Troy Local Development Corporation
Regular MeetingTroy, NY · March 14, 2014
Minutes
TROY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Board of Director
Meeting Minutes
March 14, 2014
8:30 a.m.
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Bill Dunne, Dep. Mayor Pete Ryan, Andy Ross and
Hon. Ken Zalewski
ABSENT:
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Justin Miller Esq., Monica Kurzejeski, Selena Skiba,
Laban Coblentz, Andrew Kreshik and Denee Zeigler
Minutes
In the absence of a Chairman, the board elected Bill Dunne as temporary Chairman of
the meeting.
Hon. Ken Zalewski made a motion to elect Bill Dunne as
temporary Chairman for this meeting.
Andy Ross seconded the motion, motion carried.
Bill Dunne called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m.
I. Approval of Minutes from February 14, 2014 board meeting
Andy Ross made the motion to approve the minutes.
Hon. Ken Zalewski seconded the motion, motion carried.
Mr. Dunne advised that the audit presentation and financials will be
postponed. A special meeting date will be set up before the end of the month
to discuss both items.
II. Board Member Vacancy
Mr. Dunne spoke to the board members about the vacancy on the board that
they will need to fill. Dep. Mayor Pete Ryan spoke about a possible
candidate, Elbert Watson. Mr. Ryan spoke to the board about his
background and a copy of his resume was given to all of the board members
to review. Bill Dunne noted that with his banking background he may be a
good person to help create or chair a loan committee.
Justin Miller explained that the previous Chairman sat on this board as a
result of being the IDA Chairman. If the vacancy is filled, the seat filled will be
shared with the IDA chairmanship. Mr. Miller also explained that this board
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can vote in a chairman of their choosing. In that case the IDA chairman
would sit on this board. The board discussed the process. Mr. Miller advised
that the governance committee would be responsible to recommend possible
members to the board. Mr. Ryan asked if that would be something that could
be done today. Mr. Miller answered yes, but he advised them to keep in mind
that they will also serve as the IDA chairman and that is subject to council
approval. The board unanimously decided that Mr. Watson would be a good
candidate for this board and will revisit the recommendation after meeting
and discussing with the IDA board.
III. Updated Façade grant for Dublin’s
Monica spoke to the board members about the 50/50 façade grant for
Dublin’s at 121 4th Street. Initially he was approved for $4,700.00 which was
based on his original estimates. After starting the work, he incurred
additional costs and was able to meet the max reimbursement amount of
$5,000.00. He has been reimbursed the $4,700.00 and is looking for
additional reimbursement of $300.00. Bill Dunne asked how the completed
work looks. Mrs. Kurzejeski stated that it looks really nice and it changes the
whole look of the place. Mrs. Kurzejeski advised that he has also changed
the name to TAL and is hoping to bring in a whole new clientele. Mr. Ryan
wanted to note that there is a lot of positive activity in that area. The board
agreed that once the projects are completed, it will have a positive change on
the whole area.
Andy Ross made a motion to approve the additional $300.00
in funding for Dublin’s, 121 4th Street.
Hon. Ken Zalewski seconded the motion, motion carried.
IV. King Fuels site demolition plan
Bill Dunne gave an update to the board about the King Fuel site. Mr. Dunne
advised that asbestos surveys have been done on the twelve structures on
site. Out of the six buildings containing asbestos, two have been taken done
as emergency demolitions with proper permitting and air monitoring. Once
the weather gets better, abatement will begin on the four remaining buildings
that contain asbestos and then taken down with the other remaining
buildings.
Mr. Dunne noted that the five responses came back to the RFP for demolition
work at the King Fuels site; Provincial Contracting Services, Casale
Construction, Titanium Demolition, Peak Environmental and Cristo
Demolition. Casale Construction came in with the lowest bid. Mr. Dunne is
looking for the board to let the contract with them in order to get the buildings
down on the site. Andrew Kreshik advised that Alpine Environmental is
conducting the localized asbestos abatement. Mr. Dunne explained that
once the abatement is done and Casale Construction has completed there
work, there will be no structures left on site except for eLot.
Mr. Dunne advised that National Grid is looking to start work on May 1st.
Andy Ross questioned the timeframe on the Casale Contract. Mr. Dunne
advised he is ready to go as soon as permits are in place. If he is able to
start in April, he should be completed by May 1st. Mr. Kreshik advised that of
four of the buildings that are pending, have paperwork into the Department of
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Labor for their variances. The cold weather and ice is delaying the process at
this point. Once the contract is executed, Casale Construction can start
working on some of the smaller structures that are not affected by the ice and
snow piles. Mr. Kreshik also advised that Mr. Casale will be able to move the
process along quickly and process the materials next to the King Fuels site.
Mr. Ross questioned if all paperwork and permits are in place. Mr. Kreshik
has met with Code Enforcement and they are ready to move forward. Mr.
Zalewski asked about the process of taking a building down with asbestos
and taking one down that has been abated. Mr. Kreshik spoke about the
process of removing the asbestos from the four buildings and disposing of it.
He noted some delays with Albany landfill that have limited the amount of
debris that they are able to take in. Mr. Dunne asked if there were any other
questions from the board.
Andy Ross made a motion to authorize the letting of the
contract with Casale Construction for demolition work at the
King Fuels site.
Hon. Ken Zalewski seconded the motion, motion carried.
V. King Fuels Development Plan RFP
Bill Dunne spoke to the board about the status of the King Fuels
Development RFP. A draft copy was distributed to the board members for
review and comments. Mr. Dunne advised that he would like to have a final
draft ready for the April meeting in order to get out to a consultant as soon as
possible.
Mr. Dunne asked for a motion to enter into executive session in order to
discuss real estate matters.
Hon. Ken Zalewski made a motion to enter into executive
session to discuss potential real estate matters.
Andy Ross seconded the motion, motion carried.
Hon. Ken Zalewski made a motion to adjourn executive
session.
Andy Ross seconded the motion, motion carried.
The board returned from executive session with no action taken.
VI. O’Brien’s Public House
Mr. Dunne advised the board that O’Brien’s Public House is now open and
ready for business.
VII. Center of Gravity
Mr. Dunne introduced Laban Coblentz from The Center of Gravity to the
board members for a status report. Mr. Coblentz handed out a report to the
board members and spoke in general about some upcoming projects and
their shared services. The progression is what he hoped for at this point.
Congressman Tonko’s office has gotten involved and is assisting them with a
federal grant. Mr. Coblentz has received approval from two banks for
construction loans and is in process of deciding between the two.
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A majority of the work is focusing on construction work and going through the
projects. The county IDA has given support on the Quackenbush project and
it is moving forward. Mr. Coblentz shared with the board the process that one
of the start ups has gone through. They started with no funding and now
have a significant contract. Much of their success can be attributed to our
shared business services. They may become one of the tenants in the
Quackenbush building, if they don’t grow too quickly. Mr. Coblentz
mentioned the article that stated we have the least amount of commercial
space available and had the best rental rate in the area. The board agreed
that exciting things are happening in the City of Troy.
VIII. Adjournment
Hon. Ken Zalewski made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Andy Ross seconded the motion, motion carried.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:37 a.m.
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Agenda
Andrew Ross, Vice Chairman Ken Zalewski
Bill Dunne Deputy Mayor Pete Ryan
TROY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Board of Directors Meeting
Planning Department Conference Room
City Hall
433 River Street, Suite 5001
Troy, New York 12180
March 14, 2014
8:30 a.m.
AGENDA
I. Approval of the Minutes from the February 14, 2014.
II. Presentation by Auditors
III. Update loan for Dublin’s (Monica)
IV. King Fuels site demolition bids (Bill)
V. King Fuels Development Plan RFP (Bill)
VI. O’Brien’s Public House (Bill/Monica)
VII. Financials (Selena/Joe)
VIII. Adjournment
TROY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Board of Director
Meeting Minutes
February 14, 2014
8:30 a.m.
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Wallace Altes, Bill Dunne, Dep. Mayor Pete Ryan
ABSENT: Andy Ross and Hon. Ken Zalewski
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Justin Miller Esq., Monica Kurzejeski, Kevin Mullen,
Jennifer Kemp, Selena Skiba, and Denee Zeigler
Minutes
Wallace Altes, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.
I. Approval of Minutes from January 17, 2014 board meeting
Bill Dunne made the motion to approve the minutes.
Pete Ryan seconded the motion, motion carried.
II. Vecino Group
Bill Dunne spoke to the board members about The Vecino Group’s next visit
to Troy. He advised their representative Rick Manzardo will be in town and
may be able to sit down with the board members, City of Troy, planning
commission and City Council members to discuss the next steps of the
project. Mr. Dunne noted that there are some important items to discuss
regarding discontinuing a portion of two streets near 444 River Street. The
Chairman suggested inviting the IDA board members also.
III. Alamo and Sperry Warehouse land swap
Bill Dunne gave some background on the Alamo site which is located just
next to the King Fuels site in South Troy. It is an LDC owned property.
During a recent discussion with Bill Chamberlain, it was mentioned that the
LDC may want to swap that property with the Sperry Warehouse site which is
located south of the Alamo and contiguous to the King Fuel site. Mr. Dunne
noted that there are some remediation issues with the Sperry Warehouse that
if carried out may cause the building to become unstable. He wanted to note
that it is a good size parcel which is contiguous to the King Fuels site. Mr.
Dunne also spoke about the RFP for a consultant for the development of the
site. He advised this is one of the items they will be asked to look at. The
Chairman asked about the size of the parcels. Mr. Dunne advised that the
Alamo is approximately 1 acre and the Sperry Warehouse is about 3.5-4
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acres. Pete Ryan explained that the Alamo is a critical component of DPW
and would be something that the City would be interested in. Mr. Dunne
advised that one of the portions of the Sperry Warehouse have already
started to collapsed and over the years people have dumped items such as
furniture and appliances. If we could get in there, we could control the
dumping and possibly have Casale remove the items. The Chairman asked
about the timeframe. Mr. Dunne noted that it should only take as long as the
process of completing, sending and getting responses from the RFP.
IV. Rare Form Brewing
Monica introduced Kevin Mullen and Jenny Kemp to the board members.
Mrs. Kurzejeski explained that their loan was approved by the board about
one year ago. They have secured a site in Kevin Blodgett’s building on
Congress Street and are ready for their disbursement of $20,000. Justin
Miller noted that all of the materials are here and ready to go. Mrs.
Kurzejeski also noted that they received a loan through NYBDC so most of
their paperwork was already prepared. The Chairman asked about the
timeframe of the project. Kevin Mullen advised that they are now approved
for federal and state license for brewing beer. Once the sign is up and proof
is given to the state, then they can start selling beer. Mr. Mullen explained
that the equipment is in place for the brewing and they just have to put in the
equipment for the tap room ready for customers. He noted that it should be
around the middle to end of next month. Mr. Dunne noted to the board he
was recently in the space and was very excited for the completion of the
project.
Pete Ryan made a motion to approve the resolution to
for payment of $20,000 in the form of a BDAP loan to
Rare Form Brewing.
Bill Dunne seconded the motion, motion carried.
V. Additional funding request
Monica Kurzejeski spoke to the board about the success of the loan program
initiated last year. Mrs. Kurzejeski explained that she recently attended an
economic development council event and was introduced to some new ideas
that are currently being used by Tompkins County Area Development
Organization. Based on the way things are moving in the City and the
information gathered at the event, Mrs. Kurzejeski explained that she wanted
to gear the new round of funding towards entrepreneurs and start ups. Justin
Miller noted that they would be a great model to follow. Mrs. Kurzejeski
stated that she is also looking at the Orange County Accelerator as a model.
More information will be available in March.
Bill Dunne added that he would like to see us continue with some of the
bricks and mortar projects. A couple of good applications have come in that
would make great projects. Mrs. Kurzejeski advised that there are also
several other community groups that are working to create façade and
improvement programs in their area. It would be good to consider working
along with them. We need to focus on job creation and long term
investments into the economy and create a more structured program. Justin
Miller agreed and noted that this is the direction that the ABO wanted us to
head in. The Chairman shared some of his experiences with a similar
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program they ran through the Chamber in Albany. Justin Miller suggested
that the applications can be updated to include some information regarding
privacy and FOIL guidelines. The board discussed some upcoming hurdles
and options with the program. The Chairman commended Mrs. Kurzejeski on
her work and wanted to add it was a great idea.
VI. Financials
Selena Skiba handed out financials to the board members and wanted to
note the allowance from receivables; 100% of the balance of Essence and
20% of Old World Provisions was used. Mrs. Skiba noted that everyone is
current at this point. Mrs. Skiba questioned if Collar Works Inc. was still in
the building. Bill Dunne noted that Collar Works Inc is still there and made
arrangements to stay until Vecino’s project, The Hudson Art House, is
complete. Mrs. Skiba had an item to discuss in executive session that would
be held until the end of the meeting.
VII. Media Campaign for LDC
Bill Dunne spoke to the board about the proposal from Duncan Crary
Communications which is included in their meeting packet. Mr. Dunne spoke
about having a full time media person for the LDC to help get the word out to
people about current and past projects. The King Fuels site is would be a
great place for them to get started to help promote the idea to people of the
working waterfront. There will be a lot of activity at the site to get it to a point
where it will be ready for businesses to move in and it would be an asset to
the development to get the word out to people. Mr. Dunne spoke to the
board about the plans that have been discussed for the site spanning from
1987 to 2005, when it was rezoned. The Chairman questioned the length of
waterfront. Mr. Dunne advised it was about 2.5 miles of waterfront. Mrs.
Kurzejeski mentioned that this area has been asked to be a project pipeline.
Pete Ryan also mentioned the start up NY campaign and the close proximity
of HVCC. Mr. Dunne asked the board to think about and it can be discussed
at the next meeting.
VIII. Executive Session
The Chairman asked for a motion to move into executive session to discuss
personal finances and legal matters of tenants.
Bill Dunne made a motion to move to executive session.
Pete Ryan seconded the motion, motion carried.
The board returned from executive session with no action taken.
IX. Adjournment
Selena Skiba wanted to mention to the board that the auditors will be here
next week. The Chairman asked if they will be ready to present in March.
Mrs. Skiba advised yes, they have it on their calendar.
The Chairman wanted to let the board know that he has made a decision to
resign as Chairman of the LDC effective as of today’s date. He has enjoyed
serving as the Chairman of the board and thanked everyone. The board
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members thanked him for his leadership and noted that he has done a great
job moving the LDC forward.
Bill Dunne made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Pete Ryan seconded the motion, motion carried.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 a.m.
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