Quoted Text

U.S. Senate approves investing $20M to build Schenectady Army Reserve Center
The Business Review
Date: Friday, December 2, 2011, 2:54pm EST - Last Modified: Friday, December 2, 2011, 3:35pm EST

The U.S. Senate has approved investing $20 million to construct the Schenectady Army Reserve Center, Sen. Charles Schumer announced Friday.
The money will be used for the construction of a 60,000-square-foot center to be located on three acres of the Niskayuna Commerce Park on Hillside Avenue.
The project would create 200 construction jobs.....................>>>>.................>>>>................http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2011/12/02/us-senate-approves-investing-20m-to.html

Would have been nice to put $20 million into the empty Armory in Schenectady...use one of the empty properties instead of building something.

Guess this county doesn't know what the meaning of 'environmental responsibility'..... or 'fiscal responsibility' for that matter.

Quoted Text

Army Reserve center step closer
Senate approves $20M for ‘state-of-the-art’ counter-terror training grounds in Niskayuna
By John Purcell As of Friday, December 9, 2011

#Niskayuna — Federal funding for a new $20 million Army Reserve center in Schenectady County recently took the next step toward becoming a reality.

#Sens. Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand announced on Friday, Dec. 2, the U.S. Senate authorized the multi-million dollar center to be built.

#The new Schenectady Army Reserve Center would span 60,000 square feet across 3 acres in the Niskayuna Commerce Park on Hillside Avenue. It would replace a smaller facility and be built behind it. The center would be a high-security military training and operations facility to prepare soldiers for battle and counter-terrorism operations.

#Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the project would be a great investment for the community.

#“This federal funding would allow the Army Reserves to better train soldiers for combat with top-of-the-line technology while still remaining close to home,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “This Reserve center and the new neighboring Navy Research Center in Glenville would ensure our men and women in uniform have the very best facilities and opportunities.”

#Ray Gillen, commissioner of Economic Development and Planning for Schenectady County, said the new Glenville facility has had positive economic benefits. The Reserves new facility, he said, would bring more people into the community.

#“It is a good economic engine for Glenville and this one will be a good economic engine for Niskayuna,” Gillen said. “We had to work with the Army to show them they could stay at that site. We were concerned with losing the facility to another part of the state.”

#Gillen said the military was looking at providing the “necessary facility upgrades” even though the current facility is functional.........................>>>>.......................>>>>..................http://www.schenectadyspotlight.com/news/2011/dec/09/army-reserve-center-step-closer/

Everyone knows we need ‘state-of-the-art’ counter-terror training grounds in Niskayuna because it is the center of the war on terror. Makes perfect sense.

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Everyone knows we need ‘state-of-the-art’ counter-terror training grounds in Niskayuna because it is the center of the war on terror. Makes perfect sense.

nah.......they are 'hiding' it....so the terrorists dont come here....

Everything is an economic engine to these County nit wits. There will be no increase of sales activity on Hillside Avenue. Rachel is right and this should have been located Downtown. If not at the old Armory {which will probably be knocked down} how about at Gillen's Gulch at the old Robinson's? Naah- that's going to be a national retail mecca- lol.

Quoted from senders

nah.......they are 'hiding' it....so the terrorists dont come here....

You're right.

They've already hung a sign on the front that reads "Chipotle Mexican Grill", so that NOBODY comes there.

Quoted from rachel72

Would have been nice to put $20 million into the empty Armory in Schenectady...use one of the empty properties instead of building something.

Guess this county doesn't know what the meaning of 'environmental responsibility'..... or 'fiscal responsibility' for that matter.

I guess you missed the study a number of years ago -- which concluded that the old armory is NOT an adequate facility anymore.   The State determined that when it moved the National Guard unit to Glenville or Niskayuna  and obviously the situation has NOT changed any since then.  The old armory actually belongs to the State and NOT to the county .... and thus the county doesn't control the property.

I guess that you and the rest of the nayboobs don't know the meaning of "getting your facts straight - before you shoot off your mouth".

Quoted from rachel72

Would have been nice to put $20 million into the empty Armory in Schenectady...use one of the empty properties instead of building something.

Guess this county doesn't know what the meaning of 'environmental responsibility'..... or 'fiscal responsibility' for that matter.

True. If I'm not mistaken, isn't that the original purpose of these armories in the first place?
$20 million could go a long way toward rehabbing the Schenectady armory.
Unless of course, Metroplex is put in charge of it.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I guess you missed the study a number of years ago -- which concluded that the old armory is NOT an adequate facility anymore.   The State determined that when it moved the National Guard unit to Glenville or Niskayuna  and obviously the situation has NOT changed any since then.  The old armory actually belongs to the State and NOT to the county .... and thus the county doesn't control the property.

The state conducted a "study" to justify and expansion of the state at the taxpayers expense.  GREAT!!!

I feel safer!

Quoted from rachel72

Would have been nice to put $20 million into the empty Armory in Schenectady...use one of the empty properties instead of building something.

Guess this county doesn't know what the meaning of 'environmental responsibility'..... or 'fiscal responsibility' for that matter.

This area has already been Metrografted. No new stores-no new businesses-no nuthin. The Metrograft clowns led by Death Ray are expanding the bus terminal park so that the Y denizens can have a bigger area to panhandle. That should turn it around- lol. What they don't know about economic development is alot.

Quoted from CICERO

The state conducted a "study" to justify and expansion of the state at the taxpayers expense.  GREAT!!!

I feel safer!

OH YEAH.....safer already from those those 'twicky teworrists you twicky wabbit'

terrorists....what a very sad time in American history.....to have to use the word terrorist against ourselves.....what perpetuated the locking up of (WARNING: THIS IS NOT PC LANGUAGE)gooks/
slant heads etc etc?????

so here we are AGAIN......WTF? so when there is nothing to do and prosperity has reached it's pinnacle and your out of ideas for community goals, then shake down inhouse?

Frankly, the best thing to do now -- is tear the armory down --- and it would be available as a "shovel ready site" for a new development project.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Frankly, the best thing to do now -- is tear the armory down --- and it would be available as a "shovel ready site" for a new development project.

You know DV, thank goodness you're not a member of the Stockade Association - you'd be tearing down older buildings left and right.

Fact is, $20 million dollars is being spent to build a new site when there are so many empty, unused buildings in the City and County. It's very irresponsible to let hundreds of empty building fall to the ground when there are projects ($20 million dollar projects) which could occupy these neglected locations.

Environmentally, it's the right thing to do. As a means to end vacancy, foreclosures and sprawl, it's the right thing to do. Building new is not always the answer....especially when vacancy is a huge issue in the County.  

Quoted from rachel72

You know DV, thank goodness you're not a member of the Stockade Association - you'd be tearing down older buildings left and right.

Fact is, $20 million dollars is being spent to build a new site when there are so many empty, unused buildings in the City and County. It's very irresponsible to let hundreds of empty building fall to the ground when there are projects ($20 million dollar projects) which could occupy these neglected locations.

Environmentally, it's the right thing to do. As a means to end vacancy, foreclosures and sprawl, it's the right thing to do. Building new is not always the answer....especially when vacancy is a huge issue in the County.  

Apparently, you just refuse to understand that the STATE ( theNew York State Office of Military Affairs)  HAS ALREADY DECIDED THAT THE ARMORY IS NO LONGER ADEQUATE/APPROPRIATE FOR USE AS A MILITARY TRAINING FACILITY.  If it NO LONGER adequate/appropriate for the state national guard unit(s) to use .. who (other than a nayboob) would believe for a moment that it is adequate and appropriate for a US ARMY RESERVE CENTER.

The old state armory is obsolete -- and rather than let it continue to remain vacant and deteriorate  -- the best thing to do would be to tear it down and allow the land to be a "shovel ready" site for a new building.  If you want to haul off the usable bricks and materials to be recycled and reused --- go ahead.