Council of Albany Neighborhood
Associations
December 6,2000
President Marggie Skinner opened the
meeting at 7 PM.
I.
Introductions.
II.
Minutes:
Henry Madej moved to accept the NovemberMinutes. Harold Rubin seconded. Motion
approved.
III.
Communications/Announcements:
· Marggieexpressed sympathy to Mimi Mounteer on the passing of her
husband, John, avalued member of the Board of Directors of NRC and the Manning
Boulevard NA.Henry Madej moved that CANA extend formal condolences. There were
numerousseconds. Motion passedunanimously. NRC has made a
memorialcontribution to LaSalle in John's name. CANA will do likewise.
· C1application deadline is January 5.
· Home-storemeeting will be conducted on Dec. 7 at noon.
· TheBrighter Choice Charter School (Albany's second) has been proposed.
An information seminar will be conducted onSaturday, Dec. 9, at 11 AM in
the Crowne Plaza.
· Lights inthe Park, a program of lighted scenes in Washington Park to
benefit the PoliceAthletic League, will be running over the holidays.
· An OpenHouse will be conducted on Dec. 7 at the Center for Independence
at 855 CentralAvenue from 2-6 PM.
· January 11,2001 is the deadline for applications to take civil service
exams for thepositions of water meter reader, and 911 operator.
IV.
Committee
Reports and New Business.
A. University & Community Relations. Tom
Gebhardt. The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Dec. 13 at 7
PMat the Albany Police Dept., 526 Central Avenue. There will be no meeting
in January due to college/universityintersessions. The committee's
10thAnniversary Celebration was held on Nov. 8. Awards commemorating the
ceremony were presented to Henry Madej, ChrisLindsay, Scott Wexler, Michael
Byron, Officer Fred Aliberti and RobertBenedetto. Recognition
certificateswere presented to all "cooperating taverns,” as part of
the committee's"Tavern Owner Advertisement Agreement."
The committee is currentlyconducting the following advertising campaigns:
Thanksgiving anti-burglary;Friends don't let friends drive drunk; Smoke detector
requirement; DowntownSafety; Albany's Snow Emergency Plan (476-SNOW) and a
warning about the dangersof "date rape" drugs.
B. Community Police Council. Marggie
described the origin and history of the committee. Commander Turley is the
current chair. HelenBlack reported that the main discussion at the last meeting
was on the policedepartment’s combination of its narcotics units with directed
patrolunits. If there are community policeissues in your neighborhood,
talk about them with a CANA rep on the committee.Helen Black, (Arbor Hill);
Shannon Hickman (Pine Hills); Craig Waltz(Helderberg); Emily Grisom (Sheridan
Hollow); Mary Connair (Delaware); SandraHalbritter (West Hill). Call 489-5311 if
you need their phone numbers.
C. NRC Convention. Gene Solan thanked
all participants and organizers of the recentevent. Approximately 200
peopleattended on November 18. The committeewill meet for a post -event
discussion at 7:45 AM on Tuesday, Dec. 12. One outcome: a questionnaire
will be goingout to all NA’s shortly. Please be sureto respond.
D. Cable Access. Marggie described conversations
with Time Warner and the College ofSaint Rose to attempt to make use of
citizen's cable access. We need to establish a committee to assist
inmoving this project along. Albany'scurrent contract with Time Warner
expires in 4 years. It was suggested that we strongly urge Time Warner to
provide themeans under public access for televising meetings of the school
board, CommonCouncil and CANA.
E. Airport Noise. Dan Egan and Ann Savage
(Plymouth NA).The excessive noise caused by planes at Albany Int. Airport was
raised. Ann reported that she recently learned thatthe airport is
conducting a noise abatement study (a successor to the 1996study), to determine
the impact of noise on local neighborhoods in flight pathsand to find abatement
accommodations. Peoplebothered by airplane noise should call 242-2200,
and select option 7 to recordcomplaints. Dan Egan moved thatCANA adopt
a resolution urging the Airport authority to search and use whatevermeans
necessary to abate the current noise problem. Harold Rubin seconded.
There was no additional discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
F. Mary Connair invited everyone to come to the
Delaware AvenueFire Station on Monday, Dec. 11 at 5 PM. Mayor Jennings will turn
on theirholiday lighting.
G. Helen Desfosses reported that all are invited
to discus thetransfer of city properties to the developer for the Swan St.
project on Dec.12 from 6-8 PM in the Community room on the second floor of 200
Henry JohnsonBlvd.
H. Henry Madej reported on CSR's Education Facilities
ImprovementProgram. The latest plan includes demolition of several
historicallysignificant buildings on Madison Avenue near North Main Ave. and
replacing themwith a 53,000 square foot structure to be known as The Lally
Building. PHNA, supported by St. Andrew's EpiscopalChurch and
Steamer 10 Theater, has urged CSR to conduct a formal environmentalimpact study
before moving further on this project.
I. Marggie asked if we would
accommodate Mayor Jennings, theguest speaker for our January meeting and move
the date back to the 2ndWeds, Jan. 10. There were noobjections.
J. In response to a request from Lucy Wong,
of Arbor HillConcerned Citizens regarding the county’s plan to demolish 41 Ten
Broeck St.,Harold Rubin moved that CANA adopt a resolution urging the county to
preserveand rehabilitate the building at 41 Ten Broeck. Ann Brewster
seconded. Clare Yates and Elizabeth Griffin of Historic Albany Foundation
suggestedthat the façade could be stabilized; it is too late to save the
entirebuilding as the rear of the building has collapsed. If the façade
is kept, the character of the street will remainuninterrupted. It was
suggested thatresolution be amended to urge stabilization of the facade.
The change was adopted by acclamation. The motion passed
unanimously.
V.
Guest
Speakers: PaulTenan, Albany School District Citizens' Budget
Committee; Lonnie Palmer,Superintendent, Albany Public Schools; Katherine
Webb, School BoardPresident.
A. Paul Tenan distributed a handout detailing his
reaction, as amember of the Citizen’s Budget Committee, to the Albany School
District’sproposed Facilities Plan for new construction and rehabilitation of
Albany'sschool buildings. He warned thatputting such a large amount of
money into a capital program would take neededfunds away from operating
expenses.
B. Lonnie Palmer also handed out a summary
of the current issuesunder discussion regarding the District’s Facilities
Plan, as well as atentative time line for Board of Education decision-making.
Mr. Palmerstated the project is necessary because the average age of
Albany's schoolbuildings is 88-91 years and many have problems regarding state
educationcodes.
A question and answer period followedthe prepared presentations.
Q. What portion of the project will be paid byState Aid?
A. Mr. Palmer, approximately 55% will be state aid; 45% will comefrom
property taxes.
A. Mr. Tenan added that homesteading would change the ratio. Furthermore,
no analysis has beenforthcoming that proves the feasibility of the project as
proposed.
Q.What has happened with Krumkill and Whitehall Rd. proposals?
A. Mr. Palmer. Those sitesare no longer being considered.
Q.What will happen to the Schuyler Elementary School?
A. Mr. Palmer. It maybecome a middle school; it may be sold to SUNY
or other programs, such ascentral offices, may be relocated to the Schuyler
Bldg.
Q.Albany has a bad record of unused school buildings turning into
derelictproperties. How will old schools behandled under this plan?
A. Mr. Palmer. School #17may be leased to a church group. Theproperty
of School #21 will be used as a new bldg. site.
Joanne McElroy-Moore urgedeverybody to get involved in this issue. It affects
everyone in the City financially, even if there are noelementary or secondary
school aged children in the household. Property valuesare definitely affected by
the public’s perceived quality of the schools.
Katharine Webb, president of Albany's School Board,noted that a referendum on
the project is scheduled for May. Call 462-7200 for information on
Boardmeeting times.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:10PM
Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia Galivan for Sandra Thomas
Attendance
Holly
Katz, MANS
Mark
Yolles, MANS
Thomas Gebhardt, UNIV
Anne
Savage, PLYM
Dan Egan, PLYM
Harold
Rubin, CSQ
Anne Brewster, WPNA
HowieStoller,
MEL
Suzanne Hokanson, LPNA
G.
Mowbray, HPNA
Lt. Leonard Crouch, APD
Henry
M. Madej, PHNA
Greg Popp, PHNA
Emily
Grisom, SHNA
Helen Black, AHCC
WayneMorris,
Pt. Of Woods
Joanne McElroy Moore, NASPNA
MaryConnair,
DANA
Christopher Lindsay, BEV
Betsy
Shearer, PSNA
Robert Batson, Whitehall
David
Phaff, NewANA
Fred Perkins, PHNA
CynthiaGalivan,
MBNA
Joyce Rambo, CSQ
Joseph
T. McCaffrey, Whitehall
Joseph A. Jenkins, Giffen
Karen
Salih, CORA
Terence Thornberry, WPNA
Mimi
Mounteer, MBNA
Daniel W. VanRiper, LPNA
Katherine
Webb, SCHLBD
Steve Reilly
Bill
Brandow, CSQ
Paul Tenan, SCHLBUD
ScottWexler,
SCHLBD
Liz Benjamin, TU
Carol
Saginaw, BUCK
Cindy Schultz, PLYM
TheresaSwidorski,
SCHLBD
William Barnette, SCHLBD
Clare
Yates, CSQ
Lonnie Palmer, SCHL
MartyGawoski,
WHNA
Gene Solan, PHNA
Kathleen
Kearney, HPNA
Steve Winters, SECC
MarggieSkinner,
PHNA
Elizabeth Griffin, HAF
