NEW SCOTLAND — The two hot-button issues this campaign season are water and planning. With candidates from both major political parties vying for a supervisor position and two town board seats, the competition for votes has been intense.

Incumbent supervisor Ed Clark is running on both the Republican and Conservative lines against Democratic and Independence challenger Elizabeth Stewart.

For the two town board seats, Wayne LaChappelle and Margaret Neri have the Democratic and Independence lines. Douglas LaGrange is making his second run for a council seat after being defeated in 2003 by 22 votes; he is endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties. Incumbent council woman Andrea Gleason, with eight years on the town board is running for her third term on both the Republican and Conservative ticket.

New Scotland currently has a bipartisan town board with two Republicans—Clark and Gleason—and three Democrats.

Voter enrollment in town is roughly divided into thirds with about one third Democrats, one third Republicans, and one third enrolled in small parties or not enrolled at all.

Water issues

The town has plans to purchase water from Albany and for the neighboring town of Bethlehem to transmit the water, but, at this point, there are no written final agreements.

Candidates were asked how they would help further the water interests of the town.
If Albany doesn’t want to sell water to New Scotland, then what’s next" Even if New Scotland is able to work out a purchase agreement, there is still the issue of constructing new infrastructure. To what areas of town would the candidates like to extend public water service first, and how will these undertakings be funded"

Separately, the Clarksville and North Road Water Districts are supplied with water from wells within the town and are in need of maintenance and upgrades. As with most areas of town, those water systems are surrounded by other residents in desperate need of water. One resident of Morning Star Lane, who is part of the proposed extension to the Clarksville system, said she has been drinking bottled water for 18 years because of contaminants in her well.

The town has proposed a Clarksville water project that will consolidate the North Road Water District and the Clarksville Water District, extend service to individuals living alongside the water main, and extend some piping to new users, making the whole project possible and within the comptroller’s limits by refinancing the debt.

Planning issues

All the candidates agree that affordable housing for old and young people is needed in town, but how they plan to go about making that a reality varies.

Amedore Homes has proposed a planned-unit development to allow three types of townhouses and condominiums for people 55 or older, ranging in price from $140,000, to $250,000 on 74 acres next to the old Saab dealership on New Scotland Road. The project also incluedes 186,000 square feet of commercial out in front by the road.

This re-zone request is likely to be up for town board approval next year.

Concerns have been expressed about the dwindling commercial space in town, the density of housing projects, and affordability.

A subdivision called Kennsington Woods has an application for the largest housing development in New Scotland pending review.

The new plan was to be reviewed by the planning board this month, but was temporarily postponed by the developer.

Based on that application, the Garrison Development Group is proposing 282 residential units on 267 acres of land on the west and east side of Hilton Road. Lot sizes are anticipated to range from 9,000 to 40,000 square feet. Hilton Road is a connector road between Krum Kill and Route 85A, just east of the village of Voorheesville.

A few years ago, a smaller development was proposed in the same area and was referred to as Tall Timbers.

Supervisor Ed Clark said that the Garrison developers are proposing a private water and sewer district for the project.
The candidates were asked if there is such a thing as too much housing"

All the candidates agree that the town needs to increase its commercial tax base which is currently about 6 percent. Since the town doesn’t have an economic-development office, the candidates were asked who should take on such responsibilities, and how elected representatives can actively recruit desirable businesses.

The Residents Planning Advisory Committee (RPAC) handed in its report of recommendations for the route 85 and 85A corridor at the being of this year, but so far the document has remained a dead one. It had been met with some resistance, and has since gone nowhere. Two of the report’s recommendations stand out—for zoning changes and for aesthetic guidelines.

RPAC zoning recommendations include creating mixed uses and considering re-zoning the industrial area on the routes 85 and 85A corridor.

Taxes
When the candidates were interviewed for the primary elections in September, most stated that he or she is fiscally conservative. Now before the November elections, the candidates were asked what their plan of action is for keeping the taxes low. Are there particular programs that they think can be reduced or cut"

Senior services

One municipal program that has expanded in recent years is senior services.

The town of New Scotland is now faced with two growing groups of senior citizens, the extremely elderly and the baby-boomers reaching retirement age. From the 1990 census to 2000, the percentage of people in New Scotland over the age of 85 has increased by 24 percent, and people, 55 to 59, increased by almost 40 percent. These are two new large groups of people that the town did not have to deal with 10 years ago. The candidates were asked what kinds of programs the town should provide to these people.

They were also asked how they see senior service department developing or not developing from here.