Downtown Schenectady did get a facelift.  At the cost of the taxpayer.  But the crime hasnt changed and the people that use those businesses are still the same.  The gangs run rampant through the city.  Several different bands and all locations.  And you cant count downtown as the "whole" of Schenectady.  Even in the day time, there is crime there.  You wouldnt catch me out there after dark.

So what really has "improved"?  Nothing.  Just a few coats of paint.  

Quoted from Gemini

Downtown Schenectady did get a facelift.  At the cost of the taxpayer.  But the crime hasnt changed

Ya, the crime has changed.  Now with people walking around, there's more pan handlers, violence at the bars and more.  Up the street a little, more shelters for homeless means more drunks and homeless using the sidewalk as their personal urinals.

Ya, the crime has changed - and increased tenfold

Quoted from benny salami

If Metrograft made any efforts on Ground Round {and who cares?} they have failed miserably. Metrograft is also helping lease St James Square-how's that going? Another total flop. Schenectady County has the highest area unemployment rate, highest property tax rate and a City/County government that is strongly anti-business.

      The Ground Round had sat vacant for years, just like every business on State St from Erie to the Mohawk River BECAUSE of the DEMS efforts. Government cannot create jobs but it can create a favorable business climate. This they have failed to do. The Ground Round is hardly unique. Look at Van Vranken-2 Italian institutions vacant. Bellevue empty storefront after empty storefront. Please list all the new retail that has come to this County after 6 years of Death Ray/SS Savage "efforts". A total joke and taxpayer ripoff.

Ground Round building is empty because any sane business person WOULD NOT open a business there. No different on themiracle 2 blocks of state street. Those businesses DON'T PAY TAXES!! Some have gone bankrupt and left the taxpayers high and dry.

The ONLY people making money are the 'chosen few' developers. The ones that give hefty campaign contributions to the liberal socialist party. IMHO of course!

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

.
Third - it is obvious that you are BLIND to the actual improvements that have come to Downtown
           Schenectady ....  .....  .... the rest of us positive thinking --
            future-oriented folks who LOVE our County will keep  working together until the job is finished.

Quoted Text

Quote from MobileTerminal    on October 14, 2010, 4:46pm

      que MikeChristine ... go for it!

Apologies, I just got reading this thread.    In response to DV:

1.  Far from being "BLIND to ...."    You left out some words in that phrase, DV.   It's supposed to be, "BLIND to the actual improvements [b]to personal bank accounts of the well heeled business owners [/b]that have come to downtown to take advantage of savage thievery of the financially struggling homeowners of Schenectady."

2.   And DV's reference to "until the job is finished."  Yeah, it will be finished when homeowners all leave the city.

DV , would you care to explain why there is a record number of vacant houses in the city?
Would you please tell us why so many homeonwers have put their houses for sale?
Can you please explain why the rich wellheeled are exempt from paying taxes while the financially struggling, and often fixed income, homeowners have to pay their own taxes AND the taxes for the businesses??   Can you explain WHY taxing the poor and giving to the rich is a good thing?   Can you explain why it's a good thing for elderly people to go without medicine in order to pay higher taxes to pay the taxes for the millionaires?   Why do you avoid answering these direct questions?

Actually, it was sad to see the Howard Johnson-Ground Round chain go down the drain.   I have fond memoriesof my grandparents driving us to the Howard Johnson's on Rte 7 in Latham for Sunday dinner and .. if it was
a special occasion and the weather was cooperative  ..  my grandfather would drive us up to the Howard
Johnson's in Lake George for Sunday dinner.

Another cool place that they enjoyed to take us for Sunday dinner was the Tepee Restaurant in Amsterdam.
That was reserved for events like Polish Sunday at Auriesville in July.

Most of the time when my grandparents took us on day trips, my grandmother would pack a picnic lunch for us all.    That brings me to my other memory -- they had one of those huge Caddies with the tail fins from the
late 1950's.    They could pack at least 6 of the grandkids in the back seat.  
Everyday of summer vacation was an adventure ---- my grandfather would get up about 6 AM .. and go
downstairs and tell my grandmother about some place he had read about and wanted to see  or remember
some place that she or one of us had expressed and interest in --- then within 30 minutes .. we were up,
washed, dressed, ate breakfast -- while my grandfather got the car packed with supplies... and off we went
for the day.

What does any of this have to do with jacksh!t?

ah, a stroll down memory lane.

Tempus Fugit, memento mori

So heres the story about that Ground Round from what I remember.

I was involved in the Ground Round Local franchise with a guy named Mr. Wu?  

Anyways, I was brought in before that one closed to work on their computer and POS terminals.  

Mr. Wu decided to close that location  and focus on 2 other ones he had, one down at the Hudson Valley Mall and the other one in Hartford? NY.

The one he opened down south was actually very successful, until one of his employees was killed in the kitchen by either another employee or sig. other.  IT was only open maybe a few weeks?

He apparently couldnt recover the business after that for whatever the reason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Valley_Mall

In the end, I was stiffed something like $20k in labor and parts for working on all 3 stores, the mall was also stiffed.

Once again, DV refuses to answer the question.

He keeps saying schenectady is improved but NEVER provides any proof.

He talks about the "regressives" in a negative way, and then talks about the good old days.  Yeah, DV, the good old days in Schenectady when people did NOT pay high taxes, when your dem buddies did not screw and rob the taxpayers, the good old days when it was safe for children to play outside --today it's not safe for families INSIDE their own homes!   The good old days when our tax dollars were returned to us in the form of city serivces instead of today when our tax dollars are given to savage's crony millionaires.  The good old days when houses were built because there was a NEED because people were moving into the city, rather than today when taxes are raised to build housing in a city where there is more EXISTING VACANT housing than any city needs, i.e, there is no need nor reason on the face of this earth to build more housing ---not in the ALCO location nor ANYWHERE in this city,  DV, have you opened your eyes yet?  People are LEAVING THE CITY IN DROVES.  Have you not seen all the for sale signs???????   Drive around and see reality instead of speaking from your fairy tale dream world

Quoted from 147

Ya, the crime has changed.  Now with people walking around, there's more pan handlers, violence at the bars and more.  Up the street a little, more shelters for homeless means more drunks and homeless using the sidewalk as their personal urinals.

Ya, the crime has changed - and increased tenfold

What I meant by that was it is still there.  It didnt go away.  It didnt make it a nicer place.  Just tried to make the facade look better.  A cleaner sidewalk for the hookers to walk on.  

Ya, I was agreeing with you basically Gemini.

MC - you can choose to be negative and sit in your cesspool of negativity.

I refuse to be dragged down there with you .. so keep posting your vile insults and negativity.
It doesn't hurt me or bother me in the least.

Quoted from 147

Ya, I was agreeing with you basically Gemini.

Its almost sickening how there are some that will turn a blind eye to what really happens.  A couple of years ago, a few friends and myself, were inquiring into the new arts studios on Jay Street.  The place was looking nice and clean.  All the shops were getting filled.  But the crime in the area was unreal.  But the sad part is that people really dont stop and look at it.  They walk by like nothing is wrong.  I recently attended a seminar about gang activity in Schenectady.  I was floored at what I learned.  I thought I knew what was going on but I was wrong.  There was so much more that we dont see.  And people try to cover this up to "make the city look and feel better".  Some areas are getting cleaned up but the crime just moves over a couple of blocks and continues.  Its getting worse in the outlying areas as well.  I am a former city resident from a once decent neighborhood.  I got out as fast as I could.  I still work in Schenectady though, so I still see it and have to deal with it on a daily basis.  But at least now I know I can go to sleep at night and not have to worry what will happen next.  

Besides the Ground Rpund  and the Howard Johnson restaurants, the HoJo company used to
also operate a much smaller chain of Red Coach restaurants ---- the last one was the one driectly
across from Great Escape.    The Red Coach was "high end" -- always a great place for a special
romantic dinner.

The old Red Coach in Queensbury has now been incorporated into the new Water Parl and Hotel.

[quote=800   The Red Coach was "high end" -- always a great place for a special
romantic dinner.

[/quote]


He knows, huh?    lol