To the Editor:

Sometimes life throws you a curveball that you just don’t see coming. On Dec. 31, 2017, I retired from the town of Guilderland from a job I loved. After my great boss, Dennis Moore, retired as Parks & Rec director, I took on the role of recreation director on top of the role of public relations officer for the town. 

It was an honor and a privilege to work with a wonderful staff and co-workers and to interact with thousands of Guilderland and Altamont families signing up for our programs. I retired from recreation but continued to serve the town as the public relations officer. I am “officially” retiring on Dec. 31, 2020, and I have done some reflecting on the past years.

On March 10, 2020, I was at the town hall when the first COVID cases came into Albany County. I said goodbye to my colleagues (my daughter was expecting our first grandchild) and headed for our house on Cape Cod, thinking we would be in lockdown for a few weeks

Nine months later, we are still battling a pandemic that has sickened so many, killed over 280,000 of our citizens and we are only now hoping for a vaccine that might save many more lives.

More than anything, I miss my Altamont friends, my neighbors, my co-workers, and my extended family.  I miss being involved in my community. The fight is not over. We must remain vigilant by wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining a physical distance, and not giving in to our weariness.

I would like to thank Supervisor Peter Barber for his daily updates. We created the framework to update residents back in March and every day since then, I have read Supervisor Barber’s daily updates because he gives us the facts, the truth, and the reality of what we all need to do to get through these difficult times (with some much needed humor when we forget what it means to smile).

Today, on Dec. 8, 2020, we are now on the 274th update from our supervisor. Go to the following link if you would like to catch up on the updates.

I am thankful that we live in a community that pulls together to support each other. I have seen so many acts of kindness during these difficult times that I believe we can get through this by overcoming our differences and remembering what it means to unite for the greater good of our community and our country.

Even now, as cases are rising and it seems unbelievable that we haven’t beaten back this virus, I take comfort that at the end of every update from Supervisor Barber, are the words “Thank you for staying safe and calm.” 

Linda Cure

Altamont