To the Editor:

When I first came to Altamont, many years ago, it was a vibrant self-reliant business community, active in all phases of business and personal life. Since the, it has lost 90 percent of its past business and professional expertise.

For example, the village had two physicians, a drugstore, two auto-service centers, as well as an auto sales company, a bowling alley, and a grocery store as well as Crupe’s Market. It also had a shoe-repair shop and Little League ball clubs.

I could go on forever but I’m afraid it would be an exercise in futility. Business-wise and otherwise, we reduced ourselves to being a bedroom community only. Example, once again Stewart’s has tried to expand its local operation in order to provide a broader range of service and once again a minority of residents are resisting, stifling public progress and need to satisfy their own personal desires or lack thereof.

Their reasoning is purely artificial and I don’t believe it is the will of the community at large. However, whatever the future will be, will be and so be it.

George Pratt

Altamont