons, 57, is charged with running an illegal junkyard.
   Mayor Kris Kastberg said the boat has been an issue for at least six years. At one point, there was also a truck on the property, but that has been removed.
   The village has been trying for several months to force Lyons to get rid of the boat, which has a broken mast and smashed windshield. Kastberg said the village’s assessor reports the boat is not worth anything.
   “It’s not something that could be salvaged. We just want it — as an eyesore — to be gone,” he said.
   At one point, the boat was on village property by being partially in the street, Kastberg said. It has since been moved a few feet over so it is now fully in Lyons’ driveway.
   “He moved it the day before we would have towed it away,” he said.
   The village cannot move the boat because it is now on private property.
   Kastberg said Lyons was issued a summons and he did not show up for his court date so there is a warrant out for his arrest.
   He said Lyons is not residing at the 14 N. Holmes St. property and he thinks he lives outside the village. This makes it difficult for officers to serve the warrant.
   Kastberg said this represents a new priority by this board to take care of neglected eyesores.
   “We’re trying to get rid of one eyesore at a time in the village,” he said.
   The village is also trying to address a former antique shop at 302 Mohawk Ave. The store has been closed for many years and the property boarded up. However, owner Robert Williams has not removed numerous pieces of furniture and other items, which fill the fi rst floor of the building. Fire officials say there is a fi re hazard.
   A summons was issued Monday , but it has not been served, according to police.

MARC SCHULTZ/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER
A sailboat is parked on the Rex Lyons property at the corner of North Holmes and Lark streets in Scotia. Lyons was issued an appearance ticket for the boat and never showed up, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, officials said.

Quoted Text

GLENVILLE
Budget has police worried about services
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net

   Department heads are still grappling with how they will carry out services with the budget the Town Board passed last month.
   The 2008 budget called for leaving vacant police officer and dispatcher positions and the layoff of another officer. The Highway Department will lose two positions.
   Police Chief Michael Ranalli said he still does not know how it will play out.
   “I’m taking a hard look at my budget now and seeing if there’s any way I can save laying off a full-training police officer, which makes no sense whatsoever,” he said. “It’s very obvious with the pending development that we have, we’re going to need him down the road.”
   Ranalli was referring to the anticipated Lowe’s Home Improvement off Freemans Bridge Road, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.
   He also was unsure how lastminute cuts to his overtime allocation — about $57,000 — will affect his department. He said he hoped to make his case to the board at a future work session.
   Ranalli said the budget is not affecting morale.
   The Police Benevolent Association union, which represents about 20 officers, has been working without a contract for nearly two years. Among some of the sticking points have been salary and health and retirement benefits. It filed for arbitration on Sept. 18.
   The union claims the department is understaffed for a town of Glenville’s size. The town had 26 officers a few years ago and is now down to 22. Spokesman Sgt. Stephen Janik has said with twoman minimum staffing, an officer is responsible for an area of about 25 square miles.
   Last year, the union filed a grievance, claiming the town dragged its feet on hiring after their staffing level dropped from 26 to a low of 19. It had planned to fi le another impact grievance against the town.
   Highway Superintendent Rick LeClair did not want to comment on his department. However, in a fact sheet he handed out at the budget meeting, he stated that he would have to eliminate services such as the loose leaf pickup program and the snow plowing would be limited to the daytime hours of 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. He also said that the number of snow plowing routes would be reduced from 12 to 10, and turnaround time for the truck in the neighborhood would be 8 to 10 hours.
   He also did not believe that the town would do much paving in 2008 since the paving line item has been substantially cut.