A: The house has real issues; it must also be made ADA compliant. The deck is also unsafe. These items will require hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix. We have already seen that the cost for the new road was grossly underestimated by park proponents (previous administration estimated $12,000 for the new road and parking--the actual cost was well in excess of $200,000 instead.) It remains to be seen how this situation will play out in terms of cost. You should address any safety or additional concerns to the board.
UPDATED 3/7/18 http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2018/03/highlights-only-3118-gouveia-gazette.html
-----------------------------------------------
Q: We're new in town and are disappointed that there are not more international food options. Can't the village force new businesses to have more variety?
A: Wow. You're joking right? No the village can't force more culinary "variety". Here's what Croton DOES have:
Croton has pizza, delis, Chinese food, Indian, Korean, Italian, Peruvian, Mexican, Latin Fusion, BBQ, Seafood, Japanese, Pub/Bistro, and an All-American diner. We have not one but TWO bakeries--BAKED BY SUSAN AND THE DESSERTIST, both of which made the BEST OF WESTCHESTER LIST 2017---and a donut franchise, HOT DIPPITY DONUTS--that's on the list too (see all of Croton's businesses that made BEST OF WESTCHESTER 2017 here, courtesy of the Croton United FB page http://bit.ly/2w8D8mr)
There are local farmers markets everywhere.
We also have prepared specialty foods at A&S http://aandsfoods.com/
Vegan and gluten-free options are available too http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/05/for-vegan-devotees-those-who-are-gluten.html
And once again: It takes courage to open a business anywhere including Croton. Let's stop wishing for more when we have so much--AND SUPPORT WHAT WE HAVE--or in the alternative, residents are always free to open the kind of businesses they want.
And...we're also one of the safest communities in NYS--thanks Croton United for posting http://tiny.cc/h9ucmy
Actually the total taxes (town, village, school) was 48,000 per year. She grieved them and got a few grand knocked off, but with annual increases it would be back up to around 50k today.
ReplyDeleteThe annual maintenance cost is virtually impossible to know since it is folded into the village parks budget and some items such as insurance are never broken down and the increased area is just folded into a village-wide policy premium. A good guess on maintenemce would be 30-40k per year.
ADA Title II compliance is an issue and money is going to have to be spent to remediate that. The house may be cost-prohubitive to bring into compliance.
The talk about holding music concerts in the "natural ampitheatre" was always a lie. Anyone who looked at a map could see that it lies between 2 roads with constant traffic noise.
This was a monument to the political clout and ego of 1 woman who wanted to have a "Laurel & John Gouveia Slept Here" plaque up for all eternity, sort of like how other towns memorialize George Washington.
Not to mention that Laurel Gouveia was a multi-millionaire who wanted to live in her home and be exempt from all those property taxes and home maintenance costs.
Yes, the noise is a real problem but getting in and out is no picnic either.
ReplyDeleteDear editor, do you pinky-swear that people are really writing in asking whether village government can FORCE businesses (and food choices, etc) upon us? I'm just having trouble with the concept that here in America, anyone would want government to force anything upon them. As for dining options, Croton has a lot more than lots of other towns. And if you're still not happy, goodness, it's not a long drive to Ossining, Tarrytown, White Plains, and other Westchester towns. Explore!
ReplyDeleteSad to say, from how you power your home to what you put in your refrigerator, there's always someone who believes that only government knows what's best for you.
DeleteYes, there have been discussions about this. Most recently in connection with the vape shop opposition people were suggesting that we institute a process to determine what types of retail would occupy vacant spaces.
DeleteApart from the dubious legality, such a process would be impossible as a practical matter.
In the case of the MTA lease RFP, some people oppose renewal of Nance's 51 year long tenancy. Instead they want an "upscale" dining establishment.
From what I have seen, none of the people proposing these schemes have ever owned a retail or foodservice establishment.