LITTLE ITALY NEWS APRIL 2015 EDITION

www.troylittleitaly.org www.littleitalytroy.org

troylittleitaly@gmail.com

We are pleased to announce

our new web site

www.troylittleitaly.org
Thanks to T.R.I.P. for providing us with Anasha Cummings
who helped us design and publish the site. It is still a work in
progress and if anyone has suggestions about what you would
like to see on the site, e-mail us at the above address

TROY LITTLE ITALY

1st ANNUAL BOCCE TOURNAMENT
When: April 11, 2015 9A.M.
Where: Italian Community Center
1450 Fifth Avenue, Troy N.Y.
:
Zita & Meatballs, Salad, Bread and Soda.
Non players Welcome, Cost for Dinner $7 *CASH BAR*
Join us for a fun time, root on your favorite team and stay for lunch.
There are eleven teams that will be competing. Thank you to the I.C.C.
and Pat Meile for coordinating the event.
All proceeds to benefit Troy Little Italys Quality of Life Committee with
their concerts and summer events in the market.

APRIL MEETING
APRIL 18TH 2015
Neighborhood Watch

6:00 pm

Troy Little Italy 6:30

233 Fourth Street
( at the corner of Washington and Fourth)
A Raidsonline representative will speak on the
on the online system
Find out whats happening on your block

EARTH DAY
APRIL 25, 2015
SPRING IS COMING
Thank you for participating
in advance

Help us keep the Neighborhood clean!!!

Pick up papers, garbage and cans, sweep
your sidewalks, and clean the alley.

Troys Little Italy Revisited Goes to Press

By Mike Esposito
As the countrys leading publisher of history Arcadia has given many people an opportunity to
write about their community, sharing photographs and descriptions. I am pleased that Arcadia
will publish my new book Troys Little Italy Revisited. Photographs and photo descriptions
have been sent to Arcadia. Their sales and marketing team are planning the publication date for
the book. I am waiting for the page proofs to review. Many people have assisted me with this
second compilation. The have my thanks for their support.
The story continues from the earlier 2009 book. Our accomplishments are based on the cooperation and generosity of our business community and residents of Little Italy. Support has been
given by government officials on all levels. Community partners, agencies and organizations,
the news media, neighborhood associations and the Troy community at large recognize our efforts to stabilize the neighborhood, share our culture and create a heritage tourism destination.
Americas cities are on a rebound and the Italian-American community has stood fast in remaining in the vital neighborhoods of the older American cities. Troy Little Italy continues to
be a catalyst for change in an old neighborhood. Many talented and motivated residents are
willing to volunteer for a number of events and activities.
We Remember ... June Larkin, The Girl Next Door
Many area residents will remember Troy Little Italys tribute to beloved American Artist Norman Rockwell which
was the subject of a successful event held on Fourth Street in June, 2008. Norman Rockwell Comes Alive in
Troy, NY was one of the most ambitious volunteer events organized by our neighborhood group. Stephanie
Plunkett, deputy director and chief curator of the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge was the keynote speaker but
the most special person in attendance at the Gasholder House
symposium that day was June Larkin who shared her good natured recollection of working with Rockwell as a
model in his famous Homecoming GI illustration which appeared on the May 26, 1945 Saturday Evening Post
cover. She was a genuine delight to all who attended the event. June is seen on the left side of the illustration as
the girl next door awaiting the homecoming soldier. June, wife of the late Harold Larkin, passed away on Friday,
March 20, 2015 at the age of 90. June is survived by her children, David,
Deborah and Diana, their spouses, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. We send our condolences to
Junes family.

Sowhere exactly is South Central Troy?

The forty block area pictured in this aerial view is South Central Troy. It is easily identified because the area has three natural
borders the Hudson River on the west, Prospect Park on the east, and the Poestenkill on the south. Ferry Street, considered by
many as the southern border of Troys historic downtown business district, is our northern border.
From top to bottom the streets are Ferry, Division, Liberty, Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Ida. The street running diagonally (on the right side of the map) is Hill. From left to right, the north-south streets are: River, First, Second, Third, Fourth,
Fifth, St. Marys and Havermans.
The areas geographic center is beautiful Washington Park, a privately owned two acre green space. Washington Place is located
along the south side of the park. Little Italy is the twenty block section stretching from Ferry Street on the north to Ida Street and
the Poestenkill Canal, along the length of the western slope of Mount Ida (Prospect Park). Four other designated neighborhoods
in South Central Troy are Riverside (First Street), Historic Second (Second Street), Washington Park Area (the neighborhood
around and adjacent to Washington Park), and the Pottery District (Fourth Street, and Church and William streets from Ferry to
Division).
In the upper left is a portion of Russell Sage College. In the upper right is the Family Court building. The vacant lot behind the
court building is now the location of City Center buildings. Directly south of the Family Court is the Italian Community Center.
The Hill Street MarketPlace is one block south of the ICC (the triangle lot). In the lower right is the Gasholder House (the circular building). All along the right side of the map is Prospect Park. Along the lower portion of the map is the Poestenkill partially hidden by the trees.

SOUTH CENTRAL TROY Circa 2010

(Courtesy of the New York State Geographic Information Systems)

A Directory of Troy City Services

Troy Little Italys Quality of Life Subcommittee has compiled a brochure of useful information
about quality of life issues in the City of Troy. The document is based on information from an
earlier brochure titled DIRECTORY OF COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INFORMATION
issued several years ago by Mayor Harry Tutunian. The City of Troy does not plan to reissue an
updated addition of the brochure in print however they remind us that information is available
in several places on the City website at www.troyny.gov. The website also contains full text of
the Troy Code of Ordinances and the Assessment Roll as well as a calendar of upcoming City
events.
A copy of our brochure titled A DIRECTORY OF TROY CITY SERVICES is available in this
months Little Italy Newsletter. It contains a directory of updated telephone numbers and brief
descriptions of city services available to residents. We suggest you print the two pages and keep
them handy near your telephone. We will print copies as a one page, two sided brochure and
make them available at various South Central Troy businesses this summer. The DIRECTORY
may also be added to our website.

Keep up with the latest events in

your neighborhood!

EventStroll is an App that can be downloaded from the Internet to let one
know about the upcoming events in your area, and the Capital District.
This year, Troy Little Italy has many events planned and some are still
being created. The App will keep you informed of what the event is, date,
time and a brief description.
Here is what you do:
1. Find your App symbol on your phone and click on it
2. You are now in your App store, click on your Search symbol
3. Type in EventStroll, no spaces and the App comes up
4. Click on it so that it will download to your phone (This takes a few
minutes)
5. Once the Icon, as you see above shows up, then click on it to bring
you to all the events
This service is brought to you by Gavant Software, a local technology business in
downtown Troy. Another great service to make our lives easier and keep us updated on
all the happenings in Troy Little Italy. !

USEFUL INFORMATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE

ISSUES
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
Weekly Household Garbage Collection:
Trash pickup is limited to household garbage. Household garbage should be placed out to the curb or in the alley after 7:00
pm the night before your pick up or before 6:00 am the day of
your pick up. Garbage or moist or liquid waste is to be placed
in water tight wooden, plastic or metal covered containers or
heavy duty plastic bags tied at the top or specifically treated
paper bags.
Bulk Refuse:
Bulk items include old furniture, appliances, carpets, doors,
mattresses, scrap metal, tires, etc. Metals should be separated.
Removal of one pickup truck load of trash is free. The City
charges $3 per tire. To schedule bulk refuse collection, call
270-4579 or 270-1115.
Hazardous Waste:
The City coordinates collection three times per year with Albany and Colonie. For more information call 270-4579.
Recyclables:
The blue recycle containers should be placed at curbside or in
the alley for collection no later than 7:00 am on your scheduled
collection day. Recyclables cannot be placed in plastic bags.
The following are recyclable: junk mail, magazines, newspapers, telephone books, corrugated cardboard, 1, 2, 3, and 5
plastics, metal food and beverage containers, glass bottles and
jars. Plastics, metals and glass cannot be intermixed with
newspapers and cardboard. For more information call 2704579.
Yard Waste:
Yard waste (grass clippings, leaves, brush, branches, etc.) is
collected on a call in basis throughout the year. Set yard waste
out to the curb or alley the evening before your scheduled day
for pick up in biodegradable bags. Tree trimmings and hedge
trimmings must be secured in tied bundles. To schedule pick
up call 270-4579 or 270-1115.
Construction and Demolition Debris:
The City provides collection of construction and demolition
debris for residential; projects performed by the property
owner only. The accumulation of any solid wastes for more
than 7 days is prohibited. To schedule pick-up call 279-4579 or
270-1115.
A minimum $50 charge per pickup truck load must be paid for
before collection.

Construction and Demolition Debris:

The City provides collection of construction and demolition debris
for residential; projects performed by the property owner only. The
accumulation of any solid wastes for more than 7 days is prohibited.
To schedule pick-up call 279-4579 or 270-1115.
A minimum $50 charge per pickup truck load must be paid for before collection.
Solid Waste Violations/Penalties:
Any solid waste material including construction and demolition
material set out to the curb at other than scheduled times is considered illegal disposal. For these violations, the Litter Officer will
issue a court appearance ticket and fines will be served.
Sidewalks-Damaged/Snow Covered:
The condition of sidewalks is the property owners responsibility.
Steps, sidewalks and similar areas must be kept in good repair and
maintained to assure safe travel under normal use and weather conditions.
Graffiti, Missing House Numbers, and Yard Maintenance:
Each is the responsibility of property owners. Graffiti on any public
or private building is illegal. Since graffiti can be gang related it
should be reported to Community Police at 270-4689. Violations
for yard maintenance should be reported to Code Enforcement at
270-4584.
DOGS
Dogs must be cared for in a responsible manner which does not
interfere with the quality of life of residents in the surrounding
neighborhood. The owner of the dog is responsible for removing
and cleaning any waste or excrement deposited on public or private
property. Each dog must be licensed. Dangerous dogs must be confined on the owners premises, either indoors or in a securely enclosed and locked pen or dog run. To report cases of nuisance barking, unlicensed or loose dogs, or to report animal abuse or cruelty,
call 270-4411.
NOISE ORDINANCE
No one shall play any radio, stereo, television, musical instrument
or any other devices that produces sound in such a manner as to
create unnecessary noise that crosses property boundaries and annoys a person of reasonable sensibilities. The Noise Ordinance is in
effect 24 hours a day and complaints can be called into the Police
non-emergency number at 270-4411.

ABANDONED VEHICLES
It is illegal for any person to cause, allow or permit an abandoned,
junked, discarded, dismantled or inoperable motor vehicle to be stored
on any public or private property located within the City of Troy. Questions should be directed to the Bureau of Code Enforcement at 279-7180.

PARKING REGULATIONS
No person shall park a vehicle in any of the following places: on a sidewalk, within 20 feet of a crosswalk at any intersection, unless a different
distance is indicated officially; blocking the entrance or exit of a driveway, public or private; within 15 feet of a fire hydrant; or any place that
is posted by official signs prohibiting stopping, standing or parking; on
any ground, lawn or vegetated area, public or privately owned. This
policy is in effect every day of the year unless otherwise indicated.
Should you wish to pave or otherwise create a parking area, you must
contact the Bureau of Code Enforcement at 270-4584. Parking violations
should be reported to the Troy Police Department at 270-4423. Commercial type vehicles such as house coaches, semi-trailers, dump trucks,
construction equipment, cranes, moving vans, delivery trucks with six or
more tires, boats, boat trailers, and other large commercial means of
transport are prohibited from parking on city streets on a permanent or
semi-permanent basis.

PLEASE REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

If you see something, say something!

This brochure has been compiled by Troy Little Italys Quality of

Life Subcommittee from information originally published by the
City of Troy in their brochure Directory of Community Services &
Information which is no longer in print. Telephone numbers and
descriptive information have been updated. (April 2015)

A DIRECTORY OF TROY
CITY SERVICES
Animal Control
Assessors Office
City Clerks Office
City Council Office
City Court
Code Enforcement
(Violations)
(Anonymous Hot Line)
Community Police
Community Service
Liaison
Crime Victims Assist
Program
Comptroller
Economic Development
Emergency
Engineering
Fire Department
Housing & Community
Development
Legal Department
Mayors Office
Parking Bureau
Personnel Office
Planning & Zoning
Police Department
(Non-emergency)
(Tip Line)
Public Works
(DPW Dispatch)
Parks & Recreation

270-4411
279-7126
279-7134
279-7317
453-5900
279-7180
279-4404
270-4689
281-3600
270-4454
270-4552
279-7412
911
279-7179
270-4471

279-7149
279-7136
279-7130
279-7115
279-7123
279-7392
270-4421
270-4411
270-5004
270-1115
270-4579
235-0215
235-7761
Treasurers Office
279-7115
279-7310
Vital Statistics
279-7309
270-4587
Water Department
237-0438
Water Billing
279-7100
Water/Sewer Emergency 237-0241
For additional numbers and information
use
The City of Troy website at
www.troyny.gov

Rocco the Easter Bunny presenting Joseph House a chocolate egg large enough
for 60 people.

Rocco with the Wellesley Students

He spoke to them about a movie made in Troy The role of a Leader

Above: Rocco DeFazio, founder of Troys Neighborhood Action Council, relayed

his fathers saying to him when he was young, In order to get something, you
have to give something, explaining how all the law enforcement volunteers were
giving of their time to get young people in Troy to be safe from the lure of gangs.

United States Attorney

Richard S. Hartunian
along with the heads and
leaders of the 17 participating agencies in the
Troy LEADership Project
announce the initiation of
the project in the Enlarged
City School District of
Troy.