From green space to gathering place

It’s
a rare day when citizens approach their government and ask to be taxed. But
that’s exactly what the South Wedge Planning Committee is doing.

            The group has approached Rochester City
Council with a petition and a proposal to create a special tax assessment
district. The extra revenue from the district — located around the
intersection of South Avenue and Alexander
Street — would help pay for the upkeep of a
small green space there (pictured) that SWPC hopes to improve. An inner ring of
properties would see their assessment increase by 40 cents per $1,000 of
assessed value, while an outer section would pay half that.

            Last month, while the proposal was
winding its way through committee, owners of about 60 percent of the affected
property, and a little less than half of the total number of lots, had signed
the petition. That’s within the city’s guidelines for establishing such a
district.

            “I think those numbers are pretty
impressive given the diverse ownership in the area,” says SWPC Executive
Director Dan Buyer.

            If the proposal receives city hall’s
blessing later this month, construction could begin by October, says Buyer. The
green space has existed at the intersection since the city took over ownership
in the 1980s. Armed with state, city and arts council grants, SWPC is hoping to
spruce up the place with paving stones, decorative arches, and game tables
(with chess and checker boards) among other improvements. “The concept of the
park is really to create a gathering place,” he says.

            The improvements are part of a
bigger vision for the area, says Buyer. “It’s not just an effort for that one
green space; it’s an effort to revitalize the entire Wedge Point neighborhood,”
he says. “It’s one piece that really goes into having an attractive community.”

—
KrestiaDeGeorge

Prozac
nation

This
little late-July blurb from Reuters just seems too good not to share:

            During a telephone conversation with
a reporter about job quality, a campaign
worker for President Bush suggested American workers unhappy with their
jobs should find new ones, or just pop the prescription anti-depressant Prozac.

            Apparently, the
comment was directed to a colleague who was transferring the reporter’s phone call.
And the reporter just happened to overhear the remark. When confronted by the
reporter, the staffer, Susan Sheybani, said “Oh, I
was just kidding.”

            Pretty funny stuff. At least all those dissatisfied working
Americans can have something to laugh about as they go out and grab new work.
And if that doesn’t happen easily, they can always plop some of their
hard-earned money down for a Prozac prescription.

            In fact, the Prozac might come in
handy when these workers realize how stiff the competition for employment is
these days. Nearly 1.1 million jobs have been lost since Bush took office in
January 2001.

Goodbye,
casino

It
was a thrilling run. But Rochester’s dreams (or nightmares) of a downtown casino came crashing down last
week, with reports out of Albany that settlement talks between the state and
two Indian tribes — the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and the Cayuga Nation
of New York — had unraveled.

            News that Rochester
could become home to a downtown casino began surfacing several months ago, with
reports that the local commercial real-estate development firm Wilmorite had begun bankrolling the Seneca-Cayugas. Wilmorite owns several
area suburban malls like Eastview. It also owns the SibleyBuilding,
and owes the city more than $13 million in taxes, delinquent loans, and late
fees on that property.

            The
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe wanted to replace MidtownPlaza
with a casino and put a hotel and gambling facilities across Main
Street in and around the SibleyBuilding,
effectively removing both properties from the tax rolls. As part of the deal,
the tribe would also build a 2,800-seat performing arts center.

            Shortly after the
downtown casino plans were made public, Governor George Pataki said he was not
negotiating for a Rochester
casino. Then, in a bizarre attempt to play newsmaker, the Democrat and Chronicle had the polling company Zogby
International issue a poll simply asking MonroeCounty
residents if they favored a casino in their county.

            Fifty-one percent
of the respondents said they did. Only 38 percent said they didn’t.

            And the D&C took the information from its
poll to write an editorial about how the County
of Monroe
is indeed interested in a Rochester
casino. Meanwhile, talks between the tribes and the state were dissolving. And
now it appears that the land claims will have to be settled in court.

School Band-Aid

State
legislators unveiled a school-aid
proposal Monday that would give Rochester nearly $25
million more than last year — but $8 million less than district officials say
is needed. The district is also receiving $7 million less from city hall than
it asked for, so district officials will be scrambling to find further cuts in
a budget that’s already considered by some to be about as sparse as can be.

            The aid is part of the latest-ever
state budget. Governor George Pataki said Monday he expected it to pass this
week, but disagreements over spending in other sections of the budget still
remain. City school officials have not said how they plan to reduce their
budget to bring it in line with the new figures.

Deep
freeze

Just
over a week after Maggie Brooks’ Budget Advisory Team released its
recommendations, the county executive announced a county-wide hiring freeze.

            Brooks has already introduced legislation
to change the county’s budget process, implementing the first of the group’s
“key recommendations” (see “The Pressure’s On,” City Newspaper,August 4-10). The second of those called for 400 to 500 county
jobs to be slashed. There are 626 full- and part-time positions unfilled,
according to a press release from Brooks’ office.

            The press release makes no mention
of a connection to the team’s report, From
Crisis to Stability, but includes a quote from Brooks parroting its title:
“As we work to emerge from crisis to stability, a hiring freeze will impose
necessary fiscal and budgetary discipline to ensure that the only positions
filled are those which are absolutely necessary.” Monroe County Communications
Director Larry Staub did not return phone calls
Monday afternoon.

            Some exceptions to the freeze might
be made for health and public safety positions, if department heads can
demonstrate that they’re essential. Brooks could be facing a 2004 budget
deficit of about $25 million according to some estimates.

This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2004.