Citizens Take a Stand.

Concerned citizens take opposing views in two of the cases brought before Albany’s Board of Zoning Appeals yesterday.

The first three cases breezed in the stuffy board room with no objections, but tension was building in the tightly packed audience. The citizens waiting to speak grew steadily with people coming from all generations, wanting their voices to be heard.

When the representative from the Fort Orange Club on Washington Avenue went before the Board to propose an extension of their parking lot quietness came over the meeting. Board member Joseph E. Ray III slowly took off his glasses slightly resting his head on his forefinger, patiently waiting to hear what this young man in a sleek suit had to say.

His proposal was to expand the current parking lot of 51 spaces to 73, in order “to accommodate two-lane traffic.” However, in order for the expansion two office buildings, owned by Fort Orange, would have to be destroyed. The representative further explained that this expansion would “enhance the landscape as well as increasing visibility while driving.”

Looking around at the disapproving faces of the audience members shaking their heads in retort, it was apparent the citizens of the Center Square Community were not impressed.

Lynne Jackson, a near by neighbor of the Fort Orange Club, was the second to speak in protest. She wished to “voice upmost and absolute objection to the Club’s proposal,” stating these businessmen needed to “come down from their high horses.” “Why can’t they ride the bus like the rest of us?”

Like Jackson, Richard Berkley, representative of the Hudson Park Neighborhood Association also objected to Fort Orange’s proposal. “We can always tear down buildings and add more parking,” Berkley told the six board members before him, “but we can’t re-create buildings.”

Once Berkley was finished Chairman of the Board G Michael Apostol patiently waited for anymore objections before he closed the case until the Board had time to make a thorough decision carefully weighing both sides of the argument.

As soon as Chairman Apostol’s mallet hit the rich wooden bench the doors of the Common Council Chamber swung open with a harsh snap. The citizens who had been patiently waiting outside to speak in behalf of the Harriet Tubman Free School had entered.

The Harriet Tubman Free School is a small inner-city school located at 59 Elizabeth Street, and is currently home to 35 individually recruited students. The proposal put before the Board was to expand the school to include the park next door, creating more space to teach and learn.

With this proposal the mood seemed to lighten throughout the Board room. The board members smiled at the students timid enthusiasm to have their school enlarged, encouraging them to speak their minds. “It’s good for us to have the school, to have a building to stand and work in,” Alexandria Sutter, a 9th grader at the school, said.

Parents and active community members, such as Chris Mercogliamo, also came out to show their support. “It’s the perfect home that they need to put down roots and grow,” Mercogliamo said, “It’s an extremely positive influence on the entire community.”

After hearing what the community had to say the board members immediately deliberated. When the six “I’s” were heard in approval a roar of cheering and applause broke out in the audience, engulfing the once dismal board room into a place of celebration.



P.S. I did take pictures during this put the editing program I have won't let me open .CR2 (raw) files so I won't be able to access them until I go to the photolab tomorrow.