Board’s split vote reflects diverse village opinions on Stewart’s plan

To the Editor:

On behalf of myself and the Altamont Village Board, I want to thank the residents who came out to our village board meeting on Wednesday to share their thoughts and ideas related to the proposed Stewart’s expansion project. The village board had a tough decision to weigh, and the feedback was both helpful and essential to our decision-making process.

A common theme that resonated when listening to all opinions was residents wanting to work with the Stewart’s Corporation on creating a store that would be a win-win for both the village and Stewart’s; the difference in opinion was what was the best way to do that moving forward.

The board decided to rezone the parcel back to its original zoning of Commercial Business District, allowing Stewart’s the opportunity to go through our planning and zoning process to create a new space that will suit Altamont’s needs.

This next phase of the project will benefit, once again, from public input. I encourage all our residents to stay involved and be part of the conversation that will take place as a new store is developed for our community. In short, we hope to continue to have a proactive process rather than a reactive one.

On a personal note, I want to thank the village board members for their careful deliberation as I recognize the challenges that come with serving a community with many points of view. Each member wants to represent residents as best we can, both individually and collectively.

I believe our split vote of 3 to 2 is a reflection of the diverse opinions in our community and the vote clearly demonstrated that, as a board, we take our charge as representatives seriously whilst representing residents from all corners of the village.

I wish everyone the best for this holiday season and a happy New Year.

Kerry Dineen

Mayor of Altamont

More Letters to the Editor

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.