For the past several years, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Dale Monini to return to his Draper Avenue home to find his street crowded with traffic, cars parked in front of his driveway and piles of cigarette butts in his yard.
Monini said his residential problems arose when the International Charter School of Schenectady moved across the street in June 2006.
It’s chaos, said Monini. `It’s not that the kids were ever a problem, but the staff and parents ` it’s just total disrespect.`
Monini said he complained to the school several times about a bright halogen light that shone through the window of his daughter’s room at night. It wasn’t until Monini hired a lawyer that the school put a shield on the light.
On Thursday, March 20, Monini and a small group of neighbors voiced their concerns to the town board about the fate of the old Draper School building.
The State University’s board of trustees has ordered the charter school to close at the end of the school year, and Monini and his neighbors want to ensure another school doesn’t take up residency on their street, and they’re urging the town to take control.
According to Saleem Cheeks, a spokesman for ICSS, the future of the school building is still unclear.
`It’s an ongoing process,` said Cheeks who noted that the school currently owes $7 million on the property to creditors.
`Our options include the sale of the property, leasing the property or turning the property over to First Niagara Bank,` said Cheeks.
First Niagara Bank holds a majority of the school’s debt.
Monini’s neighbors, who wished not to be identified, said they were tired of finding their front lawns covered with blown garbage, and the sidewalks in front of the school covered in snow during the winter. They complained of noise and said that the school’s presence was bringing down the value of their homes.
`We just don’t want to see a school there again,` said Monini who said he’d like to see something that would be welcomed by the neighborhood and would restore his street to the peaceful enclave it once was.
Supervisor Steven Tommasone said he and the town attorneys would compile a packet of information containing documents presented to the planning commission before the school was approved for the board. He said board members would look at the ownership of the property.
`It’s understandable that the residents are concerned,` said Tommasone. `Years ago, that was a neighborhood school and there was no busing ` the kids walked. The traffic issues and others are concerns for the town board because we’re concerned about the quality of life of our residents.`
Tommasone said the building will not remain vacant. He said that in the past, the Draper School was used as office space. He said this could be a viable option in the future.
Councilman John Silva reassured residents that the town would do what it could to ensure the next use of the Draper School won’t have a negative impact on Draper Avenue residents.
`We’re going to do everything we can not to make the same mistake again,` said Silva.“