WWGD?

What Would Greece Do?

In reading the comments over at the D&C articles, (and people wonder why I don't enable commenting on here.....the morphing alone is business as usual - it was expected that the "crew" would morph as "vote no" people with the most ridiculous comments to make the "no" people look bad......like I said, so transparent that scotch tape is jealous......but, I digress.) I noticed that people keep bringing up Greece's leasing of a senior/community center while they studied other options.

And, that's true. They did lease. From a company in NY, in the Rochester area, not out of state. What is different, is that Greece never owned a building specifically for community/senior activities until the new one was built on town campus. Their "senior center" was in the old Town Hall on Ridge Rd. and in the basement of Bethany Presbyterian Church on Dewey Ave.



That wasn't working too well considering the increase in needs for services.
So, they decided to lease 8,150 SF at the West Ridge Community Center, 300 Chesterton Rd. for about $145,000 per year. That was in 1990 (I think).



It wasn't located in the "geographic center of town" though, and they leased space for the whole community to use....not just seniors. In other areas of the building, it also provided space for St. Joseph's Villa, BOCES II and a Montessori school.



So, Greece leased this space until the PLAN to build the new center at Town Hall campus was completed - PLANNED accordingly to be done when the lease for the West Ridge facility was up.

An old article from Greece Post tells the "goings on" then.


Why spend all that money and raise the property taxes of the residents to build a new senior center?

Kathryn Firkins, director of constituent services for Greece at the time explains:

"The town now spends $145,000 a year to lease the current community center space from Christa Construction, so owning a building would save the town money in the long term, she said."

What? OWNING A BUILDING SAVES THE TOWN MONEY IN THE LONG TERM!?!?!?!

No way!

Way.

Since Irondequoit already owns a building (Pinegrove), doesn't it make sense to put some money into this until you come up with a better plan than leasing at King$ Pork?

Especially since you can't guarantee that there will be CDBG funds to pay that lease with? The way the economy is, that federal money could go to bail out another bank or something..... and the way the State is cutting budgets......you can't rely on that money for the future.

Owning is better than leasing.

Putting money into a building that you own.....10 years down the road, you still have a building you own.

Putting millions into a lease.......10 years down the road, you have nothing but leased space, and landlords from MA are laughing all the way to the bank.

Might as well put those millions in a pile and burn it

More Contradictions.

I love this quote.

"It just makes sense to stay here and fix it up," said Robinson, a senior who declined to give her age. "This is a beautiful spot. There's plenty of parking here. When they said there's not, that's a fairy tale."

A Senior who actually uses this center says the parking "issue" is a fairy tale......

In this same article is this: "Heyman has said Pinegrove needs to be replaced because it needs extensive and costly renovations, is not centrally located and does not have sufficient parking."





Who ya gonna believe?

There Is No Time For Thumb Twiddling!

The first hurdle of the Senior Center issue has been taken care of. Residents voted NO to the move. Now, hopefully, there will be real discussion on this issue. Residents need to be aware of what's ahead!

Make sure you go to the next Town Board meeting, which is March 18th, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall. (Originally scheduled for 3/17 but changed due to St. Patrick's Day festivities.)

Bring a sweater and mittens, as the room is kept at a very chilly temperature. I wonder if their heat works? Or, did they turn down all the thermostats like I remember the Supervisor saying a while back? Maybe that's why that one political flier said: "Right now, as you're reading this, certain rooms there are freezing cold..." because they are conserving energy and cutting some costs by turning the thermostat down? I do that at my house.


Go to the meetings, attend any workshops, sign up for committees to study/see/comment on the data. Let's have more options than just King$ Pork.

Mention that Joe Morelle's grant was state funds, and if he was truly a "man of the people" he would offer that grant for Pinegrove to have repairs temporarily while a new center is DISCUSSED. Why only offer our own tax money for King$ Pork? That press conference where he offered it - a resident had to ask THREE TIMES if that grant could be used for Pinegrove before getting the answer: "Yes, but we're not here to talk about that." Nice. Why not?

Demand that the Town use the CDBG to fix up Pinegrove in the meantime. Their 2009 Budget Recreation Center Analysis states that it would cost around $220,000 to make "Major Improvements needed at Pinegrove but cut from the proposed 2009 budget", and with operating and maintenance costs would be a total of around $300,000 that could be funded through CDBG.

How many seniors in Irondequoit?

How many seniors are year round residents?

How many are at St. Anns etc., or in Senior "campus" type neighborhoods where facilities are on site to be utilized, or do they belong to senior centers through their churches etc.?

How many seniors want to move?

How many want a bigger facility at Pinegrove?

If there is a lease involved in any "temporary" move in the future - ask what type of lease it is (triple net is not good!), and what is included in the CAM (Common Area Maintenance) fees, and if the rate is variable or fixed on the CAM.

Find out who owns the building to be leased and check out their campaign contributions. You'd be surprised at how important it is to do this with just about any project that uses taxpayer money.

When the Town tells you that "they don't want to sink money into a deteriorating building" - ask them why they were going to do exactly that while paying a lease for King$ Pork for their idea. The Town would have still owned Pinegrove, and what were they going to do? Let that deteriorate more even though the seniors weren't using it? They would have had to make the repairs sooner or later. If they sold the building to the WISD, they would need to make repairs and that means your school budgets would have gone up to cover that. Either way, our tax money was going to be "sunk" into Pinegrove.

Improve what we own and keep our taxes here, in our own community, to be spent for our benefit.

Watching the news last night and today....there's conflicting information out there again.

Channel 10 news article said: "Town Supervisor Mary Ellen Hayman told us she does not see the town board spending any money to improve the Pinegrove facility."


While the Ch 8 news article said: The town will likely fix up the old location. (Not a quote from anyone, just a statement in the article.)


Demand that the Town make the necessary repairs to Pinegrove, AND the libraries. Sitting on these problems, cutting budgets and funding for them isn't going to fix what needs to be fixed now. The residents don't want King$ Pork. That should be clear by now.



DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE MEDLEY/MIXED USE PROJECT!

An exciting, expensive, project is under way. Make sure you become informed, and ask the questions that need to be asked!

Also for consideration, is the PILOT part of the Medley/Mixed use project.

You can read a bit about that here, along with tons of resident letters/comments here, here, here, and here.

See what others are concerned about or happy with regarding this project. Become informed about all the issues about this. One area that I'm concerned with is PILOT tax breaks for developers, for any project in any town - but especially this project since the property is already enjoying PILOT tax breaks for the past 5 years, and it is being proposed that this property will enjoy 30 more years of PILOT tax breaks.

PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) pay an agreed upon lower rate of property taxes with a gradual increase to be paid over the life of the PILOT agreement.

County, Town, and the East Irondequoit School District all share in property taxes.

PILOT tax breaks are a concern for me. With the absence of uniform standards for negotiations.....it makes the whole PILOT program open to abuse, because each company gets to negotiate its own private deal. In addition, companies that fail to meet their original job creation promises rarely get penalized.

We're all familiar with companies that fail to meet their original promises, right?

In my opinion, the idea of a mixed use development at the Medley property is a great idea - but I'd like to see a "smaller scale" version for right now, and if it seems successful - build on that....that is if we, the taxpayers, are going to "subsidize" this development like Congel is asking for with COMIDA breaks and PILOT agreements.

Since "we" have a stake in this development's success or failure via our tax money paying for the "incentives".....I think they owe it to us to be as open and transparent about all the details as possible.

Maybe Congel himself will make an appearance someday to talk about the project, or some of the "success" with his other projects?

That would be nice.

Early Votes Are In!

Link to article in the D&C.





Updates with a final tally of the votes will be forthcoming...........


UPDATE: Apparently, these numbers are the final tally. 2,819 voted NO - 2,205 voted YES.

Mr. Buttarazzi Tells It Like It Is Once Again!

Mr. Buttarazzi was interviewed on Channel 13 at 6pm, and that sweet, smart man explains it perfectly. You can view the interview at Ch. 13's site here.

You might remember Mr. Buttarazzi from public input at the last Town Board meeting,
and how absolutely adorable he is. Ooooooooh I just love him!

GO VOTE! Polls Open Until 8pm!

I hope you went and voted! If you haven't voted yet, the polls are open until 8pm tonight at Town Hall - 1280 Titus Ave!

This morning and afternoon, Town Hall was bustling, a senior was on the corner holding a neon sign that said "VOTE NO to $18,000 a month lease!", there was a long line to get in and vote.



It was great to see this! No matter what way you are voting, the scene of residents having a voice and making the decisions by a vote is a wonderful thing to witness.

I hope it's this busy when November rolls around!

Great turnout so far, Irondequoit!

I've been watching the propaganda from the Supervisor on the news, all channels, and one particular channel played the "visual sway" (is what I call it) game.

They take the crappiest shot of one thing, and the nicest, most visually appealing shot of another thing to "sway" your opinion.

Take, for instance, the recent interview with the supervisor at King$ Pork.

They show the long, stretching-for-miles it seems, green awning side of the building on a bright sunny day, making you think that this is where the seniors are going to be moving to.

Only, it's not a shot of the possible new senior side of King$ Pork. It's the MCC Staff side.

Then, they show you a sweeping shot of the pot holed, ratty looking parking lot with Pinegrove in the background. One lonely car in the parking lot. Dreary day.

That's "Visual Sway", and advertisers have been doing it for decades to you in their commercials.

Here are the screen shots of the video to show you.

King$ Pork MCC side:


Pinegrove Parking Lot:


Oh, just so ya know......the Pinegrove parking lot repaving is covered under CDBG, according to Page 2 of the 2009 Budget Recreation Center Analysis.





But they'd rather give that money to out of state landlords in MA.

Here's the entrance for the seniors at King$ Pork:





Here's the backside (and it is a backside) of King$ Pork with the scenic views that our seniors will look upon every day.





Isn't that delightful?

This:



Vs This:

This Is The Propo$al With A Triple Net Lea$e In The Deal!

Here's the resolution the Supervisor and Board passed in November, without any public hearings, or vote on the issue:





Here is the proposed lease agreement:



Notice that this proposal says, "Landlord will provide a lease to Tenant net of Building expenses (i.e. triple net)"

Triple Net Lease?

"What Does It Mean?

A lease agreement that designates the lessee (the tenant) as being solely responsible for all of the costs relating to the asset being leased in addition to the rent fee applied under the lease. The structure of this type of lease requires the lessee to pay for net real estate taxes on the leased asset, net building insurance and net common area maintenance. The lessee has to pay the net amount of three types of costs, which how this term got its name.

This type of lease can also be referred to as a "net-net-net lease" or a "hell or high water lease".

Investopedia explains Triple Net Lease
For example, if a property owner leases out a building to a business using a triple net lease, the tenant will be responsible for paying the building's property taxes, building insurance and the cost of any maintenance or repairs the building may require during the term of the lease. Because the tenant is covering these costs (which would otherwise be the responsibility of the property owner), the rent charged in the triple net lease is generally lower than the rent charged in a standard lease agreement."

This Town proposal states:
Tenant shall pay its proportionate share of Building operating expenses and real estate taxes. The real estate taxes and CAM for 2008 are currently estimated to be $4.93 per square foot. That prorate share of expenses include the following:
- Common Area Utilities
- Elevator
- Real Estate Taxes
-Common Area Maintenance and Repairs
- Landscaping and Grounds
- Real Estate Taxes
-Management Fees
- Insurance

So, if this is the proposal that would be agreed upon for the lease to Kings Pork, then the Supervisor lied on camera to Rnews that the Town would not be responsible for snow removal and taxes would be paid by the landlord - the Town DPW won't be plowing it, you'll just have your taxes pay the landlords to contract out to plow and remove snow.

It says quite clearly in the lease proposal that "real estate taxes" and "Landscaping and Grounds" is part of the payment the town will make for CAM, so, the Town is still "responsible" for it. They're just paying through a lease with your taxes.

Did she even read this proposal?

What's The C.A.M.?

I was watching Rnews this morning and they had an interview with Supervisor Heyman:


I highlighted a couple of things.

"With more than 71,000 visitors to the senior center last year,"

I thought it was 64,000? That's what the Town Website stated under the Senior Center header towards the bottom of the page.

What are the true numbers? Nobody knows, because they didn't hold a public hearing to get that information out to the public, like they are supposed to when using CDBG funds.

"The move to Kings Park could eventually save the town some money. Heyman points to snow plowing as one cost saving measure as the town will not be responsible for snow removal there. She also said the town would save on taxes as they would be paid by the landlord."

Is the snow plowing deal included in the Common Area Maintenance (CAM) agreement?

Is it a flat rate or variable rate CAM?

What is included in the CAM?

Nobody knows, because they didn't hold a public hearing to get that information out to the public, like they are supposed to when using CDBG funds.

A landlord may include a wide range of expenses simply listed as “CAM Fees” or “Administrative Fees” on the basis that these are expenses the landlord pays for the benefit of all tenants. If CAM fees are not clearly listed or explained in a lease, you could be paying for:

# Security systems or salaries or other costs associated with on-site security personnel;

# Permits, taxes, insurance, or any legal costs;

# Advertising, signs, or other general overhead expenses incurred by the landlord for operating or promoting the building (i.e., salaries or benefits for on-site or even off-site employees);

# Repair and renovations of the property maintenance of the property, including landscaping additions or redesigns, exterior painting, exterior or parking lot lighting fixtures, paving or resurfacing, roofing, or repairs and upgrades to central plumbing, electrical, sewer, and HVAC systems; or

# Utilities, rent, or any other costs of maintaining separate leasing office spaces either on- or off-site.


Is this a "Triple Net Lease"? Are they paying for maintenance, taxes, and insurance in this lease?

That's the worst lease of them all.


Again, nobody knows because they haven't seen the lease agreement and all the details of this lease.

For all we know, part of the lease agreement is taxes and maintenance (plowing) are included in the $18,000 a month rent the Town is using our tax dollars for. CAM rates could fluctuate greatly.

# CAM is an acronym for “Common Area Maintenance.”

# CAM expenses are allocated to tenants on a pro rata basis: the more square footage a tenant rents, the greater percentage of CAM expenses it must pay.

# CAM fees are paid by the tenant (lessee) to the owner (lessor) to help cover the cost of overhead and operating expenses and landlords may try to include a wide variety of their expenses as CAM fees.

# Common areas generally include space accessed, used, benefited by, or shared by all tenants, and almost always include hallways, elevators and stairwells, lobbies, and public restrooms.

# CAM fees can also be charged for external spaces, like sidewalks and parking lots, and, in some cases, even for off-site facilities.

# Administrative fees may be charged, based on a percentage of the CAM fee rate, for operating and maintenance costs associated with non-common areas or salaries – things that are not truly common expenses and expenses most tenants will object to contributing to.

# Not all landlords charge CAM fees, but most still do, especially in commercial industrial space and retail leases.


Does anyone have any clue what the CAM agreement is on the lease for Kings Pork?

I've seen the proposal, and it's not good!

"Heyman says proposed move to Kings Park isn’t something she just pulled out of a hat."

It certainly wasn't her hat that she pulled it out of.

More Mailers From Irena Scoglio

Address in top left corner:


What does Irena Scoglio do?



What could happen in that extra space at Kings Pork?



"Vote "Yes" for progress, not the politics of the past."

I suggest voting "No". That's a "Yes" for common sense, not the politics of the current - Press conferences, 3 "Vote Yes" political mailers, t.v. interviews, and endless quotes to the media about how they want you to VOTE YES! Never mind that they don't really care what you think since they never had a public hearing like they are supposed to when using CDBG funds, or shared any data with the residents, or even gave you the option to vote on this.

"Vote "Yes" for a proposal that protects taxpayers."

Vote "No" to over a million dollar lease riding on the promise/hope that there will be federal or state grants to cover the lease after year one. Vote "No" to paying out of state landlords over a million of our tax dollars for a lease for 5 years!

"Vote "Yes" for a facility big enough for our large senior population."

"Vote "No" and demand to see studies that show population of seniors in Irondequoit, how many would actually utilize the center, how many utilize other centers like St. Anns, or senior communities where facilities are on site, how many go away for the winter, etc.

"Vote "Yes" and give our seniors - who have worked hard their whole lives and don't ask for much in return - a better senior center in the heart of town."

"Vote "No" and demand that the town pay for the repairs to Pinegrove that they cut from the budget, and give the seniors and the rest of the town more choices than just Kings Park, or stay at Pinegrove and renovate....think how nice it would be for the seniors to look out on nature in the backyard of Pinegrove, which is 3 miles away from Kings Park. Kings Park - situated in the lovely manufacturing district of Irondequoit, surrounded by lots and lots and lots of asphalt, and uhh.....asphalt! Feed the seagulls in the parking lot while your car heats to a tropical 150 degrees!

Only on "This Tuesday, Seniors come first" for the people behind this mailer - but the residents who've asked them for years to fix Pinegrove have had the seniors first for a while - not just when votes come up to push agendas. The residents didn't cut funding for fixing Pinegrove - the Town did. The Town didn't give the public the right to vote on this - the residents did.

697-0771

A resident has received a Supervisor Heyman "robo call" from this number, (which is the Monroe County Democratic Committee) urging you to vote yes.

Well then, I guess that does it! Surely, this isn't political!

Interview With A Supervisor.....

Channel 8 had an interview with Supervisor Heyman regarding the Senior Center issue. You can view the video if you click on the Channel 8 link.



From the interview/article:

"The current Irondequoit Senior Center needs some work. Town Supervisor Mary Ellen Heyman estimates renovations would cost millions."

Millions? Really? Then, it's pretty obvious that you paid Tim Poley a TON of taxpayer money to give you incorrect dollar amounts in his assessments, because in your 2009 Budget Recreation Center Analysis it clearly states that it would cost around $300,000 to perform the "Major Improvements needed at Pinegrove but cut from the
proposed 2009 budget", and then it even more clearly states that this could be "funded by the CDBG or general fund debt".



Now, I'm not a math genius, and I'm no financial guru like you folks at Town Hall are - but - I'm guessing that $300,000 < $1.2 million (which is what the total would be after 5 years lease.) The first year cost of this move is $419,525.00.



$251,069 Cost to move/renovate Kings Pork.
(-$45,000) For the roof repairs at Pinegrove that they cut from the 2009 budget.
gives you
$206,069 subtotal reallocated from the 2008 CDBG
+$92,010 5 months rent (March through July)
gives you
$298,079 total reallocated from the 2008 CDBG
+$92,010 for 5 months rent (August through December) out of the 2009 CDBG
+$29,436 for utilities
gives you
$419,525 Grand Thef....err..I mean Grand Total for the first year. All from your taxes.

In 2010 it'll cost $265,245 total. Increase in rent by $.25 and CAM by 3%.

$228,862 rent
+$36,383 for utilities
gives you
$265,245 total

In 2011 rent and CAM increase again, and the total will be $274,464 for rent and utilities.

In just 3 years the Town will have spent over THREE TIMES the amount it would cost to fix Pinegrove, and in 5 years they will have spent over $1.2 million dollars to lease from out of state landlords.

They have no other alternatives other than Kings Park. No other permanent facility in mind at all. No guarantee that CDBG funds will be given to the Town to pay the lease on Kings Park in the future. No documents showing the 14% increase in services. No studies on how many seniors need services, and how many are serviced through St. Anns or Church groups, or senior living communities. How many seniors actually use Pinegrove? How many go away for the winter? No mention of how CDBG could fund the Pinegrove renovation or rebuilding of the center. They lied and said that Pinegrove is unsafe, while there are activities ongoing, and Helmer Nature Center uses it, and WISD uses it, and other groups use it. Joe Morelle offers $125,000 for Kings Park....even though his generous "gift" of taxpayer money CAN BE USED FOR PINEGROVE. Buying votes. With our own tax dollars. Unbelievable.

It will cost a heck of a lot LESS to STAY AT PINEGROVE and make the repairs than lease from out of state landlords for the first year!!!

Ya know....it's one thing to spread the lies on a political flier.....but to make false statements on t.v. to a reporter? According to YOUR OWN BUDGET and the thousands upon thousands you have paid to Tim Poley to assess the Senior Center issue....it's only going to cost around $300,000 to fix up Pinegrove.

Even if you doubled that amount, it would still be half of what you would pay for the 5 year life of the lease for Kings Park.

It seems obvious to me what the choice should be.....

VOTE NO on February 24th!

Read the Supervisor's very own words on how she thinks government should manage costs better. It totally contradicts everything she's doing now.

Ugh......Who Collected The Data For This?!?!

The Town has updated their website recently, and I thought it was very informative.......until I got to a certain part under "Senior Center Background".

Visit the town website and link here.

A lot of numbers being thrown around, and I assume they are all correct.....just because I give them the benefit of the doubt that they did their research.

Well, I was wrong to assume.

This is just a number that jumped out at me right off the bat:


"Pinegrove currently serving approximately 64,000 seniors in 2008"

Really?

"that is over 10,000 more seniors being served since 2006"

Are you SURE about that?

I know the population of the whole town is around 50,000. So, I look up the census data, and population trend data and here's what I found at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population in 2000:


Population trend:


So, the population of Irondequoit in 2000 was 52,354.....and the population trend for Irondequoit for 2007 was down to 50,021.

But the Town is telling us that Pinegrove is currently serving 64,000 seniors in 2008. 10,000 more seniors since 2006.

How can they serve 64,000 seniors when the population of Irondequoit is only around 51,000 people? How is that possible?

Here is the 2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates for Irondequoit with an age breakdown......and according to the estimates, there are about 10,235 seniors aged 65 or older. Add about 3,000 more to that number if you want to count ages 60-64. So, give or take, around 13,000 seniors in Irondequoit.

U.S. Census Bureau Age Breakdown For Irondequoit:


Here's another link to social/economic/housing etc. breakdowns for Irondequoit.


64,000 seniors served at Pinegrove in 2008?
If they got this number wrong......what other numbers are incorrect in this "facts sheet"?

"Since 2006, the demand for services at Pinegrove has increased substantially."





How much?

Where are the studies?

The documents supporting this statement?

If they can't even get the number of seniors being serviced at Pinegrove correct, how can we be sure anything else is correct?

What I really want to know is......who the heck wrote this part? Who did the research? Who hit "publish" before checking the numbers and putting this crap on the website?!?

Don't you KNOW what your town population is? How many seniors you service? That the amount of seniors serviced can't possibly be MORE THAN THE WHOLE POPULATION OF IRONDEQUOIT?!?!?!!

I mean C'MON! That was just ignorant! Geez!

*giggle* Remember This? *giggle*

The outright hypocrisy in this article is astounding! I am not lying when I say that I actually laughed out loud when I read this. This was written by her less than 6 months ago.


Besides the 6 times the word "change", and 3 times the word "dream" were in there, here is what I had a good chuckle over:

1. Government must manage cost — the tax dollars come from our pockets.




Really? She knew that? I couldn't tell. Well Supervisor, just like you expect the State Government to manage cost......so do the residents of this Town expect YOU to "manage cost". Which is why a majority of us do not understand why they want to sink $1.2 million into a rental, when we already OWN a building that will cost much less to renovate. Supervisor Heyman shakes her fist at the very State and Federal Government that is giving her CDBG grants and tells them "Shame on you! You must cut costs!" - but she expects over a million to fund her pork project, and she has no problem holding out her hand when Joe Morelle comes to the rescue. She contradicts almost every statement she makes in here with the Kings Park/Medley Center "visions". Want them to cut spending? Stop asking for money! That will help.

2. Education is fundamental, expensive and necessary for a viable future.

It's necessary, but she's "defended" her tax increases or taxpayer grant money spending by pointing out how much the SD takes. AND she is "hurting" school districts by offering property tax breaks (PILOT) for rich developers. Maybe if they paid their fair share, the residents wouldn't have to make up so much of it in their property taxes. Ever think of that?


The tax burden for education in New York state must be uncoupled from property tax — immediately.

But, that will financially hurt the school districts where she said "Education is fundamental, expensive, and necessary". Right?

Quality of life in communities suffers because home improvements and repairs take a back seat to saving money for tax payments.

Especially when the Supervisor and Board takes money allocated to Home Improvements to pay out of state landlords on a lease.

AND when they hand out PILOT tax breaks for DECADES to developers, who could save the residents a few bucks on THEIR tax bills by paying their fair share!!! But noooooooo.......taxpayer subsidized projects like Medley Centre, and Kings Park are driving the car that the home improvements and repairs are in the back seat of.


We must control and ultimately cut back spending.

YES! Which is why it is so unfathomable to me that she gladly sticks her hand out for Joe Morelle's $125,000, and yet she was bleating about the State cutting costs and controlling spending! I have an idea how we can help the state cut back a bit....stop asking for more, and stop giving tax money to landlords and developers! Duh.

Property ownership is still the American dream. Please, New York state legislators, don’t kill that dream. Cut spending.

Unless it involves the ownership of the Pinegrove property. That's not an American Dream to them. Their dream is to pay over a million to out of state landlords on a lease. That is a nightmare....not a dream. Cut Spending? Yes! Good idea. Let's start with the roughly $1.5 million for Kings Pork. Then think about the PILOT tax breaks to Congel.

Evaluate everything from staff and energy costs to special projects and special interests.

Special interests? Hello? Kings Pork? Congel and the mixed use development? Hello?

We cannot continue to fund “special interest projects” at the cost of education, health care, infrastructure and basic service.

She's right, we can't. So........uh........why is she going ahead and doing this with Kings Pork and Congel?

Government must be leaner.

I think so too! I also think that she should practice what she preaches.....and walk the walk since she's been talking the talk.

Bah! What are words for? Heyman's actions speak louder.

Epitome of hypocrisy.

Another Resident Questions The Move.....

Guest Essays in I-Post

The Taxpayers Fund Mailers For The Town...

Isn't it nice of the residents to pay for the mailers/fliers for Supervisor Heyman and the Town Board? I know you guys are generous, but my, my, my....this is above and beyond!

I mean, the Town denied you a voice on this and had to be forced to have a vote on it. If it weren't for the people who collected signatures, and for the almost 2,000 who signed.......there wouldn't be a vote on this.

The Town Board has identified senior services as a priority - that's why they let Pinegrove deteriorate, and that's why they cut the funding to fix up Pinegrove in the budget. Cuz they care. :) Also, the residents have pleaded with the Town to fix Pinegrove for many years. They decided not to fix it. How's that for priorities?

Since 2006, demand for services at the senior center has increased by 14% - but they won't hold a public hearing like they're supposed to when using CDBG funds to tell you about it, and they won't show you any documents to support the statement that services have increased by 14%.

The Kings Park location will double the square footage for senior activities/programs - even though they could double the footprint at Pinegrove by adding a second floor, and this would be covered under CDBG, but, they won't tell you that.

Kings Park is located in the geographic center of Irondequoit - Um, so is Pinegrove. It's a whopping 3 miles to the west of Kings Park.

The Town Board has proposed leasing 20,185 square feet at Kings Park - that will be open limited hours, and allow limited use of this huge facility to 50/60 seniors. The Town Board has also proposed spending tax money (grants) to fix up the place for the landlords, AND, pay them rent from tax money (grants) for up to 5 years, with no other plan proposed.

The lease lasts a maximum of five years and must be renewed annually - at a higher rate per year, with PROMISES of CDBG funds to pay this rent. Is there a guarantee that the CDBG funds will be there to pay the rent next year? Two years from now? Three years from now? Four years from now? Five years from now? What if you are denied the CDBG funds? How will you pay the rent on the lease for Kings Park?

Currently the Town receives about a million dollars annually in Federal Community Development Block Grant funds; $250,000 to pay for this lease, or one quarter of our annual grant - and again......what happens if, during these bleak economic times, they decide to cut funding for these grants? $250,000 a year x's 5 years.......the taxpayers could end up footing the bill for this if you don't get that grant money. Too risky.

This proposal will not result in any new property taxes for Irondequoit homeowners. - Unless the CDBG grants don't come through, and really - again - grants are taxes. Grants don't come from the grant tree. There isn't a Granta Clause, or a Grant Fairy who leaves them under the tree or your pillow.

Renovations will be made to Kings Park using state funds secured by Assemblyman Joseph Morelle - Yes, he "secured" them from taxpayers. State funds. Grants. Whatever you call it, it is our tax money from NY State, that is going to pay a lease to people who do not live in our community in NY State. That makes sense.

The Town has no plans to sell the Pinegrove building - that's why they've been talking to the WISD about them being interested in buying the building. If they do buy it, you can just about guarantee that your school taxes will be raised to make the necessary repairs to the building. "New" taxes.


At least this one didn't say "VOTE YES" - that's because this particular mailer pushing the pork agenda is paid for by the taxpayer.

Your 3 minutes are up! Ding!

Great public input from this resident!



Let's see.....this resident had something to say - not all of it was puppies and rainbows - then was interrupted and scolded by the Supervisor that her three minutes were up......yet...other people get to speak longer without being interrupted, sometimes for 9 minutes!

I.D.C. hearts Mailers

The latest political mailers to infiltrate your mailboxes are as follows:
(Aren't you glad I don't infiltrate your mailboxes? I just invite you here, if you want to read....g'head. If not.....no biggie.)



Not only is Pinegrove unsafe, it has now reduced square footage to the size of a phone booth! *cough cough lies cough cough* Notice the "Pinegrove" on the booth. Isn't that cute?

This mailer states in the top left corner that it was paid for by the:

Irondequoit Seniors First Committee
3098 St. Paul Blvd.
Rochester, N.Y. 14617

Guess who's address that is?



Guess what Irena Scoglio does?


David Seeley, who used to be paid by Irondequoit taxpayers when he worked for the Supervisor is the Leader, and Irena Scoglio is the Chair, of the Irondequoit Democratic Committee. Did Irena pay for this out of her own pocket, or was the IDC involved in having these mailers printed up?

Wait a sec.....Irena is also the Vice President of the Library Board.


Hey, that reminds me of something.....





I love the title of this side:

FEBRUARY 24th - A NEW SENIOR CENTER BECOMES A REALITY...IF YOU SAY SO!

Folks, do you know WHY you can "SAY SO"?

Is it because of the IDC that you have a say?

No.

Is it because of the Supervisor, or the Town Board that you have a say?

No.

Is it because of people who went door to door, during the frigid cold weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, to collect signatures to petition a referendum on this SO YOU COULD HAVE A SAY!

Why YES! That is exactly why you can "SAY SO" on February 24th! The Supervisor and Town Board weren't going to do that for you.

The Town Board voted unanimously in November at one of their board meetings to move the Senior Center to King's Park using borrowed CDBG funds from other necessary grants. They were not going to give you an "If You Say So". They just did a "We Say So".

If not for those people going out to collect 1,952 signatures to force a vote on this, you would not have a say in this at all. Thanks go out to those people. Seriously.

"It's no secret that Pinegrove has been falling apart for years."

No kidding? The residents have only asked you a gazillion times to fix it. Instead, you refuse to, cutting the CDBG funding from your budget for Pinegrove repairs. Also, if it has been falling apart for years, why didn't you fix it? Where was Joe Morelle with his generous "gift" of taxpayer money from grants way back when?

"Right now, as you're reading this, certain rooms there are freezing cold because the heating system is broken."

Yes, and somewhere, at 3 am, a phone is ringing..........

Good grief!

The heating system is broken? Fix it!
Certain rooms? Are they the rooms that the seniors use? Or is it where the Parks Dept. offices were? Or where the kids go for crafts, and fun? Where the adults go for hot beverages after a moonlight snowshoe? Is it the room where the Macular Degeneration people meet? Where the Red Cross gives babysitting classes? Where the Irondequoit Art Club meets? Where the Winter Fun day is going to be? Which "certain rooms" are you talking about?

"Even if we fix up Pinegrove - it's too small and too old for Irondequoit's Senior population - the largest in Monroe County!"

Well, you could use CDBG funds to add a second floor like Greece has, WITH a fancy elevator too! Double that footprint! How many seniors utilize the center? Do many of them go to Florida for the long winter? Where is the data on demographics? Senior population hubs?

"Relocating the senior center to a centralized location..........space twice as big as Pinegrove........more accessible.....heat works......no new taxes!"

Pinegrove is exactly THREE MILES from that asphalt jungle King's Park. Pinegrove is about as "central" as King's Park is "central" in Irondequoit..

If you add on to the Pinegrove building, you could get twice as much space as you have now, covered under CDBG grants, and you'd OWN the building, and not be paying rent to out of state landlords.

Pinegrove is just as accessible as King's Park is.

The heat and A/C could work at Pinegrove, but the Town cut the funding to Pinegrove to fix it, which would have been covered under CDBG.

No new taxes? Grants are taxes. If you sell the building back to WISD, they will raise the school budget to repair the building, and the school taxes will go up.

"February 24th - Seniors Come First!"

Again, where have you people been? The past 3 years (and more) everyone and their mother were telling you to fix up Pinegrove. Instead you cut the funding for Pinegrove for repairs covered under CDBG.

You've cut $100,000 from the library budget too. Are you ever going to get around to fixing them up? Or will you sit on that issue until it's "too late" and you vote unanimously to move the libraries to King's Park as well?

Honestly. You people are so transparent that you make Scotch Tape jealous.

I Think I'm In Love

This man is a senior, who is tellin' it like it is. I love him!

Who Owns King's Pork?

King's Pork is owned by HRPT Properties Trust. Their company profile states, in part;

Company Profile

HRPT Properties Trust is a real estate investment trust, or REIT, which primarily owns office buildings located throughout the United States. We have a large concentration of properties leased to the U.S. Government and other tenants with good credit characteristics. We also own approximately 17 million square feet of leased commercial and industrial lands located in Oahu, Hawaii.

HRP was founded in 1986 and went public on the New York Stock Exchange as a REIT that owned healthcare related properties. In the 1990’s we transformed into an office REIT by selling healthcare assets and buying office buildings. During this time, we also formed two subsidiary REITs: Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT), a REIT that owns hotels, and Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH), a REIT that primarily owns healthcare properties. HPT and SNH became separate public companies in 1995 and 1999, respectively.

HRPT Properties Trust is managed by Reit Management & Research LLC (RMR).

What is an REIT?

" Overview of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

A real estate investment trust, or REIT, is a company that owns, and in some cases, operates income producing real estate such as offices, hotels, healthcare facilities, apartments, shopping centers, etc. In order to qualify to be a REIT, a company must distribute annually at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. REITs generally pay little or no corporate income taxes because they are able to deduct dividends from their taxable earnings.

The United States Congress created REITs in 1960 to make investments in large scale, income producing real estate accessible to smaller investors. Investors in REITs may benefit from greater diversification through investing in a portfolio of properties, rather than a single building, and by having their investment managed by experienced real estate professionals.

REITs are total return investments and they typically provide high dividends plus the potential for moderate, long term capital appreciation. Generally, long term total returns which can be realized by ownership of REIT stocks are likely to be somewhat less than the returns of higher risk high growth stocks and somewhat more than the returns of lower risk bonds. "

They own some property in the Rochester area.



Their business "strategy" is to lease primarily to government or medical tenants, because they lease longer, are more likely to pay on time, and are less affected by economic changes etc. Basically, they lease to these entities to guarantee they make a profit.

Part of their investment "strategy":

"We do not seek “turn around” or “reposition” properties and we generally do not invest in joint ventures or off balance sheet entities. We generally do not undertake speculative development, but we sometimes do build to suit projects to accommodate existing tenants or for new tenants on land we own. Although we sometimes sell properties, we generally consider ourselves to be a long term investor more interested in diversifying our investment portfolio than to sell properties for short term gains."

HRPT Properties Trust is managed by an REIT, who answers to shareholders. They are in this to make money, like most landlords. Only....they don't operate in our state - their corporate headquarters are in Newton, MA. They just lease properties to governments that use taxpayer money to pay the rent.

They are making a large profit, not because you as a citizen decided to patronize them, but because your government decided to patronize them. You don't have a choice, apparently.

Joe Morelle thinks this move is "financially viable". So much so that he is generously giving away $125,000 of taxpayer money in the form of a grant for the move.

Isn't that nice of him?

Ever wonder who donates to campaigns? Ever wonder who was a big contributor to Morelle's campaign?

Why, it's Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate. Isn't that great?




Awwwwwwww, friends should grease each others palms like that. The world would be a better place, wouldn't it? Gives me the warm fuzzies -n- stuff.