Glenville residents to vote on path for ‘You Choose’ donation
Glenville officials have waited more than five years for a former fast food site to be filled, but now there is a different type of drive-thru.
KeyBank officials held a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, April 28, for its new Glenville branch located on 241 Saratoga Road next to McDonald’s, which took years to sell the vacant lot of their former building. The new McDonald’s building opened in the beginning of 2005 next to the former building and has remained vacant until KeyBank constructed its new facility. Since the fast food chain owned the land, they wouldn’t sell it to any other food based business, since selling land to competition wasn’t in their sights.
It was a deep restriction that it couldn’t be food, so it became a little bit challenging to try and find a use for it, said Glenville Supervisor Christopher Koetzle.
James MacFarland, director of operations for Glenville, echoed Koetzle’s frustration.
`Because McDonald’s owned the entire site they said, ‘Well, we don’t want a competitor here,’ so it could be no food establishment or such and that is one of the main things through here,` said MacFarland. `We had more limited development, but we are thrilled that KeyBank is here and that’s great use of the property.`
With Target also planning to move onto the former Kmart site across the street, the strip of Route 50 in Glenville has seen positive commercial development.
`The town has been on for some time now a business outreach program and I think part of that private businesses are starting to respond and look at Glenville as a place to come,` said Koetzle.
The plans were finalized in early 2010 and construction began last summer, said MacFarland. He noted some people might think Glenville isn’t the easiest place to work with, but changing that perception is a goal for the town.
Jeffrey Stone, president of the Capital Region KeyBank, said the town was `business friendly and easy to work` with and helped got the project done.
`It is our first new branch in over 10 years,` said Stone. `This location is just a dynamite location It is a growing area, this is the place you want to be.`
Reaching out to the community
With schools cutting their budget, Scotia-Glenville Central School District included, KeyBank’s `You Choose` donation program is coming through at a key time.
The District’s GIVE program and Superintendent Susan Swartz decided what programs or services in the school could best use the $1,500 donation offered by KeyBank. There were four choices residents will get to vote for through June and the three most voted for programs will receive a portion of the funds. Ballots will be distributed at the high school along with the branch location.
`Whenever we open a new branch we like to celebrate it by supporting the local community. We decided to do something a little different this time,` said Ellen Sax, spokeswoman for KeyBank. `Now it will be up to the community to help decided how that money will be spent.`
The choices include an `After Prom` alcohol-free alternative party to keep prom night safe for students and the community, which is funded through the PTSA and community donations. Second, is the SGHS Booster Club, which is an all-sports booster club providing extra funding for athletic events and programs not funded by the school. When school is out, the Life Skills Summer curriculum was targeted for funds, which needs help with transportation costs and fees for special education students.
Lastly, while not directly within the school, `Mission Meals,` a GIVE program with students serving meals to the hungry and needy twice a month, is looking for funds to provide desserts with meals when the students serve. Also, funding for baking supplies and equipment at the Schenectady City Mission is needed.“