I hope you have had the opportunity to read the recent posting by Anand Dash, president of Sparta Responsible Development (SRD). It is a well thought out, supported by public record facts explanation of the true circumstances that occurred over the last year or so resulting in the possible approval of a mega-warehouse. The planning board and its citizens subcommittee appear to have done a thorough job defining the type of structures, especially warehouses, which can be constructed in the economic development zone. It is obvious from examination of these criteria that a mega warehouse is completely out of balance with respect to what is desired and appropriate. This is really no surprise. What is a surprise is that this was not recognized much earlier on when it could have been diverted or scaled down at that point. Whether by intention or inattention or any number of motivations, a more rigorous functioning of our board and council apparatus could have cut this off at the start. So long as a majority of the present council is in control, I think the risk that we do not take all possible steps to reverse this course is unacceptably high. We are looking for solutions not explanations. Two of the members of the current majority are on the planning board and have expressed no opinion as to the warehouse. I have not seen the mayor responding to questions at present, although I believe in the past he has acknowledged being ambivalent about the warehouse. I think we are looking at an issue much more fundamental than the warehouse per se. That is, either intentions that are in conflict with Sparta‘s best interests , or inadequate management controls to communicate up and down Town management chains in order to prevent getting into the dilemma that we find ourselves presently. I believe the trio of Chiariello Clark and Blumetti can bring the proper skill set to do everything possible to get us out of this current problem, and tighten up operations for the future. Development pressure, water conservation, environmental protection and many other issues require experienced managers. I would hope the next Council would direct a triage of sorts of other sensitive zones within the town where permitted use description should be revisited and perhaps tightened up to avoid other undesirable developments. The overall bottom line is whether we want to continue with a management majority that has failed to prevent the largest debacle in Sparta history or go toa trio of professionals with a skill set including dealing with, anticipating, and managing and resolving difficult legal and technical problems. Finally there is the matter of a debate. This is always a tennis match in political campaigns. Both sides assess whether they will gain or have chance to lose support based on performance in the debate. My understanding is that the Chiariello ticket is ready to debate, and a moderator and venue have been identified. To this point to my knowledge the other side has not agreed to a debate. One must ask what is the reason why they would not wish to be present to defend their record, debate their positions and policies. This is extremely important for Sparta. The recent activity by the planning board confirms without any doubt that the mega warehouse is not desired. Every possible step has been taken to prevent one in the future. We must look for every possible step to prevent one tomorrow. We need the right team to make that happen.
Michael Devine
Sparta