Quoted Text

Schenectady gets lead program cash
By Lauren Stanforth Staff Writer
Published: 12:00 a.m., Friday, January 21, 2011

SCHENECTADY -- The city will get $3.2 million from the federal government to help remediate lead paint hazards.

The award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was the largest in the state outside New York City under the Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control program.

The money will be used to eliminate lead hazards in 225 private homes and to conduct outreach and education in reducing lead-paint exposure. Lead-based paint, which was discontinued in 1978, can cause stunted developmental growth and aggression in children when ingested as paint chips. Remediation often means replacing windows and doors and teaching the importance of routine floor vacuuming and sweeping.

Normally the city would need to provide a 25 percent match to get the funds. But Director of Development Richard Purga said Schenectady received a waiver that allows it to provide only 10 percent, which will be matched with in-kind services from the county and state health departments.................>>>>..............>>>>.............Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/defa.....66.php#ixzz1BfkUYpp8

This is beyond all stupidity. The feds gave the City a lead grant for 1.4 million in 2008 (for 200 Schenectady homes) and last week the Council said that they had no clue where that money went to. The person in charge of that program is long gone....

Now there's a NEW grant for $3.4 million for 225 homes.

As a homeowner, I've never heard of a lead program in Schenectady, nor have I ever heard of this from the code enforcement office. So my question is WHERE DID THE $1.4 MILLION from the first grant go? The City has 'contributed', no let me rephrase that, over $700,000 of taxpayer money has gone to the federal government for a grant homeowners have never seen.

If the feds are this ignorant to give a City 2 grants without knowing if the first grant was used properly...then no wonder why the Country is $14 trillion in debt.

The money was spent on everything but the taxpayer.

Quoted from rachel72

This is beyond all stupidity. The feds gave the City a lead grant for 1.4 million in 2008 (for 200 Schenectady homes) and last week the Council said that they had no clue where that money went to. The person in charge of that program is long gone....

What's new? Another indication of the wonderful public administrators in City Hall. They can't afford the matching grant! They laid off the program administrator. The $1.4 MILLION disappeared into the wind. Nobody cares. No one fired-no accountability-nobody knows from nuthin. Monkey business as usual under the DEM morons.

     The City does not need a Director of Development it needs a forensic accountant. Meanwhile, the worst Mayor in history is picking up an award in Washington. This is a major problem. Judging from City election results too many eat paint chips.

Maybe there should be some jail time if the funds were misappropriated.

Quoted from benny salami

What's new? Another indication of the wonderful public administrators in City Hall. They can't afford the matching grant! They laid off the program administrator. The $1.4 MILLION disappeared into the wind. Nobody cares. No one fired-no accountability-nobody knows from nuthin. Monkey business as usual under the DEM morons.

     The City does not need a Director of Development it needs a forensic accountant. Meanwhile, the worst Mayor in history is picking up an award in Washington. This is a major problem. Judging from City election results too many eat paint chips.

hahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Waaaaaite for it.......Waaaite for it......Waaaite.......................................................anything?....yeah, I didn't think so

Another waste of money. They wll probably strip the lead out of 20 old houses and within 10 years they will all be torn down anyway.

Quoted from rachel72

This is beyond all stupidity. The feds gave the City a lead grant for 1.4 million in 2008 (for 200 Schenectady homes) and last week the Council said that they had no clue where that money went to. The person in charge of that program is long gone....

Now there's a NEW grant for $3.4 million for 225 homes.

As a homeowner, I've never heard of a lead program in Schenectady, nor have I ever heard of this from the code enforcement office. So my question is WHERE DID THE $1.4 MILLION from the first grant go? The City has 'contributed', no let me rephrase that, over $700,000 of taxpayer money has gone to the federal government for a grant homeowners have never seen.

If the feds are this ignorant to give a City 2 grants without knowing if the first grant was used properly...then no wonder why the Country is $14 trillion in debt.

Costs the US Mint 9 cents to make a nickel.   The penny is not cost effective either.  Now you know where the money goes.

Time to get some "other lead" out.    VOTE

And pray tell what will the "in-kind" services be and who will monitor same?

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Another waste of money. They wll probably strip the lead out of 20 old houses and within 10 years they will all be torn down anyway.

Think this falls under the heading of job creation.   Gets the lead out while planning ahead for secure jobs in the demolition field.

$3.4 Mil for only 225 homes?  Are you kidding?  Are these homes going to be lined with gold?  

Seriously, nothing will get done.  Look at all the old siding on the houses.  The house I moved out of had it and it was broken in several spots.  There were even boxes of it in the basement.  Im sure there was lead paint in that place.  No one ever fixed that place up.  Just kept painting over and over.  I made sure the place was well painted and sealed.  Do I think the landlord will fix it up before someone else moves in?  I doubt it.  

someone should check into this 'better homes' and find out how much these 'rehabbed green houses' are costing. I hear from a resident on cutler street that there was a house that was practically rebuilt from top to bottom. It got vandialized and had to be practically rebuilt all over again.

How much did THAT cost and how much will they sell it for? sounds like a loss to me....no?

They have to 'pay off' the slum lord gangstas somehow......otherwise it will be a scorched earth policy.....

Somebody is going to get their pockets lined with gold.