To the Editor:

I am writing to you with fond memories of growing up in Altamont and to express my concern about the expansion of the commercial zone into the Helderberg Avenue residential neighborhood.

My family roots run deep since my fifth great-grandfather, George Severson, ran the Wayside Inn where the Stewart's store is located.  My grandfather, Millard Severson, was supervisor of the town of Guilderland in 1949 after establishing the Severson Insurance Agency in 1925.

In addition, one of my great grandfathers was George T. Weaver, a mason, built the Weaver Family home at the end of Maple Avenue, where my mother, Frances Severson, was born.

My other great-grandfather, Frank Cowan, worked for Charles Beebe as a harness maker in what is now the Re-Nue Spa, and his son, Millard, worked for the Altamont Postal Service, delivering mail in the outlying areas.  Millard's wife, Edna Harder, was a teacher at the  Altamont Union Free School in the early 1900s.

My father, David F. Cowan, continued the Severson Insurance Agency and was active in many civic activities in Altamont for years, ultimately purchasing the Altamont train station both for his business and to protect it for future generations.

When I inherited co-ownership of the station, and decided to sell it, we were very careful in considering potential buyers.

What would their intentions be for this historic building and its place at the center of the village? How would a potential business affect the uniqueness of Altamont and would it have a  positive impact on village life and its residents?

I had witnessed the unsightly buildings and out-of-place development in other smaller communities throughout the state as well in neighboring New England.  I wanted to keep these questions at the forefront.  Thankfully a positive solution arose when the library needed a new home.

And so it became that new center of Altamont, the Altamont Free Library housed at the train station.

I share this rich and varied family history so you understand why I have such strong feelings about Altamont and protecting its historic village character.  I know Altamont adopted a comprehensive plan a few years ago to do this very thing, providing a roadmap for future development and guiding decision-making directed at protecting the village and its historic character for generations to come.

And now the vision of Altamont as delineated in the comprehensive plan could be compromised. A historic residential area would begin to erode and a commercial footprint would expand.  The decision to change an area from residential to commercial is a weighty decision.

In selling the train station, I wanted a win-win solution for the village.  And now my hope is that Stewart's and the planning board can present a win-win solution in the remodeling of the building and property while maintaining the present residential boundary.

Gail Severson Cowan Wariner

Park City, Utah