Farmer's market project getting close, but what about pavilion?
NCPR addresses how much of its budget is funded by government
Please consider supporting The Front Page with a paid subscription: HERE
What is so startling about the headline in the Glens Falls Business Review from the fall of 2019 was its report that the Glens Falls Market project would begin in the summer of 2020 and completed by the summer of 2021.
That report came after Glens Falls was rewarded a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative from the state and right before the entire country was shut down because of a pandemic.
Like so many things in Glens Falls, this was "Mayor Ed's" baby. As president of the Economic Development Council Warren County, Ed Bartholomew, was at the center of spending the $10 million from the state.
"The Market" project's goal was to address South Street and its seedy image by renovating buildings and giving a year-round home to the Glens Falls farmer's market where the former OTB building stood.
Three buildings were to be razed, the former Hot Shots bar was to be renovated and another building built where the current farmer's market parking lot is today.
The Glens Falls Business Review reported that Bartholomew's vision was that "the year-round farmers market will open up opportunities for vendors during other times of the year, such as maple syrup producers from up north."
There were plans for solar panels, LED lights and modern technology in the new building. Bartholomew's vision was to create an all-purpose community center of sorts.
Then, the pandemic hit.
Supply chains were disrupted and the building project got more expensive.
But the most devastating blow came when Bartholomew unexpectedly passed away in July 2020 at the age of 70.
The construction finally got back on track over the past year and completion is in sight.
It is important to know the background before going forward with another idea.
Lisa Adamson contacted me this week to tell me about a friend, Pema Reed, who was pursuing an idea to take the existing Farmer's Market Pavilion and relocate it to Crandall Park for parking or picnic space.
It's a nice looking pavilion and seems to be in good shape, so the idea has merit.
But Reed's idea, perhaps too late in the game, has not gotten much traction.
The developer of the much delayed project wants to push forward with the second building in the parking lot.
Reed has been trying to get support for the idea by reaching out to various officials in Glens Falls. She says she has the support of Claudia Braymer, Ben Driscoll and Diana Palmer.
It was suggested the Glens Falls DPW could evaluate the feasibility.
Reed calls the pavilion a "historical gem" and while I wouldn't go that far, I do think it would work nicely in Crandall Park.
The real problem is the money.
The developer estimates it will cost $20,000 to demolish and dispose of the pavilion while it could cost approximately $100,00 to take the pavilion apart and reconstruct it, and that's only if the structural integrity is sound.
Where will that money come from?
The proposal finally found its way to the Crandall Park Beautification Committee where Elizabeth Hogan told Reed that the committee did not favor moving the pavilion to Crandall park and were concerned about its structural integrity.
But considering how long we have waited so far, how long would it take to get an estimate on the cost to move it and have an engineer evaluate the structure?
This is the type of small-town issue that community newspapers used to be at the center of, but without editorial writers and columnists you don't see that anymore.
So Lisa Adamson and Pema Reed reached out to us at The Front Page.
It's what we've been preaching these past few years. There is a need for commentary and debate about community issues and this is exactly that type of issue.
I suspect the priority of city officials is to finally get "The Market" project done since it is five years late already.
But if the pavilion could be an asset in Crandall Park, then it should get a serious review.
It should at least be considered.
Take another week or two and make sure you aren't disposing of an asset.
Indivisible fallout
For those who were at the INDIVISIBLE meeting on Sunday at Crandall Library, the group's actions are already getting attention in Congress.
Axios reported this week that Democrats in Congress were complaining to leadership about being flooding with phone calls from constituents.
"People are pissed," a senior House Democrat told Axios about Democrats reaction to all the calls. The person also said minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is "very frustrated" at the groups, who are trying to stir up a more confrontational opposition to Trump.
Jeffries obviously has no idea how frustrated many voters are with Congress's failure to do anything.
All about style
Some of the most contentious arguments I ever witnessed in the newsroom was over AP style.
The Associated Press stylebook is the Bible for journalists and newspaper reporters everywhere. It is the umpire who decides how things should be written, what should be capitalized and how things should be phrased.
As editor, I often witnessed long and arduous discussions over whether we should continue to use courtesy titles - Miss, Mrs, Ms, Mr. - and when I decided to get rid of them, it was a major change. The New York Times still uses them.
So when the AP refused to change its style on the "Gulf of Mexico" - which means newspapers all over the country will follow suit - its White House reporters were barred from two events over the weekend.
Essentially, the president of the Unitied States was dictating what newspapers should report in very specific terms.
The White House sent a memo to the AP saying that the AP would be barred from White House events because the AP was failing to “align itself with Trump's executive order.”
That should be chilling to all of us.
Hypocrisy on steroids
While there is so much we all NEED to read, I urge to read New York Times columnist Carlos Lozada offering "Apparently, America is full of the wrong kind of people."
It puts into perspective the unimaginable hypocrisy of the Trump administration.
Lozada wrote this:
The administration invokes meritocracy as one way to answer those questions. As Trump put it in an executive order on his second day in office, “individual merit, aptitude, hard work and determination” should be the overriding factors when hiring workers, not just in government but throughout “key sectors of American society.”
This directive might be more persuasive if Trump had followed it when selecting key members of his administration. Did Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first pick to serve as attorney general, possess the individual merit needed to lead the Justice Department? Does Tulsi Gabbard have the aptitude required to become director of national intelligence, or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services? Is Pete Hegseth the hardest-working option to run the Defense Department?"
I think most of know the answers to those questions.
NCPR funding
North Country Public Radio continues to churn out important stories.
With funding for National Public Radio at risk, NCPR turned its sights on itself and explained how much funding it gets from the federal government with an interview with General Manager Mitch Teich.
Also yesterday, long-time Capital District Reporter Jimmy Vielkind gives the latest on the politics about the election for a new representative in the 21st Congressional District.
Mideast peace
Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman may be the most renown international reporter on the planet these days must be one of the most knowledgable people in the world when it comes to the Middle East.
He wrote this is a New York Times column about President Trump's plan to buy Gaza and develop it:
I can say with confidence that Trump’s proposal is the single most idiotic and dangerous Middle East “peace” initiative ever put out by an American president.
Still, I’m not sure what is more frightening: Trump’s Gaza proposal, which seems to change by the day, or the speed with which his aides and cabinet members — almost none of whom were even briefed on it in advance — nodded their approval to the idea like a collection of bobblehead dolls.
Yes, I'm nodding as well.
LSU professor
Ken Levy, a tenured law professor at Louisiana State University, was taped by a student in his first day of his Administration of Criminal Justice course on Jan. 14, saying "Fuck the governor" and while talking about the election of Donald Trump said, "I couldn't believe that fucker won."
His remarks were brought to the attention of the LSU president and Levy was suspended from his job as a tenured law professor.
The tape also revealed Levy saying he was a Democrat which may be the most egregious thing of all in Louisiana.
Levy then sued the university for violating his free speech and due process.
After two days of testimony where the tape was played, Judge Tarvald Smith granted a preliminary injunction that allows Levy to return to teaching.
But that didn't last long. Two days later a state appeals court halted the order and forced Levy out of the classroom again.
Unfortunately, the case is not over yet. The parties will return to court in May for a final hearing and decision. The implication from Levy was that Gov. Greg Landry might have had some say in his suspension, although the college president said he did not talk to the governor.
"Your client should get back to the business of training lawyers and let professors teach, especially those that are tenured," Judge Smith told LSU's attorneys as reported in the New Orleans Times Picayune.
He also said he hoped Louisiana's flagship university would allow professors to "invite rigorous debate and dialogue" without being punished for it.
I suspect we are going to see a lot of this.
Forget flu shots
Within minutes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being confirmed as health secretary, the state of Louisiana sent a directive to state health workers ending mass vaccination clinics and banning staff from promoting seasonal vaccines. It then issued a letter that criticizes the state's Covid response and public health institutions.
It was as if the state Louisiana wanted its elderly - those most at risk - to die.
Thankfully, my own vaccinations are up to date and I brought a supply of masks with me to Louisiana.
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.
If the confirmation votes were secret, not one of his cabinet picks, except Marco, would have passed muster. We find ourselves in a time where one of our two parties is made to declare the belief in a lie in order to have any legitimacy. We could have had Kamala and sane policy moving forward....wow.
Aww, the electeds are unhappy. Keep it up, folks. We need action.
https://open.substack.com/pub/albellenchia/p/devolving?r=7wk5d&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true