Report on Meet the Candidates Night

On Wed, March 11 ARRG sponsored Meet the Candidates Night for the three open positions for Village Trustee. There are five people running for these positions.
The evening was in a Question and Answer format with each candidate given equal time to answer each question. Each candidate seemed sincere and thoughtful, with a true and honest desire to help the community, and a love for their village.

Topics discussed included
a) making the Village a walkable community
b) the Town & Village Master Plans and working together
c) communication with local businesses, Chamber of Commerce
d) speed limits
e) sidewalk repair
f) sign restrictions


There were only a few citizens in attendence, and most of them were town residents, not village. So what do we assume from this?

a) That nearly everyone in the Village is perfectly happy with the way everything is being taken care of? We suppose that could be a GOOD thing.

b) Or that no one cares? That would be a BAD thing.

Remember to get out and vote on Wed, March 18. If you are a village resident, and you don't vote...shame on you! Voting for local government is probably the most
important voting you can do.


We hope to have a video of the Candidates Night on our weblog soon, and/or www.aldenwatchdog.com

Just because you're in a booth, doesn't mean you should be voting in the dark.
It's important to know who you are voting for.

Update on Tractor Supply

Their soft opening has been re-scheduled for June 27. Before they can start preparing the store to suit their needs, and receive supplies, the building
management(Redstone) must first, by NYS Law remove the asbestos. So let's
hope Redstone gets moving soon!

If all goes as planned you should start to see some action there around
mid-May.

TS will again have a job fair in Alden, but if in the meantime you'd like to
get in your application, you can go on-line www.tractorsupply.com or visit any
other local store (Batavia, Lockport, Geneseo, Springville).

PERSON OF THE YEAR

The Alden Chamber of Commerce is again this year looking for nominations for Person of the Year, to be honored in May. Someone has suggested that Dr Lebowitz who is retiring after his 50 years of service in Alden. We encourage you to contact the Chamber at 937-6177 and ask for an nomination application whetherit be for Dr Lebowitz or anyone else.

REMINDER: MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHT (for Village Trustee)

WED, MARCH 11 7PM-9PM AT THE ACTS BEACON CAFE There are five people running for three open positions on the Village Board,with elections to be held on March 18. Whether you live in the town or thevillage, who the decision makers are in the Village is important to everyone! The evening will consist of timed question and answer format, and we encourageeveryone to come with their inquiries to the prospective candidates. There is no admission fee, no rsvp required.

ANOTHER LAND DEVELOPMENT USE WORKSHOP.

The Monroe County Department of Planning and Development Land Use Decision-Making Training Program is designed especially for new and returning municipal board members; each workshop earns members of planning boards and zoning boards of appeals 2.5 credit hours.

Although this is in Monroe County, it is open to members of other areas in NYS.

Click to link NY Planning Federation for valuable information
www.nypf.org

Workshops (registration is $25 per workshop)

1. Thursday, March 5: Introduction to Planning and Zoning

2. Thursday, March 12: Introduction of the NYS Environmental Quality Review Act

3. Thursday, March 19: Introduction to Land Use Law, Part 1

4. Monday, March 23: Healthy Ways – A Holistic Approach to Community Design

5. Thursday, April 2: Introduction to Land Use Law, Part 2

6. Tuesday, April 7: Transportation Considerations

7. Monday, April 13: Reviewing Site Plans

8. Thursday, May 7: Retail Planning for Sustainable Development



Dinner and registration begin at 5:30 and the workshops run from 6-8:30 pm. For more information, please contact Kathy Mahns at 585-753-2038.

Add'l info re water district proposal

Further to report listed earlier regarding water district controversy:


From Bob Wohglemuth:

"Looks like the Town has included schools, fire companies, cemeteries, churches, gas line company, etc assessments in the calculations. If they are unable to charge the tax exempt properties this would make cost higher to individuals."

ARRG MEMBERS ATTEND WORKSHOP ON LAND PRESERVATION

Several ARRG members attended the Workshop sponsored by the American Farmland Trust, WNY Land Conservancy and Cornell Cooperative Extension on Feb 24 in East Aurora, where the subject to Development Rights was explained in detail.

This workshop was designed for farmers, community leaders, grant writers, town planners, town attorneys, appraisers and anyone with an interest in farmland protection. It provided a comprehensive review of the process for creating successful Purchase of Development Rights projects and programs in our community. Scheduled program leaders were Patricia Szarpa, Diane Held and Jason Engel.

The group were recipients of many supporting materials which we can share with any interested parties. The group was educated on the importance of saving prime farmland, since it is dissappearing at an alarming rate. (NO FARMS-NO FOOD)

There were no Town of Alden officials, planners, grant writers, attorneys or appraisers in attendence.

POINTS TO PONDER, ALTERNATIVES, RE PROPOSED WATER DISTRICT, Submitted by Eric Chaffee

Dear Neighbors,
I've written and printed this item for you as an aid in helping you consider some approaches to solving water issues which have worked for me. This article is also on hand at the Alden Library, and online at www.AldenWatchDog.com under WD#5, and at a Yahoo discussion group hosted by AldenWatchDog:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aldenwatchdog/ . ~eric. Here goes:

The first rule of country living is BE SURE YOU HAVE RELIABLE WATER, BEFORE YOU LOCATE. If you've already moved in, and don't have reliable water, all is not lost. There are some easy and relatively inexpensive things that can be done to improve your water situation without having to call upon government to deliver an inferior product to your home, taken from the seriously contaminated Lake Erie. (Government will tell you it is wholesome, but common sense will tell you it is filled with industrial wastes and nastiness. Are you aware that sewage treatment plants routinely discharge excess untreated sewage mingled with storm surge directly into the Great Lakes whenever there is flooding?)

The first questions to ask will help define the problem. (It can't be solved until it is understood.) What are the issues at my site? From there, various basic low-tech approaches can be deployed.

MINERALS. I have no respect for "softeners" and will not discuss them here. There are other, simpler ways to reduce hardness, or mineral content from water. Two powerful approaches include various uses of activated charcoal, and magnets.

When I moved to Alden, our farmhouse had terribly stinky water that stained everything red or black. My wife wouldn't do laundry at home. (We learned later that we did not have adequate supply, either.)

My brother used to sell softeners for one of the leading firms. Rather than calling the softener people I researched some facts with Cornell and Rodale. (This is when I acquired my aversion to softeners, which I had never liked, as the feel in the shower was too slippery.) I learned that charcoal is an excellent mineral and flavor/odor corrector. But later I learned it is also a poor sediment filter. I hired Bill and Pete Blair of Blair's Hardware and Plumbing in Townline to install some hardware for me. (The firm is now run by Bill's family.)

The Blairs put in a large charcoal filter which stands about 4 feet tall. And they installed a backwash timer which flushes the charcoal filter in reverse, into my septic system every third day. Before they installed the system, which includes an 80-gallon holding tank, I bought some very powerful ceramic ring (disk) magnets with one-inch holes in them from Edmund Scientific. They are coated with epoxy paint. When the Blairs came to install the tank, I had them put the supply line to the tank through the donut holes of the magnets to form a very powerful magnetic field at the entrance to the tank.

They also installed a chlorinator. I no longer use this device, as about a year later I learned that chlorine is a very nasty chemical which forms some very unhealthy compounds from the dead corpses of all those little critters it kills. (Erie County Water Authority always uses chlorine because they know there is mucho ugly bacteria in the lake.) But good bacteria is necessary to keep your gut cleaned out properly. Waging chemical warfare against all bacteria is not wise. I trust the water locked into the rocks for thousands of years, more than I care for the water flushed into the lake last week. I no longer use my chlorinator. I disconnected it in 1990.

When I learned that a charcoal filter would eventually clog because it isn't a good sediment filter, I cut a 9-inch sediment filter into the system ahead of the charcoal filter. It uses a 5-micron polypropylene bobbin to remove junk that would otherwise clog the big charcoal filter, and sediment would also adversely affect my domestic hotwater heater. I change these 9-inch filters 4 times per year, by holiday: Groundhog Day, Mothers Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day. They're not expensive. Be sure not to use cotton filters, as they will provide a rotting medium for bacteria to feed on, and breed. The best filter housing will be clear plastic, so you can see the condition of the bobbin.

The water here at the outdoor spigot still comes out that famous Alden black, but indoors it is clear and odorless and very nice. We have no problem with laundry. I've never had to change the charcoal filter. My AquaStar tankless water heater has been running flawlessly for nearly ten years. I had gone through several tanks before I gave up on that approach, and went tankless. But I also quit using a hot water tank to conserve energy, and I'm able to take an unlimited shower with the tankless system. It uses propane, and only comes on when we call for hot water. Very sensible.) I did burn out a well pump once, during drought, because it kept calling for water that wasn't there. I will discuss that next.

SUPPLY. All water comes from the heavens. (Doesn't everything?) If you are having supply problems, this should be an obvious fact. But it took me 19 years to wake up. Periodically, we have a dry summer, and prior to my awakening, we had always run out . Our area gets over 3 feet of precipitation per year. When rain is scarce, we shouldn't waste what we get. I finally realized this, and did something easy and basic to capture the rain before it ran off. Simply stated, I ran the downspout through an underground pvc pipe, over near the shallow well. Next, I dug a pit near the well, but NOT directly into the well. (As I'm on a gravel farm, I didn't need to add gravel to the pit, but this should be done, if needed, to allow the flow from your roof to absorb all of the water into the ground during heavy rain.) Then I took a bag of harwood charcoal and "activated" it. This means that I pulverized it, and put the entire 25-pound bag into the pit. This will captivate any rainborn contaminates and sequester them in the charcoal while they deteriorate, rather than allowing them to leach quickly into your well. Carbon is an amazing compound in this regard. Its capacity to purify is huge.

You would be amazed at how much water you can capture off a roof. A calculation can be done to figure out how many gallons can be recovered for each downspout. Even though we had an extremely dry summer two years ago, we did not run out of water that year, which was the first time during such a dry spell since we moved here! I credit the downspout with recharging the well. (This approach may meet with differing results depending on the depth of your well. Water has a mind of its own, and it heeds substrata and gravity out of sight.)

If your well is deep, a cistern could be joined to a downspout. Such a device could be made of plastic or concrete, and buried. It can become a supplement to your well, or it could become the sole source of your water. One woman I shared this with was squeamish, as she said "birds poop on my roof." Well, dear lady, do seagulls respect your water supply over Lake Erie? Industry doesn't either! Remember, water from the sky has been distilled. Yes, it picks up some chemicals and junk as it falls; but it is a much cleaner source than the lake.

I have several wells at home. But the best well is shallow. It was dug by hand by real men over a hundred years ago, and lined with large river rocks. The well is about 15 feet deep, and about 3-4 feet in diameter. I've actually crawled down into the well to replace a foot valve, with the guidance of my friend Gordon Glauser, of Alden -- another plumber who is very knowledgeable about country water. He stayed above ground to be sure I could get out of the well again. (I didn't know Gordon when I first moved here.) He showed me how to replace the valve, and helped me improve my plumbing skills.

Gordon also taught me about having the proper shut-off valve on a well pump. An earlier plumber, before we moved here, had put the wrong switch on our well pump. It didn't have a low-water trip switch, as well-pumps should. So when we were away, the backwash came on by timer, and continued to call for water when the level was low. The result was that the pump ran, and ran, until it fried. So I bought an irrigation-style pump which keeps a pocket of water always inside to cool the motor. This way it can't burn out, even if the right switch were to fail to trip.

Another approach to supply issues is to consider drilling a wider well. A 12-inch well, instead of the usual 6-inch well, usually will yield much more water. Bill Frey at Frey Well Drilling, or Ken Frey at Reserve Gas, both in Alden, are experts with substantial experience in these matters. A new well will cost significantly less than paying $1000 per year for 35 years. If your current well is not keeping up with your demands, consider an expanded hole, or maybe some fracking. My cousin in Orchard Park had Frey frak his well, and now has a very adequate supply. (It didn't happen the next day, but it did get good results. He wondered if he would have to move, the water was so scarce. Now he's happy.)

While I am not a professional plumber, I do have substantial hands-on experience with supply issues. I care about my neighbors, and am willing to help any who are struggling with water issues. I can share my experience and even some of my time. However, I would rather not share $1000 per year of my retirement income to deliver tainted water to my neighbors via Erie County Water Authority. (Did you know that a manager at ECWA ordered scientists to cover up the discovery of e-coli bacteria at a school! I have the clipping from Buffalo News in my file.) Really folks, there is a better solution to our water situation in Alden than forcing everybody to spend over $10,500,000 to drink a bad product. Remember: when an area imports too much water everyday from the lake, dumping it into the septic system in their backyards, drainage problems ensue, and sewer districts come next, with huge costs attached.

I care too much for my neighbors, and I can't afford to pay, to see you go this route. But I'm very willing to help you solve your water challenges, now that I've solved my own. So, please don't do anything hasty about the new water district. Call me. I would be glad to help you.

Sincerely, Eric Chaffee, Cayuga Creek Road, Alden NY 937-9995

FIRST TRACTOR SUPPLY....WHO'S NEXT???

As you already know, Tractor Supply is confirmed to open in the Alden Village Plaza soon. And when it gets here, please visit it often, and tell the manager how glad you are that they are here!

But ARRG isn't sitting on it's laurels (where are laurels, anyway?). We immediately contacted several other stores, who we had contacted over a year ago, and informed them of Tractor Supply's positive attitude toward Alden, and encouraged them to take a second look at us.

Here's where you come in....if you know of other stores that you'd like to see help fill the plaza, please get the address of their headquarters and contact us with the information.

A special thanks to the SCOUTS committee of the ARRG who volunteered their time several months ago preparing a marketing kit to encourage new businesses to come to our area. Obviously it worked!

MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHT -FOR VILLAGE TRUSTEE

There are three open positions for Village Trustee at this year's upcoming election, on March 18,
and there are five people running for these positions. ARRG again this year, will host a Meet the Candidates Night, currently scheduled for Wednesday March 11 (revised) at 7pm. This event is another scheduled activity of community service hosted by ARRG. There will be an organized question and answer period, where all applicants will be given fair and equal opportunity to respond to questions fielded by the community.

Don't go to the voting booth again this year without a clear understanding of who you are voting for. Think about what's important to you, and come to the meeting, and ask your questions! You should be getting what your taxes dollars are paying for!

Any questions? Just contact us.

Running for office are (in alphabetical order) Al Farrell, Mike Manicki, Ted Mezydlo, Mike Retzlaff, Dan Warmus

TRIVIA NIGHT-FRIDAY FEB 27 7:30PM

ACTS (on Church St) will be hosting a Trivia Night on Fri, Feb 27 at 7:30pm. Admission is $1.
See the Alden Advertiser or contact ACTS 937-7881 for more information.

FARMLAND PROTECTION WORKSHOP

American Farmland Trust, WNY Land Conservancy and Cornell Cooperative Extension are presenting a Purchase of Development Rights Workshop on February 24, 7-9pm in the Farm and Home Center, 2nd Floor, 21 S. Grove St., East Aurora.

Reservations need to be made at 716-687-1225 or email pszarpa@wnylc.org

Light refreshments will be served. This workshop is designed for farmers, community leaders, grant writers, town planners, town attorneys, appraisers and anyone with an interest in farmland protection. This workshop provides a comprehensive review of the process for creating successful Purchase of Development Rights projects and programs in your community. Scheduled program leaders are Patricia Szarpa, Diane Held and Jason Engel.

ps Will any of Alden's community leaders, grant writers, town planners, town attorneys, attend???

WINNERS OF ARRG BASKETS FROM WINTERFEST

Thanks to the generous donations from many ARRG members and friends, the ARRG was able to sponsor FOUR baskets at last weekend's Alden Winterfest. All proceeds go toward the funding of next year's winterfest. Two of the four baskets are shown in the photos below. Congratulations to the winners, and THANKS to the donors!

Winners: Annie McCoy, Nicole Czelusta, Millie Wisniewski, Laura Loehr

TRACTOR SUPPLY ACCEPTING JOB APPLICATIONS

Representatives from Tractor Supply will be at the Village Hall, on Broadway on Monday, and Tuesday, Feb 2 and 3 from 8am-4pm accepting employment applications. There will be part time and full time positions available in all departments. Stop by and welcome Tractor Supply to the neighborhood! Their website is http://www.tractorsupply.com/. They expect to open in a few months after some minor repairs and adjustments are made to the plaza. WELCOME!!

ARRG BASKET AT WINTERFEST RAFFLE

ARRG is again this year participating in the popular basket raffle during Alden's Winterfest on February 13 and 14. Stop by the Village Hall and make your choices! Last year there were about 50 baskets, were several hundred dollars! The prize winners of each basket will be announced at the Snowball Dance on Saturday night, and you don't have to be present to win.

ARRG has received some donations from members already, but we're always glad to accept more items. ARRG members, Clarissa Harison has donated 2 hr maximum in home feng shui/geomancy evaluation (to evaluate the health and vitality of the home and land) which is a $100 value) and Tammy Sigurdson has donated a professional decorated cake. Please contact us ASAP if you have something to contribute. Gift certificates, samples of your products, etc
are all great gift ideas. Proceeds raised from the baskets are used to fund other community events and projects. Contact us at save_alden@yahoo.com.

CHAINSAW ARTIST AT WINTERFEST

One of the attractions at Alden's Winterfest will be a chainsaw carving demonstration (weather permitting) from 12pm-3pm behind the Community Center in the Village Park by ARRG member Ross Miller.

TRACTOR SUPPLY

Here is the latest on the Tractor Supply issue (in the former Ames Plaza) as confirmed to us by the Village Building Inspector. He has received the request for building permit, and is reviewing the request and checking it to see that it meets with the village code. It goes to the Village Planning Board for review and they make a recommendation to the Village Board as to whether or not to approve this project. The next Planning Board Meeting is next week Wednesday January 21 at 7:30pm at the Village Hall. (Where they may or my not have questions, or requests that go back to Tractor Supply before making their decision.)

We all know that everything must be done to ensure that this project goes forward, and in a timely fashion. We all know the importance of revitalizing the old Ames Plaza ESPECIALLY now in these terrible economic times.

We need you to do several things (AT LEAST one of them)and do them very quickly! Please try to attend the Planning Board meeting. Although the public is not expected to be allowed to speak at the meeting (unless invited), just your attendence sends a message. You can also always speak to the members either before or after the meeting. Or you can all them prior. Planning Board members are:
David Metz (Chair), Susan DeWitt (Vice Chair), Charles Airey, Douglas Henry, Noel Harris, and Paul Werner


We encourage you to also do the same at any of the regularly scheduled Village Board meetings (after all, the decision is ultimately theirs to make). There is "business from the floor" on the agenda at every meeting, and we encourage you to make it a point at the time to express your support of this project.

Visit the Village website at www.erie.gov/village_alden for more information, including the names of the Village Trustees. You can contact ALL of them!

If you are unable to attend either of these, or IN ADDITION, please write a letter addressed to Mayor Richard Kegler expressing your sincere support of this project, sighting the importance of working together with Tractor Supply, and that this could open the door to additional businesses in this plaza.

We proven how power a large influx of letters can be...prove it again!!!

A few issues that need to be solved is the limited parking that will now occur, due to the fact that Tractor Supply has applied to put some of their produce outside in a fenced in area, and the issue of snow removal, which was usually stored in the area where the enclosure is scheduled to be. The ARRG has volunteered that each member will visit the plaza once a week in the winter, and put a shovelful or two in the trunks of their cars or backs of their trucks and haul it home, if needed.

We encourage you to send us your comments about the proposed project and share your thoughts with others!

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

"You guys are doing a wonderful job, please keep up the good work!!!!!!!! We need you - some of us are unable for whatever reason to do what you are doing, so thanks a MILLION for filling in for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Feel free to post, if you want..) Thanks, Nancy"


MODERATOR RESPONSE; THANKS NANCY! Comments like yours are very much appreciated. The core group and a few other very dedicated members are still spending several hours of their lives continuing to be involved in order to be aware of what's happening. All of us help in many different ways. Some help with their time, and/or expertise, others with monetary funds. Example: Our post office box costs $100 a year. To distribute a mailing to our members when there is an important town meeting costs approximately $250. Soooooo, if ever anyone wants to know how they can help, we're always very glad to accept your support, no matter what it is.

WE SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES & MERCHANTS

Have you got a business, or a sideline, or a hobby?
Just let us know, and we'll tell the others.
Our mission statement is to support local businesses, merchants, etc.

Examples:
If you do sewing in your home for others, you make your own maple syrup,
you do snow plowing, you do chainsaw carving, etc.

Also, if you're looking for something, let us know and we'll put the word out.

TAKE CONTROL OF THE VILLAGE!

There are three positions on the Village Board that are expiring in March 2009.

What better way to steer the future of the village of Alden into the direction you'd like to see it go, than to be one of the decision makers. Qualifications are that you are a village resident, at least 18 years old. You do not need to be a property owner.

Just visit Betty Kegler (Village Clerk) now, to obtain a petition. Let us know if you're throwing your hat into the ring, and we'll share the good news with our members.

Public Hearing on Windmill Law, Tues, Jan 20

Please plan to attend the Town Hall on Wende Rd on Tues, Jan 20 at 7pm.
Public hearing on the Windmill Law.
For a complete review of the proposed law as it is now,
visit www.aldenwatchdog.com

This could quite possibly be your last chance.
There have been many changes to the proposed law already,
and unless you have any comments otherwise, it's most likely to be passed as is.

If you think that government has taken too much control over the little guy,
then this just might be another example.

The proposed law begins with "to promote windmill energy", yet preceeds
to include numerous regulations.

We encourage you to attend, state your opinion (either pro or con)

Winterfest, Fri Feb 13,14

Check out the Alden Advertiser, and www.aldenwinterfest.com for details on all of the exciting activities and events that will be happening. Even if you hate the cold, please plan to attend at least ONE event. Come and see the results of what happens when you SAVE ALDEN! It's events like this that make Alden what it is...Smalltown USA.

2nd Masterplan Public Input Meeting

Here is our video of the second public input meeting .
You will most likely need to pause the video
once it starts for several minutes to allow
it to "buffer" (or download ahead)to allow
smooth playback. If you are having trouble
viewing this video please contact us at
save_alden@yahoo.com

CHRISTMAS IDEAS WITH ALDEN MERCHANTS

With the Holiday Season approaching, and the economy the way it is, it's more important than ever to save gas, time, and money by shopping with Alden's local merchants. Anybody who ever said that there is "no place to shop in Alden" wasn't looking very hard. There are over 100 independently owned businesses in Alden, and they are all depending on you! Why not make it a goal to do all of your Christmas shopping this season in Alden? Here are some examples of some unique gifts available right here in your home town. If you are a merchant and would like us to add an interesting product of yours to this sight, just let us know.

The Alden Pharmacy has some terrific "Alden" tee shirts, sweatshirts, baseball caps, and coffee mugs. And as a bonus, the shirts were made in the USA!

Added The Village Deli also wants you to know that they are selling a variety of gift baskets, all made from local Buffalo products.

Buy Local This Holiday Season

Any Alden Merchant who would like to advertise a unique product for sale that would make a great Christmas gift should contact us, and we'll post it at no charge on this site. Our mission statement is to support local independent Alden Merchants because every dollar spent locally gets recirculated back into the community! BE VOCAL and BUY LOCAL. One just suggestion is stopping at the new EA Wireless (across from the bank) Ben is the manager, and he specifically moved to Alden (from Holland) to become part of the community. He told us that he's got a Blue-Tooth right here for just $39.99. Don't spend the time or money driving out of town, when it's available here!

Shop Alden This Christmas-You can Do it!!!

The Alden Historical Society also has some really neat ideas available for sale this Christmas. Especially if you have out-of-town family or friends, who've moved away, think of these Alden items. They are open on Saturdays from 10am-2pm, or by appointment. Items include old Neelands milk bottles, Landmark Collectibles, tiles, commemorative books, stationary, and more. And you'll be helping one of Alden's most cherished non-profit organizations at the same time!

More Christmas Ideas....

No place to buy boots in Alden? WRONG! Agway has LOTS of boots. And bird seed and supplies. And rock salt. And deer alerts for your car. And how about a rain barrel? Help save the environment. He has them for just $100! Many other places are $129 and up over $200! And take a look at www.doitbest.com You can order anything in that catalog by Thursday, have it delivered to Agway by Monday!

Whudda Thunk It?

Maybe the prize for the most unique Holiday Gift goes to Henry's Candy for the Chocolate Covered TWINKIES! Or for that especially hard-to-find person, get their sugar free candy!

PUBLIC FOCUS MTG-MASTERPLAN-TUE, NOV 18

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
THE 2ND PUBLIC FOCUS MEETING OF THE MASTER PLAN WILL BE HELD ON TUES, NOV 18 AT THE VILLAGE HALL, ON BROADWAY @ 6:30PM. This meeting is the follow up to your comments presented at the previously held meeting where you stressed your concerns and hopeful vision of the future of Alden. The committee has had additional meetings since then, where your comments, and their opinions were reviewed. The culmination of these meetings is on the agenda for this meeting on the 18th. Not all committee members agree with all points in the plan, with some even dismissing many of your concerns. It is IMPERATIVE that you all attend this meeting to RE-ENFORCE your conviction that your concerns as taxpaying citizens have equal validity to that of any others. The written proposal will be posted on the town website soon (www.alden.erie.gov) and www.aldenwatchdog.com . We ask that you review this proposal prior to attending the meeting, to better prepare your comments.

ARRG HAS BOOTH AT THE FARMER'S MARKET ON SAT. SEP 27

Be sure to stop at the ARRG booth tomorrow at the Farmer's Market and enter the FREE drawing to win one of the following items, donated by local merchants!

THE FIRST 50 PEOPLE GET A FREE TEE SHIRT FROM WAGNER'S AGWAY!!

ALDINGER’S FARM (produce)

FORGET ME NOT CANDLES & GIFTS
(gift item)
FOUR CORNERS AUTOMOTIVE
(oil change)
GEOFFANO’S PIZZERIA (lrg pizza)

HARPERHILL FARM (soap gift)

JEANNETTIE’S ICE CREAM (2 cones)

PAMPERED BY NATURE SOAPS & LOTIONS
(gift item)

TEMPTING TREATS BY TAMMY
(1/4 sheet cake or $20 off full cake)

TOPS FRIENDLY MARKETS ($25 gift cert)

WAGNER’S AGWAY (50 tee shirts)


“BE VOCAL & BUY LOCAL”

ARRG HAS BOOTH AT THE FARMER'S MARKET ON SAT. SEP 27

Be sure to stop at the ARRG booth tomorrow at the Farmer's Market and enter the FREE drawing to win one of the following items, donated by local merchants!

THE FIRST 50 PEOPLE GET A FREE TEE SHIRT FROM WAGNER'S AGWAY!!

ALDINGER’S FARM (produce)

FORGET ME NOT CANDLES & GIFTS
(gift item)
FOUR CORNERS AUTOMOTIVE
(oil change)
GEOFFANO’S PIZZERIA (lrg pizza)

HARPERHILL FARM (soap gift)

JEANNETTIE’S ICE CREAM (2 cones)

PAMPERED BY NATURE SOAPS & LOTIONS
(gift item)

TEMPTING TREATS BY TAMMY
(1/4 sheet cake or $20 off full cake)

TOPS FRIENDLY MARKETS ($25 gift cert)

WAGNER’S AGWAY (50 tee shirts)


“BE VOCAL & BUY LOCAL”

ARRG NEWS YOU CAN USE

ALDEN, NY (Where a SMALL Town is like a BIG family)

Note several events occurring in the new few weeks:

Tuesday, August 26 Master Plan Committee Meeting (open to the public, for observation only). We hope that many of you will continue to attend these public meetings to clearly send a message to the town officials that we are watching and concerned about Alden's future. Time is 7:00pm at the TOWN Hall on Wende Rd.

Tuesday, September 2 Regular Town Board Meeting & Public Hearing on the proposed Windmill Law. NOTE: THIS IS A DATE CHANGE DUE TO THE HOLIDAY, AND WAS
INCORRECTLY STATED IN THE ALDEN ADVERTISER AS MONDAY. Time is 7:00pm
and the TOWN Hall on Wende Rd.

For more information on how important green (alternative) energy is, click on this link,
http://tinyurl.com/6msoqc
provided by Eric Chaffee, entitled "In Germany, ruddy-cheeked farmers achieve (Green) energy independence Since investors first approached farmers in Freiamt about installing windmills in the 1990s, the humble village has become a green-energy hub. Today, it produces 17 percent more power than it needs."

And other great website about being green www.greenlivingtips.com

And did you see this in last week's Buffalo News about Oles' Farm in Alden?
Write and tell us what your thoughts are on this.

"Promised Land is another great CSA
As a physician concerned about the health and nutrition of our community, as well as a member of community supported agriculture, I was very pleased to see The News’ recent coverage of local farms and CSA. I often recommend to my patients, colleagues and friends that they consider purchasing a share from a local farmer. The produce is the freshest possible, ensuring optimal nutrition and taste. The environmental impact is low and the positive impact on the local economy is high. My own family enjoys the bounty from a CSA located in Alden called Promised Land ( www.promisedlandcsa.com ). It has been a wonderful experience to be on a first-name basis with the members of the Oles family who grow our food. It has also been extremely educational for our children to see where their food comes from and to enjoy a wide variety of new healthy foods that are grown locally without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is my hope that more Western New Yorkers will support Promised Land and the other CSAs in our region. Joseph Cronin, M. D. Amherst "

Saturday, Sept 6-Merchants Association is sponsoring a prelude to the Art Show and Chicken BBQ with a WINE & ART SHOW at LaPaloma's on Saturday night 7-9pm, tickets are $10 each. Good idea.

Sunday, Sept 7-Art Show and Chicken BBQ- rain or shine. Come out and support the community.

Monday, Sept 8-Town Board Work Session 7pm at the Town Hall, Wende Rd.

Wednesday, Sept 10-Planning Board Meeting 7pm (note date change from Tuesday,
due to a conflict) Want to know what's going on in Alden? Concerned about our future?
Attend a Planning Board meeting.

"There's no place to shop in Alden" was a cry of those who wanted a Walmart Supercenter several months ago. That statement couldn't be farther from the truth. Let's create a list of the items that you can buy in Alden. Send us some samples of things that you have purchased from a business right here in our town. Many things will surprise you! Some of our members have already told us they've recently purchased the following items. Please share yours with us too!

"I recently purchased a refrigerator from Sitzman's. I called around to other stores,
and Sitzman's had the best price!"

"I just bought a freezer full of frozen fruits and vegetables from Agway. It'll save me
tons of money vs buying in smaller quantities from Tops, and I feel better that I've
supported a local independent vendor".

"I bought some BEAUTIFUL watches from the Alden Pharmacy for my family
for Christmas gifts. I even bought one for myself. And I also bought several
of the Alden items; my favorite being the Pink Alden sweatshirts."

"I make it a point to stop at the Farmer's Market to support local vendors. I just
wish more of them were from Alden" Editors comment: We've heard comments
from some Alden vendors, that they wish the Market would be located more
in the center of the village so that they wouldn't have to hire extra employees
to be stationed at the market, or pay to have a booth, when they are already paying
rent for their own establishments. Perhaps the Chamber might consider experimenting
with this idea.

"I buy my potatoes from Aldinger's Farm over on Cary Rd. There's something about buying
direct from the farm, and talking with Naomi and Gerald that makes me feel good."

The Comprehensive Master Plan

Here is our video of the first public input meeting .
Next meeting of the Master Plan Committee is Tues, August 26,
the public is welcome as observers only.
The public is welcome to attend all meetings,
but only welcome to speak at specific ones.
You will most likely need to pause the video
once it starts for several minutes to allow
it to "buffer" (or download ahead)to allow
smooth playback. If you are having trouble
viewing this video please contact us at
save_alden@yahoo.com

www.wnycarpool.com

Want to cut your gasoline charges in half?
Sign up at www.wnycarpool.com and find someone who you can share a ride with to and from work.
You can also send us your needs, and we'll post them for you here on our weblog.

Example: Coleen Czechowski drives from Alden to Lewiston, 3 days @ week. Work hours are from 9-5pm. She's willing to drive (drop off along the way
in Grand Island or Niagara Falls) and split the gas costs. She promises not to sing in the car.

THREE ARRG MEMBERS CHOSEN FOR MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE

We are happy to announce that some ARRG members have been chosen to be on the Master Plan Committee!!

including Michele Hoffman, Gerald Aldinger, and Paul Loehr.

Also on this committee are:
Ron Smith, Bill Weber, Beth Downing, Rick Savage, Chris Gust, Ralph Witt,
Bruce Sitzman, someone from the school (to be announced), someone from the county (to be announced), and Colleen Rogers (aka secretary to Ron Smith)

It has yet to be determined whether the meetings will be open to the public; and we will report our findings. This will be a year long commitment by these people, and we are grateful (especially to the ARRG members) who are volunteering their time and energy
to protect our interests. The project is overseen by Wendell Duchsherer Engineers.

If you wish to send your comments and suggestions to us, we'll forward them to the ARRG committee members. Or contact them directly.

SMALLTOWN AMERICA-THAT'S US!!

Special thanks to all who attended the Meet the Candidates Night on Wed, March 5 at the Beacon Cafe. ALL of the Mayoral Candidates and Trustee Candidates were in attendance, and they fielded questions from the audience for 90 minutes. It was truly an educational evening, and we are lucky to have so many people interested in working for us. Although it was clear that each has their own ideas and plans for our future, they all agreed
that they love Alden and that our town and village is most definitely a very special community.

Topics covered included Kevin Gaughan's presentation on Smaller Government, the Ames Plaza situation, sidewalks, crosswalks, taxes, local vs state govt, etc. Those citizens who attended the event will be going to the poles, having been educated on many issues.

This was another Community Event that ARRG was proud to sponsor to show our POSITIVE position in town and village. Although this is a Village Election, many citizens from the Town were also in attendance, since actions in the Village ultimately affect the live of ALL residents of Alden.

This event was held at the Beacon Cafe. And they serve a mean cup of hot chocolate! Their staff was energetic and enthusiastic. The facility was perfect for this program. Mark your calendars for their Dessert Auction on Saturday March 22. Over 30 homemade dessert items will be raffled. You can buy 25 tickets for $5 from 9:30am onward. Then the dessert winners will be selected from 11:30am-12noon. Just think, you won't have to bake any pies for Easter Sunday!!

Another unique event to support our BE VOCAL AND BUY LOCAL theme is the
Frozen Food Sale at Wagner's Agway. Stop by Wagner's on or before March 18 and
complete your order for fantastic deals on bulk frozen foods (fruits, vegetables, desserts, beverages, appetizers, and breads). The items will be available for pick up on Tuesday, April 1. This offer won't be available again until August.

And congratulations to the new Village Market Deli, opened last Saturday. Stop by and be sure to tell the owners that you are members of the ARRG!

Last week, one of our core members bought a major appliance at Sitzman's Maytag. They were the best deal, beating out all of those other national chains.

Have you seen the BEAUTIFUL PINK ALDEN SWEATSHIRTS at the Alden Pharmacy?
They're so CUTE!

Who says "There's no place to shop in Alden."? They aren't looking! If you have scored a neat purchase from a local merchant, please share the details with us. If every citizen spent just $10 more a month in Alden (instead of going out of town), we'd circulate an extra $1 million dollars back into our community each year

IMPORTANT DATES THIS WEEK!!!

HELLO ARRG MEMBERS:
What a BUSY BUSY time the next few days will be. We are looking forward to seeing you wherever and whenever possible! YOU can make a difference in Alden's future!
But first...we're in need of a stop watch for Wednesday's Meet the
Candidates Night, if you have one we can borrow....PLEASE let us know ASAP!! Thanks!!!

Master Plan Volunteers: The Town is accepting applications for volunteers to help with the Master Plan. This is your chance to help
guide the future of Alden. Submit your application to Supervisor Smith today!!!

CALENDAR:

SATURDAY, MARCH 1-GRAND OPENING-ALDEN VILLAGE MARKET
(formerly Country Pride Deli) in the Village. The new owners are proud to be community activists, and hope that you will support them! Stop by on Saturday and tell them you are members of ARRG!! (Be Vocal and BUY LOCAL!!!)


Monday, March 3-7:00pm
Kevin Gaughan speaks on Downsizing Local Governments
Town of Alden (TOWN HALL, WENDE RD)
Gaughan discusses the findings of his recently published study that reveals Erie County as having more elected officials for its population than any other like-size community in the nation. The study is available at www.thecost.org

Wed, March 5, MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHT
Beacon Cafe, Church St 7-9pm
Question and answer timed format. Come and ask what the candidates
see for the future of Alden. Village Election day is March 18.

Thur, March 6, Village Board Meeting 7:30pm
Stay informed with what the Village Board is doing. Not everything that happens gets printed in the paper. ALL citizens can attend (not closed to
village residents only).

MON, MAR 3, KEVIN GAUGHAN TALKS ABOUT SMALLER GOVERNMENT

GAUGHAN'S SMALLER GOVERNMENT TOUR ENTERS 3rd MONTH
Community Groups Can Now Schedule His Downsizing Presentation

Town of Alden (TOWN HALL, WENDE RD), Monday, March 3, at 7:00 pm

Buffalo, NY - Continuing his effort to persuade each of Erie County's 45 local governments to eliminate 2 elected positions, Kevin Gaughan enters the third month of his tour of local municipalities by scheduling 8 stops in the coming weeks.

At each presentation, Gaughan discusses the findings of his recently published study that reveals Erie County as having more elected officials for its population than any other like-size community in the nation. The study is available at www.thecost.org

Gaughan's study was conducted in collaboration with students from the SUNY at Buffalo School of Law, and was supported by the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, and the Paul W. Koessler Foundation.

MEET THE CANDIDATES!!!

On Wednesday, March 5th, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, the ARRG is sponsoring a Meet the Candidates Night for the open position of Mayor and Trustee in the Village of Alden. ALL residents (both town and village) are encouraged to attend.

Although only village residents will be voting, the TOWN residents should also be there to ask questions about what the mayoral and trustee candidates positions are on things that
also effect town residents; items such as the old Ames Plaza, and other future development plans, the Fire Department, etc.

This PUBLIC meeting will be held at the Beacon Cafe on Church St. There is no admission fee, no rsvp required, and the Beacon will have refreshments made available for purchase. This is another opportunity to show the community that ARRG members (that's YOU) are concerned about RESPONSIBLE GROWTH

ARE YOU OPEN MINDED?????

Take note of today's article in the Buffalo News below, regarding the development of our Master Plan. Supervisor Smith is asking for volunteers, and we hope that you will answer his call. Let us know if you do! We hope that he's really sincere in asking for our assistance; after all, ARRG members can be "OPEN-MINDED" too!


Citizen input sought as state grant propels master plan
By Melanie D. Larsen SUBURBAN CORRESPONDENT (Buffalo News)
Updated: 02/11/08 6:48 AM

The Town of Alden is moving forward with an update of its master plan, thanks to funding from the state’s community development block grant fund.

While only certain municipalities are awarded the grant funds each year based on need and the merits of a proposed project, Town Supervisor Ronald L. Smith said, the town was awarded a $45,000 grant, and it will use $15,000 from the town’s matching fund.

The $15,000 from the town, Smith said, has “minimally” increased taxes from the 2008 budget and is budgeted for 2009.

With the grant funding now in place, Smith said, the town is able to begin putting out requests for proposals to find a planning consultant to help the town with a blueprint to govern decisions about planning and development.

In addition, Smith said, the town will ask residents to serve on a community planning committee.

“We are looking at a citizen-participation plan where we can meet and where the public can come in and give input about what the future of Alden should look like in about 20 years — 2029,” Smith said. “We want people who can have an open mind and think about others’ opinions in the Town of Alden.”

Bill Weber, a member of the Town Board who also serves on the Economic Development Committee, said the town wants about 11 people for the planning committee and will be advertising the positions in the near future.

According to Weber, the group will consist of citizen volunteers, as well as two board members and Town Engineer Mike Metzger.

Smith said the committee will look at not only the aesthetics of the town, but at issues the town has discussed, such as the town’s Right to Farm Law and the future of commercial and industrial development.

“Nothing is on the table in either the town or the village,” Smith said of the possibility of another big-box proposal similar to the town’s recent struggle with proposed Wal-Mart developer Frank Russo. “Russo could come back at any point. He has that ability; the ball is really in his court.”

ARRG MARKETPLACE SHARING...

Hello ARRG Members

Just ONE of the items we've been working on is the formation of a networking marketplace to be posted on our weblog. The idea has sprung from our BE VOCAL and BUY LOCAL theme. Many of us have been concentrating on spending MORE of our hard earned dollars with local Alden businesses, because "what goes around, comes around." One of our members even did ALL of her Christmas shopping in Alden this year!

Or sticking with the "one hand washes the other theme", this marketplace would also be available for those who have a "talent" they'd like to share with others, or for those who need help with something, or have something to give away or trade.

It would work this way:

1) PROFESSION/TALENT AVAILABLE
a) If you have a PROFESSION and would like the other members to know what you do, just ask us to post it on the blog, and which form of contact (phone, email) you wish them to use to reach you. (There is NO CHARGE for this service, we just ask that you keep us updated if there are any changes).

Example: Coleen Czechowski is a travel agent! You can reach her at 937-7669

B) Or if you have a TALENT, and just want to share your knowledge with others if needed.

Example: You know how to make quilts, and somebody else would love to learn, they could contact you!


2) SEARCHING FOR PROFESSION/TALENT/OR ITEM

Example: Coleen Czechowski is looking for somebody who either sells fences, or knows
how to install them, contact her at 937-7669

Example: 1)You are looking for a player piano, you can post it on our blog.
2)You just had a tree fall in your yard, and want to know if somebody
has a chain saw you can borrow, or rent.


The Genesee Valley Pennysaver has something similar to this and it's called "Who Knows...."
We're looking for a "catchy name" for this too, and would like your suggestions.

So send us your talents, professions, needs, wants, etc, and we'll get this thing started!
Alden is FULL of talented people; this we discovered over that past two years as we
put our heads together and made a success of our first cause. We have so much talent and so many resources here in Alden; why with a little effort we could be our own COUNTRY!
Just kidding.

Below is a message forwarded from ARRG member Jim Guarino. This is a second in a series of communications that we're sending to you, to keep you informed, and hopefully involved. Most of these messages will be written by Jim, and sometimes with some editing by the ARRG Core Members. We encourage you to read them thoroughly, and act as you did this past year. Please contact Jim directly for more information, or to offer assistance.
Sincerely,
The Core Members of the ARRG

Note from the Editors:
P.S. There is a recipient on this email list, although claims allegiance to the ARRG, has been forwarding our messages to those who have a different opinion than us as to the future vision of Alden. Be it known, that our views are not private. And hardly anything that is sent over the internet can ever be expected to remain private. We publically declare our positions, and so forwarding them to "the other side" really is no threat to us. Our positions are often posted too, on our blog, www.savealden.blogspot.com so ANYONE has access to this information.


Dear Alden Advertiser,
I am submitting this “Letter to the Editor” for publication.

James M. Guarino
13899 North Road
Alden, NY 14004

Dear Editor,

I attended an Alden Town Planning Board meeting last spring, when this question was asked “How much farmland is in the Town of Alden?” The only record available in the Town Hall shows only those parcels that receive an agricultural tax levy, but they do not show small farms as my own, which do not meet all of the criteria. I contacted the USDA in East Aurora, and they provided a map of the Town, showing those properties that were enrolled in USDA crop programs in the last several years. From that map, crop land in the Town is currently estimated at 5400 acres. I shared this information with the Planning Board and the Town Board. The Planning Board Chairman indicated that the amount of farm land as shown, may portray that Alden is too rural to bring business and industry to the Town.

At the Sept 11th Planning Board meeting, the Chairman made a comment that farmland is land “that is just waiting to be developed”. All of the research and reports that I have seen from the Farm Bureau, USDA, NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets, Erie-Niagara Storm Water Coalition and several independent study groups, strongly suggest that farmland is a precious resource that should be protected from development. For at least 10 years, with the farmland at Sandridge and Broadway in mind, I have asked the Town Board: “What are you doing to preserve farmland?” Despite assurances that farmland and open space are important to the Town, we have ended up with no positive action to date, Periwinkle subdivision, smaller lot sizes, more commercial zoning and now this proposed rezone.

Also present at the Sept 11th meeting, were Mr. and Mrs. Martin, owners of the farm to be rezoned for the proposed Wal-Mart. Mrs. Martin made a presentation as to how good their cropland is for growing crops, and how important it is for the stewards of that crop land to maintain proper drainage and proper farming practices. Mr. Martin read several news articles on how current tax laws do not allow for the financial risk of farming, and how a poor crop year can make taxes a real burden. I agree with their statements, but I do not agree with their solution. A better solution would be to aggressively pursue farmland protection programs as Marilla and Amherst have done.

James M. Guarino

Happy New Year to the ARRG members!

Yes, we've been silent for a few months; taking a much overdue and needed break after the eighteen month fight against the proposed rezoning project. But the Alden Residents for RESPONSIBLE GROWTH lives on, "to serve and protect" it's concerned citizens.

You may have been reading in the papers of another situation involving responsible growth that is knocking at our doorstep. One of our most strongest and deligent ARRG members, Jim Guarino is leading the charge on this one.

Jim (and a band of Alden's farmers) are looking to the future at two important issues, the Right to Farm Law, and the Farm Protection Act. We'll be forwarding additional emails and posting on our blog (www.savealden.blogspot.com) with news explaining both of these.

The first question you will ask yourself is, "What does this have to do with me; I'm not a farmer." This has EVERYTHING to do with you! Just like the Russo/Martin Farm issue, we need to protect our farmland, and the farmer's right to operate his business. Failure to do so, will turn Alden into another Amherst or Cheektowaga.

You all did such a great job at protecting us from the Big Box last time, we hope that you'll keep up the good work! We have other towns contacting us, asking "How did you do it?" We tell them it was the PEOPLE of Alden, specifically the ARRG members, who attended meetings, wrote letters, put up signs, gave donations! YOU are responsible for Saving Alden, and YOU will be responsible too, if you fail to act now to help keep big development out of Alden.

So watch for more information coming soon. In the meantime, if you want to know more, please contact Jim Guarino at 937-6618 or agriserv@rochester.rr.com

Mark your calendars to attend future town board meetings. Citizens like you are keeping an eye on our local government. A few hours of your time, just once or twice a month, will be a BIG help! . The town board doesn't feel pressured when only a handful of people protest. They admit it that they need to see more people in order to feel that an issue is important to its' citizens.

(Board meetings every Monday night, Planning Board is the 2nd Tuesday of each month). Please check the town website (www.alden.erie.gov) frequently for
updated information.

PS The Town board is forming a committee to work on the Town's Master Plan, and they are taking applications from citizens. Please contact Supervisor Ron Smith and volunteer. He is quoted as saying they are looking for people who are "open-minded", so be sure to tell him that you are one of them

Thanks to all who attended our Victory Celebration (sort of)!!

We'd like to extend a thanks to all our members who were able to attend our meeting at the Whistle Stop on November 17th. We’d also like to extend a special thanks to Doug and Terry Becker of the Whistle Stop for providing the space for our meeting and excellent food for our guests.

Although fewer people were able to attend than we had hoped (due to the impending Holiday season), we are happy to report, we (also) managed to raise $50 for Meals on Wheels and several bags of non perishable food for the Alden Marilla Food Pantry. We were made aware, that the Lions Club is in desperate need of turkeys this year for families in need. You may have seen their article in the Alden Advertiser. In years past, Tops has offered a program where you could use your bonus points toward a free turkey. They are not offering this program this year. The Lions Club is hoping to collect 100 turkeys (up 20 from last year). We encourage those who can afford to give to these worthy organizations during this Christmas season to please do so.

Highlights of the meeting were:
Reports on the Russo rezone - as you know, Mr. Russo withdrew his rezone application three hours before the Town Board was to vote NO on the rezone (as per the planning boards recommendation). Had the board voted no, Mr. Russo would not be able to re-submit another rezone application for one year, but since he withdrew his application, he can come back at any time!

We also discussed the difficulties we've encountered in trying to fill the old Ames Plaza. The only solution we can see is for the Village to get tough with Redstone Development and "encourage" them to sell the plaza to someone. There have been two companies that have shown an interest in purchasing the plaza, but Redstone Development, declined both offers. Until Redstone's feet are held to the proverbial fire, it seems nothing will change and they'll continue to use the mostly vacant plaza for a tax write-off.

It was noted that, the Village Board has not followed through on a single suggestion that the Partners for a Livable Western New York gave to the Village during their visit this summer. The emphasis was on how they can make the Village more "user friendly" which will in turn, generate more economic growth by encouraging people to stop and shop instead of driving right through. Even the free option of asking the state to re-stripe Rt. 20 to narrow it (to slow traffic so people can actually see the businesses they are passing) and to include a bike lane with several cross walks (with signage to indicate it is state law to stop for pedestrians) was never pursued. As one member of the PLWNY said, on the walk, "I've never been here before.... Do you realize you live in one of the last Mayberry's in Erie County? You've got to protect it while you still can." The PLWNY is made up of lawyers, planners, architects, builder/developer, traffic engineers, public officials, etc. They do these neighborhood walks free of charge! Can you imagine what the Village would have had to pay for this service?

We also discussed the activity reports from the Economic Development Committee which we obtained through The Freedom of Information Law, that indicate the active wooing of Wal-Mart to locate behind the current Tops off of Slade Drive along with mixed use housing. They indicate an ongoing effort to bring the giant retailer to Alden. The EDC is made up of representatives from the Town and Village of Alden, the Chamber of Commerce, Alden Central School, and members at large. The chairperson of the EDC is Ian McPherson from Clarence. The first three organizations pay his salary and he is appointed annually.

Jim Guarino updated everyone on the Right To Farm Law that we're hoping the Town will consider. The easiest way to explain it is to give you an example. The new subdivision off of Three Rod Rd. near Broadway is called the Periwinkle Subdivison. Farmland borders two sides of the 35 home subdivision. If the law was passed, the owners of these homes could not complain when the Aldinger's spread manure or dig up the soil and dust flies into the air. Other towns have found the need to adopt this law since more and more farmland is turning into subdivisions.

The highlight of the meeting was a lively and informative presentation (that was) given by Mark Cassel entitled "Alden 2020". It started by reminding us of the less desirable projects our Town has seen in the past and took us up to the present. The major focus of the presentation however, was about sustainable growth and what poorly planned growth can lead to with regard to increased taxes and the decline of our quality of life for a small town like ours.

Everyone was reminded that we need to continue to attend Town and Village board and planning board meetings to keep up with new requests that come in. We would appreciate you sending your notes from the meetings you attend to us, so we can share them with the rest of ARRG. You can e-mail them to Save_Alden@yahoo.com. Thank you very much!

Thanks again to those who've supported us in the past and continue to support us in our stated goal of ensuring "responsible growth" for our beloved Town of Alden.

CERTAINLY NOT BORED OF ELECTIONS!

HELLO ARRG MEMBERS!

The reason you haven't seen any mention of the counts from the write-ins in the newspapers or TV is because the procedure for counting them doesn't happen instantly. Firstly, last night at the close of the election, the roll of paper is removed from the machine at each poling place, and the workers (with observers from the Republican, Democrat parties, and assigned members of the ARRG) were present to manually count the votes. Then the rolls of paper are shipped downtown to the headquarters for a second count and validation. So the "official" count won't be published for about one week.

The polling place workers were overwhelmed with the questions and requests for assistance required by all of you!!! They said they've NEVER had SO MANY write-ins before! So THANK YOU again for your "write-in".

A very special THANK YOU to all of you who voted for our 3 ARRG members who were running for open positions last night. Although neither of them won, they were all successful for at least "stirring up the pot".

We've ALL learned a lot in the past 16 months, including much about politics. For example, neither the Board of Elections, nor the Town Hall, nor the media is responsible for announcing in advance what positions are up for election. It is up to the citizens to find out this information in advance. The elected or appointed positions' terms (dates) are not posted on the Town website either. We'd like to see this changed.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

IMPORTANT PLANNING BOARD MEETING,
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 7:00PM.

Don't let the dark, the cold, or the snow, keep you away. We're on a roll, and we need to keep the pressure up, to change some laws, to keep out the "Big Box", or all of our efforts will have been in vain.

On the agenda Tuesday night, ARRG member, Jim Guarino is presenting his very timely "Right to Farm Law" to the Planning Board (remember them?). Like with the Russo/Martin Rezoning Issue, public pressure helped to make the right decision by the board (although they'd never admit that was the reason, but that's ok).

There's going to be nothing on TV but re-runs anyway, so plan on attending this Planning Board meeting. What better live entertainment is there!!

VICTORY CELEBRATION (sort of) and MEMBER INFORMATION MEETING, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17,
1-4PM. Whistle Stop Restaurant, Exchange St.

We'll be celebrating the Russo/Martin request for Rezone Withdrawal and congratulating our ARRG members for all of their hard work, including those who attempted to secure political offices.

We'll be informing you of "what's next". There is still a lot happening in Alden with regard to the future with a presentation by ARRG Member Mark Casell (Route 20 in 2020) and Jim Guarino will be reviewing the right to farm law.

There is no admission fee, but if you can bring a canned good to be donated to the Alden/Marilla Food Bank, it would be greatly appreciated. Refreshments (snacks/soft drinks/coffee) will be provided).

Please plan to spend just a few hours with your new friends!

RSVP'S ARE REQUIRED PLEASE, IN ORDER THAT WE CAN BEST PREPARE FOR THIS EVENT. PLEASE EITHER EMAIL YOUR RESPONSE OR CALL 704-3006.

ps. No word yet on the Open Planning Board Position.

REPORT FROM ARRG MEMBER JIM GUARINO ON FARMLAND PROTECTION

I attended 2 presentations this week on farmland protection.

The 1st. was a workshop on applying for a grant ($25K) to review and change the master plan objectives in regards to agriculture. I believe that Alden and Marilla will be making a joint application.

The 2nd. was a presentation on preserving open space and farming through zoning changes.
A major point was made that most current zoning allows a "death by a thousand cuts" approach. This means of course, that by allowing numerous small subdivisions of farm land, the value of the remaining fields for modern farming is reduced with small irregular parcels, limited farm machinery access, neighbor complaints, etc.

In the coming months, as Alden begins to review the Master Plan, I plan on inserting myself into the discussion as much as possible, and I will keep you apprised of any action.
Continuing vocal support of the citizens (ARRG) will be needed if we are to avoid becoming Cheektowaga or Lancaster.

I have included a revised "manifesto" of my farmland protection ideas, which closely follow the presentations of this week.

Revised 10/26/07
Farmland Protection
Ideas to protect farmland, encourage farm families to pass the farm
to the next generation, discourage farm land conversion, and maintain
the rural character of the Town of Alden
1. Pass the local Right to Farm Law, and include a local farmer represented complaint review board, so that Alden farmers can conduct their businesses without nuisance complaints.
2. Change the minimum frontage on house lots outside of high density areas, back to 300' instead of 200', and limit the depth to 200’. (My idea was to limit how many houses could be built on a given frontage. After last night’s presentation, I now believe that the lot size should be limited to 200’ X 200’
3. Change the depth of commercial zoning in agricultural areas to 300' instead of 500', and limit the total build-out to less than 50% of the total commercial zoning area.
4. Limit the total number of subdivisions from the original farm (beginning in 1960), to two or three, per 50 contiguous acres, regardless of total frontage.
5. Require that any multi-home development (more than one), or commercial development over 5 acres, that will convert soil type I or II, from farmland, woodland or meadow, provide a substantial payment (100% of the development value of the converted land), to be held by the Town, and used to purchase development rights of other farmland, woodland or open land in the Town, especially those with type I or II soil.
6. Limit new-build housing connections to public water, to discourage farmland conversion.
Allow resident farmland owners, to operate non-farm businesses to supplement farm income, on farmstead property, so as to keep part time and full time farms in operation, provided that there shall be no future subdivision of the farm property. A single additional one family residence per each 50 contiguous acres, would be allowed for an immediate family member, with the maximum of 5 acres per each house-lot.
James M. Guarino
13899 North Road

Which positions are available on the Town Council on Election Day?

Since Michele Hoffman (ARRG member) has announced that she is a write-in candidate for the one of the two open positions, we have had many inquiries as to who's current positions are open.

The answer is Arlene Cooke and Ron Snyder. Until now, these people were running unopposed and therefore, that's probably why you hadn't seen any articles in the paper about it. (But probably will soon.) Whether they got 500 votes or only 5, they both still would have been renewed in their positions.

Now the math gets a little trickier. The top two voter-getters get the two open positions. Please see Michele's instructions in the post below for comments and instructions on how to write in your ballot in the election booth.

This is a perfect example of democracy in action.

ROLLER COASTER RIDE IN ALDEN

Well Folks,
What a roller coaster ride we have been on for the past 15 months; with the past few days being no exception. And the ride doesn't appear over either. We'll review some of the most recent events, and look ahead to the future.

Tuesday, October 9-Planning Board voted to recommend that the Town Board NOT rezone the Martin Farm (five present attendees voted unanimously, absentee members (Sanok & DeWitt) did not vote.

Monday, October 15-We were advised, immediately following the Planning Board vote, that the Town Board would vote on this day. So we emailed our members. Then on Monday morning we were advised that the vote would be postponed in order that the Board could discuss possible litigation, and other details. So we emailed our members again. Then at approximately 3pm on this same day, we were advised that the Board just received a letter from Russo Developers advising of their decision to withdraw their request to rezone the property.

Our apologies for the constant change; however, as you can see, this is beyond our control. Due to YAHOO limited mass-mailing restrictions within a 24 hour period, there wasn't enough time to "get the latest word out". Here is a perfect example of why you should be at as many meetings as possible, because you never know what can happen.

So, did we win????
Well, yes and no. We won this first battle, but the war isn't over. Because Russo withdrew his request to rezone the property, he can resubmit his request at anytime. If he had waited for the board to vote, and it was turned down, he would have had to wait at least one year to resubmit. And remember that he has said all along that he will build on the first 500 foot frontage that has been zoned commercial since 1997. Albeit, not a super-center.

Yes, we won, in that the ARRG has taken a position in the community and proven that we are a force not to be ignored. Members are now actively involved in numerous governmental activities and committees which will steer the future of the town in the right direction; a town run BY the People, and FOR the People. Examples:

1) Town Board Establishes Windmill Committee (copied with permission from Alden Advertiser/Vikki G Weisbeck)
Any resident of Alden who has ever considered harvesting the sky for energy may want to thank (ARRG members) James Guarino and Eric Chaffee (and Sheldon resident) Mark Moore for their research and input they have been providing to the Town Board on the proposed windmill law. Without their input, the law may have been adopted as is, without proper professional opinions and research.

On their own time, these residents have taken the initiative to review the law and critique its wording. Chaffee, who has a working residential windmill on Cayuga Creek, and Guarino have presented to the town in writing, areas of the proposed law that may be too harsh or impractical for residents who merely desire an alternate energy source. In addition, some of the requirements are unnecessary according to Chaffee.

Chaffee and Guarino have been at several meetings to present their findings and offered to assist the town with the language in the law. Moore is concerned with town wording the law property to keep commercial wind farms from popping up everywhere in Alden.

Supervisor Ronald Smith, who agreed there are some issues with the law, suggested that a committee be formed that would include interested residents, a board members, and the town engineer. The committee's task would be to review all aspects of the proposed law and to come up with ways to allow residential windmills in areas with adequate space while protecting the town from commercial wind mill farms. Once the law is fine tuned it will be presented to the board.

The Town Board approved the formation of a Windmill Citizen Advisory Committee at it meeting on October 15. Anyone wishing to participate in this committee should call the Town Clerk or Jim.

2) Right-to-Farm-Law Revisited (portions below are copied from the Alden Advertiser with permission from Vikki G Weisbeck, author)

ARRG member, James Guarino addressed the Board at the October 10 work session requesting that they review the Right to Farm Law. This issue was brought up before, but the Planning Board determined that the town law would only duplicate the state and county law.

Guarino, explained to the Board members that this is not correct, in that neither the county nor the state would provide any personnel to solve matters of dispute. He recommended that our Town Law would include the creation of a local review board, with farmer representation (among others) to address complaints and attempt to resolve any nuisance issues by determining if the practice in question is standard and accepted farming methods.

Jim pointed out that these complaints will likely to become more frequent as subdivisions become more common in our area. He added that even some farms which have been inactive for years, may become active again with the advent of the new demand for corn production for ethanol.

This law would provide farmers as well as families with livestock (horses, chickens, etc) for their own personal consumption. The law would cover the entire town, not just agricultural districts.

This law will (along with the state and county) recognize the importance of agriculture, that standard practices include odors, dust, noise, etc, and that farmers should be allowed to conduct their business without the threat of nuisance litigation. This protection would help avoid nuisance complaints from new residents who may not appreciate the entire rural experience and doesn't expect the reality that goes along with the view.

Jim explained that several towns in WNY (including Marilla) have passed their own individual RTF Law and all have expressed their pleasure that they did. He also explained that some communities have met with their local real estate agents and now these agents include a notice to their home buyers that they must be aware that they are moving to a farming community and that the farmers have a right to operate their businesses.

Jim has formed the Alden Right to Farm Committee, and has volunteered these members for the advisory committee, including John Oles, Gerald Aldinger and Jim Foss. Others are welcome to volunteer by contacting Jim.

Supervisor Smith explained that when the Planning Board originally recommended AGAINST the law, they may not have had all of the information and input that was now being presented, and certainly made no mention of a volunteer advisory committee, to take the burden off of the Town Board.

For a local law to be approved it must go first to the Planning Board, so Supervisor Smith is now sending this issue back to the Planning Board with this new information. Guarino will be added to the agenda for the next Planning Board meeting, Tuesday November 13. Please plan to attend this meeting, and support our local farmers, which will ultimately SAVE ALDEN.

For more information on the County RTF Law, visit http://www.erie.gov/laws/righttofarm.phtml
For more information from the Erie County Farm Bureau, visit
http://www.erie.gov/laws/righttofarm.phtml

3. Open position on the Planning Board

At the October 10 Work Session, Planning Board Chairman, Ralph Witt announced his recommendation of Gary Wagner to the open Planning Board position left vacant by the untimely death of Russell Savage. Several in attendance at the meeting, and over the next few days, expressed their displeasure with the process for choosing a candidate for the position.

There were at least three or four ARRG members who had volunteered for this position, and none of which were ever contacted by anyone at the Town Hall with any questions, or requests for interviews. When asked several weeks ago as to the qualifications, the response was "that there are no qualifications"; however when the announcement was made of Witt's recommendation, it was explained that this person "had the most qualifications".

Thanks to several of you who took the time to express your displeasure in the method of the selection, Supervisor Smith postponed their decision, and revisited the candidates' submissions.

It should be noted that a Planning Board position (of which there are seven) is a SEVEN year term (appointed) with one new member being renewed (re-appointed) each year. When a Planning Board member's term is complete, she or he is simply reappointed, without the public given the opportunity to apply for the position or without publication of this person's voting or attendance record, nor are their credentials made public.

Hopefully, after careful review, the Town Board will elect someone from the ARRG to the open position on the Planning Board. If not, then we need to be ever more vigilant in the decision put before them. It was also pointed out to the Board, that there is currently no one on the PB representing the agricultural field, helping to balance out the spectrum of the members.

4) ARRG MEMBER MICHELE HOFFMAN ANNOUNCES THAT SHE IS A 'WRITE IN' VOTE IN THIS NOVEMBER'S ELECTION FOR ONE OF THE TWO OPEN POSITIONS ON THE TOWN BOARD

The Town Board has two positions open this year and the top two vote-getters will win those seats. You have the option of voting for one or two candidates. Voting ONLY for Michele will ensure a larger margin between her and the opponents

IT IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER TO HAVE AN ARRG MEMBER ON THE TOWN BOARD!

"We have won the first fight, but there will be more. Since Mr. Russo withdrew his rezone application, he can come back with another proposal at any time. If the Town Board would have voted no, he wouldn't be able to for a minimum of 12 months. We need a "big box" law that limits the size of stores. Remember, the first 500 feet of the farm is already zoned commercial. Let's change that too." -Michele Hoffman
.
Why a "write-"in vote?
"With a "write-in" vote, my only obligation is to the taxpayer, not to any political party. All registered Town and Village residents are eligible to "write-in" regardless of party affiliation." -Michele Hoffman


How to write-in your voteAfter you close the curtain in the voting booth, you will see the line that lists the offices (County Judge, County Executive, County Legislator, Town Justice, Town Councilman, etc.) Above these offices, you will see a horizontal row of numbered slides. There is one slide for each office column. Behind these slides - inside the machine - is a roll of paper on which you can, by raising the slide, write in a candidate's name. Please write in, Michele Hoffman behind one of the two slides over Town Councilman.

You are allowed to take paper, and a pen or pencil in with you. If you need assistance, you can either take someone in with you, or ask one of the Inspectors to assist you. The Inspectors can lower the booth for you too. Let them know before you go into the booth. There should already be a pencil in every booth, in case you forget to take one with you. There is a sample sheet on the wall at each polling place that you can view before you go into the voting booth.

To learn more about Michele, visit her weblog at www.michelehoffman.blogspot.com
Michele has a few signs still available for display in front yards. Please contact her at 937-9046 if you can show your support by posting a sign in your yard.


AND WHILE OUR BACKS WERE TURNED, AND WE WERE FACING WEST...
The ARRG has recently learned of a new direction being taken in the controversial Broadway rezoning and possible "Big Box" development.

We’ve recently obtained the monthly Director’s reports from Economic Development Committee (which is comprised of two representatives each from the Town and Village Boards, Chamber of Commerce, one business owner, one resident, two individuals with economic development skills, and the School Superintenden) through the Freedom of Information Law from April 2004 to May 2007. There were several months "missing" with no explanation, including June-Sept, 2007. (Meetings are not open to the public, in case you were wondering).

The purpose of our inquiry was to find out what they have been doing to try to fill the Ames Plaza, because we have a Scouts Committee who are concentrating on this effort, and wanted to reinforce whatever potential businesses they might have contacted previously.

However, these reports revealed much more than what we had anticipated. It was revealed first off, that it was the Economic Development Committee who repeatedly approached Wal-mart (for over one year) to come to Alden.

But most alarming news was that even PRIOR to Russo presenting his request to rezone the Martin Farm and to bring "Big Box" to the community, there were ongoing discussions with Wal-mart to be a part of the "mixed land use design of traditional neighborhood concept with a city/village square to supplement the area" in the southwest quadrant of the Village, from Slade Drive (behind Tops) with nearly 300 acres, East to Exchange Street. This real estate has been accumulated under the ownership of one individual over the past few years. (This is approximately three times the size of the Russo/Martin Farm). This project is to have "diversified housing types, in conjunction with anticipated village needs".

This new direction should be considered interesting to the vocal Alden population that has been asking for rejuvenation of the existing historic Alden Village business district, as well as focusing development efforts to area of Alden identified in the Village's Comprehensive Plan.

What concerns us however, is the secrecy with which these discussions have been held. Not in public meetings. At this time, so little of the specifics are known that we have been unable to form an opinion of the project. Other then the natural suspicion as to the legality of or the reasoning behind the private meetings and denial of any knowledge by persons named in these reports. These reports are public domain, and therefore if you would like to know more information, please contact us.

The ARRG will now shift focus to ensure that the site plans for the proposal include building size and design consistent with the desires of the Alden community, inclusion of green space and protection of the identified wetlands. This is also a step in the right direction in establishing the importance of Alden's valuable resources; namely it's people!

We'll keep you posted as more information is obtained. In the meantime, we suggest that you switch your focus to attending VILLAGE meetings and asking THEM questions, since this new project is within the Village limits. In light of this newly obtained information, it now becomes clear to us why the Mayor and the other village officials' canned response when questioned about the activities behind Tops, and "the Tubes on Exchange St" and their lack of concern about the Russo/Martin project was always "We are not at liberty to discuss it at this time."


And NOW...Assemblyman Cole wants to meet YOU!
On Thursday, October 25 from 6-8pm Assemblyman Cole will be at the Alden Town Hall to discuss suggestions or concerns relating to New York State, Western New York, and Erie County. "By bringing state government to the people and sharing ideas about a better New York, we can overcome obstacles and achieve great things together".

How ironic are these words, coming from him NOW! We couldn't help but notice how Assemblyman Cole was conspicuously absent and silent during the past fifteen months during our Russo/Martin rezoning issue.

In April of this year, he introduced two amendments at his Assembly Minority conference to "improve the business climate for small businesses in NYS." This legislation was aimed to attract new ventures to the state by eliminating burdensome taxes and making it more affordable for current small businesses to operate.

Ironic, that in his own home town, maneuvers were in place (prior to his departure from the Alden Town Board and arrival in Albany) to encourage Big Box Development, which ultimately serves to destroy the small businessman.

One must question his almost immediate return to Alden for a Public Meeting after the hotly contested issue of the rezone decision is complete just days earlier. Did his family connection with the Planning Board Chairman, who most obviously was in favor of this project, play a roll in his lack of participation in this issue? Or was his lack of participation due to his (possible) roll in the acquisition of Wal-mart to the "Village Project" that we now are aware of? These are questions that you could ask of Assemblyman Cole when you attend his public meeting this Thursday, October 25 from 6 to 8pm.



PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
The Town Board shall hold a public hearing on the proposed budget and Special District Budget on November 5 at 7:35pm and 7:45pm at the Town Hall on Wende Rd. The budget will show proposed changes, alterations and revisions. At such a hearing, any person may be heard in favor of or against the special district budget as compiled or for or against any item(s) therein contained. Citizens have the right to provide written and oral comments and ask questions concerning the special district budget and the entire budget and the relationships of entitlement funds.

Handicapped citizens or senior citizens who require assistance in attending said public hearings, or in furnishing comments and suggestions, should contact the Town Clerk Dorothy Bycina.

Citizens are entitled to review the proposed budget PRIOR to the November 5 meeting, by visiting the town hall during regular business hours, and requesting to review the proposal.

November 5 is also the Regular Town Board Meeting, which will immediately follow these public hearings.

We're off the hook, for now....
We got lucky this time with the Martin/Russo issue, but just look at our neighbors who aren't so fortunate as us. This is why we have to stick together and keep working on what's around the next corner...
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/southernsuburbs/story/187749.html
Rite Aid sues over denial of permit in Elma (Oct 20, 2007)
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/easternsuburbs/story/185416.html
In reversal, Board OKs Tim Hortons Lancaster (Oct 20, 2007)

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE ARRG!!

The ARRG members have established their position in the community with their tireless participation in the recent opposition to the rezoning request at Broadway and Four Rod. Hundreds of citizens came together with a variety of knowledge and skills for one common goal; namely RESPONSIBLE growth.

Andrew Carnegie said, "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results" and we applaud the successful efforts of the ARRG members for their teamwork, determination, sincerity, and vigilance for the past fifteen months. Some were able to help more than others, but every signature, every letter you wrote, every phone call you made, every sign in your yard, every meeting you attended, every dollar you donated, all added up to success.

We encourage everyone to continue your volunteerism, ensuring a bright future for Alden; one that abounds with RESPONSIBLE growth, while maintaining the individual character of our community.

THANK YOU!!!
(Watch for announcement date of an ARRG member meeting coming soon. You deserve a chance to get together to talk about what we've all be doing, and what we can do in the future).

ALDEN-WHICH DIRECTION ARE YOU HEADED IN?

Below is the letter submitted by Jim Guarino. Jim has been a faithful ARRG member; attending most all of the town meetings; often contributing very knowledgeable information attempting to defend our precious farmland. Thanks for all of your hard work.

I attended an Alden Town Planning Board meeting last spring, when this question was asked “How much farmland is in the Town of Alden?” The only record available in the Town Hall shows only those parcels that receive an agricultural tax levy, but they do not show small farms as my own, which do not meet all of the criteria. I contacted the USDA in East Aurora, and they provided a map of the Town, showing those properties that were enrolled in USDA crop programs in the last several years. From that map, crop land in the Town is currently estimated at 5400 acres. I shared this information with the Planning Board and the Town Board. The Planning Board Chairman indicated that the amount of farm land as shown, may portray that Alden is too rural to bring business and industry to the Town.

At the Sept 11th Planning Board meeting, the Chairman made a comment that farmland is land “that is just waiting to be developed”. All of the research and reports that I have seen from the Farm Bureau, USDA, NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets, Erie-Niagara Storm Water Coalition and several independent study groups, strongly suggest that farmland is a precious resource that should be protected from development. For at least 10 years, with the farmland at Sandridge and Broadway in mind, I have asked the Town Board: “What are you doing to preserve farmland?” Despite assurances that farmland and open space are important to the Town, we have ended up with no positive action to date, Periwinkle subdivision, smaller lot sizes, more commercial zoning and now this proposed rezone.

Also present at the Sept 11th meeting, were Mr. and Mrs. Martin, owners of the farm to be rezoned for the proposed Wal-Mart. Mrs. Martin made a presentation as to how good their cropland is for growing crops, and how important it is for the stewards of that crop land to maintain proper drainage and proper farming practices. Mr. Martin read several news articles on how current tax laws do not allow for the financial risk of farming, and how a poor crop year can make taxes a real burden. I agree with their statements, but I do not agree with their solution. A better solution would be to aggressively pursue farmland protection programs as Marilla and Amherst have done.

James M. Guarino

Nearly all of the WALMART NO signs have been stolen. Some of the people responsible were caught. Others were not. Apparently there were teams of cars that were competing with each other to see who could steal the most. To those of you whose signs were stolen, if we recover them we'll let you know, but it's impossible to know which signs belonged to whom. Seven of them were recovered from Peter Kay's Auto Dealership where they were dumped. Someone is trying to repair them. We apologize to those of you who paid for the sign with your donation. You may wish to press charges against the individuals responsible. Stealing is stealing. It's not funny. It's not a game. It seems that Walmart supporters and crime go hand-in-hand.

If you have a comment you wish to share with us on this blog, please send it to us.

Some comments already received include:

FROM "SPEECHLESS"... "The theft of signs is not small change -- a mere sign -- but freedom of speech, itself. The attempt is to silence the citizenry. This is very serious, and not to be taken lightly. The 'perps' must be held accountable for this very serious offense."

FROM 'FED UP"... " "Scavenger hunt my a**. I am so glad this happened. Please let us know what happens to these idiots. I have been putting off getting any other sign for this very reason. Our first one was stolen and destroyed along with some neighbors last year. It was a neighborhood kid and it was resolved properly. I am not worried about neighborhood kids anymore, I'm worried about these idiots that have been doing it this year. How truly sad these people's lives must be."

CHECK OUT THE WINDOW AT THE BANK!

Check out the window at the front foyer of the Alden State Bank. This photo doesn't do it justice. We've taken photos of all of the family owned businesses in town and surrounded them by various Landmark Miniatures and important facts about RESPONSIBLE GROWTH. BUY LOCAL, BUY ALDEN. NEIGHBORS SUPPORTING BUSINESSES, BUSINESSES SUPPORTING NEIGHBORS. Watch for an upcoming scavenger hunt which will lead you to find some unique items available right here in our town when some people say "There's no place to shop in Alden." WRONG!

REMEMBER TO PRACTICE: BUY LOCAL, BUY ALDEN. NEIGHBORS SUPPORTING BUSINESSES, BUSINESSES SUPPORTING NEIGHBORS

A BACK-DOOR DEAL ???

On the topic of Ames Plaza, the current Walmart possibility is certainly having a very NEGATIVE effect on finding tenants for the village Ames location. The ruse that nobody will set up business there unless a major retailer comes along "elsewhere" is utter nonsense. Most other retailers are terrified of Walmart! This is a deal breaker, just having Walmart considering coming here. We've been betrayed by those we hired to fill that plaza! They've not done the job we gave them. Instead they've made it extremely more difficult. But they've still cashed their paychecks. This should be examined for MALFEASANCE, or, perhaps, even fraud. (I certainly feel defrauded of the tax dollars that paid for this disaster.)



Signed: Concerned Citizen



NOTE FROM MODERATOR: Only the Economic Development Director is a hired paid position, and is not an Alden Resident. The committee consists of eleven members (two each from the Village, the Town and Chamber; and 5 are selected from the Selection Committee, consisting of six representatives of the village, town and chamber as follows: one members shall be the Superintendent of the Alden Central School or his/her designee; one member shall be an owner of a business located within the limits of the Town and/or Village; one member shall be a resident of the Town and/or Village of Alden, but not a business owner; and two members shall be individuals who possess skills, abilities and/or interests relevant to the economic development of Alden as determined by the Selection Committee.) If anyone would require further information, please contact the ARRG, or you can also obtain this information from the Town Hall through the Freedom of Information Act Laws.



Last night, information was introduced sighting that in August of 2005 the EDC concluded that the only way to increase interest in the Ames plaza was to bring a large retailer into the Town outside of the Village in the commercial area along Broadway west of the Village.


Then quiet mysteriously and conveniently within the next 30 days, in September 2005 a contract was signed between Russo and the Martin's for the purchase of their farm land. One has to question whether our EDC made arrangements for Russo and Martin to strike a deal. The Martin farm wasn't even up for sale prior to this. What are the odds???? About $540,000 to one!
It was then in January 2006 that Martin first appeared before the Planning Board, introduced by Witt, claiming the land to be free and clear of wetlands. There's another lie.

EDC Director Ian McPherson owns McPherson Steel. We wonder who Russo has planned for building his multiple structures on this property. (Remember that in addition to the Wal-mart Supercenter of 155,000 square feet, there are also NINE other stores with at least two of them as restaurants CURRENTLY listed on the site plan.)


Someone suggested at the Planning Board meeting last night that this smells of a "Back Door Deal". What do you think?

WE'LL GET BY WITH THE HELP OF OUR FRIENDS

"Your core group is to be commended. I particularly like your philosophy of running a clean "campaign" and being open with your views and in keeping with the facts that can be supported.
Thank you for the endless hours you all contribute for researching,
emailing, making calls, preparing for ARRG meetings and for town meetings,
distributing signs and covering expenses that I bet lightens your own
wallet and the list goes on."
Thank you,
Carl Matthies

COMMENTS FROM CORE GROUP: Thanks so much for the kinds words, Carl. Yes, it's a lot of work, but we couldn't have come this far, and made such great strides without the help of all of the ARRG members. Some people can help more than others; and that's understandable. It is quite costly, and we are often limited to what we can do because of expenses (postage is the worst), but "David DID beat Goliath" and we truly believe that we can too.

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS

BE VOCAL AND BUY LOCAL
BUSINESSES SUPPORTING NEIGHBORS
NEIGHBORS SUPPORTING BUSINESSES


"Multiplier Effect"
A dollar spent with a locally independent merchant gets "recycled" and becomes an investment in the community.) If every Aldenite spent just $10 more each month in ALDEN, we'd increase sales and tax revenue for our local independent merchants (who turn nearly 45% of their earnings BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY ) by $1.2 million dollars in one year.

Show the community how powerful a united group like the ARRG really is. We are 900 members strong, and growing! Support your local independent merchant, and TELL HIM OR HER that you have made a conscious decision to SHOP LOCAL.

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS!!!

MYTH-THERE ARE NO JOBS IN ALDEN

NO JOBS IN ALDEN???? WRONG!!

Pro-Walmart Supporters frequently claim that there are no jobs in Alden. This writer took a short trip through the Village this past Saturday and found HELP WANTED signs in the windows at Subway, Radioshack, Crystal Clear Pools, Valu and Carbones. Also inquired inside and found that Dollar General and Alden Pharmacy are also hiring. I only had a few minutes, didn't have time to check others. So please help us prove our point that there ARE plenty of after school and evening jobs available in Alden. You just have to LOOK for them. (None of these were listed in the Alden Advertiser). Whenever I'm at the check-out counter at Tops, I always ask the kids what school they go to, and nine times out of ten, they are from Attica, Pembroke, Iroquois and Akron. If you are aware (and can confirm) any other businesses looking for help, please let us know and we'll post it on our blog.

UPDATE: "I also own my own business and just put a ad in for someone. In fact I
have had 3 or 4 responses and will hire one of these. My business is
in transportation...It is N.M.R. Transport, INC. so yes there are jobs! Thanks, Naomi"


BUY LOCAL
BUSINESSES SUPPORTING NEIGHBORS
NEIGHBORS SUPPORTING BUSINESSES

Walmart brings crime to Alden already!

I think it is utterly pathetic that someone would steal the No Walmart
signs off of residential yards on Boncliff Drive and Virginia Drive in
Alden. People scoffed at us when we said this project would bring crime
to
our area. Well take a look - it already has! The Walmart project hasn't
even been voted upon by our Town Planning Board and there's theft in
our
neighborhood already. Apparently our freedom of speech is in question
as
well. It takes a very sad individual to take this sort of action. Well
keep
on takin' em off my yard - because they'll go back up as fast as you
can
take them down. And unlike with Walmart, if you're caught in the act I
will
press criminal charges. It's just a brief forecast of where this town
is
headed if the rezone is approved.



Michael W Best

What Part of "NO" Don't You Understand?

A representative of the ARRG read the following statement to the Planning Board Members on August 14. There was no response from the Board.

"I’d first like to thank the Board for allowing me the
opportunity to speak. That said, I would respectfully like to address
the members and ask the following ….

Why do we find ourselves here a year and a half after the
board first recommended this rezone, still awaiting Mr. Russo to comply
with both NYS SEQR law and the boards requests?

We know Mr. Russo won’t be making an appearance this evening
since he met with Mr. Metzger on the 3 rd and yet again failed
to fulfill the requests of this Board. A year and a half has gone by and not
even a simple EAF has been completed among many other items. Is this acceptable
to the Planning Board? Has anything of this magnitude ever been pursued in such
a haphazard and unprofessional manner?

Even if the Planning Board feels this is a good project WHICH WE OBVIOUSLY DISAGREE, it can be easily be said that Mr. Russo is not the person to be trusted with it. Every time he has addressed you he either claims no environmental impact or argues about what he needs to do…that is, when he’s not threatening a
lawsuit.

Why is the Planning Board allowing itself to be taken so lightly? If his rezone request is granted what type of behavior can you expect from him then? We can only wonder, but are some members so for this project that his behavior is allowed to continue?

Given Mr. Russo’s disrespect and belligerence toward the Planning Board, we
respectfully ask that this project be passed along to our Town Board's
elected leaders where it belongs, only this time with a negative
recommendation."

So what is "Responsible Growth"?

WHAT IS "RESPONSIBLE" OR "SMART" GROWTH?

In communities across the nation, there is a growing concern that current development patterns -- dominated by what some call "sprawl" -- are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.

Spurring the smart growth movement are demographic shifts, a strong environmental ethic, increased fiscal concerns, and more nuanced views of growth. The result is both a new demand and a new opportunity for smart growth.

The features that distinguish smart, responsible growth in a community vary from place to place. In general, smart growth invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. New smart growth is more town-centered, is transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities.

IMPORTANT FACTS TO REMEMBER in this case in Alden:

1) THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS MORE THAN SIX TIMES THE SIZE OF THE OLD AMES PLAZA. IT IS COMPLETELY OUT OF SCALE WITH OUR TOWN. IT'S LIKE BUILDING YANKEE STADIUM FOR A LITTLE LEAGUE TEAM.

2) THIS ISN'T "JUST A WALMART" THIS ISN'T "JUST ONE STORE." THIS IS A MAJOR SHOPPING CENTER, WITH WALMART SUPER CENTER AS THE ANCHOR STORE. PLUS THERE ARE NINE OTHER STORES AND RESTAURANTS ON THE SITE PLAN. AND WHAT WILL FOLLOW? LOEWS? DICKS? HOME DEPOT? TARGET? THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

3) THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS ON THE VILLAGE AQUIFER, ON PRIME FARMLAND, OUTSIDE OF THE VILLAGE. THE OLD AMES PLAZA WAS ON VACANT UNUSED LAND, INSIDE THE VILLAGE RETAIL CORRIDOR, WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE FOR THE VILLAGE RESIDENTS, AND RELATIVE TO THE SIZE OF THE COMMUNITY.

4) ALTHOUGH WALMART WILL ONLY OWN THEIR PARTICULAR BUILDING, THEY WILL HAVE THE FINAL DECISION AS TO WHAT OTHER BUSINESSES CAN OR CANNOT SELL ON THE PROPERTY. THEY WILL NOT ALLOW ANY COMPETITION.

5) WALMART, AND RUSSO DEVELOPERS WILL BE ENTITLED TO A 50% TAX REDUCTION FOR THE FIRST YEAR, WITH 5% INCREMENTAL REDUCTION EACH YEAR FOR 10 YEARS (45%, 40%, 35%, ETC)

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

YOU WRITE LETTERS TO EDITORS (Alden Advertiser, Metro News/Source, Buffalo News) YOUR FACTUAL LETTERS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Send individual letters through the US mail (not email) to each town board and planning board member (their names are listed on the town website www.alden.erie.gov).

YOU CAN TELL YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSMAN/WOMAN THAT HE/SHE SHOULD GET INVOLVED.

YOU CAN ATTEND TOWN MEETINGS. THEY ARE ALWAYS LISTED IN THE PAPER.

YOU CAN TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS, EDUCATE THEM. GET A SIGN IN YOUR YARD, GET SIGNATURES, WATCH THE DVD'S (AVAILABLE FOR LOAN; JUST ASK)

BE VOCAL AND BUY LOCAL

WHICH YOU YOU RATHER HAVE???????

Thanks to the great point of view written by Ron Gardner in last week's Alden Advertiser, reprinted here with his permission.

"Dear Editor:
The debate over Wal-Mart leads me to present a point of view to consider. In the Sunday, July 15, 2007 Buffalo News, page 6 was an article under the heading, Nature Watch by Gerry Rising. His article was about the cost of production of ethanol, but he makes a couple of points that could affect all of us. He states "...over the past decade the earth's crop land was reduced by 20% and for every acre of corn that is used to produce ethanol, takes that acre out of food production."

That may be the least of the problems. The changing weather patterns could easily cause farm production to drop to a point that farms could not feed the populace. A war in the Middle East could cut off foreign oil imports to the USA, thus causing farm production to stop. Any crops that could be produced would be unable to reach the supermarkets. Continually turning valuable farm land into housing and putting farm land under blacktop can only have a negative affect on maintaining food production and keeping food prices down. Will Mr Rising's 20% turn into 50% in less than ten years? Will war be "OK" if it's over food? No matter who you are, rich or poor, we all depend on the farmer. Which would you rather have, a productive farm nearby or a Chinese outlet store?

JOB POSTING-PLANNING BOARD

ADVERTISED IN THIS WEEK'S ALDEN ADVERTISER

PAID POSITION AVAILABLE FOR TOWN OF ALDEN PLANNING BOARD. PLEASE SEND RESUMES TO; ALDEN TOWN HALL 3311 WENDE RD, ALDEN, N Y. 14004

WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO APPLY FOR THE POSITION! YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

On Top of Old Alden

Guess the tune:

"On top of old Alden"

On top of old Alden
all covered with salt
We lost our well water
it's somebody's fault

They built up big box stores
and salted the lots
with one ton per acre
They salted a lot

It ran from the parking
and into the soil
and now our well water
tastes like salty oil

I went to the town hall
to tell them my plight
while crossing the roadway
was quite of a fight

When finally reaching
my town hall so brave
They told me "I'm sorry,
we're all Wal-Mart slaves!"

words by Judy Hotchkin -Lets hope this never comes to be

MAGNETIC MERCANTILE MONSTER

We just received this note, when the DVD's were returned after viewing:

"Walmart has become a magnetic merchantile monster, profiting from "borderline" somewhat illegal practices; taking unfair advantage of their employees. Where will it end?

Somehow the community should be able to view these videos together" Tom & Lois

COMMENT FROM ADMINISTRATOR; We'd love to show these videos to the public. If you know of a location, please find out if it would be suitable, how many people it would hold, room rental rate, etc. and let us know.

STEALING IS STEALING, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS.

What does that say about the people who are in favor of this project,
if they will commit a crime to help their cause. "Walmart No" signs being stolen
from people's front yards, petitions being stolen off of the counters of area businesses. Stealing is stealing. It's wrong. If that's all you've got (that and name calling) then you haven't got much.

So somebody in Akron thinks a Walmart in Alden is a good idea

Below were comments published in the Buffalo News, Everybody's Column, July 31 from an AKRON reader, who thinks a Walmart in Alden would be terrific! Imagine that! We encourage EVERYONE to respond to her comments, and defend your community: Buffalo News Policy: Write to Everybody's Column, The Buffalo News, One News Plaza, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY, 14240, or fax to 716-856-5150. You may also send an email to LetterToEditor@buffnews.com. Every single letter is verified by telephone, so be sure to sign your letter and include your address and a day-time phone number. Keep reading and you'll see some of the responses we received from our members since this was published. We hope that you'll reply to the News, and to us!

Chain store represents good quality and prices

When Wal-Mart announced that it wanted to build in Alden, we were so happy. We live in Newstead and travel to Williamsville to shop there. The prices for food are reasonable and the place in and around, very clean. The cashiers are friendly and everyone is very helpful. I have yet to see or hear a crabby person there. They greet you when you go in and tell you to have a pleasant day when you leave.
What is so quaint about Alden? The store and complex aren’t going to be in the town but on the outskirts. We all know you can save a buck or two, which is why we go to Wal-Mart.

Get with the flow, people. It is called “progress.”
Joan Schlegel
Akron

RESPONSES:
"Lets ask the akron resident if we can build a Wal Mart close to Akron Park, I think there is plenty of land there. " Tom O.

"In response to Joan Schlegel of Akron. If you are so unhappy to live so
far from Walmart then why do you live in Newstead? Many of us Aldenites
that don't want to "go with the flow" chose to live in Alden beacause we
like the town the way it is - without a bustling megastore and traffic. I
have lived here for 37 years and am quite happy with the way the town is -
and we have all the things you need. I can still sit on my deck at night
and look at the stars and listen to the crickets chirping. My cousin who
has a Walmart in her backyard watches the lights of the parking lot and
listens to cars. You call it progress - well, progress is only progress if it
improves things. Were you aware that they are already in the process of
building another Walmart in Lancaster, just 15 minutes from Alden? And
have you driven in that area lately? - it is a traffic nightmare. If so many
people are so unhappy about not having shopping choices then why do
they all live so far away from the shopping centers? Driving a fifteen or
twenty minutes is a small price to pay for the peace and quiet of small town
living." Mike B.

"Joan Schlegel of Akron wants Alden to "get with the flow, people. It's called progress..." I am personally voting to have Walmart move to Akron - let's let Akron see the "progress" it will have...........progressively closing Mom & Pop stores, progressively escalating crime and traffic, progressively accumulating litter, and the progressive emptying of village buildings. Ms. Schlegel is more than welcome to that "progress". Any Walmart I have had the misfortune of entering has been filthy, filled with rude, pushy people with a "me first" attitude and employees who wouldn't smile unless you paid them. I used to like driving through Akron, but I can easily avoid it like I do Williamsville and Amherst and Cheektowaga." Nancy W.

"I saw that in last night's paper!! Geeeeeezzz!!!! Then let Akron have it!!!!!!" Lori M.

"This message is in response to Joan Schlegel of Akron who thinks a Walmart in Alden would be terrific! Of course she would! And I think putting one in Akron instead of Alden would be an even better idea! Tell her to please contact Russo Developers and Walmart and invite them to come look at some of Akron's prime farmland. And build it right next to the new Thruway toll, or in her back yard." Coleen C.

I've Seen This Happen....

"I lived in the city for 34 years and seen what happens when the big box stores shut down all the small town stores, I seen this happen in the Lovejoy and Broadway district when the giant Kmart and Wal-Mart's open. now they are all vacant boarded up. I am very happy living here and shopping in the town the way it is now. If Wal-Mart opens like it has in the city the town stores from small to big will shut down and this presses isn't gradual its over-night. --G.M.-Genesee St

CAN YOU HELP WITH A LOCATION?

We've had many requests to hold another member meeting to discuss the facts, and the options. We've outgrown La Paloma's Restaurant (a very special THANK YOU is deserved here to LaPaloma's for their constant support. Please patronize them frequently and tell them why---besides the fact that they have FANTASTIC pizza!).

So if you have a location in mind, please let us know. Please contact the venue first and ask the following:
1) Will they allow a public meeting for this purpose (listed above)
2) What is their maximum capacity (theatre style chairs)
3) Do they have a big screen tv, with dvd player? If so, what is the rental fee?
4) What is the rental fee of their venue?
5) Who should we contact to make further arrangements?

Please contact us if you have a suitable location at 704-3006 or save_alden@yahoo.com

ALDEN COULD BE NEXT!!!

Please click on the link below to read what's happening in Lancaster. We could be next, if the rezoning project is approved. A retention pond is in the site plan for the Broadway project here in Alden. Add that to the already poorly maintained pond near Tops.

Please send a letter to our Town Supervisor, Ron Smith, and all of the individual town board members, (go to www.alden.erie.gov for their names, including planning board chairman, Ralph Witt. Note that mail sent through the US postal service is best, not email.) Tell them of your opinion of this project. We also encourage you to send your comments to the Alden Advertiser (400 words maximum), and Steam at the Source (f/k/a Metro Community News). Please continue to educate our town officials, and other citizens.

http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3377.shtml

OR COPY AND PASTE, WWW.SPEAKUPWNY.COM

Stormwater collection ponds: The good, the bad and the ugly
By Lee Chowaniec
Jul 28, 2007, 19:06

MESSAGES FROM OUR MEMBERS

"Just watched the PBS special and checked the other links. Great information-- everyone should see these movies. If only the pro-Walmarters would realize what is really going on and what this fight is about" C.H.

"Hello,
I would like to be added to the petition against the proposed Walmart. My husband and I moved here almost 5 years ago because this location was ideal. It is a small town, a friendly community, and has lovely greenspace, quite different from the inner city of Buffalo where we moved from. If I wanted to have a Walmart nearby I would have never left the city. Thank you very much! K.S.

"Hello, Here's an interesting article from the Buffalo News. (see below) Look what we'll have to look forward to if this project is approved here in Alden. I have friends who live in Cheektowaga near the Wal-mart, and have to leave their doors and windows closed ALL YEAR LONG! C.S.S.

www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/easternsuburbs/story/121791.html
(Walmart Neighbors Want Homes Washed/Lancaster, NY)

Below is today's comments in Everybody's Column in the Buffalo News
An Alden Wal-Mart would be near ruinous

"A Wal-Mart in Alden would be a major mistake. It is a small quaint peaceful town. Longtime residents came there for that reason. Newer residents who argue for it think that it is the next best thing to sliced bread. They should have thought about how far the drive was to shop before they moved to Alden.

Yes, Broadway can be enlarged as Ralph Witt of the town planning board stated. Now it is a pleasure to drive, as we do most Sundays. Would that remain so? I think not. A 95-acre project for a superstore and other big box stores would put an end to that. Change and growth are wonderful, but do not ruin a small town’s life.

East Aurora fought and won against a Wal-Mart. They had the foresight to envision what could happen. The planning board should think ahead about 25 years. Is Broadway going to be another Niagara Falls Boulevard?"

Joan Kirsch

Also, in Everybody's Column, Buffalo News , published earlier this week:
An Alden Wal-Mart shouldn’t need breaks

"The proposed Wal-Mart in Alden is controversial to many residents, and political issues are being fought. The ethical question about this is: Why are there tax breaks for a company that wants to come here so badly? It will get millions in profits, and the residents who stand to lose the most will get nothing. Our nice town will get increased traffic and garbage, ruining the atmosphere I moved here for.

If my taxes went down more than the estimated $35, or the impact could effectively be minimized, it might not be as bad. Other Wal-Mart stores I shop at have these problems, but are more appropriate for their locations. God save America and my back yard. "

Tyler Weber


Moderator's comments:
If you have facts, personal points of view, and other items of interest that will help to educate others, please send them to us for posting. You are welcome to use your full name, or just initials. It's often hard to take a stand publically because we are criticized for having an opinion that sometimes different from others, but we are entitled to that opinion nevertheless. Afterall, this is America, the foundation of our country.

BE VOCAL AND BUY LOCAL

AN EDUCATION ON WALMART

It seems that the Pro-Walmarters' only ammunition is to do alot of name calling. If that's all they've got, then we'll provide them with some facts. We encourage them to get an education, and see just a few resources listed below.

But first, please remember that the Russo/Martin request for rezoning change isn't for "just a Wal-mart". The site plan includes the following other NINE buildings , in addition to the 155,000 square foot building for Walmart. (To put this in perspective, the ENTIRE Ames plaza was 106,330 sq ft)

Also, please remember that although Wal-mart will only have ownership of this one building, it is written in their contract that they will have control over what other businesses are allowed or not allowed in the other buildings on the property. Does this sound like free enterprise to you?

These other businesses currently included:
retail-90'x80' (20 seats)
retail-90'x50' (4000 sq ft)
retail-90x50' (4000 sq ft)
retail-110-x91 (10,010 sq ft)
donut shop 90' x 60' (20 seats)
restaurant 100' x 60' (150 seats)
office (unlisted dimensions)
office-90' x 40' (3600 sq ft)
retail- 130' x 70' (10,000 sq ft)

It's perplexing to us, why some local restaurants would support this project, when two national chains will be their competition.

One of our main concerns is our local businessman/woman. He or she lives here, is raising their family here, worships with you. Maybe this project wouldn't "put them out of business completely", but how much business can they afford to lose because you want a Wal-Mart?
Ten percent? Twenty percent? When they have to lay off some of their employees will you help him or her to make their mortgage payments? insurance payments? feed their families?

So many of those business people privately tell us that they don't want this project to happen, but they are forced to keep quiet for fear of losing your business if they tell you how they really feel. Don't you see how important your business is to them? So either they lose your business now or lose it later.

How can you be so callous and be responsible for destroying the livelihood of your neighbor who has invested his or her life savings in establishing a business in this community, just so you can have the convenience of shopping for EVERYTHING in Alden.

Are you willing to say that if this project is approved that you will never leave this town for anything? That you will never go to the Galleria Mall again? Don't you enjoy the "getting out" to other communities? Of course you do.

The ARRG is diligently working on finding smaller retailers to fill the void. We've compiled a list of items not currently available in Alden, and the list isn't really all that big. Contrary to popular belief, socks are available in Alden. Dollar General is doing a really great job at trying to fill the void. Give them some credit. Tell them what else you need, and they'll see if they can get it. Other businesses will do the same. If you'd like to help us in our search to find other small retailers, please contact us.

Locally Owned vs Chain: The Local Premium
http://www.newrules.org/retail/local.html

Hidden Cost of Wal-Mart Jobs
http://www.dsausa.org/lowwage/walmart/2004/walmart%20study.html

The Wal-mart You Don't Know
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

What do We Know About Wal-mart?
An overview of Facts and Studies for New Yorkers
www.brennancenter.org/dynamic/subpages/download_file_8414.pdf

Impact of Big-Box Stores on Existing Jobs
www.bigboxtoolkit.com/images/pdf/Jobs.pdf

The Economic Impact of Locally Owned Business vs Chains
www.newrules.org/retail/midcoaststudy.pdf

Big-Box Economic Impact Studies
http://www.newrules.org/retail/econimpact.html

The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses
http://www.bigboxswindle.com/

Why Should You Support Local Business?
http://www.tradelocal.org/why_local_bus.htm

Area Wal-Mart stores generating crime waves
www.smarterfairfield.com/page5.html

The High Cost of Low Prices
http://www.walmartmovie.com/


We have a limited number of No-Walmart Signs available.

Please contact us if you would like one (or two or three).

And keep those letters coming to the Alden Advertiser. Help educate those who don't know the facts. Knowledge is power. To the ARRG members, you should be congratulated for standing up for your beliefs. Don't give up, we're making progress everyday.

BE VOCAL AND BUY LOCAL

Re-election?

Question: When is Ralph Witt up for re-election? EB



Answer: We'll find out from the town hall and post answer soon.



Note: RW was elected to position of tax collector. He was appointed to position of Chairman of the planning board.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE, MR WITT??????

Dear Editor:
As I am typing this, my hands are shaking with rage, so please excuse any typos - I have just read an article published in The Buffalo News. According to the article regarding the proposed nightmare of Walmart invading Alden, Mr. Witt is quoted as saying "The project will bring jobs..." The "jobs" Walmart will bring will be, at best, minimum wage - NO ONE can live on minimum wage. Their "jobs" hold no career track - they hand pick their upper salaried people and they most likely wouldn't be from Alden.

The article continues to quote him as saying "..The positives are huge.....The negatives are less so.........Broadway can be easily enlarged if need be, although it doesn't get that much use to begin with...." Where does Mr. Witt live? I live on Broadway and there are mornings when I have to wait almost 5 minutes to make a right-hand turn out of my driveway! Left-hand turns are even more difficult. For a pedestrian to cross Broadway, you have to have nerves of steel - you have to first cross one side, stand in the turning lane praying no one comes down that lane, then shoot across the other side as soon as you can. Traffic is noisy and heavy all through the night, especially in summer. Tractor trailers speed through 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. The litter on our lawns is outrageous, adding a store the quality of Walmart will increase the garbage!

And regarding "easily enlarged" Broadway, why would my neighbors and I have to give up more of our yards so Mr. Russo and company can become millionaires? As Mr. Smith states regarding Transit Road in Lancaster and Clarence, "...That's a road people avoid at all costs....". Why does Alden have to be turned into Lancaster and Clarence? If you look at old photos of Transit Road and then drive down Transit, you'll see how many beautiful, old structures were torn down to put up more ugly boxes - the few houses that still exist there are surrounded by lights, stores, and traffic so heavy you can't even take a second to look to see which stores exist! Not to mention the noise.

Please study the history of Warsaw to see what a Walmart does to a small town. For almost 20 years, the village of Warsaw was turned into a ghost town almost immediately after Walmart moved in. Small businesses closed left and right because of Walmart's "bargains". After they succeeded in putting almost every small businessman out, Walmart then raised their prices. They have a history of doing this since their expansion began.

If Walmart moves in, say good-bye to Sitzman's, Henry's Candies, The Beacon Cafe, Alden Pharmacy, Eckerd;s, Valu, Dollar General, John & Mary's, Alden Pools & Play, Napa, Ulbrich's Garden Center, and every other small or medium sized operation in Alden. Then say hello to "for sale" signs and bulldozers.

Mr. Witt and others who want to see good farmland turned into "profitable" box stores should move to Amherst or Cheektowaga or Lancaster - I am sure they would be welcomed with open arms. East Aurora succeeded in fending off the Walmart monster and look at what a beautiful town/village that still is! Let's band together and keep Alden the beautiful town/village that it is and can be!!!!!! Sincerely, Nancy A. Weisbeck

MODERATOR COMMENTS; CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ THE ARTICLE IN TODAY'S BUFFALO NEWS BY NIKI CERVANTES. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO WRITE TO US WITH YOUR COMMENTS TOO. http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/118493.html

NEXT PLANNING BOARD MEETING-TUES, JULY 10

PLANNING BOARD MEETING-IMPORTANT TUESDAY, JULY 10 AT 7PM!!!! BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!!
We encourage you to attend whenever possible, and state your case for asking the board to oppose this rezoning. We cannot guarantee that we will be invited to speak, however it's important that we are there to hear what's being said.

Trends today are toward walkable villages

Please click on the link below to read what the trend is today.
With the high cost of gas, people want to work, shop, eat and live
all within walking distance.

Does our village pass the "popsicle test"?
Can your child ride his or her bike to a store to get a popsicle?
Can your elderly mother or father walk to the store to get a loaf
of bread, or a pair of socks enabling them to keep their independence?

http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourlife/affluent_boomers.html

WAKE UP WALMART

For those of you who still don't understand what all the fuss is about,
here's just one example of what we are fight for.

www.wakeupwalmart.com/video/china.html

Other points we are trying to make is:
Wal-Mart Never Respects Communities
www.walmartwatch.com

It's Not All Just About Wal-mart
It's About Responsible Growth

Sound Familiar?

My Home Town by Bruce Springsteen

Now main streets whitewashed windows and vacant stores
Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more
They're closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks
Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they ain't coming back to
Your hometown, your hometown, your hometown, your hometown
Last night me and Kate we laid in bed talking about getting out
Packing up our bags maybe heading south
I'm thirty-five we got a boy of our own now
Last night I sat him up behind the wheel and said son
take a good Look around This is your hometown

Big Yellow Taxi (aka They Paved Paradise) by Joni Mitchell
They took all the trees
Put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till its goneThey paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

REPORT ON WALK THE VILLAGE-JUNE 9

On Saturday, June 9, ARRG hosted "Walk The Village" for community leaders, residents, with representatives from Partners for a Livable WNY. Below is a copy of the report for your perusal. This report was also mailed to 100 village businesses, establishments, property owners, as well as several village and town officials, and other interested parties.

REPORT ON ALDEN VILLAGE WALK-JUNE 9
The ARRG hosted a walk through the village for business people, community leaders, residents, and representatives from Partners for a Livable WNY on Saturday June 9.
After a discussion period, groups paired off to walk throughout the village, with PLWNY taking notes and asking questions. At the conclusion of the walk there was a ninety-minute review of observations, and recommendations, with a question and answer period. PLWNY shared their suggestions about how to improve the village.
Most of these professional consultants had never been to Alden before, and of course, didn't know anybody here, so they were looking at us with a fresh pair of eyes and no preconceived notions. They noticed many things that we take for granted.
Since not all of the businesses, establishments, and individuals along Broadway were able to attend this enlightening event, we are providing a copy of the discussion for you. Your establishment may not have been specifically mentioned, however you are welcome to take some of their ideas and incorporate them for your own business and/or property. You may also contact PLWNY and ask them about your establishment and what they might suggest for you.
The over-all synopsis was that Alden has one great thing going for it; that Route 20 goes right down the middle of the village. It also has one definite obstacle, also that Route 20 goes right down the middle of the village. Mr. Grasser stated, "If the road looks like a shotgun, cars will drive like bullets".
Advantage of Route 20: Lots of traffic goes by us. Disadvantage of Route 20: They aren't stopping to shop, or eat because we aren't all encouraging them to do so.
Please read on to see various things that can be done to make the village of Alden a more "user-friendly" town. Their overall theme was that if we can get the traffic to slow down, (then) more people will stop, shop, eat, and walk. If more people are walking, then even more cars will stop, and the entire "feeling" of our community will change.
If you have questions, or comments, please contact us at the ARRG and let us try to help. We discovered at this meeting, that there are many folks along Broadway who would like to see some changes, but don't know how to go about doing it. Requirements to create a thriving community include new attitudes and co-operation by all. Things won’t change overnight, but if we all work together we can help keep Alden a “3 Generation Town”.
The PLWNY spent several hours in our community on Saturday, at no charge. They provided their professional advice on how we can make the Village of Alden at better community. They would like to return in one year to see what improvements we have made.

Partners for a Livable WNY Professional Consultants
George Grasser, President, retired attorney, developer, real estate consultant
Don Erb - Head of Residental Housing at University of Buffalo
Jim Rozanski - architect
Michael Cerrone - attorney & Hamburg Village trustee
Rich Taczkowski - planner & N Collins Village and Town planning board,
now Urban Planning Adirondacks Parks
Gail Plato - mortgage banker, Citizens Bank
Bill Harrington - attorney
Phil Haberstro - Exec Director Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo

Town & Village Officials/Local Business People
Supervisor - Ron Smith Councilwoman - Mary Riddoch
Mayor - Mick Kubik Village Trustee - Mike Manicki
Village Planning Board - Sue DeWitt Town Planning Board - Mike DeWitt

Economic Development Committee members
Chairman - Ian McPherson Member - Nancy Hughes
Chamber of Commerce
President - Chris Gust Vice President/Town Attorney - Jennifer Strong
Director - Steve Weber

Attendees/Local Business People
Tom Steffan Sue Galbraith
Chuck Airey Vikki Weisbeck
Doug Henry Gary Wagner
Frank DiChristina

Other individuals
Sandie Karpie, Barb & Jerry Lipa, Carl Matthies, Margaret Rose, Paul & Laura Loehr,
Conrad and Carol Borucki, Keith & Michele Hoffman, Ron & Gail Rebmann, Mike Colson, Coleen Czechowski

If we missed anybody on this list, or have errors, please let us know.

The following is a synopsis of comments made by the various PLWNY members, in no particular order. Please contact us if there is anything that is not clear to you, or you wish to comment or question further.

George-
It’s a NYS law that traffic MUST stop for pedestrians. GET CROSS WALK SIGNS SAYING THIS! They are making them out of some new material. Go to Main & Goodell. Look at Los Angeles artistic crosswalks. Turn them into art!
There should be more signage explaining what’s going on in the park for people driving by to see.
“If the road looks like a shotgun, the cars will drive like bullets”
Need to sell the bar, and turn it into something like the Akron House.
Consider diagonal parking in some places along Broadway
Country Pride Deli is doing great. Why??
Cars don’t bring business, PEOPLE bring business.
Business owners should be open when our concerts in the park are on.
Restaurants-Tim Horton’s (or similar) will eventually come. Avoid drive through. Drive-thrus bring death to a town.
Wal-Mart will definitely hurt the small businesses in the village.
Farmer’s Market - bring it more into the center of the village, or in the park, or at the very least, if you have to keep it in the plaza, move it up to the street. Remember most of your traffic is not from Alden. They can’t see it until it’s too late for them to stop.
Location as is is too far from other village businesses, and too far to encourage pedestrians.
Zoning and design standards need to be addressed right away. If a chain comes to town, they must adjust their “look” to fit into Alden, not to their brand. That’s why nobody wants an old McDonalds.
Bandstand park is not pedestrian friendly. Again, there must be a cross walk from Broadway.
Need lines on the road
Sidewalks at east end of town are too narrow.
Define the black top better
Trash can (especially in front of Alden Advertiser) needs to be replaced, even though it has sentimental value. It looks bad.
Alden bar, cigarette butts, the railing, it just looks ugly.
Bank looks great.
Plaza - look what they did with the Appletree Mall, business instead of retail. A business would bring employees. They are PEOPLE who will spend money here, maybe move here.
Candy Store-should be open in the summer. If they don’t want to sell candy, sell something else. The best location in the village. Keeping it closed in the summer, hurts other businesses too.
Other towns to look to-- Skaneateles, Fayetteville, NY , Mansfield, Ohio


Bill-
Too much pavement (example at the bank & gas stations) dress it up with flower, plants, islands)
Having the schools in the village is very good, very rare. Advertise it to potential residents.
Make the post office move back into the center of the village when their lease is up.
Plaza-no easy answer, suggest tearing it out and putting in housing (townhouses) mixed with other retail/eatery development, closer to the road to encourage more walk-in traffic.
Wal-Mart would be a real challenge for village businesses
We have a bandstand park that other towns would die for. Use it more often.
Sidewalks need a lot of work to improve.
Sell coffee with tables in front of pharmacy. Encourage people to sit and stay.


Rich-
Flowers are too short in the island middle Broadway. Need to have taller more vertical plants. Look at Orchard Park Four Corners for examples.
Need to market our town to other people. Never sees us advertised anywhere
Advertise that the Historical Society is open often. Most are not. Increase tourism.
Focus on a plan for getting retail and restaurants
Signage-contact “Main St Alliance” for plan to attract niche and special retail.
Put furniture outside in front of the pharmacy, make it more inviting, place to sit, has great potential.

Phil-
It was apparent to him that we have a great quality of life here.
Get our assets cataloged and marketed.
Community needs to come together
Didn’t see any bike racks anywhere, no bike lanes.
Possible rebirth of spas (black water baths) at least for historic/tourism
Contact Train heritage group to bring a touring train to village
Sell/market our town. People ARE moving to WNY from other places. Our proximity to the city and the more urban areas is great. Contact real estate agents who specialize in migration recipients about us. Emphasize our assets (school/park in the village, Top Ten schools, quality of life, etc).
Advertise in For Ever Young, After 50, other WNY magazines

Don-
Focus on neighborhoods, and get the word out!
Open the candy store ALL year!
Have a tour of century homes, or a garden walk
Work on ordinances
Farmer’s market is in the wrong place, needs to be in center of the village, to encourage more business for everyone.
Cross walk in center of town REQUIRED! He would never try to cross with his family
Need something like an Akron House Restaurant
SLOW DOWN THE TRAFFIC
Need bulletin board announcing concert dates and other events
Need to advertise in WNY papers

Gail-
Need to fill empty space, every nook and cranny
Use Top Ten Schools as a draw to new residents
Focus on getting new families
Safety and quality of life here is unique

Mike-
Village was welcoming, had good green space
Complimented on how Ron Smith’s businesses looked
Sidewalks good on the south, terrible on the north
Need to make Broadway look better, more inviting
Those ugly poles in front of the library????
Look to East Aurora, newly renovated Central Ave in Lancaster
Put lines on the road entering the village from the East, narrow the road, this will make the cars slow down. Stripe it, 10 ft lanes, DOT will come and do this. Call them on MONDAY!
Widen the sidewalks
Front of the Value plaza looks terrible
“I couldn’t buy any candy for my kids, or find a place to buy flowers for my wife”.

Jim-
Cars will slow down if there is activity on the sidewalks
Impressed with our eclectic mix.
Move the Farmer’s market to the middle of the village.
Take an inventory of your pluses and minus’
Get Bennetts Manu. to design something for us.
Plaza-get artist to create a concept. Get the village code enforcer to get owner to comply. Get the community, the newspapers, and village officials to put pressure on the owner, hopefully he will sell. It would be easier to get retailers to come, if they knew Wal-Mart wasn’t coming.
Get the DOT to mark crosswalks. It is a NYS LAW that cars must stop for pedestrians.
Need stripes and signs. This will slow down traffic. It’s more “traffic calming”.

Alden Advertiser Subscriber Comments

Below is copy of letter published this week in Alden's official newspaper, the Alden Advertiser by Gerald and Naomi Aldinger. We hope that you too, will publish your thoughts and reasons for opposing this rezoning project.

Nice Job! Gerald and Naomi! Thanks for doing your part.

"Dear Editor:
Our Planning Board and Town Board currently debates a proposal for rezoning Agricultural land to Commercial to accommodate a proposed Wal-Mart and other Big Business Development. This proposal presents the Boards with two issues to consider: how will Commercial development affect the future of our Town, and can we overlook the loss of Agricultural land we are blessed to have in Alden?

Owning exceptional productive farmland is a rare privildge that carries with it the responsibility of good stewardship. In the United States the alarming loss of agricultural land to business, recreation and manufacturing is a serious threat to our abundant food production for a growing population. It is in the country's best interest to preseve productive land and what better place to exercise good stewardship than here at home.

Wheather one is privildged to own a farm or their home, that ownership required responsibility, and ownership is subject to restrictions and codes set forth by our State and local governments. So in one sense, we are all told "what we can or cannot do with our property".

It is a fact of life we never gain anything without the loss of something else. By rezoning the proposed multi-acre parcel to Commercial, Alden will suffer the loss of green space and agricultural land that will be replaced with big business development, acres of black top and waste matter that will have a negative impact on the existing aquifer on this parcel.

The Town Board cannot ignore the permanence of a decision to open the door to big business development-we won't be able to change "gears" and recapture a rural environment or reverse what we have lost.

It is disturbing that the people of Alden are subject to the dictates of Walmart-should not our Town Board govern the size, location and nature of any proposed commercial structure, in our town.

There is adequate commercial zoned land for future business development in Alden. We have one unoccupied, unsightly Plaza and another strip west of the village that currently has empty stores. Let's solve one problem before we create another and wrestle with yet another abandoned business strip."

"If I'd only known...

Below is letter to Editor of the Alden Advertiser, written by Jim P Bicheler (reprinted with his permission). This was printed in the May 24 edition. Great letter Jim! We hope that more of you stand up and protect your land, your family, your life.

"Dear Editor,
I attended a number of planning board and town board sessions. The developer and his paid expert continually state that all of the water in that area flows to the northwest and then off to Cayuga Creek. It is quite obvious that there is water flowing downhill from that field to the East into my backyard, which, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, is designated as a wetlands area. The developer also claims that his plans maintain a 100 foot buffer from any wetlands. Their plans allow for a 100 foot buffer to the West, but it seems that they missed the fact that there are wetlands to the east also.

I understand that 97% of the water that recharges the Alden village aquifer that feeds the village wells comes from vertical seepage down through the soil. How would you like some parking lot runoff in your soup?

I have lived in Alden all but four years of my life. I chose to return to Alden and build my home here because of the peaceful small town nature. Would I have built a house on the Sandridge Rd property if I knew that the zoning was commercial behind it? Hell, no.

Commercial development along Broadway is fine with me. It is already zoned for that. It seemed like there was some thought put into rezoning the Martin farm frontage. It stops at 500 feet to the north of Broadway approximately aligns with the rear of the existing commercial businesses in the area and leaves the existing farmland to the rear of the adjacent residential areas- utterly brilliant!

To rezone for the purpose of allowing a mega store to be built in just plain wrong. I moved back here after living in 3 major metropolitan areas knowing full well that if I wanted to go to a major department store that I would have to get in my car and drive all of 10 miles to get there. I would like to have the tax benefits associated with a very large retailer in writing and give me a written guarantee that my tax bills will be reduced by ???? a year.

-James P Bicheler

THE ENVIRONMENTALLY RIGHT THING TO DO

A great job done by Melissa Kosmowski in this week's Alden Advertiser Subscriber Comments: If you don't get the paper, here's what she wrote below. We hope others of you will do the same. If you don't want to write alone, get a group of your friends and neighbors together! Let everybody know that we're going to stop this proposed project!

"Dear Editor:
In response to the last couple of letters concerning WalMart invading Alden. With the guy who doesn't even live here, but says we need one. If you lived here for 70 yrs, and thought it was so far removed from shopping, why did you not move closer to the busy convenient areas? That's along time to put up with driving SO FAR for non necessaries. Betcha the beautiful quiet, and green space was too hard to leave. He probably thought, like others, that one WalMart won't kill that peace and quiet. Well, they do, because they are the pied pipers of ugly big box stores.

Then Martin's letter. He says that "no one can tell me what I can do with my land". Did you ever have to put up a fence, or shed? Can't do that "on your land" without the towns permission. Guess they ARE telling you what to do with your land. I'd like to, especially if it's going to effect the drinking water. He had his enjoyment of the land already. Take the money and pave over it! Money is an awful trade for not being able to walk out your door and take a breathe of fresh air without choking on diesel fumes.

I guess it was a little too much to ask to have Alden stay green. I miss Ames. We've got to focus on filling that store, it's the logical, and environmentally right thing to do.

O.K. confess, I'm a tree hugger. That's why I moved here 16 yrs ago. I loved the small town feel. We've got cute little parades, a nice Farmers market, etc, etc.
Move where it fits your lifestyle. Right? For those who like a plethora of shopping, a traffic signal every half mile, they usually live there, or move closer to, Right? Not always, it's easier to stay put, and just to pave over boring ol' green space, and make every town a busy God forsaking industrial park.

There should be designated towns for people like me, and A LOT of other people here, (Not the minority, as some would like you to believe) who can escape to for peace of mind (and rid me of my WalMart inducing migraine when I do have to go there, and get out of that demolition derby like maze of a parking lot.)

I say fill Ames...they already have a parking lot." Signed Melissa Kosmowski

FOLLOW MELISSA'S LEAD AND THROW IN YOUR TWO CENTS!!!
Letters to the Editor Policy must arrive by Friday prior to publication, no more than 400 words. Must be signed including phone number (number isn't published, but used by the paper only for verification). Emailed letters also need same id. No more than one letter per month by the same author. phone 937-9226 fax 937-9291 email aldenadvertiser@rochester.rr.com. They reserve the right to edit or refuse any letter.

We were "dissed" by the planning board chairman

There were several people (myself included) who left at 6:30pm (May 8 planning board meeting) when Ralph Witt told us the info was late to the Planning Board, and Russo could speak, but was no longer on the agenda. -AW-

REPORT ON PLANNING BOARD MEETING, MAY 8

REPORT ON PLANNING BOARD MEETING,
MAY 8

MOST IMPORTANT; A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE STREET CAPTAINS WHO HELPED WITH THE REMINDER PHONE CALLS, AND TO ALL OF THE ATTENDEES. YOUR PARTICIPATION MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE!

These are personal notes (not from a recording) and it was often hard to hear and hard to follow, so we may have missed some things; but our intent was to be as accurate as possible. We invite you to respond with your comments and questions.

Due to the large attendance, the planning board held the first part of their meeting
(non rezoning related items ) in their board room, then moved to the main meeting hall for
this subject.

While we were waiting for this, we held an impromptu question and answer period. The room was filled to capacity and overflowing!

Roughly 40% of those in attendance were at their first meeting. This is great news!
This proves that the opposition is growing!

One of the subjects we discussed is the mistaken assumption that we are a minority. This is simply not true. If we are a minority, then where were the supporters!?
As usual, they were nowhere to be found.
Our membership totals over 800 Aldenites. The only "organization" of the supporters was a petition from the fall, which merely stated "I want a Wal-Mart in Alden" (no mention of location, size, etc). After eliminating all of the duplicate and triplicate signatures, and the out-of-town residents, their total was only 462.

Many people asked "What can we do to stop this?"
Answers include
1) keep attending meetings
2) be vocal, write letters to the Alden Advertiser
3) put up a sign in your front yard
4) talk to your neighbors, explain the facts.
5) support local independent businesses and tell them why you are shopping there.
LaPalomas, the Country Pride Deli, the Mobil station, Blair's Hardware for example.
6) Attend the Chamber of Commerce dinner next Tues night, May 15 at the Whistle Stop.
Reservations required. The chosen speaker is one who promotes development. The Chamber, although not making an official statement about their position on this project, seems to be supportive of it, neglecting some of their paid members who oppose it.

We were also able to briefly explain the procedure or process. Currently the issue of the rezoning is still with the planning board. They review and make only a "recommendation" to the town board. If they recommend the rezone, then the town board must begin the SEQR process. This involves many legal reports involving environment, traffic, soil, etc.

We also explained that Sherwood, who is Russo's attorney, is also the attorney for the Town of Lancaster, who's board voted unanimously to approve the construction of Walmart
at William and Transit. Mr Russo by his own admission has never built commercial property prior to this enormous project.

We also pointed out that in Walmart's letter of intent to Russo, that they are also demanding control of what competing businesses are allowed or not allowed on the property.

Questions arose asking us if we knew how persons on the planning board or the town board are leaning. Of course, this is not knowledge that we are aware of. And hopefully, no one will make a decision until all of the facts are in. This lead to questions about elections. In a few months there will be announcements of some elections. This project will no doubt, become a major issue. And should be of major interest to all of us.

We also explained that we're focusing on finding retailers for the Ames Plaza. If you can help, please contact us.


So after several minutes, the planning board, Russo and Sherwood filed into the room. It should be noted here that the site plan was submitted earlier in the day to Ralph Witt (planning board chairman and town tax collector). It is we believe the 4th edition of the plan. At the previous three meetings, the planning board repeatedly asked for a full build-out plan. The site plans previously all were vague and not to scale.

Sherwood attempted to explain to the planning board all of the reasons why they should approve this project. He and Russo pointed out that their new site plan now included green space and landscaping and the frontage has changed. Sherwood said the only revision to the site plan was the potential outparcels (sublots). He said, " All traffic feeds into the access road". (that means there will only be one way in and one way out of the proposed strip mall)

Regarding the aquifer, they stated that the report by Earth Dimensions (paid by Russo) shows that the water flows away from the village. Further, Owens (Earth Dimensions) report(s) states that there will be boundary lines of at least 100 feet from any wetlands. They did not do a full delineation (checking the whole property for wetlands) They only did the rezone site. Sherwood also stated that the Village treatment plants are between wells and this site. It will not impact the rezone.

Sherwood referred to a study from 1985 on five aquifers, that included information done by Frey Well Drilling of Alden. It proves that the water drains W and NW, according to Sherwood.

They said that they will do a traffic study (by their engineers). Ron Smith (who was observing this meeting) stated that we would find our own independent engineer to do a traffic study.

Ralph Witt suggested that an archaeological study might also be needed. Sherwood suggested that that was not necessary, since the land had been farmed for years, and there were no major artifacts found prior.

Russ Savage, at last month's meeting (when there was only about 10 people in attendance) stated that we should just approve the sight plan and worry about the small stuff later.
He seemed to change his tune somewhat now that there were 100 citizens listening.

He expressed his concern that no one from Walmart has ever been in attendance. He wants to see something in writing because he's "concerned from the standpoint of our little town". He said, there has been no legal representative from Wal-Mart. They've never seen a party that will occupy the space. He said, "we're on the hook for this decision".

Witt told Sherwood and Russo, that they needed to have all their documents/plans in by the first of the month if they want them to be considered at the meeting (the second Tuesday of each month). Russo said it was almost impossible to get the engineers on it that soon. Witt told him again, that he couldn't bring them (maps, plans) in the day of the meeting.

Mike Metzger (Town Engineer) mentioned that the Town Board is considering including the Planning Board in the SEQR process. Sherwood responded that the Town Board was the lead agency and it may be illegal for them to include the Planning Board.

Mr Sherwood then attempted to scare the board (and us) by saying that he wasn't threatening us, but there could be a law suit (that when Wal-mart has been denied in the past, that litigation usually follows.)

He then went into a long explanation of what happened in Lancaster, which has taken 6 years. Savage said he heard that it takes three to five years and $1 Million (of Town money) before a Wal-Mart is actually built. Sherwood said he didn't see that happening here.

Sherwood asked if the board would have an answer for them on this request for rezone within 30 days after the study. Everybody laughed.

Russ Savage then said, "doesn't Wal-Mart donate large sums of money to towns in return?" (suggested that Wal-mart offer something to the town.) He's heard that they've given $1 million dollars for parks and green space. So....is that's what going to happen? He's suggesting that our town can be BOUGHT???? We can't believe he actually asked this question, in public!!!! Sherwood said he would ask Walmart.

The subject of the traffic study came up again. Supervisor Smith said that the Town will hire a traffic study firm and bill Russo. Sherwood and Russo both asked when that would be? Russo said he had someone ready this month. Smith said they'd let them know. Sherwood started arguing with the Supervisor and Metzger said, "take heed of what the Supervisor said. You don't want to pay for two!"

Russo added, "I will have a traffic study for next meeting". Apparently, he didn't listen!

Ralph Witt said that as many various studies as possible need to be submitted. Sherwood said, "You have to accept what we give you. Otherwise that's illegal".

Mike Metzger, town engineer, responded by saying, "The Town hasn't considered this a complete request until tonight".

After Sherwood and Russo left, Witt opened the floor for some questions and comments(which he doesn't have to allow).

One comment was that Walmart needs to guarantee that they won't abandon their store. And pointed out that they get their goods from China, hire mostly part time, low wages, etc.

Witt said, "they won't abandon their building, they're a smart company". Which of course, got a chuckle from the audience.

Another question asked was if the traffic study would also include feeder roads, like Sandridge, Four Rod, Two Rod. Ralph replied that it would be by professionals.

Another point made by a gentleman expressed his concern about his drinking water, from his well, and for his neighbors. (Pointing out Sherwood's earlier comments regarding the aquifer water flow) Russ Savage replied that it's "unlikely that is will contaminate well water."

The underlying word here is "unlikely".

Zoratti (planning board member) said he didn't believe that Ames Plaza is a good retail location because of the viaduct. Smart woman in the audience said, "Then how will the trucks get to Walmart?" Of course, he had no answer for that.

The members of the planning board then went back to the other room to continue their meeting for other items on the agenda.

Mark your calendar: next planning board meeting is Tues, June 12 @ 7pm.

CLOSING COMMENTS:

It's important for everyone to remain active. Attending meetings, writing letters for publication, and posting signs will have a major impact. Major developments that have won their battles, have won because of lack of interest on the part of the town's citizens over time. That won't happen here. We're in this for the "long haul". This is our town, and we are united in our desire to preserve it.

Obtain facts, talk to professionals, investigate allegations, bring them to meetings, share reports with others, support your local independent businesses. We can publish them on our weblog. Visit us often at http://www.savealden.blogspot.com/.

We ask that we (you) never repeat "hear-say" but only report facts. We've been accused of "spreading lies" but these accusations are unfounded. We've always been careful when supplying reports to include the sources, and will continue to do so.

We have a tremendous amount of resources within our membership. Whatever help that you can bring is welcome. We need help with finding retailers for the Ames Plaza. So, if you would like to be a part of our "Scouts" committee, please let us know.

All official meetings are open to the public, and it is at the boards' discretion if they will open the floor for discussion or questions. They have most always been very generous in this allowance, and we encourage your respectful yet investigative participation in future meetings.

The town board regular meetings are the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month at 7:30pm. The work session is on the 2nd & 4th Monday of each month at 7pm, and the Planning board is on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7pm. It isn't always known if this subject is on the agenda. Anytime you can attend any of these meetings, and report your findings to us, we'll post and share with others.
At town hall regular meetings, there is usually always "business from the floor",
which would allow you the opportunity to ask questions or make statements regarding all town matters.

Although we have over 800 members, we only have about 150 email addresses. If you know of others who wish to stay informed, please ask them to provide us with their address. These addresses are kept private.

After the meeting, we heard many comments about how hard it was to hear and how uncomfortably hot it was in the meeting room. Don't let this discourage you from attending future meetings. It's a convenient reason to stay away (convenient for "them"). We imagine that some of our town officials and that Russo and Sherwood would love to see you stay at home. But this is OUR town, and nobody is going to tell us what do to with it!

Communication, research, publications, printing, postage, attorneys: all of this is costly. We accept donations which is used strictly for this purpose. The postcard sent recently about this meeting cost $200. We've established a bank account with our LOCAL INDEPENDENT ALDEN STATE BANK! and have a PO Box #136 at the Alden Post Office. Any donations can be made payable to the Alden Residents for Responsible Growth (or ARRG) and will be GRATEFULLY accepted.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
BE VOCAL!
BUY LOCAL!

IMPORTANT CHAMBER MEETING, TUES, MAY 15

It would be in the best interest of all ARRG members (or anyone opposing the rezone project) to attend the annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner on Tuesday May 15. The guest speaker is Carl Calabrese, former Supervisor of the Town of Townawanda and former Deputy Erie County Executive. He will speak on establishing "Coalitions for Community Building", and effort on the local level to advocate projects that create jobs, create wealth, strengthen neighborhoods and improve the individuals and community's quality of life.

What a timely subject! Exactly how would this Wal-mart (and other stores) project improve our quality of life?

While the Chamber has not taken an "official" stand on the rezone project, various leading members have made it known that they feel "any business is good business", while some individual chamber members are less than pleased about the proposed project, feeling that their livelyhood is threatened by the "big box" and large competition.

So, the content of Mr Calabrese's speech should be most interesting. Anyone can attend the dinner, but reservations are required by calling 937-6177 by this Tues, May 8. Cost is $18 per person. The dinner is at the Whistle Stop 6pm cocktails (cash bar) with dinner at 7pm.

This is another event where your appearance is important. The ARRG members are everywhere. In March we held a distinquished speakers event at the American Legion, and last week we hosted a Clean Up Day (although the Boy Scouts really did most of the hard work).

Please plan to attend, and show the rest of the community that we are several hundred members strong, and we care about what's happening in our town and village.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST? SHERWOOD IS EVERYWHERE

Sorry If I have not noticed this until now. Mr. Richard Sherwood, the attorney for Mr. Russo is also Lancaster's town attorney. Isn't there a conflict of interest as he facilitates in Lancaster's Transit Road Walmart project and simultaneously helps Mr. Russo with Alden's? I have been reading articles in Buffalo NY and Western New York News Who Does Lancaster Town Attorney Work For? and I am concerned that he has his fingers in many pies including Alden's. And I also learned he was once Alden's town attorney. This guy gets around!
Shouldn't we be concerned? Does he have strong connections with Walmart? Strong connections with Alden officials? Does he have an agenda Alden taxpayers should be informed about?
I look at Mr. Russo, Mr. McPherson, Mr. Sherwood, Walmart and of course specific Alden residents as players that are planning personal gains. The amount and detail of the winnings many of us do not know but we all probably have suspicions. Taxpayers should be given details regarding the agendas these people have in using our town.
Elected officials should care about the town without making money their primary motivation. Alden has all kinds of residents. Responsible progress should be a win win for everyone of us. If a supercenter like Walmart is built leaving three other Alden plazas dormant -- that is not the time to question the motives of people involved with delivering this scary and sad scene.
My apologies for this criticism. I just hate to see this town loose its special qualities. Do residents realize what a treasure we have at the moment? We are unique and should stand apart from the generic worlds that surround us. Generic worlds do not attract for long. They just become boring. In the long term this town can be an attraction for quality growth if it demonstrates its inner strengths and integrity.
Case in point -- you do not see Walmart trying to be like everyone else. And though I do not want to be a Walmart in philosophy, one can't help but notice their inner strengths and abilities to be unique as they unfortunately push for world retail control.
Alden must remain unique or die. At this moment other local towns are fighting to maintain moratoriums on commercial building in order to remain unique. They are true to themselves. Does Alden's truth lie in generic waste or in being a unique town that says we refuse to become like everyone else?
So... What are we going to do about the Mr. Sherwoods of the world? -bl-

WALMART RECALLS LEAD-CONTAINING BIBS

Click on the link below to read about Wal-marts' recall of Baby Bibs containing lead.

Money News:- Wal-Mart Recalls Lead-Containing Bibs - AOL Money & Finance

Having trouble opening this link? Just do a google search using words -- Walmart Recall Bibs and you'll see several articles.

Zoning Change Ruling Upheld at Amherst Walmart site

BUFFALO NEWS, MAY 1, 2007

TOWN OF AMHERST
Zoning change upheld at site for Wal-Mart
By Thomas J. Dolan NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 05/01/07 7:37 AM
Amherst officials had the legal right to “downzone” a Millersport Highway property that was slated for development as a new Wal-Mart Supercenter, State Supreme Court Justice Timothy J. Drury ruled Monday.
At the center of the dispute was a 67-acre property at Millersport Highway between Smith and New roads.
For nearly three decades, the property had been zoned for use as a shopping center. But when Wal-Mart announced last year it was planning to build a 200,000-square-foot superstore, area residents organized to block the development.
In September, the Town Board voted to rezone the property. In mid-December, Wal- Mart announced it had dropped plans for Millersport Highway and would seek to build a 192,000-square-foot store in a shopping plaza off Sheridan Drive at North Bailey Avenue. A lawsuit was filed against the town in January.
Drury’s ruling was a defeat for developer Anthony Cimato, who had charged town officials with acting in “bad faith” and using the rezoning solely to block the Wal-Mart development.
Drury said that the town’s motive for the zoning was irrelevant and that town officials were on solid legal ground because they were following the town’s new master plan.
The judge also ruled there was no evidence that the town’s rezoning was the product of “malice, oppression, manipulation or corruption,” common legal indicators of “bad faith.”

CORRECT THE FALSEHOODS

In this past week's Alden Advertiser, there two letters promoting the sale of the Martin Farm, and the rezoning project (one of them by the property owner). Both of these letters contained many falsehoods, and statements that need to be addressed. We encourage you all to respond
to these letters. Deadline for copy with the Alden Advertiser is Mondays at 12noon. Letters can be no more than 400 words and signed. You can email them at aldenadvertiser@rochester.rr.com, but it's best to also call them. If you would like to share your comments with us here on this weblog, we do not require your signature, and there is no word limit (also the readership is lower of course). Please email your comments to share! This will give others an insite to some information that they might not have thought of. If you need a copy of the letters published last week, let us know. You can also send your comments to STEAM (fka the Metro Community News) although their word limit is tight, but names are also not required. It's unfortunate that some of us have to be afraid to say our names for fear of retaliation, but that's exactly what Wal-mart does to a community. It divides it. Just remember that we have just as much right to our opinions as anyone else. All the Wal-mart supporters have done is some name-calling, sign stealing, and publishing information that is not factual.

IMPORTANT MEETING, TUES, MAY 8 TOWN HALL

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! POST ON THE FRIDGE!
ALDEN TOWN PLANNING BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY, MAY 8 7PM, TOWN HALL WENDE RD

Russo Developers is hoping to “squeak by” with their plans to build a 60-plus
acre Wal-mart Super-center with surrounding retail stores, restaurants, and
other businesses, and they are banking on our eventual disinterest as the
summer progresses and we get too busy to worry about it. We have reason
to believe that this upcoming meeting could be a “turning point” to make or break
this project. So by standing shoulder-to-shoulder at this meeting, we can defend
ourselves against this mega-giant and stop them from destroying our town.
We are 800 members strong. PLEASE, PLEASE come and bring your family,
friends, neighbors, etc(s), and show your town officials that the ARRG says “NO”
for once and for all! The board can’t help but take notice when we demonstrate
our commitment with a massive presence. Please invest just one hour of your time,
and make a difference in the future of this town forever. If there’s a hockey game
that night, the Sabres will win whether you’re watching or not; and you’ll be home
by the 2nd period. To receive email notices in the future, please contact us at
save_alden@yahoo.com and visit www.savealden.blogspot.com or call 704-3006

response to "Walmart Effect" FROM NCW/ARRG MEMBER

Walmart's lying claim to "recommit to their customers" is a farce! Clearly, that horrendous organization is fully pledged to eliminate every single competitor in the country, so they can charge and sell what they darn well please....................... They are buying a majority of their goods from overseas, supporting those countries' terrible labor habits and putting thousands of Americans out of work, as is completely evidenced by that article. I dearly hope everyone who received your email will forward that article to every Walmart shopper they know! I can only hope and pray that Walmart's greediness will quickly put themselves out of business!!!! -ncw

the "Wal-Mart Effect" Strikes Again (Controlling the Economy)

Click on the link below to read about how the "Wal-mart Effect" Strikes Again

By slashing prices on flat-panel TVs, the retail giant has clobbered another sector -- this time, consumer-electronics stores.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/WalMartEffectStrikesAgain.aspx

Another example of how the Retail Giant is controlling not only the retail industry, but the entire economy. Please read and send us your comments!
Another example of the "High cost of low prices".

COMMUNITY CLEAN UP DAY-FIGHT LITTER & BLIGHT

ALDEN COMMUNITY CLEAN UP DAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 28 9AM-12PM

In our continuing series of community events, we are teaming up with the Boy Scouts,
and ANY interested Aldenite, to help "Save Alden" by showing how much we care. We
are inviting all interested ARRG members (and ANY volunteers) to meet us this coming Saturday morning at the Ames Parking Lot. The D.O.T. is providing equipment (plastic bags, etc) to pick up litter all along the Route 20 Broadway stretch in Alden.

We have will have a tent headquarters for you to meet for instructions from our event
co-ordinator Mark Casell. We've acquired some terrific support from Rispoli's Bakery,
and the Country Pride Deli including free hotdogs and pop for all volunteers, and others.

If you are able to help, either with picking up litter, donating supplies, or providing refreshments to the volunteers, please let us know. You can contact Mark at 585-937-7579
or by return email and/or meet us Saturday morning.

Please bring the family and some gloves, and show the town that we are "the good guys" and that we're united in our desire to help keep Alden a beautiful community.


SEE YOU ON SATURDAY MORNING,
THE ALDEN RESIDENTS FOR RESPONSIBLE GROWTH

ASSEMBLYMAN MIKE COLE STANDS UP FOR SMALL BUSINESS

As reported in the Alden Advertiser, our "hometown boy " Assemblyman Mike Cole introduced two amendments to improve the business climate for small businesses in NYS. This legislation aims to attract new ventures to the state by eliminating burdensome taxes and making it more affordable for current small businesses to operate.

What a timely piece of news!!!! How ironic!!!

So please write to Mr Cole and ask him to help us in Alden.
His district office is 5763 Seneca St, Elma, NY 14059

UPCOMING APRIL MEETING DATES

Hello ARRG members
Please mark your calendars!

The monthly planning board meeting is Tues, April 10 at 7pm. We are unaware at this point if Russo (or his attorney Sherwood) is on the agenda, and will send another message if we find out that they are, but remember at an earlier meeting, they weren't even on the agenda, but were allowed to speak. So if you can attend, regardless of whether we know they are on the agenda or not, please do so.

(Last month meeting site plan was again rejected)
Our relentlessness is wearing them down!! Keep it up!!!

Town Board work session Mon, April 9 & Mon April 23 @7pm
Town Board regular meeting Mon, April 16 @ 7:30pm

If you can help out by attending any of these meetings, take notes, and report back to us, it would be greatly appreciated.

Our Scouts Committee is busy making inquiries with potential retailers for the Ames Plaza, and we'll report more when we have made progress. If you'd like to help, please contact us.

Please continue to ask your local retailers to help support the ARRG. We are fighting for their livelihood. If every Aldenite spent just $10 more each month here in Alden with a local retailer, we would generate an additional $1.2 million in our community.

Happy Easter!
from Core Members of ARRG
BE VOCAL & BUY LOCAL
WWW.SAVEALDEN.BLOGSPOT.COM
704-3006

GREAT LETTER FROM HASSENBOHLERS!!

This terrific letter below was submitted to "Subscriber Comments" in the March 29 edition of the Alden Advertiser. Nice job!!!

"In response to Jim Burdett's letter:
We are two of the "few people" who own a home near the proposed Walmart site. Why do you
assume we oppose this project because it will decrease our property value. We chose to live and raise a family in Alden because it is a small town. Our priority is quality of life, not property value.

We enjoy our home and yard. Small town people like to talk to their neighbors, relax outdoors with family and friends, watch families walk or ride down the road and enjoy the simple pleasure we take for granted of looking out a window and seeing grass, trees, flower, open fields and wild life.
What we oppose is changing our lifestyle forever so you don't have to drive 10 minutes to shop for things that are not necessities.
We don't want to have to wait 15 minutes to get out of our driveway, we don't want to look at the glow of fluorescent lights instead of the moon, we don't want to have to go inside to have a conversation because of road noise, we don't want the added maintenance of washing windows and power washing our house because of more road dust and dirt any more than we have to now.
Instead of feeling sorry for us because our property value will decrease, you should be worrying about how much your property taxes will increase. The services this project will require forever are not free. We will all pay in one way or another.
Yes, Jim Burdett, let everyone vote on this matter for their own reasons."
Al and Laureen Hassenbohler

ROAD SALT'S EFFECTS ON GROUND WATER QUALITY

We have been supplied by one of our members, with some very alarming articles and reports on how road salt on parking lots contaminates the water shed. We will be presenting these articles to the town board and the village board, and the town planning boards at future meetings. ONE TON OF SALT PER ACRE OF PAVEMENT IS DEPOSITED INTO THE WATER TABLE EACH TIME THEY CLEAR THE PARKING AREAS

www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/parkinglotmanual-june06.pdf

also:
Road Salt's Effects on Ground Water Quality
http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/roadsalt/home.html
The Toronto study has revealed that only 45% of this salt flows away on the surface, and the remaining portion is absorbed in the shallow aquifers below the surface. Frightening predictions indicate that with the continued yearly output of road salts, chloride and sodium concentrations in ground waters will well exceed their safe levels.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/rss/roadway_safety-snowfighters/2007/01/guidelines_for_salt_applicatio.html
(This report is aimed more at highways)

report on town hall meeting Mon, March 26

Jim Guarino, Jerry Aldinger, Paul Loehr, Ron & Gail Rebmann attended. Nothing involving us till the end.

At the end when we were asked if we had any comments, Jim thanked the members who attended our meeting and photo shoot. He expressed his dismay that nobody from the planning board attended. Ron Smith said they all received packets from the League of Women Voters so they were aware of what was going to be discussed.

The subject of updating the town master plan: No money in the budget in 2007 but may be done in 2008. I questioned why pay for a master plan that probably won't be adopted. I guess I was convinced by Ron Smith it would work to our advantage if it was just used as a guideline instead of being bound by it.

Paul asked about Russo not following rules and guidelines. Metzer replied that the project was in such a preliminary stage that in essence it didn't matter.

A few thoughts from Paul Loehr

March 26, 2007

Dear ARRG friends,

A couple of days ago (Mar 24) I actually looked at and read our blogspot and was impressed with what a powerful tool it is for communication, if we use it. With our group being so large, and what with so much going on, it makes an excellent focal point for keeping in touch.

I saw reference to the disc "Walmart, the high cost of low prices" in my reading there. I want you to know that about 2 weeks ago I gave a copy of this to Ron Smith and asked him to share it with whomever he wishes. He had not seen it. If you have not seen it, Please Please Please avail yourself of the copy that is in our group. It is a powerful counter to Walmart's big lie about low prices every day. The reason their prices look low is because they have become extremely savvy about getting local government to pay them to come in, reduce their taxes below existing businesses and heavily subsidize their ongoing operations (every day). When you get your tax bill, no doubt you growl at the tax collector. You should be growling at the Planning Board for letting Walmart come in in the first place. Walmart is expensive, and unhealthy for our community!!

During one of the recent meetings with Mr. Russo and his counsel Mr. Sherwood, they were asked about Walmart's level of interest in this site (the Martin farm), to which Sherwood replied, "They are more than interested." I've pondered that sentence for weeks and wondered what it could mean.

Upon reading Ronald Falkman's letter on our blogspot, wherein he speculates about the possible relationship among Walmart, Russo, Sherwood, and Redstone, it seemed like an Ahah! moment for me. Admittedly I know of no such relationship and I know no one who does—but it is a very interesting question.

Several weeks ago you may remember a combined Village/Town Board meeting to start thinking about emergency preparedness. That lead to a discussion of our patchwork "Master Plans" and their need for updating review and coordination. In light of our recent beginning education about the high cost of sprawl and the wisdom of the "new urbanism" and Smart Growth, which turns out to be the old neighborhoods some of us remember from the 40s and 50s, I think this would be an excellent moment to pause all development of new structures and get our (Village and Town) ducks in order. Let's make a real, new, comprehensive Village and Town Master Plan, guided by those municipalities which have already taken control away from builders and developers and put it back in Smart Growth and the New Urbanism. Perhaps the next time you see a Village/Town elected/appointed person, you could ask them if they know about smart growth and the new urbanism. Perhaps ARRG could give a suggested reading list to all Village and Town officials as well as to us. By the way, do you know who your economic development person is? Do you know a name? Whom he works for? How many hours he/she works for us? Do you know whom he reports to? How often? How much the person is being paid? Are you satisfied with the work that person is doing for you? With your tax money? Do you know where that person lives, or his/her phone number?

If our mindset is that of being desperate and uninformed as we approach development issues, then as we move forward in any negotiations, we will needlessly be ceding power to the developer/builder. Let's put our Town and Village and our interests on top of the list. Other communities have done it. We can too!

Oh! And another by-the-way. Does the Walmart proposal coincide with the existing Master Plan? If not, why not? What is so compelling about putting a Walmart SuperStore on exactly that spot? What is so compelling about the suggested size? Why not 110,000 square feet? Why not 82,000 square feet? Why are we even listening to ANY limitations Walmart wants to put on our land plans? Are you aware of the far-reaching extreme restriction Walmart wants to impose on us? Why should we let Walmart design our Town? Their ONLY interest is in maximizing profit. They do not care about our Town/Village. THAT is up to us.

A few thoughts from Paul Loehr

Report on 3/24/07 meeting, and letter to editor

To Alden Residents for Responsible Growth

We had a great turnout at our Distinguished Speakers Meeting yesterday at the American Legion, and despite the rain, an excellent turnout for our photo shoot in front of the Ames Plaza.

A very special thank you to the Alden Volunteer Fire Dept for the
use of their snorkel equipment to capture the best photography angle; to the Alden Advertiser, and Channels 2,4, and 7 for the media exposure! And to all of our Captains who helped with phone calls, and the set up and tear down of the meeting hall. And to everyone who made donations to help with our expenses!! And a special thank you to the town and village officials who attended!

The informative meeting, and photo shoot today, are just a few examples of the many activities we have planned to help "Save Alden". Below is another example. And if you have any ideas, please share them with us.

Please print the letter below which addressed to the Editor of the Alden Advertiser.
It explains our desire to help “Save Alden” by campaigning to restore the old Ames Plaza with retail businesses, and encourages others to join us. We already have a commitment from the Editor to print this letter once we have supplied him with all of the signatures from our members.

We hope that you will sign your names and be included in the publication. Each letter must be signed in full, and printed legibly, along with your telephone number. Your phone number will NOT be printed in the paper. It is only required for the editor’s reference in case he has any questions.

Please send it to us by Friday, March 30 in order to be included in the April 2 edition of the paper. DO NOT send it directly to the newspaper because we must submit all of the signed letters together to the newspaper in one envelope. Please send it to:

Alden Residents for Responsible Growth
%Paul Pawlak
1342 Sandridge Rd
Alden, NY 14004

Together, we have already made a difference! Any questions, please contact us at 704-3006 or save_alden@yahoo.com Visit our www.savealden.blogspot.com frequently for news updates and submit your comments!

Kindest regards,The Core Members of the Alden Residents for Responsible Growth

Dear Editor (Alden Advertiser)
We are an organization of concerned citizens who want to protect the smalltown way of life that we have come to cherish. Some of us have lived here for many generations by choice, while others moved here to get away from areas that allowed out-of–control developments. None of us wish to see urban sprawl happen here.
Urbanized areas in WNY grew by 72% since 1970, despite the fact that the population has been steadily decreasing.
We’re of all ages (including seniors), education levels, finances and political choices, all Aldenites, from ALL corners of town, with approximately 800 members and growing daily
We believe that restoring the old Ames Plaza to its original condition with a variety of retail stores is the key to this accomplishment of retaining the village as the core of our unique community and avoiding urban sprawl.
Our focus is to work together as a community team consisting of citizens and officials from both the village, the town and planning committees to avoid becoming “Anywhere USA” by taking an active role in campaigning to potential retail businesses
and encouraging the plaza owners to negotiate fairly with those companies.
Although the prospect of a new shopping center outside of the village at first may seem like a windfall to many, it would not come without major consequences.
First and foremost, is the environmental impact and the loss of prime farmland; which WNY has lost 28% since 1969. Second, is that start-up costs and continuing maintenance (highway, pollution, crime, etc) are ultimately the burden of the residential taxpayers.
Other negative effects include, that studies show that some small towns eventually lose up to 47% of their local retail trade, actually resulting in a decrease in the number of jobs available, and taxable revenues. There are other equally important negative results; too numerous to mention here due to editor space limitations.
While we continue our efforts to successfully find retailers for the old Ames Plaza, we encourage our opponents to be mindful of the points that we have made here, and to work with us in obtaining retailers for the old Ames Plaza, since ultimately a convenient place to shop is the goal of all of us.
If you would like to help or learn more, please contact us at 704-3006 or save_alden@yahoo.com, or www.savealden.blogspot.com

Sincerely,
SIGNATURE PRINT NAME PHONE
_____________________ ________________________ ___________

_____________________ ________________________ ___________

"I'm Proud to be a Part of Your Group"

HELLO!
JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU HOW GREAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN THAT I HAVE PLACED CALLS TO (AS AN ARRG CAPTAIN). YOU SEEM TO REALLY HAVE THESE PHONE LISTS IN ORDER BECAUSE EVERYONE REALLY APPRECIATES THE REMINDERS AND OVERALL CONCERN TO KEEP OUR TOWN WONDERFUL.

IT BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES TO SPEAK WITH FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR 55 YEARS AND SHARE THE SAME SENTIMENT THAT I HAVE AFTER ONLY BEING IN ALDEN FOR TEN YEARS.
I'M PROUD TO BE A PART OF YOUR GROUP.
SINCERELY,
PATTY SCHIEDER

Monitor comments: Thanks Patty, we are so successful due to the tremendous help from our volunteers like you. If anyone else would like to be a "Captain" please contact us.

YOUR CHANCE TO BE "IN PICTURES"

Following the Distinguished Speakers Meeting at the American Legion on Saturday March 24 (which begins at 1:00pm), everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in Alden's first "photo shoot" in the Ames Plaza Parking Lot, as part of our campaign to help fill the plaza.

Please assemble at 3:15pm. We're expecting the media, including photographers, to be present to "snap us" holding encouraging signs, welcoming new tenants to our town. Please park in the northwest end of the lot (closest to Broadway). You're welcome to bring your own sign (all in good taste, please) or just bring yourself, your kids, your neighbors, your neighbors' kids, and anybody else who would love to shop again at the old Ames Plaza.

We'll be sending the photographs to numerous potential retail businesses, enticing them to open a branch store here in beautiful downtown Alden.

Alden is a special town in many ways, and this community effort is just one such example.

EC AG & FARMLAND PROTECTION BOARD URGES TOWN BOARD AND PLANNING BOARD AGAINST APPROVING REZONE OF MARTIN FARM

Below is a letter addressed to our town supervisor, Ron Smith, of which the Alden RRG was copied, as well as our Mayor, Michael Kubik; Village Clerk, Elizabeth Kegler; our Legislator Kathy Konst; Erie County Environment & Planning, John Opalka; and Mr Earl Gingrich, Jr:

from Robert B Reynolds Jr, Chairman of Erie County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board

March 13, 2007

Dear Supervisor Smith
At the last meeting of the Erie County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board that was held on February 23 at 1pm; a motion was made and properly seconded to write a letter to the
community leaders of Alden expressing the board's concern of the proposed re-zoning of farmland on Route 20. There was a very lengthy discussion about the use of working farmland in the County of Erie for future development.

As everyone is aware, the "League of Women Voters" recently released their thoughts on urban sprawl and what it cost taxpayers in our County. They give many reasons to go slow in the future development of our region, including rural communities such as yours. The Erie County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board is strongly opposed to the re-zoning of active farmlands for future development. It is our mission to protect the great resource that these lands provide to every resident in Erie County as well as New York State. The board is constantly looking into ways to maintain our current farmlands and protect them for future generations.

It is the understanding of the board members that the property that is proposed for development is approximately 90 acres* of which more than half of the land is still in active production. We as an organization are not against development of property; however, we do encourage the proper use of farmland within our County. As the board chairman, it is my responsibility to address the concerns of our board as well as the farming community in general. We, as a board, are requesting that your planning board and town officers take a very serious look at this project and its long-term effect on your community.

If you need any further comments or statements from our Erie County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, please feel free to contact us. Again, we are requesting that your planning board explore other areas for development of this proposed project, and not expose active farmland to the re-zoning process.

Best regards,
Robert B Reynolds, Jr.,Chairman of Eric County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board.

*Russo Developers recently reduced the total acreage for development to approximately 65 acres.

More observations from the planning board meeting:

More observations from the Planning Board meeting:

I contacted the USDA Farm Services Agency in East Aurora in regards to the question posed by the Planning Board:
"How much farm land is there in Alden?"
Since they had no clue where to find the info, I will attempt to find out for them.

An interesting observation that I had, is that Russ Savage is the most vocal member of the Planning Board, and the others mostly just nod their heads. Russ made some conflicting observations in that he appears to be for this Wal-Mart project, but he is annoyed by more signals on Rt. 20.

Traffic flow through the village is a concern of one of the other Planning Board members (I do not know his name, he sits across from the secretary/clerk). I spoke with him after the meeting, and he is annoyed at the difficulty exiting the Ames parking lot when he attends the farmers market. He sees the Wal-Mart location as ideal because of more traffic lanes, and he believes that the congestion will be more manageable out of the Village. He also feels that the Ames location should be razed and replaced with senior housing. He was involved with the Economic Development group when they were trying to get a tenant in the plaza, and I believe that he said no one was interested because of Alden's small market area. (The fact that the owners of the plaza are happy with the status quo doesn't help the situation).

Ralph Witt seems to be concerned about the appearance of the parking lot, and he wants the parking lot in the back of the building, and a nice storm retention pond and septic system out by the road where they can dressed up with a fountain.

See you on Saturday,
Jim Guarino

Report on Planning Board Meeting-Mar 13-Site plan submitted

Members present: Jerry Sanok, Colleen Pautler, John Zoratti, Mike Fleming, Russ Savage.
absent: Mike DeWitt
Others in attendance: Bill Weber, Mike Metzger.

Russo was not there. Richard Sherwood (attorney) arrived about 7:30pm.

Approximately 35 ARRG members showed up on just a couple hours notice!

Bill Weber said he was asked by the Town Board to have the planning board consider the PACE program. It's a farmland protection program. John Foss, the Marilla Supervisor gave them the information. The Town would buy the "development rights" to producing farmland and it would be forever! It could never be developed. As of Dec. '06, AAA prime farmland was selling for $1200.00 an acre. There is a descending scale for the rest of the grades of land. Two years ago, that same AAA farmland sold for $2200.00 an acre. The program is drying up. 75% of the cost would come from the state and the remaining 25% would come from the Town.

Russ - doesn't see how it helps farmers. "Old cronies cashed in" in Marilla.
Ralph - used UB as an example - UB never could have been built if they had been a part of this program. (because it's forever)
Mike Fleming - How many farms would qualify in Alden.
Ralph didn't know. He will ask the Assessor.
No action tonight.

Russo rezone - Sherwood said Russo was out of town.
the site plan that he submitted was drafted by WM (Wal-Mart) engineers. The rear part of the property is dedicated for septic.
30.41 acres is sought for rezone. Part of the current C2 area is for parking lot and not included in the rezone.
Restrictions WM is asking for are as follows (for other tenants on the property, to avoid competition)
no gasoline stations
no pharmacy (because they will have one in the store)
no discount store >35,000 sq.ft that sells hard and soft goods.
no grocery store >10,000 sq.ft. This does not include restaurants.
no wholesale club
or any combination of the forthcoming.

Outparcels (area around the proposed WM, like the front 500 ft.) are not included in WM and would be used for small stores.

Fleming - Will the restrictions apply to the remaining property (the balance of the 97 acres) that Russo will own?
Sherwood - Yes, the declaration is recorded in Erie County and our enforceable by the courts. There is no room for another box store. They pursued Ames plaza for a year and a half. It generates taxes.
You don't have a local police force, but they aren't necessary for stores like this. (there was a groan from the crowd. There are various wage levels and sales tax comes back from the county.

Russ - will there be a signal at Four Rod?
Metzger - That's up to the State DOT. The Town has no control over that.
Sherwood - WM thinks they will.
Ralph - Does anyone know the status of the signal at Slade Rd.? no one knew
Weber - construction is set for spring.
Russ - It's obvious, with these plans, that there is a contract with WM.
Sherwood - They're more than interested. After the Town grants the rezone, there are only 180 days till closing.
Russ - Can the Town control the facade? Yes.
Fleming - on the restrictions. What happens if WM pulls out? Would the successor enjoy the same restrictions? Yes!
Sherwood said that WM is trying to get back into middle America instead of the cities.

Witt asked Metzger to "enlighten us". Tell us what you think.

Metzger - The Town needs to:
- get a legal description
- ask for the long EIF form. (Sherwood said he'd have it in a couple days and he was told by Witt to submit it to the Building dept.)
- Town Board should seek sole control over SEQR, but can ask for input from the planning board.
- get a concept plan (layout) with the site plan (the full build out)
The boards really need to study this so nothing is missed, because you can't go back.
Must comply with Town codes.
- if recommended to Town Board, because it's a rezone, conditions can be applied. For example, the TB can make deed restrictions too.
- Wetlands - get confirmation and that there isn't more. Property lines are irregular. This
could cause confusion.
- Under section 617 of the Environmental Review, ask that the remaining property have a
"SEQR build out plan". This complies with the law.
- Need long EIF!! Sherwood said it will be ready this week.

Sherwood - Russo's engineers will do a build out plan. The current site plan is 100 feet from potential wetlands. WM doesn't want to own them. (in order to make the property lines straight) He said there were three drain tiles that feed to the NW found on the property. One was crushed and the other two were plugged. This could cause the ponding.
Russ - need a full wetland deliniation .
Weber - Can we get a map that highlights exactly who will own what?
Sherwood - yes. WM will own the road with Russo having access to the rest of the property.
Witt - Can we have the rezone map superimposed on the site plan?
Sherwood - sure, we can do that
Witt - "next time you bring in a map like this, please don't have errors". It's not to scale. Parking spaces are only four feet wide.
Sherwood - WM engineers did it.
Witt - This project must be an upgrade for the Town. If it's not, we shouldn't consider it. This is not attractive, has a big retention pond, parking lot in the front. Why don't you put a pond in front like Greatbatch with fountains and put the parking behind the store?
Sherwood - Kohl's on Transit has the pond in front and it's very unattractive. Generally, parking is in the front of stores.
Russ - need significant detail for parking lot.
Sherwood - no reason it couldn't be incorporated.
Zoratti - can't see how they could do it any other way. There isn't room to rearrange the lay out.
Witt - pond in front, parking in back.
Russ - location of parking lot doesn't make any difference.
Sherwood - he'll contact WM about landscaping. They have an office in Rochester. Some areas get ideas from the public during the Public Hearing. That would be a good place for the Town to get landscaping ideas!!
Metzger - the planning board needs to be involved. He asked if this was the site plan application?
Witt - he thought so.
Metzger - Russo also needs to submit a subdivision application too.
Sherwood - oh, I didn't realize that. I'll have a fresh zoning application ready tomorrow for the Town Clerk.
The one from Feb. 26 is old.

Sherwood left at 8:15.

Witt told Metzger that they will be relying on him since we don't have a permanent building inspector. For example, he would like them to pay their fees upfront and to make sure application papers are correct.

They went on about the windmill law. They will review the information they got from Newstead for next meeting. They allow one on R1 property. For a single mill, you need a building permit. For commercial, you need a special use permit. There is a concern about the fall zone.

Report on joint Town/Village Board Work Session

March 1, 2007

Dear Members of ARRG,
Greetings. May I share with you what I think is some very good news? Ever since our good neighbors had the keen sense to create this group, it has been a growing and deepening force for the good of us all. It's a beautiful thing to see people, a community, stir from complacency to organized, expressive thinking, sharing and working together.
On February 27, 2007, I had the pleasure and privilege of attending the joint work session of the combined Town and Village Boards. As you know, I was thinking zoning, the Martin farm, Russo, and aquifer. You will understand my mixed feelings upon reading the meeting agenda: disaster planning, noise pollution on Broadway, update master plan(s), police services.
Fortunately I stayed for the entire meeting. Perhaps it was somewhere around the midway point that I slowly came to realize how important this dynamic process was. I had checked with Bud Milligan before the meeting, and he confirmed for me what I pretty much knew for the last 20 years€”"The Village and the Town do not talk to each other."
This was a first – a breakthrough – we are talking together!
It occurred to me that the Village and the Town were starting to acknowledge and deal openly with the fact that we have many interests in common. One of the most insightful remarks by our own Supervisor was, "Disasters and emergencies do not respect political boundaries." How true. There is only one fire company which we all think of as our own. And they are primary first responders in both the Town and the Village.
The discussion on noise pollution on Broadway, interestingly enough, was about the sound of idling tractor trailer trucks in the Tops parking lot. As perhaps you know, the new Tops property is partly on Village property and partly in the Town. So it becomes very clear that a problem in the Tops lot is of concern to both Village and Town. This discussion dovetailed very well with that of police services. Interesting.
I kid you not. There was consideration of Town and Village sharing the cost of police protection. Wow! Just like they do it next door in Lancaster! Who woulda thunk!
The discussion about updating Master Plan(s) had its humorous moments, as different people tried to remember this or that date, activity, and whether we were talking about Plan A or Plan B. As Dear Abby says, "I couldn't make this stuff up if I wanted to."
Can you imagine having one contractor remodel the outside of your home and another doing the inside, and they never spoke to one another?!?
The discussion actually dared to consider that there is wisdom in simultaneously dovetailing the Master Plan work of the Town and the Village in concert. Imagine that!
So now, back to ARRG. Suddenly it hit me: this agenda is OUR agenda!! Responsible growth. Perhaps we can learn that Alden is Alden is Alden.
This is exactly the kind of meeting we want to attend! These are the ideas and discussions we want to encourage and participate in. Healthy growth, as well as decline, affects all of us, regardless of which side of the line you are on. If Walmart eliminates jobs, it would be in both the Town and the Village. Those businesses which have supported pro-Walmart petitions need to be educated—we should visit them and write to them. Give them information on Walmart's negative effects on local businesses, which is well-documented. And yes, both the Town and the Village want to see successful economic activity in the old Ames Plaza. What could the Town/Village do together to encourage existing businesses to expand into larger available spaces? Perhaps it would be easier for newer business to begin in smaller spaces. I see only good coming from growing contact and communication between the Village and the Town. United we stand, divided we fall. As we continue to work on the inappropriate designs of Mr. Russo for our neighborhood, let us also grasp and support the opportunities of the new "Team Alden."
Sincerely,
Paul G. Loehr

WALMART-VIDEO AVAILABLE TO SHARE

One of our members has offered to share her copy of DVD "Walmart-The High Cost of Low Prices". If anybody would like to see this, please let us know and we'll make arrangements to get the DVD to you. "Be vocal and buy local"

comments from a frustrated Aldenite taxpayer

Ron Folkman wrote and authorized permission for us to post this blog.

Dear ARRG,

Thanks for the new schedule. Any chance that Russo has paid Redstone to price themselves above economic practicality? Maybe Redstone should be nudged with the possibility of "Eminent Domain" being sought. Considering the fact that they (Russo and his attorney) have not yet submitted a viable site plan and moreover have not paid the application fee, they are sure getting a lot of free "Air Time" from all the board members and loyal Aldenites. He's playing with us at our expense.

Then there's Ralph Witt, maybe he needs to be reminded that elected officials are supposed to represent their constituency, be the mouthpiece of those that entrusted him. He apparently thinks that the increased tax revenue from a Wal-Mart plaza outweighs the Will of the People and if he can compel the planning board to give this project the "Nod" that at the end of the day he will emerge with a big feather in his cap.

No one moved here to be pushed around or because the taxes were low but more importantly we didn't move here, stay here, and pay the high taxes in hopes that Broadway would become the next Transit road type corridor.

Lets not let the tail wag the dog, there is strength in numbers and it seems to be working but it just might be time to bring out a bigger hammer. As a business man I am keenly aware that efficiency is a mainstream element of success, that applies to meetings, committees etc. Knowing how much time has been given over to this proposal already and how much more is planned is inane. He (Russo) is not playing by the rules so the proper thing for the planning board, and the town board to tell him is that the charade is over and he will have to come up with another scheme to realize his vision of grandeur.
The bottom line is easily defined by one simple statement. The vast majority of Alden residents do not want their peaceful lifestyle stolen from them so that a few non-Aldenites can reap windfall profits. If that doesn't work, there is always "plan-B", Anyone remember the Boston Tea Party?


Ronald J. Folkman

IMPORTANT INFORMATIVE ARRG MEMBER MEETING MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! SATURDAY, MARCH 24 @ 1PM

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR AN IMPORTANT INFORMATIVE MEETING!
SATURDAY, MARCH 24 AT 1PM AT THE AMERICAN LEGION HALL
THIS MEETING IS OPEN TO ALL ALDEN RESIDENTS FOR
RESPONSIBLE GROWTH MEMBERS AND GUESTS.
OUR SPEAKERS CONFIRMED SO FAR ARE:

THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS BE PRESENTING THEIR REPORT ENTITLED
"AT TAXPAYERS' EXPENSE; HOW GOVERNMENT POLICIES ENCOURAGE SPRAWL
IN ERIE AND NIAGARA COUNTY" (A preview of this presentation is available
by visiting their website at www.lwvbn.org)

AND PARTNERS FOR A LIVABLE WESTERN NEW YORK*,

We will update our speaker list as more are added.

We encourage you not to miss this EXTREMELY informative afternoon,
and to encourage your town and village officials, economic development
committee, local business people and ALL citizens to attend this Alden
Residents for Responsible Growth meeting.

Although reservations are not mandatory, we would appreciate either a call to 704-3006 or an email to save_alden@yahoo.com advising how many are coming, since seating will be limited.



*The PLWNY is a non-profit corporation started in 2002 formed by 15 lawyers, architects, planners, builder/developers, traffic engineers, public officials and other concerned citizens whose mission is to bring about a more livable community by (1) formulating regional and local policies and regulations for cohesive neighborhood development, stabilization of existing neighborhoods, public transit oriented development, preservation of environmentally sensitive areas and inter municipal and intramunicipal coordination and implementation of land use decisions; (2) sponsor educational programs encouraging practices supportive of such policies; (3) assist and promote the effort of public officials, developers, builders, architects, planners and member of the public who undertake or support land use, building design and streetscape initiative reflective of such policies; and (4) serve as a center for the collection and dissemination of resource materials descriptive of policies and practices designed to facilitate more livable communities.

WELCOME!!

Welcome to Alden Residents for Responsible Growth web log! Please read all of the messages and conversations below that have been posted since we opened this blog just a month ago and you'll see that we are sincere and passionate about preserving our town. We aren't anti-retail. Click on the Save Alden link to the right and read our mission statement. We are also seeking your help on how we can all assist our town and village officials to succeed in bringing retail to our already established Ames Plaza. Read the posts below to better understand the obstacles that we are facing. We know that our community has many resourceful citizens and we are hoping that someone will step forward with the knowledge and expertise to help solve this problem.

Please contact us at save_alden@yahoo.com. Nothing is posted publically on this blog without your permission and our approval. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

What's fair for one is fair for all, right????

Redstone Investments finds it more advantageous to
leave their buildings in the Ames Plaza vacant (and
perhaps it is to their advantage because they also do
not have to maintain the property that well?). Thus
when a Walmart or other box store purchases land and
builds their own store and departs (which they
eventually do), won't they also find it to their
advantage to keep these buildings owned but empty? And
the town or village will again have no ability to
control the situation? We could be easily dealing with
three or four empty plazas.
Our understanding in the Walmart case is they will
build 2-3 stores in close proximity and once they shut
down the local businesses they consolidate and leave
empty stores that never get filled forcing their
shoppers to drive to the store they keep open
(possibly a Lancaster one in this case). Also they
rent the stores to themselves, paying themselves the
rent and deducting it from their state taxes. I hope
you can get this article I found. Actually my husband
read about this elsewhere.
Perhaps Redstone is taking advantage of this loophole
too as you noted already or something similar. Could
we not get the state government involved in this? I
would think Governor Spitzer would be interested.
Also I have to agree with TL mentioning persons from
neighboring towns who would want a Walmart (but not in
their backyard.) We know people who moved to Marilla
last year just to be away from the Target that was
going up in their backyard on Transit (the new
Lancaster/Cheektowaga one). They wanted to be "in the
country" and they did not want a store in their
backyard. But when the proposed Walmart in Alden was
mentioned they were very excited because they really
missed the close shopping they had in the outer ring
suburbs. As long as it is not in their backyard they
want it! But like you mentioned they are not looking
ahead to the results of this urban sprawl. If Buffalo
was vibrant I don't believe we would be dealing with
this entire issue.
Thank you-BL

MODERATOR COMMENTS: Since Redstone received a tax
reduction because they have vacant store fronts,
shouldn't ALL town businesses receive the same tax
reduction if they also have empty store fronts? or
landlords, if they have empty apartments?

A conversation with TL

TL WROTE:
A few more ideas to use to keep Alden the way it is......Wal-mart-less

ARRG RESPONSE: Nice wording!

TL WROTE: An accurate way to find out if the people of Alden really want a Wal-Mart is to put it on a ballot when we have the School Budget Vote, this way you would only have the people who live and pay taxes in Alden to get an accurate count. Not people from bordering Towns who would like to see a Wal-Mart in Alden and not in their town.

ARRG RESPONSE; One might think that this idea to have a citizen vote to be a good one, but like with most all elections, those who vote are not required to have all of the facts, have done the research, attend meetings, nor obtain knowledge, etc. If this issue were up to the voter's, we would most definitely have a Walmart in Alden, because many people just want to shop and don't care about any of the consequences. Believe it or not, it's best to leave it up to just five people (supervisor and town board) who are required to obtain all of the information possible before voting.

TL WROTE: Question - Which Village Official or Officials gave the approval to offer a tax cut to a business to keep the Ames Plaza vacant ?..............poor judgment on their part,........why would they do this?........has anyone ever approached the Village Board for this decision?.......or is there something the Board is not telling us ?

ARRG RESPONSE; It is our understanding that Redstone Investments (the plaza owners) have challenged their assessment on the property and have been successful in their challenge. This would have been with the tax assessor in the village.

Their argument is that since most of the square footage is vacant, the property has less value and therefore the assessment should be less which of course is followed by a reduction in taxes.

The feeling is that the rental income from the post office and other rented properties give them enough income to cover their current expenses, so they have little incentive to fill other properties, only to see their assessment & taxes increase.

Yes, we agree that this was a poor decision and don't know why this was agreed to. We are currently searching for an attorney or some other professional whose specialty is fighting commercial or corporate developers. Yes, we agree that it should be the Village Board who is doing this, but obviously they haven't. So we're looking into it. We've also only recently just contacted some investigative reporters to see if we can get their support. We encourage others to send a plea for assistance to these reporters. If they get enough calls or emails, they might more quickly see that this issue is "news-worthy". Generally when the media gets involved, the corporate giants don't like negative exposure. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.


TL WROTE: School bus traffic - there are SCHOOL BUSES that make stops on Broadway in the proposed area and all along Broadway there could be the potential for an accident with the increased traffic brought on by BIG bOX Development.

ARRG RESPONSE: This is an excellent point; precisely what we have been stating, that although Broadway is a major state route, this is still in the neighborhood of residential property. This is just another reason why the trip along that route will take much longer than it does now. No doubt the speed limit will also be reduced, in addition to the traffic light that would be installed on the corner.

TL WROTE: Green Space will be eliminated, I have never seen Green Space generated when a Plaza of Big Box store is built.

ARRG RESPONSE; Exactly! We just pointed out at last night's meeting, that the Town Board of Amherst has on their agenda that they are having to "buy back" green space to preserve it. And Clarence already had to do this in 2002.


ARRG COMMENTS: It is through comments and conversations like this one that we can be successful in saving Alden. Did you send us your comments on the yellow letter we sent a few weeks ago? If you haven't, can we send you another one?

They are still arriving in the mail daily and we will keep delivering them to the town board as long as they keep coming. We assure you that they will all be read by the Supervisor and the town board members. We have complete confidence that any decisions to be made will be only after ALL of the facts are in; and your letters, and attendance at meetings sends a very strong message to the decision makers.

Please contact us anytime with any other comments and questions. We are especially interested in your help to find ways to convince the Ames Plaza owners work with potential tenants.

Alden Residents for RESPONSIBLE Growth

We moved here because...

ARRG COMMENTS: Below are comments received from various Alden residents. Thank you for sharing your reasons for moving to Alden. We'd love to hear more stories like these.

"We moved here from Cheektowaga area out to Alden 7 years ago to get away from the chaos, and poor town planning. We love Alden and are proud to be living in Smalltown USA" TJF

"We moved from the city 30 years ago for the quiet of the country. If people want convenience, they should move near the stores, not bring the stores here." CW

"We moved here from Amherst to escape big-box corporations, greedy developers, pollution, noise and high taxes. We are VERY HAPPY here in Alden-PLEASE don't become like Amherst-Stay "small town". DFS

"I moved from Cheektowaga to get my family away from this kind of mega retail. I did not move to Alden hoping for easier shopping." RE

"We CHOSE to live here over 30 years ago because of Alden's charm. If we wanted to live in Cheektowaga we would have bought a house there!" JW

"We moved here because it was a smalltown. Let's not ruin Alden the way Lancaster and Clarence have been ruined". DMG

"We chose Alden instead of Lancaster BECAUSE we didn't like the list of things including the growing crime problems and the over population and traffic." SWT

"We moved to Alden from Cheektowaga 13 years ago to avoid all the things Walmart will bring to Alden." SKS

"The reason we moved her ewas to get away from all of the traffic and crowds" SDL

"We moved here from the city to get away from croweds and city life. NO WALMART WANTED" JDR

"We moved to Alden 11 years ago. We came to avoid traffic, undesireables, city problems and peole who don't care about their town or village" HCK

"My husband and I moved to Alden to withdraw ourselves from other more urban communities and from all of the negative living conditions in those towns." LC

"I moved to Alden 40 years ago for the country, peace and quiet." GR

Good suggestion about the Ames Plaza

To Alden RRG from Dave L. wrote:
This was a suggestion a friend of mine sent me after reading your letter. Dave

Hey, seems like the people in Alden are really organized. I wish you guys luck in keeping Alden a small town. Have you suggested that all the people form a co-op to try to buy the Ames plaza? Every one could have a share in owning and thereby reaping the benefits of income from the plaza and/or tax write offs. Dave L.


Response from Alden RRG:
HI Dave
Thanks for your message. It's a great idea from your friend, and it sounds like it could be a great solution to this problem. But you can tell him that not only have potential renters been turned away with exhorbitant rental rates and/or terms and conditions, but a potential buyer recently also faced the same situation when he made an offer.

But keep working on this. Our organization is still gathering names, and information and also hope to be reaching Redstone directly soon. Maybe their tune will change when they see how negatively they are impacting our community and actually might care about us.

Keep sharing our situation with others. Somebody out there might be able to help us. His idea is a terrific one. Thanks for letting us post this on our web-log

Kindest regards,
Alden RRG

Report on last night's Town Hall meeting

Hello ARRG members!!

As promised here is our report on last night's board meeting.

Despite the fact that the weather was bone-chilling, over fifty people braved the cold night and came out to show solidarity for the Alden RRG. We filled the room again, so much so that they had to go and get more chairs.

This tremendous turn-out couldn't have been possible without the help of our volunteer street captains who made phone calls throughout this past week! A very special THANK YOU to all who helped! You are AWESOME!!! And THANK YOU to all of you who have submitted your yellow inserts so far. You can still send yours in if you haven't already. We'll continue to present them to the Town Board as long as they keep coming.

When it was time for "business from the floor", Coleen Czechowski (representing the ARRG) presented all of the yellow letters distributed recently to Supervisor Smith in a large binder, and read a report advising of the synopsis of the letters, and a sample of some of the passionate personal comments written by the respondents.

The board (and all attendees) listened intently and Supervisor Smith, although not required, opened the discussion to other ARRG members. Numerous ARRG members (including Ron Walker, Paul Loehr, Linda Colson, Jim Wheeler, Gerald Aldinger, Jim Guarino, Keith Hoffman, Bonnie Hy, Bob Wohlgemuth, Tom Darcy and Jim Bicheler) asked a variety of questions, each expressing their concern involving issues such as the master plan, zoning, the aquifer, the village's apparent lack of participation in this issue, the form of communication on the part of the board, etc.

Supervisor Smith explained that the proposed project is "back with" the town planning board due to the fact that Russo revised the number of acres that he is requesting rezoning for, and that if the planning board declines Mr Russo's request to rezone, then it is a dead issue; but if the planning board recommends that the town board approve the rezone, then the town board has to start the process of environmental, SEQR and other investigations, including a public hearing, which could take six months to a year.

The next planning board meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, Feb 13. If we find out that the planning board will be discussing this issue, we will let the ARRG members know. Supervisor Smith stated last night, that as of this evening, the planning board still had not received a site plan from Mr Russo.

Supervisor Smith invited all citizens to contact him either at the Town Hall or at the Alden Pharmacy to discuss this issue further at any time. It is completely apparent to us that he is gathering ALL information and sharing the same with all of the board members.

We wish to take this time to again thank the numerous citizens who continue to take the initiative to come to the meetings, write and sign letters, post signs in their yards, send donations, etc. All of your efforts are having an impact and making a difference!

It's especially comforting to see the concern coming not from just residents who would have this project "in their backyard", but to see people equally concerned who live in "the other end" of Alden. They understand that this project would affect the ENTIRE community, and that if approved, there would most likely be other projects to follow, and possibly in other parts of the town. THANK YOU!!

We would like you to at this time shift your focus on not just what you DON'T want, but what you DO want and more importantly, HOW we can accomplish it.

The overall concensus of opinion seems to be that we want the old Ames Plaza to be the core of our retail area. The management company of that plaza is our major stumbling block. They are content to keep retailers out and do so by either making the rent so high, or the terms of the rental agreement so difficult that numerous interested parties have chosen other locations. Redstone Investments is basically "holding our town hostage".

We need your ideas, knowledge, contacts, etc on how we can convince Redstone that their business methods need to be altered to work with our community. Please contact us with your ideas.

We are in the planning stages of another member meeting soon. Previous meetings have resulted in great "brain-storming" and knowledge exchange. As soon as we have a date, we'll let everyone know.

We also ask the following of you:
1) check out our web-log frequently www.savealden.blogspot.com
2) only about 10% of our members have provided us with email addresses, so it's extremely
difficult to communicate with them. If you know who they are, please encourage them to
provide us with their email address. Addresses are sent in confidence and not shared with others.
3) continue to post signs in your yard. Call us if you need one, or yours needs repair due to the weather.
4) contact us with suggestions on how we can fight Redstone Investments
5) continue to attend meetings. Your presence is making a difference!!
6) because of our contactly increasing membership, it's getting more and more difficult to communicate. We need more street captains to make a few telephone calls to other members when we have important news to share. We will provide you with a list of names and phone numbers to call (usually only about 10-15 names). Please let us know if we can add you to our list of volunteers.

Any questions or comments at anytime, please contact us.

Kindest regards,
The Alden Residents for Responsible Growth

And the letters keep coming....

MORE comments from concerned citizens:

"A new Wal-Mart is being built in Lancaster. There's one in Amherst, Clarence and Batavia. WE DON'T NEED ONE IN ALDEN. Thank you." CMS

"Use the vacant stores in the Ames Plaza before wrecking our small town". RAK

"Ames Plaza seems to be the wish of many. The people of Alden Village should have the store close at hand to walk and shop" JPD

"Fill the empty Tops/Ames Plaza first" CK

"I also agree that something should be done with the vacant Ames Plaza first. Most people who live in Alden don't actually work in Alden and they probably pass by a Walmart in other towns. Buy your stuff then." ACW

"I think the key lies in the "master plan". It was accepted but never adopted. This is a double standard and can be used two ways until it is adopted (ratified. Then a project can easily be deemed to be within "keeping with the plan" or not. The proposed Wal-mart (and more) project is far too massive to fall within the guidelines of controlled growth." RJF

"Please help save our Alden, the town we all know and love! My husband & I put our roots in Alden because of the small town atmosphere & Beauty of it. His family has lived here for 50 years. I grew up in Buffalo and each day I am thankful for being able to live in such a wonderful town. I see, in no way, a Walmart would improve Alden. There is no doubt in my mind, other businesses would suffer." DMH

"I deliver to the Wal-mart in Williamsville, I see first hand what a mega-mess it brings to the area. I can't to get out and come home to small town USA. I'll be watching very closely to the ruling committee and anyone voting for this disaster will lose our votes FOREVER!!!"DBW

"May I respectfully suggest that you visit Town of Alden's website (www.alden.erie.gov) Welcome to the Town of Alden website. Located on the eastern edge of Erie County, Alden provides a quaint rural atmosphere that is only minutes from today's modern conveniences.
With our top ranked schools, rich farmland, strong business opportunities and a wide array of active community organizations, the Town of Alden is a fantastic place to live, work and play" L.C.

TRANSIT & WILLIAM-WELCOME TO MY WORLD

Click on the link (or copy and paste) below for the above mentioned article, which reports in detail of the traffic congestion that could be in our future if we aren't in control of responsible growth.

http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3116.shtml

POINTS TO PONDER

Hello,
I know this is a hard fight for everyone who is against Big Box Stores. I have thought of other ideas you could use for your fight to keep Alden a small town.

1- traffic volume will increase on Broadway in both directions and especially on the East side of the village which can and will cause traffic problems in the village where there is a good amount of pedestrian traffic.

2- Do people realize that traffic will increase on other roads like, Town Line, Ransom, 2 Rod, 3 Rod, 4 Rod, and Sandridge Rd.

3- Another traffic signal would most likely be installed where the main drive of where this plaza would be which will impact the flow of traffic on Broadway especially during rush hour.

4- I know the proposed area is not a wooded area but, this construction would have the potential to remove areas where wildlife is which could cause more car / deer accidents.

5- If Mr. Russo wants to develop that area so bad with a Wal-Mart ask him if he would be willing to put in an Ice rink for Town and Village residents and an Indoor Soccer / Indoor Track Field House for the Alden School System in that area.

6- Are people aware that the is a Wal-Mart being build on Transit and William St in the Town of Lancaster?

I hope some of my input helps with your fight to keep Alden the way it is...........T.O.

BE VOCAL--BUY LOCAL-POINTS TO PONDER

I have a question. If the Ames plaza
> was granted tax relief by the village, is it possible for the village
> government to reverse this procedure and raise the taxes on the Ames
> plaza so that they would have an incentive to rent to businesses in
> order to pay their taxes? I would hope so as it seems they have no
> incentive to fill the plaza with small businesses. I sincerely hope
> that the women of the village will utilize the Curves establishment.
> The new owner is awesome in her enthusiasm and creativity and the
> place is so convenient for all the women of the village. Also the
> new consignment shop is a great addition to the plaza and she is
> resourceful and creative and I hope the people of the village will
> buy and sell in her store. She has excellent taste in her
> merchandise and I would love to see these two women succeed in their
> endeavors despite the high rents they have to pay. It would be to
> our advantage to patronize all the wonderful small businesses in the village. Like East Aurora, Elmwood
> Avenue, Hertel Avenue, shopping in small local establishments is a
> very interesting and unique shopping experience with the owners there
> to help you select your merchandise. It's like retail has come full
> circle for help with selection of merchandise used to be the norm
> years ago, but you will not find that in a big box store.
> Congratulations to the new Deli in the village. I will certainly
> patronize that store as they are more convenient now than when they
> first opened. MH
>

MARK YOUR CALENDARS, MON, FEB 5

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! WE HOPE ALL OF THE ARRG MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS CAN ATTEND THE NEXT TOWN BOARD MEETING ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 @ 7:30PM AT THE TOWN HALL ON WENDE RD.

ALDEN RRG WILL BE SUBMITTING THE YELLOW LETTERS THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AS OF THAT DATE. WE ARE ON THE AGENDA, AND SO THE LETTERS WILL BE OFFICIALLY ON RECORD.

YOUR ATTENDENCE HAS MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE PAST IN SENDING A STRONG MESSAGE THAT THIS ISSUE IS OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE TO US, SO PLEASE COME AGAIN AND SEND THAT MESSAGE ONE MORE TIME!

IF YOU HAVEN'T SENT US YOUR LETTER YET, IT'S NOT TOO LATE.

Video Presentation, Tues Feb 6, Anywhere USA?

Below is a “must see” for all communities currently struggling with land use decisions.
We hope that many of you can attend this very timely presentation.
If you require assistance with car pooling, please let us know, and we'll send a call out to the ARRG membership.
The speaker is well aware of our situation in Alden, and will no doubt give us insight to our options.

Is your Town Anywhere, USA?
Do your unique characteristics set you apart from everywhere else?


We live in a land of vanishing beauty and shrinking open space. The special character of our towns, villages and landscapes has been disappearing at an alarming rate. We all have a special need for a “Sense of Place” - - that which makes our physical surroundings worth caring about and makes our communities different than others.

Although growth is both inevitable and desirable, progress does not demand or require degraded surroundings. Sound planning, that ensures that the character and uniqueness of our communities are preserved, is an issue that comes before us with each site plan review decision that is made. There are ways that these decisions, and the way that we view our communities, can be improved.

The New York Planning Federation, in association with Wendel Duchscherer, invite you to attend a video presentation to learn and evaluate how communities can grow without losing their identify. The presentation is narrated by Edward McMahon, a nationally renowned authority on sustainable development, land conservation and urban design. Mr. McMahon provides a thought provoking discussion of how to shape development goals to help achieve a vigorous economy, a healthy environment and a vibrant community.

Come and learn that it is never too late to protect community character – it can be improved one building or one project at a time. Successful communities are those that have chosen to plan for change, rather than accept unplanned development. Failing to plan simply means planning to fail. Do you want your community to look like Anytown, USA or are you up to the challenge of achieving better quality development? Discover that you can make a difference, gain valuable training experience and learn better ways to manage growth in your community.


When: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 – 7:00 PM
(video presentation to commence at 7:30PM)

Where: Clarence High School Auditorium
9625 Main Street at Gunnville Road

RSVP via email to: pazda@adelphia.net
RSVP by phone to: Wendy Salvati at (716) 688-0766

MORE GREAT COMMENTS-NO WALMART!!!

The insert letters continue to pour in everyday! Below is a sample of some of the GREAT comments and ideas. We will be presenting these to the Town Board on February 5 at the Town Hall meeting at 7:30pm. We hope that you can be there!

"Less is More! We don't need the Great Mall of China! USE the land, don't ABUSE it!" CCB

From Arizona: As a former resident of Alden and now living with two super Wal-Marts, I wish you the best in stopping them. It will forever change Alden from "Smalltown USA". VL

"I recently clocked the distance between the proposed site and the Wal-mart that is going in on Transit/William. IT was 9.7 miles. We don't need another Wal-mart." AJK

"This is a neighborhood killer! People moved out here to get away from it all." DMA

"I have lived in Alden for over 50 years on Sandridge for first 26. I have had the chance to move into Lancaster or Depew and chose not to because for the congestion of those towns. So what if I have to drive 15-20 minutes to shop. How long did it take my grandparents to get to a store and they survived!" TMA

"We agree that the Ames Plaza needs to be addressed. We should take a look at how East Aurora handled their situation w/Tops and Benderson. They made Benderson tear down the old building . We should start leaning on this development company the same way East Aurora did. COT

(moderator's comments: Red Stone is the owner of Ames Alden, not Benderson)

YELLOW FLYER "IN YOUR OWN WORDS"

“I like things the way they are now-wonderful country air and no noise pollution.” DD

“There is no CITY in Alden. Let’s Keep it that way”. DLB

“Nothing good will come from a Walmart in our town” DB

“The reason we moved here was to get away from all the traffic and crowds. We would rather drive a little farther to shop than live in crowded places.” SDL

“People drive miles to a casino, to sports events. There is no reason why you cannot drive to a Wal-mart, Target, Kohls, Home Depot. People in East Aurora said no to big box and survived. So can Alden.” TLO

“You, the Town Board, have a responsibility to listen to the people who elected you and do the right thing by saving Alden and our aquifer. By allowing this “Big Box” store, you are doing the Town of Alden a huge disservice”. MCF

“There are not many towns like Alden left. Please don’t destroy our rural life style.” MCB

“How many Wal-marts does a shrinking population need? Maybe in 10 years we can have another dumpy vacant eye sore near Four Rod Rd-the old Walmart…dead from over-saturating the area or we can have a surge of the trashy Wal-mart shoppers invading Alden.” CH

“God willing, I want to spend the rest of my life in the same way and in the same place. NO WALMART WANTED” JR

“The Ames Plaza is an eye-sore. If that landlord is making it difficult to prospective tenants, maybe his taxes should increase or something.” DH

“I work in Tonawanda and still make the drive home to Alden. It’s worth it.” PS

“Mom and Pop stores go out of business within 3 mo’s. after Wal-mart opens as per CNBC report (Jan 15 9am) and Walmart pays male employees more than female employees” CC

“Alden is blessed as is. Don’t ruin it!”JJH

“Losson & Transit is close enough for us. Thank you.” JDW

“I would rather see something done with an existing structure. If it’s not habitable then knock it down”. NNN

“Initially I had signed the petition in favor of Wal-mart. However after I thought about it, I really do want to keep our “small town” Alden. That’s why we moved here with our 6 year old daughter in 1974”. EL

“If I want a Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc; I’ll travel to a store that already exist and glad to do so.” CE

“Downtown Warsaw is empty. Downtown East Aurora is busy. Do NOT let Walmart in. We will move to Florida!” RRH

“A great thing about living in Alden is its location. We can reach major entertainment venues and all kinds of shopping centers and “big box” stores within a half an hour in any direction and still live in a quiet, friendly small town. A short drive is a small price to pay to maintain this atmosphere, and quality of life”. JDS

“The fact that Wal-Mart in Clarence has hired security guards to be posted at the exits makes me cautious as to the type of consumers that could invade our town.” KCW

“We hope majority rules, and NOT Big Money Wins. If Walmart wins, we lose.” LPL

“We have spent a considerable amount of money and time putting in brick sidewalks and encouraging business in the Village. Why then, would we want to lure people AWAY from the village?” RH

“We SUPPORT GOVT. LEADERS who share our beliefs.” GBL

“Maybe Mr Russo should build his Wal-Mart in Marilla”. LJS

“We agree with the above statement even if it isn’t “in our own words”. EHM

“Build a home for a century. Build a business for fifteen years”. CAD

“Have clothing only in our Ames Plaza. We don’t need more drug, grocery, or restaurants” . TG
“We already have an appliance store in Sitzmans. That little Penney’s store in Batavia would fit perfectly in our empty Ames Plaza.DJG

SLOW DOWN, YOU MOVE TOO FAST!

Hi -

I live on Three Rod Road and have a vested interest in the pending Walmart project. We already have a traffic problem on Three Rod. Nobody pays attention to the speed limit. I have 2 small kids and I am very nervous about them playing in the front yard because of it. I can only imagine what will happen if Walmart comes in. Anyway, what can I do to help? -js

GREAT COMMENTS RECEIVED RECENTLY

"I have always enjoyed living in the Country. This project will forever kill the peaceful country atmosphere I have always liked about Alden"-RB

"It makes absolutely no sense to build a new plaza when we have an unused plaza right here in town. Be practical-use what's already here & keep everyone happy. We don't need additional eye sores."JA

"Just look at Springville, Warsaw. How Walmart took a toll on them. Lancaster is trying to get people to come downtown and it is sure to harm them. Keep the Giant out. Let the small guy survive." TDM

"Our family has lived here in Alden since 1990. We moved here because it was a small town. We aren't against retail, we just don't want a huge shopping strip mall. I'll drive to Lancaster, Clarence, Williamsville, etc for that. Let's not ruin Alden, the way Lancaster and Clarence have been ruined." DRG

"Why do we need a Walmart in Alden? There are plenty of Walmarts 15-20 min. away. Are we that lazy of a society that we can't drive 15 min away to get what we need? To me Walmart means no more smalltown and that's why I moved to Alden. We don't need to keep up with the Jones! MRH

PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAPS!!!

Viewers:
We KNOW that you are resourceful. Already SO MANY of you have proven that fact. What we need you to do now is think positive. Rather than just say "We want to Save Smalltown USA" we have to come up with ways on how to accomplish this. We need to provide our town officials with the alternative solutions.

We've heard over and over again, "retail should be in the Old Ames Plaza". We don't think that anybody would disagree with that. But the obstacle is the owner of the Plaza. Redstone has no incentive to search for renters. They even turned away Dollar General's request to first move to their building.

Does anybody know what we can do about this? Does anybody have any experience in fighting a developer giant? How can we get out of being held "hostage" in our own town?

Please PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAPS and come up with some plans for Alden (and particularly the village) and write to us. We'll share your suggestions with the town & village boards, and Economical Planning Committee.

YOUR OPINIONS MATTER!!!

Hello Viewers!

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have already sent in your signed letters that were distributed in last week's Alden Advertiser. We are pleased that our words expressed your sentiments, and we also are very impressed with your personal comments that were added to so many of the responses. These will be presented to the Town Board on February 5 at their regular meeting. We hope that you can attend.

The Town Board will no doubt take these letters as sincere and will certainly include them in their fact-finding mission to determine the outcome of this proposal.

SUGGESTIONS FOR A SOLUTION

I wanted to post a note on the blog wondering if anyone has contacted "Tractor Supply Company" which is a "country" retailer which has all kinds of goods, including clothing and shoes. (The name sounds narrow, but its a great chain with great tv ads -- cows or zoo animals in parking lots doing wacky things.) There is a store in Batavia; also Lockport, Warsaw, and maybe Springville. Their stores are usually about the size of the old Tops. Signed: Vigilant Alden Voter

STREET CAPTAINS NEEDED

Although we have several wonderful volunteers to help distribute the yellow insert (2500 were distributed in last week's Alden Advertiser) we are always looking for more help. We could have chosen to distribute this flyer in the Source which would have covered the entire town, but we chose to support our local business man, and distribute through the town's official newspaper. This leaves several homes without this delivery. So if you can deliver 10, 20, 50 or more copies of this insert in your neighborhood, please let us know. We can either deliver a supply to you, or you can pick them up at a time that's convenient for everyone. Either email us at save_alden@yahoo.com, or call 704-3006.

There has been a tremendous response to these letters!! We will gather them for the next several days, and present them at one of the next Regular Town Hall Meetings,
and continue to do so until they are all received. Some have included checks to help with our expenses. Thank you very much!!!!

We also received many very nice telephone calls. One in particular from an "octagenarian". She said that although she won't be here for very long, she has lived here all of her life, loved it, and hated the thought of it ever changing, even after she is gone. She signed the letter, and asked for more copies. We hope that you do too!

www.speakupwny.com

Click on the link below and read Monday's report from Speak Up WNY, an excellent independent source of news and commentary for the WNY region.

http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3084.shtml

Here are some other articles concerning the situation thus far.
12/14/06 http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3036.shtml
12/27/06 http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3058.shtml
12/29/06 http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3062.shtml
01/10/07 http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3079.shtml
01/12/07 http://www.speakupwny.com/article_3083.shtml

YOU DO THE MATH. POINTS TO PONDER.

What is the Town of Alden's position on the approximately 40,000 yards of top soil that would be stripped from the proposed rezone site?

How will the developer handle the possible agricultural chemical residue that Mr. Sherwood implied was in that soil?

Would the Town have a problem with one of it's most valuable resources being hauled away?

Perhaps the citizens of Alden should petition the Town Board to reverse a poor decision made years ago, that made this section of Alden along Broadway zoned C1 and C2. The position of this planning board, and past planning boards, seems to be that development on good farm ground is inevitable, progress is development, open ground is wasted ground, "growth" is good, more "improvements" = more taxes = more town services = growth = more "improvements" = etc.

In the end, we find ourselves living in "Greater Buffalo" with all of our "improvements" like Amherst, Cheektowaga and Lancaster, driving 30 mph between signals.

Jim Guarino

ALDEN ADVERTISER "YOUR HOME TOWN PAPER"

Watch for this week's Alden Advertiser. We've distributed a two sided insert (it's yellow). PLEASE follow the instructions, and sign the letter and mail it to us at Alden RRG 1342 Sandridge Rd. We'll deliver your letters to the Town Board, presenting them at future town board meetings where there will be witnesses and they will be forever recorded in the official minutes.

Not everybody gets the paper, so if you would like extra copies for your friends and neighbors, please let us know (contact us at save_alden@yahoo.com).

Your 39 cents for postage could make all the difference!
Thanks!!! The Alden RRG

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND

Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 8:13 AM
Subject: Walmart

We (4 voters at this residence) are also against having a Wal-Mart in Alden.
My reasons are based partially on the points made previously , but also because I
am against any development that destroys good agricultural land.
It does not matter if the land is being farmed now, but at some point in the future, everyone will suddenly realize that we can't feed ourselves in this country.
Once agricultural and forested land is made into house lots, roads, plazas, etc., it will never be able to be reclaimed.

It is unfortunate that too few people recognize that "undeveloped" land is a resource for the future, and not a plum for greed and development.
Perhaps it should be a requirement that any development that involves building houses, roads,
stores, etc, on land suited for crops, will involve a large (50% or more of the property value) contribution to
the town for the purchase of development rights on the remaining farm land and undeveloped land in the town.


To add to the points that you bring up in your flier:

Do the VOLUNTEER first responders in our town, have the manpower and equipment available to handle a large retail complex?
Does any developer or the town board have the right to "assume" that the volunteer fire and first aid crews WANT expand their exposure to more calls, and more difficult situations?

Jim Guarino

WHERE DO WE SIGN?

My family and I are absolutely against the Wal-Mart Plaza. I have seen the petitions at several area restaurants in favor of Wal-Mart. Is there a petition for those who are opposed? What can we do to help? WK

Answer from ARRG: Petitions are available at Blair's Hardware, Mobil Station, Creighton Optical, La Paloma's, Olsen's Feed, Geofano's Pizza, Town & Country Restaurant. If you go there and their petition sheets are full, please let us know. You can also obtain a sheet yourself to take to your neighbors and friends, by emailing us at save_alden@yahoo.com

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING???

My entire family is against the WAL-MART. WAL-MART is an atrocious eyesore. I can't imagine going to school everyday and into town and passing by the traffic. You don't think WAL-MART will disrupt your life?With all the traffic and congestion it creates, think of how much longer it will take you to get into or out of town. Think of how much earlier your kids might have to get on the buses for school to battle the traffic. There is a WEGMAN's, Kohls', and Target on Tranist in Lancaster, only 10 or 15 minute away. Besides, WAL-MARTS products are cheap looking and are made by child labor and workers in third world countries who earn pennies a day and no benefits like maternity leave! Not to mention the civil suits against them for discrimination. Is that what you want Alden to become? CM

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE

Growth is good for everyone but it must be managed and responsible to the community. It also must be in one area and only one area. To prevent what happened in Alden at the old Top's shopping plaza. Ted

MONEY TALKS and GREED WALKS

A large number of the pro people want Walmart for monetary gain. They can sell their property for a high price and move someplace else or they hope Walmart will increase their business. They don't care what happens to the town. Judy

NO MORE EMPTY PLAZAS!!

I am very interested in what you have to say. I am a lifelong resident of Alden and do not want any more plaza's built in our beautiful town. We have enough half empty plazas as it is..........RW

ALL ROADS WILL LEAD TO ALDEN

HELLO!
A BIG QUESTION ON MY MIND IS TRAFFIC FLOW FOR THE SURROUNDING STREETS COMING INTO BROADWAY. I LIVE ON TWO ROD ROAD. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE EXCESSIVE SPEED THE FOLKS FROM EAST AURORA AND SURROUNDING TOWNS WILL USE ON THIS STREET TO GET TO THE WALMART THEY SO VEHEMENTLY KEPT OUT OF THEIR TOWN?
PLEASE KEEP ME POSTED.
SINCERELY,
PATTY

SIZE DOES MATTER-SMALLER IS BETTER

Below are comments received from Nancy X. a few weeks ago to our email address; which we've copied and pasted here with her permission. If you'd also like to comment, please send us an email to save_alden@yahoo.com. We can publish your position either with full disclosure of your identity or you can remain confidential. Any questions, just ask Alden Residents for RESPONSIBLE GROWTH


"Alden is going to lose its good citizens because of this nightmare, and more "city slime" will be oozing into our area, along with their penchant for grafitti, litter, gangs, lack of consideration, etc. As proof, I had the misfortune of having to shop at the Tops in Lancaster the other day. As I was looking at the cheese section, trying to decide which ones were on sale, a woman literally PUSHED in front of me and stood there for about 3 minutes, trying to decide what to buy....no, "excuse me", no "pardon me", no comment whatsoever, only a dirty look and a push.....................is this what we want for Alden?????!!!!!! This was not isolated to one rude woman - several people who were walking out from an aisle didn't even look to see if anyone was coming, but they just PUSHED ahead of me, almost hitting me because I wasn't pushing a cart. At the M&T Bank in Lancaster, I was walking in ahead of a woman, who clearly wanted to get ahead of me (practically walking up my back to get past me). When I accidently started to turn the wrong way to get into the taped off line, she RAN to get in front of me..........Now, this has happened to me at the Alden Bank (Alden office), but the person would step aside, smile, and let me in line in the order in which we entered the bank.

WE MUST KEEP ALDEN AS A SMALL TOWN, NOT JUST IN SIZE, BUT IN ATTITUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Please feel free to reprint anything I said above, as long as you only use my first name, thanks!

- Nancy x.

Walmart: A magnet for Crime

Please read the article below regarding Crime & Walmart

Wal-Mart crime magnet,
foes say
May 9, 2006
BY FRANK LOMBARDI
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Foes of Wal-Mart turned up the heat yesterday in their campaign to keep the giant retailer out of the city by charging that its stores are ''a magnet for crime.''


You can view the entire article at
http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/416316p-351708c.html .

**Welcome to our new Blog!!

This is the first post on our new blog run by Alden Residents for Responsible Growth

Here we hope to provide information about a Big-Box plaza proposed for the Martin farm on Broadway near Four Rod and Sandridge Rd. A development that will surely be the first step in turning beautiful, peaceful Alden into the next developers playground and a nightmare for those who appreciate what we have. This is something that we find an intolerable development that appears to have the backing of our Planning Board, Chamber of Commerce and especially the Economic Development Board. All positions that we do not vote for either the members or who they hire and pay with our tax dollars.

One of the main reasons those who promote this project put forth is the so called bonanza of tax dollars that will flow into the Town. If you think your taxes will go down if this goes in could you first ask yourself if any ones taxes were ever lowered in the areas where you travel to now for large scale retail? The answer is a simple NO, the only thing we'll be doing is welcoming our beautiful town into the age of characterless, ANYTOWN, USA. With a strip of national chains the same as every community that goes down this path we will choke our Mom and Pop establishments, introduce traffic from surrounding areas, overburden our Law Enforcement and Fire Department, see a rise in crime and an overall decline in our quality of life. In fact, as every other community that goes down this path, we will likely see our taxes rise to support this type of growth.

We think it's irresponsible and will fight it with every means at our disposal to stop it and instead promote growth that fits our community and serves its citizens. We hope you agree and want to join us. To get on our mailing list for upcomming meetings and other information please write us at Save_Alden@Yahoo.com .