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You Must Surrender
By: Brett B Truett
"Surrender" is what their Downtown Utica hospital concept asks of us. It says...
Utica is so poor and our region's future has grown so bleak, population plummeted and now stagnant, we cannot afford our 64-acre St. Luke's campus.
A green hilltop view, Ideally Situated with; the Slocum-Dickson Medical Group, the Utica Business Park, French Road medical facilities, and Utica College's healthcare programs.
No! Sorry, that's all too much for Oneida County to afford.
Also residents cannot afford, nor expect, an expanded and much more intriguing Downtown Utica. Utica is too poor!
We can in no way further revitalized any more historic buildings. That is just a fantasy as there are no more wide-eyed property developers or entrepreneurs seeking to reclaim vacant properties or lots. Utica is too poor!
While other cities across Upstate New York, throughout the entire county and world, are reclaiming their urban cores with their rich historical fabric, revitalizing their tax base with reuse projects, new residents and many small businesses, no, Downtown Utica cannot accomplish this. Utica is too poor!
No, we must surrender, we must shutdown streets and eliminate interesting alleyways. Our open lots have no value, they'll never see a new building and certainly a simple green space with a walking area, or a dog park, no that is a luxury much too grand for our poor city.
Kennedy Plaza and other apartment residents, the Genesee Street, Landmarc and Brodock Building Loft dwellers, those in Bagg’s Square and the Varick Street district all must succumb to a huge sea of parked cars and inner city hospital district they say. For Utica is too poor!
Surrender all the dreams spelled out and touted in the; Master Plan, Upper Floors Initiative, the Gateway Plan they're telling us. All we deserve is compact hospital with old equipment and less jobs, and the destruction of 40+ businesses and a historic neighborhood. Utica is just too poor!
No, a “downtown” that consists of just “Genesee Street”, that's our fate. Utica is too poor!
Are you a new immigrant? Did you fix an old home in another neighborhood, but don't have the income to attend The Stanley or dine at Ocean Blue?
Well, don't aspire to come downtown, unless you are sick. Don't dream of walking a wide ranging set of downtown blocks, buying or rent a small downtown building, this is to be erased because Utica is just too poor.
All possible developers have been exhausted, it's time for bulldozers and wrecking balls. Utica is too poor!
Yes, we all must surrender our dreams of connected neighborhoods, which seems very odd as great things we're coming true, but now must end. Utica is too poor!
Downtown's Columbia-Lafayette Neighborhood has no value, it's current property owners and businesses are disposable. We’re told we must construct and create an uninspiring inner-city hospital district that everyone will avoid unless sickness or tragedy strike us or our loved ones. Utica is too poor!
I will not surrender. I'll ask you to do the same, call Assemblyman Brindisi, Mayor Palmieri and county Executive Picente.
If they continue I can assuredly inform you the Utica population will fall and by at least one very quickly.
You can help, please join us on Facebook #NoHospitalDowntown. Also consider adding your voice to Hundreds of People Saying, "No Hospital Downtown". Get to know BUD, that's the future of the Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood!
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