Quoted from bumblethru

And does anyone know exactly how much money the RIDA currently has in it's coffers?

      Not sure, budget report is not posted on the Rotterdam website.  They do provide an accounting of their finances at the meeting, they have a treasurer that seems to keep a close eye on the finances.  Just as an FYI, the following link has some dated info on IDAs, but provides a lot of insight on their scope and authority;
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/pubs/research/idabackground.pdf

The NYS General Municipal Law requires IDAs to file their annual financial report within 90 days of the close of the calendar year.  RIDA has their 2009 report posted at;  http://www.rotterdamida.org/IDAPolicies/09FinancialReport.pdf   Nothing there!

Maybe this has to do with the millions BBL donates to all the politicians.....

Quoted from The Source

Maybe this has to do with the millions BBL donates to all the politicians.....

        No doubt, the border of the pzzle is almost complete . . . . .

Quoted Text

Buying the idea of the plex of 'well it's already here' is the problem. The plex  is the elephant in the room.

More accurately ...

The plex  is the elephant donkey in the room.

The Walgreen's proposal would have been better than a "gin mill".   I do understand that the Recovery Room is also a restaurant.   Since I have not been to any of the other Recovery Rooms, I have no idea what they are like.

As for other Rotterdam establishments, I will continue to go to other restaurants in town .. I am not much of a "gin mill" type of person .. personally.

Another F'EN watering hole with poor jobs......I like alcohol as much as the next guy(preferably scotch).....but for heavens sake this is ALL Schenectady can spit out.......??????WTH

I noticed a fence around capital plaza today. I guess they are getting ready to demolish the beast. Let's all give ourselves (we the taxpayers) a hand for helping this PRIVATE business transaction happen!

A place for the laid off GE workers to put up their tired sore feet..........

Quoted from senders

A place for the laid off GE workers to put up their tired sore feet..........

Could not agree more. Other local watering holes are already on the skids. For an industrial agency to be involved and for do nothing politicians to cheer this on is sickening.

    Instead of good paying industrial jobs we get more barkeepers and waitresses. Walgreens which would generate thousands more in desperately needed sales tax revenue is preferable to this. Tell that to SOS who prefers an empty dirt parking lot.

being a part of Metroplex and Count Economic Development is a great idea.  The last major projects in Rotterdam were brought to Rotterdam by Metrolpex and the County -- the Golub Freezer and the RailEx project.
The IDA during the Tommasone years did nothing but hand out facde grants to Tommasone's friends.

How about relocating town employers like Golub and the Bakery to the City-with your County sales tax dollars-was that a great idea too?

     Subsidizing a bar that is in Amsterdam, Colonie and Albany does not make any sense. Let them come without the governmental largess. It's a golden location and would have succeeded without RIDA involvement.

whiners... take a look at the true situation on the ground.. Anything is better than the no revenue generating, eyesore Capital Plaza.

No one wants to bring high paying industrial jobs to NY without huge concessions from tax agencies.
What does NY offer? High taxes and energy costs? Yeah, If I was looking to expand or start a business, NY would be the LAST state I would look at.
There's nothing wrong with Recovery Grill's Rotterdam location stealing customers from Albany and Amsterdam. Don't like the place? don't go... At least it will look better than the 50's era dump called Capital Plaza.

Quoted from benny salami

It's a golden location and would have succeeded without RIDA involvement.

I hope you are using sarcasm here..
How long has this "golden location" been decaying??

I don't think that anyone is not in favor of an 'anything but what is there' approach to the capital plaza beast.

However................I am dead set against government sealing a deal, with a million dollar company that is a PRIVATE transaction WITH taxpayer's money!! Doesn't ANYONE have a problem with this picture. The original concept of the RIDA was to offer tax incentives to INDUSTRIAL businesses. Not to sweeten the pot and grease palms and garner votes and dig their heels in for political gain.

It is a sad day for rotterdam! IMHO

Quoted from bumblethru

It is a sad day for rotterdam! IMHO

             There are at least two basic issues.  The first being the expected longevity/sustainability of such a project.  How long does a fad bar exist before it's out of vogue with the patrons?  And if the business is not sustainable, we are back to the old Capital Plaza scenario, but with newer vintage buildings.

            The second issue is that there is little to no property left to develop new business that potentially might be a better fit.  If Rotterdam is that dependent for its existence on these types of projects, where will be in 5 to 10 years when there is no more room for spot zones and promoting these types of establishments?  So viewing the crystal ball into the future, what will Rotterdam have left to offer business?  These projects are temporary band aid fixes to the Town's tax woes with short term benefits that don't address long term needs.

-IMHO