Underneath desk debris I just discovered a June 1993 story I wrote announcing the formation of Schenectady 2000. The project goal was to use hundreds of citizen volunteers to map out and otherwise assist with the rebirth of a deteriorating city.

This revelation took place 20 years ago before dozens of community leaders meeting at Union College. The main speaker was professor Phillip Lewis, a University of Wisconsin landscape architecture specialist, who submitted a framework to upgrade the city.

His chief target was Erie Boulevard, a street wider and longer than most airport landing strips. ''This street is a huge, barren, concrete desert without life,'' said Lewis, suggesting tree-lined islands would shrink the pavement expanse.

Well, two decades later, Erie is in the midst of a $14 million facelift between the I-890 ramp and Union Street. Work was originally planned to start in 2009, but was delayed until last year. The job is expected to be completed by this fall.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Cermak-Tough-navigating-this-Erie-byway-4641453.php

When it is done, it will look great and continue the steady Renaissance of Schenectady.

When the project is done we may finally have a road without potholes but there will still be no businesses other than gin mills and the black hole Proctors.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

When it is done, it will look great and continue the steady Renaissance of Schenectady.

But of course, you won't even DREAM about moving INTO the city---either rent or buy


And, DV, tell us what will the taxpayers of the city get in return for the theft of their money for this project?

DV can you tell us what the taxpayers have gotten for the hundreds of millions of their money already spent on downtown?   Can you tell us what has happened to their property values in return for paying for downtown.  What has happened to their tax bills in return for paying for downtown.   What has happened to home sales and home sale prices in return for tax money spent on downtown.  

Can you tell us what kind of tax relief the people in the city have received as a result of this so called renaissance?????


TOTALLY SILENT.   Silence in answering the the questions is proof of being a coward.   ONLY cowards refuse to explain what people of the city get in return for their money spent on downtown.


CLUCK CLUCK, the cowardly cuckoo is not MAN enough to answer

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

When it is done, it will look great and continue the steady Renaissance of Schenectady.

And explain, DV, what is your opinion of the the ignoring of the part of the road where people really drive on, full of potholles---what do you think of that?????   Do you believe that people should suffer damage to their cars from potholes in order to have fancy light poles?


Cowardly cuckoo will not address the issue of the poor condition on the other end of Erie Blvd, too embarrassed to admit that people in the city are suffering at the hands of the dem leaders in the city.

Quoted from Shadow

When the project is done we may finally have a road without potholes but there will still be no businesses other than gin mills and the black hole Proctors.

There will be a lot of good news regarding economic development on Lower State St. and Erie Blvd. soon enough.

It certainly will give better lighting to all those sppeding OUT of the City or FLEEING from the highest property taxes in the area.

$14 million for the fleecing of the taxpaying Schenectady property and business owners.

Good thing the vacant Trustco, Olender, old Kem cleaners...etc..etc have new lighting. It will bring out the sparkle in the grafitti tags.  

Good news for whom? Developer or taxpayer? My pick? The first one, at the expense of the second.

Of course, the nayboobs won't be satisfied with ANYTHING good that happens in the city.  Life is too short to listen to or try to talk some common sense to a bunch of whiney, negative people.  Stew in your own misery.  I'm going to enjoy summer and life looking forward to all of the positive developments that coming to the community that I love.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

There will be a lot of good news regarding economic development on Lower State St. and Erie Blvd. soon enough.

but DV, WHAT is this project, or ANY projects downtown doing for the city and the PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN IT?????

What are these projects doing for the tax base????/    Why do you REFUSE to answer that????

What are these projects doing to alleviate the tax burden on the people in the city?????     Why do you REFUSE to answer that?

What are these projects doing to peoples home values??????     Can you EVER try to answer?

What are these projects doing to the sale prices of homes IN the city????    What are these projects doing to the ability of homeowners to sell their homes IN the city????


Can you EVER say ANYTHING that EXPLAINS the impact on the PEOPLE, the TAXPAYERS, and the NEIGHBORHOODS??????

Tell us DV, can you cite the geographic boundaries of the CITY of Schenectady?    Does the city exist OUTSIDE of downtown?   And if so, what are the people outside of downtown receiving in return for the DEMS STEALING their tax dollars?


TOTALLY SILENT.    WE ALL know that DV CANNOT, and WILL NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER respond with one teeny weeny shred of EVIDENCE to cite that things are improving for the PEOPLE, the TAXPAYERS, and the NEIGHBORHODS!


Perhaps DV is brown nosing the DEMS and plex in the hopes they will build him a building and give him money to open an insurance business downtown.   But tell us DV, why is your license expired?

I have to laugh .. the demented he/she monkey is such a predictable idiot.   I post something .. he/she has to defecate a few post.   I never read them .. will never respond to him/her .. except to say that he/she is probably the dumbest f**king idiot that I have ever known.  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Of course, the nayboobs won't be satisfied with ANYTHING good that happens in the city.  Life is too short to listen to or try to talk some common sense to a bunch of whiney, negative people.  

How are we being "whiney negative people, DV?"    Can you explain how we are being whiney and negative when we are merely telling the truth, stating the FACTS that, in the case of the Erie Blvd thing, it IS resulting in the other end AND the negibhrohoods being totally IGNORED.   And WHY do YOU claims there a so called NEED for "fancy lighting" when the other end of Erie is causing damage to cars?


What is more proper?   Fixing a road that is full of potholes that is causing costly damage, or installing fancy lighting?   Could you care to answer that question?????    

(YES DV realignments are costly to people whose incomes are the typical Schenectady income of under $40,000 when their taxes alone are one-quarter of their net income)

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I have to laugh .. the demented he/she monkey is such a predictable idiot.   I post something .. he/she has to defecate a few post.   I never read them .. will never respond to him/her .. except to say that he/she is probably the dumbest f**king idiot that I have ever known.  

You never read them, but you know enugh about what I wrote in order to comment on it.    

And YOU are a predictable idiot.   Who is the idiot who things it's grand to spend the taxpayers money on this Erie Blvd project when the whole downtown re-doing is causing a DRASTIC REDUCTION in the city's tax base?

YES, we all know that DV is the TRUE predictable idiot who posts all these kudos to what the city/co dems and plex are doing and how the city is improving and it's in a renaissance, but you REFUSE to explain HOW it is improving when the FACTS, the TRUTHS are that the tax base is falling, home values are falling, home sales and home sale prices are falling (when they ARE INCREASING outside of the city and the county as well), when houses are not selling in great numbers because FEW PEOPLE want to buy IN the city, when taxes are going up and essential services are being eliminated, and neighborhoods are being ignored -- those are the FACTS, and the TRUTHS about the city and we "nayboobs" have provided OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE to support those points.

YES, DV, you are the the TRUE predictable idiot because we can predict that you will NEVER post here and address the relationship of the spending on downtown to the falling tax base, falling home values, increasing taxes, etc.

YES DV, YOU are the TRUE predictable idiot who just over and over posts the city is doing so wonderful, you claim its' a fact but you will not provide one teeny weeny shred of evidence to support your claim.

YES DV, it is YOU who is the predictable idiot who avoids response because it's much to embarrassing for a cowardly cuckoo such as yourself to admit that you are merely trying to brown nose the dems when you post your wild fairy tales about the city improving.  

YES DV, when you cannot provide evidence, then your statements are proven to be fairy tales.

Quoted from rachel72

It certainly will give better lighting to all those sppeding OUT of the City or FLEEING from the highest property taxes in the area. $14 million for the fleecing of the taxpaying Schenectady property and business owners. Good thing the vacant Trustco, Olender, old Kem cleaners...etc..etc have new lighting. It will bring out the sparkle in the grafitti tags.  

Don't forget Rudnick's. A tree lined street with businesses that use plywood as the preferred window treatment. Forget about any businesses the only thing that matters is the
payback. The new lights are great for Paris in the 1920's. Keep re-electing DEM lifers with zero business expertise. Eight term limit! Coming next 14 apartments at the old DSS!