Subject: Bethany Town Hall Hello, Bethany History Keepers! Many of you know that on Election Day, Tues., Nov. 4th, there was the Proposition on the Ballot, to vote yes or no in regard to the town "purchasing and renovating the present Bethany Volunteer Fire Department Community Building" to enable them to move out of the present Town Hall and transfer their offices and the court room to a new building. You probably already know that the Propostion was passed, the town board receiving the approval from voters to purchase the rec. hall building and renovate it for use of the town offices. It was by a slim margin that their Proposition passed: 177 to 169 ~ It has been said that is the largest number of total votes on any referendum proposed in the town's history. As you can see by the votes, the proposal was passed by so narrow a margin of voters, (only 8 votes!) that the town board most surely should realize that they do not have the majority of the townspeople backing them on this issue. It shows it is more like, 50-50. The Daily News read: "The proposition faced challenge from historical preservationists who wanted the town to stay in the current Town Hall, which was built in 1832."* ~ While this fact is true, it also misses the point that another solid reason that we ("the preservationists") and many other citizens wanted the town offices to stay in the present Town Hall site is due to obvious maintainance and upkeep. The town will now be in charge of maintaining two buildings---that is, if they retain ownership of the Town Hall. They have a proposal to buy the building (the public has not been told yet as to whom this person/business is who has the desire to make this purchase, nor has any information been given as to the dollar amount proposed, and most importantly, no information has been made public that the building was put up for sale!) Other results from the election include: "All positions were uncontested. Supervisor John Hollwedel received 236 votes; board members Walter Wenhold and Joyce Fleming received 236 and 262 respectively; clerk Debbie Douglas had 275; highway superintendent Roy Hersee had 295, Justice William Shea had 262 and tax collector Norma Bower received 208 votes." * * quoted from: The Daily News, Batavia, November 5-2003, p.A-7; Genesee County, by Paul Mrozek, Scott DeSmit, and Roger Muehlig There are still many unanwered questions; the issue of what exactly will be done with the Town Hall remains unknown. Also, the feedback from local citizens is that the fire department was not in 100% agreement with the decision to sell the building to the town. I have been told that the vote occurred with the members who were in attendance at a meeting, but which not all members were present. What all this means--History Keepers of Bethany, and all of you with an interest in our area--what this means is that we must continue to attend town board meetings, or at least contact someone who has been to the meeting and learn what went on--in other words, our interest should not wane, our actions should not whither, our voices should not be stilled. Replacing the Town Hall Offices with another building is not the only thing this was truly all about---it was also about what local government can do when citizens of the community are not aware of issues going on, or do not come forward and have their presence be known and let their voices be heard, and do not practice their democratic privilege of voting---because then, those that hold office can use their "power" to make all the decisions, because "those who voted, put them in that office, and therefore, they have the power to run things as they see fit." It then no longer becomes a true government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We have all been guilty of these errors; we have busy schedules, we have jobs and families; we want to get home after a busy day and enjoy relaxing in the comfort of our homes. One thing this election has shown the people of Bethany, however, is that we are interested in our town and what is going on; we do appreciate the value of the historic parts of our community; and I do believe that most people do want to pass along to our future generations what our Bethany pioneers and settlers and all those who have lived in Bethany over the past 200 years worked for -- history is a "hot topic" in many ways right now--many are searching their family genealogies, or the history of the family home, or the background of the land they live upon, or details about the architecture of the homes around them. Don't let anyone tell you that "Bethany has nothing going for it" (I was told this--but have never believed it)-- Bethany is rich in history, and still retains a lot of its charm in its buildings, its picturesque countryside, and most of all, in its citizens. Numerous families have lived in this town for generations; roads and byways have names of these people. Maybe we no longer have the postal office at Linden, or the dozen school buildings that once dotted the roadways, nor do we see the vast apple orchards that succumbed to nature, years ago.... But---what is in Bethany is worth saving, holding onto, and preserving. The Old County Home has been opened up into a mall of shoppes, yet still retains a sense of what that building once was: a home and refuge for the poor, the ill and even the unwanted. You can drive down any roadway in Bethany and view lands that many would be eager to live on, or view from their front window; our area is rich in farmland but also in vast scenic rolling hills of beauty. The Bethany Air Park is being renovated for use, out on Bethany Center road. Our Fire Department is always there, responding in time of need by volunteers who often do their job with little or no thanks. And now, if things do go as we were told, there should be a portion of the Town Hall to be used by the town historian as the Bethany Historical Museum -- a place where we can truly preserve what we want future citizens to know about their past. It's too soon to tell yet, exactly how this will be worked out, but it is not too early to start thinking about what you would like to contribute to such a museum--perhaps you have letters or newspaper clippings from your grandfather, photos, or family articles such as a wedding dress or a farm tool passed down to you, or documents such as marriage licenses, land deeds, letterhead stationery or receipts from former businesses of the town, or any item that has significance because it is a part of Bethany in some particular way. We should focus now on what we can do to bring Bethany to the standard our forebears would find satisfaction in, and that we ourselves feel pride in, and a way that we can be an inspiration to those of years ahead. Please do not feel discouraged; we may have lost a battle, but we should not feel defeated ~ there is still much to do ~ perhaps, even, the battle is not lost completely--the fire dept. needs to confirm the sale of the rec. hall before any of this can take place. If you know of anyone associated with the fire dept., perhaps they can help us in seeing how they truly stand on this issue, and if there should be any way in which we may be able to be of help to them. Whatever happens, we are still a community: a group of people sharing common interests. Personally, I want to say a huge thank-you to all who worked so extremely hard in the days before Election Day - to May, for composing a superb flyer, 'Vote NO!' - pointing out the facts and helpful info about retaining our Town Hall (which was produced in 'response' to the town-board-oriented flyer that urged residents to vote Yes for a new building, and included info not completely accurate in regard to pricing of renovations, etc.), to Donna, for delivering flyers and then even xeroxing more copies and going out again and again, to Lynda, a supporter from Texas, who owns property and resides in Bethany for part of the year, to Terri, for her willingness to distribute flyers at her East Bethany General Store, & her presentation of architectural drawings for another slant on how to renovate the present building to enlarge areas, which she showed at the public meeting, & which even tho ignored by the town board, we are indebted to her time and commitment and obvious love for preservation, to those who spoke up at the public meeting two weeks ago, I'm sorry I don't know your names, but I thank you for your support, to Scot DeSmit, for his articles in the Daily News, writing of our hopes and reasons for retaining the Town Hall, -and- a very special thank you, to Jane, for all her legal-ease assistance & know-how, her eagerness, her attendance at the board meetings, for going to Office Max to xerox flyers when she could have stayed home on a rainy day, and her solid commitment from the very beginning, Thank you, everyone! Let's keep in touch ~ and -please!- if you have anything to post on the Bethany Town Page Website, e-mail and let me know! No article is too small ~ all information is important--it could be just what someone else is looking forward to reading! Linda Web-Page Editor for Bethany BETHANY: Its Past and Present ~ Bethany Town Page http://www.arkwebshost.com/family/bluebird/TownOfBethany.shtml Contributor for the BUFFALO and Western NYS Website: www.buffalonian.com ~ History Through Newspapers