City Council

OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK SGHENECTADY, NEW YORK AGESDA FOR THE COUNCIL CAUCUS AWE) THE CITU COUNCIL MEETING September 22,2014 Room 209 7:OO P.M. 1. By Councilmember PUBLIC REARING Regarding a Moratorium on Convenient Stores. 1, By Councilmember Ms. Perazzo AN OmINANCE to Amend Chapter 167 of the Administrative Code of the City of Schenectady Regarding Commercial Building Inspection Reporting. 4 Votes 2014 - 21 2, By Couneilrnernber Mr. Kosiur AX ORDINANCE; Accepting the proposed 201 5 Operating and Capital budget. INTRODUCED ONLY with A RESOLUTION GALLING FOR a Publie Heafing on October I4,20 14 lo Receive Public Comment Relative to the Proposed 20 15 Operating Budget for the City o f Scheneetady. 4 Votes 2014 - 216 3. By Councilmember RPr. Kosiur A RESOLUTION Authorizing the City of Schenectady to Enter into the Required Subrecipeient Agreement with the Housing Trust Fund Corporation as Required in the Implementation of the New York State Community Development Block Crant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG- DR) Program, and to Authorize the Mayor to Sign any and all Documents Required in the Implementation of the Propam. 4 Votes 2014 - 222 4. By Councilmember Ms. Porterfield A RESOLUTION Authorizing the Sale of an Easement to National Grid Regarding the Solar Project at 1134 Balltown Road. 4 Votes 2014 - 217 5. By Councilmember Mr. Riggi A RESOLUTION Authorizing the Sale of 438 Third Street. 4 Votes 2014 - 218 6. By GounciImernber ililr, Riggi 4 RESOLUTION Autho~zingthe City of Sehenectady "c Settle a Tax Gerliorari; for 2037 State Street, 4 Votes 2-014 - 269 7, By Councilmember hlr, Rig@ A RESOLUTION iauthrrzlng the City of Scheneekady to Settle a Tax Certiorari Brou&t by Tmstco Bank. 4 Votes 2014 - 220 8. By Councilmember Mr. Riggi A RESOLUTION Authorizing the Sale of 104 Irving Street. 4 Votes 2014 - 221 9. By Councilmember Mr. Kosiur A RESOLUTION Recognizing the 120~"Amiversav of the Plsblication of the Daily Gazette. 4 Votes 2014 - 214 10. By Councilmember Ms. Perazzo A RESOLUTION Declaring Friday, October 3, througb Thursday, October 9,2014 as Manufacturing Week in the City of Sehenectady. 4 Votes 2014 - 215  3IIKUTES OF THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED 3IEETINC OF THE SCHENEGTACIU CfTY COUNCIL September 22,2014 The City Council; Meeting was called to order by the City Council President Margaret King at 7:02 p.m, in Room 209, Gity Council Chambers at City Wafl. Ms,King called upon Rev. Emanuef. Adams with Bethel Community Church of Schenectady to provide the imocation. MS. King called on Met Mintz to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The Gity Clerk called the roil and the following members of the Gity Council answered to be present: Present - Council members, Margaret King, Ed Kosiur, fohn Mootooveren, Leesa Perazzo, Marion Porter5etd, and Vincent Rig$ Also Present -City Clerk Charles Thome. Corporation Counsel Carl Falotico and Mayor Gary McCasthy At this point, :&Is. K h g asked if there cvere no objections, she tvould like to take agenda item number 9 & I0 out of order. There were no ob~ections. Resolution No, 2014 - 214 - A Rcsnlurtion Recognking the 120" Anniversary o f the Publication of the Daily Gazette. A Representative h r n the Schenectady Gazette was on hand and extended his gfatihde for the recognition by the Mayor and City Council. We then announced there will be a special event at the Gazette on October 12 a1 12:00 p.m. The resolution was moved by Mr. Kosiur and seconded by Ms. Permzo. The resolution passed unmimousl y, Resolution No, 2014 - 115 - A Resolution Declaring Friday, October 3 through Thursday, October 9,2014 as 3Ianufacturing Week in the City of Schenectady Manufachtring Week - Schenectady Committee members were on hand and extended their gratitude for the recognition by the Mayor and City Council. The resolution was moved by Ms. Perazzo and seconded by Mr. Mootooveren. The resolution passed unanimously. Special Presenbtion by b%elMintz - Presented m Ameriem Flag to the City of Sehenectady which was flown over the: U.S. Capital and secured by Congressman Paul Tonko, He asked that the flag be flown in Veterans Park on Veterans Day, Major Gary kiPcC8pt:hythanked Mr, Mlntz for lrls effiforts and noted the Bag irinuld be flown wrth pnds, 1, Regarding a Moratorium an Con\ enienl Stores Linda Keiiekter - Schenectady - '"I urge &he Counc~ito $upport an extensrnn to the rnnratonum on cvntrenrence Ftores, The morslonurn rs needed to gave Cit] staff time to ensure an accurate and enforceable grece o f legslatron. Funhemore, mhrl the Crty Gounc~lpasses keg~slatron permittmg and regulatrnng convenience stores, the marratonurn rs needed to pse~rentany ddci~taorral concenlence stores from apexling in the Crty 1 have atterided the meeilngs o f the Planning Cornrn~ss~orr s ~ s!cg~blattonha3 been1 prei~enteid~ n d rrr >~~'.irch drqcu\sed i ~ o u l dirke t o ibank the fix 1"teniilg Cor-rsm~.r\~:)$e~~ the .ru~ghbii*hoodch\i-a?c~dtiilii,prerrtients, cc*i-imlm~t.i,leaders dnd ~i)~i~ere~e d iehisietttS if hit9 bee0 rtfke~h~aigtor the pubiblli: :o be asked tfrzrr ~mput.i: b t - t l l Schenectady City Councii Minutes September 22, 2014 i Page 2 of 9 reiterate the problems of one particular convenience store that continues to plague the C e n ~ a l State Street neihborhood: loitering, open until the early morning hours, litter. noise and gambling. This store is stilt. open until 1 m d 2 okctock in the morning, Who needs a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk at 2 in the morning? This store is in a residential nei&borhood and as such he should be a good nei&bor. The City has the established codes to make this happen. The City Code for operation of business section f 83-9 states that "the owner and operator of any business shall maintain good order on m d about the premises at all times." It continues to state that "'the owner and operator of any business shalt also be responsible for removing refuse and obstructions from the sidewalk in accordance with municipal code requirements. and fi>r operating the business so that neither the business or its patrons become a source of dismption to other building tenants or on the sidewalks. streets, or other private prclpe~tyin the Pricinity of the business." The business or its patrons can not be a source of disruption to other nearby private propedies. This store and its patrons continue to be a source of disntption to this nei&borhoad9s quality of life. Enforce the code." - Joe KelIeher Schenectady - Regarding the morato~umon convenient stores he applauded the P l m i n g Commission's recommendations. He noted eel1 phone stores are selling convenient store items in an e-fforl to get around the moratorium. He added the Commission identified that many of the corrvenient store applications do not have the hours of operation on their pemits. Me noted he is looking for greats Limitations on hours of operation for these stores, He closed by noting residents are looking to hold these businesses accountable. APPROVAL OF NXINUTES: Ms. King asked for a motion to approtre the minutes fmm the August 35,20 14 and September 8, 2014 meeting as submiMed by the Deputy City Clerk; kfr. Kosiur made a motion to approve the minutes, Mr. Mootoot.eren seconded the motion, Conilnuniclitions Presented to the City C:ounciI fbr >Ionday, September 22, 2014 0ff"rcial: From the Mayor a list of appoir~tmentsdated September 22,2014, General: None Petitions: Sone REPORTS: CCs3431'%TTEE Ssne PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR (LEGISLATIVE ITEMS) d i avho u iahed to ddarecs the tcgrslal~;e -Agenda to ersme $inv,rd  Sel-ienectadyCity Council Minutes September 22,201 4 i Page 3 of 9 P,B. Voortris, Schenectady - Noted her intensions are to speak on the commercial properly code and that she lives in a private apartment building. Noted that code enforcement could not find a file that she was inquiring about and her name was not attached to mqqhing. She noted that she has lived in a commerciaI building for fi-t-teenyears and they could not find that information in the computer. She added, several fifes were previously available but they are no longer available. She noted the information was put into the computer but is no longer there. She noted the Council is making new taws but is not keeping up with the required infomation. She closed by noting she is also missing infomation on retirees and shifts in appointments, along with new hires, Joe Kelleher, Schenectady - lu'oted with respect to item nurnber two and the public hearing on the proposed 3014 City Budget he advised that the City can no longer live beyond its means. We added residents cannot affford ittcreases in the tax levy or fees on top of cunent taxes. We asked the Council to remember that when contempfating the 2015 budget. As evidenced by the tax certinrans on the agenda he noted businesses are g i h en breaks on assessments while the people can barely afford to live here anymore, He noted the residents have a right to know about the details related to item number three, the New Uork State grmt for disastm re1ie.f. He closed by notkg before the City Council authorizes the agerida item he asked for a full disclosure of the potentiill impact this ageement would have on the City-s &&re. Craig Cantello, Schenectady - Noted fie is the President of the Edison Tech Center and thaked the City for supporting Manufacturing %leek - Schenectady. Me encouraged residents to participate in the many public events. Seeing no other speakers come fornard, Ms. King declared the Pev~kegeof the Floor on the Legislative #-z3$ Agenda closed. '=- 62d INTRODUCTION OF AND ACTION UPON LOCAL LAWS, ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS: Mr. Kosiur made a motion that Council approves the Consent Agenda and the motion was seconded by Mr. Mootooveren. Consent Agenda - Ordinance No, 20 14 --- 21 ..................................... . A d Unanimously Resolution No, 20 L 4 - 2 1.6..................................*AdoptedUnanimously Resolution No. 20 L " I 2 2 7 .................. .. Adopted Unanimously Resolution Xi?;*2014 - 2 18 ............................. *Adoptedbnanimous'ly Resolution No. 20 % 4 - 2 19 .................... ...a-.e. Unanimously e,Ad~gtetb Resolution No. 20 I4 - 220 ................ Adopted Unanimously Rssoiu"son No, 0 14 - 22 1 .................................... Adopted Unanimously A Resoiratiorr Authorking the City of Schenectady to Enter into the Required Subrecipeienk Agreement with the Housing Trust Furad Corporatioar as Required in the ImplemenlaHsn of the Wew York State G o m m u n i ~ Development Block Grant-Dksater Recovery (CddSG- DR) Program, and to AarthorHe the Bkayor to S i p any and afl Documents Required in the Implementation of the Program, 2014 - 222 The mi:l-tor.r was :novzd bi, MI-K o s i ~ rand ~ecoadcdby /fr r%oree~liciil. Scheneclady City Council Minutes September 22,2014 i Page 4 of 9 Voting AYE: King, Kssiur, Mootooveren, Pmazzo and PoderfieId Voting NAY: Riggi Ms. Perazzo - Clarified "rat the item is related to the North Ferry Street pump station. She noted the funds to build a new pump statim were approved by the Gity Council in the 2014 budget, She added the controversy arose with the fottouring proposals related to building a new pump station vs. upgrading the current pump station. She noted the governor and the state. following EruKicanes Sandy and Irene, created New Vork Raising. The progrm sets aside funding to ensure vital inl'rastmcture is at a 500 year flood plan level rather than the prior 100 year flood plan level. She added this pump station rvbicb was impacted by the hunjicanes handles 55 percent s f the City's sewage and does not eunently meet the 500 year flood plan level. She therefore supports the above resolution. 33s. Porterfield - Noted she did not vote yes on the prior proposal for a new pump stgion. She noted there were questions about approving new eonsh-rxction vs, upgrztding the current pump station. She added this state p r o g m has less impact on City tax payers and when she spoke with the City engneer he recommended it would be better to 'build a new purnp station. With the hnding support. I-mm the state she is in favor of the above resolution. Mu, Riggi - We noted the ongoing debate about whether to rebuild or replace the pump station. He reported attending a Stockade Heritage meeting and the p u p offered to k n d another skdy by an engineering team to identify which option is necessary. He noted he has toured the building and was told it moved one Inch and then one foot off the foundation. He recognized it would likely be quicker to rebuild than replace but believes the old structure is solid. He added whether the tax dollars are from the state or the City, they are all tax dollars and should be spent pnrdently. We then provided recommendations about how to improve the cunent shuckre and noted his opposition to the resolution, PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR: Ms. King invited all who wished to address the Gity Council on m y matter of City business to come forward. The following speakers rose to be heard and their remarks are summarized: Joy Hall, Sehenectady - Noted that something needs to be done quickly. She added seniors are being seammed. She noted people are having Imubde crossing the streets near Eastern Avenue and Notk Tenace and that the City needs to install a crossing light at Lark and Lincoln hei&ts. She asked the City to fix the potholes, Doris Hall, Schenectady - Noted she had twisted her entrre right side because of potholes md she rs not getirng any better, She noted her entire saving has been depleted because o f her injures, mnecessary b:lls and she c;lil9ncst work due to her injuries. She is experiencing a great deal of pain and suffering, In closing she advised the City to fix the pot holes so others don2 get injured, Gina Gior@o9Stheneclady - Koted the Clty3 Anlrnal Control Officers are canng and eompassaonare, She noted the Poincr: Department "nnumver has a dnsregd for anamals, She noted i=.tarnpleso f personal outreach related to the Schenectady Poi~ceDepartment and stray and inlured dogs and r e ~ o r bthe pollce response was ver) poor She noted ;vl~enshe has contacted ",ke Police Bepartrntxa they report not hsvrng an An-izal G c s ~ ~ P ~ I on duty She added a Gf4;cer dog bhould not ksve to suffkr ror fony er&t hours as a resuit She noted the Cnmrnrss~sners Sckenectady City Council Minutes September 22, 2014 i Page 5 of 9 misinfomed with regards "i onesting residents f'or animal cmelty and added itis within the purvie~vof the law for the police to make such arrests. Vicki Salvo, Sehenectady - Noted that she initially engage in the discussion on the Gityss dog shelter as a third party observer. As she has become more infomed she noted the City has admitted to some of the charges brought hnvard by animal rescue graups and the paper has reported even less. She noted dog lovers and rescue goups are not well enou& infomed about the location of the animals and requested that the City stop prohibiting people &om engaging with the mimal shelter. She added it is a shame that inspectors with the state's Ag & Market department are not well enou& infomed to spot dehydration and maltreatment when conducting inspections at. the City's dog shelter. She noted these dogs need to be evaluated by a trained veterinasian who has experience identifpng infections and mental trauma. She then noted dogs are being prematurely labeled as dangerous dogs by the City and that provoked and fi-ei&ted dogs should not be placed into this category. She advised the City to hire a behavioral specialist to evaluate these dogs. She closed by noting the SPCA is tooking to open a county shelter for dogs. Fenny Ross, Amsterdam - Noted she is with the Roaerdann Empire Rescue group and that they have k e n engaged with the City for many months donating supplies and offefing direction on the appropl"ate care o f the dogs in the City dog shelta, She noted a dog named Dakota was in the City dog shelter for more &an two months, was not deemed dangerous by the e o u ~ and was not let out of the kennel. She noted despite the City hiring two additional part-time Animal Control Offjcers on September 15" they could not get Dakota out of the City dog shelter aAer 2:00 p.m, because of staffing. She noted Dakota now has ongoing medical expenses following the dog5slime in the shelter. She noted on a recent visit lfie new watering system was not in place. She advised the City that something needs to be set up for intake and the dogs need to be @ quarantined to prevent the spread of diseases. She added the group has been identified as trouble makers and are now not aHomred into the Gity dog shelter. She would like to know what rescues the City is working with. She closed by noting that dogs should not be placed in homes unless they receive proper vaccinations. Carol Johnson, Albany - Recognized improvements the City has made at the Gity Dog shelter -rvhich were reflected in the presentation by the Comissioner at the September 15t" presentation. She added more needs to be done, She noted there are additional resources available to the City that are not bei~rgused ~~lcluding wlur-iteers. Regardkg vaccinations she noted the City can purchase these products in bulk and some o f the .vaccinescan he gia en by non-vetefinafans. Regarding hndraising and adoption, she noted resources are available that ilkhe City is not using, She noted there appears ro be some cunksion regarding documentation and s t a d a d protocol policies, She asked how cean the Csty r e p o ~saving SSO,BOO on the year to year operation of the City-s dog shelter and then not be able to account where the savings c m e from. She closed by noting months have gone by and the dog adtocates have not gotten sufficient answers to their questions. &larva Isaacs, Schenrctady - Noted an 3rt1~1eln the Gazette whrch repoded a curfew In Jerry Bunel?;Park and that one of the persuns rnterv~ewedreported the park ~vizslucked and volunteers could ncrr get into the park to clean- She noted the Hamlltsan Hill c o m m u n ~ t ~ o u a t for the note ~ C;ty to come and clean thenr g a k s instead they purchased the necessary Items and clean therr own park She noted in recent meetmgs w ~ t hthe Schenectady Cnlted Netghbcrrkood group there t\a3 d ~ s c ~ ~ s i i ~ na curfew She noted rt rs not the fxliii: of the polrce deparlrnearrt that people ibboct dre bitttng rn the ?ark :n the dark- She added ike pi~lsceiare there all the hmr:She ristcd in ;lo\nng use the~rown krcoms to clean the park ~fthat rs 'ivhat they want to do that ex eryone elbe ~ I ~ t l u l d Schenectady City Council Minutes September 22,2014 i Page 6 of 9 Sherry Peterquiist, Rotterdam - Noted she is with Good Shepherd K-9 Rescue. She added she has been involved with dog rescues for 30-40 years. She noted several years ago, when she worked at the City she woufd get cafls from other employees about possible rescue dogs. She noted she would go to the shelter once a week to take pictures and then put them on Petfindem. She noted the dogs collected by the City's Animal Control Of'ticers where previously held at the PoIice Depament garage, She noted the dogs were on the cold floor -iirithout blankets and no heaters. She noted purchrzsing heaters for the dogs and then getting in trouble with the department for blotving out the electric. She added now the dogs are held at the City dog shelter with no air conditioning and maybe shipped to Albany. She noted the dogs are being deemed as dangerous and not walked correctly. She noted the dogs are geMing sick and then dying. f he noted Rotterdam is Looking to have a shelter and that the City should look into a county shelter and talk rvith the trolunteers. Anthony Carota, Schenectady - Pdoted he is feed up with how the Mayor and City officials are ntnning the City. He mted the Mayor and police are hming a blind eye to the needs of these dogs. He noted the Mayor and police are acting like gangsters by tving to cover up the mistreatment of these dogs. He noted the Mayor is a double dipper and wili. be wted out of office in the next election, He noted while the btayor was on City Counc-ilhe was on the board for Proctors and was paid staff for the DA's ot'fice, He noted if residents break the law, they go to Jail. He asked why gofiee and City officials are not held to the s m e standard. Linda Kelleher, Sehenectady - Noted her and husband tajk with residents about their concerns. She noted one particular concern raised by an elderly City resrdent about LiMer which ends up along her property line which boarders School Street. She noted t7iolations have been issued to Ioeal businesses which conhbarte to the titter and it is cheaper for the business to pay the fine than fix the issue. She noted most residents in the area have been there for decades and it should not fall on them to rectie the situation, but rather the City should enforce the City Code. She then noted a specific section in the City Code which relates to being a good neighbor and advised that such behaviors would help to resolve these issues. Sara Miehener, Schenectady - Read a fetter addressed to the editor of a newspaper located in Cape May, Maine. She noted the letter related to overdevelopment and is dated 20 12. The article addressed the development of casinos while reflecting on the history of processing cotton for .profit, She noted there is a eheory that if you build more casinos more people will come. She noted millions of people went to Readkg, PA when they were the original outlet capital s f the world. She added retail outlets are everwhere now ;and Reading is looking to sedehne itself She noted this 1s the same for aqueurns and other type o f r~enuss,She noted the solution should be for C~by'sto d a e i o p unique attractions that aar not easily recreated elsewhere. She noted the original idea for the river front development was a. good one ztnd she hopes the casino rs not parl: of it., She then took a moment to remember a dear &lend, Fred Barts who recently passed away. Tony Bumonre, Schenectady - Noted the IQSS of two men In the Crty who reail) helped others, Father M~ehaelHogan and Fred B a r k He read in the paper about all the contributions that Father Hogan made to the community. We: then told a story about how Mr, B x t s would generously donate to others in need. He closed by noteng both will be missed. Joe Keileher, Schenectady - Voted concerns rarsed by hrs wrfe about the home on School Street and the deplorabIe conditron ofthe property I ~ n eand fence, He noted h ~ s msrr ~ " t h other ne~~kor crncthe street. He noted one o f the nenghbrs i s a contractor and he N as able to umte the t ~ oowho planned crn nork:ng together to resolve the co?ee7m a>fthe deterai~*aringfence. He noted the rssldenk pleaded urth the C ~ t yrepeatedly and ~t only took h ~ ma f r w rntcutec; to resolre the rssse He then sntsd a section ofthe Crty Code regardlng the post~ngsfpolrncal srgns, He noted  Scheneetady City Gouncrl Minutes September 22,2024 i Page 7 of 9 political signs should not be ailo-cved on public spaces, city owned property or along state roads, He noted some candidates have their signs in these illegal locations and they should be removed immediately. He noted Schenectady residents have a right to remove the illegal s i p s and he asked the governing body to uphold the City Code, Regarding Manufacturing Week he noted Tough Traveler has been manufacturing in the City for many years. He then noted the American Legion will be hosting a hndraiser on October 19 f2om 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 g.m, at the Schenectady County Veterans post located at 7 18 Union Street. He added tickets are $10 and the bread is donated by Perecca's Bakery, He noted SACC TV wit1 also be hosting a 3 0 ' h i v m s a r y and Halloween Party at the same location on October 24 fiom 7:00 p.m, -1 1:00 p.m. iaab Marzvey, Schenectady -Noted his intent to speak on quality of Iife issues in the City. He noted a recent review of the 201 3 CAPER at the public library. He hi&lighted the number one and two neighborhood revitalization objectives which included increased code enforcement and increaed community police presence, He noted the report indicates 11,500 inspections were done in 2013 and that this is a positive. He asked how many of these violations were followed up on and conected"?egarding community policing he reports being informed that there will be an increased number of officers on bikes and he sees this as a positive step. Frank Wieks, Schenectady - Noted he appreciates the Gazette being recoazed for L 20 years of sewtee m d d d e d the he is a regulas reader. He noted the impo&ance of the gaper to assist with literacy and acting as a gov ent watchdog. Me noted the S q t m b e r 8 taping of the City Council meeting at 333 minutes and 30 seconds is where residents can review comments fi-om Ms. Coleman related to her reporl of the recent police raid. He reiterated his recommendation that police offjcers should \xiear nmbers that can be read by residents. He noted the numbers should be listed on a webpage so that residents can report positive and negative police officer interactions. He reported shafing this recommendation with the Cornmissioner who reported t e * $$ '+a2 other municipalities are not doing this. hlary SZcClaine, Schenectady - ""Zwanted to run for a City Council seat this year, 1 called Dick Naylor but he didn't return my phone message. I also collected more than 300 sirnatures but due to a perverse process and wackos who get their kicks challenging petitions, I was thrown off the ballot. When that happened 1withdrew &om the community. An article in last week's Gazetle brought me back. Indeed little things do add up and in my world it means one big negative. m e n Council is spending big money on projects, it's all about raazle dazzle. But when it's time for clean up and elbow gease, the City fails the test. I tried to reach the young woman who has been takrng pictures of ail the nice places in Sehenectady. heouldn't get her, I wanted her to take pictures at the comer of my street Her quarrel i s not ~11ththose who cnmpiarn it's with the rnob~lecldlzens tvho mn the City. Getting back to the Gazette arlrcle, Mr. Moms earns a six figure Income and operates wit"na200 volunteers, In other rvords, ftee labor. How many of you fnIIowa=dthxough on the financial piresent;lkions and M ent to see the presenters about jobs? f did* if Xilr, hforns converted 400 of those bolunteer jobs ~ntspaymg jobs that ;t:ix~ouldreally light up the Crty. Regard~ng&he Erst demolition on Eastern Avenue, the prop&y vaasn" picked clean. the weeds were left. The project was a half-baked job. Steimetz Park: Council has spent several weeks deciding how much to charge for special events ~ncludingweddings. The wehiids around the pond are SIX feet tall and much i s lying on top o f the water, Wild gasses aver nm the flower beds, %%at. bnde wants that kind of background in her llpedding p~ctures?Two months ago, I told you about the deplorable conditions on the grounds of the cont~enientstore at Nett Street and Van Ranken Avenue. $he sod tvas ptlIIed Earn the dirt and lyng e;n the c;rdewaik, 11"sstrli there .et$ornoilkhc later Lastly a week ago someone dumped trash OM Grand B h d , It's slrll there. Irndgrqe P~4dr-j%Mca"laine:e4 trash on &;rag$ Blvd Yotr go c1ea.r rt up, There i s mere to me than keepng the C ~ r yclan."" Scheneclady City Counc~lMinutes September 22,2054 I Page 8 of 9 Commissioner \Vayne BenneM. - Clarify the record, regarding Ms. Coleman, Me noted the Schenectady Police Department (SPD) was not the agency involved in that home inspection. He noted ttvo other depadments Lead that investigation rund the City representatives fiom the SPB were on hand only in case of an emergmcy. Me noted the two SPD officers on hand were on the outside of the building, He noted he has been in touch with ,Ms. Coleman and provided her with the contact infomation for Internal Affairs related to the two other departments involved. Seeing no other spe&ers to come belfore the City Council, Ms. King declared the Prit-itege of the Floor closed regarding City Business. 3flSGELtANEOUS BUSllVESS OF THE COUNCIL It;fs. Porterfield - Offered her condolences regarding Father Hogan's passing noting she worked with him for many years in the community. She noted Fred Barts' passing as well and noted he was a person of character as well. She then noted an article in the Gazette related to pedestrian and resident safety. She added the need for more education related to increased police enforcement of jay-walking and the rational for it. She then m o u n c e d the Hamilton Hill Nei&hurhood Association will host its mnual awards dinner on October 18, She noted the event is an opporh-tniq to recopize people who have assisted the nei&bcrrhood and helped to improve the quality of life. She closed by noting part of the proceeds from the event will go to the Electne City Bike Rescue. Mr. Riggi -Noted Septe~xber25 is the last day for the Belleme s Market. He noted there will be pumpk~nsfor the children, face painting, clowns and fiv okens. On October 9, he noted Bellevue wit1 host ~ t s ner&borhood meeting at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Fairview Avenue. He added there will be a candidate debate forum on October 9 and he encouraged people to come out and meet the candidates. We noted the convenxence stores are obviously a problem in residential neighborhoods and he knows the Council has a mind to continue with the moratorium. He noted moving fornard the conventence stores must come up with an appropriate plan. On another note he reported receiving several complaints regarding basketball hoops in the streets. He noted the hoops are impeding traffic and this becomes confrontational especially when people are driviilg down the street. He noted this is happening on Summit Avenue and in Belletae and people can be cited for this. He also noted jay-walking as an issue which was addressed by Ms. Porterfield. He noted he sent out an email to Chief Killcullen and Cornna~ssronerBemett on Auwst 29, has not received a response yet and is extremely disappornt~ng,On a personal note he refiected on the loss of two Elends a,$ added they will be a 10~s to the communlty:y, wife o f forty nlne years a Happy Am~versary. In closrng he wrslied h ~ s &IrePerazzo --- Noted the Mrnonty Contractors Technical Assistance Program, located at 319 Albany Street in Schenectady, will be hosting a seminar on bf;lr;C?'BE,She noted the workshop is intended f o m k o i t i e s , women. or small business contractors and who are rrrterested in the certification process which al"tv+issmall business owners access to bidding on City and state projects. She noted the semina i s on September 25 at 6130p.m. at the MCTAP offices and interested parties can RSVP by calling (518) 372-4409, 3i-la3ss 3lcCarthy - Extended h:s condolences to rhe f m l h e s o f Fred Bads and Father Hogan and noted &hey were both commbnlty leaders. He then welcomed Newsies to town, whlck 1s an off Broadway product~nnthat 1s currently rn tech at Proctors before krckrng offats nattonal tour, He noted the tech porti~no f the sho\vs des,elopment bnngs 80 workers to Scheneceady for s e ~ e r a lweeks He then reflected i1i.r the Greater Caprtai Wegmii Area Realtor. ,Assocrat:on lih*cl? 110ded *tsarnliai mcetrng Schenectady rzcentlj \vhrch b r a g h t 1 3300 realtor< 3 e clcced by Schenectady City Council Minutes September 22,2014 i Page 9 of 9 noting these type of events help to get the message out that thae are oppoeunities for horns: oavnership rn Scbenectady. Ms. King - Extended her condolences to the families of Fred Barts and Father Hogan. She then noted her appreciation for the Seheneetady residents who take their personal time and resources to beautie the islands thou@out Seheneetady. She noted they looked especially beautihl this past summer. Adjourned: business to come before the City Council, Ms. King asked for a m o ~ o nto Seeing no h ~ h e r adjourn the meeting. ?-he motion was moved by Mr. Kosiur and seconded by Ms. Riggi and the meeting adjourned at 8 3 2 p.m. /-1 i A true fetord I