The Troy Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) will hold their monthly meeting this evening, July 1, at 5:30 pm, at which time the body will, according to their agenda, entertain variance requests for Lansingburgh Gateway, the proposed mixed-use workforce housing project at 851-867 2nd Ave, the site of the former Price Chopper.

The proposed development has seen a rough start at the Planning Board, where it was introduced at the June 16 meeting (to view the presentation and discussion on Youtube, click here-presentation starts at 49:30.)

Plans for the 6 acre site, which include 205 workforce housing units and approximately 11K sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor adjoining the 2nd Ave sidewalk, as well as a de facto linear park on the waterfront and 226 parking spaces, seem to prioritize the view corridors of the Hudson River between the buildings over thoughtful placement of parking (which it should be noted are also part of the view corridors), consideration of water usage and ground permeability, flooding, and a host of other issues.

Criticisms of the current proposal came from both members of the Planning Board and public. As Barb Nelson of TAP, inc pointed out in her excellent comments (starts at 1:33:45), this is a large site, so it seems a lack of creativity, not site constraints, have resulted in some of the design choices.

Andrew Shriver of Attic Labs, the development lead for the project, noted at the time that plans were preliminary, meant to show massings rather than final design choices, with materials, coloring, and other design details to be presented at the July 22 meeting, to which one PB member urged a more complete rethinking of the proposal.

Notably, at the time, the applicant listed 8 variances from Troy’s Zoning Regulations it would be seeking at the ZBA, which have now grown to a whopping total of 17. Zoning Boards of Appeal are quasi-judicial in nature, and the burden of proof lies with the applicant. It remains to be seen what evidence the applicant is planning to provide to justify some of its design choices.

Meetings of the ZBA are held at City Hall, 433 River St, 5th Floor. To access the meeting remotely via Zoom, click here. Livestreams of this meeting, as well as recordings of previous meetings, can be accessed via the City of Troy Youtube page.

To access the agenda, including the proposal for the Lansingburgh Gateway Project, click here.

Earlier this year, when Mayor Mantello declared a public safety emergency to bypass City Council and renew the contract for Flock cameras, Council and City Auditor Jeffrey Nesich filed an Article 78 case in New York Supreme Court seeking to vacate both the state of emergency and the renewal of the Flock contract. That case is pending with an appearance date of July 29. More information, including the Council’s petition and supporting documentation, can found here.

To curtail further such activities, Council also introduced Local Law #4 (see page 3 of agenda), amending the language of the City Charter to align with New York State Executive Law 2-B, which would either clarify charter language to reduce the mayor’s abuse of power or unnecessarily encroach upon the executive’s ability to act nimbly in a disaster-pick your poison.

As part of any local law, a public hearing must be scheduled to give residents and other community members the opportunity to provide feedback on the legislation, scheduled via resolution. So it was that Resolution 63 was also passed at the June 4 meeting, with the expectation that the Local Law might be voted upon at the Regular meeting on July 9.

Sounds simple enough, but here’s where we run into our first fumble (yellow card? I’m not great at sports metaphors). Charter amendments, unlike other local laws, require three public hearings before they can be voted upon, as charter amendments are seen as more significant and thus more deserving of a deliberative process. Alas, Council only scheduled a single hearing for the law.

Like any legislation, resolutions scheduling public hearings must land upon the mayor’s desk for a signature, and Mantello decided to veto Resolution 63, not for the clear and justifiable issue of deficient public hearings, but rather as, and I use this term loosely, a principled objection to the charter amendment itself, calling the amended language “a substantial overreach into executive authority” which “risks delaying critical actions necessary to safeguard the community during times of crisis.” While these objections might be germane to a veto of the local law itself, it seems a petty misfire when pointed at a public hearing schedule, and an obvious delay tactic to sandbag the legislation.

It seems, however, that Council decided to bring its own sandbags to the process.

In response to the mayor’s veto, a special meeting of Council was called on June 25, presumably to provide an override vote and keep the process moving. Perhaps noticing the issue with the number of hearings (which may not have been fixable by amendment at this point in the process), Council members presumably decided to scrap Resolution 63 altogether and introduce Resolution 72 at the special meeting, with three hearing times on the same day in consecutive 15 minute increments on July 23rd, which, while the practice of Council’s past, nevertheless reads as a somewhat cynical approach to public engagement. At the urging of District 5 Councilperson Jona Favreau, the third hearing was moved to August 6 to accommodate community members with an alternate date. The dates decided and the resolution passed, Council happily adjourned for the evening and all was well.

Would that it were so simple.

Alas, all legislation must move through committee, such as Finance, before being voted upon in either a Regular or Special meeting, and while the meeting was initially called to override a veto of Resolution 63, Resolution 72 was new legislation, and would have required a special Finance meeting before the Special meeting.

Having noticed the procedural issue, Council President Sue Steele has called meetings of both Finance and Council tonight, June 29, starting at 6:15 to reconsider the hearing resolution. What delays, if any, this extra step might add to the process remain unknown.

As with all City Council meetings, this meeting will take place at City Hall, 433 River St, 5th Floor. Agendas, as well as livestream links for Youtube and remote access links via Zoom, can be found here.

On Thursday, June 25, The Friends of Carmella Mantello are hosting a cookout fundraiser at the CRAB Club (315 Liberty St) starting at 6 pm until 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $50, and the emojis on the Facebook post promoting the event seem to indicate that burgers and hot dogs will be served.

Those looking to rub elbows with the mayor at this event might be disappointed, however, as…

City Council will be holding a special meeting at 6:30 pm on the same night to consider Resolution 72, replacement legislation for Resolution 63, scheduling public hearings for Local Law #4, which hopes to amend the City Charter to align definitions of emergencies with those of New York State. The original resolution was vetoed by the mayor.

Notice, agenda, and links to participate in this meeting remotely may be accessed here.

Per the Troy City Charter, §2-20, “The heads of all City bureaus and departments and any other officer or employee of the City, when requested by the Council, shall attend any regular, adjourned, committee or special meeting of the Council to confer with the Council in all matters relating to the City. Officers or employees may only appear in lieu of those requested by the Council with the written approval of the Chairperson presiding over the meeting at which their presence was requested.”

As one assumes the Council may wish to query the mayor as to the reasoning for her veto or coordinate with her to schedule the required public hearings, it seems the mayor may find it necessary to limit participation at her own fundraiser.

Elsewise, the Troy LDC meeting scheduled for June 26 has been cancelled. This meeting was originally scheduled for June 19 but moved to June 26 to accommodate the Juneteenth holiday. Now, it appears the June meeting will not happen at all. LDC Executive Director and Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly has not, to my knowledge, provided any statement as to the reason for cancellation.

Those wishing to see the mayor or deputy mayor in person may wish to attend Pride Night Out, a City event managed by the Downtown Troy BID without the participation of Collar City Pride, a service organization dedicated to the needs of the local LGBTQ+ community. Last year, the deputy mayor took the stage to a round of boos. It is unclear if that will be the case again this year. I guess bring cameras if you go?

To see a list of Pride programming from Collar City Pride, click here.

To learn more about pinkwashing, the performative act of support for the LGBTQ+ community for self-gain, click here. 

• Primary Voting (Tue 23)
• District 4 Office Hours (Thu 25)
• LDC/IDA/CRC meetings (Fri 26)
• Mt Ida Food Pantry fundraiser (Tue 23)
• Troy Library Committees (Wed 24, Thu 25)

Tuesday, June 23

Primary Voting Day 

Primary Day is June 23, and polls are open from 6 am-9 pm. In Troy, registered Democrats will be selecting a candidate for state comptroller from three options, incumbent Thomas DiNapoli, and challengers Raj Goyle and Drew Wershaw. More information on the candidates, as well as the duties and function of the comptroller, is available here.

Elsewhere in Rensselaer County, there are primaries on the Republican and Conservative lines. To look up sample ballots, please visit the Rensselaer County Board of Elections.

To check your voter registration or look up your polling place, click here.

Mt Ida Food Pantry Fundraiser at Ryan’s Wake
Rising food and fuel costs have pushed many local households towards food insecurity at a time when funding for outreach programs and food pantries which help support our safety net has been cut, leaving many social service organizations to rely on community donors for financial support to keep the doors open.

The Mt Ida Food Pantry will be hosting a fundraiser and auction at Ryan’s Wake (403 River St) from 5-8:30 pm,  with proceeds benefitting its operations. Tickets are $20 each, and there will be a raffle with a $1000 prize.

More information on this event, including a link to donate, is available on the Mt Ida Pantry Facebook page.

Wednesday, June 24

[UPDATED]Troy Public Library-Committees of the board of the Troy Public Library will hold two meetings this week. The first, Facilities and Infrastructure, will meet at 5:30. While the branch location is not mentioned on the meeting notice, I have been advised by a member of the board that this meeting will take place at the Lansingburgh Branch (27 114th St.)

No agenda has been published as of this writing, though the minutes from the May F&I Committee are available here.

Agendas, when available, as well as meeting minutes and Zoom links to access meetings remotely, can be found here. Recordings of previous meetings are available of the TPL Youtube page.

Thursday, June 25

District 4 Office Hours- Councilperson Noreen McKee will hold office hours for District 4, which encompasses downtown, from 3-5 pm at Flour Bender (15 2nd St.) These monthly office hours are an opportunity for residents, business owners, and other community members to discuss any issue of concern in the community.

To subscribe to McKee’s monthly newsletter, click here.

Troy Library Board Elections Committee- Also on deck this week is a meeting of the Library Board Elections Committee, which will begin the process of preparing for the board election taking place in September, when three of the seven board seats will be up for election. The notice date for this meeting is Wednesday, June 25, which is obviously a typo (Wednesday is the 24th) so it is unclear when and where exactly this meeting is supposed to take place. I have reached out and will update the meeting listing as soon as the information becomes available.

[UPDATED]Troy Library Board Elections Committee- As the Library Board gears up its September election, when voters will approve a budget and choose trustees for 3 of the 7 board seats, a meeting of the Elections Committee will be held at 5:30 to begin discussions on the process. While no location was placed on the meeting notice in the board page of the library's website, this meeting will apparently take place at the Main Branch (100 2nd St.)

Agendas, when available, as well as meeting minutes and Zoom links to access meetings remotely, can be found here. Recordings of previous meetings are available of the TPL Youtube page.

Friday, June 26

Troy’s Alphabet Soup agencies, the LDC, the IDA, and the CRC, will hold their monthly meetings in the Planning Conference Room of City Hall (433 River St, 5th Floor.) These meetings, originally scheduled for June 19, were moved to accommodate the Juneteenth holiday.

Troy Local Development Corporation- The Troy LDC will hold their June meeting at 9 am. As of this writing, no agenda is available for this meeting, but the proposed transfer of One Monument Square, and the sudden addition of Commissioner of General Services Joe Mazzariello to the board at a meeting on May 1 are worthy of a more expanded post closer to the meeting date

Troy Industrial Development Authority- The agenda for the IDA meeting, scheduled to begin at 10 am,  is scant on information, though it does  include in its draft minutes for the May meeting reference to a PILOT for the Valente development at the site of the former Uncle Sam’s garage, as well as the Lansingburgh Gateway project (see link in agenda file), which appeared before the Troy Planning Board on June 16.

Troy Capital Resource Corporation- Also scheduled to begin at 10 am though occurring after  the concurrently-scheduled IDA meeting, the Troy CRC agenda notes what are presumably funding requests from the YWCA, The Big Top Group, and Mt Ida.

Agendas, minutes of previous meetings, and Zoom Links to join these meetings remotely can be found on the home pages of each agency, linked in the titles above.

Livestreams and recordings of previous LDC, IDA, and CRC meetings can be found on Youtube.

• Downtown Troy BID

Board Meeting

• City Council Finance/Special
• Juneteenth

in Troy

• Father's Day Brunch

@ Mt Ida.

Thursday, June 18

Downtown BID-The Downtown Troy BID Board of Directors will hold their monthly meeting at 8:30 am at 333 Broadway, 2nd Floor. The agenda, I am happy to report, has been made available online.

At the May meeting, the organization’s bylaws were updated to eliminate seats and update committee structure to allow committee meetings to be held outside of Open Meetings Law requirements, and to add a videoconferencing/livestram element to future meetings, noticeably absent for the organization.

Unrelated to that action, Alexander Bresnick announced the BID Neighborhood meeting would be transitioning to a quarterly model, so there will be no instance from that committee in the month of June.

Notably, at the end of the meeting, an executive session was called to discuss a personnel matter, restricting access to board members, executive director Olivia Clemente, and marketing director Evelyn Preston.

NY Open Meetings Law allows executive session for particular personnel matters, and there exist rules governing the use of executive session during a meeting of a public body. For more information on Open Meetings Law, executive session, or to look up advisory opinions from attorneys at the New York Committee on Open Government, click here.

At the BID Executive Committee meeting held presumably on June 10 (the minutes indicate the meeting was held on a Tuesday, which was June 9-the notice for this meeting came after my meetings post for last week went out, so I did not attend) a new marketing hire, Rosetta Annino, was announced. In the interregnum, it looks as though the Troy BID webpage is getting some much-needed updates, so it seems this new hire is off to the races.

It was also reported at this meeting that executive director Olivia Clemente has approached the Community Loan Fund for a bridge loan to cover expenses and payroll through August of this year, with expected repayment in September, pending a distribution of the tax levy to the BID from the City of Troy, which collects the tax as part of the property tax levy.

Interestingly, a member of the executive committee, Gabriella Uccellini, participated in the executive committee meeting via telephone. For more information on OML rules regarding public access to meetings in which a member is participating remotely, click here.

Unlike City Council, the LDC, the IDA, the CRC, the Land Bank, the Troy Library, or either of Troy’s school districts, the BID does not livestream or provide recordings of its public meetings, so this meeting will take place in-person only.

City Council Finance and Special Meetings
City Council will convene at 6 pm for their monthly Finance meeting, followed by a very optimistically-scheduled Special Meeting at 6:30. Among the legislation being discussed:

Finance:
ORD 17 and 18, from District 6 Councilperson Greg Campbell-Cohen, amends sections 141 and 251of the City Code, respectively, to allow an updated array of materials to be used in sidewalk construction, with the approval of the City Engineer, and to update language of the Code to delineate sidewalks, multi-use paths, and streets.

Various resolutions regarding sale of properties acquired via in rem foreclosure, budget transfers, and the management of this year’s Turkey Trot are also on the agenda.

Special:
ORD 26- a budget transfer to close an anticipated funding gap for the Little Italy Street Project, spearheaded by Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly;

RES 68- a bond resolution in the amount of $7.75M for the reconstruction of various city streets. While the streets to be repaired were not specified in the legislation, Council President Sue Steele has requested the information be sent to the Council by the administration prior to the meeting.

Meetings of City Council take place at City Hall, 433 River St, 5th Floor. Remote participation (Zoom) and livestream (Youtube)  links can be found in the Notices section of each meeting in the agenda page, where one will also find agendas and relevant documentation.

Friday, June 19

Juneteenth-The Troy NAACP, The City of Troy, and various community organizations are hosting activities throughout the day to honor Juneteenth. For more information, please refer to Noreen McKee’s District 4 June newsletter, which you might find worth a subscription.

Please note Troy LDC, CRC, and IDA meetings scheduled for today have been rescheduled to June 26 due to holiday.

Sunday, June 21

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21, and while the idea of of washing down the rubbery Eggo your children overcooked with their attempt at coffee might be appealing, the Mt Ida Preservation Hall (548 Congress St) is offering a pay-what-you-can community breakfast, proceeds benefitting the rehabilitation of a community space. This monthly event starts at 11 am, and carries the additional benefit of not having to clean up after your children’s ‘gift.’

Happy Father's Day!

Early Voting Reminder- Early Voting is Underway Across NYS for primaries from June 13-21. Democrats statewide will be selecting from three candidates, among them incumbent Tom DiNapoli, running for NYS comptroller. More information on candidates in that race can be found here.

Elsewhere in Rensselaer County, there are races on Republican and Conservative lines.
Early Voting in Troy will take place at 500 River St at the following days and times:

Sat and Sun-9 am-5 pm
Mon and Wed- 12 pm-8 pm
Tue, Thu, and Fri, 9 am- 5 pm

To check your voter registration status and find your election day polling place, click here.
For more information on local races and polling places, or to view sample ballots, click here.

In this post:

• Planning Board
• Land Bank
• Library Governance
• Little Italy Neighborhood Meeting
• TCSD and Lansingburgh CSD Boards

Monday, June 15

Land Bank Board- The Troy Community Land Bank will hold its monthly board meeting at 8:30 am at 871 River St.

On the agenda this month is an item granting the executive director, Brad Lewis, the authority to award funds for the first round of the TCLB Home Repair Program based on application score. (Please note that the deadline for Round 2 is July 3rd.)

Not on the agenda, though doubtless under consideration, is the topic of One Monument Square, the city-owned lot which Mayor Mantello indicated she wished to transfer to the Troy Local Development Corporation (TLDC) with the ultimate intention of sale to Luizzi et al for construction of a new multi-use development.

City Council President Sue Steele, in her newsletter last week, expressed a desire to utilize the Land Bank, rather than the TLDC, to facilitate transfer of the property. As the sale must be approved by City Council, there will doubtless be conversations happening at City Hall about the best way to get from Point A to Point B.

Livestreams as well as recordings of previous TCLB meetings can be found here.

Lansingburgh School Board- The agenda for the board meeting of the Lansingburgh Central School District, to be held at 6 pm at District Offices (55 New Turnpike Rd) looks chock-a-block with end-of-year housecleaning items, including contract extensions, budget transfers, resignations, and disposal of electronics.

Tuesday, June 16

Planning Board- The Troy Planning Board will convene at 6 pm to act on a number of potential projects, including:

• Lansingburgh Gateway-the former Price Chopper on 2nd Ave is the site of a proposed housing development with 205 workforce housing units, 11K sq ft of ground-floor commercial space, and one of the ugliest, soul-crushing renderings that ever I have laid my eyes upon. It is generallythe habit of developers to gloss up their renderings to make bland, institutional-looking projects more palatable to decision-making authorities, so it’s somewhat refreshing to see someone start from the bottom to work their way up;
• 272 Hoosick St-this is the conversion of the former Rite Aid on the corner of Burdett and Hoosick to a store for free goods;
• 885 Fifth Ave-the developer of this project, Casa Blanca Troy Realty, inc, hopes to turn a vacant building and gas station to a new enterprise complete with food preparation, convenience store goods, and a drive-thru.

Planning Board meetings take place at City Hall, 43 River St, 5th Floor Council Chambers. The agenda for this meeting, including plans of each project under consideration, can be found here. Instructions to join the meeting remotely via Zoom can be found on the Planning Board page. Those wishing to view Planning Board meetings live or watch recording of previous meetings may do so at the Planning Board Youtube page.

Troy Public Library Governance- The Policy and Governance Committee of the Troy Public Library will meet at 5:30. While previous instances of this committee have occurred this year at the Lansingburgh branch, no indication of the intended location was communicated in the notice, so one cannot be sure.

A location, agenda, and link to access the meeting remotely can be found on the TPL Board page when available (scroll to June dates.)

Wednesday, June 17

Little Italy- Representatives from tapinc, LaBella, and the City of Troy will provide an update to the Maket and Hill Street Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects at the Little Italy Meeting, taking place at 6 pm at the Italian Community Center (1450 5th Ave.)

Troy CSD Board- The Board of the Troy City School District will meet at 6 pm at Troy Middle School. No agenda is available at this time, though one might reasonably expect the topics of discussion to be similar to that of the LCSD Board earlier in the week, focusing mainly on EOY housekeeping items for the district.

Agendas, as well as minutes and recordings of previous meetings, can be found here when available.

Later in the week, Part ii will be available, and should include:

• Downtown BID Board
• City Council
• Troy Local Development Corporation
• Juneteenth Celebratrions

• Monument Square, take umpteen (Thu)
• The future of the salt pile site (Tue)
• Foreclosed Property Auction (Wed)
• Library Finance and Board Meetings (Mon, Tue)
• Osgood and Lansingburgh Neighborhood Meetings (Tue)
• World Cup Kickoff in Riverfront Park/Italian Community Center (Thu)

Monday, June 8

Troy Public Library (Finance)- The TPL Board of Directors gathers at the Main Branch (100 Second St) at 5:30 for their second Finance Committee meeting of the month. While the meeting last week  had a special agenda pertaining to an ongoing legal issue (likely the matter of the termination of the executive director), this month’s looks more mundane, though the money-minded among you might find some interest in discussion of the Annual Financial Report, which is listed among the discussion items on the agenda.

Agendas, minutes of previous meetings (when posted) and links for remote participation can be found here.

Tuesday June 9

Troy Library (Board)- the monthly meeting of  the board of directors of the Troy Library will take place at 5:30 at the Main Branch (100 Second St.) While no agenda has been published as of this writing, a glance at the May agenda may shed some light on continuing discussions.

Delightfully, the main branch now has air conditioning, meaning in-person attendance shouldn’t be too much of a chore in the expected heat, but remote participation links are here, if that’s more your speed.

Rensselaer County Legislature- The Rensco County Legislature will hold their monthly meeting at 6 pm in County legislative chambers at 99 Troy Road, East Greenbush, to vote on items introduced during committee meetings earlier in the month. (Full meetings of county legislatures are usually dull affairs-most of the action the public gets to see happens at the committee meetings earlier in the month.)  The agenda packet can be found here.

Notably, this meeting takes place in-person only in East Greenbush. Anyone without access to a car would need to account for transit time in order to view or participate in the deliberations of County pubic bodies. From Troy City Hall, one will leave at 4:11 pm to arrive at 6 pm for the meeting, including 15 minutes of walking time. The return trip will take even longer and require at least 34 minutes of walking time, more if you are disabled.

Legislators in the county legislature defeated a measure which would have allowed livestreaming and remote participation in a party-line vote earlier this year.

**Osgood Neighborhood Meeting-**on May 6, Mayor Mantello announced a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Fane Materials to transfer ownership of parcels along South Troy Industrial Road to Troy Materials Group in a press release.

This proposed plan, which will utilize Troy’s Local Development Corporation, will move the salt pile from its current location and create an industrial park along the waterfront, with the promise of housing opportunities and walking trails in the future (and probably a great deal of road traffic in the meantime.)

Tyler Fane of CD Perry and Chuck Pafundi of Reliable Development Consulting will join South Troy residents to discuss the proposed plan and its impact on the community as the Osgood Neighborhood Meeting, taking place at 6 pm at Troy Area United Ministries (TAUM), 392 Second St.

Lansingburgh Neighborhood Meeting- At 7 pm there will be a meeting of the Lansingburgh Neighborhood Group at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club (505 Fourth Ave.)

Ashley Barrett, the Historic Site Restoration Coordinator for NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will be on hand to extoll the benefits of Historic Homeownership Rehabilitation Credits for owner-occupied units in historic districts.

Community Police will also be on hand to share crime maps for the neighborhood, which kind of begs the question-why can’t TPD present this information, writ-citywide, to City Council on an ongoing basis?

Wednesday, June 10

**Foreclosed Property Auction-**there will be an auction of foreclosed properties at 10 am at City Hall (433 River St, 5th Floor.)

Five vacant lots, five residential buildings, and a bundle of six commercial parcels are on the block. Please click here for more information on parcels being sold, minimum bids, and other relevant infomartion. (Also, for the love of God, if the auctioneer is wearing a cowboy hat, please please please someone get me a picture.)

Thursday, June 11

**World Cup Viewing-**the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial event watched the world over, is coming to Troy thanks to an Empire State Development grant doled out to the Troy BID and the Italian Community Center.

Things kick off (see what I did there?) at 3 pm with the Mexico vs South Africa match, with showings at both Riverfront Park and the ICC (1450 5th Ave.)

To view the full match schedule, as well as an incredibly-cringeworhy ad featuring Mayor Mantello, please visit the Kick It In Troy page on the Troy BID website.

Monument Square Neighborhood Meeting- Since the demolition of City Hall in 2010, Troy residents have become accustomed to occasional promises of the Next Big Thing from elected leaders (see this 2016 Times Union article, 9 Years of Failure in Troy. Most recently, after Assemblymember John McDonald secured $19M for the development of the site, Mayor Mantello pulled support for Hoboken Brownstone’s $64M proposal in early 2024.

Now, over two years later, Mantello has announced a neighborhood meeting to take place at 6 pm at the Arts Center of the Capital Region (265 River St.)

I have so many questions, including, in no particular order:

• There is currently no Planning Commissioner at City Hall. Who in the administration is guiding this effort?
• The City currently owns the parcel. What is the mayor’s plan for disposition of the property?
• Transfer of the property to an entity which can partner with a developer outside the strictures of General Municipal Law (Section 695, methinks, though if I am in error please let me know) would include the participation of the Troy LDC, the Troy Community Land Bank, or a similar entity, and require Council approval before moving forward. Have conversations with Council members indicated such support exists, or is this presentation an effort to strong-arm the Council’s gatekeeping function into Mantello’s preferred channel?
• If the Troy LDC is involved, is Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly conflicted out of City actions relating to development of the property?
• The Troy LDCs 2025 AFR raised several questions about the management and financial health of that organization. Has City Council been given the information necessary to ensure the LDC is the right development partner for this project?
• In February, at (if I recall correctly) the State of the City, the mayor stated she would build a playground at that site if she could not push through her intended vision for the site. Is that a responsible use of City-owned property on the waterfront? Is that plan still on the table?

Okay, I guess there was a particular order.

Some notes about the mayor’s presentations:

--At a recent meeting, in the same site, to discuss the development of 15-25 Fourth St, Mantello took over the microphone and called on members of the audience likely to be sympathetic to her plan, largely ignoring participants who might be critical of the project.

Members of the public who wish to speak should be afforded the opportunity to do so. To that end, participants with questions forming a queue behind a microphone seems a more egalitarian model, though audience members may need to take the lead on this;

--At the most recent community meeting of the administration regarding a proposed playground at Frear Park, many residents wished to speak on the lack of public input regarding design, but were stymied when Mantello broke up the group after the presentation, a seeming tactic to limit feedback, similar to the one described above;

--Budget details were scarce at a meeting last week when Mantello presented her plan for a dining space at Frear Park to replace Park Pub and the temporary(?) $750k tent used last summer as a dining option for golfers and other park visitors. Numbers matter, as do potential costs and revenues for taxpayers. People shouldn't be shy about demanding them.

Friday, June 12

Land Bank Executive Committee- The executive committee of the Land Bank will meet at 8:30 am at the Land Bank Offices, 871 River St. An agenda for this meeting, when available, can be found here.

Livestreams and recordings of previous TCLB meetings can be accessed on the TCLB Youtube page.

• Community Pride Flag Raising
• County Legislature Committee Meetings
• Lansingburgh Central School District
• Troy Library Board

Monday, Jun 1

Collar City Pride Flag Raising- Collar City Pride is kicking off the month with a Pride Flag raising at the Troy YWCA (21 First St.) CCP, now in its third year, provides year-round social services and case management to the community through its Rainbow Bridging Case Management Program.

To learn more about Collar City Pride, their work, and LGBTQ+ community events happening throughout the year, click here.

It should be noted that after Collar City Pride announced its event, the Mantello administration scheduled its own flag-raising to take place earlier on the same day, and did not invite CCP to participate.

To learn more about pinkwashing, the act of performative support for the LGBTQ+ community for self-serving purpose, click here.

Troy Library Board- The Board of Directors of the Troy Library will be holding two meetings at the Main Branch (100 Second St.) The first, a special meeting at 5:15 pm, will be dominated by an executive session regarding a personnel matter, according to the agenda. The second, at 5:30 pm, will be a meeting of the Finance Committee. As of this writing, no agenda for the Finance Committee has been released.

Agendas, minutes of previous meetings, and links for remote participation can be found here.

Lansingburgh Central- The Lansingburgh Central School District will hold a workshop at 6 pm in the District Office board conference room (55 New Turnpike Road.) Per the agenda District Chief Information Officer Greg Rashford will be giving a Guidance Presentation. I find myself at something of a loss as to the intended subject matter here, so if anyone can provide some guidance, that would be helpful.

Tuesday, Jun 2

This day is dominated by committee meetings of Rensselaer County Legislature, which will all take place in the County Legislative Offices at 99 Troy Road in East Greenbush. Recently, the full legislature voted down an action which would have allowed remote access to public meetings, forcing members of the public who might wish to view or fully participate in the public process to travel sometimes considerable distance. Times, topics of the different committees below:

• 2 pm- Personnel
  • Res G/4-Authorizing the purchase of summer fun passes from CDTA for youth and job seekers during the months of July and August, allowing full access to CDTA ride services at a discounted rate.
• 2:45 pm-Local Government
  • Res T-2 opts Rensselaer County out of Section 447 of the NYS Real Property Tax Law, concerning the registration and regulation of short-term rental units.
• 2:45 pm- Social Services
  • Among various items on the agenda, Res G/14 creates the role of an Assisted Outpatient Treatment Coordinator to coordinate ongoing care of high-acuity adults with ongoing treatment needs.
• 3:15 pm- Contracts and Agreements
  • Various (see agenda)
• 4:00 pm- Judiciary and Public Safety
  • Among the multiple items on the agenda, Res G/22 accepts additional funds from New York State for the public defender’s office.

The rest of the week's events and meetings will be out shortly, including

• City Council meetings, Local Law 3 Public Hearing
• Troy Bike Rescue Bikefest
• Rensco Committee/Legislative meetings, pt ii Troy ZBA
• TCSD Board of Education

District 4 Councilmember Noreen McKee is hosting her monthly office hours today, Sat May 23, at The Verandah (6 Franklin Place) from 2-4 pm.

McKee's legislation, Local Law #3, seeks to regulate the use of ALPRs in Troy. City Council met Thursday with TPD brass and Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly at a Public Safety Committee meeting to fine-tune the legislation over the next 60 days while TPD collects information to determine best practices for data retention.

The Washington Post expanded its coverage of ALPRs and Flock cameras in Troy this week with a social media primer from Dave Jorgenson, which you can find here.

• School Board/budget elections
• City Council Committee/Finance Meetings
• Troy BID Board and Committee Meetings
• Meet the Mayors at Troy Savings Bank
• District Office Hours
• Land Bank Board Meeting

Tuesday, May 19

Election Day-Voters head to the polls for both Lansingburgh and Troy City districts to vote on budgets, ballot propositions, and school board.

Lansingburgh Central School District voters will have three candidates for two seats, as well as a school budget and a capital improvement project (school entrance, office, and football field replacement) on the ballot. More information on all of the above can be found here.

Lansingburgh polls will be open from 11 am to 8 pm. To find your polling place, click here.

Troy City School District voters have three candidates for three open seats, so barring the unlikely prospect of a successful write-in campaign, all of the candidates who appear on the ballot are likely to be sat.

While the proposed tax increase is 0%, a ballot proposition creating a $6M capital reserve fund as a 2% match for up to $300M in state-funded projects is also on the ballot.

Candidate, budget, and capital reserve fund information can be found here.

For TCSD voters, polls are open from 7:30 am to 8 pm. To check your polling place, click here. TCSD voters who require assistance locating their polling location may also contact the District Clerk at 518-328-5070.

Downtown Troy BID Marketing and Tourism- There will be a meeting of the BID Marketing and Tourism Committee at 9 am at the BID office (102 3rd St.) Topics of discussion will include Troy Night Out, June’s Pride Night Out, and needed website updates.

On the downtown marketing front, it is worth noting that the BID managed, with some assistance, to secure a $140K grant for events and programming related to the World Cup this summer, in conjunction with the Italian Community Center (see article.)

Individuals dubious of the BID’s ability to manage such programming will be gratified hear that Brad Lewis, executive director of the Land Bank, has stepped up to assist with management of the programming.

Unlike Troy City Council, the Planning Board, the ZBA, the LDC, the IDA, the CRC, the Troy Library, or the Land Bank, the BID neither streams nor records its meetings, so this meeting will be held in-person only.

Wednesday May 20

Land Bank- The Troy Community Land Bank will hold its regular monthly board meeting at 8:30 am at its offices (871 River St.)

At the time of this writing, no agenda has been provided, though it is possible there will be an update on the Home Repair Program, a $500k state grant to be administered by TCLB for the repair and maintenance of owner-occupied homes in Troy.

An agenda, when available, as well as minutes of previous TCLB meetings, can be found here. Livestreams and recordings of previous minutes can be found on the TCLB Youtube channel.

Thursday, May 21

If you have ever listened to the mayor’s endless self-aggrandizing speeches and thought to yourself ‘you could not pay me to listen to this,’ have I got a surprise for you…

The Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Meet the Mayors event at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (30 Second St) at 8:00 am, when people can pay (real money!) to hear Mantello, as well as Watervliet and Green Island mayors Charles Patricelli and Ellen McNulty-Ryan, respective, discuss issues of mutual concern.

Snark aside, pooling resources and coordinating planning among neighboring municipalities can be a cost-effective means to provide services to shared communities. Given the concerns about Mantello’s budgeting and management at the last presentation of the City’s financials to Council, it may be a prudent path forward.

Tickets to this event are $60 and can be purchased here.

Troy BID Board of Directors- If you, like me, can’t afford premium tickets for municipal dkabuki, the Downtown Troy BID will hold its monthly board meeting at 8:30 am at 333 Broadway (upstairs conference room.) Admission to this one is free.

Much discussed over the last several months, including the most recent governance committee meeting in April, has been a proposed update to the BID bylaws to shrink the board, as well as several other changes to board organization, including empowering the executive committee to act on behalf of the larger board.

No agenda has been posted for this meeting, and it is unclear where on the BID website one might find a link to the meeting agenda. Minutes of previous board and meetings, which do not include April 2026 instances or the most recent Governance Committee draft minutes, can be found here.

Unlike other taxpayer-funded entities such as Troy City Council, the Planning Board, the ZBA, the LDC, the IDA, the CRC, the Troy Library, or the Land Bank, the BID neither streams nor records its meetings, so this meeting will be held in-person only.

Troy City Council

Thursday is Troy City Council’s Committee and Finance night, starting at 5:30 and, given the subject matter, lasting until after all the good kitchens in town are closed (sigh):

5:30 - Public Safety- Up first is Local Law #3, which hopes to establish standards for the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) giving Council the opportunity to meet with TPD regarding their concerns and refine the legislation with amendments prior to the public hearing on June 4.

At the May 7 Council meeting, it should be noted that comptroller Michael McNeff was unable or unwilling to answer basic questions posed by Council members regarding the City’s finances. It would be more than a little ironic if Troy Police and the Mantello administration, which are giving taxpayer money to a private company to gather information about Troy residents, are reluctant to provide basic information to Council members, as required by the City Charter, that they might fulfill their obligations to due diligence.

6:00- Science and Technology- The SciTech Committee will meet directly after Public Safety. Topics on the agenda include a check-in with the administration regarding its progress on crafting reasonable restrictions on battery energy storage systems (BESS, see Ordinance 3), as well as progress made on ADA access to City web content.

7:00- Finance Committee- the monthly Finance Committee meeting will take place at 7 pm (or later, likely.) Likely to change, the current agenda only includes two budget transfers, one concerning forestry and the other sewer, and the other a whopping $500,000 agreement with the Boys and Girls Club to staff both the South Troy and Knickerbacker pools to provide lifeguard staffing et al.

While I cannot recall with great accuracy the lifeguard funding amount proposed to Council as part of the 2026 budget, it seems the ask here is considerably more than allocated, so there remains a question-from where the administration plans to pull the remainder?

##### UPDATE #######

Two pieces of legislation have been added to the Finance agenda of interest:

ORD 19 amending Chapter 273 of the City Code, is being introduced by District 6 Councilmember Greg Campbell-Cohen, increasing the number of outstanding parking tickets necessary to allow cars parked on city streets to be towed from one to three, except in certain circumstances.

Irrational exuberance exhibited by Parking Enforcement and tow truck operators has long been an irritant (and financial drain) to working-class residents and drivers without easy access to off-street parking, so this proposed ordinance likely qualifies as welcome news to many.

RES 58 is the issuance of a $2M bond for a fire rescue squad vehicle. It will be remembered that last June, the Mantello administration waited until the last minute to make bond requests for essential equipment, and refused to answer any questions from Democrats on Coiuncil sent in writing ahead of the meeting regarding the financial outlays for their request, resulting in a similar bond measure failing.

Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly, in his memo of support for the bond, noted that the price of the vehicle has now increased by $100k, though as the administration is making this request in May, it seems you may be able to teach an old dog new tricks after all.

City Council meetings take place at 433 River St, 5th Floor. To access agendas, minutes, and to find links to livestream and remote participation options for public comment, click here. (Videoconferencing and livestream links are under public notices for each meeting.)

Saturday, May 23

District 4 Office Hours- District 4 Councilperson Noreen McKee will be hosting monthly office hours at The Verandah (6 Franklin Place) from 2-4 pm. This is a great opportunity for residents, businesses, and members of the public to engage Councilmembers on subject areas of interest or concern.

District 2 representative Shikole Struber will also be holding office hours in Knickerbacker Park from 10 am - 12 pm, specific location TBD. The current forecast calls for rain.

Have an event or meeting you'd like shared? Send an email to collarcitycitizen@gmail.com

• 2025 Troy Annual Financial Report + Quarterly Financials
• Flock Legislation
• Videoconferencing Comes to County Legislature?
• School Budget Hearing/Board Elections (TCSD)
• Land Bank, Library, ZBA
• Troy Social Cycling
• Capital Streets Community Walk and Talk

Monday, May 4

Troy Land Bank- The Troy Community Land Bank’s Acquisition and Disposition Committee will meet at 8:30 am at the offices of the TCLB, 415 River St Suite 101.

Per the agenda, properties under discussion include 415 Second St and 23 Glen Ave, as well as discussion regarding what one assumes is an upcoming auction of foreclosed properties from the City of Troy.

Livestreams and recordings of TCLB meetings can be found on the TCLB Youtube channel.

Troy Public Library- The board of the Troy Public Library will hold a special meeting at 5:30 at the Main Branch (100 Second St.) No agenda has been published for this meeting as of this writing. An agenda, minutes of previous meetings, and a Zoom link to join remotely can be accessed here when available.

Tuesday, May 5

Rensco Leg, pt i- Two committees of the Rensselaer County Legislature will hold meetings in-perosn only at 99 Troy Rd, East Greenbush. Social Services will meet at 3 pm, and Judiciary and Public Safety is scheduled at 4 pm. Agendas are behind the links.

**Troy Social Cycling-**The good folks at Troy Social Cycling have started up their weekly rides from Waterfront Park at 6:30 pm on Tuesdays. This week looks like a breezy trip down to the Troy-Menands bridge and a relaxing ride along the Empire State Trail through Watervliet. (I will note that it seems a shame to put yourself through all that cardio on Cinco de Mayo and not swing by Taqueria Tren Maya for a refuel.)

For more information on Troy Social Cycling, check out their Instagram page.

Wednesday, May 6

Troy Zoning Board of Appeals- The Troy ZBA will hold its monthly meeting at 5:30 pm at City Hall (433 River St, 5th Floor.) Among the items on the agenda is a setback variance for an accessory dwelling unit at 31 Christie St.

As of the last zoning update in 2022, I believe, ADUs are allowed on residential lots throughout the city, opening many opportunities for increased housing density, though to date the option has been rarely exercised.

Agendas, minutes, and Zoom links for remote public participation of the ZBA can be found here. Livestreams and recordings of previous ZBA meetings can be accessed through the ZBA Youtube page.

TSCD BOE- The Troy City School District Board of Education will hold a meeting at 6 pm at Troy Middle School (1976 Burdett Ave.) No agenda has been provided as of this writing, though minutes from previous board meetings indicate the agenda will include a budget hearing and presentations from the school board candidates, as necessary.

More information, including recordings of previous board meetings, can be found here. 

Rensco County Leg, pt ii- There will be three committee meetings of the Rensselaer County Legislature, to be followed by a public forum in preparation for the May 12 Regular Meeting. Things will kick off with a Public Works meeting at 3 pm, followed by Budget and Finance at 3:30 and Rules and Legislative Operations at 4 pm (agendas behind links.)

Accessibility is a major hindrance to many in Troy who wish to know the goings-on of their county government, so it is gratifying to see Resolution G/24, allowing livestream of legislative and committee meetings, being introduced for a vote next week. Those wishing to support this legislation, widely adopted by local governments and public bodies throughout New York State, should reach out to their legislators or speak at the Legislative Public Forum at 6 pm, which somewhat ironically would require a physical trip to County Legislative Chambers at 99 Troy Rd, East Greenbush.

Thursday, May 7

City Council Finance and Regular Meetings- Troy City Council will hold a special Finance meeting at 6 pm, followed by a Regular monthly meeting scheduled for 7 pm, when Local Law #3, which seeks to establish standards relating to the City’s use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) will be introduced. (It is expected this legislation will then be sent to the Public Safety Committee, chaired by the legislation’s author, Noreen McKee, for discussion on May 21.)

Don’t put away your popcorn yet, folks-the real show is likely to take place at the Finance Committee meeting, when comptroller Michael McNeff presents the 2025 Annual Financial Report to Council, as well as the expected quarterly reports for Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, wherein sales tax revenue, estimated by the mayor to rise by an astounding 13.4% in 2026, will be reported.

It is worth noting that in 2025, then-District 4 Councilman Aaron Vera, in his 2026 budget newsletter and during budget hearings, cast a suspicious eye on the mayor’s estimates, apparently with good reason. In the first quarter of 2026, Rensselaer County sales tax collections have actually gone down .4%, and 2025 estimates look to have missed their target as well. (For more information on sales tax revenue, click here.)

These meetings will take place starting at 6 pm at City Hall, 433 River St, 5th Floor. Agendas, as well as links to access Zoom and Youtube livestreams of Council meetings, can be accessed here (see Notice section for Zoom and livestream links.)

Friday May 8

Capital Streets will be hosting a Community Walk and Talk, starting at 6 pm at the Capital Streets office (106 Jefferson St.) Participants will be guided through Osgood Woods Neighborhood Nature Preserve, Canal Ave Park, with a special tour of notable Troy Union Railroad Infrastructure.

The walk will conclude at Defazio’s (216 Fourth St), where you can sit back and relax with a glass of wine and a refreshing antipasto, presumably while checking your new friends for ticks.

For more information, check out the Capital Streets Instagram page.

• Troy BID Beautification and Downtown Community meetings
• Frear Park Neighborhood Meeting/Upgrade Presentation
• LDC Mystery Meeting

Monday, April 27

BID Beautification- The Beautification Committee of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District (BID) will hold a meeting at 5:30 at the BID office (102 Third St.) The BID’s beautification efforts are largely volunteer-run, so one might assume that publishing an agenda for the meeting would be a no-brainer, as such practice might help build community support for the committee’s efforts. One would be incorrect.

When no agenda is available, it is helpful to refer to the minutes of prior meetings to track progress on issues and gain the necessary understanding of the manner in which a public authority is being a good custodian of taxpayer funds.

Alas, no minutes of Troy BID committees has been published online, nor have minutes from any 2026 board meeting, a violation of NY Open Meetings Law (see §106, which was discussed in detail in a presentation by the NYS Committee on Open Government at the April 2025 BID Board meeting (see minutes).

This meeting will be held in-person only.

Tuesday, April 28

Downtown Troy Neighborhood Meeting- The Troy BID Quality of Life Committee will be holding a monthly meeting starting at 6 pm at 403 Fulton St (please note the venue change.)

This month there will be a presentation from Joseph’s House and Shelter executive director Amy LaFountain. Joseph's House and Shelter provides housing, support, and outreach to individuals and families in need throughout Troy and the Capital Region.

This meeting will be held in-person only.

Frear Park Neighborhood Meeting- Also at 6 pm, the City of Troy will be hosting a community meeting at Frear Park Ice  Rink (2701 Lavin Court.)

In its social media post announcing the meeting, the Mantello administration shared that members of the administration and CHA would be on-hand to present plans on park upgrades, including new playground equipment. Not mentioned among city officials in the social media post is District 3 , Councilperson Katie Spain-McLaren, who for months has been attempting to work with the administration to schedule a community meeting to gather input from residents on proposed changes before design changes became additional expense.

Councilmember Spain-McLaren  will also be in attendance.

Since the social media post did not mention a livestream option, it can be assumed that this meeting will take place in-perosn only.

Friday, May 1

Troy LDC Special Meeting- At the April 17 LDC Board Meeting, members discussed a special meeting to be held on May 1 at 9 am. While no notice or agenda has been  published as of this writing, agenda topics may include issues relating to the 2025 audited financial report, which from discussion at the meeting seemingly points to issues with  financial controls within the LDC, and/or reorganizational actions of the board in the wake of the departure of longtime chair Jeff Betts.

Agendas and minutes of previous meetings, as well as remote-access information for the public, will be published on the LDC website when available.

If you have a community meeting or event you would like included, please email collarcitycitizen@gmail.com.