As surveyors put out stakes and prepare the Hetcheltown Road site for a new Glendale Nursing Home, neighbors of the facility have expressed concerns about what they feel is the county’s lack of transparency regarding the project.
During a Glenville Town Board meeting on Wednesday, July 21, residents of Cedar Lane and board members said they feel the Schenectady County Legislature hasn’t disclosed enough information regarding the construction of a new 140,000-square-foot Glendale Nursing Home.
“Any time the government does something and doesn’t seem to be open and transparent about it, people start to get nervous,” said Supervisor Christopher Koetzle. “I wanted to set up a work session for us to talk, so the residents can hear what everyone is thinking. It will be interesting to see what the county has proposed.”
A proposed Aug. 11 session was rejected by County Manager Kathleen Rooney. County officials said they are still working out the details of the project.
“We are going to try to make this as open as possible,” said county spokesman Joseph McQueen. “We don’t know where it’s going to be and what it is completely going to look like. We don’t know where it is going to be place and will not have that information till late summer.”
In May 2009, the county authorized the construction of the 200-bed facility at a cost of more than $50.5 million. The old facility at the site was slated to be demolished.
Kathy Sen, a resident of Cedar Lane, said she has been unable to get answers about the project, including cost, location, energy efficiency and environmental impact.
“[The County Legislature] too should be held to the same high standards of construction management teams,” said Sen. “Consider the fact that we, as your town residents, are represented barely. I hope you would advocate for a facility that doesn’t affect our open space.”
Audrey Hughes, another Cedar Lane resident, said she talked to a county official who said the facility will not be built on a popular sledding hill on the site – something that had concerned some residents. She said nursing home residents love to watch children sledding there She said she simply wants “to know what is going on.”
Resident Raymond Collar said the 2009 county resolution “seems pretty explicit” in stating that the facility would be built on the existing site. He questioned whether the plan now includes a comprehensive nursing home, with the old building not being demolished.
Town Attorney Michael Cuevas said the site definition in the resolution could be interpreted to mean any area on the landowner’s existing parcel and not just the location of the current building.
“Can the County Legislature do whatever they want to do?” asked Councilman Mark Quinn.
Koetzle said since it is county land and the County Legislature is a higher branch of government, ultimately it can surpass any approval from the Town Board.
“The power of the resident is the most powerful form of government,” said Koetzle. “I would be opposed to disturbing open space.”
