To the Editor:

On March 29, the Hilton barn will cross Route 85A to take its new place on the north side of the street beside the Rail Trail.

Which may lead some of you to ask, “Why did the barn cross the road?”

In our minds, there are two sides to the debate about how to treat our collective history. In this specific case, one side would allow the Hilton barn to be demolished to make way for construction of a road and 18 new homes. A plaque (much like the one marking the old Bender farm just up the road), would doubtless be placed near the barn’s former footprint commemorating its historic significance.

Photos would be taken and displayed, and stories told and articles written of the mammoth barn that once stood there.

The other side would, to the contrary, preserve the past by making the barn a part of the town’s future. It would move the barn to a new location where it could provide commercial, community, and recreational opportunities; promote the blossoming of the Rail Trail; and lead responsible development of the New Scotland hamlet.

A massive roof could support enough solar panels to power the town’s properties. Farmers markets could be housed. A more walkable, greener community could be developed.

Given such a choice, we decided to reject the “historical plaque” side and embrace the other.

So why did the barn cross the road? To get to the other side.

Adam Greenberg

Bill Hennessy

New Scotland

Editor’s note: Adam Greenberg and Bill Hennessy are members of the New Scotland Town Board.