RAVENA-COEYMANS-SELKIRK — Here are more images from the RCS Indians’ game Friday night against Mechanicville/Hoosic Valley.
The Indians picked up another win by a score of 41-6.
Thanks to photographer Jennifer Kennedy for all the photos!
By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
RAVENA — After standing vacant for about two decades, a local eyesore has been sold and will be redeveloped by a new owner.
Mayor Bill Misuraca announced at the Oct. 17 meeting of the village board that the deal on the long-vacant site officially closed and repairs to the roof have begun.
“The old Bush’s hardware store has officially sold and the closing occurred, and the new owners have equipment there,” Misuraca said. “They got their permits for the roof demolition and rebuild, which is their first step, so it’s nice to see that they’re progressing quickly.”
Bush’s hardware store, at 159 Main St. in the village, is across the street from the Ravena post office and has been vacant for many years. Village officials have been working to figure out what to do with the site, which was becoming progressively more dilapidated over time.
The building was purchased by Chris Gallagher of Gallagher & Company, a real estate firm specializing in commercial and industrial properties, with offices in Albany and Windham. Gallagher could not be reached for comment at press time.
Misuraca said the company purchased the former hardware store with the goal of rehabilitating it.
“The current owner, Gallagher, rehabs buildings for a living,” the mayor said. “He plans to make living space upstairs, a complete remodel and restoration of the entire building. The downstairs will be what he calls a ‘vanilla box,’ completely set up and ready for any number of offices or professional space to move into. He seems to have a very solid plan; he has done similar projects in Albany with great success.”
Another long-vacant and abandoned building on Main Street may also get a new owner and a facelift. That property, too, has posed a challenge for the village as it has stood damaged and vacant for many years.
“In another bit of good news, the other vacant apartments across from the firehouse on Main Street are in contract right now to sell to a new owner,” Misuraca said. “That owner knows where we’re at with the enforcement process and is ready to make very fast moves to improve those properties and get them up to code and habitable again, so these are two big moves happening and we are glad to see that.”
A third building on Main Street is also in the village’s sights — the building at 136 Main St., across the street from the veterans’ monument, which has also been vacant for many years. The structure was built in 1950, according to online property records, and over the years housed various restaurants and bars, including Sandy’s Tavern, Wingnuts, and The Lighthouse.
The building has stood vacant for a long time and is in poor condition. For years, there was an “Auction” sign posted in the window, but the building never sold and was slated for demolition by Albany County, but so far, no action has been taken.
“We have been negotiating with the county, who are the current owners, to get some progress on this one next,” Misuraca said. “They promised to tear it down several years ago, but that has not happened. Our lawyers are actively working on this.”
By George McHugh
Coeymans Town Supervisor
Happy New Year! 2023 is going to be a great year for Coeymans!
Due to popular demand and positive feedback from our residents, we will be sending out a town newsletter every other month, to continue our goal of keeping our constituents informed and being more transparent than ever before. This will ensure that the residents of Coeymans are kept abreast of what is going on within their local government, and keep you updated on the exciting plans and projects currently underway and being planned.
Here is a summary of some of the things going on in Coeymans.
TOWN PARKS
Our $1.4 million capital project at the Coeymans Landing Riverfront Park is substantially complete, thanks to grant funds from the state, resulting in our town park being one of the crown jewels of Coeymans and a destination location for many in the region.
An official ribbon cutting ceremony for the park upgrades is being planned for the spring.
And as we plan for spring, our engineers and planners are busy putting the finishing touches on the plans for permanent bathroom facilities to be constructed in Joralemon Park and Coeymans Landing Riverfront Park starting in April 2023. Our town parks have never looked better.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Under the leadership of Chief Marc Tryon, the Coeymans Police Department continues to protect and serve our residents, and provide community policing while working in concert with fellow law enforcement agencies at the county, state and federal levels.
Thanks to our partner, Albany County Sheriff Craig D. Apple, Sr., a sheriff’s substation was established in the hamlet of Coeymans in 2020, which doubled patrols and public safety in Coeymans at no additional cost to the town.
Today, Coeymans residents and taxpayers enjoy a level of public safety unlike that of any time before in the history of our town. The town board continues to make public safety one of our highest priorities, and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
The town board, together with officers from the Ravena Rescue Squad, are currently taking the legal steps necessary to form a townwide Ambulance District for the residents of Coeymans. If successful, the new ambulance district will provide our Rescue Squad with the structure to sustain their workforce, and continue their growth into the future to ensure that emergency medical services shall remain intact for the residents of our town for decades to come.
As so many of our neighboring communities are finding it challenging to maintain emergency medical services for their residents, Coeymans is taking steps to improve and expand services townwide.
BROADBAND INTERNET
Through the coordinated efforts of the town board and State Telephone, over 4 miles of broadband internet fiber has been expanded to the residents of Starr Road and Bushendorf Road, at no expense to town taxpayers.
Mid-Hudson Cablevision is continuing its work to install fiber along Lindskoog Road and the surrounding area, to ensure that the homes in this part of Coeymans enjoy high-speed internet.
The goal of providing reliable, high-speed internet to all properties within the town shall remain a top priority of this administration until 100% broadband coverage throughout Coeymans is achieved.
WATER/SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE
Over the past year, the town and village worked together to expand the hamlet sewer and water districts, to provide much-needed infrastructure to the industrial areas of Coeymans, in an effort to accommodate the offshore wind project and bring hundreds of new jobs to Coeymans.
Albany County Economic Development has designated the top industrial shovel-ready sites in the county and two out of the three top sites are in the town of Coeymans.
We continue to work towards replacing our outdated and defective sewer lines in the hamlet sewer district and apply for grants that will help offset the cost of the new and much-needed infrastructure.
ROUTE 9W SIDEWALKS PROJECT
Currently, the town board and village board, together with financial assistance from Assemblyman Chris Tague and engineering by the town engineers at MJ Engineering, are working on planning and constructing sidewalks along Route 9W, from the Greene County line to the Crossroads Ford dealership.
Planning of the sidewalks has already commenced and construction shall be in phases, with the crosswalks at the intersection of Routes 9W and 143 already underway by the state. It is our goal to have a comprehensive sidewalk plan and construction drawings complete some time in 2023.
TOWN HALL
Unfortunately, the condition of our town hall remains a health and safety issue for our employees, with unsafe levels of airborne mold spores infiltrating the entire lower level of the building as a result of drainage and water seepage. As a result, the town board has been forced to relocate some of the staff to temporary office facilities until such time as remediation and repairs are able to be made.
The displaced departments include the Building Department, Assessor’s Office, Supervisor’s Office, Business Office, and Police Department. Our engineers and environmental experts are presently working on a remedy so our staff will ultimately be able to safely return to their offices once the remediation and construction work is complete.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
As the town board looks towards 2023 and beyond, we will continue our work with our partners in Albany County, along with local investors, to expedite the foreclosure process on some of our abandoned and rundown “zombie properties,” so they may be restored or replaced, and brought back on the tax rolls.
The town of Coeymans tax rate is 9% lower today than it was on Jan. 1, 2020, when I took office, and it continues to be the lowest municipal tax currently paid by Coeymans residents, business owners and property owners.
Coeymans is open for business! With its shovel-ready sites, a low tax rate, critical infrastructure in place and a workforce second to none, it is no wonder why Coeymans has been identified by many global industries as the place to come and establish their headquarters, bringing new tax revenue and jobs to our community.
Thank you for the honor and privilege of being able to continue to serve as your town supervisor, God bless all of you, and God bless the town of Coeymans.
