TROY – An allegedly unpaid $8,000 bus bill and an overdue apology are factors holding up the contracts for the $10 million South Troy Industrial Road project, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin claims in a Jan. 9 letter to Mayor Patrick Madden.

It’s the latest twist the ongoing failure of the city to get the county to close the deal so the project can be bid for the bypass, meant to take heavy tractor trailer trucks off residential streets. It’s the first time Madden has heard from McLaughlin since sending the contracts to the county to be signed in September.

“Thank you for responding. It’s been almost four months,” Democrat Madden wrote in his Jan. 16 letter to Republican McLaughlin.

The long-delayed South Troy Industrial Road would run about 1.3 miles from Adams Street south to Main Street. It would bypass the residential areas to the east, taking trucks off local streets. The project is seen as opening up access to the industrial land tracts, both developed and undeveloped, between the Hudson River and First Street, including 11.25 acres owned by the county.

McLaughlin said the city owes the county $8,000 for its share of hiring a CDTA bus to take city children out to Grafton Lake State Park to swim in 2018 and 2019 when the city pools were closed. McLaughlin also said an apology was not made after a city employee – identified by other officials as Deputy Mayor Monica Kurzejeski -- more than 18 months ago “wrongly claimed the county had provided engineering services and inspection to a hill that collapsed.”

“Setting aside these considerable credibility issues, the county still wishes to assist with revitalization and economic efforts in Troy,” McLaughlin said.

Madden said these were “unrelated matters.” He said the county launched the bus service on its own and that the city paid the $2,000 bill submitted by CDTA. And, the mayor agreed that there was a misstated fact to a City Council member, but that “a clarifying statement and apology was made the next day.”

In an interview Friday, Madden said he was perplexed that the county executive’s letter brought up the two matters.

In his letter, McLaughlin sought answers about the road project start date, funding sources, why after 25 years what ensures that the work will go ahead, estimated date of completion, why the county easements are needed before starting construction, and what are the guarantees the city won’t convey the easements or any right to county property to a third party.

Madden said the issues about the road project were discussed and answered at a December 2018 meeting they both attended. “I don’t understand why these questions are still questions. I have no idea what it’s about. I’m baffled,” Madden said.

Madden said the project will start when the county signs, funding is from the federal government with a 5 percent city share, the project is ready to go out to bid, the road will be done a year after its started, the federal government requires the easements, and federal rules prevent the city from taking away the county’s interest.

“I’ve tried to resolve the issues without making a public spectacle,” Madden said about McLaughlin’s remarks saying, “these considerable questions exist even after a concerted attempt by your administration, some in the media and your political allies to essentially force the county to give up the property.”

McLaughlin said the county wants to develop the tract through which the road will pass and doesn’t want to endanger this.

The Times Union has been reporting about the delays in the road project and South Troy residents’ concerns about it stalling.

Richard Crist, county director of operations and a McLaughlin spokesman, said in an email late Friday that the county believes it is making progress.

“The letter from the city regarding a proposed easement was helpful and provides some information and further clarification. We are now working up a response and seeking further clarification on certain issues. It should be noted the county is not (in) default for any contracts,” Crist said.

“Crist raised a possible new issue between the county and the city as a snowstorm is expected to hit the Capital Region Saturday.

“The county is disappointed that as we are trying to work this issue out, the city unilaterally decided to cancel a shared services contract for the plowing of Oakwood Avenue,” Crist said.

Madden said the city sent the county the usual contract for $10,000 to plow its share of the road in Brunswick. The mayor said the county returned a rewritten contract, which the city wouldn’t sign. “They tried to put all the liability on us. We asked for more money and never heard back,” Madden said.