Green space debate is about balance

Our family has lived in the Town of Amherst since 1970. During this time we have worked to support open space in our town, and we have also been in business. Most of my career was spent in business as a manager and owner. I believe in seeking a balance between the business development needs and the green space needs of our community.

Over the past 30 years, I have taken the opportunity to look at a number of development programs undertaken by the town. In my business opinion, not a single project I saw included fully loaded costs in their proposals. This means we have helped finance these projects with our tax dollars. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on where we are in the overall development of our community. It may have been a wise decision 20 or 30 years ago to encourage development when there was plenty of open space and a need for more business and commercial facilities. In 2007, however, I believe the balance has swung to a point where we need open space to protect our quality of life more then we need additional commercial space.

I believe it is the responsibility of the Town Board to provide Amherst residents with accurate information on the costs to the taxpayer of a bond for open space and the cost for additional development. Make no mistake, both options will cost money. I believe it is also the responsibility of the Town Board to provide residents with the opportunity to vote on the bond for open space, and I applaud their vote this week to allow a referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Larry Drake Tonawanda Creek Road

Amherst