Caucus Talkus

from Albany Citizen One by albanycitizenone

Just a few things on the agenda...not much of interest so far. There is an issue with the SUNY sewer issue...you know, where the community wants to route the wastewater in a way that SUNY doesn't want to route it. Seems the SUNY secret system involves they contacting all the common council members individually for meetings instead of working in the light of day. Wonder if they are registered with New York Public Integrity.

Seems that MOB nipped that in the bud. They will be invited to an open meeting.

If you're following me on Twitter, you already know that Anton has introduced legislation stating that the Common Council endorses Andrew Cuomo's New NY Plan. uh, hum. Sometimes I deserve a medal for holding back the giggles. The council members haven't even seen the 250 page plan...but he asks them to go on record in support of it...which, essentially, this would indicated that the council endorses Cuomo for Governor...to committee it goes.

The pesticides issue is up and it appears they are appointing an ad hoc committee to review the entire committee. Mr. Conti recommends that Bob Cross and Bill Bruce be involved since they were involved in the original legislation. Ms. McLaughlin is recommeding a 60 day turn around on this task force. Ms. Golby has interest in being on the committee...and MOB volunteers.

Mr. Konev has also introed legislation to tell Yellow Cab how to run their company...ya know, like most-favored drivers get better routes...how many people are fit into a cab. Seems that the college students like to share cabs as they all pay just $3. Well, from the old lady over here...count me out of that enjoyment equation. I've been in cabs thinking a second rider would be a split....nope...the cabbie charged me and the second rider the same fee...$25 to go to the same place.

Okay, the talkus has moved back into the pesticide realm with Rozy saying the info never got to the department. I'm betting the ad hoc committee will be looking at that communication gap. (Well, I would hope.) Mr. Conti says that the law committee should have some role in ensuring that the legislation gets to the director of the department.

Seems that Mr. Freeman wants a report on the city's employees...race, salary, gender, residency....seems there's no such report. Mr. Freeman has seen the information but says that Ms. Sheehan (that's who he says...I'm not sure that's right) will not release the information until he gets a "permission slip" from the leaders of the common council.

So, now the report exists...according to Mr. Freeman but he can't get the report. Ms. McLaughlin says she just needs to talk to Ms. Sheehan to release. Seems there's still no Director of Administration yet either. Hmmm....

Hands in the air. Mr. Bailey wants to know if there is anyway to get information prior to the night that a decision must be made. (He's talking about the Planning Department...and the CDBG funding.) Wonder of wonders...Ms. McLaughlin says that, if we invite the department heads to all the meetings...ya know, and develop relationships, you'll have an easier time getting information proactively.

UAlbany Response to Albany Common Council on Water Issues

Here is a May 11, 2010 letter from Steve Beditz, UAlbany Interim Vice President to the Honorable Michael O'Brien on water issues.

May 11 Letter to Michael OBrien From Steve Beditz UAlbany

The letter included two attachments from UAlbany consultants.

Storm Water Management Methodology

CT Male Response to Common Council

Mr. O'Brien will be proposing a meeting with UAlbany at an upcoming Common Council meeting.

Sewers the last front in UAlbany dorm battle

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer
Last updated: 11:46 a.m., Tuesday, May 25, 2010

ALBANY -- The University at Albany is pushing ahead with a 500-bed dorm next to Tudor Road and plans to start construction as soon as July despite opponents' lingering concerns that the project could overwhelm part of the city's already tapped-out sewer system.

Neighbors in the Eagle Hill section have fought the project on numerous fronts, airing fears about increased noise and light pollution as well as traffic and water runoff from what's currently about 12 wooded acres southeast of the Boor Sculpture Studio.

That fight, however, has been largely stymied by the fact that -- as a state entity -- UAlbany is exempt from the city's zoning and planning regulations.

The final battle, however, centers on how the two new five-story apartment buildings will connect to the city's sanitary sewer system -- the only aspect of the project over which local officials have any say. The $70 million project also involves moving the university's ring road about 450 feet further east to push the buildings from nearby houses.

UAlbany intends to send its sewage south, toward Western Avenue and the Woodville Pump Station along the Krumkill.

The pump station, however, is part of one of the older sections of Albany's leaky and -- in some cases -- crumbling combined sewer system, which carries storm water and sewage in the same pipes and overflows into the Hudson River and backs up into homes during severe storms.

Opponents of the project, including the chairman of the Common Council committee that oversees the sewer system, fear the increased volume could violate state Department of Environmental Conservation orders not to make the overflows or backups worse.

"They're content to just go ahead and do it and let us pick up the consequences," said Councilman Michael O'Brien, the committee chairman who represents the 12th Ward.

O'Brien wants guarantees that UAlbany, not the city, will be on the hook for any fines or penalties that result from their connection.

Even more, O'Brien wants the university to pay the added expense to pump the sewage up hill to the north toward Washington Avenue and the Patroon Creek sewer system, which is newer and carries sewer and storm water separately.

In an April letter, all 15 members of the council and Council President Carolyn McLaughlin called on the city's Water Board to reject any southern connection to the sewer system.

In response, university Interim Vice President for Finance and Business Stephen Beditz last week wrote O'Brien saying the council's understanding of the project is flawed. He said the university plans to repair sewer lines downstream that will reduce leaks and illegal connections equal to the amount of sewage the project would add.

That condition was recommended by the Water Board's outside engineer, Daniel Hershberg, who told the council he would still prefer that UAlbany pump its sewage north.

But, Hershberg cautioned the lawmakers, the Water Board has no power to force the university to do so -- or reject the application outright for a connection to the system -- so long as UAlbany meets conditions imposed by the board.

John Kosa, assistant commissioner of the city Department of Water and Water Supply, said the city would not require UAlbany to make repairs to the system if it would not be enough to keep the overflows and backups in check.

"We're not going to allow a connection ... unless we know we can do it without impacting the residents," Kosa said. "We're not going to make it worse. We're the ones that have to deal with it, too."

Fifteenth Ward Councilman Frank Commisso Jr., who represents some of the neighborhoods around the campus, said "it doesn't make sense" that the city can conclude that the northern option is preferable but that the law gives it no power to enforce its preference.

"It's just not night," Commisso said. "The unfortunate thing is that a lot of people are going to end up with flooding in their basements because of it."

Hershberg, however, notes that similar mitigation arrangements have been reached with Albany Medical Center and several new developments along New Scotland Avenue and said he thinks opponents of the dorm are just trying to use the city's Water Board as an 11th-hour roadblock.

"They're trying to have the Albany Water Board ... act as their agent to kill the project," he said.

UAlbany's request is pending before the board. No action will be taken until the board gets clearance from the health department, Kosa said.

Meanwhile, UAlbany is planning to begin construction in July. The dorms are scheduled to open in September 2011.

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.

Common Council Letter to Albany Water Board and UAlbany

UAlbany had requested a connection to Albany's sewer lines as part of their Final Environmental Impact Statement. The connection would be to the Woodville Pump Station, which is a heavily used facility. The Krumkill receives not only stormwater runoff from our neighborhood, including the UAlbany Campus, but any overflows from the pump station.

These issues were taken up by Michael O'Brien with the General Services, Health and Environment Committee of Common Council. After conducting its investigation, a letter outlining the issues that the City has with the sewer connection was prepared. The Council members agreed with the findings and signed on.

Here is a letter sent to the Water Board and UAlbany concerning this request.

Water Board Letter

The bottom line here is that the proposed construction and sewer connection, while lowest cost to UAlbany, would harm the City and its residents. Pass the message on!

Harriman board talks continue with Columbia Development

The Business Review (Albany) - by Adam Sichko

The board governing the state’s Harriman office campus in Albany, N.Y., has given a developer more land to work with in the initial stage of a campus overhaul.

In November 2009, Columbia Development Cos. was awarded the rights to redevelop 140 of the 330 acres at the state-owned W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus. The remainder of the Harriman campus will continue to be used by state agencies that employ 7,300 people.

At an April 19 meeting, the Harriman campus’ board voted to give Columbia access of up to 20 of the 140 acres for its first stage of development. Initially, state officials told The Business Review they had planned to give the company between 5 acres and 15 acres to work with.

The state will lease the land to Columbia for about a year, giving the firm the chance to market the site to potential tenants. Terms of the lease are being negotiated.

The intent is for Columbia to eventually buy the initial parcel, and the other acres to be developed, from the state.

The board also voted that high-tech companies will be the only businesses allowed to locate in that parcel.

The votes were taken after the board went behind closed doors to discuss ongoing contract talks with Columbia. The state and Columbia have met four times, most recently last week, said Peter Wohl, president of the Harriman Research and Technology Development Corp.

To date, no memorandums of understanding (MOUs) have been agreed to, Wohl said.

The parcel in question is located next to the state Department of Labor offices on the campus, near Washington Avenue.

According to plans Columbia submitted to the state, a building of between 40,000 square feet and 60,000 square feet would be built once tenants have been secured.

The state is currently going through a mandatory environmental site review process which will likely last for nine months to a year. Groundbreaking cannot begin until the review is complete.

Throughout last decade, the state has pursued an ambitious plan to renovate the campus to attract high-tech companies and build retail shops and residential units. The initiative has stalled repeatedly amid changing state leadership, the recession, tight credit markets and the state’s own financial problems and budget deficits.

The lack of a state budget is the latest hurdle facing the Harriman project. Without a budget, the Harriman board is unable to hire a development adviser or pay for an updated appraisal of the Harriman campus land—a key part to the ongoing negotiations with Columbia.

The development adviser would be retained for two to three years, costing $250,000 in total. Wohl said he is “exploring different ways we can address this,” but he declined to discuss specifics before the board went into executive session.

asichko@bizjournals.com | 518-640-6818

UAlbany meeting regarding student housing project - April 28

UAlbany meeting regarding student housing project - April 28 John Giarrusso

We are sending this e-mail to let you know that the University will hold an information/update meeting with neighbors regarding the construction of the student housing project on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, at 7pm. The meeting will be at the SEFCU Arena, Hall of Fame room. This is the same location as prior meetings. The purpose of the meeting is to review the latest site plans and renderings and discuss the project schedule. We hope you can attend.

[Please note that we are sending this e-mail to those residents of Tudor Road who had provided an e-mail address at prior UAlbany information sessions and hearings. A notice will be sent in the mail, as well, to all those who provided a postal address].

________________________________________
John Giarrusso
Associate Vice President - Finance and Business
Facilities Management
University at Albany
(518) 956-8090

Budget mess stymies Harriman redevelopment

The Business Review (Albany) - by Adam Sichko

Friday, April 9, 2010, 11:50am EDT  |  Modified: Friday, April 9, 2010, 12:28pm

The lack of a state budget has prevented officials overseeing the state’s Harriman campus to hire appraisers and advisers in the ongoing redevelopment process.

The state’s 2010-11 fiscal year began April 1 without a budget. The state is operating on bare-bones, emergency spending plans that keep the lights on, until Gov. David Paterson and legislators hammer out a budget.

The lack of money means state officials have been unable to hire a development adviser or an appraiser, per requests for proposals (RFPs) issued earlier this year.

The appraisal, in particular, is key to ongoing negotiations with the developer chosen to work on the campus. The most recent land assessment was done in 2007—before the recession hit.

The board of directors for the W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus was initially scheduled to vote on winning bids this month, but that will no longer happen.

“As soon as there’s a budget, we can go forward with that,” said Peter Wohl, president of the Harriman Research and Technology Development Corp., which runs the Albany, N.Y., campus.

In November 2009, the Harriman board gave Albany-based Columbia Development Cos. the rights to redevelop 140 acres, or about 40 percent, of the 330-acre campus. (For more on the company’s plans, see http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2010/02/08/story9.html)

Throughout last decade, the state has pursued an ambitious plan to renovate the campus to attract high-tech companies and build retail shops and residential units. The initiative stalled repeatedly amid changing state leadership, the recession, tight credit markets and the state’s problems with multi-billion-dollar deficits.

The remainder of the Harriman campus will continue to be used by state agencies that employ 7,300 people.
The development adviser will help represent state interests in the ongoing contract negotiations with Columbia, in a retainer-like setup, Wohl said.

The appraisal, meanwhile, is crucial to the negotiations. Harriman land was last appraised before the recession rocked the real estate sector.

“We know the market has changed. Anyone alive with a pulse realizes it’s not as hot as it once was,” Wohl said.

In 2007, the Harriman land was assessed at between $300,000 to $400,000 an acre, Wohl said. He said it won’t be an issue if an updated appraisal reveals the land has lost some of its value.

“We still consider that property and that site some of the most valuable in all of Albany County,” Wohl said. “And regardless of the economic conditions outside, the improvements that will be made to the property will increase the value of the remaining acreage.”

Harriman officials are also seeking to hire a consultant to help with the environmental siting process, called the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA. The law requires developers to identify, and address, the “significant environmental aspects” of whatever work is being proposed or permitted. It’s a process that often takes nine to 12 months to finish.

The Harriman board is scheduled to meet on April 19.

asichko@bizjournals.com | 518-640-6818