The Last Fence Came Down Yesterday

I intended to post this yesterday but didn't so here goes for today. The last fence around the new School 18 came down yesterday. The construction is moving into its final phases. Last I heard the school was to be finished two months ahead of schedule. If that holds they will be done in October or November. The opening of the school will have a big impact on the neighborhood. One side issue of the school closing for construction was a real negative impact on businesses such as the bakery on Hurlbut. A lot of people from the school stopped there for treats. So when the school re-opens it should create a boost for there.

There will be busses, kids, parents, teachers, sales people, shippers, and hopefully an opportunity for the community to use the space. This will include meeting rooms (classrooms) and a gym.

Schools News

I received the following news that may be of interest to a wider audience:

Ms. Maxine Fantroy-Ford has been appointed interim principal of Albany High School and is a candidate for the permanent position as the search for the permanent person gets underway.

Ms. Willerbee Range, who is currently a PhD candidate in Literacy at SUNY Albany and has served in a wide variety of administrative positions over the last 12 years has been chosen to be the principal at the Dr. John Giffen Memorial Elementary School in the South End. While most of her experience is in the North Colonie School District, she also recently participated in a literacy outreach program at Giffen (with John Harris and others) which had her walking the
neighborhoods and gave her an understanding of some of the strong programs at that school.

In her appointment from the school board one board member has observed "While she was well-spoken and prepared for her meeting with the Board, I think what impressed the board most is her deep-seated passion for wanting to be part of the solution here in Albany - and her absolute conviction that every child cannot only learn - but excel." (Doesschate)

In addition: Tracy Ford, the assistant principal at the Myers Middle School, has been appointed the new principal at Philip Livingston School. He is currently completing his Ph D. and is a Livingston alumnai.

Litter Campaign

Laura was talking to Officer Matt Montesano last night about the litter problem along the Ave. Matt acknowledged the problem but it sounds like enforcement comes down to a cost-benefit. Picking up someone for littering can turn into a 3 hour ordeal and officers just can’t justify the time lost for such a minor infraction. What we need is a concerted effort by the Police Department along with a media commitment to cover the planned action. Just like the random DWI checks, we need to let the neighborhood know that a stop litter campaign will be taking place and officers will be ticketing. I’m not sure how to get something like this rolling, but maybe Officer Montesano or Council member Cathy Fahey could offer some ideas.

This should be my last post of the day!

Volunteers Needed!

Officer Matt Montesano offered to help us start a Walk and Watch. I know there is already a Summit Ave walk and watch so I’d like to see if we can organize something with them that covers more ground. We have two sets of two-way radios so if you never got an opportunity to play with the neighbor kids walkie-talkies, here’s your chance. Contact me via email if you are interested and we’ll get this going.

Matt also offered to set up a Walk Through. The walk through would pair up neighbors with a member(s) of the police department to walk through the neighborhood and point out trouble spots (no actual pointing necessary). I think this would be a good way for us to see what the police are already aware of and if/how it differs from our own concerns.

Neighborhood Watch receives Certificate of Excellence

Last night, the Neighborhood Watch was presented with a Certificate of Excellence by District Attorney David Soares. Along with the certificate the watch group received flashlights and tw0-way radios. If you didn't get your flashlight be sure to come to the next meeting on Monday, September 18th.

Neighborhood Watch Meeting - Monday 8/21

Please Join Us For the Next

DELAWARE AREA NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING

Monday, August 21, 2006, 6:30 PM

at the old Albany Baptist Church, 431 Delaware Ave.

Officer Matt Montesano will be joining us.

A representative of the DA’s office may also join us to give our group an award.

Citizen Police Review Board

To: Interested Parties

Fr: Richard ContiPresident Pro TemAlbany Common Council

I'm writing to ask your help!

The Common Council will have two vacancies to fill on theCitizens' Police Review Board for openings that will occur on October26, 2006. The Council is currently seeking nominees for appointment tothese seats, the term of appointment is three years.Attached to this e-mail is a "Call for Nominations" withadditional information on the CPRB, responsibility ofmembers, and the process for submitting a resume. Thedeadline for submitting resumes is August 18.
It would be appreciated if you could help circulate thisinformation within your organization and among interestedparties. If you have any questions please feel free tocontact me.

Council Member 6th WardRICHARD CONTI
151 Chestnut StreetAlbany, NY 12210
tel: 518-436-8546; fax: 518-463-8992
e-mail: rc6thward@aol.com
City of Albany Common Council

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The Albany Common Council is seeking nominations of qualified residents of the City of Albany for the following position:
Title of Position: Member, Citizens' Police Review Board (CPRB) - 2 positions are available
Term of Appointment: Three years, 10/26/06-10/26/09
Appointees are eligible for reappointment at the end oftheir term to one additional term of three years.
Position Responsibilities/Duties:The CPRB is an independent body established by the City of Albany in 2000 to improve communications between the Police Department and the Community, to increase police accountability and credibility with the public, and to create a complaint review process that is free from bias and informed of actual police practice. In addition to review and comment on completed investigations of complaints made bycitizens against officers of the City of Albany Police Department for alleged misconduct, the nine member Board may make recommendations to the Common Council and the Mayor regarding police policies and practices relevant to the goals of community policing and the exercise of discretionary authority by police officers. Board members are appointed by the Mayor (4) and the Common Council (5). The Board is required to, among other things, undergo significant training, and engage in public outreach and education.

Members of the CPRB shall reside in the City of Albany and possess a reputation for fairness, integrity and responsibility and have demonstrated an active interest in public affairs and service. The Common Council and the Mayor shall endeavor to reflect community diversity in their appointments, including income level,race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation and experienceand shall, in their appointments, solicit recommendations from thecommunity. Officers, current employees of the City of Albany and theimmediate relatives of officers and employees shall not be eligiblefor appointment.

Members shall be appointed for three-year terms. No membersof the CPRB shall serve for a period which exceeds two consecutive terms. Completion of an orientation program concerning the goals, powers and procedures of the CPRB is required before a member may participate as a voting member. In addition, graduation from the Albany Police Department's Citizen's Police Academy within six months of the start of the member's term is required. Members are also required to undergo continuing education on issues related to the interaction between civilians and police officers from the perspectives of both the citizen and the police officer.

The CPRB meets once per month and Board members are required to take responsibility in preparing cases for presentation. Board members also participate in community outreach efforts. Additional information on the CPRB is available on their website maintained by the Albany Law School's Government Law Center- http:/www2.als.edu/glc/cprb.

Statutory Authority: The CPRB is established in accordance with Article XLIV of Part 33 of Chapter 42 of the Code of the City of Albany (sections42-332 through 42-352). A copy is available on the CPRB web site (seeabove) or by contacting the Common Council's office (see below).

Application Requirement: Applicants are requested to submit a letter of intent describing qualifications and include a current resume to:
Cashawna Parker
Legislative AideAlbany Common Council - Room 206City Hall
Albany, NY 12207
Tel: 434-5087Fax: 434-5081e-mail: parkerc@ci.albany.ny.us
Applicants will be interviewed by a selected committee ofthe Common Council prior to appointment.

Deadline for Applications: August 18, 2006

Policy Statement
The Common Council is committed to assuring that its appointments to city boards, authorities, commissions or committees is representative of the diversity of Albany's population. Consistent with the City of Albany Human Rights Law, it is the policy of the Common Council to prohibit discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, marital or domestic partner status in all aspects of its personnel policies, programs, practices and operations.

DANA Poll on School 18 Name and Thoughts

At the Neighborhood Night Out an unscientific poll was taken regarding the naming of school 18. There were 31 individual votes were cast. Many with voters names attached. All with different handwriting and crayon color which is how we can be sure it was a fair election process! (Maybe DANA could get a lucrative consulting contract with the Board of Elections?) [language borrowed from another report here].

Delaware Elementary School 11
Delaware Community School 10
Delaware Amistad School 4
Delaware Neighborhood Elementary School 1
Delaware Avenue Elementary School 1
Virgina Bowers Elementary School 1
Art Mitchell School 1
School 18 1

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The process of naming of the school has not been a process that has been inclusive of the community in which the school is located. People I know who heard about the meetings heard about them the day of or the day before. Notice was belated shared by email with some but that was not from the committee but from other sources in the community. This neighborhood list caried some of the information. I have heard that some people commented "What's wrong with the present name?" People in the immediate vacintity of the school by and large do not know the school is being re-named. I have the impression that a few teachers who are part of the dual language program are very excited about the use of the name Amistad because it means friendship and thus will apeal to the spanish language community. That's fine. But the majority of the students who attend will not be spanish language students.

I believe our community misses a lot when it forgets its history. I also think people appreciate tangible people who they can conceptually grasp. While the story of the Amistad can communicate a lot of good concepts I think naming the school after a figure like Art Mitchell or Marion Hughes would be more meaningful to a larger part of the community.

One of the real problems with where things stand today is the lack of discipline and citizenship among a large part of the student population. You see it every day when kids "act up" at school or in the neighborhood. You see it every day when kids throw trash on the streets. I think naming the school after someone who captures those values is a better move than naming it after a historical event that has to be explained every time you bring it up.

July 31 Local Black-Out/Summit-Barclay Stop Sign

This post is to inform residents and friends that there was a limited blackout for a section of Summit Avenue (between Federal and Catalpa on both sides of the Street), due to a malfunctioning transformer. The fire dept and police were on the scene relatively quickly, securing the space - there was a hanging live wire - and National Grid arrived on the scene within a half hour. The lights went back on before 11 p.m.

I am also happy to say that the street was quiet, peaceful and without incident. A police patrol drove through at around 10 p.m.

Also, last Friday, I called into the Department of General Services (434-CITY) to report the need to replace a vandalized stop sign. As of yesterday evening, the stop sign had been replaced. So, a thank you to DGS.

Lastly, I walked down Delaware Avenue from Morton and was relatively pleased with the limited amount of litter on the sidewalk. There was a bottle, a few wrappers, a paper cup intermittenly scattered in the area between My Linh's and Lou Beas, but not so bad. The area between Morton and Magnolia was more of a concern, as far as litter is involved. As we develop and strengthen as an organization, we may want to consider how to engage folk to minimize this issue, in context of Broken Windows.

Do not forget to come by the National Night Out at the DANA farmers market. After 5:30, Stewarts will provide some ice cream. I'll see you there.