It's been over a couple weeks since I attended the meeting at the Granite Building in Liberty, where the evening's guest speaker was Arthur Goldberg of Park Place Entertainment and the theme was casino gaming.

Two years ago I last made my way up the manicured drive to the Granite Building. Then, the evening was spent listening to Governor Pataki. Many of the issues then were the same as now. The fate of the county always seems to be dangling on a thread. I wasn't sure what to expect when I entered that building then or now.

The security was intense, the room filled with more than a hundred of Sullivan County's most influential leaders. I searched for familiar faces, listening intently to the discussions as politicians in the group mingled with hotel owners. We were ushered to our seats and handed some paper.

Questions had to be in writing and submitted to Goldberg at the end of his presentation. No surprises would be allowed.

The lights dimmed as Goldberg entered, making his way to the podium, where he immediately began to pitch his deal. Tag lines followed: "Bigger, better and sooner"... "Cash lines in excess of a billion dollars," and "I can start tomorrow."

In a champagne atmosphere, Goldberg sipped from a styrofoam cup, selling the vision that he was just a regular kind of guy. I watched as we were presented with an informercial. Bikini-clad women mingled with the flashing lights of Vegas, pools, ponds and conventions, with the promise of growth and wealth for all.

The meeting ended, leaving me with unanswered questions. The questions presented Goldberg seemed staged and the answers vague, at best.

I took the long way home that evening, my mind full of thoughts as I drove down the river corridor, where murmuring waters, running their course, seemed to make an argument for the simplicity of life. "Bigger, better and sooner," kept echoing in my mind.

My occupation as a Realtor forces me to take a look at change first hand. Sales listings are disappearing and my weekends are busier than ever. I would be a hypocrite if I didn't admit wanting some form of change. I've often wondered what it would be like to make a decent living in the area I love and still afford a "luxury" item like fuel oil next winter.

A strong economy combined with the shortage of homes in Orange County adds to the influx of people into our area. Plastic homes are starting to pop up where farmers once tilled the soil. "Sooner" has taken over, as homes are delivered on trucks and placed in fields that once grew corn while the true craftsmen who built homes are becoming extinct. The natural beauty of the river left me questioning "bigger better and sooner."

In the morning I ran into my local coffee shop, my mind was still tired from a long weekend. There, sitting in his usual spot, was my neighbor, Aaron Robinson. On the 20th of last month, Robinson auctioned off his sawmill and an era closed. Changes in market, restrictions, combined with "bigger and better and sooner" created what he characterized as a "Home Depot mentality," which made it impossible for his business to continue. I can only imagine what a painful decision that must have been for this socially conscious man. 20 members of the community will be out of work and many of them, I'm sure, have become friends. Many others around town and elsewhere will be affected by this decision.

As I stir sugar into my coffee, I'm reminded of a moment last week when I was miles away previewing a renovated barn for an architectural award. The homeowner showed off his weekend achievement. He told of hand-washed stones, carried down the mountain from the original homesite. It took weeks of time to stack them just so. He pulled out his scrapbook and pointed out the progress along the way. During the discussion he lovingly pointed to some huge beams, holding up the master bedroom, which once housed hay.

"I got them from a guy down in Barryville," he said, "custom-cut from Robinson's saw mill. Amazing, aren't they?" His face beamed with pride.

But "bigger, better and sooner" sealed the fate of a family-owned mill, leaving me to wonder about my own fate. Will I be invited to another meeting in the near future? Will casino gaming people in fancy suits with their "regular guy" foam cups again sing their song of wealth and economic stability for county leaders? Or will I be shown another "infor-mercial," about the acreage where the Robinson Sawmill once stood, dotted with rows of pre-fab, plastic farmhouses featuring bikini-clad women hovering around the pool? Will the eagles that I see be the giant flashing neon ones gracing the halls of the world's largest casino?

If it's a matter of fuel oil or no fuel oil, I'm not sure that I have a choice in the matter, but I'm still wondering if "bigger, better and sooner" is really the way to go.