By Nancy Muldoon
Just as the lead in the Roman’s water supply essentially destroyed the Roman Empire, overdevelopment of Saratoga Springs is destroying the beauty and charm of city that is known for health, history and horses.
As one of the few native Saratogian’s left here in Saratoga Springs I feel the need to add my two cents. Attendance is down this year at the Racecourse and it isn’t because of the weather. Gas prices are in fact a contributing problem but lets face it, Saratoga has gone bust, we’ve ruined a good thing.
Between overpriced hotel rooms, restaurants and lack of parking spaces and more importantly, the overdevelopment of hotels, which remain largely empty most of the year, are all killing our city in the country.
Building things that are useful isn’t necessarily a bad thing but let us remember Saratoga Springs and more pointedly the roadways are still operating as if we were still a horse and buggy town. With all the development in Saratoga, the fat cats who run this city have failed miserably when it comes to expanding streets and roadways that have been outdated for as long as I can remember. Then there is the issue of much needed traffic lights on intersections that are deadly even when it isn’t racing season.
Case in point: the intersection at Lincoln Ave at Route 50 needs a traffic light, the intersection at Woodlawn and Van Dam is begging for a traffic light, anyone who has tried to navigate their way at these sections knows what I am talking about.
There are many streets on the west side of town that were once suitable in the 19th century are no longer appropriate and should have been updated long ago.
Maybe we could open up some gambling establishments here in Saratoga to offset the costs of updating our roadways. Oh, wait a minute, Gambling is illegal here in New York State, I forgot. Never mind.
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