The Chamber of Schenectady County has canceled the planned renovation of two historic buildings that were supposed to serve as the chamber’s new home and visitor’s center.
Instead, the buildings at 252-254 Union St. in Schenectady’s Stockade neighborhood will be put up for sale. The long-vacant homes, which were built in the 1850s, proved too costly to renovate given the tough economy, said Charles Steiner, president of the chamber.
The buildings are located across from the Van Dyck Restaurant & Brewery. That historic site was recently purchased at auction by a family that owns three Schenectady restaurants after the former owner declared bankruptcy.
The chamber had raised $870,000 in state matching grants and other sources but realized it would be difficult to fill the remaining gap through private fundraising. The renovations were estimated to cost $1.5 million to $2 million.
“The reality is that the current economic climate makes this project too great a financial burden for the chamber to pursue,” said Angelo Mazzone, the chamber’s board chairman.
Steiner has been authorized by the board to release all dedicated grants for the project.
One building, known as the Gillette house, had its exterior renovated by Schenectady County government several years ago but the interior wasn’t yet suitable for offices. The building next door, known as the Millington house, had asbestos siding removed by the county, but more work was needed, Steiner said.
The county spent several hundred thousand dollars on renovations before selling the properties to the chamber in September 2007 for $1.
The Chamber had intended to move its headquarters from 306 State St. to one of the buildings; the other building would have served as the new home for the Schenectady Heritage Area exhibit, which is currently located at the Schenectady Museum.
The Gillette home is the former home of Dr. Elizabeth Van Rensselaer Gillette, the first female doctor in the city. In 1919, she became the first upstate woman elected to the New York State Assembly.
So if the 'county taxpayers' paid hundreds of thousands of dollars on repairs, and then sold to the chamber for $1, and now the chamber is going to sell......who should the revenue from the sale?
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
So if the 'county taxpayers' paid hundreds of thousands of dollars on repairs, and then sold to the chamber for $1, and now the chamber is going to sell......who should the revenue from the sale?
Anyone want to lay bet as to which legislators were against the whole scheme? And which just went along like a sheeple?
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
SCHENECTADY Gillette House project halted Chamber says raising $800K more impossible BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Nine years and half a million dollars after Schenectady County began trying to rehabilitate the Gillette House, the project has sputtered to an end. The Chamber of Schenectady County announced Tuesday that it was throwing in the towel on the project that would have created a historic tourism center at the Union Street entrance to the city’s oldest neighborhood. The state was willing to put $1.3 million into the project, but that wasn’t enough, chamber President Charles Steiner said. He said they would need to raise at least another $800,000 in private donations. “This is not the best time,” he said. “We can’t raise that kind of money in this financial situation. In all honesty, we felt this was the best direction, to end this now.” The building will be sold as is, with a $300,000 exterior update, a small lawn that has been thoroughly cleansed of any asbestos and lead paint chips, and a gutted, currently uninhabitable interior. The chamber will also try to sell the Millington House, which is next to the Gillette House and has not been improved in any way. That house, which is in poor condition, was to have been connected to the Gillette House to make room for a historic tourism center and the chamber’s offices. After the $500,000 repair work the county sold both buildings to the chamber for $1 last year. Steiner said he would not try to make money on the planned sale, adding that he’s willing to sell the houses to anyone for any purpose, commercial or residential. The chamber will likely have to return $800,000 in unspent state grants, but Steiner said he will ask for permission to use some of them on other projects. He blamed the economy for the unsuccessful venture, but critics have long called the project a boondoggle. “You can’t change reality with a hope and a prayer,” said county Legislator Joseph Suhrada, R-Rotterdam, who opposed the project. “Taxpayers dollars were wasted, just wasted. I knew it was a money pit. I hate to say so, but I told you so.” Others, including the leaders of Suhrada’s party, looked at the house a decade ago and saw past the peeling paint, rickety foundation and rotten walls. Republican Minority Leader Robert Farley, R-Glenville, saw a monument to the first woman ever elected to the state Legislature, a Schenectady doctor who made it to the Assembly before women had the right to vote. COUNTY SUPPORT He and his father, Sen. Hugh Farley, championed the project. Sen. Farley, R-Niskayuna, pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into it, through his own member item grants and with crucial support for other state grants. Suhrada dismissed their efforts — and the later efforts of city Democrats who supported the project — as politically motivated. “It was just done to collect votes from the liberal voters in the Stockade,” he said. “Political minds with visions of grandeur trying to get votes in the Stockade.” Others said the project was the ideal place for a historic tourism center, despite the cost. They said they had no regrets about supporting the project, even now. “It makes perfect sense that a visitor center ultimately be located in the most historic part of the city,” said Mayor Brian U. Stratton, DSchenectady, who also supported the project when he was a county legislator. “We’ve been working on this project a long, long time. I think it’s an unfortunate sign of the economic times we’re going through — this is another casualty.” Legislator Karen Johnson, DSchenectady, added...............................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00101
Opinion: Now that taxpayers have paid $500,000 in renovations/improvements and the Chamber bought it for $1 from the taxpayers ... the Chamber should be returning any profit above $1 to the taxpayers.
This property should also be "blacklisted" against any future taxpayer assisted improvements/grants/etc that may come from the DSIC, Metroplex or any taxpayer/tax funded pool. If there's much more work to be done, the house should be leveled and made a shovel ready site. If it's important enough to the fans of the Gillette's, with no disrespect intended, then they, individuals should pony up the expenses, not look for MORE taxpayer handouts.
This should really come as no surprise to any of us! Almost everything the plex or anyother tax government handout program has invested in has failed the taxpayers miserably. I don't know how they can all look at themselves in the mirror everyday. And I wonder if they sleep well at night.
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
Who was against this fraud, this taxpayer ripoff? JOE SUHRADA. A lonely voice for the taxpayer and small business people. A pro-tax Chamber, that is losing members, cannot afford this farce.
Over a million County taxpayers dollars were thrown into this ripoff. Absolutely disgusting. A visitor center for a City with no visitors. The head of the Chamber should be resigning in disgrace today, along with horrible Death Ray. If and when the building does sell the money should revert to the County taxpayers. The lack of anger from the taxpaying sheeple is unbelievable.
Logged
Who was against this fraud, this taxpayer ripoff? JOE SUHRADA. A lonely voice for the taxpayer and small business people. A pro-tax Chamber, that is losing members, cannot afford this farce.
