The Altamont Enterprise-TKuriday,^^
The Erj,terpri$6 opinion pages are ah ppeii forum for our conimuri'ity;
Wp encpitfage!readiep to express their thpughts about lssuesthataplpear in
this he%Jajp'er;bra^ffectthe connnunity. Letters should be brief (with an
outside limit pifvIIjOQO Words) and must include; the Writer's address, name,
and phone numberfax verification. The editors;may^^rpjed; letter^ that have
been printed elsewhere. Letters concerning elections willbe<cut off
one issue befoipeithe.election at the Q ^
TT
editor's discretion. No uhsignedletters.
f *&>
Deadline for letters is Tuesday at nodn.
Questions on Sphere's plans abound
To the Editor:
I read the articles in The Enterprise concerning the proposed
development on the JBender Melon
Farm, At this point in time, the
plan makes absolutely ho common sense.
Why would someone come here
to stay in a hotel? There are excess
rooms in the Albany area. If you
are here fqr business, you Want to
be close to where the business is
located. The only time that rooms
are tight is during August because
of Saratoga. The hotels in Albany
are closer to interstates, trains and
the airport.
Let's do a small reality check. Are
people going to come shop here for
our so called anchor stores when
they can go a few miles further and your job that in a week I cOuld
have the choice of 80 to 160 stores? get a signature from 95 percent
Remember how long the stores of homeowners along Route 85A
stayed vacant in the Hannaford against the proposal.
Plaza when the video store left?
— 3.* Where is the financing
What is heeded for infrastruc- coming from?
ture improvements? Road access,
— 4. By the way, their represewer, water electricity, and god sentative said that, if we went to
knows what else. I have a few moratorium, they would leave.
questions:
They are not good business people
— 1. Has there been an environ- andirnmature:Ypud6notthreaten
people whose help you need. The
mental impact statement?
What will happen to the quality toad should be fired.
Also, a delay would cost them
of the air I breathe? We are eliminating trees and green plants and their profits. Hey, that poor planadding carbon monoxide in large ning on. their part shows poor
business skills.
quantities.
— 2. Why is the planning board
in favor Of this? Do not tell me J o h n Kiernan
it's the towns people. I'll bet you New Scotland
Proposal for mall like Disneyland theme park
— Photo by Audrey Paiixnda
The Magic pf Chemistry: Julia Sdnford, afifth-grader atMtamdrit Elementary School, was levitated in mid-air at a school
assembly called The Magic of Chemistry. The host, Lisa Lou, placed
Julia on a piece of metal, arid suddenly Julia was floating. Lou
told Julia to do three things while she was in thin air -r- keep
her arms on her stomach, stay still, and smile at the audience. At ;:
first, Lou held the panel of rhetal beneath Julia slightly, but then
she lifted both of her arms up high! There was nothing holding
up Julia except for the magic of magnetism. "Manypeople did not
believe it was real," said Julia, "but I know it was."
Aluminum in many colors
Repairs and cleaning — We install Leaf Relief covers by Alcoa
7<&Ptiti&fait tfaflape
—Inspirationfor the Home, Garden & Soul
"Cause shopping can really cheer a girl up"
Remember Mom: We have giftsfor the
Gardener •* Bath Taker • Jewelry Junkie • Animal Lover
• Gourmet Cook'•• Some Decorator • Adirondack Lover
• A L I B I S JUST PLAIN HARD 'FQBUYFOlM
i.«f.: Jues-fri f1-6; Sat 10-5;
Sun11-3. Closed Moh.
765-4045
(next to Hahnaford Market)
Skin & Body Care
Remember to Relax, Rejuvenate
& Revive Mom this Mother's Day
diftCeriifia^tsFor
Anti-Aging Facials, Relaxation, Deep Tissue &
Hot Stone Massage, Microdermabrasion> Expert Brow Shaping,
Enzyme & Glycohc Peels, Superior Skincare Products & Cosmetics.
Mention This Ad & Receive 10% OJf Your
Tues-Thurs 11-7, Fri 1Q-0CK4; .
5Maple Rdi/rtt 85A, VoorheesviHe:
Sat9r3,pi6sedSuh&Mon.. 7 6 5 - 3 9 0 0
^(n^'^-^il^fordiMmfa^
To the Editor:
The question has been whether
the Sphere Group, which wants
to develop a major regional shdpr
ping mallin New Scotland, can be
trusted to work with the citizens
in the town to create a project/that
preserves the rural character ofthe
town or whether a moratorium is
needed to amend the town zoning
laws; At the public information
meeting on April 30, We got our
answer.
For over an hour, the Sphere
team presented a picture of its
proposed development that was
reminiscent q{ a Disneyland
theme park* a magic island on the
Bender melon farm, complete with
tree-shaded pedestrian malls, a
fanners' market, boutique shops,
restaurants, hotels, nature inter- thousands of daily customers and
pretive trails, a Shakespearian auto trips are required to support
amphitheater, and, oh, yes; an this type of project?
"anchor" (AKA "big box") store.
Nothing on Sphere's website
If Sphere were interested in wouldleadonetobeUeyethatithas
addressing the concerns of New any track record of interest in deScotland, it would have scaled velopingappropriatel^scaled comdown its original proposal of mercial development.for a rural/
500,000 square feet ofretail space. residential area. On the contrary,
Instead, it increased the size of it its website highlights the "big box"
proposed project by 50 percent to experience in the biographies ofthe
750,000 square feet, which would two managing partners, Messrs.
make it the fourthlargest shopping Widrick and Wehdler.
man in Albany County.
By the time this letter is pubWhen a§ked about the volume of lished^ I hope the New Scotland
auto traffic that would be needed Town Board will have adopted the
to support the project Sphere said proposed moratorium. The Sphere
it wOuld do a traffic study. Does Group's presentation made it obvi-;
anyone seriously believe, given oris why we need it.
the business Sphere is in, that Steven Schreiper
it does not know, now, how many . VoorheesviHe
Why would we want to be like every other town?
To the Editor:
This is the first time I have written to TheEnterprise but this issue
is at the very heart of my soul, I
would like to thank you for your
very thorough coverage ofthis most
important topic.
Below is what I wrote to the
town of New Scotland officials to
express my feelings regarding the
moratorium and the decisions that
will affect so many lives.
Why do you live in the town of
New Scotland? Your answer to this
question should leave no doubt in
your mind that you need to vote for
a moratorium in order to protect
our town..
Is six months enough time? I
believe a year would allow muchheeded time to thoroughly assess
what the community desires for
this most precious land.
My family moved to Voorheesyille when I was just 1. My father
and mother wanted to raise their
children in an environment that
would provide the best learning
DOssibaitiesmasecure,loving,and
supportive community setting. I,
too, wished this for my children,
so I also raised my children in
VoorheesviHe,.,;.'.
Who could askfor more than the
best keptseCTetinAlbanyCounty?
We have Blue Ribbon sehoolsi a
strong supporting cpinmunity,
and exposure to the very best that
nature has to offer.
I know that When I leave nay
placeofemploymentandstartdriving home I feel an overall sense of
comfort and serenity. IfepJEail the
worries of the dayfade> away as I
approach thebeautifulHelderberg
mountains. I have to tell you, they
are the most beautiful around.
Please take a long look at them;
I do on a daily basis and I am very
thankful that I have been blessed
with this awesome beauty.
gates Commons, Glenmont Plaza,
and the 20 Mall Plaza all within 10
minutes. Dowereallyneedmoreof
the same at the cost of destroying
the very land that has brought us
to this place?
I feel all the worries of the day
fade away as I approach the
beautiful Helderberg mountains.
We have a wonderful small community; do we rpally rietjd a ;massivedeyelopmehtliketheone being
proposed by the Sphere Group? I
strongly believe not.
On Wednesday evening, when
Grpgory [Widrick] from: Sphere
spoke of using one of the buildings for a post office or town hall, I
thought to myself^ "We have those.
Why do w6 hepdanothier?" We also,
have a supermarket and several
eateriesthroughoutourtown v with
most of these establishments giving back to pur communities by
supporting our schools arid cpmrauttity events.
'We have CfOssgatPs Mail, Gross-r
VoorheesviHe is unique. Why
Would we want to be like every
other tdwn? We live here and
people move here because of this
uniqueness. Do we really want to
be like Colonip, Glenmont, Guilderlahd, etc.? No!
I strongly believe that the proposed project is not in the best
interest of those who love this
town, Please vote for a year-long
moratorium and allow the very
special individuals Who reside in
and cherish this town to assist you
in deciding what is best for us all,
including the next generation.
Sandra E.Shepard
Voorheesvilte