RECREATION CENTER OR POLICE STATION?

In the news, Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen has set aside $10,000.00 to explore how the police station in the basement of City Hall can be renovated. 

We remember not that long ago when then PS Commissioner Ron Kim declared the need for a new Police Station, a need I might add is 50 years past due.  The Republican majority at the time declared that we didn’t have the money and went on to pour money into a new Recreation Center.  The question I ask myself and others is, Why does Saratoga Springs promote itself as the best tourist destination in the country, yet in every aspect of government and outdated building codes, we are so far in the past it is pretty disgusting.  The only one that benefits from Saratoga taxes and fast track building permits, also a payment for City property that has not been paid in 5 years but was included in past budgets, is none other that that grand builder Sonny Bonacio.  Now don’t get me wrong, Sonny has done some good things in Saratoga but most of what he has done has ruined our ‘City in the Country’, that moniker does not even come close to what Saratoga Springs is today.

Anyway, back to the Police Station.  Why is it taking the decision makers like Roohan, Sutton, Tarantino, Anderson and pack to realize that they need to give the nod to get a new station in place?  They didn’t listen to Kim, but had a chance when Wirth occupied the seat.  Could it have been that Wirth would not have been capable to oversee such a venture?  Now must we wait for City Hall to collapse so that we can sell the property to Bonacio?  He then could build a new City Hall/Police Station/Law Library on the 2^nd & 3^rd floors and retail space on the 1^st floor and lease floors 2 & 3 to the City.  This sounds like a deal that Mayor Johnson/Sutton are salivating over.

Your Captain says to stay tuned, this isn’t over.  Just wait until the ceiling falls down, I’m sure some will blame Commissioner Christian Mathiesen for that.

RECREATION CENTER OR POLICE STATION?

In the news, Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen has set aside $10,000.00 to explore how the police station in the basement of City Hall can be renovated. 

We remember not that long ago when then PS Commissioner Ron Kim declared the need for a new Police Station, a need I might add is 50 years past due.  The Republican majority at the time declared that we didn’t have the money and went on to pour money into a new Recreation Center.  The question I ask myself and others is, Why does Saratoga Springs promote itself as the best tourist destination in the country, yet in every aspect of government and outdated building codes, we are so far in the past it is pretty disgusting.  The only one that benefits from Saratoga taxes and fast track building permits, also a payment for City property that has not been paid in 5 years but was included in past budgets, is none other that that grand builder Sonny Bonacio.  Now don’t get me wrong, Sonny has done some good things in Saratoga but most of what he has done has ruined our ‘City in the Country’, that moniker does not even come close to what Saratoga Springs is today.

Anyway, back to the Police Station.  Why is it taking the decision makers like Roohan, Sutton, Tarantino, Anderson and pack to realize that they need to give the nod to get a new station in place?  They didn’t listen to Kim, but had a chance when Wirth occupied the seat.  Could it have been that Wirth would not have been capable to oversee such a venture?  Now must we wait for City Hall to collapse so that we can sell the property to Bonacio?  He then could build a new City Hall/Police Station/Law Library on the 2^nd & 3^rd floors and retail space on the 1^st floor and lease floors 2 & 3 to the City.  This sounds like a deal that Mayor Johnson/Sutton are salivating over.

Your Captain says to stay tuned, this isn’t over.  Just wait until the ceiling falls down, I’m sure some will blame Commissioner Christian Mathiesen for that.

BONACIO’S MILLION DOLLAR MOVIE

I would never want to cast aspersions on our great Planning Board but it does surprise me that only 1 member (Amy Durland) had comments about the movie theater project that Sonny Bonacio will develop but only if we pay for it.

The Saratogian reports, “It’s a good problem to have,” said Board Chair L. Clifford Van Wagner. “There are a lot of cities that would like to have that many people downtown.”

This guy must have his head where it doesn’t belong.  Most cities don’t want the traffic problems Saratoga has.  What ever happened to the City in the Country we were famous for?  We have sacrificed a peaceful, quaint, busy city to the likes of Tom Roohan, Sonny Bonacio, John Witt type realtor/developers and they have turned our city into a mini NYC.   Remember, they are all in bed together (some literally).  All but one board member (Durland) have been appointed by Scott Johnson during his ‘reign of terror’, and it’s a safe bet she will not be reappointed. Johnson (Scott), has crafted this Planning Board with his ‘old time politicos’ and the Jimmy Johnson hair look alike Van Wagner and with a new slot opening at the end of this year (Durland’s), will undoubtedly place someone will do his biding.

I would hope the Design Review Committee will come to a sane decision and throw this idea out the window, well we can always hope.