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2006 Weekly Messages |
01/05/06 - New Council Meets
Tonight will mark the first time the new City Council
meets following the elections of this past November.
This new council will have a great responsibility
during the next two years as we fight to strengthen
the road we are traveling on.
01/12/06
- Tragic Fire Claimed Life Of 8-month Old Rebecca
Rosario
Often times tragedy takes place during quiet hours,
either at night, or during the middle of a work week.
And it is during those times that we can sometimes
take our public employees for advantage. We forget
how difficult their jobs can be, and how tough it is
to do on a day-to-day basis.
01/20/06 - Trip To Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute For Pizza With The Students
As we move further along over the next 20 years and beyond,
the relationship the City and school foster will go a
long way towards determining how great the City becomes.
We have an enormous amount of potential, but we need
partners to capitalize on that potential. RPI is one
of those partners.
02/03/06
- State Of The City
For the better part of two years my administration
has worked to improve the quality of
life in the City of Troy through hard work, innovative
initiatives, renewed energy and a
belief that together we can accomplish great things.
It is these four characteristics that have guided my
administration
during the last two years, and will continue to shape
the policy of the City for the next two.
02/10/06 - Property Auction Turnout
Last night we had an auction of 46 properties that
took us somewhat by surprise. Despite the relatively
low number of properties up for sale (including 26
vacant parcels of land), which took in more than $500,000.
Many of the people on hand say they have been watching
the wonderful comeback Troy is making and wanted to
be involved.
02/16/06
- Zero Tolerance
You may have noticed that we officially kicked off
Zero Tolerance in the Code Enforcement this week with
the demolition of a building on River Street. The owner
had ignored requests for improvement from the City
for the better part of one year. Zero tolerance is
about stopping that type of inaction.
02/23/06 - 4th Annual Mardi Gras
Next week will be an exciting week as we not only welcome
the month of March (and spring), but celebrate our
4th Annual Mardi Gras celebration on the final day
of the month. On Tuesday evening, nearly 40 businesses
in the downtown area will remain open late to celebrate
New Orleans style in Troy.
03/02/06
- Zero Tolerance Hotline
Last week we unveiled
a Zero Tolerance hotline for the Code Enforcement department.
During
my State of the City speech I announced we would concentrate
on improving Code Enforcement in the City through a
zero tolerance approach. We have had several successes
in the first month, and look forward to continuing
this crackdown.
03/09/06 - The Cinema
Art Theater Raid
There were several people that openly complained that
the activity occurring at the theater had been going
on for quite some time. There is a large difference
between rumor and innuendo, and actual fact. The letter
I received
from the brave woman concerned about her friend was
a detailed account of what was happening. It was enough
to allow law enforcement to seek a greater action.
03/16/06 - Walgreens Pharmacy
Last week at the Planning Board meeting, members of
the public and the board heard for the first time,
plans for a new Walgreens Pharmacy at the corner of
Hoosick Street and South Lake Avenue. I understand that
this can be difficult to some, particularly those that
have lived along Hoosick Street for so long. But with
traffic increasing along Hoosick Street on a yearly
basis, we would be foolish to not try and capitalize
on that.
03/23/06 - Spring Street Clean
With Spring comes two annual events that always get
the attention of people one way or the other. The
first is our springtime street sweeping program and
the other is Earth
Day.
03/30/06
- Frear Park Golf Course Open
With temperatures set to hit the magical 70-degree
mark tomorrow, we decided to open the Frear Park Golf
Course two weeks early this year. This will be the 76th
consecutive season of golf at Frear Park, which was originally
a 9-hole course until golf course architect extraordinaire
Robert Trent Jones designed the amazing back nine holes
of the course.
04/06/06 - Earth Day
We have a full slate of projects as of right now, but
we are always looking for more. From the projects in
Lansingburgh (Turnpike Elementary and Powers Park)
to South Troy (Burden Pond and Cottage Street), there
literally is a project for everyone. And if not, there
is still plenty of time to call and add your group
to the list.
04/14/06 - Striped Bass Fishing Tournament
While I initially thought the idea would take off and
be a tremendous success, I was stunned over the course
of the past week at the amazing response the tournament
has received. People up and down the Hudson River have
been calling asking about the details, each of them
excited to come up to Troy and fish next month.
04/21/06 - Earth Day
Tomorrow is Earth Day in the City of Troy, and we are
proud to announce that there are 26 projects in various
spots across the Collar City, leaving something for
everyone.
04/26/06
- Zero Tolerance Program Misconceptions
Zero Tolerance has one goal, to crackdown on property
owners in Troy whose actions destroy the quality of
life that every neighborhood deserves.
05/04/06 - Several Little Leagues Opening
Their Seasons
This weekend we have several Little Leagues opening
their seasons, specifically South Troy and Independent
in Lansingburgh. We also have the 2006 Literacy Run,
which is set to take place throughout the downtown
this coming Sunday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate
for all of the volunteers.
05/11/06
- Ross Valve Corporation
Earlier this week, the Ross Valve Corporation received
an award from the United States
Department of Commerce in recognition of the growing
success the company has had in attracting overseas
business. For those that do not know, Ross Valve
has been doing business in Troy for more than a century.
05/18/06 - Riverstreet Festival
Today we announced the musical lineup for the 3rd Annual
River Street Festival and I
promise you, it will be a day to remember.
05/25/06
- Andy Mandell
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with a gentleman
today named Andy Mandell,
affectionately known as Mr. Diabetes. Andy is in the
process of walking around the
perimeter of the United States in an effort to raise
awareness about the debilitating effects
that diabetes has on Americans of all ages.
06/09/06 - Flag Day Parade / Riverstreet
Festival
There will be tens of thousands of people in downtown
on Sunday, so be sure to head on
down before the parade starts to make sure you get
a good spot. At the moment it looks
as if the weather may finally cooperate with one of
our events. Very exciting, right?
06/15/06 - Riverstreet Festival / School
12
Well River Street Festival 2006 is here. At least it
will be in two days, and the excitement is certainly
building. Before I finish for the week, I just wanted
to say hello to the fourth grade classes at School
12. The students there wrote letters to the Mayors
Office.
06/21/06 - 10 Annual Civil War Weekend
This weekend we have another exciting event taking
place in Troy, as the Civil War Reenactment
celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a flurry of activity
in Prospect Park. The entire event is just a fabulous
time, doing a wonderful job of combining learning with
family fun. I just cannot say enough about it. If you
get a chance, please stop by.
07/03/06
- Happy 4th of July (Special Message)
I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July and pass
along some advice for the holiday.
Please be safe and look out for your neighbors. We
all understand that this is a great
holiday that we all love to celebrate, but we must
do so in the proper manner.
07/06/06
- Powers Park Concert Series
I want to talk today about one of the upcoming Concert
Series that will begin this weekend- the Powers Park
Concert Series in Lansingburgh. This idea started last
year, and was accomplished through the hard work of
the Deputy Mayor’s Office and the
City Council members from Lansingburgh.
07/13/06 - Free Basketball Camp for Kids
When I delivered my State of the City speech back in
February we promised that we would make a significant
change at the Frear Park Ice Rink to allow for better
uses by a greater cross-section of the population.
07/20/06
- Wireless Internet Access
Today we held a wonderful press conference on the Hudson
River to announce that the
City of Troy has become the first municipality on the
Hudson River to provide wireless
Internet Access along the river.
07/27/06
- Three Upcoming Concerts
Here in Troy we have three very exciting concerts coming
up this weekend that I would
like to talk about. The big one will be Saturday night
when we welcome The Brits to the
Powers Park Concert Series in Lansingburgh.
08/03/06 - Extended Pool Hours
With temperatures in the mid 90’s earlier in
the week, we made a few decisions to try and
lower the dramatic effect the heat would take on the
residents in the City.
The big decision, and it was a rather easy one, was
to expand normal pool hours to leave
the facilities open until about 8:30 p.m.
08/10/06
- 9th Annual Mayor's Cup / Visiting Filmmakers
It’s that time of year again. Time to go golfing
with the Mayor. The 9th Annual Mayor’s
Cup will take place tomorrow at 9 a.m. at Frear Park
Golf Course.
08/17/06
- 3rd Annual Troy Stakes Race
Earlier this week we were proud to have the 3rd Annual
Troy Stakes Race take place at
the Saratoga Race Track. This new tradition began three
years ago and something strange
or unique has happened in each race.
08/24/06 - Powers Park Concert Series
/ Collar City Live
We have made a sincere effort over the past two plus
years to enhance the entertainment
options for our residents. Between these two ventures,
as well as the annual River Street
Festival, the progress we are making is certainly something
to be proud of.
08/31/06
- Awarded Main Street Grant
This week we had a very exciting announcement about
a grant opportunity for people
who own commercial buildings in the downtown area.
We were recently awarded a Main
Street Grant for the second time. This year’s
monetary value is $200,000.
09/08/06
- Uncle Sam Celebration / Annual Shrine Festa Italiana
This upcoming weekend is going to be a great time for
all of the residents of Troy, and
the thousands of visitors we will have.
09/14/06
- Three New Restaurant
This week I would like to talk about three exciting
new restaurants opening within three
blocks of one another. Two of them will open during
the fall, while the other is scheduled
to appear before the planning board later this month.
09/28/06
- 2007 Budget
The budget process this year was a difficult one, but
each decision we made was in the
best interest of the taxpayers. Rather than just repeating
myself, I thought I would reprint
my budget message hear for everyone to read.
10/10/06
- Purchase of King Fuels and Portec Properties
Today I will talk about the recent purchase of the
King Fuels and Portec Properties in
South Troy, and later in the week, I will unveil the
much-anticipated column about the
growing business and arts climate in downtown.
10/13/06
- Email From Karen Schlesinger (Special
Message)
I want to share with you an e-mail I received last
month about shopping during the upcoming
holiday season.
10/26/06
- Restore NY Grant Funds
we received additional exciting news regarding the
South Troy Waterfront when Governor George Pataki and
Senator Joseph L. Bruno announced that the City of
Troy would
be the recipient of more than $2 million in Restore
NY grant funds.
11/02/06
- Homebuyer Investment Program
Next week, we will be holding an information session
for people interested in becoming
homeowners in Troy. The information sessions are being
conducted in accordance with a new program we unveiled
earlier this year, the Homebuyer Investment Program,
which aims to make firsttime homebuyers out of residents
in the City of Troy.
11/09/06
- Homebuyer Investment Program
Last night we had the information meeting on the Homebuyer
Investment Program I
mentioned in the column last week, and I am confident
in saying that it was a tremendous
success. More than 100 people crowded into the City
Council chambers last night despite
the heavy rainy falling outside.
11/16/06 - Turkey Trot
Today we held the official kickoff of the 59th Running
of the Turkey Trot with a press
conference, as well as the 2nd Annual Mascot Race to
determine the official starter of the
10K race next week.
11/22/06
- Passing Of City Councilman Bill Pascarell
The City of Troy lost a great friend and champion this
week with the death of former City
Councilman Bill Pascarell. He was 83.
11/30/06
- 24th Annual Victorian Stroll
this Sunday the downtown will come alive with the 24th
Annual Victorian
Stroll. And we are all in a wonderful winter mood as
temperatures hover in the mid-60’s.
I am kidding, in no way would I ever be critical of
warm November afternoons.
12/07/06
- Building Up The Downtown Area
We have taken great strides in the previous three years
to build up our downtown. We have an
extraordinary amount of work still to accomplish, but
the change is happening.
12/14/06
- Federally Funded Programs In-House
Back in February, during my third State of the City
Address, we announced the intent of
the City to bring several federally funded programs
in-house in an effort to enhance the
productivity of each for the residents of Troy. After
a few bumps in the road, I am happy to tell you that
you will see visible results from Troy taking over these
projects in the very near future.
12/21/06 - Merry Christmas
It has become somewhat of a Christmas tradition here
in the Mayor’s Column to forgo
any serious issues right before Christmas and instead
share a bit of Troy’s history. Before
I do so, I want to take a moment to wish each and every
one of you Happy Holidays over
the next week and half. This is a very special time
of the year, and I hope everyone
remains safe, and has a great time with friends and
family.
12/28/06 - Revitalizing Troy
As we head into the New Year, I am filled with excitement
to see what 2007 holds for the
City of Troy. It is my belief that this year you will
begin to see development in Troy that
has not occurred for the past 20 years or so.
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