Issue : Open Space and Environmental Concerns

Vicky Perry	The crucial Community Preservation Act was stopped in the state senate this summer.  Had this bill been enacted, it would have kept farms as active farms and kept open space from development. It would have given owners incentives to keep our land pristine. The preservation act protects space by getting funds from a real estate transfer fee. Such a method has a successful working history. The Community Preservation Act should be put to a vote. We need to stop sprawl now - not in a decade. The County’s Open Space Fund needs additional funding. Also, the county could be more generous in the percentage of their contribution. Finally, to give it some teeth, the towns could get help from the Planning Department to pass their own Farmland Protection Laws.  Red Hook is the Breadbasket and it's no surprise it is the largest recipient. But we need to do more for farming. Period
Marc Molinaro	The State of New York should pass the Community Preservation Act, and the residents of Red Hook should be given an opportunity to vote on the matter. This funding stream, matched with smart use of the County’s Open Space Preservation Fund and implementation of conservation zoning practices will help us preserve valuable farmland and open space. I was prime sponsor of the County’s Open Space Fund. By bringing together the Supervisors and Mayors of our county and working with legislators from the smaller communities in Dutchess, we expanded the original funding criteria giving greater flexibility and higher funding levels for communities like Red Hook. Today, thanks to our cooperative efforts, Red Hook is the largest recipient of these funds! Now that I am a father, I see these issues partly through the eyes of a little girl growing up in our community. I want her, and the thousands of young people living in our community today, to know we did all we could to leave to them a community they will be proud of.