SPEEDING AND RECKLESS
DRIVING ON NEW SCOTLAND
AVENUE and tributary neighborhood
streets remains unaddressed by the
current City Administration.

The solution is simple make, publicize
and enforce a Resolution/Proclamation
that:

* sets the City speed limit at 25 mph
on all neighborhood residential
streets

* declares that all vehicle and traffic
laws will be strictly enforced, in
particular with regard to no passing
on the right, no running stop signs
and traffic lights.

Who will ACT? The Mayor?  The
Common Council? When, if ever?

                                  Joe Sullivan

BUCKINGHAM POND PARK

Stabilize the shoreline with stream willows.
Plant red oaks/white spruces to reforest
the park.

A Riparian Packet (#4) containing 20
each (100) plants of:

Button Bush, Hybrid Poplar, Stream
Willow, Red Oak, White Spruce can be
had for 60 dollars, until mid May from
the NYSDEC Tree Nursery  Saratoga
Springs.

 http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/seedlingbrochure.pdf

County Soil and Water Districts
Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady
Counties, offer smaller quantities of
a variety of trees and shrubs suitable
for neighborhood homeowners, at
very reasonable prices. 

Homeowners can partner with the
City of Albany tree program as well.

Albany street trees are in decline.
Homeowners should plant the next
generation of suitable street trees
that can tolerate the excessive amounts
of road salt spread by DGS on city
streets every winter.

Trees not only beautify our properties.
Trees provide shade in summer and
windbreaks in winter. Trees absorb
carbon dioxide and emit oxygen which
combats air pollution by improving
air quality.

Mater Christi Church/School  trees
are in decline. Replacement trees
should be planted now, before existing
trees are no more.

The Greenway Common trees are
in decline. Some present a hazard
from falling limbs. Greenway neighbors
ought to get together and plant a
variety of suitable replacement trees.

                                     Joe Sullivan

A WALK IN 
THE PARK

A grand day. Paddy and Mick
enjoyed a walk around the pond
park.

The City has been at work.

Dangerous dead trees overhanging
the footpath between Euclid and
Lenox, South side, have been cut
down.

The eroded footpath at  Euclid
is patched with blue stone rock
flour, which will easily wash away
with the next heavy rains.

Litter has been picked up along
Rafts Way and around the silting 
pond. Dumped yard wastes remain.

Replacement trees  need planting
bordering the road because existing
Sycamores have been damaged by road salt.

http://www.umass.edu/urbantree/factsheets/18roadsalttrees.html

Walking along the North Shore
from the foot of Euclid to the
picnic area. blue green algae
blooms can be observed in the
in the shallow water a few feet
 offshore.

A mild winter and ample
sun light allowed the blooms
to winter over and thrive. The
blooms are sure to be a problem
this year, especially when the
run off of lawn chemicals from
homes in the pond watershed
peaks.

The wooded path South side
between Lenox and Holmes Dale
needs a lot of work. Cut vines
that are killing trees. A lot of
dead wood could be cut and
stacked at Holmes Dale for
use as firewood by local residents.
The footpath at Holmes Dale is
badly eroded.

The young Willow growing
near the foot of Lenox, North
Side looks great. 

More young willows and red
osier dogwoods need to be 
planted to stabilize and reduce
shoreline erosion and slumping
which is gradually filling the pond
creating shallow water where
sun light, road salt and lawn
chemical run off combine to form 
an environment where algae blooms
thrive.

                           Joe Sullivan

NEIGHBORHOOD
AGENDA FOR 2016
and BEYOND

The Buckingham Pond/Crestwood
Neighborhood Association has had
as its' major objective to maintain
improve the residential integrity
and quality of life in this neighborhood.

The BPCNA boundaries are:
Western Ave (N) Thruway -Whitehall Rd (S)
S. Manning Blvd (E)  Rte 85 (W)

All residents are members of the BPCNA.
There are no dues. We work through a
committee and individual assignment
system.

Neighborhood residents are invited
and urged to participate.

2016 Agenda

1. a- Get the City of Albany to reduce
    the speed limit on all neighborhood
    residential streets to 25 mph
    and strictly enforce the speed limit -
     b- prohibit passing on the right in
    curb parking lanes on New Scotland
    Avenue-  
     c-strictly enforce all vehicle/traffic
        laws

2.  Oppose any zoning/ use changes not
     permitted in our R-1b single family
     residential pursuant to the existing
     Albany City Zoning Code.
     
      This includes responding to any
       attempt to reverse the Supreme
      Court Decision annulling the
      BZA approval of a change of use
      for 738 New Scotland Avenue to
      serve as a "hub/home base" for
      the not for profit homeless social
      services entity known as Family
      Promise of the Capital District .

      And any attempts to otherwise
      modify the provisions of the Code
      sections pertaining to uses permitted
      in R-1b single family residential
      districts.

3.   Get the City to move on completing
      the Dan O Connell Memorial Pocket
      Park on the 3/4 acre  brownfield
      parcel at Whitehall/New Scotland.

      This includes creation of a rolling
       berm, planted with a variety of
       trees and flowering shrubs, a flag
       pole, some benches and a small
       stone marker.

4. Get the City to move on creation
    of a neighborhood greenbelt
    including  a 10 acre parcel and
    land locked 5 acre parcel owned
    by the City bordering Crescent
    Drive  and a 7 acre privately
    owned parcel along Krum Kill
    Rd behind the Mobil Station.

    Use a Transfer of Development
    Rights arrangement to include
    the 7 acre parcel. Compensate
    the private owners by awarding
    them an equivalent parcel of
    equal value, downtown. which
    they may develop or sell for
    development.

5. Promote resident participation
    and City cooperation
    in efforts to maintain street
    trees, remove dead limbs/trees
    and plant a variety of replacement
    trees  suitable for urban conditions
    including vehicle emissions and
    road salt.

6. Improve City snow plowing
    procedures and reduce/eliminate
    road salt use, particularly in
    the Buckingham Pond Park
    Watershed, and along New
    Scotland Avenue.

7. Promote resident awareness
    of the need for emergency/
    disaster preparedness by
    individuals, households,
    apartments, senior citizen
    housing and single family
    homes.

8. Oppose any attempts to privatize
    the municipal Capital Hills
    Golf Course

9. Support legal action to annul
    the results of the February 9
    2016  190+ million dollar high
    school bond act.

10. Homeowners are urged to
      challenge the 2016  City reassessment
      notices which they received in
      March.
      Contact the City Assessor's office
      regarding how, where and when
      to do your challenge.
      May is the month to do this.

11. May 19 is the vote on the Albany
      School budget. Cast informed votes.

12. Vote in the April 19 Presidential
       Primary.

13. Vote in the Congressional Primary
       in June and NYS /local primaries
       in September.

14. Closely monitor agendas/actions
      of the Albany Common Council
      City Board of Zoning Appeals
      City Planning Board  and other
      city initiatives as they relate to
      the BPCNA.

15. Improve Crestwood Plaza
      neighborhood shopping

Now, there is a solid agenda for our
neighborhood.

Pass the word. Download and share
this post with your family, friends
neighbors who are not on line.

We don't do door to door newsletter
drops as we did for so many years in
the past.

This website is where you can find
out what is going on in the hood.

Contact me and we can discuss/arrange
your participation in one, or more of
the above.

                                       Joe Sullivan    

DOGS FIGHT CANCER

Don't give up on your best pal(s).

April 2016 Dr. J. Impellizeri DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), MRCVS Electrochemotherapy http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/How-Electrochemotherapy-Opens-Doors-to-Additional-Treatment/ Read more Combining Epigenetic and Immunotherapy to Combat Cancer The most exciting recent advance for achieving durable management of advanced human cancers is immunotherapy, especially the concept of immune checkpoint blockade. However, with the exception of melanoma, most patients do not respond to immunotherapy alone. A growing body of work has shown that epigenetic drugs, specifically DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, can upregulate immune signaling in epithelial cancer cells through demethylation of endogenous retroviruses and cancer testis antigens. These demethylating agents may induce T-cell attraction and enhance immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in mouse models. - cancerres.aacrjournals.org Read more Heal: The Vital Role of Dogs in the Search for Cancer Cures Heal: The Vital Role of Dogs in the Search for Cancer Cures Arlene Weintraub's book explores a topic in cancer not often discussed: the drug development process and its effects on both people and dogs. What do dogs have to do with cancer research? “Heal,” which chronicles one woman’s research journey across the United States, explains that dogs get some of the same cancers as people, and, in veterinary clinical trials, have been among the first to try new types of medications that were eventually approved for both dogs and humans. - curetoday.com Read more More Reflections on the SeaWorld Agreement Today, SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby and I sent a letter to President Obama urging him to use a wide range of diplomatic tools to pressure Japan to end its commercial whaling activities and to stop contravening international law by slaughtering hundreds of innocent whales. Manby has assured me that this is just a first indicator of SeaWorld's new commitment to advocacy on marine animal protection efforts, and that the company will join with anti-whaling advocates to finish off the era of commercial whaling on our planet. - huffingtonpost.com Read more New Bill Seeks To Limit Pet Owners Falsely Claiming Service Animals Ask the Vet: New rabies vaccine pricey, but won’t cause cancer in cats ABOUT VETERINARY ONCOLOGY SERVICES Veterinary Oncology Services is the only center involved in advanced cancer treatment with DNA cancer treatment vaccines and Electrochemotherapy (targeting the cancer and offering a significant advantage in reducing drug dosages and not harming healthy tissue). We routinely see clients from all over New York state and from as far away as Canada and Florida. Dr. Impellizeri is also a Visiting Scholar at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY in the Department of Biology. We can be reached at: Phone: 845 205 2768 Email: info@petcancerinformation.com Please call us to refer a patient or visit us on our website at www.petcancerinformation.com IN THE NEWS Cali's Cancer is gone! Vets warn pet owners over debilitating Lyme disease as they reveal staggering 560% rise in 6 years Cat Survives 8 Days In Box After Owner Accidentally Mails Her Across England Cupcake is an incredibly lucky cat. The Siamese survived being stuck inside a small box for eight days after her owner accidentally put her in the post. Julie Bagott didn’t spot her pet snoozing inside the parcel as she packed it with DVDs at her home in Falmouth, in southwest England. Then she dropped the box in the mail. After traveling for 260 miles, Cupcake arrived in Worthing, West Sussex, on the other side of the country. Grove Lodge Veterinary Group on Thursday The package’s recipients were stunned to open the box and find the cute cat curled up alongside the movies they’d bought. - huffingtonpost.com Read more Protecting your pet from Rabies KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Rabies is an easily preventable disease but Tennessee has seen at least 4 confirmed cases in dogs since January of this year. In the United States one to two people die annually from rabies but it kills more than 55,000 people worldwide each year. In 2012, there were 6,000 reported cases of animal rabies in the United States alone. Rabies is a deadly virus that attacks the nervous system. The virus is spread through saliva and is usually transmitted to people and animals by a bite from an infected animal. - local8now.com Read more Vietnam veteran struggling with PTSD saved by death row dog — Pets For Patriots Blog Ed is a Vietnam veteran and former Army Sergeant. After decades of coping with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and at the encouragement of his wife, he saved – and is saved by – an adult dog on death row. Thanks to our partnership with Macomb County Animal Shelter for helping us make Ed’s story possible; this is his letter to us. I am retired. In 1967-69, I was in the US Army, and did a year in Viet Nam as a recon scout. My year there gave me a lifetime full of bad memories and the stuff that nightmares are made of. - blog.petsforpatriots.org Read more Giorgio Armani Goes Fur-Free Good news for cuddly animals and the people who love them! Luxury clothing designer Giorgio Armani announced today that his labels will be 100 percent fur-free, starting with the autumn/winter 2016 collections. The brand pledged to go fur-free after working with the Humane Society of the U.S. and the Fur Free Alliance, a coalition of 40 animal protection organizations in 28 countries working to end the fur trade. “I am pleased to announce that the Armani Group has made a firm commitment to abolish the use of animal fur in its collections,” the Italian designer said in a statement released by the HSUS. - huffingtonpost.com Read more Processed Pet Food — Biologically Inappropriate for Your Pet Not long ago I ran across a headline in a pet food industry journal that gave me a chuckle. It read, "More Americans consider raw pet diets amid safety issues: Sales of raw pet food have increased sharply".1 I'm smiling because it seems the best efforts of the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), many board-certified veterinary nutritionists, and a variety of other pet food industry organizations and individual special interest groups to scare people away from raw pet diets aren't having the intended effect. - healthypets.mercola.com Read more This message was sent to lonerangeralbany@aol.com from: Veterinary Oncology Services | info@petcancerinformation.com | Veterinary Oncology Services | 517 Route 211E | Middletown, NY 10941 Email Marketing by Manage Your Subscription

                                                             Joe Sullivan

CITIES BECOMING
UNAFFORDABLE.
HOW'S ALBANY DOING?

 http://www.aol.com/article/2016/04/04/the-u-s-cities-that-are-about-to-become-unaffor

Homeowners don't forget
to challenge your new
assessments. 

Pay attention to your
school taxes, in particular
and the fate of the challenge
to the results of the February
9, 2016 vote on the high school
reconstruction plan.

 http://www.albanyschools.org/district/communications/DistrictNews/2015-16/RebuildingAHS_S

Be sure to vote May 17. 

 http://www.albanyschools.org/Budget/2016-17/16-17_budget.htm

                   Joe Sullivan