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War On Crossgates – The Community Fights Back
War On Crossgates
The Community Fights Back
By Daniel Van Riper
The evil and rapacious Pyramid Corporation, through a combination
of trickery and deception, has geared up for an unprecedented
Crossgates Maul expansion plan designed to suck the life and
livelihood out of the citizens of the Capital District. Corrupt and
spineless Town of Guilderland officials, no doubt anticipating hefty
“campaign contributions,” patronage jobs for relatives and other
pay-offs from Pyramid, have refused to listen to the angry and
frustrated community.
Proving once again that they are acting in bad faith, Pyramid
launched an all-out assault on the surrounding homeowners, forcing
them to sell their homes. The proposed expansion plan supposedly does
not extend beyond existing Maul property. Yet according to the
Altamont Enterprise, the Pyramid Corporation, hiding like cowards
behind a pair of front companies called Warp Enterprises and
Westville Associates, has spent $3.2 million since March to purchase
property along Route 20, Lawton Terrace and Westmere Terrace.
This expansion of Crossgates, the latest in a series that will
certainly continue into the future, will have a vast negative impact
on the region. There will be an exponential increase in traffic,
noise, air pollution, crime, jobs lost as retail dollars are sucked
out of the area, entire neighborhoods devastated or destroyed, and of
course the incalculable pressure on the surrounding Pine Bush
ecosystem. The only conceivable benefit from the Maul expansion is
increased property tax revenue to the town, yet Pyramid has refused
to pay their taxes since 1993, and probably will keep the town tied
up in court at taxpayer expense indefinitely.
There is absolutely no reason for any Guilderland public official
to even consider the expansion, at least not until deadbeat Pyramid
pays their taxes. Therefore, the only possible reason Guilderland
officials have not rejected Pyramid’s demands out of hand is that
they each expect personal gain from their association with Pyramid.
Back in the early 1980’s when Crossgates was being built, elected
officials were given legal bribes in the form of “campaign
contributions.” Also, Pyramid handed out some 500 – 600 patronage
jobs to friends and relatives of politicians, the corporate
privatization of patronage. Pyramid is under indictment for bribery
in several municipalities, and is being held in legal responsible for
the wrongful death of a young mother in Buffalo, NY.
Many hundreds of angry citizens continue to attend a series of
public forums sponsored by the Town of Guilderland. The latest, at
Christ The King Catholic Church on Sumpter Ave., drew more than 400
people, almost unanimously opposed to Pyramid’s schemes and clearly
fed up with the posturings of their elected officials. The purpose of
these meetings, according to Guilderland Supervisor Jerry Yerbury, is
to allow residents “to let off steam.” At the Christ the King meeting
Yerbury inadvertently revealed his true intentions by saying to the
assembly, “Crossgates is not a done deal. I’m not supporting
Crossgates until we’ve heard all comments.”
Residents Organize! – How to get
involved to Stop Crossgates
Crossgates Information – How the Media
Covers the Maul
published Aug/September, 98 Newsletter
