......again......please prove this statement wrong! Was this  monies originally proposed for mt. pleasant and hamilton hill? Pehaps someone should ask Mr. Gillen....perhaps?

Quoted from bumblethru

I hear that the money was 'shifted' and will now be the monies for the Erie Blvd. makeover......NOT for the renewal for mt. pleasantor hamilton hill for which it was originally proposed for.

Quoted from mikechristine1

And, uh, DV, close to three quarters of a million dollars must come from the city.  

A few years ago it was written the city must spend $700,000.   Don't know if that $700,000 has increased, but even if it is just $700,000, where the hell is that money going to come from??????

So, you're saying it's better to spend $700,000 on Erie Blvd rather than spending it on police?????    Did you see the news, several slashings Friday night.  

We have day time drive by shootings---where INNOCENT children walking home from the school bus could be killed-----but you think it's perfectly fine to cut the police budget and spend the money on Erie Blvd instead, huh?    What is your rational for cutting public safety????????

I don't need a "rational" for a budget that I  a) did NOT write  and b) was not a member of the government
entity that had to approve it.

I said what I said --- I would rather spend the FEDERAL GRANT on a project IN Schenectady than refuse it
and have the money spent by some other city in some other state.

Your attempts to distort what I have said and provoke a fight are  ... won't work ...   a) because I have the
right as a CITIZEN to publicly speak my opinion on any public issue ... and  b)  I will follow  President
Coolidge's advice about not arguing with  "Certain types" of people.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I said what I said --- I would rather spend the FEDERAL GRANT on a project IN Schenectady than refuse it
and have the money spent by some other city in some other state.

A grant is not an entitlement. It is issued to carry out a public purpose in support of economic stimulation.

With all the crime, empty and abandoned houses in the City, corruption within the police department and deterioration of once well-kept neighborhoods, you would rather spend a grant on Erie Blvd?
WHY WASTE ANYMORE TAXPAYER MONEY! The attitude of spending money...just to spend it is absurd. This is why Schenectady can't balance a budget.

You cannot spend what you don't have! And receipt of a grant isn't simply "free money"...it's money from my pocket, your pocket and every other taxpayer in the state. A grant is to be used wisely and $14 million to create traffic circles on Erie Blvd is criminal. The grant should be rescinded.

They wont give it to the police dept......they dont know how to manage them......and in NYS it's the unions that rule regardless of the populace.......

If we cant be brutally honest with ourselves or the entities we create.....why F'EN bother......

Quoted from 737

A grant is not an entitlement. It is issued to carry out a public purpose in support of economic stimulation.

With all the crime, empty and abandoned houses in the City, corruption within the police department and deterioration of once well-kept neighborhoods, you would rather spend a grant on Erie Blvd?
WHY WASTE ANYMORE TAXPAYER MONEY! The attitude of spending money...just to spend it is absurd. This is why Schenectady can't balance a budget.

You cannot spend what you don't have! And receipt of a grant isn't simply "free money"...it's money from my pocket, your pocket and every other taxpayer in the state. A grant is to be used wisely and $14 million to create traffic circles on Erie Blvd is criminal. The grant should be rescinded.

THANK YOU and I can attest that this is speaking for ALL 'conservative' taxpayers!!

And MC1, don't expect a 'real', truthful, factual answer from dvr, because you are 'spot on' with 'everything you have posted!!! Schenectady county is falling down around itself while Savage and crew are robbing the taxpayers blind!!! IMHO

The self described conservatives who post here ... would rather that any other city in the country get
$11 million of Federal grant money ... as long as Schenectady does NOT get it.

This kind of thinking is NOT conservative ... it is just   xxxxxxxxx
[ to see the full comments send $19.95 to
DVOR's Greatest Comebacks   ... PO Box ..... ]

It's not the governments money it's our tax dollars going down the drain, give it back to the government and pay down the debt.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The self described conservatives who post here ... would rather that any other city in the country get
$11 million of Federal grant money ... as long as Schenectady does NOT get it.

On the contrary, I WANT Schenectady to have this money! It's sorely needed - just not 14 million dollars worth of traffic circles. Do you see how absolutely stupid that is!

You talk about the Churches on Crane Street, how about using this grant to begin some urban renewal in Mt. Pleasant? Make a circle there too if it makes you feel better. But the neighborhoods need this grant. Schenectady needs to start taking care of the taxpayers...we pay too much to have grants wasted.

Ok....here is the question..............say the city takes $14M and sinks it into hamilton hill and mt. pleasant. Will the scumbag drug addicts, prostitutes, street gang members all of a sudden become 'civilized'! Will it change the heart and minds of the scum that have now overtaken these, what use to be, nice neighborhoods???

Quoted from bumblethru

Ok....here is the question..............say the city takes $14M and sinks it into hamilton hill and mt. pleasant. Will the scumbag drug addicts, prostitutes, street gang members all of a sudden become 'civilized'! Will it change the heart and minds of the scum that have now overtaken these, what use to be, nice neighborhoods???

ONLY if a portion (a LARGE portion) is used for police IN that neighborhood. Not some civie sitting behind a camera as he chugs diet coke and smokes, but actual officers, on the streets, 24x7x365.  That's when change will happen in those areas.

Ever see "Back To The Future"?

Schenectady reminds me of Hill Valley, had Biff won the election.



Marty is not pleased.

LOL

Quoted from bumblethru

Ok....here is the question..............say the city takes $14M and sinks it into hamilton hill and mt. pleasant. Will the scumbag drug addicts, prostitutes, street gang members all of a sudden become 'civilized'! Will it change the heart and minds of the scum that have now overtaken these, what use to be, nice neighborhoods???

Absolutely agree. Would never suggest to give the addicts new needle grounds. Not being an urban planner and taking the wise advice of MT (a constant police presence is needed), I would suggest to clear out garbage neighborhood by neighborhood. If the drug dealers won't go, get the police to put them either in jail or, at the very least, give them the incentive to get out of our City. Put grant money in neighborhood groups and citizens in that area willing to make a change. Get that diner back on Crane, get a Gallo, put a number of small businesses on Crane to look out for one another and create a more stable atmosphere.

But really, MT stated it right, Schenectady has to clean out the garbage before it can begin improvements. My point though is this, before spending a $14 million dollar grant, a rational, well thought out plan is needed before even the first dollar is handed over!

Bottom line - yes. The 14 million from the feds is endowed for ONLY this project. It can't be appropriated to another worthwhile cause.  Yes, if we didn't accept it, some other county would have gotten it.

The problem is, we don't have the $700k that is our obligational portion of it. It's just not there. We can't go further into debt to pay for something that was solely done to rid the corridor of one adult business and one gun shop.

I had the occassion to travel State St (the rest of state, not the miracle mile) toward Colonie this weekend. I was floored that the entire length is now one lane.  I chatted with one of my city employee friends (who is very much in favor of it) and his response was that it makes you slow down, check out the businesses on the road, and make it easier for you to enter/exit those businesses.  Funny, Colonie (the other end of State/Rt5) doesn't have that issue.  He had no reply.

Erie (at that end) doesn't need "fixing". Let the grant go. IF - and it's a big IF, there's going to be development at ALCO, work on the infrastructure down there. Fix the dang road that eats car front ends for breakfast/lunch/dinner.  Do something about the speeders. Do something about the jay walkers. Improve the infrastructure, then build @ ALCO. People will come if it looks nice and WORKS. If you leave it as the pothole ridden crime ridden area that it is, who, in their right mind, would WANT to live there?

Let the grant go. We haven't got the $.  Let's tell Washington to stop giving out "grants" of our taxpayer money, for stupid sh*t like this. Tell them we need money to fix our drainage, our antiquated utilities, our roads, our crime. Then I'll agree to "grants" - but not for stupid crap like this.

End of rant.

Quoted from 737

On the contrary, I WANT Schenectady to have this money! It's sorely needed - just not 14 million dollars worth of traffic circles. Do you see how absolutely stupid that is!

You talk about the Churches on Crane Street, how about using this grant to begin some urban renewal in Mt. Pleasant? Make a circle there too if it makes you feel better. But the neighborhoods need this grant. Schenectady needs to start taking care of the taxpayers...we pay too much to have grants wasted.

The bulk of that $14 million is a FEDERAL grant that can ONLY be spent on the Erie Blvd project ,.. otherwise it must be sent back to the Federal government.  
Mont Pleasant needs a federal grant ---- I was part of the Mont Pleasant neighborhood group that got
a nearly $200,000 grant for Mont Pleasant a few years back.   Unfortunately, the city and the
neighborhood group chose to spend the money on trees and planters  --- which didn't do much to help
the Mont Pleasant business district.