New businesses high on Glenville's goal list

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Goot

Improving the delivery of town services, exploring collaborations with other municipalities and attracting new businesses are Glenville’s top goals for 2012.

Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle said many of the goals are a continuation of work that is already occurring. He wants to cross-train more employees at Town Hall so staffing can be more efficient. He plans to continue the budgeting practice of relying less on surplus to fund town operations.

Economic development is also a high priority.

The town wants to form a local development corporation that would assist in marketing Glenville to businesses and would help obtain more funding for economic development projects.

Deputy Supervisor Alan Boulant said the town has an existing Small Cities loan that it can tap, so it is not reinventing the wheel. “It’s not like we’re going to have to create this loan fund and go find money,” he said.

Koetzle said he sees the formation of the LDC as a natural progression of the work that the Small Business and Economic Development Committee has been doing. The committee wants to hire a marketing professional to help brand the town.

Glenville officials would like to lure another big-box store to the town, according to Boulant. A retailer in their sights is Gander Mountain, which sells hunting, fishing and other products for the outdoors. “We think that will fit our community really well,” he said.

The closest store is in Kingston.

Boulant said there has been a shift in the town to be more welcoming to merchants. “It’s a good place to do business,” he said.

Koetzle also said he would like to try to obtain grant money to improve the look of the town center area at the intersection of Route 50 and Glenridge Road with new lighting and sidewalks.

He also pointed to the successful town program in 2011 to give out small grants to help businesses spruce up their signs. He said he would like to do another type of grant to help businesses. The town also wants to continue building Oktoberfest and come up with more events to use its parks.

Another goal is to continue exploring collaborations with Scotia, the city of Schenectady and Schenectady County. Councilwoman Gina Wierzbowski said she and Public Works Commissioner Tom Coppola were discussing pursuing the idea of a joint highway garage with Scotia at the federally owned property at the old Scotia Navy Depot. A 65-acre parcel of land is in the process of being turned over from federal to local ownership.

Town officials already undertake a lot of joint projects with the village’s Highway Department so this may be the next logical step, according to Wierzbowski.

Other goals are to pave more streets and streamline the Public Works Department so highway and the other divisions can work together.

Director of Operations James MacFarland said another priority is to develop the plan for the dog park and start moving forward on about a half-million dollars’ worth of improvements at Maalwyck Park, including a pavilion and a second entrance.