“We’re a fortunate community.”
Disregard, for a moment, the town supervisor who announced this claim at a recent State of the Town address. January marks the time for each community leader to assess the successes and opportunities of the previous and present year, respectively.
Bethlehem Town Supervisor John Clarkson is to be attributed to the above statement. Whether the zip code on your incoming letters state Delmar, New Scotland, Colonie or Latham, we all benefit from living in a community with excellent town services and nationally recognized public schools. Nevertheless, it’s not a time to rest on our laurels. To Clarkson’s credit, he followed his observation with just that very statement.
Our suburban towns are not too different from one another, in that they all share common challenges; the two that often wrestle with one another would be that of development planning and preservation of town services and infrastructure.
Colonie Town Supervisor Paula Mahan plans to address the “Best Suburban Community,” as voted, almost perennially, in the Times Union. She, too, oversees a town with award winning town services and admired public parks, but is nonetheless faced with the challenges of addressing traffic and continued development. Colonie’s central location between the four cities of the Capital District — Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Saratoga Springs — forces the town to accommodate the needs of its residents, and a portion of the 200,000 people simply passing through. Still, when a town is able to wave such a flag that labels it the best community, it draws people to move in.
Development has been an issue in Bethlehem. Residential projects are cropping along Delaware Avenue, Wemple Road, and everywhere else in between. Open land long appreciated by residents who have spent decades growing up and raising their own families here, have grown concern with losing what they consider home. More residents bring in more tax money into town government, but it adds stress on community services that enrich our neighborhoods, too.
The vocal majority is concerned about the preservation of our fortunate communities. New neighbors are welcomed, but town officials need to remain diligent preserving the character of our towns, and doing the best it can to maintain open space and public parks. The nuances of well-maintained sidewalks under mature trees that have lined our streets, is not an obstacle to progress. Being able to keep what generations of our townspeople have enjoyed and have come to expect from living in our hometowns is the definition of progress in an ever changing world.
This year marks another election year for our town supervisors, and you can already hear the campaign messages. What is shared in these addresses will be used as a benchmark in the coming months, and voters will hold our leaders accountable.