Are you asking yourselves, what is going on in Saratoga
Springs?
New sewer lines are going in on Congress St. and the work
is being done by the County, are we paying the County and if so why can’t our
own DPW do the work like they used to do and make money?
What is the latest regarding the alleged DPW arrest of
Mark Scirocco and his wife who was driving DWI with a child in the car to pick
up her husband from the hoosegow? I
think the venue has been changed and there has been nothing in the papers about
this. However, every day I read so many
names of people arrested for DUI or DWI this has to be a political hot potato.
Under who’s authority on the Council was it when they
build the new Woodlawn parking garage?
Don’t tell me I would guess Skippy’s.
The entrance to the lot is the size of a home driveway opening. Does he dare buck the Mayor and Madigan and
come to a simple solution? Take out
1 parking space to the right as you enter the lot, remove the tree (plant in in
the Park) and open up that exit/entrance so someone can get in if a car is in
the outbound.
Paint stripes on Broadway so cars will take up 1 spot and
while you are doing that put Mark Scirocco on a bike to drive around the
streets in the downtown area to see if any more can be restriped. Mark isn’t working,(can’t do his job without
a license but he can ride a bike).
Safety situations cannot be ignored anymore because we
are a very busy City these days. The
intersection of Woodlawn and Church and Railroad and Church are most dangerous
if you want to take a left. Whoever is
in charge fix it, that’s why you are in your seat and getting paid no matter
the amount. YOU WANTED THE JOB.
Another street that is disconcerting is Franklin St. from
Washington to Division St., with parking on both sides you can get 2 lanes of
traffic in between the two sided parking only if 2 mini coopers are traveling
that stretch. Again, you asked for it so
fix it.
With a little luck, based on what happened at the April 17 meeting of the Saratoga Springs City Council, the idea of implementing a paid parking plan for downtown Saratoga Springs is a plan that’s come and gone.
ReplyDeleteADVERTISING
Even before the City Council had a chance to review the six vendor proposals for their “Smart Parking Management Strategy,” two major Broadway business owners expressed outright opposition to any plan involving city implementation of paid parking downtown. If that wasn’t enough to make a bad situation even worse, Accounts Commissioner John Franck announced his immediate opposition to any paid parking plan being offered by Finance Commissioner Madigan and Public Works Commissioner Scirocco.
The city’s most recent version of their “Request For Proposals for a Smart Parking Strategy” is another way of saying there will be some form of paid parking downtown, administered and operated by a private vendor hired by the city.
City residents should be aware there are two indisputable factors driving this latest and hurried idea for a paid parking program. It is widely understood the city needs new revenue to otherwise offset mounting budget shortfalls. In recent years, warnings from the finance commissioner herself is reason enough to understand the city simply needs a new revenue source. Hence, new money generated from a downtown paid parking program.
Of course the city needs the money to balance the budget but there’s an even more compelling reason for these two commissioners to be advocating this dramatic new move to paid parking. It has to do with their idea and support for the construction of the languishing and controversial City Center five story, stand alone parking garage that is also being planned as a pay-for parking municipally owned facility proposed along High Rock Avenue. Progressive communities with any sense of civic space, design and architecture stopped building these single purpose garages long ago.
Aside from the lawsuit that is currently blocking the idea of a large scale concrete monolith garage being constructed on this valuable piece of city owned property, is the fact that financing for the City Center’s project can not move forward without the city implementing a paid program throughout the 19 blocks surrounding the High Rock Avenue site.
Perhaps the best keep secret is the language detailing the Saratoga Springs City Center’s own Parking Structure Financial Feasibility Study Report, dated June 2015. In order to “maximize potential parking structure revenues” the report recommends the City Center: “Work with the city to implement pay parking in the (19 block) study area. The availability of free parking in the blocks surrounding the proposed garage will make generating sufficient revenues very difficult- especially during the periods of low parking demand.”
In other words, construction and operation the City Center Garage is not viable without the city first implementing a paid parking program throughout the downtown area.
What is most troubling is the fact that far better ideas exist for both the city’s parking needs downtown as well as the need for additional City Center parking. However, without a well thought out plan that enlists the support and understanding of the greater Saratoga Springs community as well as the downtown businesses themselves, these proposals will continue to face major public opposition and, with a little luck, will go nowhere.
William J. McTygue
Saratoga Springs
What is going on in Saratoga is a provocative question indeed. So many intersections need immediate improvement and of course will not be tended to anytime soon. Also, the tree cutting frenzy is a symptom of a much larger problem. Anything good and nice is being chopped down or put down for more new uglier things. True story.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised the Captain did not comment on the recent "change order" for Public Safety. Apparently Bonacio Construction did about $400,000 worth of work in the dispatch area of the police dept. Then they were cute, and added Another $32,000 "change order" to do painting in the same area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when new construction is done, it will eventually need to be re-painted. So instead of including the $32,000 in the original low bid, they waited till they got paid and then added the extra change order. Very cute, and all the commissioners voted to pay it. Bonacio rules.
ReplyDeleteSo much, I try to save some to share later because if people knew the extent of corruptness in City Hall they would not believe it. It's money that rules Saratoga and Bonacio has been in the club for quite a while now.
DeleteBeware of the "change order" because it is the oldest trick in the book. Get the bid, then tack on the change orders. The contractors all know how to play the game. Especially with the city, because it's YOUR MONEY, not theirs.
DeleteMadigan is going for her new bathroom. Lets get the court system placed first before more construction.
ReplyDeleteThe sewer lines are being put in by the County because they are the County sewer lines. The City can touch them if they wanted to. The only cost to the City is through your County sewer taxes.
ReplyDeleteWhy are many of the City DPW trucks and workers hanging around there all day then?
DeleteWhy don't you just call DPW and ask them and report that they are hanging around. Or maybe then you can't stir up trouble. I can write a book on how the McTyuge brothers ran DPW.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all since Scirocco has been in office he does not take calls, return calls or answer emails so if one has a complaint and wants to air it out with him it is impossible. Second, what the McTygues did or did not do is old history. All the citizens know is they see trucks drive around with no one in them or many trucks at Shirley's, Stewarts or Cumberland Farms. I know they have coffee breaks but not every hour on the hour. Furthermore , at least when the McTygues were in office the City looked clean all the time, it looks like the pits now and that includes Broadway.
DeleteSpring Street Deli is also a DPW favorite hangout. Kinda quiet over there, not as much exposure. Donna Buckley takes all calls, and most go to voice mail. Whoever let the city employees get voice mail made a huge mistake. They will sit at their desks and let every call go to VM.
DeleteYou would think that since all DPW trucks supposedly now have GPS that Skippy would know exactly where his workers are! One place I can say for certain, they are not picking up leaves or grass clippings. Mine have been sitting out for TWO weeks! Apparently Skip is too busy worrying about son Mark & his girlfriend’s arrest record than doing his job.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about his son. Also, when you don't care about your constituents, why would you care if the employees are ripping you and the citizens off?
ReplyDeleteThe NYS Court System renovation on 2nd floor should happen before a penny is spent on more renovations for commissioners
ReplyDeleteYou are right but they are greedy now that they are in control of Charter changes.
ReplyDeleteFinally in today’s Gazette it’s reported that Skip’s son Mark Scirocco was arrested on February 17th on 4 charges including aggravated DWI! Why is this only now being publicized, 3 months AFTER his arrest? There is no mention of Mark’s girlfriend also being arrested on the same night for the same offense but this time w/Mark’s young son in the car as well!! Now Skippy has his son being escorted around to his job sites by another employee.
ReplyDelete