The Gazette reported that upspent money from the Metroplex will help fund sideewalk repairs on Union Street.

Quoted Text

Metroplex funds to fix sidewalks Unspent money going to Upper Union Street project, tree trimming
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    Metroplex Development Authority gave the city permission Monday to use $55,000 in unspent Metroplex funds to start fixing the sidewalks on Upper Union.
    The money was left over from Stratton Plaza and other recent paving projects, all of which have been completed. It will be used for the first phase of a two-year streetscape project in the upper Union Street business district. Business owners have been lobbying for better sidewalks for more than a year.

    The Gazette went on to say:
  

Quoted Text

In phase two — which is not yet funded — the Union Street business district will get indented parking similar to the street parking near Proctors on State Street. As proposed, the new parking area will be built near Gershon’s Deli, although some details of the project are still being negotiated with business owners and residents.
    The city will also build new sidewalks on Union Street, from Garner Avenue to Dean Street, and Lakewood Avenue will be paved.

Oh, so it wasn't good enough that they screwed up downtown with that stupid parking/driving junk - now they want to mess with Union St, the only successful retail shopping area in the city.  Ya, that makes sense.

Upper Union Street is also in a decline. Many empty storefronts and businesses for sale with no takers. The problem? Ridiculous City/County taxes.

     The article pretends that everything Downtown is peachy keen. Take a look at State St between Erie Blvd. and the YMCA. Neutron bomb site-buildings up with no people. Schenectady Federal Closed, dozens of empty storefronts and Ray's "Renaissance" Creator where Robinson's Furniture used to be.

     The sidewalks on Union St are in horrible condition but the City, Store owners together with the Upper Union St BID should fund a solution. Not the County taxpayers! Note to ambulance chasers: the sidewalk between Baker and Keyes is especially poor.

Do they really really think that if the sidewalks are repaired, it will help business?  They threw money at the 2 blocks of State street and look at it!!

Ya know, the plex's short-sighted vision was a wonderland of Proctors (the arts section), with upscale lofts with a mere rent of $2,000/mo. White collar businesses with high paying jobs. Restaurants. etc....

Well they failed to look beyond State Street and see what's around them. So what they ended up with is a money pit called Proctors and an arts section that brings 'the few'. Upscale lofts that NO ONE can afford. And for the white collar businesses, that amounted to bell boys, bartenders and movie theater attendants.

So now it's to the sidewalks of Union Street. Repairs that the businesses taxes should be paying for to begin with. The plex should be disband before it wastes even more of our money.

The upscale lofts remain empty. The music is ending and the taxpayers do not have a chair. Funds wasted on curbs, fancy lighting and sidewalks untouched by human feet.

     Metrograft's Arts and Drunks District {A&DD} is a complete disaster. $3 million in taxpayer dollars for the Big Hose that could have gone to starting new industrial sites in Rotterdam or Duanesburg instead flushed down the pishaloo.

      Now the latest "scheme", the horrible DSIC is talking about buying a building Downtown instead of renting. Another building pulled off the City tax rolls, another waste of business funds. Meanwhile in Troy, no County tax increase, no City tax increase, no DSIC and no useless Metrograft. A real urban "renaissance" not funded by ripping off the sheeple taxpayers.

I say we all drag our bathtubs downtown and have bathtub gin party.....costumes and all......

Let me see......what was the dress trend during the Boston Tea Party??????