Synergy is defined as arrangements that are mutually beneficial to the parties involved. There is a great deal of synergy in Troy at the present time.
In the last couple of years I have been bumping into people who have moved to Troy from San Francisco, Boston, New York, New Orleans, Portland, and elsewhere, and they all have told me the same thing - they love Troy's architecture and history and wanted to own a piece of it. Even Hollywood producer Sandy Horowitz who has purchased several landmark buildings in Troy has been quoted saying basically the same thing. Troy's history is a goldmine.
Last week Senator Joe Bruno, the Senate Majority Leader who has proved so many times in the past that he loves Troy, made a major announcement. Bruno announced a grand plan to turn part of South Troy into a heritage destination paradise - a Hudson River Heritage Center that will combine history, education, recreation, and business in one location, championed by a group of business savvy types called the Hudson River Group LLC.
On paper, this project is the best thing that has happened for Troy since Bruno became Majority Leader. The project includes a marina, shops, entertainment and harbor with replicas of four historic ships, the Fortune a 17th-century ship used in Hudson River trade; the Experiment, an 18th century sloop that was the first ship to sail from Albany to China, in 1785; The USS Albany, a nuclear submarine soon to be decommissioned, and the USS Monitor, a 19th-century Civil War battleship whose iron hull plates and rivets were made in Troy. These four ships would be a tremendous draw of tourists from around the world.
The Fortune, or Fortuyn, was Adrian Block's ship that sailed to the Hudson for trading in 1612-1613 and later by Hendrick Christiansen in 1613/14 and Cornelis Jacobsz May in 1614. Captain Block was one of the first traders in our neck of the woods after Hudson's voyages.
The Experiment was a Hudson River sloop that was built by Albany business man Stewart Dean (Dean Street is named for him), an Albany captain and war hero, and made its maiden voyage in July of 1784 to Madeira, West Indies, South Carolina, New York, and back home. However, Dean was looking for bigger fish and with a crew of seven men and two kids, set sail for China in December 1785. Only one other American boat, the three-mast Empress of China, ever made it to China, but Dean arrived there on his little one mast sloop in June 1786 and came back with lucrative trade contracts not to mention quite a bit of good public relations. You may remember a few years ago the city of Albany dug up Dean's dock where the sloop made its famous departure only to pave it over with a parking garage.
The USS Albany is an interesting ship, the 5th so named for the capital city. The first Albany was a 22 gun Sloop-of-War launched on June 27, 1846. It was lost at sea in 1854. The 5th Albany is a Los Angeles Class Attack Submarine numbered SSN-753. It was launched on June 17, 1987 and commissioned April 7, 1990 with Commander Ralph H. Stoll at the helm. It is nuclear powered by one GE PWR S6G with two turbines. The Albany has a complement of 13 officers and 120 enlisted sailors.
The fourth ship, the USS Monitor, as you all know, is our Troy connection. I have already written several columns about the Monitor, and The Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway has spent several years conducting research on making a replica feasible, so I am assuming that this will probably be a joint effort between the Hudson River Group LLC, and the Gateway. Finally the Gateway can be rewarded for 30 years of promoting the industrial heritage of Troy. By operating the replica, it will generate enough revenue for the Gateway to be able to provide many more exciting projects for years to come.
Of course there is much more to this project than the four ships, but even if it were only the replicas, it would be a tremendous boost to the economical revival of Troy.
Let's all hope Senator Bruno stays healthy for another 50 years. I have some visions for Troy I would like to share with him too!