the numbers don't tell a thing....reality will show up and then who will have egg on their faces....enuf with apts....enuf with banks...enuf with resturants...
enuf enuf......nothing will match what was .....and losing most of what made the city great....that's a whole "nuther" story...
It is a great project. A great reuse of this long neglected site. It - along with other Metroplex projects - will be a major part of the continued RENAISSANCE of Schenectady County.
Only the nayboobs/constant critics who have never done ANYTHING to help build up or improve the community are opposed to this. It seems that the nayboobs/constant critics would prefer that we go back to the days when Downtown was a ghost town and there was no hope for the future.
if the site is soooooo great why wont private enterprise touch it with a ten foot pole
cause it is a BROWN FIELD with a NUKE next door in a FLOOD PLAIN
how about regional light rail - planners allowed amtrak to pull one track between albany and Sch'dy and now they are putting it back in, how much does this cost how about a rail line with stops at 5&890, chrysler ave, albany airport - colonie ctr, corp woods, downtown albany and then rensselaer or development take advantage of all the free thruway exits we have - cracker barrel, bass proshops, target, why doesnt schdy, glenville rotterdam look like Clifton park after 25 years same distance, no tolls lots of apartments and housing and less traffic
amsterdam is doing better than this area -
reason - - tell me
i'd like to know what regional planning we have been doing
the best we have is random spot growth and a HUGH TAX BURDEN
if the site is soooooo great why wont private enterprise touch it with a ten foot pole
cause it is a BROWN FIELD with a NUKE next door in a FLOOD PLAIN
how about regional light rail - planners allowed amtrak to pull one track between albany and Sch'dy and now they are putting it back in, how much does this cost how about a rail line with stops at 5&890, chrysler ave, albany airport - colonie ctr, corp woods, downtown albany and then rensselaer or development take advantage of all the free thruway exits we have - cracker barrel, bass proshops, target, why doesnt schdy, glenville rotterdam look like Clifton park after 25 years same distance, no tolls lots of apartments and housing and less traffic
amsterdam is doing better than this area -
reason - - tell me
i'd like to know what regional planning we have been doing
the best we have is random spot growth and a HUGH TAX BURDEN
You are seriously misinformed on so many issues.
* Private enterprise IS involved in the ALCO project in the form of Galesi and now a major international hotel chain.
* Light rail proposals have been considered in the past but cost and agreement on its path has been a sticking point.
* Amtrak does NOT own or control, in fact it NEVER did, the tracks between Albany and Schenectady it is owned by the CSX Corporation. Amtrak only has a lease that allows it to operate trains along the track.
* Local planners and local officials have no control over the railroads because a) the actual railroad property is privately owned and b) it is up to the federal government and to some extent the state government to regulate the railroads.
* The major reason for a lack of commercial development at Exit 25 and Exit 25A is a lack of sewers. Attempts to install sewers in those areas have been opposed and voted down by residents.
* If you think Clifton Park has less traffic than Rotterdam --- then you must not have had your eyes open the last time you went through the town ---- oh ..
* and by the way ---- much of that development around Exit 9 of the Northway was given multi-year tax property exemptions and other incentives just like the ones that Metroplex has provided.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
DV, YOU are the one who is SERIOUSLY MISINFORMED!!!!!
DV, your beloved Galesi may be a private company/family but LEARN THE FACTS:
- This project is mostly FUNDED BY THE TAXPAYERS. - Galesi does NOT pay property & school taxes! - Galesi is FILTHY RICH and can MORE THAN PAY for the whole ALCO project out of it's own pocket without one penny of taxpayer money - The TAXPAYERS are paying for railroad improvements, NOT the railroads!!!!!!!! Further, the railroad changes are NOT to benefit Schenectady but to alleviate rail traffic congestion-similar to congestion that would be seen on a one lane bridge
- There is NO NEED for anymore hotels, no one comes to Schenectady and I DEFY you to provide a link to any reports provided to the taxpayers that states the occupancy rates of the existing hotels--taxpayer funded or not.
- There is NO NEED WHATSOEVER to build ANY RESIDENTIAL units because there is more than enough EXISTING VACANCIES to tide the city over for the next 10 years! Or haven't you noticed that people are LEAVING the city because of having to pay the high taxes for all these downtown projects.
Sure I believe there is more traffic in Clifton Park, because people actually WANT to live there!
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
CSX is a corporations whose stock is publicly trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Thousands of individuals invested their money and own shares in it. Yet the ignoramus-in-chief Victor/Victoria believes that the railroad is run by the government. In a battle of wits - Victor/Victoria would be beaten by rock.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
CSX is a corporations whose stock is publicly trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Thousands of individuals invested their money and own shares in it. Yet the ignoramus-in-chief Victor/Victoria believes that the railroad is run by the government. In a battle of wits - Victor/Victoria would be beaten by rock.
DV CANNOT READ !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEVER said the railroads are RUN by the government!!!!!! And I DEFY him to find, copy and paste those words
My EXACT WORDS VERBATIM: - The TAXPAYERS are paying for railroad improvements, NOT the railroads!!!!!!!!
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
I don't think Metroplex, or the city, nor the county has come out and stated how much is funded by the taxpayers, but it is also essential to take into the cost of the redoing Erie Blvd, they sort of go hand in hand, and that is taxpayer funded, then of course there is the higher taxes that homeowners in the city will be paying because of it, then don't forget the negative effect on the tax base in the city, the even more increase in people ababandoning their homes in the city, resulting in others seeing their home values go down which also causes more drop in the tax base and higher tax BILLS. And then the city will foreclose on more homes, etc. etc.
Non-stop spending on downtown = no increase in sales and sales tax revenue, continued reductions in the tax base, continued increases in taxes, etc
Look at the past 9 years!
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
How many executives at Galesi pay property and school taxes WITHIN Schenectady county, i.e., those who benefit from the financially struggling Schenectady city homeowners?
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
"Much of the soil and groundwater at the Alco property along the Mohawk River is contaminated by petroleum and other volatile compunds, according to the environmental studies paid for by the Metroplex.
On May 26 (2010), the Metroplex board adopted a findings statement under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, a critical step in the redevelopment of the site. The Metroplex spent $245,000 on the studies.
With SERQRA finished, the city can tap a $4 million grant it was awarded under the Restore New York program to offset the cost of demolishion and other clean-up. The Metroplex is providing $250,000.
Jack, this is just the tip of the Galesi iceburg....$495,000 paid with taxpayers money....for starters. You want me to find more, because it's already a depressing topic.
The nayboobs/constant complainers are completely ignorant of the facts and/or are lying through there teeth in their petty efforts to attack anything positive that happens in our community.
*The Erie Boulevard Reconstruction project is being funded by an $11 million Federal grant -- and while that grant comes from tax dollars its is from tax dollars paid by ALL Americans and not just the residents of the city. Other communities across the country have taken advantage of Federal grants to improve roads and infrastructure and to build economic development projects, it is about time that Schenectady County got its fair-share. Of course, the nayboobs would rather have us NOT take Federal money -- they would rather see our Federal tax money go to other communities in other states.
* While Metroplex money is being used for some elements of the project, it is a FACT that millions of dollars of private investment will also go into the project. But as usual, the nasty nayboobs will viciously lie about and attempt to defame any person or private enterprise that takes the time to care about and invest in Schenectady County.
If the nayboobs think they can do a better job - let's see them cough up several million dollars and come up with a better plan for the ALCO site.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
Are Government Subsidies to Railroads Serving The Public Interest? Rick ShapiroAttorney (800) 752-0042Posted by Rick ShapiroApril 11, 2008 11:35 AM 2 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe The nation freight railroads such as CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) are posting healthy profits, but should state and federal governments be paying Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads for infrastructure improvements or for benefits that the railroads will reap privately?
Gregory Richards, of the Virginian Pilot, based in Norfolk, Virginia near Norfolk Southern's headquarters, recently published a thoughtful analysis on the public benefit vs. private corporate benefits of government dollars going to pay for railroad improvements.
Essentially the railroads argue that getting trucks off the highways (of Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and others states) have a significant public benefit, much less reduction of pollution also.
In Florida, the state newspapers are now reporting on what many Florida citizens and bloggers are calling a "secret deal" and a "public subsidy" of CSX also.
David DeCamp a staff writer with the St. Petersburg Times, recently reported on the tentative state deal as follows:
The fight is over a complex plan struck under former Gov. Jeb Bush to run commuter trains on CSX's railroad through Orlando. In exchange, the state would subsidize the building of the biggest railyard in the Southeast in Winter Haven. It would help improve CSX's freight line through west-central Florida.
But largely unnoticed before the deal was struck was what would happen to Polk County. Clearing rail space in Orlando meant more trains slicing through Lakeland and trucks chugging around Winter Haven.
"They are going to divide our city," says Lakeland Mayor Buddy Fletcher, whose citizens are in an uproar. "They are going to destroy our downtown."
Lakeland's Republican Sen. Paula Dockery, among others, wants more study and a new train route around her hometown. Some Tampa Bay lawmakers worry the extra freight traffic could curtail Tampa's own bid to one day have commuter rail.
Aside from the Lakeland uproar, it seems that CSX is turning over/selling areas of its Florida tracks to Florida state government, but the state is picking up a significant part of the cost to pay for maintenance of the same tracks in the future. One lawyer in Florida sued with the main argument being that the public subsidy to CSX violates the law. Other news reports have questioned whether the CSX deal violates the Florida constitution. Also, some argue that since CSX is running its freight trains over the same tracks, that the freight trains (heavy weights) actually cause a much bigger toll on track maintenance than the running of passenger/commuter trains the state of Florida plans to run.
A careful analysis of the public benefits of both freight and passenger railroad/train travel reveals that the true "public" benefit of government "subsidies" is a very difficult economic analysis which includes: 1) pollution; 2) reduced trucking traffic, 3) reduced car/auto traffic at least on commuter rail projects.
My viewpoint: There are numerous examples of government's contributing to railroad projects that have a significant private corporate interest co-mingled with a public benefit also. Each situation requires a careful look--the government should never over-contribute, however government funding may serve to reduce air pollution and foster the goal of reducing car and truck highway traffic. No comments on the localized Florida issues-those are well beyond my viewpoint here.
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
**********are posting healthy profits, but should state and federal governments be paying ************ for infrastructure improvements or for benefits that ************ will reap privately?
There, I summarized the entire story.
Should the government be subsidizing the strong, profit making businesses, on the backs of the increasingly failing, property owners?
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