Wright Weighs Dollar General Decision

GALLUPVILLE - The future of the Town of Wright was on the agenda for two separate meetings on Tuesday night. The Gallupville House Association (GHA) met in the historic building to discuss plans for 2025. After a busy and successful 2024, the few members who did gather brainstormed about what kinds of events to put in in the coming year. Perennial favorites like the Easter egg hunt and the July ice cream social were discussed and easily added to the list without too much consideration. 2024 saw the arrival of a new sound system, and the members hope to host more musical performances in the coming year. Lessons learned from the past year were also discussed (an exciting marionette performance was scheduled in conflict with Schoharie Systems Soccer games). The meeting was essentially an idea session meant to get a list of proposed ideas with the intention of fleshing them out further in January. 

At the opposite end of Gallupville in Town Hall, the Wright Planning Board met in front of a packed house to discuss the proposed Dollar General along 443. After considerable conversation regarding the New York State Department of Transportation and the possibility of lowering the speed limit near Shutters Corners should the project go through, Chairperson Evan Motschmann turned to open the meeting for public comment with the stipulation that there be "no banter back and forth" between attendees and that those wishing to speak up restrict their comments to two minutes. It rarely works out that way entirely, but for the most part, speakers minded the rules and expressed their concerns, support for, and opposition to the Dollar General project. Jeff Senecal, whose home is one of six located in close proximity to the site, asked the board to consider if they would want a Dollar General in their side yard. He also noted a 3-1 ratio of no vs. yes at the public hearings. George Kramer wondered if anyone had considered the potential for the project to devalue surrounding homes. Kramer, who far exceeded his allocated two minutes, passed around photos of a Dollar General in Schenectady surrounded by trash and lacking snow removal. He also passed around a photo of the Dollar General in Duanesburg with porta-johns in the parking lot, which are currently serving as the store's bathrooms. "Something went wrong," said Kramer. "Brand new store. Porta-johns." The one issue that seemed to unite those either for or against (and on Tuesday, those in opposition far outnumbered those in favor) was the speed limit. Connie Skinner, a neighbor in favor of the project, suggested the speed limit should be reduced from the Wright line through the village. "It's a real dangerous area," said Frank Weber, a neighbor opposed. "Even without a Dollar General." Board member Bill Lee suggested the speed limit should be lowered anyway. "Even if it doesn't go through, it should be lowered." 

The board plans to have its final vote in January (if the board were not to vote at all, it would default to approval by next month). While not official, a straw vote offered a glimpse into how the board will vote. All but one voted in favor of the project (Bill Lee voted to abstain, explaining he wanted to read more). The burden of the decision was visible on most of the board's faces. January will mark three years since the project was introduced. Motschmann explained that he could not find good enough ground to oppose, explaining that if they were to vote no, it would "go higher" (presumably meaning higher courts), at which point much of the work the board has done in the past three years, the requirements they had made of Bohler Engineering, including the building's façade, landscaping, and dampening of lights after 10:00 pm., could all fall away. While it may not appear so on the surface, by voting yes, they are protecting the town from the project, leaving their domain and influence. Hopefully, it is a strategy that works. Before the straw vote, Motschmann spoke of thinking about the project's impact in the middle of the night and reflected on how whatever decision the board makes can alter the Town of Wright permanently. Motschmann's late-night musings are weighty, and they are certainly not wrong. A final vote on the project is set for Tuesday, January 14, at 7:30 pm at the Wright Town Hall.