Dollar Tree Uprooted
Letter: Can't blame town officials this time
"The decades of economic woes in our town have often been blamed on the
folks occupying Schodack's administration. Now, with a rare opportunity
to change a gravel bank to an economic and job-creating distribution center, it was my fellow townspeople who ruined it."
I would like to respond to the letter from William L. Komaromi
("Don't turn town into a truck stop, Jan. 25) in which he opposed the
Dollar Tree warehouse project and the Schodack officials who supported
it. I have been a resident of Schodack for 40 years and would like to
commend our town officials who supported the now-likely dead proposal.
The
decades of economic woes in our town have often been blamed on the
folks occupying Schodack's administration. Now, with a rare opportunity
to change a gravel bank to an economic and job-creating distribution center, it was my fellow townspeople who ruined it.
I
was at a Jan. 12 informational meeting and have never seen such poor
behavior by adults. The Dollar Tree representatives weren't even allowed
to finish their sentences without being interrupted. I spoke to Doug Drews,
a Dollar Tree vice president, after the meeting and he said he had
never encountered such "pushback" from any town he had ever dealt with.
It is a sad day in Schodack when a room full of adults, acting like spoiled children, can ruin a boost to our local
economy. It was about time that Schodack's town officials stood up for
what was good for their taxpayers and challenged Schodack's
tree-huggers, star-gazers, dilapidated farm owners and well-pensioned
retirees.
Sadly, the squeaky wheel got the grease and likely put an end
to this and probably all future projects in Schodack.
JAMES ADAMS
Castleton
That warehouse would have been in my back yard and I'm quite happy that I won't have to move. They would not have paid taxes for many years and I'll probably be dead by then.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine that you would want a 1-million square foot warehouse (4 times the size of the Fed Ex building on Route 4) looming over your home, a mere 141 feet from your back yard. (The original plan provided only 50 feet.) Just imagine: The value of your home would drop an estimated 30 percent the minute Dollar Tree sinks the first shovel into Schodack soil. Imagine the great exodus of 52-plus homeowners descending upon Schodack Town Hall in May to contest the full market value of their homes. In contrast, Dollar Tree would enjoy a 15-year tax-free ride without contributing a cent to the Town's tax base for some time. This is not a black-and-white issue. I invite you to review all the facts and then, together, we can revisit the town's master plan and attact tax-paying merchants to the area in earnest.
DeleteDollar Tree is now here in Windsor, CT trying to entice our town to build the same facility. Our hopes are we get get the same outcome as you.
ReplyDeleteDo you read the Schodack SCENE in Windsor? I'd love to hear what you think about the blog. I'm easily reached at catherine.sager@yahoo.com
DeleteDollar Tree is dead in Schodack. Residents successfully rallied against the warehouse and DT moved on.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd that it's dead yet the Town Board has it on the agenda for May 7th? Wonder what your town officials have up their sleeves? I know you can't trust the officials here in Windsor as far as you can throw them.
ReplyDelete