News Blog
[UPDATED] WEEK AHEAD: More LDC action, Krenzers fight for their farm, downtown master plan
The boards for the two local development corporations at the center of an attorney general’s office investigation will hold special meetings early this week. Both meetings are open to the public, though the boards will probably go into closed sessions.
The Upstate Telecommunications Corporation board will meet at 1 p.m. today (Monday, November 11) at the Harris B 
each offices, 99 Garnsey Road, Perinton. (The LDC’s attorney, Mike Townsend, works for Harris Beach.)
And Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., the Monroe Safety and Security Systems LDC board will meet at the Harris Beach offices. UPDATE, November 12 — The Monroe Safety and Security Systems LDC board has rescheduled its meeting to 10 a.m. Friday, November 15, at the Watts Conference Center, 49 South Fitzhugh Street.
UPDATE 2, November 14 — The Monroe Safety and Security Systems LDC board has once again rescheduled its meeting. It is now scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, November 21, at the Watts Conference Center, 49 South Fitzhugh Street.
Notices announcing the meetings offer little information beyond time and place, but it’s likely they’re meeting to discuss their contracts with Navitech Services Corporation. Both LDC’s use the company for management services. And last week, County Executive Maggie Brooks said she’d directed the LDC boards to terminate their contracts with Navitech.
The county formed the local development corporations to provide the county with specific services. UTC leases office and information technology to the county, and periodically updates that equipment. M3S took ownership of the county’s emergency communications infrastructure and leases it to the county. As part of the agreement, it’s completely upgrading the system.
Last week, a judge unsealed an indictment detailing an alleged bid-rigging scheme involving the LDC’s. Navitech’s founders, John Maggio and Daniel Lynch, face charges of criminal conspiracy, grand larceny, and money laundering.
The scandal could also come up during Tuesday night’s County Legislature meeting. Last week, Democratic Minority Leader Carrie Andrews called for the Lej to take over an internal review of the LDC’s. She could attempt to bring up that demand during the meeting.
Brooks hired a law firm, Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, to assist with legal work related to the AG’s investigation. One of the firm’s partners is former state Attorney General Dennis Vacco, and he’s been leading the review. Last week, Andrews said that Vacco should report his work to date to the Legislature.
The Legislature meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the County Office Building, 39 West Main Street.
The state Public Service Commission meets at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Part of the agenda includes a rehearing on Rochester Gas and Electric’s application for the Rochester Area Reliability Project.
The PSC already approved the project, which includes new transmission lines and substations across the Rochester region. But the Krenzer family, which owns and operates a 670-acre farm in Chili, petitioned the PSC to revisit that decision; the family didn’t learn about the project until February, after the PSC issued its decision. RG&E would take about 80 acres of the farm through eminent domain proceedings and would build transmission lines, substation, and access roads on the property. The family says that the impact will extend well beyond the 80 acres.
During a September press conference, Senator Chuck Schumer, who is backing the Krenzers, said that the plan could render up to 260 acres of the farm unusable. During the same press conference, the Krenzers said that they don’t oppose the project, or even the use of some of their land. They just want the company to use a different layout, they said, which would preserve substantially more farmland.
The PSC meets in Albany, but a video stream of the meeting will be available at http://www.dps.ny.gov/Webcasts.html. Jeremy Moule
City planners with the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development will hold the Southwest Quadrant Neighborhood Outreach Forum on the Center City Master Plan at 5:30 p.m., on Tuesday, November 12 at the Adams Street Community Center, 85 Adams Street. Planners will share proposed content for the updated plan and seek additional input before the final document is completed next year.
The forums will begin with an open house to give the public an opportunity to view large-format excerpts from the draft plan and to chat with city staff. That will be followed by a brief presentation and a question-and-answer session. There will also be a short demonstration on the city's new Neighborhood Data Map of economic and social indicators.
Comment forms will be distributed at the forums and comments may also be emailed to city planners through the master plan web page at www.cityofrochester.gov/centercity. The deadline to submit suggestions is December 31.
Forum schedule:
Northeast Quadrant: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Northeast Neighborhood Service Center, 500 Norton St.;
Southeast Quadrant: 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Monroe High School Auditorium, 164 Alexander St.;
Downtown: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park (formerly Manhattan Square Park) Lodge, 353 Court St.
For more information about the master plan, call Jason Haremza, senior planner, at 428-7761. Christine Carrie Fien
The Upstate Telecommunications Corporation board will meet at 1 p.m. today (Monday, November 11) at the Harris B
- FILE PHOTO
- Carrie Andrews.
UPDATE 2, November 14 — The Monroe Safety and Security Systems LDC board has once again rescheduled its meeting. It is now scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, November 21, at the Watts Conference Center, 49 South Fitzhugh Street.
Notices announcing the meetings offer little information beyond time and place, but it’s likely they’re meeting to discuss their contracts with Navitech Services Corporation. Both LDC’s use the company for management services. And last week, County Executive Maggie Brooks said she’d directed the LDC boards to terminate their contracts with Navitech.
The county formed the local development corporations to provide the county with specific services. UTC leases office and information technology to the county, and periodically updates that equipment. M3S took ownership of the county’s emergency communications infrastructure and leases it to the county. As part of the agreement, it’s completely upgrading the system.
Last week, a judge unsealed an indictment detailing an alleged bid-rigging scheme involving the LDC’s. Navitech’s founders, John Maggio and Daniel Lynch, face charges of criminal conspiracy, grand larceny, and money laundering.
The scandal could also come up during Tuesday night’s County Legislature meeting. Last week, Democratic Minority Leader Carrie Andrews called for the Lej to take over an internal review of the LDC’s. She could attempt to bring up that demand during the meeting.
Brooks hired a law firm, Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, to assist with legal work related to the AG’s investigation. One of the firm’s partners is former state Attorney General Dennis Vacco, and he’s been leading the review. Last week, Andrews said that Vacco should report his work to date to the Legislature.
The Legislature meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the County Office Building, 39 West Main Street.
The state Public Service Commission meets at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Part of the agenda includes a rehearing on Rochester Gas and Electric’s application for the Rochester Area Reliability Project.
The PSC already approved the project, which includes new transmission lines and substations across the Rochester region. But the Krenzer family, which owns and operates a 670-acre farm in Chili, petitioned the PSC to revisit that decision; the family didn’t learn about the project until February, after the PSC issued its decision. RG&E would take about 80 acres of the farm through eminent domain proceedings and would build transmission lines, substation, and access roads on the property. The family says that the impact will extend well beyond the 80 acres.
During a September press conference, Senator Chuck Schumer, who is backing the Krenzers, said that the plan could render up to 260 acres of the farm unusable. During the same press conference, the Krenzers said that they don’t oppose the project, or even the use of some of their land. They just want the company to use a different layout, they said, which would preserve substantially more farmland.
The PSC meets in Albany, but a video stream of the meeting will be available at http://www.dps.ny.gov/Webcasts.html. Jeremy Moule
City planners with the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development will hold the Southwest Quadrant Neighborhood Outreach Forum on the Center City Master Plan at 5:30 p.m., on Tuesday, November 12 at the Adams Street Community Center, 85 Adams Street. Planners will share proposed content for the updated plan and seek additional input before the final document is completed next year.
The forums will begin with an open house to give the public an opportunity to view large-format excerpts from the draft plan and to chat with city staff. That will be followed by a brief presentation and a question-and-answer session. There will also be a short demonstration on the city's new Neighborhood Data Map of economic and social indicators.
Comment forms will be distributed at the forums and comments may also be emailed to city planners through the master plan web page at www.cityofrochester.gov/centercity. The deadline to submit suggestions is December 31.
Forum schedule:
Northeast Quadrant: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Northeast Neighborhood Service Center, 500 Norton St.;
Southeast Quadrant: 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Monroe High School Auditorium, 164 Alexander St.;
Downtown: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park (formerly Manhattan Square Park) Lodge, 353 Court St.
For more information about the master plan, call Jason Haremza, senior planner, at 428-7761. Christine Carrie Fien
