Cohoes Common Council Workshop Recap

Cohoes Theatre, August 2010

The Cohoes Common Council met Tuesday night in a steamy City Hall. The Mayor, five of the six Council persons, and a little more than a dozen concerned citizens sat in an unairconditioned room for more than two hours to discuss the beloved Cohoes Theatre demolition.

After other business was discussed, the Mayor went into a 30 minute preamble on the ways in which the city has done everything in their power to save the Cohoes Theatre. He went on to say the demolition is based on two visual assessments, one in 2008 and one in 2009. Neither of the reports are technical in nature. The reports merely state that the building is unsafe but not necessarily in imminent threat of collapse. The Cohoes Theatre is perhaps a sound building but asbestos in the roof make it unsafe. To date, the city has yet to prove exactly why the Cohoes Theatre needs to be torn down now. Which leads me to believe the current administration no longer feels the need to continue fighting for the city of Cohoes, its citizens and our history.

The evening went on to include a number of interesting points from fellow citizens on the ways in which demolition could be avoided. One such point was about the city of Albany taking ownership of properties on demolition lists. Instead of demolishing the buildings, the city turns around and auctions them off to the public for small sums such as $5,000. The Mayor was asked repeatedly why Cohoes could not do the same and each time he refused to directly answer the question or make any type of concession that he would look into it. If another municipality in Albany county can do it, why can't Cohoes?

All in all, the city gave no concession to halt or put off the demolition schedule of the theatre. With a demolition price tag of $46,600, the Mayor eloquently stated, the Common Council was no longer required to discuss the demolition because the bid was under $50K. The Mayor of course graciously allowed the discussion to occur on Tuesday night but it was clear nothing other than demolition was being considered.

The Common Council votes on the fate of the Cohoes Theatre on Tuesday, August 24th. In the meantime, please consider coming to the meeting and joining the fight to save the Cohoes Theatre. We are actively looking for help getting the word out that the Cohoes Theatre does not need to be torn down. If you are interested in getting involved, post a note on the blog and we will get in touch with you. We have perhaps only two weeks to save the theatre and we need every ones help.