Besides not paying taxes on his taxpayer funded theater, besides extraordinarily high prices for a "non-profit" theater, besides all the rents he collects, besides all the very very very very very expensive high class weddings and other banquets at his key hall, besides forcing financially struggling volunteers to pay to volunteer, besides LYING on his STAR application (thus double dipping), now he's going to make people pay to park on the street to attend shows at Proctors!!!!!!!!
Quoted Text
Schenectady Council vote set on parking fee plan
Rates up to $10 eyed for events Monday, October 7, 2013 By Kathleen Moore (Contact) Gazette Reporter
SCHENECTADY — It might soon cost a lot more to stop for a burrito during a Proctors musical.
That 15-minute stop for takeout could cost up to $10, according to a new parking fee that the City Council will vote on Oct. 15.
If it passes, the city could set a flat fee of up to $10 for every parking space near Proctors during events. Mayor Gary McCarthy said he likely wouldn’t implement that change for six months.
The parking lots near Proctors already charge $10 during events. The parking garage is always free.
Some theatergoers try to snag a metered spot on the street instead, since they are currently only $1 an hour. The meters are also free after 6 p.m., so savvy parkers circle the downtown, searching for an open spot to park for free just before their show.
Under the proposed new rates, the mayor would be able to increase the fee on those spaces to any amount up to $10 during events. That would make the pricing fair for all theatergoers who try to park near the theater — but it would be a substantial increase for those who simply want to stop briefly downtown to make a purchase.
The council will also vote next week on a maximum hourly parking fee for non-event periods. In committee Monday, the council agreed that maximum should be $1.50.
The council stressed that the mayor could choose any lower amount — including $0 — for any time period. The mayor could also change the parking stations regularly, adjusting the fee in response to traffic downtown.
Each change will cost the city $100 per parking station. The city is installing 19 stations, to replace 147 parking meters downtown.
The plan has an obvious problem if the city plans to makes a lot of one-day changes: If all 147 parking spaces were occupied at $10 for the night, the city would rake in $1,470, but it cost the city $1,900 to change the fee, a $430 loss. But the city is hoping to get the cost reduced if it buys more parking stations.
Council members were clearly reluctant to pick rates Monday. They have postponed the decision for months, and finally McCarthy told them they had run out of time.
“You have to do something or the meters will be programmed with the current rate and we’ll have to turn around and pay to get them reprogrammed,” he said.
Still, council members said they didn’t want to raise the current maximum of $1.25 per hour.
“That’s the highest rate I’ve ever paid” in the area, said Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo.
Councilman Carl Erikson added that “the administration” should ask for specific rates.
McCarthy refused.
“All I would ask is you make a decision,” he said, adding that the rate was the council’s choice.
Finally, Council President Margaret King said the discussion clearly revolved around a $1.50 hourly maximum and a new flat fee of up to $10 for events, and called for a committee vote. It passed, placing the item on the agenda for the full council vote.
McCarthy said later that he would phase in the fee changes slowly.
“This whole thing is building flexibility into the system. Let people use ‘em, get a feel for them. You don’t put in a two-tiered price system [right away],” he said.
Just remember who King Philips personal representative is on the council!
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.
Just one more reason to NOT go to proctors or anything else downtown!!!
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
this is outrageous....the comments before this thread clearly indicates that the "art" in the city have become too expensive for average people to
attend....pick the pockets...nickel and dime us.....pretty soon the council will be standing outside venues with a tin cup......what a bunch of monkeys.
And it must noted that people WILL PAY even if they are NOT going to Proctors.
Such as if someone is going to park on State St when Proctors has some event, but the person is going to go to that Hermie's music store now on that Jay St, say to pick up their kid's instrument. That WILL cost the person $10!
..., the FACT is that I have NEVER once said to take money from the poor or from people who need assistance.
... you can pursue your empty arguments against - always against - always complaining about - never seeing good in anything.
Claims he never said take money from the poor or from those who need assistance.
So making the financially struggling overburdened taxpayers pay for parking is not taking money from the poor or those who need assistance?????
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.
Does anybody realize any more that government is not a business, and they should not be out there looking for ways to "make money", like a PTA holding a bake sale, when Proctor's has a show? This just PROVES that Proctor's is not an "economic engine", whatever that is, or the city would not be looking for ways to nickel-and-dime the patrons. Very few businesses are open at night, but one time I was down that way anyway in the evening, and since it was past dinnertime, I thought we would drop in to the fancy Subway shop and pick something up before heading home. What a problem we had getting near the place, and it was very cold outside. The members of the council aren't supposed to let Angry Gary dictate to them, he doesn't have that authority. What do they think they are even there for, I mean the rest of them, not the Proctor's Inc. representative? Roger Hull would not have been behaving this way. He has a temper, too, but he is not ignorant and incompetent. He's willing to learn, and for some reason Gary seems to believe he knows it all already.
Because "hoping" about things you can verify is a smart thing. Sounds like the decision to use this type of parking meter was rushed. Did they know the price to change the fee would be this steep?
"But the city is hoping to get the cost reduced if it buys more parking stations"
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne
TIP TO NEW VISITORS TO THIS FORUM - To improve your blogging pleasure it is recommended to ignore (Through editing your prefere) the posts of the following bloggers - DemocraticVoiceofReason, Scotsgod08 and Smoking Bananas. They continually go off topic, do not provide facts and make irrational remarks. If you do not believe me, this can be proven by their reputation scores or by a sampling of their posts.
Proctor's is having financial problems. I heard this as a rumor, and this news effort at a shakedown confirms it for me. Did someone who shall remain nameless hire someone else who shall remain nameless, who has strong ties to city government and its secret inner financial workings, to try to cover up and stave off the coming fiasco? Do not for profits ever technically go bankrupt? So, the taxpayers of Schenectady should finance the purchase of meters, and someone to service them, to gouge some more money out of people who might visit the new, more vibrant downtown that we also paid for? This is supposed to be a good thing? How about maybe everybody working for Proctor's gets a pay cut, instead?
it will make people park and walk...walk pass all the places and maybe purchase something?
Just like the registers in supermarkets with the candy in them.
Pay and/or park, pay more as you walk.
Quite obvious that the downtown business are not doing well at all if the city/county/plex has to turn to such measures of DESPERATION to get people to stop at the few businesses downtown.
But stop at the businesses, what the heck can you buy? Clothes? NOPE. Shoes? NOPE. CD's/DVD's? NOPE. Furniture? NOPE Kitchen gadgets? NOPE Linens? NOPE China, dishes, flatware, glassware? NOPE. Craft needs? NOPE. Window treatments? NOPE
Need to continue? NOPE
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.
- just who is going to enforce this change in a city who's parking is free after 4:30pm - cause the help goes home
and how much will this enforcement cost on top of the $1900 against the $1470 gathered
I took a picture(side shot) of this city mayor at an event in Albany last year and I thought something was odd with his ears - it was the face of the attendee standing behind him.
"A Lucille Ball New Comedy Festival was held, but quickly fizzled in the early 1990s." Guess whose idea it was? Interesting. This article, dated 2012, makes it sound as Jamestown is still looking for an arts-based "economic engine". Maybe these things don't work like some people think they do?
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