Stockade residents shape streetscape By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer First published: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 SCHENECTADY -- Residents of the Stockade neighborhood hope all of its narrow streets will one day be redesigned in the same spirit as part of North Ferry Street was recently. Property owners on the street were intimately involved in the design, from choosing the color of the sidewalk to the brick pattern that exists between the sidewalk and the newly repaved street. Residents of the historic neighborhood have always wanted to see utilities buried and uniform lighting on every street, said Gloria Kishton, member of the Stockade Association and head of its zoning and preservation committee. But such a project would be too overwhelming and too expensive, she said. But the city did have interest in redoing a street in the Stockade to eliminate the crumbling curbs and warping sidewalks. Members of the association got involved in the project, and the city welcomed the input. Robert Woods, a North Ferry Street property owner and architect, took it upon himself to draw up suggested plans for the streetscape, a piece of North Ferry that stretches between Front Street and Union Street. The city, in turn, passed on its suggestions to the subcontractor, Carver Construction. What has resulted is a reconstruction that appears standard on the surface but provides its own unique touches to every home on the block. Owners got to choose the brick pattern that rests between the sidewalk and street. And others could choose to upgrade their sidewalk to slate instead of concrete. The city has engaged in other such partnerships before, like on the repaving project in Little Italy on North Jay Street, said Bernie Sisson, an engineer with the city's General Services Department. And it will welcome such input for the next Stockade project, which is yet to be determined. "It really spurs property owners to take care of their property," Kishton said.