Jean Bryan, Guilderland

In a press release drumming up business last week, Hamilton Parc, which has received millions in town-approved tax breaks, sought and received publicity for single-room apartments with a starting low of $2,475 per month and two-room units at the high end for nearly $4,000 a month

In Guilderland, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1 and all of the elected officials are Democrats. But divisions within the party appear to be healing as Christine Napierski was appointed deputy supervisor.

Acting county Supreme Court Justice David Weinstein in December determined Crossgates’ own appraisal for 2019 and 2020 was the “most consistent” analysis of the property’s value, and ruled in the Crossgates’ favor, ordering that the Guilderland’s “assessment rolls are to be corrected accordingly, and any overpayments of taxes are to be refunded with interest.”

One further suit seeking to stop the Costco project, filed in September, has yet to be decided. It has the same petitioners represented by the same lawyer as the suit that was just dismissed ​​and seeks to annul the Aug. 22 decision by the Guilderland Industrial Development Agency to allow Pyramid to acquire by eminent domain the roads in the neighborhood Pyramid had bought up years ago where it plans to build the Costco.

“Writers write,” said Timothy Wiles, adding that he is looking forward to the discipline of writing a poem each day as “a good way to transition from one life to another.”

The town formed a committee to update its comprehensive plan, the village preserved its community traditions but will lose the service of its rescue squad after 86 years, and the school district continued its work to prepare students for a diverse and inclusive world.