Tomorrow the council will vote on whether to support following through on the renovation for The Kirkland hotel or to let it sit in shambles as it has for over twenty years, it's that simple. There are politicians that are making this a political issue but the real issue is whether or not we want to restore a historical landmark or not.
Alderman Cahill practically admitted on his show that the reason he was voting against this project is because he does not want it completed before election time because it would give Mayor Sottile's campaign a boost. I don't care about Rich Cahill or his campaign, I do however care about making Kingston the best place it can be and restoring it's landmarks.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that an eye sore that has been sitting dormant since before I was born is now turning into the gem of Uptown Kingston. I tilt my hat to Kevin O'Connor and RUPCO for their tireless efforts in restoring the Kirkland hotel.
24 comments:
You are lying yet again. CFahill never said that -- I saw the show. He said that Sottile was putting prressure on the democrat Alderman because Sottile wants to have a big press conference about the deal in late October or early November.
RUPCO should have all available financial resources to complete this important project. It is a central project to the economic revitalization of Uptown. Thanks to RUPCO, the Kirkland is already back on the tax roles.
Thanks to Rupco's inability to quote a job correctly, the citizens are on the hook for yet another overbudget debacle! But why not give them more money, im sure they have tennants lined up for the $6000 a month rent, for the retail end, and all of the apartments rented as well! oh wait, this is Kingston, and it will most likely end up more government offices and low income housing, so why not give up more cash to have it completed! After all, once we put more low income housing in there, it will make a nice little addition to the low income alley, that one must travel through to get to our business district! Way to go Jeremy, keep back the people who are truning our city inot a slum!
The funny thing is that the opponents of the RUPCO application never put forward their plan for the Kirkland.
It's one thing to be against a plan but it's an emply vote if you don't put forth you own plan for the future of this project.
How is ANOTHER overcrowded low income housing going to be a boost to ANYONE? Oh, I'm sure there won't be any tennants living there until after the election.
I say, raze the corner. We need more OPEN SPACES, grassland in Uptown. Now, what environmentalist could disagree with that. A well placed MOAB would do the job.
as 7:18 said, "RUPCO should have all financial resources to complete this important project." Fact is, they don't! The reason given for the lack of money is that they changed plans and added unnecessary extras at the last minute. Changes are always costly. Although RUPCO maintains the project is 70% completed, the INSIDE of the building has not been started. Anyone who has done renovations realizes that this work is going to be expensive. If RUPCO is out of money now, where do they plan to get the funds for the completion of the inside? This will be a "jail" all over again, with the taxpayers footing the bill.
to 8:41
Here is a plan, that old eyesore should have been tore down years ago, for a whole lot less than what we are paying for this renovation but the historians think that George Washington is going to be resurrected and return to vote for Jim Sottlie this november! LOL. In reality, that building has been nothing for 30 years and no one would have cared if it was tore down and used for parking at the county office building. Now we are going to have another restaurant that we really dont need, did anyone consider the fine establishment across the street (Ugly Gus), that has been struggling for years and providing a nice place for kingston diners? I think not, here is Kingston mentality, let rebuild this dump and screw the taxpayers and the small business people that are already trying to survive, then when they have to close thier doors, we can have another empty building in town, and no business people or jobs to fill it. Wow, what a pack of geniuses...
Here is another option, find a company that can actually afford to renovate the building on thier own and not depend on taxpayers money to run thier businesses. That is all we do anyore is provide funding to companies with grand ideas, but shallow bank accounts. Once the work is started who wants to see it not be completed, certainly not Jeremy and the democrat majority that run this city, so we give more money and sit and wait for who knows what...
let me close with a business question. Does anyone have a clue as to how much revenue a restaurant must earn to cover a estimated $6000 month rent, payroll, utilities, food costs, beverages, start up cost and lets not forget TAXES? You all better hope that another Red Lobster is planning on coming into that building. I can guarantee you that no other restaurant is making enough to survive in the Kirkland homeless shelter. Think about that !
Hey 1:14pm, Did you mean "Red Lobster" or "Red Herring"?
Actually, there was an alternative offered. There was another developer from New Jersey who was willing to buy the thing for 35K and it would have been done by now.
5:14, if this is true, then the Kirkland 'Fiasco' is just another example that this city is hell bent on using OPM to turn this city into a welfare state, so they can spend more OPM and hold their 'power'.
just more overreaching by that hopelessly dopey little dick
6,000 mo rent for a resturant. Ummmmmmmmm NO. I see a vacancy.
Corporate places would not want to go there. No parking. Also, the Town of Ulster suits their business plan moreso.
This deal smells as bad as the noah hotel.
Maybe Government should get out of the economic development business. They are not doing a very good job.
MOAB Franklin and Henry Streets. ;->
Yesterday, RUPCO officials arranged for me to take a tour of the interior of the Kirkland. The exterior is looking great, and all five floors of the inside of the building is also something like 70% complete. The 7 one-bedroom apartments have been sheetrocked, taped and primed. Kitchen cabinets were being installed. The workforce on the site was driverse - hispanic, black and white. I didn't see any Asians, though.
The HVAC heat pumps were being installed. They showed me that this is a green project - the first geo-thermal project constructed in the city of Kingston.
hehe 12:07. A quick solution to a long problem.
12:06
I can gaurantee you that I am NOT Rich Cahill, those are my words and feelings.
We should have had all union laborers on the Kirkland restoration--that way, we would have had a 50 million dollar cost overrun, 10 union workers doing the job of one, a lot of whining and complaining about low wages, and unsafe work conditions.
I'll take 100 illegal immigrants over 1,000 union workers. Mexicans and Latinos do their job and take pride in it. I bet if we used illegal aliens to do the U.C. Jail project, we would not have had the 50 million dollar cost overrun and shoddy construction that exist because it was a UNION JOB.
No wonder so many jobs are being outsourced to India, China, and the Philippines. We Americans don't want to work anymore, and third world countries are more than happy to work and pick up the slack.
Hey, Troy! How about setting up shop in China?
to 2:04 - the problem with the jail was not with the unions - it was with the republicans who signed the contract and hired the architect who doesn't like 90-degree angles (Have you seen the administrative offices? There isn't one office that has 4 square corners. Have you seen the triangle room? You can't put anything in it because the one end is so pointy, and the other end - where you walk in - is so shallow, you can't use it for anything.) The republicans paid 6 times the value of the land (it was assessed and offered to Gateway Industries for $60,000 - one year later the county bought it for something like $350,000. Gateway said no because it was too rocky to build on.) Don't blame unions for the jail. The reasons why companies go abroad are not only salaries, but because our buildings are safe because of sprinkler systems, 2 exits, fire-retardant construction materials, etc. Employers have to pay social security, unemployment, workers' comp., etc. When a company goes abroad, they can pay crappy salaries and have employees in horribly unsafe working conditions. Thank goodness that unions were there to fight for safe conditions so many years ago. Read Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle". Employess used to lose limbs or get injured on the job and they'd get fired. If you called in sick, you got fired - if your boss didn't like you or wanted his son-in-law to take your place or they could hire someone for less money, you were gone. Admittedly, sometimes unions are ridiculous in their demands and there are abuses, but there are many cases where employees would otherwise be mistreated or summarily fired if they didn't have the protection of the union. You can credit Congress and the states' legislatures for much of the laws that are in place, but if it wasn't for the loud, collective voices of the unions, they wouldn't have done anything. If an employee isn't doing his or her job, then union or not, that employee should be fired. No one should have absolute protection.
Troy wouldn't last in China
Low income housing and an upscale restaurant?
There is no f*ck*ng way that this can work. People don't want to eat anywhere near where these people live!
Stop this gentrification b*llsh*t and let people go to live and work and recreate and associate with others who share their beliefs and cultural perspectives.
Plessy
I agree Plessy!!!
Ferguson
Portabella is a popular upscale Restaurant located in the Steuyvesant Hotel, a couple blocks from the Kirkland. RUPCO has 40 -(FORTY) one-bedroom apartments in there for low income tenants. Shouldn't be any different at the Kirkland.
Gentrification? Who is going to buy up those houses in midtown, for renovation? Again, the MOAB solution.
Rich Cahill voted against RUPCO'S application but he offers no alternative plan.
Rich, the renovation is almost finished don't you want it to be a success?
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