Troy, NY District 4 September Newsletter

ITEMS TO NOTE

September Office Hours

I will be hosting an office hour session this month:

• Wednesday, Sep 18 between 9-11am, Seasons Cafe - 212 River St.

Please stop by to discuss any topic that is of concern to you and our city, or just stop in and introduce yourself.  I look forward to seeing you there. You can always reach me via email at aaron.vera@troyny.gov.

Troy Public Library - Meet the Candidates

The League of Women Voters will be facilitating the Public Library’s annual forums to present the slate of candidates for the Board of Trustees and the Interim Library Director will present the 2025 budget. Participants will have an opportunity to listen to and ask questions of the potential officers, as well as the Director.

The first event will be held at the Main Library on Tuesday, September 10 and the second at the Lansingburgh Branch on Tuesday, September 17. Both will begin promptly at 7 pm.

Red Cross Blood Drive

On Sep 17 from 2-6pm, the Red Cross will be hosting a blood drive at the Troy YMCA (2500 21st St.).  Walk-in spots are available or you may expedite your visit by scheduling an appointment which can be done online or via telephone at 1-800-RED-CROSS.  Participants will receive a $15 Amazon gift card.

LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM

In August, the City Council and the administration took significant steps to move forward with the Lead Service Line Replacement Program (LSLRP).  In late 2023 the Madden administration applied for grant funding through the NYS Department of Health’s (DOH) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).  This funding was announced earlier this year by the Mantello administration and totals $12.8M ($8.9M grant / $3.9M loan).  However, since the announcement, the process to actually use this funding for the LSLRP has stalled.  The reason for the delay is ostensibly that the City may not receive counsel approval to bond for the replacement of private water services.  This is an issue which several state agencies and lawmakers have attempted to clarify.

Regardless, the need to advance this project has never been greater.  Water quality results for the City of Troy put the 90th percentile¹ of homes at lead levels of 35.4 parts per billion (ppb), more than double the action level set by DOH and the highest of any municipal water system in the State.

The administration now has the tools to hire additional contractors, bond for the required monies, and proceed with the LSLRP in earnest.  We need to average approximately 800 service line replacements a year to meet the Mayor’s goal of total replacement by the end of 2027.  This year we may only hit 250.  Progress has been made, but we have a long way to go.

¹90th percentile means 90% of homes tested were below 35.4 ppb, while 10% of homes tested had concentrations which were higher.  The highest lead concentration measured was 171.0 ppb.

TROY COMMUNITY LAND BANK

Housing is a major issue in communities across the country, and in places like Troy, where vacant homes create nuisance and blight, communities have turned to land banks as a vehicle to turn empty lots and abandoned buildings to productive use.

Brad Lewis, owner of Lewis Masonry and Hardscaping, was recently appointed by the board of the Troy Community Land Bank to serve as its executive director. Lewis was kind enough to sit down for a little Q&A to shed some light on the TCLB and how it can improve housing options throughout the city.

What exactly is the Troy Community Land Bank (TCLB) and how does it serve the community?

The TCLB is a non-profit, quasi-governmental authority that derives its power from the City of Troy. We provide the City with a mechanism to deal with vacant buildings. Using the NYS Land Bank Law, we are able to buy, sell and be gifted property by a number of entities that may not be able to productively use the buildings. Our aim is to solve the vacant building and housing problem in the city through demolition, stabilization and development of property throughout the city. Ultimately, we want to help create housing and certainly, Affordable Housing is part of that goal. 

You come into the role with a background as a property owner and developer. Does the process and environment of non-profits pose any particular challenge?

In my personal businesses I am able to be flexible and work fast. In July, I was able to personally buy, rehab and rent out a building in South Troy. I had a tenant move in on September 1st after the building was vacant for 6 years.

With the TCLB, it is natural that certain processes need to take place to ensure the organization is in compliance with rules and regulations that govern it. We operate on government funding, which provides more capital to improve properties but requires oversight. This ensures that the organization is stewarding its resources well and that the taxpayer dollars are being used correctly. It slows things down, but I believe it is necessary to protect the taxpayers. I am not able to personally fund the development of vacant land. The TCLB is able to make that work, financially.

Prior to your hiring, the TCLB was without an Executive Director for over a year. What challenges does the organization currently face?

The TCLB sort of hit the pause button mid-2023. The bills were being paid, but the accounting wasn’t being done. When I started, the board had two primary goals- get the finances in order and get 791 River St (a spec build project) completed and listed.

There are so many more things we could do as a land bank, but we have to get reorganized. I was able to get the finances in order and up to date. We are in the final stages of our annual third-party audit for 2023. We have to get the sprinkler system and final electrical inspection at 791 River St and then we are planning to list it for sale. Things are moving along and we are excited for the next stages.

What are your current short- and long-term goals for the organization? How do you plan to achieve these goals?

Our current short-term goal for the organization is to get the overgrowth on our buildings and vacant lots cleared. We currently own 21 properties. We have a grant for property maintenance like this and are fairly close to completing that. We are going to RFP for maintenance of these sites. I don’t want our building to bring down the neighborhoods. While they are in our hands, they should be the model of stewarding a vacant site.

Our current long-term goal for the organization is to create a sustainable path to dealing with the vacant building problem in the city. We currently focus on North Central, but I would like to see us aid the whole city. We have many grants available to us to create value in the properties we own. We are figuring out how to turn those awards into improved housing stock within the parameters of those grant programs. Meanwhile, we continue to work with developers of many sizes to facilitate the rehabilitation of our properties. 

Are there any land bank organizations you look to as a model for best practices?

There is a New York State Land Bank Association (https://nylandbanks.org/) that the TCLB is part of. We have a monthly call where members discuss challenges and opportunities they are facing. Also, I attended the NYS Land Bank Symposium in Oswego last July. There has been a lot of support from this community.

What kind of support do you look for from the City and community?

The TCLB gets its authority from the City of Troy. That being said, we are governed independently by a board of directors. It is their service to the community that powers the organization. Having engaged and talented board members is what allows us to make prudent decisions in dealing with our vacant buildings and land. Currently, there are 4 vacant board seats. 2 of those seats come from the Mayor’s office and the other two come from the school district (1 for Troy and 1 from Lansingburgh).  We are hopeful that those seats get filled soon, as it will give us more energy to move faster. 

In the past, TCLB has looked to the city of Troy for financial sustainability. We are excited that NYS has created an operating grant allowing us to pay for our main costs (insurance, salaries, office rent, attorney fees, etc.). We don’t necessarily need financial support from the city when the state is supporting us that way. If the city were to leverage the TCLB, there are plenty of benefits that could come from it. Now that we have leadership, a stronger partnership with City Hall could go a long way with creating a faster, smoother process to dealing with the blight in our communities.  

Where can people go to learn more about the organization?

Currently, we are rebuilding our website (www.troycommunitylandbank.org). The information on there is relevant, but the new site should provide a better view of what we are doing. I believe that the new site will be up by the end of the year. For the time being, the current site provides a glimpse into what is currently happening. We also have a Facebook page that has been sparsely used. As we get the rest of our board members, our marketing committee will have the energy to put out content that will help inform the community.

You can follow the Troy Community Land bank through their website and on Facebook. TCLB board meetings are normally held on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:30 at City Hall, and are open to the public. Recordings of board meetings can be found on YouTube.

September Meetings

• Wednesday, Sep 4 (6pm) - Zoning Board of Appeals*

• Thursday, Sep 5 (6pm) - City Council Finance Meeting*

• Thursday, Sep 5 (7pm) - City Council Regular Meeting*

• Wednesday, Sep 18 (8:30am) - Troy Community Land Bank*

• Wednesday, Sep 18 (6pm) - Council Regional Informational Meeting @ ICC 1450 5th Ave.

• Wednesday, Sep 18 (6pm) - Planning Board*

• Thursday, Sep 19 (8:30am) - BID Board @ 90 4th St.

• Thursday, Sep 19 (6pm) - Council Finance Committee*

• Friday, Sep 20 (9am) - Troy Local Development Corporation (LDC)*

• Friday, Sep 20 (10am) - Industrial Development Authority (IDA) and Capital Resource Corporation (CRC)*

Note: Agendas and minutes for City of Troy meetings are posted 24-hours in advance and can be viewed or downloaded in the Agenda Center.

*Denotes meetings takes place at Troy City Hall, 433 River St, 5th Floor (Land bank, LDC, IDA, and CRC in Planning conference room, all others in Council Chamber)