Serving the Towns of Wawarsing, Crawford, Mamakating, Rochester and Shawangunk, and everything in between
(none)   
SJ FB page   

Gutter Gutter
Potential Bedrock Blasting Rocks Village
Reval Costs, Dissolution Talks, Also On Agenda

ELLENVILLE – The idea of blasting at a village mine got a handful of concerned residents out to the September 8 village meeting where they questioned actions past, present and future before Ellenville.

Ellenville Mine, owned and operated by Howard and Karen Osterhoudt, has applied to the village and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for a modification to their mining permit first approved by the village planning board in 2012, and revisited by the village planning board meeting last January. The modification they want is for the use of drilling and blasting to unearth 800,000 tons of bedrock within a five acre area for an undetermined duration, which has been issued a Positive Declaration by the DEC under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR), requiring the Osterhoudts to complete a long form environmental impact statement, and full review process, in order to proceed..

As part of the process moving forward, the DEC — as lead agency — requires a public scoping comment period during which residents, and particularly neighbors, are encouraged to provide input regarding environmental issues of concern — up until a September 28 deadline. All matters of public concern raised will be addressed in the draft EIS per the DEC's scoping document designed to guide the Osterhoudts.

The Ellenville Mine is located on the hillside behind the McDonalds on Route 209.

Village resident Patricia Schoonmaker presented a letter to the board at this week's meeting addressing the concerns of residents on Hickory and Spring Streets, including the possibility of increased water, air or noise pollution, an impact on drinking water supply via an aquifer that could be affected by the blasting, the potential of sewer and related infrastructure impacts, as well as the possible effects of vibrations on residential foundations should the Osterhoudts' plans be permitted.

There has already been property damage from the current mining operation, she said, adding that the mountain overlooking the western side of the village "looks horrible."

Her concern, echoed by those in attendance, pointed to the need for more information. Raised questions also asked what the village's stance and role would be going forward and what repercussions from the proposed blasting might village residents expect?

According to village code enforcement officer Brian Schug, this is the beginning of a lengthy process and it may be next year before anything is decided.

In other business, Mayor Jeff Kaplan gave an update on the current town-wide revaluation.

Currently, he said, the village and town are holding ongoing discussions regarding the costs of the revaluation, in particular the village's share. According to Kaplan, agreements had been made in the past — dictating how much the village would contribute to the project — but those agreements seemed to have been pushed to the wayside when a $55,000 town bill was presented, a third of the $150,000 total price tag.

"The village did not budget for that, so we don't have the money for it," Kaplan said, who noted that the soon-to-be-completed revaluation itself is a state mandate.

With regards to village and town relations in general, Kaplan is urging all residents eager to see a savings in their tax bills to attend a September 15 afternoon meeting at town hall where village and town officials will discuss the possibility of consolidating services or dissolving the village altogether. A NY State Department representative will also be on hand to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of making such a move.

In other news, the village continued looking into the possibility of revamping a long-held policy on water leaks after resident Steven Krulick approached the board regarding a runaway water bill he encountered upon his return from a lengthy vacation. Despite contacting other townships — Liberty, Ulster, New Paltz and Saugerties — regarding their policies, and seeing that Ellenville wasn't far from them, no change to the policy, including that of an "insurance premium" type plan suggested by Krulick, has come forth yet. However, an upcoming water commission meeting may be fruitful.

Also upcoming, there will be two public hearings at the next village board meeting on September 22; the first, at 7:15 p.m., will focus on the adoption of local law #2 of 2014 in reference to "no parking" on the south side of the Roslyn Street pump station; while the second, at 7:30 p.m., will be regarding the possible adoption of local law # 3 of 2014, regarding the modification of village code — grease, oil and sand interceptors — upon recommendation of the sewer department superintendent.



Gutter Gutter






Gutter