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SCHENECTADY
Business owners criticize agency
Need for improvement corp. is questioned
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

   After a hectic year in which the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. fired its director and raised taxes, many downtown property owners are criticizing the agency, some questioning whether it should even exist.
   “It’s a waste of time, period. They have no business being part of downtown and costing downtown money,” said Embarek Mesbahi, who owns the vacant Jay Street storefront that once housed Cafe Dolce. “They plant a few flowers here and there, but I see no reason for all this committee.”
   He pays DSIC $521 each year in business improvement district taxes. In return, the agency sweeps in front of his property, maintains the walkways throughout the downtown, shovels snow and plants flowers.
   Interim DSIC Director Colleen Merays said those services are essential.
   “It adds a marketability to downtown as a destination,” she said. “The reality is that not all the property owners maintain their storefronts.”
   She’s hoping the Schenectady City Council will approve the 2008 DSIC budget at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13. The council members will first discuss it at their 5:30 p.m. committee meeting next Monday.
   Business owners are quietly campaigning for major changes in the agency as its budget comes up for a vote.
   Mesbahi said he could sweep and decorate outside his store just as easily as DSIC and for far less than $500.
   He’s not the only one who feels that way.
   “DSIC needs to re-evaluate themselves and the direction they want to go in,” said new DSIC board member Bob Mallozzi, who owns Villa Italia on Broadway.
   Merays said that although she hasn’t heard any complaints, she will distribute a survey next month to find out what services owners want.
   “We want to know. Are we doing the right things?” she said.
   Mallozzi wants the agency to keep planting flowers and cleaning roads, but leave the sidewalks to owners.
   “I think the number one priority of DSIC should be the beautification of Schenectady,” he said. “We get involved in marketing and promotion of businesses. I think businesses should promote themselves.”
   But a dozen other business owners said the exact opposite: DSIC should focus on marketing, not beautification.
   “We need an organization whose purpose is to promote Schenectady,” said Cathie Russell, who owns the Night Sky Cafe.
   Kathy Fitzmaurice, who owns the Katbird Shop, recently joined forces with Ambition Coffee House & Eatery owner Greg Salomon and Fountains Spatial (formerly Applied GIS) President Austin Fisher to lobby for control of the agency.
   “I would like to see some changes or see it go away,” Fitzmaurice said. “I pay $300 and I don’t really realize anything for it.”
   The business owners asked the mayor to give all downtown owners the power to vote for the DSIC board members. They are now appointed by the mayor and the Schenectady City Council.
   “It’s an appointed board. It’s not truly representative of the people downtown who are paying the fee,” Fitzmaurice said.
   She said disgruntlement crystallized into outright opposition this summer after the DSIC board did not renew the contract of popular Executive Director Robert Buccieri. The board never publicly explained its decision.
   “People always complained, but that certainly inflamed people further,” Fitzmaurice said. “Bob was visible. He came to your store and talked to you. I can’t say that about the rest of DSIC. They shouldn’t stay tucked away in a secure little office.”
   Russell said the DSIC leaders virtually ignore all businesses outside the two-block stretch of State Street and Jay Street.
   “A lot of times I’m left out, as are a lot of businesses on the perimeter,” the Union Street cafe owner said. “They’re not a source I go to for promotions and marketing because they’re focusing on Jay Street and State Street.”
   But even some of the business owners in the heart of downtown aren’t satisfied with DSIC’s services.
   Rich St. Jean, manager of the Parker Inn, said DSIC doesn’t offer anything useful to the hotel — although he added that he would support the agency anyway if smaller businesses found it helpful.
   Stephanie Albers, who owns Cripple Creek Trading Company on the Jay Street pedestrian walkway, said she too doesn’t get enough in return for her money.
   “It’s hard enough to pay the city taxes. I think the BID (business improvement district) tax is an excessive load on the property owners,” she said.
   She wants DSIC to reduce its operations so that it does not have to ask property owners for money. Roughly three-quarters of the agency’s $1 million annual budget comes from grants and other sources; the property owners pay a total of $221,000.
   Albers also questioned the need to pay for services that are provided by the city in other neighborhoods.
   “I don’t think the downtown needs its own street cleaners — the city should do that,” she said.
   Not all Jay Street business owners agreed with her.
   “They keep the pedestrian mall immaculate. I’m very pleased with that,” said David D’Amato, owner of Real Office Center Inc. “And they do some advertising. They’re working at it.”
   He also likes the downtown facade grant program, which is funded by the Metroplex Development Authority but administered by DSIC. But he isn’t happy with the tax.
   “I would hate to see it go up. It’s just another burden,” he said.
   After some thought, he added, “But I get more out of the BID than I do City Hall.”  

  
  
  

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SCHENECTADY
Mayor rebuffs business owners Some unhappy with city’s downtown board
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

   Mayor Brian U. Stratton and some Schenectady City Council members are at odds over who should appoint members to the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation.
   Stratton said he will continue to appoint DSIC board members, refusing a request from downtown business owners who want to choose their own representatives.
   In a rare dispute between the all-Democratic council and the Democratic mayor, some council members said they want to discuss letting the business owners have a say in the appointments.
   The DSIC board decides how to spend the special tax it gathers from every downtown property owner. Currently, it uses that money primarily for street-sweeping, flower-planting and other beautification efforts. Some business owners disagree vehemently with that choice, saying they want the organization to focus on marketing and leave cleanup duties to the property owners — or just stop collecting taxes from them.
   They took their dispute to the mayor, asking him to stop appointing board members without comment from the property owners.
   He did not give them an answer until after he was re-elected last week.
   Now, he has said he will not allow them to choose their representatives.
   “The appointment process is established in the legislation that created the DSIC,” he said. “That’s the way it was put together. I support the legislation.”
   He declined to amplify on his position.
   It isn’t supported by some members of the council, who will vote on the 2008 DSIC budget at a meeting at 7 tonight. There is no vote scheduled yet on the appointments, but Stratton said he would propose names shortly.
   As business owners step up their lobbying efforts, Councilwoman Barbara Blanchard said she wants to discuss their concerns, and Councilwoman Denise Brucker said she wants to hear from them before making a decision on the appointments.
   Councilman Gary McCarthy went further, saying he’d rather just get rid of the special tax altogether — a viewpoint shared by many downtown business owners.
   He said he doesn’t know if the council can give downtown business owners the power to elect their board.
   “I’d prefer to eliminate the assessment. You don’t need another level of taxation,” he said. “People are paying high taxes now. As we come back to what I’ll call a normal community level, the need for government at that level should not be needed.”
   Brucker said the business owners should be included in a discussion on the issue.
   “There’s obviously a reason some of the members want it,” she said. “I’d like to hear their reason.”
   Some of the current board members say DSIC should focus on beautification, while some of the business owners who aren’t on the board feel the agency should throw its resources into marketing and promoting the downtown.
   Owners who run businesses outside the heart of downtown also say they are being ignored by the current board.
   “A lot of times I’m left out, as are a lot of businesses on the perimeter,” said Cathie Russell, who owns the Night Sky Cafe on Union Street. “They’re not a source I go to for promotions and marketing because they’re focusing on Jay Street and State Street.”
   Kathy Fitzmaurice, who owns the Katbird Shop on Liberty Street, added that the board members do not reflect the diverse business owners and rarely visit the outlying businesses to learn about their needs.
   “I pay $300 [per year] and I don’t really realize anything for it,” she said. “It’s an appointed board. It’s not truly representative of the people downtown who are paying the fee.”
   Even some business owners on the Jay Street pedestrian walkway are frustrated with the agency’s leadership. Ambition Coffee House & Eatery owner Greg Salomon and Fountains Spatial (formerly Applied GIS) President Austin Fisher have also lobbied the mayor to stop appointing board members without the DISC members’ comments.

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Mayor Brian U. Stratton and some Schenectady City Council members are at odds over who should appoint members to the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation.  Stratton said he will continue to appoint DSIC board members, refusing a request from downtown business owners who want to choose their own representatives.   In a rare dispute between the all-Democratic council and the Democratic mayor, some council members said they want to discuss letting the business owners have a say in the appointments.

Government of the people, for the people, by the people ... Stratton's people.

This is an organization that serves the downtown business owners.  To deny them a voice in the selection of their representation is bad government and speaks to Stratton's arrogance and quest for increased government control.  He needs to appoint individuals to these patronage positions so that he can reward his supporters and place individuals who share his agenda and vision.

The DSIC is similar in concept and purpose to a homeowners' association in which property owners form a board to pass bylaws and regulations that serve the general interests of the homeowners in a subdivision.

I suggest that the solution to this impass is to disband the organization and allow the business owners to spend their money that they are required to pay to the DSIC as they deem appropriate to maintain and promote their businesses.

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Councilman Gary McCarthy went further, saying he’d rather just get rid of the special tax altogether — a viewpoint shared by many downtown business owners.
   He said he doesn’t know if the council can give downtown business owners the power to elect their board.
   “I’d prefer to eliminate the assessment. You don’t need another level of taxation,” he said. “People are paying high taxes now. As we come back to what I’ll call a normal community level, the need for government at that level should not be needed.”

I don't know the complexity of the city council since I reside and am more familiar with Rotterdam government, but Mr.McCarthy should be commended for his thoughts in this matter. I agree that you either get rid of the tax all together or allow the business owners to be part of the process. I also feel that the city should take a yet better look at their spending habits as I'm sure there are areas in budget that can be cut to make up the difference in this tax. The people in the city are getting poorer and poorer. The city government appears to be forcing these poor people to live poorly yet paying through their tax dollar for an economic system that is over inflated. The businesses are apparently feeling the pinch as well and becoming unhappy with the development of State Street alone.

I agree with Joanns assessment of Mr. McCarthy.  It seems to me that for $300 per year each business could beautify their storefronts AND have money left over for marketing.

Good point Rene. It appears that the dictatorship in Schenectady wants to have total controll of everything and everybody. Way Way too much power. I wonder what would happen if all of the businesses refused to pay their tax bill when they received it? Surely the dictatorship would  not fine them all...not to mention the press they would get! I know that I'd do it, for sure!

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SCHENECTADY
Stratton considers balancing DSIC board
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

   Mayor Brian U. Stratton appeased some business owners Tuesday by offering a possible compromise in the debate over who should choose the board members for the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp.
   He said that although he will not hand that power over to the DSIC property owners, he might try to balance the board by appointing small business owners or owners from the outskirts of the downtown.
   At least one business owner declared victory after hearing his comments.
   “I think that’s a very good idea,” said Cathie Russell, owner of the Night Sky Cafe on Union Street. “I think it would definitely contribute the input that’s necessary.” Russell was one of many business owners who said the DSIC board is unresponsive, ignores property owners outside the heart of the downtown, and does not offer any valuable services in exchange for its mandatory special tax.
   Several owners, including some on the Jay Street pedestrian walkway, said they wanted to either vote in a new board or dissolve the organization altogether.
   Neither action is possible without backing from the city government.
   Stratton reiterated his support for the DSIC Tuesday, saying it is valuable and should continue.
   But, he said he might be able to solve the issues owners raised without changing the agency’s governing legislation.
   “They said they wanted small business owners on the board,” Stratton said after Tuesday’s Schenectady City Council meeting. “I would give it some consideration. We’re continuing to look at possibilities, and I welcome their suggestions.”
   Stratton’s comments came a day after three City Council members said they want to discuss the property owners’ concerns before more appointments to the board are made this winter.
   They were joined Tuesday by Councilman Frank Maurizio, who said the issue could be quickly resolved with an open discussion.
   “Things have been working fairly well,” Maurizio said of the agency. “But the issues of the property owners should certainly be taken into consideration.”
   On Tuesday, the council also passed the agency’s 2008 budget, which does not increase taxes. The budget passed by a vote of 6-0; Councilwoman Margaret King abstained because she is a member of the DSIC board.
   Three people urged the council to approve the budget, including interim DSIC director Colleen Merays and board President Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas of Key Bank.
   “DSIC is a vital partner in the revitalization of downtown,” Zalewski-Wildzunas said. “It has kept the sidewalks clean, it has kept the flowers watered, it has promoted downtown.”
   Bill Kownack, the owner of Castelo’s on Nott Terrace, also spoke highly of the agency.
   “It’s a great organization. It’s been a good liaison,” he said.
   No one spoke against the budget. The more than a dozen business owners who publicly criticized the agency in the past few weeks were notable in their absence.

  


  
  
  

Hey, maybe these people are just complaining to the wrong people.  If you don't get what you want from the DSIC, just go to the Metroplex.  They'll give you anything you want, and they take it from the entire county, not  just the business owners.

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Downtown retailers shouldn’t balk at fee

    Regarding the Oct. 30 article, “Business owners criticize agency”: Is a nominal fee of $1.47 per day too much to pay the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. [DSIC] to clean the sidewalks, maintain the landscaping, hang Christmas decorations, plan events, keep local business owners abreast of upcoming events, recruit small businesses and facilitate the façade program?
    A dollar forty-seven per day ($537 a year) is what that unhappy property owner pays for these services. The property owner [Embarek Mesbahi] who refuses to rent out his retail space was unfortunately interviewed by a reporter who didn’t get the picture completely right. An empty store, and a perpetually negative property owner, is contrary to what the rest of the business owners on Jay Street are trying so diligently to achieve.
    Another property owner who was interviewed suggests that business owners should promote themselves. The fact is that many of the small business owners do not own multiple businesses that support an advertising budget. We have very small budgets for advertising, and therefore we depend heavily on the DSIC to send out e-mail blasts of specials and/or events we will be having. The small businesses also depend on the DSIC reduced-rate ads in the local newspapers in which we can advertise affordably.
    Should the city be responsible for cleaning the streets? Perhaps. But the fact is, they currently do not. The city’s budget can go just so far with an already high tax burden on Schenectady residents. I feel it is a fair allocation of revenue for the businesses and property owners in the DSIC area to pay for their services, rather than the entire of Schenectady to pay for the hanging of Christmas decorations, for example.
    For those who feel the DSIC only focuses on one part of their designated area, perhaps they should attend the DSIC stockholders’ meetings to discuss their concerns. Yet these meetings, despite great efforts on the DSIC’s part, have been poorly attended. If they had attended the last meeting, they would have heard how many of these concerns are being addressed. They would know that the DSIC is in favor of becoming a true business improvement district (where board members are not appointed by the mayor, for example). They would know of plans to hire a new director, and plans to restructure the DSIC in order to fill the many requirements of downtown business and property owners.
    Let this be a time for us all to support the DSIC’s evolution, not its extinction.
    JOANN SIFO
    Schenectady
The writer is proprietor of Chez Daisie Creperie.     

Sounds like communism to me.  They count on the Committee to take someone else's money to place ads on their behalf?

If one moves into a condo/townhouse neighborhood everyone 'pays fees' for snow removal, lawn mowing etc......I'm not sure I understand their complaint.... :-/

It's just one more fee that has to be paid to live in Schenectady along with the garbage fee, sewer fee, water fee, and all the rest of the fees that make this city the 10th highest taxed/fee county in the country. Tax and spend, tax and spend and no one cares about the residents paying the bill.

Question:  Why is the City government in the business of trash collection, landscape maintenance, snow removal from sidewalks of private businesses, etc.?

Answer: To increase the size and cost of government.  To expand government control.

Will Stratton establish a program by which government (city) workers mow the lawns, trim the shrubs, power wash houses, and seal driveways of private homes that are located within the city limits?  Of course, the program will come with a considerable homeowner fee and membership/participation will be mandatory of all property owners.

To those who dismiss the possibility, how does it differ from the establishment, role, and control of the DSIC?

SHHHHHH.
Don't give them any ideas! :)

The city will become like a locked down fortress and the 'plebs' will cling to the walls from the outside asking where their 'bread' might be......

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Merchants aren’t getting money’s worth from city

    Re JoAnn Sifo’s Dec. 5 letter, “Downtown retailers shouldn’t balk at fee”: Mine isn’t the only empty storefront downtown.
    Does Chez Daisie Creperie owner JoAnn Sifo think that all building owners are refusing to rent out their spaces? I’ve entertained many inquiries — including hers, even though she was already committed to the space she currently occupies. If she’s suggesting that I should have offered her my space (three times the size of hers) for the same rent she’s paying, well, her judgment has been clouded by way too many handouts.
    What motivation do I have to open up a cafe/bistro in my space when so many are bankrolled to open up their operations? I operated two very successful restaurants in Boston without any handouts, but business is done differently in Schenectady.
    I need no one to sweep or shovel the sidewalk in front of my property. As far as flowers and beautification of that pedestrian walkway: Collectively, as building and business owners, we could do the job for a lot less than the $200,000-plus it costs to keep the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. bureaucracy and the waste of taxpayers’ money by purchasing a fleet of unnecessary vehicles.
    The city has washed its hands of any responsibility to do the work for which it collects some of the highest taxes in the land. My suggestion to Ms. Sifo, and the rest of the business owners downtown, is to focus on the real issues that are making downtown a ghost town. This is not negative, it’s the truth.
    I am sure all of us have great ideas. Let’s proceed with open minds and call for a meeting that will include businesses as far away as the Stockade. All of us want a success story downtown, and not just on the pedestrian walkway or State Street.
    EMBAREK MESBAHI
    Schenectady The writer owns 138-142 Jay St.     

Do I hear an AMEN???

AMEN!!

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Group is helping promote downtown Sch’dy in many ways

    In response to the recent articles and letters regarding the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation (DSIC), we think it is important for people to realize the essential role that DSIC plays in the revitalization of Schenectady, not as one entity alone, but in partnership with organizations, individuals, businesses and property owners who make downtown’s revitalization as successful as it is.
    DSIC is not just about cleaning sidewalks, planting flowers, special events or business promotions. It is about our collective efforts to redevelop peoples’ relationship to the city.
    By seeking to create positive change, new uses and new reasons to come downtown, we erase negative and inaccurate perceptions of our downtown and invite others to enjoy it. Long gone are the days of dilapidated buildings and a ghost-like, run-down downtown Schenectady. Today, historic buildings once again stand proud, many with the help of the façade improvement program that the DSIC administers with grants from the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority, as well as the Main Street Program, which establishes new commercial and residential space in downtowns.
    The streets are once again clean and inviting, making visitors want to stop to browse, get a bite to eat, shop or see a show. More importantly, because of downtown’s revitalization, once people visit, they want to return, maybe to Art Night, in which DSIC plays a role, to see a show at one of the Proctors theaters or to attend the annual Magic and Melodies Open House supported by the DSIC and Jay Street merchants. More activities are being offered every day.
    DSIC has been a major part of downtown Schenectady for the last 30 years, has evolved its role with the changing needs of downtown and will continue to partner with local agencies, government, business and property owners for years to come. DSIC is the only organization dedicated to the promotion of downtown Schenectady as a destination. The DSIC business promotion and marketing program offers restaurant, retail and service businesses a wide range of activities and ways to participate. In addition, we have partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to develop a new tourism and marketing guide. This comprehensive downtown business directory highlights cultural venues and business associations in the county, and information is cross-listed on the DSIC Web site for easy access.
    With all the new activity on the downtown streets, DSIC has devised maps that will be placed strategically in kiosks to help visitors orient themselves in our new downtown. We promote activities that draw people downtown, such as the downtown farmer’s market, Jazz on Jay, the Pottery Trail, Kids Art Fest, Community Day, Downtown Schenectady Restaurant Week and the Stockade Walkabout. In partnership with others, we have started new events, including Magic and Melodies Open House, Art Night Schenectady and Summer Night.
    We promote, and market, downtown by leading and organizing tours, updating our available property database, providing free listings for businesses in our district and showing available space to prospective new businesses. In addition, we establish downtown advertising opportunities and help existing businesses market their enterprises. To enhance and foster communication with our membership, we organize quarterly and special needs stakeholder input sessions. And, we are involved in behind-the-scenes activity that is immeasurable in the partnership to make downtown Schenectady the best it can be.
    Downtown is open for business, there is ample public parking, and we hope everyone will continue to support our businesses. Our rebirth is here and will continue, as long as we work together to rebuild downtown “block by block.”
    KAREN ZALEWSKI-WILDZUNAS
    Schenectady
The writer is board president of DSIC.

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DSIC is not just about cleaning sidewalks, planting flowers, special events or business promotions. It is about our collective efforts to redevelop peoples’ relationship to the city.

This the proverbial answer to the proverbial complaint: "They should do something about the city. It's a mess. I cant go down there, someone needs to do something."

Remember as a kid when we would try to explain something we did wrong with the answer of "They told me it was...blah blah blah"?  Who was they??

This is America and it is pretty easy to 'purchase nice things' and the people to do the work.....

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Stratton decides against balancing downtown group
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
By Kathleen Moore (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

SCHENECTADY — Mayor Brian U. Stratton has decided not to balance the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp., despite a growing number of complaints from small business owners and owners at the outskirts of the downtown who say the economic revitalization agency is ignoring them.
Stratton had promised after his November re-election to consider balancing the DSIC board by adding more small business owners, particularly from the edge of downtown. But in his new appointments, announced this week, he chose to reappoint four existing members and get rid of none of the controversial appointees he had already made.
He reappointed board President Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas, a senior vice president at Key Bank who works in Saratoga; Richard Antokol, a State Street attorney; Janet Hutchison, owner of Open Door Bookstore; and city Councilwoman Margaret King, associate dean for student development at Schenectady County Community College.
Stratton also appointed one new member: Don Leva, who owns a small newsstand across from City Hall.
To make room for Leva, Stratton replaced Dee Earle, who was director of sales and marketing at the Holiday Inn on Nott Terrace. Earle had transferred to a Holiday Inn outside the city.
Stratton removed Leva from the board in 2005, saying he wanted to put in “my own people,” according to published reports. He has not returned a call seeking comment on the recent appointments.
One business owner who had hoped Stratton would appoint owners from the outskirts of the downtown, rather than the Jay Street-State Street hub, said she was disappointed by Stratton’s choices.
“It still doesn’t address the problem — the representation still isn’t there,” said Kathy Fitzmaurice, who owns the Katbird Shop on Liberty Street. “It’s only right — if I’m paying, I should have a say.”
But she said Leva’s appointment was a good beginning, since he is a small business owner, even though he isn’t from the outskirts.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Fitzmaurice said. “You can’t expect to get change in a couple meetings with the mayor unless you have more clout and contribute a lot more to his campaign — and you can quote me on that.”
She said DSIC is “obviously” controlled by Stratton’s Democratic party.
“And it shouldn’t be,” she said.
Many business owners said last fall that the DSIC board is unresponsive, ignores property owners outside the heart of the downtown, and does not offer any valuable services in exchange for its mandatory special tax. But when Stratton told them he might balance the board by adding small business owners or owners from the outskirts, some owners said they would be satisfied.

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KeyBank, and key executive, committed to downtown Sch’dy

    I would like to clarify a number of comments made in your coverage (Feb. 12 article, “Council rejects Stratton’s appointees — Complaints about picks for DSIC board spark dispute,” and Feb. 15 article, “Downtown board carries on — Members to stay until replaced”) of Mayor Brian Stratton’s appointments to the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. (DSIC).
    First, Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas is a senior vice president at KeyBank, whose office may be in Saratoga, but who is very knowledgeable about small business in downtown Schenectady. As a KeyBank Business Banking team leader, Karen works with numerous companies in a wide range of industries here. As head of KeyBank’s Capital Region Key4Women initiative, which helps women business owners obtain access to capital, networking, education and mentoring, she works on a regular basis with women-owned businesses in downtown Schenectady and oversees a team of bankers located downtown. As such, she has a better understanding of the challenges of small businesses here than many individual small business owners, who are focused on their own companies and do not always have an opportunity to consider the bigger picture.
    In fact, Karen, who has lived in Schenectady for 20 years and continues to live here, has never had her main Key-Bank office here. Before moving to Saratoga, she was headquartered in Albany, but her connections to, and knowledge of, downtown Schenectady were not in question.
    Karen has brought enormous professionalism to the DSIC. Most notably, she helped the organization move from a paper accounting system to a computerized one with audited financial statements. This enabled the DSIC to become a 501(3)c (to have nonprofi t status), which made it eligible for additional funding sources, including federal government grants. Let’s stop playing politics with the DSIC and start recognizing the good this organization — and its leaders — are doing for downtown.
    On another matter mentioned in your article, KeyBank has no plans to close the downtown Schenectady branch. We are currently looking to move the 436 State Street. branch to another downtown location because we sold our parking lot to support downtown redevelopment efforts, and a branch without adjacent parking is difficult for our clients. Key’s commitment to downtown Schenectady has never been stronger.
    WILLIAM B. FAUBION
    Scotia
The writer is vice president of KeyBank N.A. and past chairman of the Chamber of Schenectady County.

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Downtown Schenectady group names new director
Monday, April 14, 2008
By Michael Lamendola (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

SCHENECTADY — The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. hired a new executive director today to further promote the resurgent business district, officials said.
James Salengo will join the organization May 5, becoming its third executive director since 2000. He is director of communications for the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District.
DSIC President Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas said Salengo will promote downtown as a premier location for commerce, recreation and living.
“The revitalization of downtown Schenectady is off and running, but we’re not done yet,” she said.
Salengo was selected from among 42 candidates who applied for the position and will earn $55,000 to $75,000, said DSIC Vice President Richard Antokol.
“He was the only candidate with executive experience in a business improvement district,” Antokol said.
Salengo also brings expertise in other key areas on which the DSIC wants its new executive director to focus, he said. The DSIC board sought a candidate with skills in budget development and finance; business development, retention and recruitment; marketing and publications; fundraising and grant writing; and volunteer recruitment and development.
“We are looking at the long-term task of running downtown as a going concern. That is a different set of skills, and Jim brings those skills,” Antokol said. “We have an enormous opportunity right now because much of the reconstruction downtown has been completed and we are now pivoting from how to jump start, restart, reinvigorate a downtown, which was the task for the last five to seven years, to how do you run a downtown."
With the Albany BID since 2003, Salengo helped created the marketing campaign “Downtown Albany: Worth Discovering Since 1609,” according to a DSIC news release. The American Marketing Association awarded its Mark of Excellence Award to the campaign in 2005.
Salengo moved to the Capital Region in 1990 and lived for five years in Schenectady.
“I have watched the remarkable transformation of downtown Schenectady over the last several years with pride and admiration,” he said.
Prior to joining the Albany BID, he worked 13 1/2 years for WMHT, serving as its main on-air spokesman and as director of television programming.
The DSIC receives funding through the Downtown Schenectady Assessment District and the Metroplex Development Authority. The district collects approximately $230,000 annually from 600 downtown property owners. Metroplex Development provides it with a $150,000 operating grant, plus between $200,000 and $300,000 per year for facade grants. The organization also raises $40,000 through events.
The DSIC uses the assessment money to clean and beautify sidewalks, promote downtown businesses and other activities.

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Salengo moved to the Capital Region in 1990 and lived for five years in Schenectady.

The Gazette article states that Mr. Salengo livED in Schenectady.  This suggests that he no longer resides there.  It doesn't appear that he owns or operates a business in the City of Schenectady either.

My goodness! All of this money STILL for downtown. And all of these salaries and appointed positions ALL IN THE NAME OF REVITALIZATION! Of what?

This has become a bottomless money making honey pot for the politicians, families, friends and business acquaintances. Instead of using all or most of these funds for revitalization and the improvement of all of schenectady county...it is used to appoint and elect the elite into high paying taxpaid positions.

Believe me people....this metroplex, DSIC and the rest will be looked at in history as a shame with more corruptness than the union days of GE!

http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/07/14/daily14.html?t=printable

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 2:21 PM EDT
Schenectady downtown business group will hold annual meeting July 16
The Business Review (Albany)

The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. will hold its annual meeting July 16 at Proctors in Schenectady.

About 150 business owners, elected officials and property owners are expected to attend the meeting, which will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Wright Family Atrium & GE Theatre at Proctors.

Presenters at the meeting include Jim Salengo, executive director of the DSIC, Mayor Brian Stratton, Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas, board president, and Margaret King, president of the City Council and board secretary.

Registration and refreshments will be provided from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. by Aperitivo Bistro and the Muddy Cup Coffee House.

For more information contact Salengo at 518-377-9430 or jim@downtownschenectady.com.

There's only TWO Salengo's in the phone book in NEW YORK ... one in Lake Luzerne and the other in Glens Falls.

http://anywho.com/

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Downtown Schenectady group to do more marketing
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
By Kathleen Moore (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

SCHENECTADY — The street-sweeping and flower-planting will stay, but the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. will also throw itself into promoting its businesses after a year of controversy in which many business owners said they get nothing from the agency that taxes them.

“My background is in marketing, so I’m really coming into this wanting to do that side of it,” said new Executive Director James Salengo after Wednesday’s annual meeting. “So I agree. We can do a better job and we will do a better job.”

Roughly a third of the agency’s members gathered early this morning for the annual meeting, at which Salengo said DSIC serves a “vital role” in the downtown.

He emphasized the positive: an increase in visitors parking in daytime lots downtown, repeat business from college students after a free event this spring and a successful restaurant week promotion in which nearly half the diners were new customers.

“We are building momentum,” he said.

The agency also picked up 960 cubic yards of litter (the equivalent of 30 full Dumpsters) last year, a tribute to the amount of work needed to keep the downtown looking clean.

But Salengo acknowledged his members are not all satisfied with his agency, particularly with the way DSIC leaders are chosen and the special assessment tax.

He said the agency will at least discuss changes in response to both criticisms.

“There seems to have been some good progress made on looking at the assessment [tax],” he said. “The decision has been made that it’s important to look at it.”

The agency will hire an independent consultant to offer options on new formulas for spreading out the tax burden. But Salengo noted that most critics of the tax don’t want a new formula — they simply say they aren’t getting enough in return for their money.

Part of the answer, he said, is to do more to market the businesses. He’s trying to add businesses to existing programs as a package deal — dinner and a show after a trolley tour, for example — and create new promotions that could draw customers to the area.

He warned that big events, like the SummerNight program that will be held Friday, are too expensive to put on regularly.

“Events are great, but we don’t have the staff or resources to be a full event organizer,” he said. “I’m brainstorming.”

As for the smoldering issue of leadership, nothing has been resolved. The City Council split, 3-3, over who should be appointed to the board. Many business owners still feel they should have a say in that decision, but the mayor still insists he should keep that power.

Salengo said a committee is considering a recommendation process or a membership vote to help guide the council’s decision. The committee is also weighing the idea of increasing the size of the board. The mayor is staunchly opposed to that, and the agency would need city council support to make such changes.

I still don't understand the roll of this company and who pays for it, what do they sell to get money to do the marketing? Anyone have a handle on this?

Gee Sal, I thought that the business owners had to pay a year fee/tax for these wonderful benefits being bestowed on them. I guess it's the fee you pay for the privilege of doing business in the city of schenectady. I don't know...these business owners are either just plain stupid or gluttons for punishment.

So then my question for my friends here to help me out with is how is this here company different then say the chamber of commerce?

Quoted from Salvatore

So then my question for my friends here to help me out with is how is this here company different then say the chamber of commerce?

Not sure if I qualify as a "friend" - but there really is only one difference.  One organization is a voluntary membership, the other is dictated and forced upon you if you want your business to be located "downtown"

Just another hand in the pot......there always is with municipality building planning etc.......remember the Alaska pipeline.......or any big project in NYC......it's all fun and games with the government involved.......'free money' to all.......

http://www.dailygazette.com

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SCHENECTADY
DSIC appointments approved
Council had rejected mayor’s picks earlier this year
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com

    Convinced that the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. is finally listening to its members, the Schenectady City Council renewed the mayor’s appointments to the DSIC board on Monday.
    Those renewals were rejected earlier this year in a tie vote, with council members Gary McCarthy, Joseph Allen and Barbara Blanchard voting against the appointees in hopes of “negotiating for a little more responsiveness,” as McCarthy put it.
    They seem to have gotten it. The DSIC board hired a new chief, whose expertise is in marketing and promoting small businesses. The board also hired a consultant to review and possibly adjust the amount of tax that each business owner pays, in response to complaints from owners who pay for services that they don’t receive because their stores are far from the heart of the downtown.
    In addition, the board has begun debating whether its members should have some say in selecting their representatives, rather than allowing the mayor and council to make the decision.
    McCarthy said he hopes those efforts will pan out.
    “I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” he said. “They seemed to have the best interests of downtown at heart.”
    The decision in April to hire marketing expert James Salengo as DSIC’s new executive director was a key change, McCarthy said.
    “Undertaking marketing — it goes a long way toward making people happy,” he said. “There are some levels of concern with the [tax] formula and the board [selection], but the process is in place to do it.”
    However, Blanchard said she wanted to hold off on the appointments until DSIC’s committee reported back with a new plan for selecting board members. She wants to implement a procedure in which business owners have a strong role in the selection process.
    “I don’t think it’s fair for people to pay into a corporation if they have no control over the governance of it,” she said.
    Mayor Brian U. Stratton has resisted business owners’ calls to change the system, saying he wants to keep the authority to make DSIC appointments. Previously, he offered a compromise in which owners could suggest nominees to him — although he would retain full power over the final choice. Business owners were not impressed.
    Stratton did not attend Monday’s council meeting because he is serving as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
    Debate over his appointees has centered around board President Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas , a senior vice president at Key Bank who works in Saratoga.
    Resident Mary McClaine said Monday that Stratton could have found a qualified Schenectady business owner instead.
    “Why are they not being considered for appointment?” she asked during the council’s privilege of the floor session. “Ms. Zalewski-Wildzunas works in Saratoga. She is not available to have lunch in Schenectady or interact with business owners in Schenectady because she does not work in Schenectady.”
    But DSIC Vice President Richard Antokol rose to her defense, saying she closely supervises the offi ce staff who run the downtown facade program and meets with Salengo every week.
    “She’s been absolutely instrumental,” Antokol said, adding that she works at the downtown Key Bank branch “on a very frequent basis.”Reappointed were: Zalewski-Wildzunas, whose term ends on May 31; Antokol, a downtown State Street attorney whose term ends in 2010; Janet Hutchison , the owner of Open Door Bookstore, whose term ends on May 31; and city Councilwoman Margaret King, associate dean for student development at Schenectady County Community College whose term ends in 2010. King could not break the tie vote earlier this year because she is one of the appointees.
    The council also appointed Don Leva, who owns a newsstand across from City Hall and can serve on the board until May 31; and Bob Golder, owner of Model Trains and Parts on lower State Street, whose term will expire May 31, 2011.
ROBINSON SITE
    In other business, the council unanimously voted to sell the vacant Robinson’s Furniture property to Metroplex Development Authority for $1. In return, the city will receive half of the net proceeds when Metroplex sells the lower State Street lot to a developer. The Robinson’s Furniture buildings were demolished last year when they began to collapse.

The entire city of Schenectady has become politically incestuous! And not for our county's good. And we can blame no one but the sheeple with their passive minds!

http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/08/25/daily22.html?surround=lfn

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Sch’dy receives $200K state grant to renovate commercial properties
The Business Review (Albany)

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The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. has received a $200,000 grant from the Main Street Program to renovate first floor commercial space on State Street and Erie Boulevard.

The Main Street Program is operated by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. The DSIC received $200,000 last year for renovations to businesses in the Lower Union Street and Jay Street area of downtown.

Jim Salengo, DSIC’s executive director, said the grants and projects “will help us jump start efforts to revitalize Lower State Street in conjunction with Metroplex.”

The Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority is an economic development agency that provides grants and loans.

The DSIC will be contacting property owners to help them apply for grant dollars within the new target area in the coming months. The Main Street program targets key corridors for revitalization efforts.

The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. is an arm of the Downtown Special Assessment District. It was formed in 1977 as a parking district but in 2001 downtown business leaders worked with the city to expand its focus to include revitalizing downtown Schenectady.

For more information, visit http://www.downtownschenectady.com.

Hey, I saw the DSIC actually doing something today.  They had a nice pick-up truck driving around (it was in front of SCCC) watering flowers.  I wonder how much is paid for this "service" that nobody else can handle.

You saw it during the day???   He's typically around after 8pm ... he works "the overnights"

Guess he got to work a few minutes early. I think it was about 7:30, coming from Jumpin' Jacks and caught him working.

http://www.dailygazette.com

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SCHENECTADY
DSIC lands Main Street grant Property owners can apply for funds for renovations
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com

    A $200,000 grant from the NY Main Street program will help boost retail and residential development in downtown Schenectady, said local officials.
    The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. landed the state grant, its third in four years.
    The DSIC will award up to $50,000 per building to create and renovate the first floors into commercial space and upper floors into commercial and residential space, said Colleen Merays, DSIC assistant director. Owners must match the grants.
    The overall grant will target commercial properties on lower State Street between Erie Boulevard and Schenectady County Community College, including South Ferry Street from Erie Boulevard to State Street. Those grants will be awarded next year, Merays said. The goal is to renovate or create six residential and three commercial units.
    The DSIC will reach out to property owners in the targeted area to help them apply for grants under the program, Merays said.
    “We are pleased our program has received three years of grants. It is a statewide program, and we got the maximum award. Our award is proof to the program’s success and to Schenectady’s success,” Merays said.
    In all, the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal awarded 45 grants totaling $8.6 million this year through the Main Street program.
    DSIC is using the $200,000 it received in 2007 from the state to help renovate or create 11 apartments at: 122-124 Jay St., 617 Union St., 619 Union St., 307 Union St., 309 Union St. and 507-509 Union St. These projects are scheduled to begin this year, Merays said.
    Three of the 11 apartments will be renovated. The rest will be built. “Most are unoccupied and need updates, new configurations and need to be made code-compliant. Some are former office space being converted into apartments,” she said. “It takes what was once not the most usable, affordable unit and makes it marketable again.”
    Under part of the Main Street program, building owners must offer the apartments at the current market rate for the next seven years. In the Capital Region, the current market rate for a one-bedroom apartment is $697 per month, excluding utilities, Merays said.
    Ray Gillen, chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority, said next year’s Main Street grants will open up lower State Street for development.
    Metroplex works closely with the DSIC and provides DSIC with an annual grant to its facade program. Metroplex has provided $1.6 million to the facade program since 2002.
    Merays said the Main Street program is tied closely with the DSIC facade program. Participants must match the facade grant, but more often they exceed the match. According to Metroplex, the facade program has generated some $6 million in exterior and interior building improvements downtown.
    The DSIC this year has awarded some $214,000 in facade grants to seven downtown businesses. The businesses will match the awards with nearly $1 million in private investment, Gillen said.
    “These are seven more key properties that will benefit from a major facelift that will help us continue the rapid pace of redevelopment downtown,” Gillen said.
    Jim Salengo, DSIC executive director, said in a news release, “Having seven more downtown Schenectady properties investing in facade improvements at the same time speaks volumes to the success of our matching grant program. It also underscores the momentum of progress that can be seen in all corners of our district.”

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Sch’dy DSIC good, and getting better

    Last week was an eventful one for the DSIC, the business improvement district that cleans streets, plants flowers, promotes and coordinates activities and events in downtown Schenectady. First the city council, recognizing the progress the organization has made in answering some concerns of downtown business owners, approved mayoral reappointments to the board that it rejected earlier this year. Later came news that the DSIC had won a $200,000 state grant from the NY Main Street program to create or renovate residential and commercial space — its third in four years — further recognition that it is doing good work.
    We have been strong supporters of the DSIC since 2001, when an existing parking district was expanded to create it. That’s when it took on the duties and focus of other business improvement districts, like the ones in New York City and Albany. Those business improvement districts have been successful, and so has this one, working well with organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and Metroplex to improve conditions downtown, to bring businesses, activities and people there.
    Still, there was room for improvement in the organization itself. Downtown business owners provide most of its funding, through special assessments, and they understandably want their money’s worth — as well as a say. There was concern on the part of some that the DSIC was focusing too much on beautification and not enough on promotion; and the board responded by hiring a new director whose expertise is in marketing and promoting small business. There was concern by some owners far from downtown that they weren’t getting enough services; and the board responded by hiring a consultant to review and possibly adjust their assessment.
    There is one remaining concern, and it is legitimate. Business owners want more authority, if not a vote, over who should be on the board, something that Mayor Brian Stratton, who now makes the appointments, has resisted. Although the city council didn’t insist on a different selection method, it is clearly open to one, and a board committee is now studying the issue and will report back with a new plan.
    Stratton in the past has offered a compromise in which the board would suggest nominees to him — although he would retain full power over the final choice. That seemed reasonable to us, but it wasn’t enough for business owners. Let’s see what the board comes up with. If it’s something that recognizes the city’s interests, makes the owners happy and ensures good people on the board, Stratton and the council should be prepared to change the selection system.     

this here seems like false propaganda indeed my friends. I dont trust STratton at all.

Well, I saw DSIC at work again tonight...or out of work, as the case may be.  It was after dark tonight that I went driving up Erie Boulevard to see a DSIC truck...being loaded onto a flatbed and towed to whereever.

http://www.dailygazette.com

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DSIC = Downtown Sch’dy Improvement Corp.

    While acronyms seem to be everywhere these days, it’s always helpful to defi ne the acronym when writing about it. That was not the case with the editorial in this morning’s [Sept. 2] paper about the Schenectady “DSIC.”
    I gathered that it was some sort of business improvement district or organization, but nowhere could I find it spelled out. Though I always read and usually enjoy your editorials, being on the western edge of your range leaves me less familiar with everyday things like this in Schenectady. In the future, please try to establish what an acronym stands for before diving into the rest of the article and/or editorial so we all know exactly what is being referred to.
    TOLGA MORAWSKI
    Fort Plain

Received by email:

http://www.dailygazette.co

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Publication:Schenectady Daily Gazette;     Date:Nov 10, 2008;     Section:Local News;     Page:8          


SCHENECTADY
Few downtown business owners attend meeting
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com

    Only a handful of downtown business owners showed up last week for a meeting they spent years demanding.

    Finally, the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. is rethinking its tax formula, which many business owners have said is unfair. But at the first of two critical meetings on how to change the formula, only about 12 owners showed up, DSIC Executive Director Jim Salengo said.

    The owners were nearly outnumbered by the staff and board members who attended, he added. There are more than 500 business owners in the district.

    He declined to say whether he was disappointed by the turnout, but indicated some frustration.

    “We’ve announced it quite a bit, it was in every newsletter, we sent out postcards,” he said. “All I can say is we got the information out there. I just want people to understand we tried to make this a transparent process.”

    There will be just one more meeting, on Dec. 3, at which consultant Saratoga Associates will discuss its recommended tax formula. That meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn on Nott Terrace.

    Later in December, the DSIC formula committee will make a recommendation on the formula and the board will vote. In January, the board’s decision will be presented to the public.

    Business owners will have a chance to react to the proposed formula at the Dec. 3 meeting. That will likely be their last chance to affect the final decision.

    “It’s an open process,” Salengo said. “They can participate if they want.”

    It’s not clear why more owners didn’t show up for last week’s meeting. Salengo said they may be reassured by the board’s increased effort at communication.

    But many owners were so upset about the taxing formula that they organized a group to lobby the mayor and the Schenectady City Council to make changes last year. Some even demanded that the downtown corporation be disbanded.

    In response to business owners’ complaints, the Schenectady City Council took the rare step this year of rejecting the mayor’s appointments to the DSIC board. After months in which the council was split evenly on the issue and no one would budge, the appointees came to a meeting to plead their case.

    They promised to be responsive to the business owners, to consider new taxing formulas, to spend more money marketing the businesses and to spread the wealth more fairly among all of the businesses instead of focusing on those in the heart of the downtown.

    Council members said they were convinced that the board was heading in the right direction. They approved the appointments in late August.

Quoted Text

   They promised to be responsive to the business owners, to consider new taxing formulas, to spend more money marketing the businesses and to spread the wealth more fairly among all of the businesses instead of focusing on those in the heart of the downtown.

In my opinion, I don't think the DSIC should even exist. Again it takes away from capitalism. Let the private businesses market their own in their own way.

I really don't remember if the business owners wanted and supported the DSIC from the beginning. Or the DSIC was formed and so called forced on these business owners. In either case, it should not exist. It really hasn't worked so far. If more NEW businesses come to Schenectady County, than ALL will flourish. But I haven't seen too much of that in the last decade.

8) The DSIC {Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp} is an extra level of taxation for oppressed Downtown Business. It was started as a parking authority and now Metrograft runs all the lots. It is not a Business Improvement Group. Business are forced to pay a fee, for flowers, promotion and street sweeping. Things the City should be doing with its record taxes. Nobody showed up for a reason-nobody cares-get rid of this!

     The new "leader" better walk up quick. The Mayor and Metrograft Ray are calling all the shots. Funniest part their President, from Saratoga Key Bank doesn't even work in Schenectady! Another dupe attorney is Vice President and regularly supports large tax increases and is the only one for the Mayor's insane Circle to nowhere. The best thing Downtown could do, is end this horrible do nothing organization

What is a Rotory Club for and do they have an active one???? I thought that was to futher business connections etc........ :-/

Quoted from senders

What is a Rotory Club for and do they have an active one???? I thought that was to futher business connections etc........ :-/

http://www.capitalregionrotary.org/about.asp

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Rotary Motto's

Service Above Self
He/she Profits most who serves best
Four-Way Test  
of the things we think, say or do:

Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Good Will and
Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
Rotary's Mission

The Mission of Rotary International is to support its member clubs in fulfilling the object of Rotary by:

Fostering unity among member clubs;
Strengthening and expanding Rotary around the world;
Communicating worldwide the work of Rotary; and
Provide a system of international Administration.

http://www.capitalregionrotary.org/clubs/rotterdamsunrise.htm

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ROTTERDAM SUNRISE ROTARY
Thursday, 7:15 AM
McLanes Restaurant, 2717 Broadway
President: David J. Rey
Secretary: Frank A. Renna
Charter Date: June 25, 1991

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SCHENECTADY
Businesses may create new groups Talk of taxation fairness turns to fragmentation
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    Tempers flared at Wednesday’s Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. meeting, with several business owners saying they would be better off if they seceded from the DSIC and formed their own groups.
    “Put a different BID [business improvement district] in each area — downtown, Erie East, Erie West, Stockade,” said Erie Boulevard property owner Lou Buhrmaster. “Have four BIDs if you want them. You can have downtown. We’ll have one on Erie if we want it.”
    John McDonald, who owns the Stockade Inn at the very edge of the DSIC district, said his neighborhood needs to secede as well.
    “We’re kind of a separate entity in the Stockade. Our needs are different. Our district is just not homogeneous,” he said.
    The idea proved popular, but it was not quite what DSIC leaders had hoped for when they called Wednesday’s meeting. They wanted to hash out a new taxing formula that would give all owners a sense of equality. Currently, many owners are fuming about the fact that they pay far more than others yet receive far fewer DSIC services.
    Business owners at the edges of the district — particularly Union Street, Erie Boulevard and the Stockade — have complained for years about the unfairness in the current system. The idea of splitting into separate districts struck them as a perfect solution, although it would likely require approval from the City Council and the mayor.
    “Each group could do what they want. That’s the simplest way to do it,” said Phil Tiberio, who owns EOS Technologies on Erie Boulevard.
    He suggested that each group retain some connection to the DSIC but choose which services it wanted to buy from the agency.
    “It could be an a la carte kind of deal,” he said.
    McDonald agreed, saying the district is so large and diverse that each area has its own needs and priorities.
    “Break it up into corridors or neighborhoods or homogenous groups — subgroups,” he said.
    Even DSIC Executive Director Jim Salengo seemed to think the idea had merit. He said he has so little contact with the businesses on the Stockade side of the district that he relies on the neighborhood association president to.......................................http://www.dailygazette.net/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=CLONE&BaseHref=SCH%2F2008%2F12%2F04&ViewMode=GIF&EntityId=Ar01301

WOW....good for these business owners! 'bout time! If I were them I WOULD NOT be a part of the DSIC in any capacity! These business owners are smart people. Otherwise they wouldn't be in business. They are creative and know what needs to bedone. They can do it themselves! Congrats!

8)Be careful what you wish for BT. Yes form separate groups AFTER abolishing the horrible, Krat run, DSIC. Just what we don't need it this County more tax wasting "improvement" groups, anti-business, run by aliens.

    What's never reported is the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars wasted on this farce. What sparked this fight is also not reported {big surprise?}. The Great Erie Business People are furious at the horrible DSIC hacks for supporting the idiotic Stratton Circle To Nowhere, on Erie Blvd. The DSIC VP made a complete fool of himself speaking for it at a public meeting.

     Now the latest, the DSIC morons want to purchase their own building to make it harder to eliminate. Waste more contributions and tax money. With Metrograft doing such a great job{?} {according to the People's Gazetto and no business people}-eliminate the horrible DSIC.

Quoted Text

Don’t give up on Schenectady’s downtown BID yet

    Schenectady isn’t the only city with a downtown business improvement district. There are many of them, and the criticisms tend to be the same — i.e., some business owners think they are paying too much, some don’t think they are getting enough for their money, while others are opposed to the very concept of an involuntary assessment.
    While it can’t do anything about those in the last category, the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. seems serious about addressing the concerns of those in the other two. Business owners, some of whom were talking about splitting off and forming their own groups at a meeting last week, should give it more time.
    The criticism has come largely from people outside the core of downtown, where most of the businesses are concentrated and where the DSIC has focused most of its efforts in the past. Those include beautification measures such as street cleaning and flower planting, as well as marketing and promotion. Business owners on the periphery, on Erie Boulevard, Union Street and in the Stockade, sometimes feel neglected when they don’t get flowers or flags, when there is a downtown event and visitors aren’t directed their way, or when they have their own event and it isn’t promoted by the DSIC.
    The DSIC’s new executive director, James Salengo, a veteran of the Albany BID, is aware of these issues and says he is working on a plan for 2009 that will highlight the assets of each different district and spread the wealth more. That should make the critics feel better.
    So should a new assessment formula being .....................................http://www.dailygazette.net/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=CLONE&BaseHref=SCH%2F2008%2F12%2F08&ViewMode=GIF&EntityId=Ar00502

8)The usual whitewash for the Gazetto. What has sparked this revolution is that key members of the DSIC supported Stratton's Circle to Nowhere. The Erie Business people are fired up. Nobody cares about another useless plan. The DSIC can never represent businesses as long as the Mayor keeps putting political flunkies like Peggy King on the Bored. No one can get on this Bored without the Mayor's approval.

     No taxation without representation. Either let Downtown business people run it-or abolish it. There is not another BID in the county run like this. Typical Schenectady monkey business.

Quoted from benny salami

8)The usual whitewash for the Gazetto. What has sparked this revolution is that key members of the DSIC supported Stratton's Circle to Nowhere. The Erie Business people are fired up. Nobody cares about another useless plan. The DSIC can never represent businesses as long as the Mayor keeps putting political flunkies like Peggy King on the Bored. No one can get on this Bored without the Mayor's approval.

     No taxation without representation. Either let Downtown business people run it-or abolish it. There is not another BID in the county run like this. Typical Schenectady monkey business.

If you have the 'downtown business people' run it......you will then be in that damn predicament of who knows who and the
other kind of greasings.......JMHO.....there are other parts of this forum that we have discussed this problem too........

Those who have the money control the masses and those who have the guns control the masses......

bathtub gin anyone??? :)

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SCHENECTADY
DSIC eyes State Street office
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    The new reality of downtown rental rates is hitting home for the agency that helped build up the downtown’s real estate value.
    The executive board of the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. will vote this morning on whether to put the agency in debt for years to buy a permanent home. The meeting will be at 8 a.m. at the DSIC’s Jay Street office.
    The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. has been house-hunting this fall, despite having little money for such a big purchase. It had no real choice in the matter — the agency was taken by surprise when its new landlord, the Galesi Group, announced that every office tenant in Center City had to leave to make room for renovations.
    That meant DSIC had to come up with the funds to buy or rent somewhere else — a search that was rather shocking at first. DSIC had been paying a special rent of $1 per square foot at Center City, far below market rate.
    “It was a special deal negotiated long ago,” said DSIC Executive Director Jim Salengo. “Any place we move, we were getting into the real world.”
    After some searching, he has recommended that the agency buy 137-143 State St., the building next to the former Northeastern New York Girl Scout Council office.
    The building would cost $137,500. The sale price represents roughly $40 per square foot, 40 times the cost of DSIC’s price at Center City.
    The agency will also have to take out a mortgage, incurring interest, and will make a payment in lieu of taxes agreement, Salengo said.
    “We’ll pay whatever the taxes are, as a PILOT. We just want to be a good citizen to the downtown,” he said.
    The cost of ownership is so high that some downtown business owners say the agency should rent property elsewhere instead. But Salengo said his recommendation is the cheapest option.
    “Honestly, every other space we looked at would require so much fit-up cost. Really rough spaces,” Salengo said. “This was the most cost-effective option.”
    He was handicapped by one factor: He didn’t consider buildings that might become prime retail space. He wanted to leave those, he said, for businesses.
    Despite the cost, he is enthusiastic about the new building. It would be 50 percent bigger, he said, and includes an open space that could be used for large meetings.
    “It would be much more effi - cient. It’s already set up as an office space,” he added, noting that..............................http://www.dailygazette.net/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=CLONE&BaseHref=SCH%2F2008%2F12%2F12&ViewMode=GIF&EntityId=Ar01302

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SCHENECTADY
DSIC buys new digs
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp. met at the height of the ice storm Friday morning and bought a new home.
    The controversial decision, which was opposed by some business owners and executive committee members, was approved by a vote of 6-2.
    Vice President Richard Antokol said members debated the issue at length before coming to a decision.
    “We had a very good and thorough discussion. I would call it a robust discussion of the pros and cons,” he said. “The decision was not taken lightly.”
    Antokol voted for the purchase of 137-143 State St. partly as a way to support development of lower State Street.
    “I think it’s important for us to show confidence and make an investment in lower State Street. That’s the next place we need to work on,” he said. He added that renting a space sends the wrong message. “It’s important to be seen as a secure presence, not just transient in some way, renting some space. We’re on a long-term trajectory,” he said. “We need to have a permanent home.”
    But the $127,500 sale price was a major concern to others — particularly some business owners who said it would be a waste of money. It will force the agency to take out a mortgage, incur interest and longterm debt, and pay taxes.
    Still, others noted that they had little choice. The new owner of Center City, where it currently rents space, has told all of the Jay Street office tenants to leave while the building is renovated. Offi cials did consider other rental offices, but found the cost to be higher than buying 137-143 State St.
    “It’s the...............http://www.dailygazette.net/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=CLONE&BaseHref=SCH%2F2008%2F12%2F13&ViewMode=GIF&EntityId=Ar01003

Every single business owner that pays for DSIC services should 'bow out'. What a slap in the face to the taxpayers. Owning a building for this service is just plain old nonsense! Pretty soon the downtown section will become the epicenter for government, tax paid programs. And just who is expected to pay for this mortgage? The taxpayers? And will there be salaries and benefits provided for these people? I just can't believe it!!

8)Another complete taxpayer ripoff and disgrace. The DSIC bought a building so it is harder to get rid off them. The location of the DSIC on lower State is surrounded by empty storefronts and buildings. Renting would have been more economical and efficient. The fact that the Mayors hand picked Bored was split speaks volumes.

     Nearby is the infamous Ray Gillen Ditch, where Robinson's Square Square "retail" was to be built. At the same time that no one attends their meetings and when they do the majority of businesses wants to split off these Krat DSIC idiots decide to purchase a permanent building. Of course, the Gazetto supports this outrage. Abolish this horrible DSIC NOW! Downtown businesses are hurting enough with the record City Taxes.

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Downtown BID board represents all businesses

    Re Dec. 8 editorial, "Don't give up on Schenectady's downtown BID yet": Business improvement districts are, for the most part, formed and supported by property owners within a given boundary to improve, enhance and, ultimately, improve property values of those making the financial and personal contributions to the district. The DSIC [Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp.] is no different! It is directed by a volunteer board consisting of property owners, or their representatives. They are not politicians nor those with obligations to repay. They simply want to make downtown Schenectady a better place.
    Their responsibilities are to represent all the property owners within the district. That said, everyone knows that there will be a variety of points of view. The board is obligated to listen to all points of view and then make the decisions for what is best for all. The day-to-day management of the DSIC is capably handled by a dedicated staff that is second to none!
    As a point of clarification, your editorial and previous Gazette editorials incorrectly give the impression that board appointments do not represent the entire district, rather, they are centrally located to the core of downtown. A review of present and past appointments would reveal that board representatives have served from the farthest eastern and western properties — the Stockade, the southern portion of Erie Boulevard, Broadway and State Street between Erie Boulevard and Church Street, as well as several on Jay Street and the 400 block of State Street.
    I would encourage all DSIC members to appreciate each other’s point of view and let’s work together to find common ground
and support our organization!
BILL GLOCK
Schenectady
The writer is proprietor of Family Tire & Auto Service Center.

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8)Mr. Glock's a great guy but he was forced off the DSIC Bored by Mayor Stratton. Where there is smoke there is fire. Of course the Gazetto prints this since it agrees with their minority view.

     Erie Businesses are all po'ed, the Stockade businesses are all po'ed. Every business person you talk to is sick of paying extra for things that the Chamber or City should be doing. The DSIC idiots refuse to listen and buy a permanent building. This DSIC must be abolished, it is hurt Downtown business growth and is another level of taxation without representation.

DSIC - apolitical??? Hhahahahaha - I needed a laugh this weekend.

8)"They are not politicians?" Why is Peggy King on the DSIC Bored? What business does she run Downtown? King is on the DSIC Bored BECAUSE she is a politician. And printed without comment nor correction by the horrible Gazetto. Another new low.

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The day-to-day management of the DSIC is capably handled by a dedicated staff that is second to none!

This made me wonder...this group has "dedicated staff that is second to none."  Now, think about this...if there's so many groups that say they are second to none, then...WHY ARE THERE SO MANY GROUPS???  Somebody's gotta be wrong on this and I think the DSIC might just be one place to start.