OPEN SPACE GROUP CLARIFIES STANCE
The presser came after opposition used spokeswoman’s quotes in a mailing
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. >> Friends of Clifton Park Open Space spokeswoman Susan Burton Monday clarified the group’s position on the upcoming Shenendehowa land sale vote after a weekend mailer from an opposition group included quotes made by her in October.
In a press conference at the Maxwell Drive entrance to the 34 acres of land, Burton and 10 supporters reiterated their position that voting “No” Tuesday is the first step in a public discussion on whether to keep the land in the public domain.
She called the use of her quotes in the mailer despicable and deplorable and said it shows that the opposition has deep pockets to pay for the first class mailings.
“This is why people don’t want to get involved,” she said. “Those who have the biggest paycheck shouldn’t have the biggest say. I know there is a lot of interest in this. Having a lot of interest is a good thing. We shouldn’t turn it off.”
Voters in the Shen School District can go to the polls Tuesday, April 4 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Gowana Middle School gym to vote on whether to accept the board of education’s decision to sell the land to developer BBL for $2.05 million. The company has offered to donate between 17.5 acres and 19 acres to the Town of Clifton Park for a park.
Burton and the group’s supporters maintain that the discussion of the issue of the land sale was done out of public view in executive session. The board
vote was taken in public within minutes of the opening of the bids.
The FOCPOS contend there is enough public support in the community to negate the board vote and they seek a wider engagement between the board and the public on the issue on what to do with the land.
“Our position has always been that the public has not had a chance to discuss the long range decision on this beautiful untouched 34 acres you see behind me,” Burton said Monday. “We’re trying to show the depth and extent of public concern for keeping this property in the public domain.”
Burton noted the Southern Saratoga YMCA is nearby as is the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, two Shen elementary schools and the Shen campus.
Referring to how quickly the board voted 4-3 to accept the BBL bid, Burton said it had the appearance of a “done deal”.
“This lack of transparence has been compounded by secrecy of the Committee for Shen Future who uses one side of the issue to purposely mislead the public and have wave after wave of robocalls, and multiple first class mailers.
Burton said she and the others do not want to see an issue as important as the long term use of the entire parcel devolve into “he saidshe said”.
“We want what’s in the best interest of the community,” she said. “We want a conversation. The disposition of the land will affect the area for decades. Once it’s gone it’s gone forever. We want the community have a say in what happens.”
An email from the Shen Future group sent after the press conference said FOCPOS are “filling the community with information that has no merit”.
An unidentified spokesperson for the group said there are three facts that shouldn’t be ignored: A “Yes” vote is the only way the community will get land for a park, the land has been deemed suitable by an engineering review, and FOCPOS has engaged in underhanded tactics by misleading voters.
Referring to the last statement, the spokesperson wrote that the nonprofit FOCPOS has received tax deductible donations from a businessman who would benefit from a “No” vote.
The spokesman said if the Town of Clifton Park refuses to accept the land it will be offered to a nonprofit or given back to the school district with a deed restriction forbidding development forever.
“This plan is consistent with the Town Center Plan and any statement to the contrary is patently false,” the spokesman wrote. “The group should not engage in political activity or advocacy.”
Asked to identify or produce a phone number so the conversation could be continued in a form other than email, the Shen Future group said to attribute its statement to a “spokesperson”.
At her press conference Burton referenced the developer’s land offer and the opposition mailers’ claim that a “Yes” vote guarantees a park.
“There is a proposal to donate land but it’s not a central park,” she said. “It’s for a pocket park. A central park is a legacy. It adds to the vitality and quality of life, an issue that came up again and again as we collected signatures. Just because it’s undevelopable for a developer doesn’t mean it’s suitable for a park. To say a “Yes” vote guarantees a park is misleading. We want all 34 acres kept in the public domain. We want a public discussion on that issue and a “No” vote is the first step toward that.”