Broken water main -- again! -- affects Hoosick Street travel. Be alert to detours.
This lane closure notice was issued by the City of Troy on Friday.
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 16, 2024
'Operation Refresh' sprucing up Troy
The City of Troy this week began a widespread spring cleaning campaign of alleys, neighborhoods roads, and commercial streets.
So, if you're strolling downtown, for example, where alleys are plentiful, you may notice that much of the winter accumulation of litter and dirt has been swept away. And, as you travel around the City, you no doubt will see examples of all sort of cleanup work.
The program is known as "Troy Operation Refresh," part of new Mayor Carmella Mantello's ongoing program of attention to "quality of life" issues.
“We are pressing a refresh button with intense street and alleyway cleaning, curb to curb," Mantello says. "We are going street by street, alleyway by alleyway to create a cleaner, greener Troy, and building pride in our city. That starts with being clean.”Part of the refreshing work is a city park rejuvenation initiative that includes such things as:
• painting• checking city flags• replacing all basketball nets• cleaning and painting the fountains at Frear Park and Knickerbocker Park• repairing the fence at Poestenkill Gorge• scraping and painting tennis practice walls• painting trash receptacles
1st herbicide application coming up
The annual program of lawn treatments by our vendor Vinmar Solutions is about to begin.
Please be aware that a crew will be on the Terrace on Wednesday, April 24. To avoid any problem with spraying residue, please be sure your cars are garaged or parked in one of our parking areas away from the lawns during daylight hours on that date. And, please be cautious when walking your dogs.
Here is the official notice from Vinmar:
FROM VINMAR SOLUTIONS
Apr 12, 2024
Latest info and links for Troy recycling efforts
As we approach Earth Day, the City of Troy's recycling specialists are asking residents to participate in one of the recycling events coming up this month and in May.
"Since it takes so long for items to break down in landfills, it’s important that we do what we can to reduce what goes into our household garbage," says a City announcement. " If there’s a way to reduce it, reuse it, or recycle it, that preserves space in our landfills for the things that can’t be reduced, reused, or recycled. If you’re looking for information on the best way to do that, check out our recycling guide."
Earth Day cleanups
Saturday, April 20, to Sunday, April 28
City residents can register for their efforts and get supplies to support their cleanups. We have trash bags, leaf bags, prescription drug deactivation bags, and more. Register online or call the City Recycling Specialist at 518-279-7313 to be registered manually.
Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Event
Saturday, May 18, at the Troy Resource Management Facility (Alamo); 3000 Main Street.
Items such as gasoline, pesticides, fertilizer, paints, and more require special handling and disposal. Registration is required. Time slots will be assigned via email to control traffic. Please check your spam and junk folders for an email from naomi.pitkin@troyny.gov several days before the event.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Community-Based Sustainable Events
TROY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FACILITY (ALAMO) services Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. : food scrap drop-off, pallet pick-up, bagged leaf and branch drop-off, battery drop-off.
IMPORTANT LINKS
• Textile Reuse and Recycling Program: www.troyny.gov/textiles
• Rechargeable Battery Recycling Program: www.troyny.gov/batteries
• Food Scrap Drop-off: www.troyny.gov/foodscraps
• Recycling Information: www.troyny.gov/recycling
• Household Hazardous Waste Events: www.troyny.gov/hhw
• Electronics Recycling Events: www.troyny.gov/electronics
• Trash Information: www.troyny.gov/269/Garbage-Collection
Apr 3, 2024
City restores Facebook users blocked by Madden
All those accounts now have been unblocked.
“The Mantello administration is committed to being transparent to the residents of Troy,” the mayor said in a news release.
“We live in a time where many people rely on social media for their news and communications. Our pages must be made available to everyone, regardless of their personal opinions. I am open to hearing all voices and will continue to communicate openly with the public throughout my tenure.”
City Communications Director Hayley Hill added, “Our social media is the one-stop-shop for residents to get information about city projects, upcoming community events, citywide disasters, traffic alerts, and more. This is also a place for residents to voice their opinions and complaints directly to the city. People should not be punished for that. This administration is committed to government transparency, and we sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been blocked or censored by the last administration.”
Need to get rid of some old paint?
The paint recycling event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday (April 6) at Hudson Valley Community College. BUT, you need to pre-register to participate. You can do it online by clicking here.
What will be accepted:
- Urethanes
- Oil-based and latex-based paints
- Acrylic paint
- Varnishes, shellacs, and lacquers
- Primers
- Clear coatings
What will not be accepted:
- Spray paints
- Marine and auto paints
- Household hazardous waste
- Electronics
- Paint thinner
- Driveway sealers
If you have questions, you can call City Recycling Specialist Naomi Pitkin at 518-279-7313 or email recycling@troyny.gov.
The times they are a'changing -- again
And, that means our busy Beautification Committee has once again updated the decorations in the mailbox gazebo planters installed some months ago.
We have gone from flowers to holiday delights -- Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and now Easter finery. Enjoy!
Mar 28, 2024
2nd quarter THCA dues are due
Mar 21, 2024
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall plans $14M expansion
TROY — The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall plans to invest $14 million in an expansion project that will allow it to hold performances during the summer months, provide additional space for programming, add parking and transform parts of the exterior.
“I’m excited. It’s a demanding project for us to take on. It’s transformative,” Jon Elbaum, executive director of the music hall, said Wednesday, putting the project price at $14 million.
Work could begin in a month with asbestos abatement, Elbaum said. Completion is expected by the end of 2025 with the possibility of the first summer performances in 2026.
Careful planning has been done to preserve the music hall’s acoustics, which are considered a treasure, and draw performers to the venue for the sake of recording their music.
Dash Chrisner of Architecture+, a firm based in Troy representing the music hall, said that an acoustical engineer has been hired and is evaluating the project. Each time a step is taken, the impact on the acoustics is considered to ensure the hall is protected from vibrations and sounds from the HVAC equipment and other changes, Chrisner said.
The Planning Commission began reviewing the project Wednesday night at its March meeting at City Hall. The commission declared itself the lead agency for environmental review. The commission set a public hearing for April 17 at its next meeting.
Plans submitted to the Planning Commission call for the creation of the Music Hub, the upgrades to the HVAC system to permit summertime performances, and remaking the parking lot across State Street from the music hall, which is located at 30 Second Street.
The music hall’s plans call for making use of the closed banking space. Elbaum said the bank has been empty for about a decade.
Mar 18, 2024
How to push the City to fix Terrace roads
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| A Troy road crew at work. / photo provided |
Thanks to the persistent intercession of Susan McCabe in the past two years, we've been able to get some temporary patchwork from the City. But, that's less than needed overall.
Luckily, under new Mayor Carmella Mantello and her Quality of Life Action Task Force that is a centerpiece of her administration we may be able to get even better results.
Today March 18) marked the beginning of her Troy's Operation Pothole (TOP) initiative to proactively address the post-winter potholes throughout the city. The TOP team was out in full force early this morning to beginning a city-wide bounty on potholes.
As explained by Mantello, "Each team is driving up and down the city streets, locating potholes and large cracks along the way. For the next month, two crews will be out each day, blowing debris out of existing holes and filling them with hot asphalt.
“We are going street by street, and alley by alley,” Mantello said. “This is another piece of our Quality of Life Action Task Force. Thank you to our wonderful crews for addressing this issue and we request residents' patience as we continue working toward a better Troy.”
The paving schedule will be announced in the near future. Meanwhile, residents are encouraged to report potholes through the city website.
That said, the THCA is encouraging residents to use that mechanism to report the need for pothole repairs on Hyland Drive and Hyland Circle, the two city streets on The Terrace. The more we can push this, the better our chances for repairs.
"While the issue may not be addressed immediately," Mantello said, "Operation Pothole intends to fill every crack and crevice throughout Troy."
Let's take advantage of that pledge.
Mar 14, 2024
Yet another sign of spring!
Plenty of residents were out and about, taking advantage of the "balmy" day, but don't get too used to it. The long-range forecast is for a return to temperatures in the 40s next week.
Spring arrives on March 19 this year. Usually, it's March 20 or 21, but because it's a Leap Year and February gets a 29th day, the season moves up a bit on the calendar.
Curbside bulk-item pickup begins next week
A City announcement said the service will begin on Monday, March 17. The trouble is, Monday is March 18. (Maybe the extra calendar day for Leap Year confused someone.) But, let's assume it is this coming Monday.
The announcement also said, "Mayor Carmella Mantello and the Quality of Life Action Task Force have been hard at work cleaning our streets and arranging disposal of bulk items. We are excited to announce the commencement of curbside pickup for the season. Residents now have the opportunity to schedule bulk pickup right at home. The revitalization of our neighborhoods is a huge priority for us.”
Those in need of bulk pickup services will need to schedule an appointment with the Department of Public Works (DPW) prior to placing items outside. Pricing begins at $25 per two cubic yards, plus additional itemized fees.
Given the implementation of curbside pickup, the Alamo no longer will be available for dropoff. More information is available online.
Plan your travel during bridge closing
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| Scheduled for brief closure. |
The Green Island Bridge, seen above, will be closed to traffic from 7 p.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to an announcement by the Village of Green Island.
The closure is to allow bridge inspectors to conduct regular examinations of the bridge structure. Not a bad idea even though the present bridge isn't all that old. Its predecessor collapsed into the river 47 years ago tomorrow -- March 15, 1977. It took 4½ years before the current bridge opened, on September 12, 1981.
Mar 11, 2024
Guess which holiday is coming up next?
Our Beautification Committee does an excellent job of keeping up to date with all manner of holidays with decorations of every sort. The latest example, seen above: The recent Valentine's Day adornments are gone, replaced by shamrocks and other traditional touches as we near March 17, St. Patrick's Day.
It seems only fitting to mark this holiday, started generations ago in Ireland then imported and vastly expanded by its immigrants to the U.S.
And in New York State, which county has the largest percentage of folks claiming Irish heritage? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, you're living in it.
Our very own Rensselaer County, despite its Dutch name and heritage, has 26.1% of the residents claiming Irish roots.
The state's top 20 Irish counties by population:
Trash is gone with the wind -- to someone else's yard
And, that serves as a reminder for all -- please be sure to pick up your trash when it begins blowing around. We have seen many bushes, gardens, and lawns festooned with paper, plastic, and cardboard waste that didn't originate with the residence where it wound up. Please be kind to your neighbors.
You can guard against trash being unwantingly distributed by the wind by simply being sure you don't overcrowd your recycling containers and/or being sure any loose items in them are at the bottom with heavier throwaways on top to keep them in place.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Feb 16, 2024
Feb 14, 2024
A Fat Tuesday party on The Terrace
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| The gang's all here for party time. |
We could call this the 1st annual Fat Tuesday Party, or, The Day It Didn't Snow on The Terrace.
Either way, our social arranger Ellie DeBonis's latest effort resulted in a gathering of non-snowbird Terrace residents scheduled in the face of a predicted heavy snowfall that never materialzed.
For those not conversant with Cajun patois, "Fat Tuesday" is perhaps better known as "Mardi Gras," or less known as "Shrove Tuesday."
It is the final day of Carnival or Shrovetide before Ash Wednesday. The "fat" part of the revel refers to the New Orleans practice of celebrating the last night of consuming rich, fatty foods before the fasting season of Lent which itself is the 40-day period Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry.
Or, in common parlance, time for a paaaarrty!
Feb 11, 2024
Ready for that special day?
Valentine's Day is this Wednesday. So, if you need to mail a card to get there on time, just use the slot for outgoing mail behind this display-- but do it no later than Monday morning before 9 a.m. or you'll have a year to regret it.
Prepping for the latest snowstorm
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| Plow at work during the last storm. |
Skyview, our snow removal contractor, is geared up for the event. As we've seen for the first two storms, we can expect thorough and timely service.
Given that, we're issuing our standard request for residents and their visitors to keep their vehicles garaged when possible and not to park on the side of the road where both Skyview and City of Troy plows need room to maneuver. And, if you need to use a common parking area, please avoid leaving your vehicles where plows usually push the snow. All that will help ensure a smooth experience.
Thanks for your attention and cooperation.
Feb 10, 2024
What do you do with a broken recycling bin?
Haven't yet obtained a new bin? Simply go here for more info on pickup and dropoff options.
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