Record staffers bring you information on the comings and goings of New York's Collar City.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sam Judge sends rather large message to city hall
Update @4 p.m.: City spokesman Jeff Pirro weighed in on the sign, saying that although the timing of its placement is "curious" given the incidents over the past few days with the demolition, he believes it is directed more so at the City Council, which has a meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
The Council has taken it upon themselves to lead the initiative to move city hall functions to the Dauchy Building. The meeting tonight is at 7 p.m. at Christ Church United Methodist at 35 State Street. We'll be tweeting from the meeting, follow along @ceceliamrecord.
A large "Now Leasing" sign was hung on the front of the Verizon Building -- also known as the current Troy City Hall -- this morning, in what is apparently the latest move in an increasingly hostile relationship between the city and building owner Sam Judge of 1776 Sixth Avenue, LLC.
City Economic Developer Vic Christopher posted a photo on Twitter around 10 a.m. of a crane cherry picker hanging the sign, which is about five times larger than the actual City Hall sign that hangs a few feet to the right.
Tensions between Judge and the city came to a head Tuesday when Judge attempted to leave an exit door at his property at 251 River Street. Problem is, the door exits into the active demolition site of the former city hall in Monument Square, and police were called to the scene -- as was Judge's attorney.
The city's lease at the Verizon Building expires at the end of the year (or the end of October, depending on who you ask), and Mayor Harry Tutunjian, following legislation approved by the City Council, did not sign a two-year lease renewal. Now, the City Council is working to move city hall to the Dauchy Building, a move that the administration and many downtown businesses are against.
City officials have long used the defense that a new lease agreement or purchase price for the Verizon building could be renegotiated instead of moving to the Dauchy Building, but this latest move by Judge demonstrates that negotiations may be harder to come by due to recent conflicts.
Meanwhile, contractors worked until after 8 p.m. Wednesday to make significant progress tearing down the rest of the former city hall, with City Engineer saying the building had to come down because it's half-demolished state posed a public safety issue.
Tutunjian: I think this is an excellent opportunity for the Council to take the lead
One day after Mayor Harry Tutunjian urged the City Council to take the reins on a feasibility study of the Dauchy Building as a future city hall, he issued a memorandum to the Council further explaining his position. In the memorandum, he cites the Council's criticisms of previous bidding processes -- most likely referring to comments made by Councilman Bill Dunne, D-District 4, and Council President Clem Campana regarding the former City Hall demolition -- as a motivation for the Council taking the lead.
He also agrees to support "an appropriate budget transfer to pay the expense." The full document is embedded below.
The contents of the former City Hall, including the Council Chamber theater seating, will be auctioned off this Saturday, Oct. 16 at the 1 Monument Square location. Even though the City Council passed an ordinance last week preventing the demolition of the site without prior approval, work has already been under way abating -- and essentially gutting -- the interior of the building.
Although passing a resolution in May by a vote of 7-2 to accept and appropriate $910,000 in Restore New York funding for the demolition, there has recently been a move by some Council members and residents to consider returning City Hall to Monument Square.
It seems reasonable, however, that the price tag for any renovations of the building will continue to go up as contents are removed and abatement work moves forward.
There are a number of other items -- including vehicles, heavy equipment, police evidence and bikes -- also be auctioned off on Saturday at three different sites. For more information, visit www.collarcityauctions.com or call 895-8150, ext. 101 for a brochure.
TROY — The consultants hired by the city to determine not only the best future use for the former City Hall on Monument Square and make recommendations on a permanent home for the city’s seat of government have narrowed their choices down to four.
Of the eight preliminary sites studied by Sasaki Associates, the architectural firm recommends the current home of City Hall, the old Verizon building on Sixth Avenue that the city is now leasing, Proctor’s Theater on Fourth Street and the Capital District Education Opportunity Center building and is not counting out moving back to the Monument Square site.
Sasaki will hold a second public hearing March 3 at 6 p.m. at the Bush Memorial building at Russell Sage College.
“This is a chance for all Trojans to have a say in a redevelopment project that will have a lasting and historical impact on the changing face of Troy’s riverfront for generations to come,” said Mayor Harry Tutunjian. “This meeting is for all of the residents of Troy, from Lansingburgh to South Troy, and not just those in and around downtown.”
About 20 residents turned out for the first public hearing Dec. 2 to give Sasaki input on where they would like to see City Hall land permanently and what they would like to see happen with the existing riverfront site.
In November 2008, the city signed a $308,000 per year agreement with Judge Development to lease the Verizon building for three years. The offices were moved in 13 months later after a number of delays and disputes. There city filed a lawsuit, which is still pending, in an effort to re-coup some of the rent money it paid without being able to occupy the building.
There are also state grants totaling some $6 million, which the city will have to match a percentage of, available to develop the Monument Square property in addition to completing other projects in the city.
The following is a news release about the meeting:
Mayor Harry Tutunjian announced the first of several public meetings regarding the future of City Hall, the redevelopment of current City Hall site, and the relocation of City Hall will be held on Wednesday December 2, 2009 at Christ Church United Methodist.
“The redevelopment of the current City Hall site is a transformative event that will bring more residents, jobs, and economic development investment to Troy,” said Mayor Tutunjian. “Public participation is an integral factor for making this project a success. Specifically, at this meeting we will be looking for input from residents as to what they believe will be the best alternatives for developments at this site.”
Sasaki Associates was chosen earlier this year from a list of more than 25 consultants from around the country to help with the redevelopment of this site. They’ve been working with City Staff since then and are examining eight sites in the downtown area as potential places for a future City Hall.
“ChristChurch welcomes the City of Troy for this important meeting and is privileged to be able to offer our space as a community resource,” said Pastor Nina Nichols. “We are glad to play a part in envisioning the future of our city.”
The public meeting will consist of power point presentations, a breakdown of all the separate parts of the project being looked at, and potential uses for the current City Hall site. Discussion will be led by Sasaki Associates
What: City Hall Redevelopment Meeting
When: Wednesday December 2, 2009
6 PM to 9 PM
Who: Sasaki Associates and the City of Troy
Where: Christ Church United Methodist on the corner of 5th Avenue and State Street
NOTE: Parking available in the 5th Avenue Parking Garage.
After months of delays and setbacks, the official public hearing regarding the proposed downtown Business Improvement District will be held at City Hall tonight at 7 p.m.
Residents will be able to come and share there views on why they believe there should or should not be a BID in the city of Troy.
Once the meeting is held, a 30-day public comment period will begin where residents can submit their formal opposition to the BID's creation to the City Clerk's office.
If more than 50 percent of proposed district members oppose the BID, it cannot be created. However, not voting counts in favor of establishing the district.
For all those interested, there will be an information meeting at City Hall tonight to discuss the lower Congress Street renovation project.
The project has been kicked into high-gear in order for officials and engineers to meet a June 15 deadline so that the city can be in line to receive funding for the project from the recently-approved federal economic stimulus package.
The $6.4 million project will consist of redirecting traffic along the popular road and is expected to pave the way for an estimated $160 million in economic development, according to past announcements from city officials.
The meeting will be held in the City Council chambers beginnging at 6:30 p.m.
This Sunday, Dec. 7, Troy will host it's 26th annual Victorian Stroll, a hugely popular community event which is expected to draw thousands to the city.
While special events will be held throughout the day at a number of city shops, restaurants, and boutiques, city residents may have a chance to see themselves on display at City Hall.
Troy's Little Italy neighborhood will be partnering with the Italian Community Center and the Troy CYO to share an information booth in the building Sunday where visitors will have the opportunity to view slides of various activities their neighborhoods and communities had been involved in during 2008.
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Update @4 p.m.: City spokesman Jeff Pirro weighed in on the sign, saying that although the timing of its placement is "curious" given the incidents over the past few days with the demolition, he believes it is directed more so at the City Council, which has a meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
