The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has assured members of the City Council that the six churches slated to close in the city over the next eighteen months will maintained once their doors are shut.

Members of the Democratic majority on the council had previously sent a letter to the diocese asking for a meeting to discuss the future safety and maintenance of the structures.

Councilman John Brown, D-At Large, recently met with Noel Olsen, director of real property for the diocese, to talk about the matter.

"I was pleased to hear that there will be consistent monitoring of these properties and that the diocese has pledged to not close these buildings and just walk away," said Brown, who noted possible developers had already made inquiries into several of the structures and that St. Francis de Sale, which will be the first church in the city to close, could be for sale in coming weeks.

"Again, this is a difficult time for members of the Catholic faith in Troy and for parishioners throughout the city. We all wish things were ending differently, but the city's responsibility is to quality of life, neighborhood safety, and re-development," he added. "I am looking forward to further dialogue between the city and the diocese so we can work hand-in-hand to re-use buildings and to keep the people of Troy informed about any progress."

Councilmen Gary Galuski, D-District 6, Ken Zalewski, D-District 5, and Peter Ryan, D-District 3, also supported the effort to ensure the buildings would continue to be safe after their closure.