ELLENVILLE - At about 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, a call went to the Ellenville Police Department reporting that a white powder had been found in an envelope sent to the Wawarsing Town Hall on Canal Street. Moments later, the Ellenville PD had mobilized, joining New York State Troopers and Ellenville Rescue Squad workers to block Canal Street off from foot and car traffic while Ellenville and Napanoch Fire Departments, and the Kingston Hazmat Unit responded. Also aiding investigations were the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the latter of whom was brought in to examine the envelope.

Upon further investigation, however, it was reported by the State Police that there was no powder after all, and the incident might be chalked up to misinformation being blown out of proportion.

During the incident, Town Hall employees who were evacuated from the building reported that Court Clerk Michelle Mainolfi had opened an envelope containing a traffic ticket which had been sent back to the court, when she was suddenly enveloped in a white powder with a sulfur-like smell. According to State Police Senior Investigator Stan O'Dell, however, Mainolfi complained of an eye-irritation after opening the envelope and the police were called by a co-worker. At this point, the precautionary measures to ensure the safety of everyone had begun while investigators swept the building.

Soon, Canal Street was blocked off with emergency vehicles and caution tape, and an estimated six Town Hall employees, including Mainolfi, were quarantined inside. The state trooper who responded to the call was also quarantined within the building. Town Councilperson John Gavaris, an EMT with the Ellenville Rescue Squad, could be seen entering the building with a decontamination kit.

By 2:15 p.m., the victims still inside Town Hall were led through the assembly-line-like decontamination process. Upon exiting the set-up, a rescue worker immediately wrapped each person up in a towel and led them into the back of an Ellenville Rescue Squad ambulance.

According to Investigator O'Dell, who spoke at the scene on Tuesday, the process to decontaminate the victims of the incident is different depending on every situation. As to the details regarding this particular decontamination, he was unable to provide specific information.

The victims were taken to Ellenville Regional Hospital for observation after decontamination at about 3 p.m., where they stayed for the next several hours.

Police and emergency workers reopened the street to traffic at about 5:30 p.m., according to Ellenville Police Chief Phil Mattracion. At this point, said O'Dell, the police informed the hospital that the seven people could be released.

It had been determined by late Tuesday evening, after a thorough investigation of the scene by the Hazmat team, that the analysis of the building for any noxious material, including chemical and biological agents, came up negative. The ticket was sent up to Albany for precautionary analysis, but after interviewing the person who had mailed the ticket — someone from the Ellenville-area whose identity was not released — it was determined that there was no malicious intent.

"You know how you open envelopes, and you get maybe that puff of air if it's been sealed? It's air. There's nothing. No powder came out of it, no material, no substance, no nothing," said O'Dell on Wednesday.

"They checked the air. They swabbed the surfaces, the desk, and the room. The only substances that were identified were normal, inert substances, like a drink mix, baby formula, cake mix, things like that.

Despite the fact that the incident turned out to be a false alarm, O'Dell said it turned out to be a useful exercise, and still said he saw the value in having taken all the necessary precautionary steps to ensure each person's safety.

"The protocol is to quarantine, bring them through, decontaminate them, then have them checked medically," he said.

"If you don't do it," he added, "and you don't do it correctly, and it turns out to be something [dangerous], you've got a lot of people who could be seriously injured, or worse. Unfortunately, in the times that we're in now, you can't be cautious enough. You have to look at everything as potentially dangerous or serious."

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