JoAnn, as I indicated in my letter we are investigating alternatives to the current system. I don't have anything concrete and this will take some time....no simple or instant answers on this one.
Well good luck and keep us posted. Not an easy task, I'm sure.
DUANESBURG Hillcrest residents can stay after all BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
For Don Williams, the notice he received to vacate the Hillcrest Mobile Home Park was déjà vu. Eight years ago, he was forced to leave the Fox Run Estates mobile home park in Albany, after the city expanded the nearby Rapp Road landfill. He settled his family at Hillcrest, where he lived comfortably until the state Department of Environmental Conservation ordered the park closed because of a faulty wastewater system. “I figured here we go again,” he said Tuesday. But with a combined effort by state agencies, the park’s longtime manager and a buyer, Hillcrest has received the reprieve Williams and dozens of other tenants had desperately sought. The Rochester-based Morgan Management officially sold the 53-site property to a pair of Capital Region investors for an undisclosed amount. The new owners, Jude and Rose Watkins, agreed to fix the 42-yearold park’s failed septic system by January. Dan Heenan, the area agent who helped broker the deal, said the sale was in the works for months. “It just took a bit of time,” he said. News of the sale spread rapidly throughout the park this week and delighted residents. Though rumors of the deal had circulated for months, many of the Hillcrest tenants said they felt they were facing an uncertain future. “You’re looking at a lot of happy people here,” beamed Diana Hewitt, an 11-year resident of the park. “We’ve been living with this apprehension for months.” Their concern extended through 10 months and four holidays. Some tenants began to leave the park, while others kept their belongings packed, in anticipation of a final notice to leave. Michelle Lane, the treasurer of the Hillcrest Tenants Association, celebrated the news by cleaning the bare walls of her home and mowing the lawn. This week, she plans to return her pictures to where they once hung and finally throw away the boxes she had saved — just in case. “We were told it was going to be saved,” she said of the park. “But you always had this scary feeling of not knowing what to do if it wasn’t.” HANGS TOUGH Many tenants credited park manager Richard Dickershaid for his leadership when Hillcrest was facing almost certain demise. Dickershaid was a vocal opponent of the park’s closure and even lobbied local state legislators to help work something out. “Dick promised us we would stay and he kept his promise,” said Williams. Hillcrest was initially owned by Pittsford Capital LLC, a group that had all of its assets seized in July 2006 after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged its principal owners with running a fraudulent promissory note scheme and raising more than $15 million. The park was sold to Morgan Management for $600,000 in October, two months after a U.S. District Court judge ordered Pittsford principals Edward “Ted” Tackaberry and Mark Palazzo to pay $11.7 million for their role in the real estate scheme. After the sale, Morgan Management declined to fix the park’s failed sanitary system, which was first cited for releasing treated effluent into the Normans Kill in 2002. As a consolation, the company offered park residents up to $4,000 to relocate their homes to its properties in Porter Corners and Ballston Spa in Saratoga County. However, many of the park’s residents were unable to move due to the age of their homes. Others balked at the offer because they would be forced to move nearly 40 miles away. Dickershaid said the plight of the Hillcrest tenants over the past year should be enough to prompt state legislation. He was dismayed that the state could allow the failed wastewater system to remain for more than fi ve years, but the park owners could order all the tenants out in just three months. “People should be told this can happen when they move in,” he said. State Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, on Tuesday said he intends to push for such legislation during the next session, if not sooner. He also intends to investigate the role of Pittsford Capital in prompting the events. “I’m sure this has happened before and this should never happen again,” he said. Meanwhile, Hillcrest’s residents are planning a party to celebrate a new lease on life for their park. Lane said all the people who helped save the park will be invited to help usher in its new era. “It’s a whole new beginning,” said Lane.
It is a good day for the residents of Hillcrest. I am happy with the outcome. Mr. Dickershaid is a relentless advocate for the residents of the park. There were some who thought he was against them and they owe him a huge apology.
I think I know who this fella is and I like him too, he is for the working people and would be a good man in politics too. I hear about the possiblity that he will be running for office next year for th county legislature and as a conservative/ repub he might clean some clocks, which would be the only hope the repubs have of getting 1 new seat since the other prospects leave much for desiring, in each district over there. As I repeatedly have stated here for you friends, there is no way they will get the seats and will even lose the seats they have.
DUANESBURG New highway head under fi re Spor claims a shoestring budget, lack of staff to blame BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.
Frank Spor says he's trying to tackle more than 46 miles of deteriorating town roads with too few employees and a shoestring budget. But before he can fix the potholes, the first-term Duanesburg highway superintendent said he needs to fix drainage problems afflicting some of the worst roads. And with only three employees on for most of the construction season, he said the work is going slow. Spor claims he was elected to oversee a department that was run poorly, resulting in roads badly maintained and a highway garage that was very disorganized. "I came into a mess and I knew it was a mess," he said. Yet some residents claim Spor has neglected some of the simpler obligations of his position. They claim he hasn't bothered to fi ll potholes and has ignored pleas from residents living along the worst roads. Cindy Martin, a resent on Turnbull Road, said her street is in such disrepair that it caused damage to her vehicle. After calling Spor numerous times, she said he finally filled some of the deeper holes with asphalt. "He didn't fill them all the way, so they're just as bad," she said. Indeed, the nearly 1 1 /2 miles of Turnbull road is no smooth ride. Although about a half-mile of the road off Route 20 was recently paved, the rest is badly deteriorated; in areas near the entrance off of Thousand Acre Road, the pavement has eroded to the subbase. Spor said there are plenty of roads in similar condition, such as Wells Road and North Avenue, among others. He said his budget isn't enough to maintain a staff that would complete the work he's being asked to do. "We want to run this department on a dirt road budget," he said. Spor replaced William Grimm Jr. after running unopposed for a four-year term in the office last year. Grimm served as highway supervisor for eight years before retiring. PUBLIC GRUMBLES The condition of the roads has become an issue with members of the Town Board as an increasing number of residents complain. But they are powerless to do anything about the problems because they have no direct control over the elected highway supervisor, aside from dictating the department's budget. Supervisor Rene Merrihew said the board has requested Spor submit a roadwork schedule earlier during the spring to no avail. She said Spor does submit department reports, but they don't include information about the roads he intends to fix in the future as Grimm once did. "People call me and complain," she said. "Basically, I tell them there's nothing we can do." Merrihew was also perplexed by Spor's assertion that the department is underfunded. She said the highway department has regularly ended the year with a surplus and Spor himself assured the board he had enough money. Though Merrihew wasn't pleased with the condition of the town's roads, she acknowledged Spor and the Duanesburg highway crews aren't idle. She said crews from the four-member department always seem to be working on something around town. "There's no doubt the guy is trying," she said of Spor. "I'm sure he's doing the best he can, but it's not doing the trick." The ongoing issue has spurred recent discussion on the board about abolishing the highway supervisor's position and shifting toward establishing a public works department with an appointed director. Merrihew said Duanesburg, with it's two sewer districts and two town parks, might be approaching the size where such department is needed. "The timing seems good for something like that," she said.
Maybe Mr Spor should try to work with the town board and come to a reasonable compromise. Some projects are too big for a small highway department and have to be sent to bid to be done by an outside contractor.
I seems apparently clear that Duanesburg is indeed ready to form a town highway department. I appears that the town is just handing money over to a 4-5 man crew under 1 authority who answers to no one. Not even to the people that pay them. It is time for the town to gain control over the roads by creating a highway dept.. Duanesburg is growing and everything should be overseen and under the authority of the town board. That is my opinion anyways!
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
maybe a deal can hereby be struck in which Mr Ang. Santabarbara will arrange the duties to be perfprmed within the county highway group over there. This could end up being a win=win for the town and county and might well be th e lead towards a consolidation of things; providing of course, the demos dont turn this into politics as usual and punsh the town by leaving the potholes and blaming the repubs like Miss Rene and of course my friend Ang. Ms Savage the savage might try this type of stunt, and worse they will give the political kudos to Tony 'do-nothing-ever ' Jursinski and say Ang wasnt the one who made it come true. but if there comes to be a problem we will all be assured Ang gets the blame, don't worry none over that account, my friends.
Schenectady County has responsibility for many of the roads in the Town of Duanesburg. Although the Schenectady County Highway Department does a commendable job, I am opposed to it being assigned responsibility for the town roads.
The county government possesses too much power, control and influence. Those presently in the majority have shown their blatant disregard for the municipalities outside the city borders. Recall that they attempted to force the relocation of convicted sex offenders from the City of Schenectady into the suburbs and rural areas.
There are means to reduce the expenditure of tax revenues, like consolidating purchasing (economies of scales). But, consolidating the highway departments of towns and villages of Schenectady county into the County Highway department, will result in the politicization of the department. Local control leads to greater accountability.
First Bum, let me clear up the fact that we currently have a highway dept managed by an elected highway supt. As an elected official he has authority over his dept. The Town Board does not have any authority other than providing funds for his budget. We are considering the creation of a dept. of public works. We are gathering information and have not discussed it in any depth on the Town Board yet. I agree with Brad that we need to exhaust all avenues before we go out of town for help. The County Highway Dept does a great job on the roads out here, winter and summer. They are very helpful to us in many ways. Joe Ryan is a fantastic guy and I'm certain he would do well by us in D'burg but we need to do everything we can to retain control of our own destiny.
maybe the demos or repubs party should deny this man the endorsement the next time they wish to toss the hat into that ring over there for the re election. When might this here be the case? Will there be an election in Delanson soon?
Perhaps sooner then we all know Problem is the pool of which to choose from for all elected positions as well as appointments to the boards, whether it be Republican or Democrat is next to nil. You can't MAKE people want to run for them and there is almost no interest at all.
Perhaps sooner then we all know Problem is the pool of which to choose from for all elected positions as well as appointments to the boards, whether it be Republican or Democrat is next to nil. You can't MAKE people want to run for them and there is almost no interest at all.
Unfortunately that seems to be the problem everywhere. The entire political process has become so nasty. It has become more of 'playing politics' instead of 'governing the people'.
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
It appears to be deja vu all over again for tenants of the Hillcrest Mobile Home Park in Duanesburg, who’ve gotten yet another reprieve from eviction after the 53-site trailer park was sold for the second time in less than a year, with new owners again promising to fi x the problem that threatened to have it closed. The point is, such promises have been made in the past, and not just by this park’s previous two owners, but owners of other polluted money pits in the region (e.g. Hillside Colony in Stillwater). The state Department of Environmental Conservation is notorious for continually letting such polluters off the hook, extending deadlines, tolerating more pollution and getting little satisfaction. We hope that’s not the case with Jude and Rose Watkins, who’ve just bought the place from Morgan Management, which took it over last October, promising to fix a 42-year-old septic system that had failed years earlier and was responsible for untreated sewage being dumped into the Normanskill Creek (which feeds into the Watervliet Reservoir). Morgan promptly decided it wasn’t worth the investment and looked to bail out. That’s when DEC, which had also been hounding Hillcrest’s previous owners to no avail, decided to shut down the place, with occupants being told they’d not only have to vacate, but pay most of the moving costs for their not-so-mobile homes. Of course it was an awful situation for many of them, retirees and other people with low incomes. It’s important, not just for the residents who remain but for the environment, that DEC make sure the new owners live up to their promises. This mess has dragged on long enough, and it’s unfair to residents to have to live with a Sword of Damocles continually over their heads. Assemblyman James Tedisco says he and Assemblyman George Amedore will propose legislation aimed at protecting the right of trailer park residents to stay put in cases like this, but his plan — to allow tenants groups to match a prospective buyer’s purchase offer — probably won’t help too much: Even collectively, these people simply don’t have that kind of the money.
The town is growing in leaps and bounds....maybe getting ahead of planning a little bit???? Or......maybe.....yup, I'm gonna say it----Ya'll need a what-----STUDY!!!!!!!
...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
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Problem is the pool of which to choose from for all elected positions as well as appointments to the boards, whether it be Republican or Democrat is next to nil. You can't MAKE people want to run for them and there is almost no interest at all.
