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I remember my first real
introduction to Lansingburgh when I was a student at Catholic
Central High School in the early 70s.
The Victorian homes were so majestic and different from
my neighborhood on Sherman Avenue in South Troy, which
was predominantly comprised of single- family ranch
homes.
On the other hand, the neighborhoods were very similar
by the fact that everyone seemed to know their neighbors
by their first names. The pride that the 'Burgh homeowners
seemed to have in their properties was another similarity
to my old neighborhood.
The Burgh from 112th Street north seemed like an island
with its four entranceways located at the Waterford
Bridge, Oil Mill Hill, 112th Street and, from the south
of the city, from Second and Fifth avenues. Riding the
to school, I'd always look at the Hudson River, amazed
at the size of it. Compared to "Barna's Pond"
on Campbell's Avenue, where I spent a good deal of my
youth fishing and iceskating, it seemed enormous. The
boulevards on the avenues were beautiful back then,
landscaped and maintained by both the city and residents.
Unfortunately, like many of our neighborhoods in Troy,
many of the old families left and, for one reason or
another, things seemed to start falling apart in some
areas of the Burgh. Contributing to this low period
in Lansingburgh's history was Freihofers moving their
bakery, Standard Manufacturing downsizing, and JM Fields
closing. Additionally, beautiful historic homes were
converted into multi-unit apartment buildings by investors
with no stake or concern for the neighborhood.
You can point fingers at the reasons why or you can
point your finger at solutions for the future of our
community. Many ambitious projects over the past two
years have given people reasons to start believing again
in Lansingburgh. One such project over the past six
months is the 112th Street Corridor Study.
This project encompasses the area from 109th to 117th
streets and from First to lower Gurly Avenue. An advisory
board was appointed by Mayor Mark Pattison to oversee
this endeavor, which was financed by a federal grant
to the city. Working with the consulting firm, J. Kenneth
Fraser and Associates, the advisory board - along with
members of the community - have met over the spring
and summer months to come up with ideas and a plan which
would best serve the Burgh and revamp the area.
Residents have come up with suggestions about street
and traffic flow improvements, new sidewalks, better-illuminated
and maintained parks, and the development of our under-utilized
waterfront space. Workshops have been scheduled for
residents to express their desires and wants for the
future of their individual sections of the Burgh.
This is a very aggressive and ambitious plan that will
take place over a 10-year period.
One of the first implementation measures of this plan
would be the revitalization of Powers Park which is
located between Second and Third Avenues between 110th
to 111th streets.
The city has already applied for federal funding to
undertake the task of bringing the park back to its
former glory.
During the 19th century, the park had a classic gazebo
where bands would entertain residents on the weekends.
This would be wonderful for the community to have this
type of setup and activities at Powers Park again.
Drive over the Waterford Bridge on a summer Friday night
and see their wonderful park, filled with residents
listening to local bands playing in the gazebo. A thing
like this really brings a community together. Hopefully,
we'll see these types of events at Powers Park in the
near future.
Improving people's perception of Troy can start with
their first view as they come over the 112th Street
Bridge. Imagine in a few years seeing beautiful landscaping,
architectural lighting, new concrete sidewalks, walking
trails along the riverbank and tastefully planted new
boulevards as you enter the 'Burgh.
These ideas can become realities with the help of a
strong plan, federal funding and an aggressive pursuit
of Lansingburgh's future. Like Bruce Springsteen sang,
"Can't start a fire without a spark;" the
same applies to this study. It's the spark of the revitalization
of Lansingburgh.
If you would like more information on this study and
plan, contact me at Vgeetar@aol.com
or call Councilman Mark Wojcik at 270-4495.
The Troy's Treasures column is a project of the Troy
Rehabilitation or Improvement Program (TRIP), Inc.
If your neighborhood group would like to participate,
contact TRIP at 272-8289 x14.
Written by Vito Ciccarelli of the Better Burgh Club.
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