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SCHENECTADY
College asks city for new crosswalks
Union offers to pay for Seward Place work
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    Union College is asking the city to build some new crosswalks in the streets around Seward Place and says it will pick up the tab.
    City Engineer Paul Casillo told the City Council at its committees meeting Monday that college officials requested the city install new brickstamped cross walks at Seward’s intersection with Nott Street, Union Street and Roger Hull Place. The city is in the process of rebuilding the crumbling Seward Place road.
    Casillo estimated the cost of the crosswalks at about $140,000. These are the high-end crosswalks similar to the ones the city installed on Van Vranken Avenue and come with a sevenyear warranty.
    Councilman Carl Erikson unsuccessfully sought to persuade his colleagues that the city should get Union to pay for crosswalks elsewhere in the city or charge more than what it costs to install them.
    Corporation Counsel L. John Van Norden said the city can’t legally do that. “It’s not a profi tmaking enterprise,” he said.
    McCarthy said there are ongoing discussions with Union to get some additional money from the college to help fund city services. The college does not pay property taxes.
    He pointed out that the former Ramada Inn would have brought in about $1.3 million in tax revenue since its conversion to a dormitory and removal from the city tax rolls. ......................>>>>........................>>>>.............................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1

Mc Carthy points out that the former Ramada Inn would be on the tax rolls if Union didn't convert it into dorms?!? HA HA...that's pretty funny!

Before casting stones at Union (we know how much McCarthy wants to win the election, so he's going to try to discredit Union as a jab to Hull), let's look at the facts. IF Union didn't use the Ramada, it would either be

1) an empty crack house with no taxes being paid on it
2) given to Galesi for $1 and still off the tax rolls

Of course McCarthy can't look at Downtown and shame those businesses as they are ALL off the taxrolls...I mean he used to be on the Plex board. He had a part in creating the tax burden. The Downtown is costing $100 million in lost money to the City and schools since its inception.

For sure in any debate or Q&A session the candidates have for this year's election, the residents of the city - to pay taxes either via being homeowners or the renters whose taxes have been raised to cover the massive tax increases - they MUST attend sessions and demand answers from the candidates.  

Clearly, Hull is the lesser of the evils between him and McCarthy, yet BOTH are indeed responsible for making tons of properties 100% tax exempt.  The homeowners are struggling financially even without the MASSIVE tax increases forced upon them by the city and county dems.

They must attend the debates or Q&A sessions and ask these questions.  Ask when they will be given their hard earned money back, ask when the city will give them tax exemptions, ask the city when the city will pay for the repairs on thie houses, etc.   Ask when the millionaires are going to pay their own taxes.

And the people that come to these boards that are city residents are the ones who will have to start the ball rolling  They could start by attending council meetings and start talking to others who attend meetings (I really don't believe that all the people who attend meetings even know that they are paying their own taxes (either as homeowners or through their rent) as well as the taxes of the downtown millioniares and all the properites Hull started making the homeowners pay by taking all the properties off the tax rolls.

Through word of mouth and dear editor letters.  But it has to start with those of you on this board who are city residents.  

Interesting, the turn- around on Union College by BS and his acolytes. At the time Seward Place was first redone, Union College was the Salvation of Schenectady. A street named Roger Hull Way? BS believed that if he sucked up, catered and kowtowed enough, the school was going to hand over money and he would be wonderful.
That crosswalk was a mess shortly after it was done. We gave up hundred-year-old trees for that mess. Nothing against Union, but why are college students any more deserving of safety than any other residents? Try crossing the street, anyplace.

Union college should be considered the jewel of the city instead of proctors!! There have been many doctors and other professionals that graduated from union and set up practice in schenectady. At least Union college produces 'something' that can give back to the community.

And to the point of union college students being more deserving.......is proctors or for that matter all of the metroplex business connections more deserving? At lease Union 'educates' and invests in the future with results!

Quoted from bumblethru

Union college should be considered the jewel of the city instead of proctors!! There have been many doctors and other professionals that graduated from union and set up practice in Schenectady. At least Union college produces 'something' that can give back to the community.

  Mayor Stratton refused to do anything with Union College while his ex-wife worked there. Once she left he continued to do nothing. Like in every other area. Another example of DEM working together works idiocy.

     Union is a crown jewel of the City. The Nott Memorial is one of the most beautiful buildings on any campus. Roger Hull is right in saying the DEM morons would have just wasted any funds the college gave them. Once he is elected Mayor then some serious financial help will be coming. Not before. For once City voters have a clear choice between continuing the failed DEM working together nonsense or bringing in qualified independents Roger Hull, Vince Riggi and Heather Dukes.