Search Results for: Cross Street

Garage Sale Sucess!

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A snow-covered field near Crossgates Mall may become a battleground over the effect of building in the Pine Bush and on that ecologically fragile area’s bellwether symbol, the Karner blue butterfly. Environmentalists are trying to fend off the nation’s largest independent hotel developer, which wants about four acres west of the mall’s movie theaters for a 124-room project. A fight is brewing because that site along Washington Avenue Extension is next to a protected preserve — surrounded by the mall…

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Land Crunch in the Pine Bush

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Land Crunch in the Pine Bush Land Crunch in the Pine Bush by John Wolcott We’d Rather Have Been Wrong Save the Pine Bush knew that unresolved difference between development desires and acquisition wish lists were heading toward a major clash in the Pine Bush. Even so the present situation of 85 "hot spots" has taken us by surprise in its extent and immediacy. It proves us more right than we thought we were, whereas we’d rather have been wrong…

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No Credit Given – A Letter From the Commission No Credit Given A Letter From the Commission By Daniel Van Riper In their latest newsletter the Albany Pine Bush Management Commission gives credit for the rehabilitation of the parcel of land off Apollo Drive that used to be a truck parking lot to 3 corporations, 4 municipalities, 2 state offices, the Girl Scouts and the Nature Conservancy. Somehow Commission Director Willie Janeway forgot to mention that this land would now…

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Woodsfields Estates – Houses that Should Not Be Built

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by Lynne Jackson Seventy- five houses are proposed for this 100 acre site in the western most part of the remaining Pine Bush in Guilderland, the last parcel of the largest roadless area in the Pine bush. This proposal, named “Woodsfields Estates” after what it will destroy, is part of the largest roadless area remaining in the Pine Bush in Guilderland. The Planning Board of the Town of Guilderland is the Lead Agency for the Woodsfields Estates proposal and will…

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Town of Guilderland Wants to Build Soccer Fields

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At the same Town Board meeting where the Board passed a zoning amendment prohibiting commercial soccer fields in residentially zoned areas, the Town Board heard a presentation by its director of parks about the town’s own proposed soccer fields in the Pine Bush. The zoning amendment passed by the Town Board specifically prohibits commercial soccer fields, but allows town facilities in residentially zoned areas. The town proposes to build 10 outdoor soccer fields on the 100-acre site which the town…

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How fares the Karner Blue?

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by Lynne Jackson The first part of this series was printed in the February/March, 2005 newsletter and is a summary of a presentation given by Neil Gifford at the October, 2004 SPB lasagna dinner. The Karner Blue Butterfly Federal Recovery Plan has three priorities. In New York State, scientists are focussing on priority one, which is doing those things necessary to prevent extinction of or the irreversible decline of the species, everything from monitoring populations to creating and implementing a…

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Historic Action 02-01-07 Historic Action, February 1, 2007 Historic Action Network sponsored a walk from the Riverside Club and Freihofer Building in Lansingburg, across the 112th Street bridge to Waterford to show the connection between these beautiful historic buildings and the Hudson River. More than 30 people participated. Historic Action Network believes these buildings should be preserved. Home Rally Taling to the TV John Wolcott and Steve Downs Russell Ziemba Speaks Russell Ziemba Speaks Russell Ziemba Speaks Russell Ziemba advocates…

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Montreal Eco-tourism

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Montreal Eco-tourism Montreal Eco-tourism by Gregg Bell Editor’s Note: Gregg Bell is a founder of Save the Pine Bush, who is now on the Planning Board of Ithaca, NY. In addition to all of the great cultural, eating, shopping, architectural and general joie de vivre reasons to visit Montréal, there is another – the environment. That’s right. Anyone interested in the environment of the Pine Bush would enjoy three environmental attractions in the center of the French metropolis to our…

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Man charged in bird-killing Albany

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DINA CAPPIELLO Staff writer State Route 155 — a k a New Karner Road — may not be as aptly named as you might think. The four-mile-long thoroughfare — which cuts through the heart of the 2,700-plus-acre Pine Bush Preserve — disrupts the movement of Karner blue butterflies crossing the road to mate with others, according to a new study by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. Genetic variety is essential to sustain limited populations in fragmented habitats like Pine…

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A Journey to Nabokov’s Karner, New York – a Conservation Dilemma

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  A recent date to speak about Nabokov’s blues in Albany, New York — the state’s capital — afforded me a chance to visit what is left of old “Karner”, New York. Karner is the little hamlet that, in common parlance, has attached its name to Nabokov’s famous endangered species Lycaeides melissa samuelis, the “Karner Blue”. Karner got the nod for samuelis’s common name because Nabokov chose specimens of samuelis from Karner for his type series (the specimens he used…

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Save the Pine Bush

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by John Wolcott The next piece in the puzzle of “Where is Trader’s Hill?” is an amazing very old parchment map in the Albany City Engineer’s collection. It is the only map known to show Margriets Bergh, and was drawn in January 1773 by Jeremiah Van Rensselaer from a survey done by himself in 1772. This survey and map were ordered by the City in an effort to correct a series of mistakes in a former survey of it’s bounds….

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Save the Pine Bush

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The Army Corps of Engineers extended the comment period on their review of the wetlands that will be destroyed if the proposed landfill in the Pine Bush is constructed. Bert wrote an excellent letter outlining many of the problems of expanding the landfill. The deadline for comments was March 5 and the letter was sent to Heidi Firstencel, US Army Corps of Engineers, NY District: CENAN-OP-R, Upstate Regulatory Field Office, 1 Buffington Street, Blg 10, 3rd Fl, Watervliet, New York…

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Save the Pine Bush Goes to the Appellate Division Over Butterflies in Clifton Park

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On February 15, oral argument was held in the appeal by Save the Pine Bush and 11 people who sued the Town of Clifton Park Planning Board in September 2006 after the board gave approval to seven industrial warehouses and hundreds of parking spaces adjacent to and in Karner blue butterfly habitat. The plaintiffs were all denied standing by Acting state Supreme Court Justice, Barry Kramer who granted the Town’s and developer’s motions to dismiss the case in November 2006….

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Being Green Isn’t Good Enough Anymore – James Hoard Kunstler Speaks

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by Emily Corcione ALBANY: “Being green isn’t good enough anymore.”  That was the message of Mr. James Howard Kunstler, who spoke at the Save the Pine Bush dinner on February 18, 2004.  His speech focused on how we can best honor the public realm in America.  The public realm, which functions as “the physical manifestation of the common good and the actual physical container to our civic life,” primarily takes the form of the street in America.  Mr. Kunstler believes…

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Charette a Charade

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by Lynne Jackson SCHENECTADY: Volunteers for Save the Pine Bush (SPB) were invited by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to participate in a charette regarding eliminating the at-grade crossings at Morris and Cordell Roads in Colonie. The stated goal of the charette was to come up with ideas to allow safe passage of high-speed trains through the Pine Bush by eliminating the dangerous at-grade crossings. Volunteers for SPB were told over and over that DOT had no…

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City Plans More Destruction of the Pine Bush

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At the January CANA (Capital Area Neighborhood Association) meeting, Jerry Jennings announced that, unless the City of Albany gets its landfill approved in Coeymans, it will look for another landfill expansion at the current landfill site, into the former Fox Run Mobile Home Park. As a requirement by the Department of Environmental Conservation for the permit for the last landfill expansion, the City of Albany purchased and agreed to add the former Fox Run Mobile Home Park to the Preserve….

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SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road

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SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road by Lynne Jackson Last summer, Judge Thomas Keegan handed down a win for Save the Pine Bush overturning a vote by the Common Council to make the "Loop Road" or Columbia Circle Drive a public road. The problem is, the Common Council is going to vote again, perhaps in the next couple of weeks. This road is a disaster for the Pine Bush. The road was…

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Save the Pine Bush

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Download a PDF of this letter Richard Nicholson, Planner City of Albany, Dept. of Economic Development & Neighborhood Planning 21 Lodge Street Albany, NY 12207 Re: Supplemental ~Draft-Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) Tharaidson Development Company Proposed Residence Inn project City of Albany, Albany County Dear Mr. Nicholson: Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) staff reviewed the SDEIS for this project which was accepted by the SEQR Lead Agency on June 16, 2008 and we have the following comments pertaining to that document….

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Dunn Landfill

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RENSSELAER, NY: Until mid-March, when the coronavirus slowed organizing efforts, the Rensselaer Environmental Coalition (REC) continued making steady progress towards its goal of closing the Dunn construction and demolition debris landfill in Rensselaer. This 99-acre operation is located right next to the Rensselaer public school campus, and between Rensselaer and East Greenbush neighborhoods. In response to considerable community pressure, and perhaps to avoid holding a public hearing, the NYS departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Health (DOH), held an”availability session”…

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City Strangles Downtown Growth

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City Strangles Downtown Growth City Strangles Downtown Growth Yet Council Encourages Suburban Sprawl By Daniel Van Riper As far as Save the Pine Bush can determine, the City of Albany Common Council has not denied a single application by any large corporate entity that has wanted to erect buildings in the Pine Bush for more than 20 years. At the same time, both the Council and the Board of Zoning Appeals routinely turn down applications by small businesses that want…

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Roman Catholic Diocese Proposes – Senior Housing in the Pine Bush – Karner Blue in Serious Trouble

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Roman Catholic Diocese Proposes Senior Housing in the Pine Bush Karner Blue in Serious Trouble It is with great sadness that Save the Pine Bush reports that the Roman Catholic Diocese has proposed Avila House Independent Senior Campus in the Pine Bush. This proposed housing would be located behind the Teresian House on Washington Avenue Extension, on an ideal spot for Karner Blue habitat. It is not too late to oppose the development Ñ no approvals have been given yet….

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Exploring Bus Service to the Pine Bush

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Exploring Bus Service to the Pine Bush Exploring Bus Service to the Pine Bush by John Wolcott One can reach the Pine Bush from Albany by bus. However, it is, at one point, difficult and unsafe. At another point, it is awkward, and, as yet, uncertain. A couple of weeks ago, I tested part of the bus system in person. I took the Number 12 Crossgates bus to Wall-Mart on the Washington Avenue Extension. This is the nearest stop to…

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DEC Should Enforce the Rules

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by Tom Ellis New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos responded to a March 4 Albany Times Union editorial with a letter to the editor ten days later. The editorial titled, “Weak fines, weak message,” strongly criticized the DEC’s “spotty record on cracking down on local environmental violations.” Specifically discussed were the Colonie Landfill, the Port of Coeymans, and the Dunn construction and demolition (C&D) debris landfill in Rensselaer. The editorial stated: “To be a useful compliance…

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DEC’s Top Brass Must Suffer from Anosmia Update on the Dunn Landfill

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by Tom Ellis RENSSELAER, NY: While participating in a ninety-minute January 16 meeting with four top NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials at their Albany office to discuss worsening problems with the Dunn Landfill at the east end of Partition Street in Rensselaer, I concluded some of DEC’s top brass must suffer from anosmia, an inability to smell. Residents from across Rensselaer and parts of East Greenbush described in excruciating detail the dump odors, that, over the past eighteen…

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Steve Downs Tells the Legal History of Save the Pine Bush at SPB’s 40th Birthday Party —Part 1

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Lynne Jackson, a volunteer for Save the Pine Bush, gave a brief introduction and described how SPB started. On the night of February 6, 1978, as the “Blizzard of 78” was pounding the Capital District, a couple dozen brave souls nevertheless ventured to the Albany Public Library to speak out at a public hearing on four proposed developments in the Pine Bush. Prior the the hearing, a few people met first at an old fashioned…

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Residents Object to Polluting Trucks

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by Tom Ellis Rensselaer City residents began meeting last spring after enduring five years of up to 100 huge trucks per day five days a week traverse downtown streets en-route to a construction and demolition debris (C&D) dump at the east end of Partition Street. About 30 residents met September 28 at the Rensselaer public library to share information and intensify their campaign to have the trucks removed from downtown. Whether residents will demand a closure of the dump located…

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Don Reeb — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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by Tom Ellis   ALBANY, NY: Retired University at Albany economics professor and McKownville Improvement Association president Don Reeb was the speaker at the November 18 SPB dinner.  Don spoke about SUNY Poly — formerly College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE): The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  Don is 82 years old.  He said the neighborhood contain 900 houses and the neighborhood association has a $300 annual budget.  He said only forty percent of registered voters in county legislature districts 3 and 4 voted in November.  He makes…

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The Unforeseen Consequences of Tobacco

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  Most people view cigarettes as a health problem, but they are a huge environmental problem as well. The entire life cycle of a cigarette has an impact on the environment – from growing the tobacco to throwing away the butt. Tobacco Farming -Tobacco cultivation is responsible for a myriad of environmental problems, including land and water pollution due to pesticides as well as deforestation.  Tobacco plants are prone to many insect pests, and therefore tobacco farmers are forced to…

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Don Reeb Speaks to Save the Pine Bush

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by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: After a rousing introduction by Carol Waterman, Don Reeb spoke at the February 19 SPB dinner about “Cities and the Environment.” Don, now 80 years young, is a retired University at Albany economics professor, was co-leader of the Stop Crossgates mall campaign, and has been President of the McKownville Improvement Association for many years.  He said he can remember the Depression well. He is one of 11 children; the family lived in a three-room apartment,…

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Save the Pine Bush Turns 35 in February

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by Lynne Jackson     On February 6, 2013, Save the Pine Bush will be 35. I wanted to reprint the story of our formation (the extended version can be found on the website, http://www.savethepinebush.org) Save the Pine Bush came into being on February 6, 1978. It snowed that day. It snowed so much that the offices of the New York State government closed down and stayed closed the next day. This is the only time that I remember in the…

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Composting of Food Waste in Charleston, South Carolina

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by William Engleman   CLIFTON PARK, NY: At the Wood Road “south” habitat site of the Karner blue butterfly in the Town of Clifton Park in 1978, there were thousands of Karner blues, according to a study done by researchers John Cryan and Robert Dirig, who discovered this site in 1975. In 1989, Dr. Dale Schweitzer estimated that these two sites plus another nearby site located south of Ushers Road which he discovered, contained about 600 Karner blues that year. He…

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Time for the City of Albany to Enforce the Pesticide Ordinance

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It has been said that environmental problems are often the result of bad government. That certainly is true in the case of the Pesticide Ordinance enacted by the City of Albany in 1998. One of the issues at hand at the time the ordinance was written was the use of pesticides in bodies of water within the City. That, apparently, was how the Water Department and its Commissioner, Robert Cross, got involved. The Ordinance was enacted by the Albany Common…

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Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines from the Preserve Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines Press Releases Press Conference on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 AM Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve Land For Immediate Release: August 7, 1998 For Further Information: Please Contact: Lewis Oliver at 463-7962 or Lynne Jackson at 434-1954   PRESS CONFERENCE & PHOTO OPPORTUNITY Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve on Monday, August…

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Books for Butterflies

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Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 PM, Town Hall in Guilderland on Route 20. Seventy- five houses are proposed for this site, the last parcel of the largest roadless area in the Pine bush. Three parcels make up the western section of the largest roadless area, the DeCaprio Farm site, the site of the proposed Lone Pine 7 housing development, and this 100 acre site. Located south of East Lydius Street and north of Old State Road, this area is approximately…

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Oral Argument in Hotel Case Heard in Appellate Division

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Go directly to Common Council Members Download a PDF of this announcement ALBANY: Tharaldson Development Company of North Dakota, wants to construct a Residence Inn Mariott hotel on Washington Avenue Extension, adjacent to a known Karner Blue butterfly site and a site that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service recognizes as occupied by Karner Blues. Sound familiar? Save the Pine Bush has been fighting this development since the hotel project was first proposed in 2003. We won in NYS Supreme…

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Overview of Climate Crisis and NY Renews

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by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY Mark Schaeffer of 350.org and Conor Bambrick of Environmental Advocates (EA) spoke at the September 21 SPB dinner about the climate crises and the need for a political climate change. Mark led off saying pre-industrial age atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were 280 part per million (ppm) and today are 400+ ppm, in part the result of years of inaction resulting from decades of disinformation by the fossil fuel industry, including Exxon. He said we…

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Save the Pine Bush

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April 17, 2001 Supervisor Runion, Members of the Council, Ladies & Gentlemen: Thank you for letting me speak tonight My name is Candace Lider and I live near the Dicaprio Farm. First, I want to thank the Town of Guilderland for their foresight in purchasing this beautiful property for the enjoyment of the residents of the Town. It is not every day that a Town Government perceives the need for open space, and acts on that need. The Dicaprio Farm…

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New York State Historic Archaeological Site Inventory Form

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New York State Historic Archaeological Site Inventory Form Stanford Home Hearing Information Hearing Notes January 23 Hearing Canadians are Coming! Archeological Information Photos – Outdoor Photos – Indoor Bonding Editorial Preservation   Donate Contact   New York State Historic Archaeological Site Inventory Form NYS OFFICE OF PARKS, RECREATION & HISTORIC PRESERVATION (518) 237-8643 For Office Use Only–Site Identifier Project Identifier USN A09303.000240 Your Name Louise Basa and John Wolcott Date September 1, 2006 Address Basa: 1220 Waverly Place, Schenectady, New…

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New proposal for Stanford House still bad

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New proposal for Stanford House still bad Stanford Home Hearing Information Hearing Notes January 23 Hearing Canadians are Coming! Archeological Information Photos – Outdoor Photos – Indoor Bonding Editorial Preservation   Donate Contact   Gazette Editorial – Stanford House Posted by: "drittner@aol.com" Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:10 pm (PST) New proposal for Stanford House still bad The latest development proposal for the Stanford property in Niskayuna is marginally better than the previous one, but not nearly good enough. The handsome,…

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Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming!

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Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming! Stanford Home Hearing Information Hearing Notes January 23 Hearing Canadians are Coming! Archeological Information Photos – Outdoor Photos – Indoor Bonding Editorial Preservation   Donate Contact   Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming! Well, one man is representing the Captain Richard Duncan Company. Background: In the 1777 and 1783, Captain Richard Duncan commanded a company in the 1st Battalion of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, under Sir John Johnson. Richard…

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Residence Inn Hotel – Proposal is Back!

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ALBANY: First proposed in the fall of 2003, this “Residence Inn” proposal for the Albany Pine Bush is back. The developer has written a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The public may now comment on this proposal and the DEIS at the hearing scheduled for Monday, April 18 at 7:00 at Albany City Hall, Eagle Street, Albany. This proposed development is on about 4 acres of land owned (or was owned by — see below) by Pyramid Crossgates. It is…

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Home From Nowhere – Book Review

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Home From Nowhere – Book Review Home From Nowhere Book Review by Lynne Jackson As a child growing up in the suburbs in the sixties, I really wanted sidewalks. I could not understand why there were no sidewalks. I envied the children who walked to school, and were even allowed to walk home at lunch. As I got older, I wished that I could take the bus, but as the bus stop was two miles from my house, along a…

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Roads in the Pine Bush – John Poorman Speaks about the CDTC

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: John Poorman, Executive Director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission spoke at the July SPB vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner. Mr. Poorman began by describing what the Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDTC) is. The CDTC is the designated “Metropolitan Planning Organization” (MPO) for four counties, Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady. Under federal law, the CDTC’s responsibilities are to provide a forum to discuss transportation needs and develop transportation plans in the context of social, economic and…

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Waste to Energy Seems Like A Good Idea, But Is It Good For The Environment?

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Jim Travers, a resident of Coeymans, NY, attended the February 15 Save the Pine Bush dinner and heard Jack Lauber speak about Waste-to-Energy. These are Jim Travers’ comments. – Ed Please forward this email to all those on the Save The Pine Bush mail list. Feedback is welcomed. Thanks. Jim Travers I do not think incineration of garbage is healthy for anyone or our environment, whether it is used to create electricity or only to eliminate a portion of the…

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Save Holy Innocents Church, Albany, New York

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Letter to the editor, Times Union, July 21, 2015 Photos by John Wolcott of Holy Innocents Fate of Albany’s historic Holy Innocents church unclear An opportunity to save the former Church of the Holy Innocents Seriously Endangered Church of The Holy Innocents Section of former Church of Holy Innocents collapses Read excerpts from a book about Holy Innocents Floor Plan of the Church of the Holy Innocents Read the story of Holy Innocents Church in Albany, New York, and why…

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Newsletters Articles Ordered by Subject

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Search Newsletter Archives: What is Full Protection, Partial Protection and who is the Pine Bush? – By Lynne Jackson – June / July 2022 Newsletter A Tribute To Lew Oliver, our wonderful lawyer The Pine Bush’s Most Famous Resident – The Karner Blue Butterfly Save the Pine Bush Victories and Fights The Thruway Authority Comes Across Royally, Dec 99/Jan 00Save the Pine Bush is 25!, Mar/Apr 03 Legislation regarding standing in court We Need the Environmental Access to Justice Act,…

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