Troy residents and city councilors are seeking more information on a downtown improvement project.
During a special finance meeting Thursday, councilors discussed the issuance of more than $1.3 million in additional serial bonds for the final design and engineering for the reconstruction of infrastructure along the Congress and Ferry Streets corridor.
The project, which has been in the works since 2018, would widen the roadways and enhance gutters, drainage, and landscaping.
James Rath is on the city’s Planning Commission and is a former planner for the city. He says he was involved in the project’s initial design and that in recent years, transparency over the project’s progress has been subpar.
“We learned about a couple of different alternatives that the city was entertaining, but we didn't really get much more than that,” Rath said. “So, we again at that point asked for a public meeting and we have not had one since or any one on this project since 2018.”
Rath warned against prematurely bonding without public input.
Republican City Councilor Ryan Brosnan from District 2 says a meeting will be held in early May to provide the public with an update on the project.
“The new planner just got in,” Brosnan said. “I was giving a little bit of time before we call the next meeting for the planning. But moving forward, it's going to come up soon. That way everyone can see the transparency in the process coming through.”
Council President Sue Steele, a Democrat, says she is concerned with the urgency to bond and would like to receive more information before the council votes on the resolution on Thursday.
“I’m still not sure that we got a real, solid answer. I think there are some concerns at the stages of some of these projects,” Steele said. “Are they really ready to be bonded? I think what I heard was that they’re getting geared up for the June issuance. So, it’s not like they’re going out tomorrow to bond.”
Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly says the bonds are being requested in advance to avoid higher costs in the future.
“Keep in mind too, some of these projects we’re talking about intersections down by the Taylor sites that you're familiar with. I mean, there's motion in this corridor. So, we can't get to that construction part of this until we do this,” Donnelly said. “So that's really why I wouldn't call it a rush. It's just the next necessary step to realize the vision here for that corridor.”
The Taylor Apartment Towers were demolished in 2022 and the site is being redeveloped for public housing. The new complex will create more than 140 affordable apartments with retail space.
Donnelly says there is a timeline in place that would allow the public to comment on the plan before an alternative is selected.
The council also advanced a resolution authorizing the issuance of $440,000 in serial bonds to purchase four police vehicles. Deputy Police Chief Christopher Kehn says the department is trying to be proactive.
“We're trying to buy them on a rolling basis so we don't end up having exceedingly large repair bills or a bunch of cars go down at the same time,” Kehn said.
Kehn says the vehicles are rotated throughout the department. He says marked vehicles start in the patrol division where they’ll get the most mileage before being placed on the community policing route where they are typically only used for transportation needs.
Funding for renovations at the department to accommodate the force’s growing number of women and enhance its training facility was also advanced.
The fire department’s headquarters could also see upgrades to its exterior.
