Schenectady to open empowerment center

Located on Erie Blvd. near Route 890, project will cost $290,000

The city is looking at opening a center to help small businesses crippled financially by the coronavirus pandemic.

Affirmative Action officer Ron Gardner told City Council members last week that the economic empowerment center, which would be located on Erie Boulevard near Route 890, would provide an “environment where we can help sustain and offer technical assistance and our resources to help businesses get back on their feet.”

“We’ll be there engaging with the businesses and working with the businesses and helping them with technical assistance,” added Gardner.

Gardner wants the city to chip in $100,000 from Covid-relief fund monies to help get the center up and running.

The total cost of the project is $290,000.

City Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo questioned Gardner about staffing and why the center wasn’t being housed at City Hall.

Gardner said City Hall doesn’t currently have any more space and that he was in talks with “other partners” regarding staffing the center.

Perazzo described the center as an “exciting proposal” but said more details would be nice.

“I just think a business plan, a budget and curriculum would help me,” she said, adding “it feels a little cart before the horse.” “I don’t want to get the program created and then realize that we have to allocate additional monies because of staffing.”

Gardner said part of the holdup from releasing more information publicly about the proposal is that some of the potential partners still needed to get the required approval from their board members.

He suggested that the panel could make the $100,000 contingent of the other groups coming through with funding, which they ultimately agreed on and voted it out of a City Council Committee.

The matter will be voted on the by full Council soon.