THE UNDERBELLY OF SARATOGA

There are certainly more positive things about Saratoga Springs than negative. It's picturesque beauty is second to none in the Capital District. However, there are issues that need to be attended to and resolved before they further spiral out of control.

In a previous post I wrote about the homeless epidemic we have here in the city that our leaders seem to not have a handle on. The other related issue to that is the heroin epidemic that is taking our storybook city by storm. The lack of affordable housing and lack of decent paying jobs are another critical issue that continue to plague the city.

Our city is generous in a variety of ways; from the soup kitchen across the street from the Batchelor Mansion and the various food pantries are certainly helpful but is it effective in the bigger scheme of things? I'm not sure what the point is if a city will provide you food but not adequate jobs or affordable housing. The ones who have become homeless have the added burden of moving in and out of various local motels like the Community Court, the Gateway and the dreaded Brentwood paid for by DSS aka you and me the taxpayer. The Brentwood and Gateway are dumps for those who live there but they are especially lucrative for those who own them. Afterall, poverty has always been big business in America, just not for those experiencing it.

Jefferson and Vanderbilt Terrace, which hasn't been a bad neighborhood since the 1980's has had an uptick of crime as of late. Drug raids and all night parties have become the norm over the past six months which is ironic since they just got rid of the mini-police station over there ostensibly because it wasn't needed.

What are our city leaders doing about this issue? What should become of Jefferson and Vanderbilt Terrace? Is it time to send it elsewhere? Certainly this area sits on a prime piece of real estate that could be better used for people that are contributing financially to the community, something it clearly isn't doing now. I have no issue with single mother's who are just trying to live and work three jobs but clearly this isn't the current demographic in this neighborhood. Just take a look at some of the cars over there. If they can afford expensive cars how is it that they qualify for low-income housing?

We need to think about where we want this city to be in five years and even ten years. Do we want our city to be comprised of extremely wealthy people and those who are living lives of abject poverty who are at the mercy of the ruling classes? That doesn't like a very nice place to live to me but that's just my humble opinion. What is your opinion and more importantly are your solutions?