Dear Editor:
This Election Day, Bethlehem residents will make a very exciting decision. We can vote to protect 307 acres of farmlands and open space in Glenmont and Selkirk. Some of this land has been farmed since even before the Revolutionary War. This land will be protected forever and it will be turned into farms and a park. Additional great news is that the land is assessed as worth $4,000,000 but the owner agreed to sell it for $3,000,000. We already have most of the needed funds in accounts created for just such purposes and these funds cannot be used for anything else. With an additional contribution from the federal government, the cost will be covered.
The largest organization working to protect the Hudson River and surrounding areas is Scenic Hudson. The organization works to “…preserve land and farms and create parks…” and calls this a “historic opportunity” for our town and for the whole region. By Voting YES on Proposition 2, we will make this opportunity a reality that residents of our town and visitors to our town will cherish from one generation to the next.
Please vote Yes to protect farmlands and open spaces because, once it’s gone—it’s gone forever.
Thank you,
William Reinhardt,
Albany County Legislator
Matthew Miller,
Albany County Legislator
Joanne Cunningham, Albany County Legislator
Jeffrey Kuhn,
Albany County Legislator
Vicky Plotsky,
Albany County Legislator
