To the Editor:

Over the last few weeks, I have attended several community events and the one topic that has everyone talking and excited about is the Crossgates Mall hotel project. Residents and business owners are so happy with the opportunities that this project will bring to our town, and cannot wait until the shovels break ground.

Everyone is in agreement that the hotel will promote growth to local businesses, and add the much needed curb appeal along that section of Western Avenue.

Let’s not stop here. We need business leaders who are creative and who think outside the box. We need business leaders who are continuously looking for ways to bring business into our town, and ways to give back.

Residents are tired of driving by the “eyesores” of run-down or deserted properties on Western Avenue and deserve the benefits that growth and updating would bring to our community. Let’s all continue to motivate and encourage the ones who are driven to bring and who can deliver opportunity for all of us.

Steve Wacksman

Guilderland