Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Council: Sidewalk projects will wait
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    Schenectady’s sidewalks are going to the bottom of the priority list.
    The City Council has agreed that the city will not redo any sidewalks this year, in an effort to spend money on roads instead.
    “In an ideal world, I wish we could [do sidewalks],” Councilwoman Margaret King said. “But our roads are in such awful shape, I don’t think we have a choice.”
    Acting Mayor Gary McCarthy proposed the idea on his fi rst day in his new role. The council has not yet formally voted on the matter, but members said they have reached a consensus. They will support a temporary halt on sidewalk work, lasting one to two years.
    Then city workers will go back to pouring fresh cement for sidewalks as they repave the adjacent streets.
    The change will allow the city to pave 5 to 10 miles of streets this year, instead of about 2 miles with sidewalks, Engineer Paul Cassillo said.
    He told the council early this month that the city needs to pave 10 to 12 miles a year. If it paves any less, workers won’t be able to get back to the streets before they start to fall apart 20 years later.
    Since 1985, the city has paved 1.5 to 2 miles of streets a year, including sidewalks, he said. Now Schenectady is facing the results of that choice. .........................>>>>.......................>>>>................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00902&AppName=1

Quoted Text

But McCarthy said he doesn’t want to give up on sidewalks forever, even though city residents are technically responsible for their own sidewalks.

Are city residents technically responsible for replacing their own sidewalks too?

Quoted Text

workers won’t be able to get back to the streets before they start to fall apart 20 years later.

Could be another mistake from the Gazette?   Roads here usually start falling apart 2 yrs after paving.

Bumble - yes we are and have to get  a permit to repair/replace them too.

The streets in the City are a total disgrace. After years of wasting millions on sidewalks and curbs the all DEM rubber stamps have finally awakened. Bravo to the City engineer for concentrating on this issue.

     Another problem totally ignored for 8 years under Stratton's pathetic "leadership". Now try to prioritize on broken main roads. McClellan, Brandywine, Eastern and Union must be moved up on the repair list.

Someone should ask who did Eastern Ave, probably less than 20 years ago, totally ripped up and done just about from scratch


But of course it's more important to take the money from the taxpayers and give it to the millionaires downtown rather than providing services to the taxapye4rs who pay the taxes, at least that was the belief of Stratton, Savage, Gillen and DV

Quoted from rpforpres

Could be another mistake from the Gazette?   Roads here usually start falling apart 2 yrs after paving.

Bumble - yes we are and have to get  a permit to repair/replace them too.

Is this true for businesses and non-profits too?
Didn't the city just replace all of the sidewalks/curbs around union college?
Is that not the college's responsibility then?

The backwards City loves to help nonprofits that refuse to pay anything. Look at Bethesda House, that received $5 MILLION in CDBG grant money to move to Vale, where no one wanted them. Proctor's is another example-they can generate free power but refuse to pay any PILOT. The lowest priority is the always the taxpayer in the neighborhoods.

they love to say non-profits....it sounds like 'free food vouchers' or wic.......what would happen to all the baby mama's and baby daddy's if the gravy train was removed?

Will be curious to see which streets are to be paved.   Given it's an election year the chosen streets will somehow benefit the sitting party to maximize voter favor.  Also one can only hope that the sewer systems below said streets will be inspected PRIOR to paving, to check for trouble spots and do the repairs, so as to not have to rip up the street shortly after the paving is complete.

The city doesn't have the money to repair the water mains, sewer lines, and still be able to repave the roads.

Quoted from Shadow

The city doesn't have the money to repair the water mains, sewer lines, and still be able to repave the roads.

Actucally the city does have the money   But those dems prefer to give it to the millioniares downtown

Quoted from mikechristine1

Those Dems prefer to give it to the millionaires downtown

The City is $12 MILLION in the red. The County DEMS like to lavish funds on Downtown millionaires-so what if they aren't in their District? The City DEMS have just realized that the voters in the neighborhoods are hot over this. They have awoken to the sounds of the REP/Alliance slate. For once-opposition! The days of DEMS taking false credit for Downtown governmental gin mills that all have tax exemptions are finito.

So, can the City FINALLY cut some of the City workers or are they keeping everyone on the payroll for doing little to no work?

If we don't have the funds for the projects...what are these City workers going to do all summer...oh wait...there's that $20 million dollar-air conditioned man cave for them.

No  money for sidewalks, no money for Re-Tree Schenectady but money for 2 new Lumpy Kosiur Holiday Camps? Coming soon to both Bellevue and Northside parks! With special "wrap around" programing!

     Totally sickening-let the County fund his crapola. While every other nonprofit is facing a 20% cut in CDBG funding-Lumpy Kosiur jumps in with his tin cup. Also sickening is the way Kosiur is allowed to blather beyond his time limit. Notice how when any critic speaks OSM puts up the trash pick up schedule?

Oh Salami........you know they do it for 'the kids'!

Not to mention, where else could Kosiur get a job?