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Shayne Gallo Press Release July 26, 2011
Once again, all roads lead back to the Kings Inn. I hope that as the months pass, my reasons for starting my campaign in front of the Kings Inn have become more and more clear to the community. I hope that our efforts to lead the dialogue to the center of our city have refocused this election on the critical issues that we face.
This election must be about public safety, code enforcement and holding not-for-profit organizations, government agencies and landlords who receive rental income from these organizations and agencies, accountable for services provided to those in need.
The current debate regarding the Kings Inn shows how addressing these “Quality of Life” issues will put this city on the road towards recovery. By addressing these issues, we will take the first necessary steps towards creating an active, safe and vibrant midtown corridor where our businesses can thrive and grow.
The citizens of Kingston own a valuable piece of real estate which is perfectly positioned on the main thoroughfare in the center of a potentially lucrative business district. Over the course of the last decade, the city has incurred significant expense combating the former owners of the property and we have lost significant tax revenue.
Now that we own the property, we cannot afford to simply give it away. We must take steps to sell the Kings Inn property to recoup the tax dollars that we have lost. We need to return the property to the private sector where it can once again become a viable business property that generates needed tax revenue and employment opportunities in our city.
In order to sell our valuable piece of real estate, we need to prepare a shovel ready site in an attractive, safe and well maintained neighborhood. We must create a better “Quality of Life” environment that potential developers will find attractive.
Just like a homeowner who is placing a property on the market, we have to invest capital to increase the market value of our property. Any expenses that we incur in improving the site and the surrounding neighborhood will improve the marketability of the property and will result in an increased value of our asset and an overall improvement to the business climate in midtown.
I commend the work of the Kings Inn commission for moving towards clearing the site and preparing the site for development. Nevertheless, any solicitation of interest in the property must wait until the parcel is shovel ready. Figuratively speaking, the property must be staged. There is no way to know the true value of our asset until this basic work has been done.
