Swan Lake

To the editor:

In his Letter to the Editor of October 13, Abe Rutner is correct that we need to find a balance between new development and preserving the rural character of the place we call home, and that means saying “no” to uncontrolled development. In Swan Lake where I live there are at least seven large, high-density housing projects under construction which will bring an estimated 5,000 additional residents to this rural hamlet on both sides of the Liberty/Bethel Town line. That’s the equivalent of half the population of the entire Town of Liberty living in one square mile of the Swan Lake Post Office. This is not “finding a balance.” The Town of Liberty cannot even manage existing levels of development. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Town has violated the Clean Water Act. It has also been cited by the Department for Environmental Conservation for approving unauthorized sewer extensions. Now the Town Supervisor wants to approve yet another huge housing project in the shape of the Lake Hills “Planned Unit Development” on the shores of Swan Lake itself. This is madness, and it must stop.