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Albany Corning Preserve Launch Disaster in the Making

34K views 164 replies 29 participants last post by  Atomic Rooster 
#1 ·
Went down today to the Albany launch for a shakedown cruise on the boat. The rowing club has erected a whole new set of chain link fencing which blocks off about 15 vehicle/trailer parking spots, if not more. Basically they have taken over nearly the entire northern end of the parking lot. It looks permanent. Not only is there a loss of parking, but when exiting the launch you used to be able to make a 90 degree left hand turn under the bridge and then another 90 towards the exit. Now you are going to have to make a complete U-turn into the lane where the vehicles/trailers wait in line to launch. It wasn't bad today because no boats were launching other than me and one other guy, but once the season gets it full swing I can foresee lots of problems and long waits, particularly on weekends. Anger even. I know the docks themselves are provided by the boat club and for that I am thankful, but I would bet the launch and parking were built with state dollars. I have no objection, and greatly welcome, the rowers, but this situation seems untenable. I have also noticed that the rowers do not wear life preservers. Also, that the people (students) operating the chase boats don't really know what they are doing. That water is cold this time of year, I know because I wade in it to launch my boat. I suppose those rowing sculls are pretty stable, but if one goes over at this time of year, the chase boats aren't going to be much use. They are 16 foot aluminum skiffs, how do you climb aboard those? Not my problem I guess but it seems pretty dangerous to me.

The boat ran good once I re-connected the spark plug lead I had taken off a week ago. Still leaks, mostly thru the live well pump I think. Maybe remove it and plug up the thru the hull fitting, see if that helps. Use a bucket to fill the well. Marked a few fish. Tried garden worms but no bites. No debris in the water, visibility maybe one to two feet.

You may want to take a drive down to the launch to check it out and plan your angle of attack before the season gets here. If you have a big boat its going to be a major problem for you. Anybody in tight with Mayor Jennings? Maybe a call to his Friday morning radio show would be in order.
 
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#78 ·
I would like to point out that it is not only the boater/fisherman that is affected here. The other recreational people that want to park down there. It would be a good idea to reach out to them for support with this and really kick it up. I called all the news stations. Said they would look into it.
 
#83 ·
Sure they provide activates no doubt, but the boaters provide INCOME for the state and local businesses. And it clearly WASNT an attempt at equality, or we would have fenced off spots for truck/trailers, spots for drive up car parking, etc.

But what you are forgetting are the simple facts we see...

Somehow they got all their shit, neatly packed in and protected by the fences directly UNDER the construction work about to go on. That tells me they have an "IN".

If that wasn't the case, and everyone; rowers, boaters, walkers, bike riders, and everyone else using the facility would have been given an equal opportunity to fit into the construction there... NOT HAND A MASTERLOCK KEY TO THE CLUB ONLY.

Think about this logically. The rowing club didnt just toss their shit in the fences un-announced... so they were brought into meetings about these events, they had to have been. Where was our meeting? Where was our chance to speak up and share ideas? I didnt see any flyers, any announcements, no heads up given to bait shops, marinas. No announcements in the newspapers. Instead it was yet another closed door cool kid meeting for their initiatives, screw everyone else.
 
#84 ·
Well I see no other option than to park all our trucks and boats around the fenced in area. Well make our own fence. They cant tow 20 trucks with boats. That should get the state and media's attention. Were just looking out for the rowers. No one can get a skull in or out with a fence of trucks and boats. Thats a way better theft deterrent than their chain link fence they have put up. When the state or contractor finally decides to start work we can kindly tell them that we have our vehicles there as a theft deterrent and until we have a reasonable place to park or a plan that will keep both fisherman/ boaters and rowers happy the trucks and boats have to stay. Its the only place they left for us to park.

Come on guys I wasn't even around in the 60's i know how to get stuff resolved.

I have a truck and 19 ft boat that can become fence for a while. It would be nice having it all waiting for me at the launch. Just have to take the car to the launch. Talk about gas savings!
 
#85 ·
Well I see no other option than to park all our trucks and boats around the fenced in area. Well make our own fence. They cant tow 20 trucks with boats. That should get the state and media's attention. Were just looking out for the rowers. No one can get a skull in or out with a fence of trucks and boats. Thats a way better theft deterrent than their chain link fence they have put up. When the state or contractor finally decides to start work we can kindly tell them that we have our vehicles there as a theft deterrent and until we have a reasonable place to park or a plan that will keep both fisherman/ boaters and rowers happy the trucks and boats have to stay. Its the only place they left for us to park.

Come on guys I wasn't even around in the 60's i know how to get stuff resolved.

I have a truck and 19 ft boat that can become fence for a while. It would be nice having it all waiting for me at the launch. Just have to take the car to the launch. Talk about gas savings!
100% IN FOR THIS. Hell I could probably get my buddy to bring his king cab duramax and 38' Cig to park! lol

If its legal parking, nothing wrong with doing this. I LOVE seeing action like this play out. Unfortunatly my father would never leave his boat and truck there so I cant play along myself. If i had my own it would be parked there already.
 
#86 ·
just got back from a lil recon mission down there. Ill be back with a tape measure and some MS paint skills tomorrow then post back up, and forward to OGS, Jennings, and/or whoever would maybe make use of it.


It's not so much of a "take over" as it's a gross misuse of space.

First and foremost, the fence line for the lane along the sidewalk leading to the launch is narrow. Its roughly 17 feet pacing it out curb to barrels they have along the fence... the fence protrudes a foot itself into the lane from the inside curbs around the bridge pylons, and the needless orange barrels are another 2 feet worth of lost space. Pulling a trailer and boat through, you would be hard pressed to fit another truck and trailer, past the other way... making it a one lane in one lane out launch with a start and finish line a few hundred feet away... also making the "waiting line" practically out the lot. If the fence was pushed to the bounds of the curb around the bridge pylons, with NO WORTHLESS BARRELS past that, the lane would be of original width.


Second. The "no parking except for vehicles and trailers" section at the end of the fence line is doable, fitting roughly 15 trucks/trailers at the section closest to the road, fitting the same amount in the section closes to the river is going to make it tight as hell to make a turn out of the spots without hitting the trailers in front, and even tigher to make the turn without clipping the truck next to you, AND the sorry sap that got the first inside spot closes to the curb/island to his left is running that curb over without a doubt with the trailer. That section is pull straight in only deal, unless you want to try to back it in while dozens of boats are waiting for the one in/out only issue stated above!

Third, "truck/trailer parking only" spots behind the fenced off area closest to the road could park some people, IF THEY MOVED THE TRUCKS AND SHIT PARKING HAP HAZARDLY THERE NOW, ILLEGALLY. Albany parking authority will be on speed dial if I see people parked car only in those spots, believe you me. Only problem there is getting into the spots... you have to back them in, jack knife, however you can into them going around the access road near the street, since the fence is blocking the pull through ability it once was.

Forth, the only places to park cars, are 90% blocked off entirely by the yellow jersey barriers, and the other small section next to that is State Employee parking only as far as I know.... so you have a dozen or so near the water. Wahhooo.



Lastly... and this is why I am coming back with a tape measure. The fenced off area is utilized piss poorly. If they spun the racks 90 deg, and packed them in properly, they could fit all the shit they have there now, and then some, in HALF the area they fenced off... AND make it easier to load/unload their boats from the racks too! This would free up about 40+ truck and trailer ONLY spots, for easy pull through parking/leaving too.


Over and OUT
 
#88 ·
you have to be kidding me. OK listen to this. i have been calling people since Friday the 12th. Iv'e called city hall the port authority,OGS, DOT,talked to mike kline the city lawyer, and have gotton NO ANSWERS as to what is going on down there or who is responsible for those fences.I have even reported to every news station with no responce. What does one have to do to get some answers??confused.gif
 
#90 ·
OK people this is what I was just told by Mike and Evan who work for Albany Rowing Center the club that owns all those skulls down there. They showed me where they were stored and it was right behind the rowing shed. NYSDOT sold the bridge work contract to DA Collins who told the rowing center they had to move the boats. Mike told me they looked at many options to set the boats up by taking up the least amount of space and that is the way it is now. They were going to set them up facing east to west but some boats are to long and extend past the overlap of the bridge where debre will fall into the parking lot. DA Collins bought the fence for them to put up. Little strange there I thought. Also the Rowing Center has nothing to do with the yellow barricade's that have been set up. This is going to be like this until September when the bridge work is expected to be completed. If you have any more questions Mike has given his e mail. It is albanyrowingcenter.org. I still don't feel good about it.
 
#92 ·
Went down and launched today, no problems but only a few boaters there.

My best guess is what is done is done for this year for the most part. But a good traffic cop and opening up the gates in the fence so people can pull out with a 90 degree turn instead of a 180 would go a long way to relieve the tension. No body is going to steal a 30 foot scull, the fences don't have to be locked. In fact, I will camp out down for the next month to make sure. Port a potties are on site. Occupy the Corning Launch! With fishing poles! Mount down riggers on those sculls, with a designated fisherman on board! Think outside the box people!
 
#107 ·
I hate to give away my secrets but there is a launch in Troy. It has all the parking in the world. It puts you right at the base of the Dam. This launch is not for the faint of heart, 2 wheel drive, or someone anything short of an expert backing up a trailer. It kills me to reveal this secret because during the stripper season I can be in and out no problem with minimal waiting until some moron thinks he knows how to back a trailer up using his mirrors and ends up in the ditch that is on either side. I can't count how many trailers I've had to back down for others just so I can get my boat out after them. I am not kidding when I say its not for the faint of heart. If you cant thread a needle with your trailer in reverse using just your mirrors then go to HH. If your good with a trailer and need a hassle free launch then go to Ingals Ave in Troy. Its dirt and gets washed out regularly. But boy is it nice to have a little hidden gem people are scared to use. I laugh when I look at the corning mess during the heat of stripper season. Enjoy your waits and tempers. The good news is I haven't caught a striper yet that cared where I put my boat in.
be very careful of this launch, i have used this launch many times and one day when we came in to shore, my truck was vandalized with windows smashed, tires slit and taped all around truck with b a m f wrote on it, thats why i used corning launch. should of known with all the broken glass on ground. just wanted to warn u. be safe and good fishing.:salute:
 
#97 ·
Avoid buying gas for your truck and boat in Albany. Also avoid getting lunches and provisions for out on the water in Albany. Last year I fought with the city of Troy to fix one of their launches and i explained that the Striper season has potential to help the economy with gas fill ups, beer buying, and food buying due to having fisherman travel here. They fixed the ramp so it was usable.
 
#98 ·
the part about not being able to stack the skulls up 90 deg to how they have them now I am very confident is BULLSHIT. But my Stanly FatMax 30' tape this afternoon will prove that. I assume that the debris they are worried about, is coming off the top of the bridge and will fall over the side, so as long as everything is directly under the overpass its "covered".

And the part about "taking up the least amount of space is also bullshit, which is exactly why I posted what I did yesterday and will go back today and prove my assumptions. they have them staggered 3 deep, as in nose to tail inside the space.
 
#99 ·
I assume that the debris they are worried about, is coming off the top of the bridge and will fall over the side, so as long as everything is directly under the overpass its "covered".
Info from a chat with the contractor for the bridge work: There is open space between the northbound and southbound lanes. During construction, debris does fall through this space. Last year while work was done on the northbound side, there were a few incidents where 100+ lb. chunks of concrete & rebar dropped through the middle. As work is now being done southbound, they told the rowing club that all equipment (and people handling the equipment) be kept well clear of that zone for safety reasons. Result: all storage (previously on that southbound side, behind the boat shed) had to be moved under the northbound lane. If rotated 90 degrees, the longer rowing boats would cross the center line, risking damage, risking the safety of people handling them, and impeding construction.

I find that asking people who are directly involved for the information is always easier than making blind assumptions. For all of the posts about calling the mayor, calling DOT, calling the media... there were a whopping zero posts about contacting DA Collins or the rowing club (until aj454 posted about speaking with some guys down there yesterday).
 
#100 ·
I no longer have any respect for the rowers. Yesterday I was anchored about 20ft from shore and those mother f-ers went between
Me and the shore, while the instructor came in head on with my boat until he reached our lines and said"I'm not on your lines, am I?" I almost blew my gasket. I use to no wake when I came across rowers, but now it's game on! I hope the bridge falls down on all their lame boats!!!:frustrated:
 
#101 ·
As strange as its gonna sound I was actually struck by a scull last year that even had a spotting boat. I was anchored with lines out and they struck my boat with three paddles. I flagged over the spotting boat and obviously vented my fustration. I took all his reg numbers as well and name and number and called the NYSP to advise them even though no damage was done. The officer that called me back stated this was not his first complaint of the year about sculls hitting anchored boats on the river. The trooper stated he was going to call and follow up with the rowing team and spotter. I have assisted solo rowers getting there boats in and out and they are usually very pleasant. The teams and chase boats have zero respect. Remember anchored boats not in the channel have the right of way. Hopefully we can all play nice this year. Tight lines
 
#102 ·
falling debris, kind of like what smashed out plenty of state worker's car windows at the water st lot last year? Yeah I can see that. But if I follow the conversation it doesn't make sense how they have it all laid out down there...

"They were going to set them up facing east to west but some boats are too long and extend past the overlap of the bridge where debris will fall into the parking lot."

VS

"As work is now being done southbound, they told the rowing club that all equipment (and people handling the equipment) be kept well clear of that zone for safety reasons. Result: all storage (previously on that southbound side, behind the boat shed) had to be moved under the northbound lane. If rotated 90 degrees, the longer rowing boats would cross the center line, risking damage, risking the safety of people handling them, and impeding construction. "

The boats, dock ramps, and everything else is just scattered around the entire area. No matter what lane they work on above, something is in danger below. So unless they are going to commandeer off the entire area, and move stuff around as they work on different sections above 100% leaving clear the space bellow, no matter how they lay things out (nicely packed or strung about everywhere) the items are still at risk! So why not stack them more constructively and share more space for those willing to park in danger? Thats my point.

I have more pictures, proving the stuff is just tossed here and there, and one set of long skulls crosses the centerline EXACTLY like you said is a bad idea above... And calling me out because I am using my head, instead of talking to people in charge, sorry I don't have the connections you do.

BUT, the people I didn't want to interrupt an hour ago when I went down to take measurements for fun… The ones with a big blue video camera and 3 others on the opposite of the view finder who looked (judging by their body language and hand signals) rather pissed off at each other, they might have done exactly what you called me out on and contacted someone of DA Collins.
 
#104 ·
the two racks under the northbound lane could without a doubt fit east/west on the left of the pylon where they fenced off both lanes above. And if they were really worried about crossing the center line from the lanes above and potentially damage the nose/tail of the boat if they extended past, it would still fit under ONE bound lane. (unlike the rack positioned smack dab in the center of N/S lanes above, contradicting that entire point they made earlier) Just count the fence sections... each lane above is 7 sections wide, the longest skulls on the rack infront of my car is only 6 sections wide. And look at the dock ramp, that's close to 25-30' long, and it has plenty of room fore and aft to clear one highway lane above.


Looking at the pics, its clear to me without getting some run down by someone in charge, that all their equipment could fit in the northern section fenced off, leaving the other HALF of the truck/trailer parking section (where the rack with yellow/red/white short skulls are, and the rack with long white ones) un-fenced and open to public.


Lastly, there were about 2 dozen cars parked in the trailer only spots... maybe they got tickets?
 
#108 ·
What i got yesterday is what i reported. Here is my question still. The rowers got kicked out of there spot. WHO SAID YOU CAN PUT YOUR BOATS THERE AND TAKE UP PUBLIC PARKING????? Who gave them permission to do that??? Heard of an interview with ch. 13 tonight.
If I were the contractor, I wouldn have ANYTHING parked under me work site, if 100lb hunks of concrete and rebar could fall accidently from my workers hands! The last thing I would do is fence in someone and their property and personal directly underneeth! So I too would like to see who signed their ass to the would be lawsuits for the injury or property damage from telling the club "yeah just stash all your stuff down there".

Ch 13 must have been the people I saw shooting an interview when I pulled down there. Ill be watching to see if I got on tv while snoopin around down there. lol
 
#109 ·
UPDATE: Yellow barriers are from OGS for over flow from Water Street State Employee parking, when they start the bridge work over there! So kiss those spots good by unless you have an NYS employee parking pass.


Also, I called NY Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and they said they dont run it and knew nothing about this issue. Said to contact city of albany.
 
#110 ·
I was there today checking it out, and I found at least 10 cars parked where it clearly says," No parking expt. Vehicles with trailer". There was 2 Vehicles with trailer and two of these Skull trailers. All was not to be parked there expt the 2 Vehicles with trailer. So why isn't an Albany police writing ticket?
Oh and those stupid barricades blocking the other side of the parking lot.
alright.gif
 
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