ImagineAmenia meets, greets, eats

AMENIA ­— More than 100 people attended ImagineAmenia’s annual fall barbecue on Sunday at the Amenia Fish and Game Club.

According to president Sue Gregory, membership in the activist group, founded in 2003, has grown to 200 members.

“When we first started it was grassroots and we met around people’s kitchen tables,� Gregory said. “The major issues right now we are dealing with are the wastewater system, dealing with developers like Silo Ridge and Keene Stud. We have to be vigilant.�

She said that the group wants town residents to have a say in how the town should grow.

“I hope the scenery in town won’t change much in 10 years, but we will probably have more residents and small businesses,� she said. “I think the town can grow in a good, positive way.�

Board member Harold Noah said the main focus for the fall will be the primary and general elections.

“We have endorsed several candidates this year and we think that people like [town Supervisor] Janet Reagon and [Councilwoman] Vicki Doyle have done a good job,� Noah said. “But the focus of the group is to protect the environment while trying to attract the community businesses that will widen the tax base. And get services that the community wants.�

While the purpose of the meeting was to elect members to the Board of Directors, the last part of the meeting included a speech by financial consultant James Sheldon, who warned Amenia residents to be cautious of development projects.

“The large-scale residential development in rural towns like this leads to substantial property tax increases for all,� Sheldon said. “The developers say that [development] raises the tax base and you will see your property taxes decline, and that could not be further from the truth. Also, the lack of zoning and planning will reduce the value of your home.�

At the meeting, member Betty Rooney told the audience that it is important to protect the environment for future generations.

“The American Indians have a saying: We don’t leave this land to the next generation, we borrow it from them,� Rooney said. “We need to protect what we have here for the next generation and our children, for your grandchildren and mine. Because if we don’t protect it, they will never get to live the same life that we’ve been blessed with.�

Various town officials and candidates were at Sunday’s event. However, they were only briefly introduced to the audience and they did not get the chance to speak.

Because there were no new nominations, Steven Benardete, Darlene Riemer and Alison Hale were all re-elected to the group’s Board of Directors.

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