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If Not Now When?
Dear Editor:
A few weeks ago, Rodney Dow wrote a letter to the editor titled " Philipstown Code Enforcement is a Joke." He was right on point. Why is lack of enforcement so pervasive and consistent in Philipstown? Here is my opinion:
First is the intent of the entrenched and antiquated Zoning Laws. The misguided intent of the Zoning Laws makes it seem that developers and speculators have a sacred right to access their property. If not, it is considered " Taking. " As it stands now, this sacred right to access property is doing untold damage to the environment. As it stands now, Zoning Laws support developers and speculators, not the environment.
Second is the mentality of the developers themselves. Somehow developers have taken the beauty and mystery of life, squeezed it all the way down, and made money and profit the sole purpose of living. Viewing the earth as a commodity, they have no problem blasting, bulldozing, clear-cutting, polluting the wetlands and water.supply, ravaging the steep slopes, removing every living thing and their habitats, so they can build houses. Plundering along, out of touch and disconnected from the natural world, developers have long forgotten or never knew, the earth is not just a commodity, it is what sustains all life. Continuing to degrade, pollute, and destroy what sustains your life is a form of insanity.
Here's a suggestion to the committee that is reviewing and rewriting the Philipstown Zoning Laws. Have some guts and vision. If building a house damages the environment now or in the future, you can't build. If building a house damages the property of the surrounding neighbors, now or in the future, you can't build. That would solve the problem of enforcement once and for all.
James Knox Esq. recently wrote a letter to this paper disparaging Suzie Gilbert and Russ Cusick. He attacked the messengers and missed the message. Mr. Knox; you might not like Mr. Cusick's approach or Suzie Gilbert's writing, but think on this: Rodney Dow and I were on the Philipstown C.A.C. for over ten years. Suzie Gilbert was chair- person of the C.A.C. We all resigned. Why? Because of developments such as Billy's Way. When Billy's Way was a construction site, after a minor rain, I walked the property. I saw soil and construction material flowing over and under the silt fence, into the stream that Mr. Cusick was concerned about. Were violations and fines given to Mr. Villetto? Not to my knowledge. After years of seeing little or no enforcement of the environmental laws, we resigned.
Mr. Knox, you said, " It is obvious what is going on here. We have some over-zealous environmental nuts living in our community, who are perturbed that other people want too share the same planet with them. " You might not share our views Mr. Knox, but you do have something in common with Rodney Dow, Suzie Gilbert, and myself. Children. And I bet, like us, you would like to see your children and grandchildren, inhabit a world capable of sustaining life. That seems to be the message you missed.
Philip Vartanian North Highlands
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