Any efforts by Metrograft for the Ground Round site have proved total fruitless. Has the renovations been finally completed? lol-

     I wish I had a nickle for every false claim Death Ray has sent out on economic development. The Robinson Mall, Shopping center where old DSS is {and still is}, Corporate HQ at 440 State, upscale Iranian restaurant on lower State, Silver Diner, Toy Store Downtown, Retail Downtown, The Big Hose, Van Dyke I and II, etc. etc. In any other County people would have been fired, taxes returned to the consumers. Never here. Same old same old-$100 MILLION flushed down the arts toilet and nobody knows from nuthin.

Quoted from benny salami

Any efforts by Metrograft for the Ground Round site have proved total fruitless. Has the renovations been finally completed? lol-

     I wish I had a nickle for every false claim Death Ray has sent out on economic development. The Robinson Mall, Shopping center where old DSS is {and still is}, Corporate HQ at 440 State, upscale Iranian restaurant on lower State, Silver Diner, Toy Store Downtown, Retail Downtown, The Big Hose, Van Dyke I and II, etc. etc. In any other County people would have been fired, taxes returned to the consumers. Never here. Same old same old-$100 MILLION flushed down the arts toilet and nobody knows from nuthin.

First - you can say that the efforts have failed if we don't know what .. if any .. efforts were made.
Second - the renovations were the plans of the parent company of Ground Round .. the parent company
            went out of business 5 years ago .. at the same time the restaurant closed .. which leads me to
             suspect that they never intended to actually do any renovations.
Third - it is obvious that you are BLIND to the actual improvements that have come to Downtown
           Schenectady ....  I strongly suspect that IF the GOP were running the County Legislature and
           the City of Schenectady .. you would be heralding the improvements as some sort of GOP
           miracle.    But you can't put aside your partisan jealousy long enough to give credit for a job
            well done.    THAT is really your shortcoming and problem .... the rest of us positive thinking --
            future-oriented folks who LOVE our County will keep  working together until the job is finished.

que MikeChristine ... go for it!

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I strongly suspect that IF the GOP were running the County Legislature and
           the City of Schenectady .. you would be heralding the improvements as some sort of GOP
           miracle.    

WRONG AGAIN!!! We blanks would be slamming them for there irresponsible fiscal socialist behavior!! But ironically...the dems would be calling themselves conservatives!!!!  

Somehow I don't  believe that ..            most of the posters on this site are apologists for the GOP.

Just like you give credit ti the democraps for the bank buying the Edgewood, and the Challengers for fixing up Woestina (even though you actually spoke out against them getting the field at the debate that your guy didn't show up at calling it political.)

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Just like you give credit ti the democraps for the bank buying the Edgewood, and the Challengers for fixing up Woestina (even though you actually spoke out against them getting the field at the debate that your guy didn't show up at calling it political.)

Your statement is an ABSOLUTE  LIE ....   I never spoke against the Challengers being able to use the
fields at Woestina.    The FACT is that last year -- at the time of the so-called candidate forum -- I was
already Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission and  was trying to mediate between the two
groups who wanted to use the field.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The international company that owned Ground Round ceased its operations in 2005.   There is no logical
or intelligent way that one can blame the failure of an INTERNATIONAL COMPANY on issues in Schenectady
or the political leaders of Schenectady.

Since you folks are ignorant of the facts regarding the closing of the Ground Round, I am safe in saying
that you don't know squat about what efforts may or may not have been attempted by either the city or
Metroplex to find a new occupant for the location.

I may be ignorant on the reasons that the Ground Round closed and never reopened, but can you give a good explanation why the general climate in the city of Schenectady is so poor that someone would not like a prime location at the intersection of two very busy roads for an establishment like this?  I can't blame them for the closing, but there's got to be reasons (and it HAS to be local) for people to decide not to buy , renovate and reopen this as a different business, unless you want to say THAT has some INTERNATIONAL reason, too.

Maybe it's just the high taxes and the fees that drive businesses away from Schenectady.

If Metrograft made any efforts on Ground Round {and who cares?} they have failed miserably. Metrograft is also helping lease St James Square-how's that going? Another total flop. Schenectady County has the highest area unemployment rate, highest property tax rate and a City/County government that is strongly anti-business.

      The Ground Round had sat vacant for years, just like every business on State St from Erie to the Mohawk River BECAUSE of the DEMS efforts. Government cannot create jobs but it can create a favorable business climate. This they have failed to do. The Ground Round is hardly unique. Look at Van Vranken-2 Italian institutions vacant. Bellevue empty storefront after empty storefront. Please list all the new retail that has come to this County after 6 years of Death Ray/SS Savage "efforts". A total joke and taxpayer ripoff.

Quoted from Kevin March

I may be ignorant on the reasons that the Ground Round closed and never reopened, but can you give a good explanation why the general climate in the city of Schenectady is so poor that someone would not like a prime location at the intersection of two very busy roads for an establishment like this?  I can't blame them for the closing, but there's got to be reasons (and it HAS to be local) for people to decide not to buy , renovate and reopen this as a different business, unless you want to say THAT has some INTERNATIONAL reason, too.

There are a lot of reasons why I wouldn't buy that property --- the entrance/exit is too close to the
Crosstown exit  .. it was always very difficult and dangerous to enter and depart from the property.  
The actual building itself is quite small and because of the way it is situated on the property - it would be impossible to expand the building without losing parking spaces.

I don't consider it a "prime location" -- because of the difficult entrance/exit.     While it is close to a
highly traveled  intersection ... it is actually TOO close to it ...  it might be better for the owners of the hotel
next door to purchase the property and somehow tie the two together and provide an easier/safer entrance
and exit.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I don't consider it a "prime location" -- because of the difficult entrance/exit.     While it is close to a
highly traveled  intersection ... it is actually TOO close to it ...  it might be better for the owners of the hotel
next door to purchase the property and somehow tie the two together and provide an easier/safer entrance
and exit.

I'm big on easy ingress and egress, so had I not frequented the GR before they closed, I would probably agree with you.

However I never really had any problems whatsoever getting in an out of there.

The only problem I could see with ingress and egress is the mass exodus of people coming OUT of the city/woodlawn toward Colonie, Albany, Delmar, etc.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

There are a lot of reasons why I wouldn't buy that property ---  

Reason #1 - It means you would actually have to pay property taxes on a property in your name.

Quoted from CICERO

Reason #1 - It means you would actually have to pay property taxes on a property in your name.

LOL