CHALLENGE YOUR
ASSESSMENTS?

In the City of Albany  the
Tax Assessment rolls will 
open May 1  (May Day)

Homeowners may challenge
their property assessments
between May 1-26.

Home sales are slow and
prices have fallen, except
where uninformed buyers
from downstate come into
town with a bundle of cash
from the equity in their
former homes.

To a downstater local
home prices appear to be
a bargain compared to
what homes are valued for
downstate.

The Homestead  Provision
was eliminate last year.

The Mayor has indicated
that she wants to reassess
the City and rezone it also.

The recent BZA decision
regarding Family Promise
and their partnership with
Mater Christi and St Sophia's
as part of their grand homeless
social services program , housing
feeding and assisting homeless
including signing them up for
public assistance, will  only erode
the residential integrity and
quality of life in the BPCNA
neighborhood , which will result
in falling home values, adversely
impacting the City tax base and
support for City schools and
services.

Homeowners will flee the
neighborhood as they see
their homes  lose value
 their neighborhood
residential integrity/quality
of life decline, and their
retirement plans dashed.

Give serious consideration
to challenging your assessments
this year.

Contact the City Assessors office
for more details of when, where
and how to challenge your home
property tax assessment.

You also might consider voting
no on the City school budget
vote May 19, and no on the
200,000 dollar high school
bond act proposal which will
be on the November 3 General 
Election ballot.

                          Joe Sullivan

UPDATE BETHANY
FAMILY PROMISE
HOMELESS  HUB

The Albany City Board of Zoning
Appeals (BZA) approved  the
Bethany-Family Promise Appeal
to convert use of a single family
dwelling for use as a "hub" for
the Family Promise homeless
program.

The BZA Decison of  3/25/15
was by a vote of  7-0.

Not suprising because BZA
members are  political appointees 
of the Mayor.

Not a word in opposition from
the Mayor, Common Council
Members or County Legislators
who  purport  to represent 
residents of the Buckingham
Pond Crestwood Neighborhood
and who live in the neighborhood
including the Mayor Sheehan
Council Members Igoe and
Flynn. County Legislators
Domalewicz and Corcoran
and his primary foe Andrew Joyce.

They represent themselves and
their party- not you.

Party loyalty before neighborhood
and country bind all of the
aforementioned to silence


Preparation of an Article 78
special legal proceeding is
underway.

Petitioners have 30 days from
the 3/25/15 BZA Decision to
file the challenge seeking
annulment/reversal of that
decision in Supreme Court. 

Likely the case will be
referred to the Appellate
Court, Third Dept .

Any residents wishing to
be included as petitioners
or to contribute time, talents
and money in support of this
Article 78 action should contact
me without delay.

On a related note, it has come
to my attention that Bethany
Family Promise are holding a
open house, Sunday, April
12 at 2 pm, to celebrate
approval of converting the
use of 738 New Scotland Ave
from a single family dwelling
(former parsonage) to a "hub"
for the the Family Promise
homeless program, including
homeless showering, (hub a dub)
signing up for social services and
using the address to receive
mail (and perhaps, get a
driver's license and register
to vote..including illegal
aliens).

You can expect media to
cover the event, so you
might want to attend, ask
questions, state your views
or maybe even picket?

This open house celebration
is premature, as are the
related preparations being made
by Mater Christi and St Sophia's
to house homeless who will use
the 738 New Scotland Ave "hub" 

Perhaps, a name change for the
Neighborhood Association is
in order?  How about "Blue Sky"?

We already have a neighborhood
song: Johnny Cash - 
Sunday Morning Coming Down.

                             Joe Sullivan

A WALK IN 
THE PARK

Paddy, Mick and me took a walk around
Buckingham Pond Park.

We observed things that need to be
addressed.

1. Paths are wet, slippery and eroded
    in places, particularly the East end
    and the Milner Ave footpath at
    Berkshire North.

   The remedy. Apply coarse gravel for
    better drainage and footing.  Not the blue
    stone rock flour that the City applies
    annually.. The latter compacts and
    drains poorly, creating slippery paths.

2. No guard rail or boulder barrier has
    been placed at the foot of Lenox at
    Berkshire, South, to prevent speeding
    out of control vehicles from dropping
    down on pedestrians on the footpath
    below.

    Observe the severely dented guard
    rail at the foot of Euclid to East.
    Cause? Speeding, out of control
    vehicles. Fortunately, this guard
    rail has prevented vehicles from
    dropping down on pedestrians on
    the footpath below, in that location.

3.  Knotweed invasion, just to East
     of Lenox at Berkshire South. If
     this invasive cluster is not eradicated
     it will spread throughout the park
     and to adjacent residential lawns.

4.  Shoreline erosion/slumping is very
     much in evidence along the North
     side of the pond, as well as the
     footpath bordering the water from
     Lenox to Euclid. South side.

     Observe the concrete bench near
     Euclid North that is partly submerged.
     Higher water level and erosion/slumping
     at work here.

     Remedy. Plant more vegetation along
     the shoreline to reduce erosion. Stream
     Willows, Red Osier Dogwoods and
     plants/trees that like wet feet are needed.

     The  young Willow  near the foot of Lenox
     North is an example. However, it needs
     to be cleared of brush around it's base.

5.   The picnic area and children's play area
      pond, North side are in good shape. The
      lone bench in the picnic area needs 
      to be scraped, sanded and painted or
      sanded.

6.   The wooded sections of the park
      particularly    South side   Holmes Dale
      to Lenox and Euclid; and  North side
      from the children's play area to Davis
      including the holding pond  require
      immediate attention. Dead limbs, trees
      need to be cut. Vine and brush need to
      be cleared to allow young trees to mature
      and replace those that are near the end
      of life.

      Useable firewood should be cut and stacked
      for pick up by neighborhood residents.

      Some natural seeding of young trees
      is occurring. However,   diverse plantings
      of suitable trees and flowering shrubs are
      needed.

      In short, the pond park needs a woodland
      restoration plan. including the wooded
      section bordering Davis Ave, West side.

      The Albany City Forester is the man to
      guide this.

       Young tree/shrub stock can be obtained
       in bundles of 5 or 10, at reasonable costs
       from Capital District County Soil and
       Water Conservation District tree/shrub
       which are now placing orders for pick
       up in late April-early May.

7.   Improvement of pond water quality
      will not occur until road salt and
      lawn chemical applications are reduced
      or eliminated in the pond water shed
      and shoreline stabilization occurs.

8.    Emergency phones should be installed
       in the Milner footpath,  play-picnic area
      at at the foot of Lenox, South side.

9.    Jack and Carl need a water supply
       line for the City shed, at the Children's
       play area.

10.   Hopefully, both Jack and Carl will
        be with us again, this year. They are
        a asset to maintenance of the park.

                                         Joe Sullivan