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.