Brunswick Plaza Expansion Moves Forward
By Rebecca Gatto
An addition to the Brunswick Plaza Planned Development District (PDD), at this point more than a year in the making, got one step closer to reality on Thursday night.
No community members attended the evening’s public hearing regarding the expansion, which would include a 2,050-square-foot Taco Bell and a 1,840-square-food Sunmark Federal Credit Union. This was the second public hearing regarding the construction. The first took place on March 9, 2017, but was followed by a period of inaction.
The applicant, Nigro Companies, hopes the New York State Department of Transportation will one day add another lane to Hoosick Street in front of the plaza, just past McChesney Ave. Although the DOT does not appear to be interested in the project at this time, the company remains hopeful; plans for the site include reserving a strip of land to donate to the state for road-widening purposes.
“This is future planning,” said Gregg Ursprung, Nigro’s representative at the meeting.
The plan has been greenlit by Rensselaer County and the Brunswick Planning Board, although the Town Planning Board requested additional green space. Final approval of the PPD expansion is not the end of the line however. The proposal still requires a Site Plan Application approval by the Planning Board before any actual construction can begin.
Following the brief, amicable public hearing, Brunswick town employees gave reports on their respective projects.
Highway
Highway superintendent Brandon Hill described a wet spring month filled with sports field maintenance, sidewalk and lawn cleanup, and putting plows away for the winter. He and his team also received a thank-you letter from Angelina Maloney, Brunswick’s school superintendent, for their hard work rolling baseball fields and preparing the town for summer sports.WaterBill Bradley in the water department said a boil water order, delivered by hand by knocking on doors and hanging paper fliers in District 2, was a precaution after the department received what it suspected was a faulty sample. Indeed, that’s all it was; still, Bradley said he prefers to err on the side of caution.
“It’s just better to put an advisory out,” he said, even though the state doesn’t require notification before retesting in that situation.
Brunswick Community Library
Natalie Hurteau, from the Brunswick Community Library, reflected on a bold decision to go fine-free at the library.
She hopes the program will encourage people to return books that are long overdue by reducing the embarrassment and inconvenience of having to pay a large fine.
So far, it’s been successful, she said, and has encouraged people to donate money to the library.
However, in hindsight, she would have changed the rollout date: April 1. “People thought it was an April Fool’s joke,” she said.