Traffic alert for Hoosick Street repair

Wednesday's work site. / Google photo

The City of Troy has issued a traffic alert for Wednesday (October 1.

Manhole repair is scheduled at Hoosick and 16th streets (by Domino's), beginning at 9 a.m. when commuter traffic eases off. Nevertheless, motorists are advised to expect minor  delays. 

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Dues payment update from our treasurer

As you know, we've had a rash of check hacks over the past month or two, resulting in some discussions about a more secure way to pay our dues. 

I spent about an hour with Detective Ryan Davis of the Troy Police Department, and he agreed with what I'm about to suggest. 

Go into your bank's website or their app on your phone and select the auto bill pay option. Set it to pay Terrace at Highpointe at 35 Hyland Drive, Troy N Y 12182. 

You can do this for annual, semi-annual, or quarterly payments, but because of frequent mail delays, I would suggest setting the due date as the 27th of the previous month rather than the first of the month they're due. Your bank then will mail us a bank check. Your personal check won't be involved at all, and thus unable to be hacked. Plus you won't have to remember to write a check every so often. 

If you need help setting this up, call one of your grandchildren. (Two of you have been doing this for a while.) If you've had a problem and haven't talked to Detective Davis, or if you have additional input for him, he'd love to hear from you. You can reach him at ryan.davis@troyny.gov, office 518-270-4430 or cell 518-948-6373.

-- Jerry Gordon

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THCA candidate slate for 2026-27

As announced last weekend, the annual meeting of the Terrace at Highpointe Homeowners Association (THCA) has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, October 13, at Faith Lutheran Church.

Among the agenda items will be election of the THCA Board for 2026-27. Per our bylaws, each seat is for a two-year term, and all members are elected at-large. Thereafter, the Board will organize and assign offices, much like the Briish Parliamentary system.

The slate of officers created by the Nominating Committee, chaired by Paul Fox Murphy, which began seeking candidates back in April:

• Bill Dowd
• Steven Sanders
• Jerry Gordon
• Peg Savchik
• Sid Legg
• Ned Alaskey
• Bill Shover

Ellen Gordon, who has served as secretary, has declined to stand for reelection. The Association thanks Ellen for her long and faithful service to the community.

As always, additional candidates can be nominated from the floor at the meeting and, if seconded, placed on the ballot along with the seven names shown above. Should that occur, we will move to a secret ballot to elect the seven-member board.

Anyone not planning to attend the meeting is asked to submit their proxy to Ellen Gordon or Bill Dowd by email no later than Sunday, October 5. The proxy will count you as "present," which goes toward achieving the quorum required to hold a meeting. If you wish, it also will allow Ellen to cast a vote on your behalf. Only one vote per property no matter how many owners are involved.

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Troy PD resuming Citizens Police Academy

• A message from the Troy Police Department on behalf of Mayor Carmella Mantello and Chief of Police Daniel DeWolf:

The City of Troy and Troy Police Department are proud to announce the 2025 session of our Citizens Police Academy, an engaging and informative program designed to foster stronger relationships and promote understanding between law enforcement and the community we serve. 

This initiative reflects our commitment to transparency, accountability, and collaborative community policing. This free, interactive 10-week training program is designed to provide insight into law enforcement and a working knowledge of the values and operations of the Troy Police Department. 

Participants learn about the unique challenges faced by law enforcement as they take part in education and real-life scenarios. Interested individuals from all backgrounds (ages 18 and above) and professions are encouraged to apply. 

Whether you are an engaged resident, a business owner, or a community leader, this program offers a unique platform to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community we proudly serve. Please note that applicants must reside or work in the City of Troy to be considered. The sessions are scheduled to begin on October 14, and the application process for now is open.

Additional details and the program application can be found on the City website or by e-mailing CPA@troyny.gov.

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A 4th quarter dues reminder

A friendly reminder to those Terrace homeowners who pay their dues on a quarterly or basis: 

The 4th quarter of 2025 begins on Wednesday, October 1.

Dues should be submitted in the usual manner to THCA Treasurer Jerry Gordon to assure that they are received on time.

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Annual member meeting date set

Please circle Monday, October 13, on your calendars. We'll be holding our annual THCA meeting at 7 p.m. that day. 

The venue is our usual spot -- Faith Lutheran Church, 50 Leversee Road, just around a couple of corners from the Terrace. 

Among agenda items will be election of the THCA Board for 2026-27, and presentation of a recommended budget for 2026. 

If you will be unable to join us, please send your written proxy to President Bill Dowd or Secretary Ellen Gordon ASAP. Proxies count toward creating a quorum (necessary for holding a meeting and voting on issues), and Ellen will cast your votes on your behalf. In other words, if you don't attend in person or by proxy, your voice will not be heard. 

As always, only one vote per residence no matter how many owners there are. 

Have a great rest-of-September, and see you on October 13.

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Traffic alert: 2 more water mainbreaks

Wooden water pipe installed in 1799 was removed from
the City water system in 1974. / Troy Water Dept. photo

Troy's antiquated water main system (see above for an example) usually can be counted on to spring a leak several times a month. Here in September that pace has increased.

The Department of Public Works already had been called on to make some repairs earlier in the month, but today two different mains broke.

•  Intersection of Thompson and Hopkins streets. Quality-of-Life Crews have managed the break and will fully fix it on Friday.

• Bottom of Stow Avenue and Hudson Street. Quality-of-Life Crews were on site tonight and hoped to finish repairs before morning.

Given that workers often run into unexpected complications doing repairs on the water system -- which is as much as 200 years old in some places, it's wise to plan alternate routes until the weekend.

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Troy road reconstruction alert

As part of the City of Troy's annual roadway reconstruction program, be alerted to the fact that you may encounter some delays beginnng on Thursday this week in the Burden Avenue area.

According to a City announcement, "Burden Avenue will be milled with paving scheduled for a week or so as part of Troy's annual Infrastructure Improvement Plan."

Plan for an occasional slight delay, depending on which direction you're headed, or plan an alternative route.

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Japanese Maple added to Terrace plantings

Prepping garden for a new Japanese Maple.

 

The empty space in the planted area near the mailbox gazebo isn't quite as empty as of this morning.

The gap, created by the removal of dead original-planting trees, now is home to a Bloodgood Japanese Maple.

That species was selected because we were looking for a disease- and pest-resistant tree that is fast-growing, requires little maintenance, prefers full sun, and won't grow beyond 20 feet at maturity.

Esthetically, it also was selected for its vivid colored foliage that ranges from deep burgundy to bright red spring through fall.

We're still considering other low-maintenance, long-life perennial plants for the rest of the open area, ranging from ornamental grasses to peonies, etc.

ADDENDUM -- While Grounds Committee Chair Ned Alaskey and his main support system Susan McCabe began watering our new tree, a call for other volunteers to share the chore has resulted in the participation of Paula Fox Murphy, Bob Malphrus, Lorraine Bailey, and Janet and Fred Fowler. The community thanks all of them for their efforts.

Wrangling the tree into its new home.

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Consumer alert for Terrace residents

Several of our residents are experiencing problems stemming from compromised bank accounts. Three instances were with accounts at Broadview Federal Credit Union, and one with Trustco Bank. There may be others. 

Detective Ryan Davis of the Troy Police Department is willing to assist anyone else who may also need help. 

Lorraine Bailey, who brought this situation to our attention, says Davis "has contacted a woman in Texas who wrote the check with my account number. She has also been compromised. I might add that three of the checks had a woman’s name on them and all three noted they were for repairs. None of the three check numbers were close to our sequence check numbers. One was from Texas, one from Georgia, and one from Rhode Island. I don’t know about the fourth." 

Lorraine says if anyone else is experiencing such a problem, "I’d be happy to notify Detective Ryan on their behalf or give them his email with my case number." 

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Labor Day is over, but summer isn't

Japanese maple headed for the Terrace.

Well, we're past Labor Day and in the home stretch of summer even though it will be a while before autumn officially arrives -- despite the local news media's insistence that when the thoroughbreds stop running at Saratoga Race Course summer is over.

The first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere this year doesn't arrive until Monday, September 22, when the autumnal equinox takes place. That's when the Earth's axis is not tilted toward or away from the sun, resulting in nearly equal day and night hours globally.

On the Terrace, we're in the final segments of the growing season, a rather unsatisfactory one this year given the ongoing lack of rainfall that has left us with brown swatches of our lawns and some stunting of the growth of shrubs and flowers because of the sparsity of precipitation.

Nevertheless, this week we did see lawn mowing as well as application of a non-pesticide fertilizer. And, in the coming days, we'll see the planting of a Bloodgood Japanese Maple in the landscaped circle near the mailbox gazebo to help visually fill in the area after removal of several dead/dying trees.

That tree, selected and purchased after communication among THCA President Bill Dowd, Grounds Committee chair Ned Alaskey, and the indefatigable Susan McCabe, is a fast-growth sapling that in a relatively short time will fill in the visual vacancy in that area.

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