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SCHENECTADY
Budget has no room for winter carnival this year
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    There will be no winter carnival this year.
    And those who want to skate on Iroquois Lake will have to clear the ice themselves. The city plows won’t remove the snow.
    “Certain things are not going to happen any longer,” Commissioner of General Services Carl Olsen said. “With the current financial dilemmas we face, the costs are difficult to justify when there are programs people enjoy far more that we need money for.”
    The carnival, which Olsen created in 2008, would have cost $10,000 to $12,000, even after many city workers volunteered their time to reduce expenses.
    That was just too much at a time when the state has delayed the last 10 percent of its 2009 aid and may drastically cut aid this year. So Olsen made the difficult decision to cancel. ............>>>>..............>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....p;   

I hope the city doesn't decide that putting trucks on the ice to clear the snow for skaters is a "good idea" again .. the last 3-4 years have been disasterous for them - one each year has fallen thru the ice.  On the other hand, it was a good excuse to build up the current fleet of city owned trucks. /tic

Finally, someone in this county decided that we can't afford to do everything for everybody...at least not right now.  Give them a few months and they'll decide they made a mistake and you'll see a new outdoor ice rink built in the park for next year.

If folks want an ice rink one idea could be some of the folks in the neighborhood associations band together volunteer to create one.  From what I understand one can be built without having to be on the pond.  As far as clearing the snow.  Used to be folks who wanted to skate brought their own shovels.  Time to do that again.

Nobody will miss it except the Gazetto editorial staff. This was their only "renaissance" idea.

     MT's point about the truck was right on. This became an eagerly anticipated yearly event-first truck to submerge. $10,000 savings? It must be worse then we thought. Next eliminate Kosiur's County job and holiday camp.

We're allk trying to get to Florida.  What's up with the Winter Carnival?  Nip it in the bud!

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SCHENECTADY
Fans of skating pressure city to clear off ice on park’s lake
Mayor says money not in the budget
BY JASON SUBIK Gazette Reporter

    People who might be described as friends of the ice gathered at Central Park Saturday to skate in the near-balmy weather and protest the city’s decision to no longer plow Iroquois Lake.
    Lifelong Schenectady resident Karen Kirstein organized the event. She said she’s not sure how many people were at the park but she believes there were as many as 95 on the ice at the peak period of the day. She sent out e-mails to everyone she knows and put fliers in 400 mailboxes to promote the event.
    “It was just great. People came and shoveled. Most of the snow was off the pond. I wish some city officials had been there because I think they would have gotten a really good feel for it,” she said. “I hope the city will reconsider plowing at least part of the lake and working with some interested community members so we can together bring this about to make skating better for families than it has been recently.”
    Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton said that over the last several years, Schenectady has damaged two expensive vehicles on the lake trying to plow it. City officials had discussed purchasing smaller equipment to help clear the lake, but right now the money isn’t there.
    “We just can’t afford it in our budget,” he said. “We were admonished last year for foolishly putting another pickup truck on the ice after another had fallen through, so we don’t want to keep doing that. Those are $30,000 to $40,000 vehicles.”
    Kirstein said when she was younger the city used to provide music and restrooms for ice skating.
    Kirstein said “We aren’t doing this because we’re mad at the city. We’re doing this because we love this city. This seemingly inconsequential thing is one of the things that made people love this city and want to live here. We just wonder why it has to be all or nothing. Either we plow the whole thing and maybe lose a truck every year or never again, we’re all done with it. There should be an in between.” ..............>>>>.................>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01102&AppName=1

It's time that these lazy people learn to grab a shovel and clear the ice the same way we used to do when we were kids.

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There should be an in between.

There is .. and you and your 95 volunteers that are going to use it, completed the task with shovels.  Congrats! Hope you enjoy it.  Why should the rest of the population have to pay for it?

95 out of how many residents?

What bullsh%t!  You don't need the city to plow the damn ice.  I had to shovel the town skating area when I wa a kid.  We all did in my neighborhood.  I was a terrible skater and on my rear more than on my skates but we still ALL did it.  Even my parents did.  Did they do away with the rink downtown?

Quoted from Shadow

It's time that these lazy people learn to grab a shovel and clear the ice the same way we used to do when we were kids.

There isn't even an inch of snow-95 people could have cleared the entire lake. Let these criers hire a plow out of there kick. Alley-the rink was removed years ago for a indoor soccer. Now that has also been demolished as part of "renaissance".

Then they have no choice--SHOVE..L IT!

Quoted from 539

What bullsh%t!  You don't need the city to plow the damn ice.  I had to shovel the town skating area when I wa a kid.  We all did in my neighborhood.  I was a terrible skater and on my rear more than on my skates but we still ALL did it.  Even my parents did.

Same here! My parents didn't rely on the government for anything and taught us the same. It was the old adage....if ya wanna eat, ya gotta work!

If ya wanna skate....shovel it!

Quoted from Cel

If folks want an ice rink one idea could be some of the folks in the neighborhood associations band together volunteer to create one.  From what I understand one can be built without having to be on the pond.  As far as clearing the snow.  Used to be folks who wanted to skate brought their own shovels.  Time to do that again.

Great idea.

Take a look at old Schenectady photos, I remember seeing one in a book by Larry Hart, taken probably in the 20's or 30's?  The lake in the park was mobbed with people, kind of looked like Crossgates on black Friday in a good economy.  And you have to wonder, back then, there were no snowplows to begin with.  

Quoted from mikechristine1

Great idea.

Take a look at old Schenectady photos, I remember seeing one in a book by Larry Hart, taken probably in the 20's or 30's?  The lake in the park was mobbed with people, kind of looked like Crossgates on black Friday in a good economy.  And you have to wonder, back then, there were no snowplows to begin with.  

but of course there is the 'legal beagle issue'....you know, who gets hurt who will pay...sue your neighbor, sue your brother etc...
no wonder there are insurance issues whether it be car/home/health insurance.....we all sit around with great ideas until---------
someone needs to be made as the 'Jesus' of the idea if it comes to someone getting hurt........we have already built a machine
called our current legislature(lawyers as our representatives, thought we were smart huh?) and it isn't Jesus.....