Follow Up on the News
Word started leaking last week but official word came out from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on Tuesday, November 27 that it will be holding two meetings in early December to “provide information and receive comments” about “developments proposed for properties around and including the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in the Catskill Mountain region.” To be specific, the announced meetings are for 1. A public information session, set to include discussion of growth plans for the ski center itself, as well as the multi-hotel and condo-heavy ski and golf resort proposed by Gitter and given a provisional go-ahead by Governor Eliot Spitzer in September, set to take place at the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center’s Discovery Lodge on Monday, December 10, from 6 to 9 PM; and 2. A meeting designed to receive comments about the scope of the environmental review to be conducted on the joint projects the following day, Tuesday, Dec. 11 from 6 to 10 p.m., at the same Belleayre location. The DEC has added that it will welcome written comments on the scope of the upcoming SEQRA review, through January 8. The proposal to be reviewed, according to a DEC press release on the matter, includes a private development (the proposed construction and operation of the Wildacres Resort and Highmount Spa Resort complex by Crossroads Ventures LLC) and related proposals by DEC that include the expansion of Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, including “ski-in, ski-out” access to Gitter’s Highmount Spa Resort; the acquisition of a parcel known as the Big Indian Plateau (1,200 acres); and the acquisition of the former Highmount Ski Center (78 acres) and an easement (21 acres) on the Highmount Spa property. Also up for a first view on December 10 will be the DEC’s plans for its own growth, which has yet to be released in an official Unit Management Plan that needs to be released according to similar scoping guidelines before the resort SEIS can begin to be reviewed. Included in that plan should be plans for the concurrent creation of a new 1500 seat performance shed for the Belleayre Music Festival, to be located within walking distance of the ski resort (see News Briefs inside). The cost of the state acquisitions total $14 million, according to the agreement in principal announced by Spitzer in September, and have raised hackles among competing ski resorts in the state at the amount being paid by the DEC to shore up its own holdings in competition with the private sector. Those resorts, which have been rumored to be discussing funding help for organizations fighting the new resort proposal, are expected to be present at the upcoming meetings, as well as in all future dealings regarding the combined review. And although a total of six national and state environmental organizations publicly signed on to the Spitzer agreement when it was announced, thus ending their high-powered opposition to Gitter’s development (as well a longstanding SEQRA review process that had become bogged down in legal adjudication for the past two years), remaining regional and local opposition groups have joined together with the Sierra Club, America’s largest environmental organization, to continue fighting the standing proposal as it currently exists. Those organizations, working under the consortium Save The Mountain, were quick to spread news of the coming Belleayre meetings via e-mails and phone calls over the recent Thanksgiving weekend, as well as at their ongoing series of film screenings and discussion events being held around the area. As of press time, the possibility that next week’s informational hearing would be a major event was noteworthy in a variety of local events, from the Town of Shandaken Code Enforcement Officer’s request that a Save The Mountain sign be taken down from lands belonging to former town councilwoman Edna Hoyt across from Gitter’s Emerson Resort, to a press release from the Catskill Heritage Association noting its decision to fund an upcoming Arkville holiday celebration in Delaware County after the developer’s Crossroads Foundation purportedly nixed its own grant for the occasion based on one of its sponsors having also sponsored a screening of an anti-ski-resort documentary, “Resorting to Madness,” and discussion session in recent weeks. Further such screenings and discussions are scheduled for the evening of Thursday, December 6 at Claude’s Restaurant in Phoenicia and Saturday, December 8 at the Saugerties Senior Center. In an official “Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft EIS Determination of Significance” filed November 21, the day before Thanksgiving, DEC Environmental Analyst Daniel T. Whitehead notes that although the revised project proposal was shaped by Spitzer, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and approving environmental organizations to reduce the environmental threats posed by the previous proposal, it still presents a number of potentially significant impacts including the city reservoir system’s water quality, aesthetics, water supply, noise, transportation and the region’s, and local towns of Shandaken’s and Middletown’s “community character.” “While the current integrated project proposals represent an attempt to create a lower impact overall project as compared to Crossroads’ original proposal, it may still have significant adverse impacts,” wrote Whitehead in his determination. “In addition, as a consequence of the modified project plan for the proposed Crossroads development in relation to the expansion of the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, significant cumulative adverse impacts on some resources are also possible.” Eric Goldstein of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the environmental groups that ended up signing on to Spitzer’s agreement in September, said this week that he and other former watchdog opponents of the resort proposal would be on hand next week, and throughout the upcoming process, to ensure that all proceeds according to state environmental regulations, and making comments about the areas where they feel more emphasis needs to be made. “We’re very happy that both developments will be reviewed alongside each other,” Goldstein noted. But asked whether he expected anyone to question the state’s economic propriety making large investments in skiing at a time when it has also pledged to fight Climate Change – as noted in reports that suggest local winters will be substantially compromised within the next quarter century, the NRDC attorney said such matters, “didn’t even arise in any of our negotiations about these matters.” To counter the effects of the joint Save The Mountain/Sierra Club opposition, a number of key Gitter supporters, mostly in the Delaware County community of Margaretville – and including a number of key advocates for the state-owned ski resort itself – have formed a new organization, Partners for Progress, to show support for the project at upcoming meetings. According to their own e-mail alerts, they seemed to have gotten news of the coming meetings before any others. Paul Rakov, vice president and spokesman for Gitter and his Crossroads Ventures development company, refused comment on the upcoming informational meeting and scoping session this week except to refer all inquiries to the state DEC press office, which then referred to the published press materials. The scoping session is the part of the review process in which the public and involved parties outline environmental issues that need to be reviewed, possibly resulting in an issues conference should new matters arise that appear unsolvable via a straight review process. For more information on the permit application, go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20071121_not3.html or http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6061.html . Written comments on the proposed scope for the environmental impact statement may be sent via mail to Daniel Whitehead, NYS DEC, Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-1750. Or comments mail be e-mailed to wildacre@gw.dec.state.ny.us - be sure to write “Scoping” in the subject line.
An Era’s Quiet Ending
There were no last minute
displays of power anywhere to be seen. Good news seemed to be the order
of the night, with announcements about new bluestone sidewalks in Phoenicia,
a long term deal to keep the Maverick West Health Clinic in town, and
confirmation that town snowplows will do all the churches and firehouse’s
for free again this year, as they have for as long as anyone can remember.
The behavior of the retiring board members, Republicans Cross, Jane
Todd and Joe Munster, differed little from previous meetings with the
exception of Cross, who was far less defensive than usual. He also deftly
handled what minor skirmishes there were, like the one between retired
(sort of) Code Enforcement Officer Glenn Miller and former zoning board
of appeals member Kathy Nolan over Millers interpretation of local sign
law. Munster was silent as usual and Todd was almost as quiet, only
interjecting terse, pointed remarks as necessary, but mostly to the
Supervisor, not to the audience.
In his goodbye speech Keith Johnson, the town’s current Superintendent
of Highways, gave as a parting gift a sincere and public thank you to
the board. Johnson, a one term official that was not re-elected last
month, thanked Cross and company for working so cooperatively with him
and his department over the past two years.
With only a small audience, Cross explained that the Phoenicia sidewalk
project was going out to bid soon. The project, paid for by a State
grant, would provide Bluestone sidewalks and granite curbing, plus handicapped
accessibility locations along the walks.
The project, Cross said, starts at the thin alleyway between Brio’s
and the Sportsman’s and runs down both sides of Main Street to
the corner where the Nest Egg is located.
The discussion shifted to the thorny topic of a possible sewer for Phoenicia.
Voted down by the majority of hamlet residents last winter, the sewer
project is still being pursued since the New York City Department of
Environmental Protection, which is funding the project, gave the Hamlet
until June 2008 to reconsider.
Some wondered whether it made sense to do the sidewalk work only to
perhaps tear it all up to put in sewer mains. All agreed that, should
the sewer project come to pass, the contractors would be required to
replace whatever sidewalks they tear up.
In other news, the Town of Shandaken and Maverick Family West have agreed
to the terms of a lease for the operation of a Medical Center in the
two storey frame building and garage, situated at Ava Maria Drive in
Phoenicia where Maverick has operated for several years.
The lease is needed because the town owns the building. Cross said the
terms call for long term rental at an average annual fee of $10,000.
Cross said he was glad the lease was agreed upon so that the clinic
could remain in town, but Shandaken resident Robert Stanley was not
pleased with the small revenue the deal generates. Stanley felt it was
shortchanging the town to rent at that sum, especially when a simple
residence was going for more these days. He said the town should require
more because someday the clinic could be generating revenue in the millions.
“And all we get is $10,000?” he asked.
It was also noted that the town has three positions to fill following
recent resignations. Code officer Glenn Miller has resigned and Heidi
Clark, the clerk in the tax assessor’s office, has resigned after
being elected as an Assessor starting next month. There is also an opening
on the towns Assessment board of review because member Rose Rotella
has also been elected as an Assessor. All three positions will be advertised.
The meeting ended with Todd delivering what has become her trademark
statement.
“I make a motion we adjourn,” she said, this time with a
smile.
Editor’s Note: So much for no more meetings. At press time Cross
contacted the paper, informing us that he has set a special meeting
for this Thursday, December 6 at 3:30 pm to discuss the fate of the
Phoenicia Hotel. It remains unclear why this matter was not discussed
at the town board the night before.
Code Enforcement officer Glenn Miller said Tuesday that he and building
inspector Tom Burt inspected the property again this week.
“We may have to block off the street again,” he said.
Miller said the property remains in a tangled legal web of ownership,
so it remains unclear who’s responsible for the upkeep of the
property.
After the structure burned last July, Burt declared that the structure
needed to be torn down. But after months of deliberations with Richard
Stokes, who was the owner of the property before it was foreclosed on,
there is still no clear path leading to who is responsible for the demolition
work, according to Miller.
Meanwhile safety issues remain.
“All those windows on the side of the hotel that faces the bank
have air conditioners in them,” he said. “They might want
to consider taking them out before they fall out.”
29 Pekinese
Keith Kovacs, an SPCA officer,
began the agency's investigation of Lucy Meeken of Island Road in Phoenicia
after he answered an animal cruelty complaint Tuesday and discovered
the 28 Pekinese dogs living in what he described as “abhorrent
conditions.” He said the dogs had little food and water and were
otherwise neglected, and Meeken's residence was too small to house the
number of dogs she owned.
Ironically, Meekan was apparently very particular about her choice of
papers for use as the dogs litter area, using only purchased copies
of the New York Times.
Kovacs gave Meeken 72 hours to provide the animals with a safe and sanitary
home. While she was able to make some improvements by Friday, the conditions
still were not up to SPCA standards. Meeken was arraigned on Saturday
in Shandaken Town Court,
Saunders said the dogs that were seized on Friday all had severe dental
problems, including infected guns and missing teeth that had rotted
out and snapped off, leaving only infected roots.
In addition, Saunders said, most of the animals had severe lacerations
on and around their eyes, and some of the eyes had ruptured. Some of
the dogs will need to have both of their eyes surgically removed, Saunders
said.
Saunders also said the dogs' toenails were so neglected that they had
curled under and dug into the pads on the animals' feet.
He added that nearly all of the dogs seized will require expensive dental
and optic surgery, and people interested in making a donation should
call the Ulster County SPCA at (845) 331-5377.
The CWC maintains a Tax
Consulting Fund to help Watershed towns, counties and villages hire
attorneys and assessment experts to address challenges brought by the
City’s Corporate Counsel office. The Fund was originally capitalized
at $3 million by New York City under terms of the 1997 NYC Watershed
Memorandum of Agreement. However, most of that money has been depleted
as a result of the ongoing lawsuits… especially against the Ulster
County town of Olive, which is currently in another such battle that
will not only effect its future, but that of all taxpayers in the Onteora
School District.
Noting that the City filed suits against 11 Watershed municipalities
in 2007, claiming their properties were over-assessed, the CWC resolution
states, “Each of the 11 was also sued by New York City on identical
claims in prior years, with many sued by the City each and every year
since 1997. . . The magnitude of the real property taxes at issue in
these proceedings, as well as the burdens of continued litigation, is
a source of concern and cause of fiscal uncertainty to the detriment
of all parties involved.”
Continued the resolution, “In spite of the significant expenditure
of funds by all parties to the proceedings, no court decision has definitively
established valuation methodology and the disputes remain unresolved.”
The resolution was adopted unanimously by the 11 Watershed town representatives
on the Board present at the meeting. New York City, New York State and
environmental representatives on the Board are ineligible to vote on
matters involving the Tax Consulting Fund.
In other matters at the CWC’s recent meeting, the corporation
approved an operating and program budget totaling $56.7 million for
2008. The spending plan includes administrative expenses for the non-profit
local development corporation, as well as the cost of running 12 environmental
protection, economic development and education programs during the coming
year.
The CWC was created in 1997 to help protect water quality and assist
communities in the New York City Watershed west of the Hudson River.
Its 16-person staff runs a variety of programs, ranging from the replacement
of failed residential septic systems, to the Catskill Fund for the Future
which provides low-interest loans to businesses in Watershed Towns.
At its November meeting, the CWC Board also approved a new, $37.2 million
contract with New York City to continue and expand the Community Wastewater
Management Program over the next five years. This program, which began
in 2002, has provided wastewater treatment solutions for the hamlets
of Bovina Center and DeLancey, with projects underway in Hamden, Bloomville
and Boiceville. The new contract will assure completion of a wastewater
handling system in Ashland, as well as projects in South Kortright,
Lexington and Trout Creek should those hamlets choose to participate.
Another CWC program – Local Consultation for Land Acquisition
– provides funds for municipalities incurring expenses in reviewing
and commenting on New York City land acquisition proposals within their
jurisdictions. A resolution adopted on Nov. 27 approved of the addition
of $300,000 to the fund pursuant to a mandate in the 2007 Filtration
Avoidance Determination, and increasing the amount available to each
municipality from $20,000 to $30,000.
In other business, the Board okayed loans to a couple, Nicholas Kop
and Kristina Janson, or NJK, Inc, seeking to purchase and renovate the
Gateway Lodge in Highmount, and to a Roxbury excavating company to erect
a new shop and office.
NJK plans to continue the Gateway’s operation as a bed and breakfast
inn, and to expand the dining area to create a “waffle house”
providing breakfast and lunch to the public. A swimming pool and other
amenities are also planned.
For more information on the CWC and its programs, go to www.cwconline.org,
or call 845-586-1400 (toll-free 877-928-7433).
Advisory Solutions was chosen
over two other consultant firms interviewed. Out of seven board members,
only Maxanne Resnick and Herb Rosenfeld voted against it, although Trustee
Michelle Friedel was skeptical.
“If we don’t pass a bond,” said Ford, “we are
still in declining enrollment, we will still have choices of where we
want our children… The bond vote will not be for a five-eight
model, it will be for a building.”
Ford added that in such a situation, academic electives would get dropped
if the board keeps a seven/eight middle school based on the declining
population of students.
In the meantime, KSQ architects will continue to work with the architectural
plans and the bond process.
In other news, William Hannon was terminated from his position of Athletic
Director after only four months at his job.
“It’s a very difficult position to give someone who lives
outside the district, who only works part time,” said Ford. “The
expectations are very high, there are a lot of hours, he was a young
teacher, he gave it his best effort, but it wasn’t a good match,
it wasn’t a good fit,”
The board unanimously approved as interim Joseph DiGiovanni, a retired
teacher and past athletic director who will take on the job at $400
a day until permanently filled. DiGiovanni will also act as Dean of
Students grades 9-through-12, taking on the responsibility of disciplinary
officer during his tenure.
Ford added that because of changes required by State mandates, she is
also introducing a new administrative position to combine the Athletic
Director and health coordinator roles. Ford would like the board to
approve the new position by next school board meeting on December 18
so they can begin the hiring process.
Current Health Coordinator Robin Sears plans to retire the end of the
school year.
A four page list of responsibilities include the coordination of Kindergarten-through-twelve
physical education, extra curricular sport, health programs, high school
discipline, budgets, recruits coaches and staff, and the administrative
paper work that goes along with it. Ford is looking at a pay scale around
$85,000, which she said is in the medium pay range. School board trustee
Rita Vanacore asked if they could look for someone outside of the district.
Ford replied, “The process is first we look for an internal candidate
and we have one very qualified internal candidate.”
After some discussion of the interim pay adding up to $14,000, or more,
Vanacore noted how the athletic department “is very chaotic, there
is no leadership at all and I feel this particular interim we are bringing
in is strong enough to stand up to that and try to pull it together.”
School board president Mary Jane Bernholz replied that, “Even
when we hired Bill Hannon, we knew he was inexperienced.”
Hannon had been hired part time at $11,848 for the school year.
Further discussion centered on hiring Advirosy Solutions for a report
on how the district’s Central Administration can become more efficient.
The matter was tabled.
Finally, it was announced that the school board has approved Jennifer
O’Connor of Roxbury as the new Assistant Principal at the High
School. She will be starting on January 10, 2008. She has her Masters
of Arts from the Leadership Academy at Massachusetts College of Liberal
Arts, Master of Arts in English, Cum Laude from the State University
of New York in Albany, Bachelor of Arts in English, cum Laude at Saint
Bonaventure University in Olean New York and studied English Literature
at Ealing College in London.