City Council

MINUTES OF THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED iVlEETING OF THE SCHENECTADY CITY COUNCIL March 14, 2016 The City Council Meeting was called to order by the Council President Room 209, City Council Chambers at City Hall. Pundit Dave of Shree y"HP"n Mandir of Schenectady to provide Ms. Perazzo then called on Jim Scott to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Deputy called the roll and the members of the City Council answered to I-<prrcw1 , John Mootooveren, Riggi to Resolution No. 2016-46 - A Resolution Recognizing the Month of March at "Irish Heritage Month" and Recognizing the Achievements of Irish Americans on St. Patrick's Day. Ancient the Hibernian and they extended their gratitude presentation of the ceremonial was the Farrell School of Irish Dance group. ~u,cu~,cu and "",",va,...,""u by Mr. Ferrari. The resolution passed Resolution No. 2016-47 - A Resolution Recognizing March at Social Work Month. Social Workers from the Schenectady City School district were on hand and they extended their gratitude for the recognition by the Mayor and City CounciL The resolution was by Ms. Porterfield and seconded by Mr. Mootooveren. The resolution passed  Minutes 201 2 8 1. Regarding pl"Tt:un ' h ·.. ",,'f., at Mohawk Harbor Jason Planck, Schenectady - Made note that the Mohawk trail on harbor being named was a gesture by the county legislature. Regarding naming celiain about considering American names with historical ties to not be it is today. Tony Buonome, Schenectady - Rush Street is Chicago and he could care less. He then referenced an article the which called for the street names to look to the future and not the past, which he said he He noted the Mohawk Harbor dates back to the 1930's and and some of America's most powerful stearn were built on site. He added there are other to the site which should be considered and reflected in the street names as well. the Downtown my job is having a me is mind- on Alco Schenectady is chapter history. HALF BILLION DOLLAR is positioning Schenectady as a new destination for living, I understand long and proud history of Alco on this site, and I That is why I was so thrilled to that Schenectady County river as Alco Heritage Trail, complete with plans for markers to educate visitors on the company's transportation and military history here. This is commendable, appropriate, a fitting tribute for the company and the many Alco workers and But the clean-up and of this vacant and desolate for so long - is also a great tribute to Alco, and this former eyesore is now part of Schenectady's remarkable present and brilliant future. It is a NEW riverfront and entertainment destination, so it only makes sense that the streets of Mohawk Harbor represent the site's - and Schenectady's - NEW vision. Rush Street is known as an exciting destination in Chicago for dining, entertainment and nightlife. We need to believe that the Rush Windy  Council Minutes March 2016 about longevity to this city and to the region, an ~..,...,_,.,~~ OrYl',",,,,,· of our community, From promoting Schenectady as a prime travel destination to partnering Northeast Planning, Trinity Alliance and the SEAT Center on local workforce to development, they have quickly proven themselves be a positive and valued business the Schenectady. Rush Street Gaming what the Chamber sees, Schenectady is moving forward and has sense of pride. course, we will always embrace our past; as we should. However, we must also continue to support needed changes in order to enrich our city's future. A storied past and a promising future, more could any city possibly hope for? While the Chamber fully appreciates, and indeed supports, the need to honor the men and women who worked at the former Aleo site, we the planned Aleo Heritage waterfront trail and Rush Street Gaming's plans to include photos and references to Aleo' s rich history on the casino property is the most appropriate way which to honor Aleo's contributions to our nation's transportation industry and military. The to honor the historic past, it is equally important and fitting incredible future, $330 million plus and the creation of over 1,000 ph,''lt'''rf and recognized by all IS .._......,.., one streets at Mohawk Harbor "Rush Schenectady is not only looking forward to embracing On behalf of the Chamber of Schenectady County, to support the proposed naming of one of the streets at Mohawk Harbor of the Schenectady County Legislature, representing HH.",UU'"" to ,-,Lv<40'-'U. a resolution that was approved unanimously by the designating the county bikelhike trail that will cross the Mohawk Harbor n ... Aleo Heritage p ' _•• It is the County's intent that this will be an interpretive trail depicting Schenectady's industrial past. There are other opportunities to recognize our past on that site including potential to relocate our Aleo locomotive, currently adjacent to Nott Terrace, to the Mohawk Harbor To those of you who have said the City should provide its own recognition, I assure you that the Legislature would appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with you on these efforts. Tonight, the City Council has before it a measure to approve the names Rush Street, Harborside Drive and Mohawk to street names  Minutes March 2016 our :Mary McClaine, Schenectady - "Would Rush CEO Greg Carlin go to Venice, Italy and tell the to the future as the multi-tiered, modern day cruise ships "npn"p water flood Saint Marco Square? This area is rich in Dutch and Indian history. the casino is a destination, our culture should keep the visitor here longer and it needs to be promoted any possible. for city street names, at the present time, Schenectady doesn't a Peter Stuyvesant Street. 'Wny not? How does Windmill Lane sound or Rembrandt Road? And is there anything more current that Kateri's Way? Council should not "rush" into anything but take it's time to think through the naming of these streets. Our history and culture are more important than man's vanity. Jim Standhart, Schenectady - Noted he is with the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters and he has 11 members attendance tonight He added there are hundreds of others in Schenectady and collectively support Rush Street Gaming. He added it's their choice to name the harbor streets ,n<:l1""""~" they want to name them. He closed by noting the company is employing hundreds of the new on site. nrr\"prt" next to happen to H~"'H~·~ to Blvd being named after the David Buicko, - Noted he is the CEO the Group which is the developer of the Mohawk Harbor the project has already paid $3.5 million to the city from the licensing was not anticipated in the 2016 budget He added the city will also benefiting from sales tax revenue from the construction taking place on the site. Regarding the proposed street names presented to the the harbor he noted the decisions were not made in haste. He added they collected survey's and solicited public input while offering participants a variety of street name option. He also noted as the developers of the site the company is paying for the construction of the streets and the harbor will be privately held for another year. He then noted logistical issues related to the need for securing street name approval including the start of marketing materials, GPS navigation and deliveries. Regarding "Rush Street" he noted the idea was derived from the Galesi Group and not Rush Street  March 2016 8 Official: a General: None Petitions: None COl\tfMITTEE REPORTS None PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR (LEGISLATIVE ITEMS) wished to address the Legislative Agenda to come forward: 'Inl'PH'" on was federal money and the city is not so cut documents in relation to a report from her office. He noted the goals should be the goals are not being achieved. He added if the city is looking to hire Department of Social Services where they will find 3,000 people who are reflecting on impact social workers have had on persons with u,,,rin"rc are the advocate and the unsung hero to those the disabled Mary McClaine, Schenectady - "Agenda item #5 - I don't recall the new council member campaigning on a platform to give blanket recognition to the city's workforce. Exactly, who does the councilman have in mind for recognition, members of the engineering department who made a mess of my street and after 9 months have yet to clean it? Or the employees who install the crooked historic signs throughout the city? Maybe he means the workers who painted the parking lines on one side of Jay Street and left the worn out lines on the other side undone? How about the person who inspected the  March 4,2016 6 of 8 asked others to Ms. declared Privilege of Floor on the INTRODUCTION OF AND ACTION UPON LOCAL LAWS, ORDINANCES ANn RESOLUTIONS: Mr. Kosiur made a motion that Council approves the Consent Agenda and the motion was seconded by Mr. Mootooveren. Consent Agenda - Ordinance 2016 - 04 ....................................... Adopted Unanimously Ordinance No. 2016 05 Unanimously Resolution Unanimously Unanimously Unanimously Unanimously Unanimously Unanimously Unanimously Unanimously ~uV'I.JL'-''-' Unanimously Unanimously Resolution £>.U.VIJC"-U Unanimously Resolution No. 2016 61 ...................................... Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. ...................................... Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2016 63 ...................................... Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2016 64 ...................................... Adopted Unanimously A Resolution Confirming Mitchell Miller's Appointment to the Planning Commission. 2016-65 The motion was moved by Mr. Kosiur and seconded by Mr. Ferrari.  4,2016 of 8 Anthony Carota, ~ctlenl~ctzld rp<:nA''>''p to to the city and added that his office is personall y participated in back the night events and he is looking for mayor is really concerned about victims of He spoke about the recent memorial held for the Jay Street fire victims. He noted he was there was not. noted the city used tax payer money to demolish building and repair the sidewalk. He noted only two city council members, Assembly member Santabarbara Congressman where there. He asked again and again where the mayor was. Jason Planck, Schenectady - Noted concerns related to affirmative action and referenced an earlier event which included the labor union leader asking the members in attendance to raise their hands, all of which he said, were white males. He then noted the billion dollars of dollars in tax exemptions are to one developer. He added there added this is corporate and the city gets nothing. property assessments. for someone cars President the Stockade Neighborhood a local publication and noted the added the Stockade neighborhood is pleased the city received nature neighborhood and flood mitigation. She noted the partnering with the city related to street, sidewalks and She added Council President Perazzo will be the guest speaker at next meeting on March 17th at 6:30 p.m. She noted she would be leaving copies of the publication featuring the Stockade neighborhood for review. She closed by stressing the need to keep the cars out of the stockade as the harbor development opens. Donny Burch, Schenectady - Noted concerns related to the actions of the public defender's office in relation to his case and the disregard for the constitution. He stressed the presence of  4, 61 8 to business She added the request to have the reflected street names is not a big ask. She this is the same consideration given to the new library which opened up on State Street. She added the street naming is an opportunity to engage community. She advised colleagues to review letters and emails to on street names as closed by again commending her colleagues on the legislature and asked the council respond in a similar manor. Mayor lVtcCarthy - Corrected an earlier speakers comments related to city bonds and stated the funds will be 2016. Ms. Perazzo Noted the Schenectady Police department participated in a training provided by Justice Center which focused on interactions with persons with special needs. She noted the be Run your event on March 26 at everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Adjourned: Schenectady Deputy City Clerk  Public: regard to LHUHU"6 a street at the Alco Site: Many workers had laboring jobs there and many injuries occurred due to the fact that there were procedures and no OSHA. In 1929 my father was injured and from then on was on and was not for the remaining of his life - he died in 1945. -W()rKIng men who worked in factory, we should commemorate them for their which helped win WWII. it had not been them, we casIno This is Schenectady is North St. Schenectady, NY 12305  our we our to who came because they had a vision of the future and they made great sacrifice to create our future. Our forebears would want us to continue that tradition of looking forward and creating the future, which is why we should name this road Rush Street. Schenectady is a city of strong people, and with hard work and good faith, we can make Mohawk Harbor a great success. Perhaps 50 years from now, I can walk along Rush Street and remember all of the forward-thinking men and women who worked to make Mohawk Harbor a reality -- those who had a vision for Schenectady's future. should our street names that reflect ALCO's to are own-narrowly-focused solely on the site itself (or, contrary to his protests in the article cited above, on his own company). Rather, by highlighting ALCO's contributions to the the citizens' suggestions also honor the workers whose efforts helped build Schenectady in population, in wealth, and in the city's effect on the rest of the country and on the world.  street names a can success to the Electric City." That may well be the case. However, I find his use Schenectady's nickname to be ironic, because that nickname is, of course, the very result Schenectady's industrial history. It seems that, once again erasing the city's history, he wants to re-define "electric" for Schenectady to refer instead to the neon and glitz-which is what he seems to see as "excitement and success" of Chicago's Rush Street and Miracle Mile entertainment district (where, he says, "the atmosphere on this mile-long thoroughfare is electric"; "Paving the Way," A8). The name "Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor" already to convey "excitement and success," (In addition, the name also is alongside the historic Mohawk River, so street names like "Mohawk Harbor Way" needed to do so; these names, by ",.""ryU"rI for not has name I street name 0Uf,F,VJU'YUJ .. ~,~,..,~~'V on Streets Interesting," Daily Gazette, Feb 2016, C raised here and are STILL here, or who-having moved H / U ' V....to the area through their their business, let s say in naming the casino developer over the citizens no especially those citizens who already " U " , A . . ..,..., economic and other reservations about the casino. Placing the casino developer's wishes over those of the citizens would also suggest a misplaced allegiance on the part of Schenectady'S leaders, along with potentially sending a message of an equal desire to ignore the city's heritage. In the context of County Legislator Hughes's statement that "Part of the plan for the Mohawk Harbor has always been for Ako on the site," which to the that  honor Schenectadians sure for ideas and s your choice street names for the Mohawk Harbor development. J. Ostrowski Clifton Road Niskayuna, NY (Schenectady