To the Editor:
The June 9, 2023 letter to the editor from Kathy Burbank [“The people opposing tax breaks for Costco talked about bats, birds, and butterflies,” The Altamont Enterprise, June 2023], while criticizing people who left their homes, our fellow neighbors, to come out and give public comments on the environmental impact of the proposed Costco omitted the fact that there are also opposing public comments from businesses and/or outside area residents favoring the project without mention of environmental harm.

Perhaps, when Kathy Burbank’s seemingly mock astonishment about public comments opposing the tax breaks and concern about “businesses maybe going out of business,” K. Burbank needs reminding of the conduct of Guilderland town leadership precedent; for example, when the Guilderland Fire Department launched a rose-sale fundraiser during the Valentine’s Day period which severely harmed Jean Simmons, owner of the former Classica Florist located directly within the neighborhood of the fundraiser and how said fundraiser destroyed her business with nods to other local florists’ revenue hits according to Enterprise articles on Oct. 8, 2009 [“Firefighters' fund-raiser a thorny issue: Local florists are hurt”] and Feb. 23, 2012 [“Florist says GFD rose sales shut her down”].

In my opinion, Kathy Burbank’s letter to the editor sounded to pit business against residents. The animosity shown in Guilderland against people seeking quality-of-life protections and code enforcement is astounding; for example, trying to keep neon and LED signage out of view into their homes.

Kathy Burbank wrote how astounded she was by the public comments yet, while this IDA [Industrial Development Agency] matter is before the town, at the very location of the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce, in plain view, businesses have been making an astounding mockery of town codes by putting up and displaying LED signage with distractions to drivers and pedestrian safety.   

Christine Duffy

Guilderland

Editor’s note: The May 31 IDA hearing was on two Pyramid requests: eminent domain for roads and a tax break; the environmental issues were reviewed by the town’s planning and zoning boards and had withstood several lawsuits.