Another Park for New Hartford.

[strikeslip]

This sure got me steamed up this morning!
www.uticaod.com/news/x590309330/22-acre-park-proposed-in-New-Hartford-land-would-cost-250-000

Just who do they think they are kidding?
strikeslip.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-nonsense-in-new-hartford.html

[dan]

I know this is off-topic as far as the proposed new park is concerned, but has the whole drainage overflow issue been resolved yet? I haven't heard anything about it since they granted an extension. Shouldn't the money and priorities be with cleaning up the existing mess before more money is spent on "extra projects"?

[concerned]

dan that's not the way our government works.

[rickolney]

[Swimmy]

No the runoff issues have not been resolved. The Stormwater Management Committee, created to address this issue, has closed its meetings and issued no definitive plans to resolve the matter.

[dan]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but is there any recourse to the inaction? NH seems to be oblivious to the storm runoff issue (out of sight, out of mind) while they go out and spend more while the areas downstream of them still suffer.

[Clipper]

Don't get me going on NH Dan. NH is oblivious to anything and anybody outside the town and village limits. They could give a shit less about the runoff. They expect the sewer district to correct it and to charge ALL OF US for the upgrades that are necessary because of their ignorance and greed.

This new park will probably be for pet cats or gerbils. They already have a dog park. Their next project will be an enclosed aviary, where people can take their pet birds to let them excercise and fly around.

What has never ceased to amaze me is that these supposedly fairly wealthy people are so damned stupid with their spending of tax money. How the hell did they ever accumulate any wealth when they can't wait to piss it away on one ill conceived project after another? Even if land is donated for a park, there is a maintenance issue to be considered when looking ahead. This land was not donated, but was simply sold to the town at a discounted price, which the seller will recoup many times over with political games and repayment by the taxpayers in the form of tax breaks etc. in the future.

[clarencebunsen]

To be contrarian, Utica is considering legal efforts to force people to live within the city limits while New Hartford appears to be trying to make living there more desirable for families.

I have always thought that one of New Hartford's short comings was that the parks were too few and too far apart. I prefer to have a park or playground within walking distance of every home.

[strikeslip]

Parks are far apart in NH because they are not needed that much. It is a suburb, not a city, and has neither the population, nor the population density, to justify an extensive park system. That is why I'm so steamed. The number of school age kids has been dropping for 15 years -- but no one complained about a lack of parks before.

In so far as the stormwater issues are concerned, that should be a priority, but is not. You can bet the store that the $2mil bond has pretty much been committed, will address only a few problem areas, that those will be the areas where elected officials are affected, and that they will come begging for more $$$.

BTW, it was the Town Board that voted to close the Storm Water Group meetings, not the SWG.

[Swimmy]

At the July 11, 2007 town board meeting, the committee announced that its meetings would be open to the public. After two meetings in July and August, the committee voted to close their meetings, which at the next town board meeting was supported. Since September 2007, the committee meetings have been closed.

In June 2008, the committee held an informational hearing for select residents where the town planned to spend the $2 million dollar bond. They focused their plan on woodberry, and jubilee estates. The Shumaker firm and Cleveland were shocked when those in attendance found out their properties were being over looked. They "had no idea those properties were also affected."

By the way, one of the proposed plans to alleviated stormwater is to convert the "abandoned" field into a 4-acre pond that will cost upwards of $600,000 as opposed to replacing the smaller diameter waterpipes with larger ones to handle the water volume, which costs significantly less (less than $100,000). If you know anything about jubilee estates, you know why the pond proposal is being pushed at taxpayer expense rather than developer expense.

[WestmoGuy]

Just more crap for Earle Greed and his band of followers to spend $$ on.
Like Strike had on his blog, less and less population, but SPEND SPEND SPEND.

I'll take my small town without all the political BS. Thats all they talk about is
build this, build that. They seem like a bunch of little kids who just got their
allowance and gotta spend it all before it burns a hole in their pockets. We dont have all
the bells and whistles as far as services, but myself, I'm quite happy about it.

[clarencebunsen]

A few things with which I would disagree.

No one complained about a lack of parks before.
When I was an AYSO coach, late 80's - early 90's, we often had 3 or 4 teams trying to practice on one of the Jr. High fields at the same time. We were discourage from holding too many practices on the fields by the Highway garage because residents on New Hartford street tended to complain about noisy kids detracting from their enjoyment of their back yards.

I didn't coach Little League or Pop Warner, but my recollection of my kids participation is that practice fields were almost always overcrowded.

New Hartford is too small and too thinly populated to suppport more parks and playgrounds.
Before I moved here, I lived in a suburb with almost the same population and a lower wealth level than New Hartford. We still managed to have a playground withn a 10 minute walk of most residences. The one my kids went to had playground equipment, a basketball court, a little league sized ball field, a skating rink (with warming house) in winter, an activity program in summer and a green space for kids to be kids. I guess it all depends on what you think is important.

Storm water is a separate issue. That really neds to be dealt with.

[Clipper]

Sounds a lot like the Flagg St playground in Whitesboro Clarence. I lived near and skated there while I was in JR high. Am I right? I wore out more than one pair so skates, skating there. It was the place to be in winter.

[dgriffin]

I've been following this thread and thinking of Colonie, where my kids and grandchildren live outside of Albany. The town has numerous parks and a town golf course and manages to have the lowest town and school tax rates in the area. I wonder how they do it? Most of the "industry" I've seen there is retail ... malls, etc. ... and we know they're always trying to welch on their tax obligations. So, it's not largess on the part of local businesses.

[strikeslip]

Dave - The crows have come home to roost in Colonie. My understanding is that Colonie is in a huge hole financially. It was mocked on the Scotto show on WROW about 6 months ago when they held a cookie sale to bail the town out of its mess.