Hello, Collar City! This is Issue 24, dated March 1, 2019.



Hello and happy Friday. Some news: You can now support Troy Letter by

To be clear: TL will remain free for everyone. All 600 or so of you who received this email will receive future TLs.



This approach is basically the public radio model, which I decided to try after considering (and casting aside) several other monetization options. I considered, for one, a hard paywall (if and only if you pay, you receive it). I worried, though, that this course of action would constrain TL's growth and reach. Another idea: soliciting advertisements. But that's a significant undertaking, and erecting the appropriate firewall between editorial and sales that is standard at ad-supported, journalistic outlets would be difficult for TL, a one-person operation.



Compiling TL doesn't amount to a full-time job, but it's more than a hobby—a part-time job with irregular hours, you might say. While I didn't start TL to make a mint, I can't do it for free indefinitely.



TL will remain cost- and ad-free—and, more importantly, alive—for at least three more months if 50 of you support it to the tune of $5/month. My more ambitious goal is to find 200 people total (including those first 50) to support TL at the same rate. If I reach that target, from that date forward, I'll keep TL going for another year (at least).



Five dollars, I'll note here just once, is less than the cost of a beer at many (though not all!) beloved establishments in downtown Troy. That said, I'm conscious of how the cost of all necessary subscriptions—Netflix, Hulu, HBO, the Times, the Times Union, The New Yorker, your ISP, your wireless carrier, your gym—can really add up.



So! If you really like TL, and you have the means to contribute what amounts to $60/year to it (though you can cancel at any time; you'll be charged once up front, then at the start of each month going forward) please do so. Your monthly payment—one of only, in a pretty rosy scenario, a few hundred others—will keep TL alive and free for everyone. You'll have my abiding gratitude (and a tote bag—great for the farmers market!—or at least a magnet).



Check out TL's Patreon page here. (A note on schwag delivery: If/when possible, I'd like to avoid shipping the totes. What I think I'll do is set up a few "office hours" sessions in the near future at a local coffee shop, where supporters can drop by and claim their merch—and talk to me, if they want. But if you don't live around here, or if we just can't seem to sync up our schedules, I'll probably just mail you the bag and/or magnet.)



If this campaign is a total flop, I may still feel unwilling to give up on TL and thus may explore other ways to make it work. If you have ideas, you're always more than welcome to email me (just reply to this one). This Patreon idea came from TL readers.



Whether you are someone who, when The Alt (my former employer)



Anyway, in this issue: ideas for zhushing up the Poestenkill, the city council candidate lineup, and an update on various planning-related items. Enjoy!

. Some news: You can now support Troy Letter by signing up to contribute $5/month to the project via Patreon . The first 50 paid subscribers will receive a TL-branded tote bag and fridge magnet. The next 150 supporters (if you/they materialize) will receive a magnet. The totes, designed by Zach Higgins and printed by 518 Prints , look like this:To be clear: TL will remain free for everyone. All 600 or so of you who received this email will receive future TLs.This approach is basically the public radio model, which I decided to try after considering (and casting aside) several other monetization options. I considered, for one, a hard paywall (if and only if you pay, you receive it). I worried, though, that this course of action would constrain TL's growth and reach. Another idea: soliciting advertisements. But that's a significant undertaking, and erecting the appropriate firewall between editorial and sales that is standard at ad-supported, journalistic outlets would be difficult for TL, a one-person operation.Compiling TL doesn't amount to a full-time job, but it's more than a hobby—a part-time job with irregular hours, you might say. While I didn't start TL to make a mint, I can't do it for free indefinitely.TL will remain cost- and ad-free—and, more importantly, alive—for at least three more months if 50 of you support it to the tune of $5/month. My more ambitious goal is to find 200 people total (including those first 50) to support TL at the same rate. If I reach that target, from that date forward, I'll keep TL going for another year (at least).Five dollars, I'll note here just once, is less than the cost of a beer at many (though not all!) beloved establishments in downtown Troy. That said, I'm conscious of how the cost of all necessary subscriptions—Netflix, Hulu, HBO, the Times, the Times Union, The New Yorker, your ISP, your wireless carrier, your gym—can really add up.So! If you really like TL, and you have the means to contribute what amounts to $60/year to it (though you can cancel at any time; you'll be charged once up front, then at the start of each month going forward) please do so. Your monthly payment—one of only, in a pretty rosy scenario, a few hundred others—will keep TL alive and free for everyone. You'll have my abiding gratitude (and a tote bag—great for the farmers market!—or at least a magnet).. (A note on schwag delivery: If/when possible, I'd like to avoid shipping the totes. What I think I'll do is set up a few "office hours" sessions in the near future at a local coffee shop, where supporters can drop by and claim their merch—and talk to me, if they want. But if you don't live around here, or if we just can't seem to sync up our schedules, I'll probably just mail you the bag and/or magnet.)If this campaign is a total flop, I may still feel unwilling to give up on TL and thus may explore other ways to make it work. If you have ideas, you're always more than welcome to email me (just reply to this one). This Patreon idea came from TL readers.Whether you are someone who, when The Alt (my former employer) shut down , immediately encouraged me to continue reporting on Troy or someone who subscribed only recently, maybe after a neighbor forwarded you one of my emails, I want to thank you for reading and caring about local news. I started TL as a pilot project with no idea what would come of it, and I'm sort of surprised it still exists—and that it still holds your interest—some six months later. Now, as our local paper is slowly dismantled , I'd like to try to make TL a permanent fixture of the Collar City, even if it's only feasible as a part-time, one-person effort that regards mere tote bags as a somewhat extravagant and possibly ill-advised expense.: ideas for zhushing up the Poestenkill, the city council candidate lineup, and an update on various planning-related items. Enjoy!

Five Potential Poestenkill Projects

One of the more significant Hudson River tributaries that flows through Troy is the Poestenkill Creek, which runs from its upland headwaters in Rensselaer County, through farmlands and suburbs that sit above and to the east of Troy. Once the Poestenkill enters Troy, it is altered by a series of historic dams intended to power early industrial activity. Midway through Troy, the creek descends the face of a dramatic escarpment that runs parallel to the Hudson, north/south through Troy. In this steep zone one can hike to and experience the remarkable “High Falls” that sit between Prospect & Gorges Parks. Below the falls, the Poestenkill terrain flattens out and the creek has been straightened and canalized to run through the historic residential and industrial sections of the city before joining the Hudson.

According to the Albany Pool Long Term Control Plan (2011), the Poestenkill has elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria, especially following rain events, as well as low dissolved oxygen levels and elevated water temperatures. Stormwater that lands on local streets picks up debris and pollutants and receives no pretreatment before flowing into curbside catch basins. This runnoff [sic] is mostly transported through the combined sewer system that overflows into the Hudson when innundated [sic], carrying sewage as well as the debris washed in from local streets.

newly finalized report composed by two landscape architects and a water resource engineer identifies five sites along the Poestenkill "that could be redesigned to achieve four primary goals: 1) improve local water quality, 2) reduce flooding impacts, 3) restore ecological systems and 4) improve public access to open space." The report, informed by a community design process last summer that included site visits, lists an array of grants that could support each of the potential projects (if the city were to choose to advance them).Just so we're on the same page before I describe the sites, here's a description of the Poestenkill from early in the report:And here's a brief description of why the city might be keen to improve its water quality and stormwater management:

The first site considered is the area around where the Poestenkill meets the Hudson River. Immediately north of the intersection: the salt storage site, which may eventually be relocated to South Troy. Immediately south: the vacant, city-owned, and recently remediated Scolite parcel, which is north (across Madison St.) of a property owned by Valente Materials Group. The western terminus of Madison St. is a popular fishing pier, though it is above a combined sewer overflow.



Valente "has a parking lot located between their building and the waterfront and there is potential for the City of Troy to negotiate an agreement with Valente that would allow for public access to the waterfront bordering their large industrial tract," according to the report, which floats the possibility that the area could, one day, look something like this:

The second site more or less centers on where First St. crosses the creek, near the planned Poestenkill Place apartment complex, an unused rail spur, another fishing spot, and a trailer parking lot.



Here's the rendering, which you'll note includes a mix of seemingly feasible (several pavilions along the creek) and, um, inspired (a "Future Commuter Rail Station") ideas:

The third site includes the Canal Ave. park, which the mayor has said the city intends to revamp. The report imagines refashioning Canal Ave. as a "woonerf"—a street that de-prioritizes vehicular traffic—and building a kind of stepped amphitheater to connect the park to the Poestenkill, like this:

The fourth site is the Poestenkill Gorge, which the report calls the city's "most stunning and unique natural feature." Alas, at present, it's not so easy to access. There's a little park off of Linden Ave. that bears the landmark's name, but it basically "consists of a small parking lot...that lets out into an open lawn field with a woodland path down the banks of the gorge to the Falls," according to the report. "Unfortunately, the path terminates in a public lookout deck that was destroyed by vandalism. The path is blocked, but intrepid citizens scramble down the remaining 15 feet of gorge banks to access the dramatic bedrock-scape and swimming hole at the foot of Mount Ida Falls. From here, the Poestenkill careens downstream through a boulder and industrial ruin-filled canyon until it eventually enters the Canal about 0.3 miles below. These wonderful natural features are contrasted by the sublime ruins of former industrial facilities, which speckle the creek banks and constitute a collection of cultural artifacts, some of which could and should be preserved and interpreted."

It was also suggested that a study be conducted to partially or fully remove the timber dam and dredge the Ida Lake wetland to convert this section of the Poestenkill to a forrested [sic] emergent wetland. This would allow sediment to flow downstream for fish habitat in the Canal and Industrial Zones and could create more flood storage in the upland areas. Ultimately, this has the greatest potential to improve downstream water quality on the Poestenkill.

City Council Candidates

David Bissember (President, current D5)

Amanda Tobias (D1)

Mary Sweeney (D2)

Sue Steele (D3)

Anasha Cummings (D4, incumbent)

Ken Zalewski (D5)

Eileen McDermott (D6)

Carmella Mantello (President, incumbent)

Jim Gulli (D1, incumbent)

Kim Ashe-McPherson (D2)

Jamie Magur (D3)

Seamus Donnelly (D4)

Darcie Cunningham-Casey (D5)

Thomas Hotte (D6)

The Democrats did not endorse Colleen Paratore or T.J. Kennedy, who currently represent D3 and D6, respectively.

Democrat Ken Zalewski served four terms on the council from 2008 to the end of 2015. He'll face Republican Darcie Cunningham-Casey, who unsuccessfully ran for county legislature in 2017.

Democrat Sue Steele, who lost a city council race to Dean Bodnar in 2015, will face Republican Jamie Magur, the owner of Troy Grooming Co. who narrowly lost to Paratore in 2017.

Republican Kim Ashe-McPherson, a former city council member, lost a special county legislature race last year. She'll face Democrat Mary Sweeney, a Lansingburgh school board member.

Republican Seamus Donnelly unsuccessfully ran for city council (against Zalewski) in 2011. He'll face D4 incumbent Anasha Cummings.

Perhaps the most intriguing matchup is the city council president race. It's a big prize: For the first time (or at least since the charter revision), the president's term will be four years, rather than two. Mantello evidently intends to highlight Bissember's sponsorship of the proposed sanctuary city resolution, judging from her comments to WAMC this week.

TNAC Tidbits

A new recycling coordinator will start working for the city next week , Strichman said. Tyler Holloway, who previously held the position and helped prepare the solid waste management plan, left the post around the start of the new year for a job with a private recycling company, according to his LinkedIn profile. (Strichman didn't say who the new person is.)

, Strichman said. Tyler Holloway, who previously held the position and helped prepare the solid waste management plan, left the post around the start of the new year for a job with a private recycling company, according to his LinkedIn profile. (Strichman didn't say who the new person is.) The Osgood Neighborhood Association hopes to see the "Lots of Hope" lot at the southwest corner of Jackson and Second streets developed as a pocket park this spring or summer , a group member said. The city has not quite yet taken title to the property from the land bank (but will do so), Strichman said. Some federal CDBG funds, already slated to soon be spent in the area, will be allocated toward the project, the group member said. The neighborhood group will maintain the park through a "friends of" entity that has yet to be established. Here's a sketch of the park, which I hadn't seen before:

, a group member said. The city has not quite yet taken title to the property from the land bank (but will do so), Strichman said. Some federal CDBG funds, already slated to soon be spent in the area, will be allocated toward the project, the group member said. The neighborhood group will maintain the park through a "friends of" entity that has yet to be established. Here's a sketch of the park, which I hadn't seen before: Mayor Madden is thinking about cannabis —more specifically, the ramifications for Troy of its statewide legalization for adult usage as part of this year's state budget, which the mayor expects to happen. Considerations for Troy include the number of licenses the city would grant, the pot shops' permitted hours of operation, and zoning regulations, the mayor said. Counties may be allowed to opt out of allowing pot shops to open, but the mayor guessed "there's better than a 50-50 chance that Rensselaer County will opt in." (I played phone tag on Thursday with the county executive's spokesman, seeking comment on that prediction.) "There'll be a lot more discussion on this coming up," the mayor added.

—more specifically, the ramifications for Troy of its statewide legalization for adult usage as part of this year's state budget, which the mayor expects to happen. Considerations for Troy include the number of licenses the city would grant, the pot shops' permitted hours of operation, and zoning regulations, the mayor said. Counties may be allowed to opt out of allowing pot shops to open, but the mayor guessed "there's better than a 50-50 chance that Rensselaer County will opt in." (I played phone tag on Thursday with the county executive's spokesman, seeking comment on that prediction.) "There'll be a lot more discussion on this coming up," the mayor added. The downtown parking meters , long sheathed in black plastic bags, will probably be activated "within the next two weeks," Strichman said. Some sort of public announcement will precede this activation, and "courtesy tickets," rather than the real kind, may be given at first.

, long sheathed in black plastic bags, "within the next two weeks," Strichman said. Some sort of public announcement will precede this activation, and "courtesy tickets," rather than the real kind, may be given at first. Strichman expects to ask the city council in March to approve the selection of a contractor for design work related to five sites linked to the new-ish comprehensive plan . The five (re)design projects: (1) the Uncle Sam Bus Stop area near Riverfront Park, (2) the Green Island Bridge gateway, (3) the shoreline from Riverfront Park to around Hoosick St., (4) the shoreline area just south of the Waterford Bridge, and (5) potential parkland next to the Ingalls Ave. Boat Launch. (I previously mentioned this RFP in TL14.)

. The five (re)design projects: (1) the Uncle Sam Bus Stop area near Riverfront Park, (2) the Green Island Bridge gateway, (3) the shoreline from Riverfront Park to around Hoosick St., (4) the shoreline area just south of the Waterford Bridge, and (5) potential parkland next to the Ingalls Ave. Boat Launch. (I previously mentioned this RFP in TL14.) The new, previously announced study of how to make Hoosick St. less awful will likely start around April , Strichman said. It will entail at least one public meeting.

, Strichman said. It will entail at least one public meeting. The city is putting the "finishing touches" on a request for qualifications from potential developers of 1MSQ, Strichman said. "What people wanted to see was really beautiful and got really expensive, so now we're figuring out how to put it together."

Links

Events

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The best route to the falls would require securing an easement from the hydroelectric power company on the Prospect Park–side of the creek, according to the report. The vision:The report considers improvements to the city-owned cemetery, a new "winter skating house" that could be partly occupied by food/drink vendors, new boat launches on both sides of the Poestenkill, and the potential removal of the dam.More on that last item, which might draw some scrutiny from the Friends of Ida Lake:Here's the rendering of the Mt. Ida Lake area:Deputy mayor Monica Kurzejeski, at the dam-related meeting at the ICC covered in TL23 , briefly mentioned this report and said it would be discussed at a future meeting. It will be interesting to see which ideas, if any, members of the public deem desirable and which ones the administration and city council members decide are worth pursuing.The report, which can be read in full here , was composed by Hans Hesselein (Apiary Studio Landscape Architecture), Brian Davis (Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture Department, Cornell University), and George Fowler (PE, Princeton Hydro). Participating entities included the city government, TAP, the Rensselaer Land Trust, and the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.(Apiary Studio provided me a copy of the report upon my request.)The City of Troy Democratic Committee and Rensselaer County Republican Committee announced their respective slate of candidates for Troy City Council this week.For the Democrats For the Republicans The Democrats have also picked Patrick Madden for mayor (no surprise), and Republicans have picked Tom Reale, a military veteran of the Iraq War who now works for the state Senate and, until fairly recently , served as a volunteer RPI hockey commentator for the campus radio station.Both parties' Facebook announcements lacked biographical information about the candidates, though you might recognize some names. A few things to note at this early stage, in no particular order:I'll have ongoing campaign coverage. Feel free to email me tips, etc.The Troy Neighborhoods Action Council is more than just a sometimes-contentious Facebook group (though the group is worth joining, if you're not already a member). It holds periodic meetings throughout the city, and I attended one on Wednesday night at TAUM in South Troy. Turnout was pretty light, likely because of the snow, but some news was broken, largely because of the attendance of Mayor Patrick Madden and planning commissioner Steve Strichman. In no particular order:I'll give you a heads up when there's a date/time/place for the next TNAC meeting! Reale announces campaign for Troy mayor (TR, 2/25). Men accused of quadruple killing in Troy facing trial in April (TU, 2/26) Lawyer: Case against Troy code enforcement officer isn't strong (TU, 2/26) PHOTOS: Inside Quang's Vietnamese Bistro in downtown Troy (ABR, 2/27) Troy ex-engineer arraigned in AG probe of land scam (TU, 2/27) Mantello announces re-election bid for Troy City Council president (TR, 2/27) Judge throws out defendant's statement to police in Troy slayings (TU, 2/28)Watch the RPI men's hockey team take on Harvard on Friday night (or Dartmouth the following night). Also Friday night: Experience a "jam extravaganza" at the Hangar or party as a Viking/mermaid at FASC to celebrate Viking explorers who might have camped near Troy centuries ago . Or see jazz at Carmen's. Paint a miniature at Bard & Baker on Saturday morning . On Sunday night at little pecks , attend the premiere iteration of a new monthly singer-songwriter series.Use your Grey's Anatomy knowledge to pursue glory at Rare Form on Monday night . See Joan Kelsey's Silver Lining at SMCo on Wednesday night . Thursday night: See a preview of Troy Foundry Theatre's The Prohibition Project at Collar Works (opening night is the following night).