Ed Burke
December 19 at 10:45am · Edited
As someone who attended last night’s meeting I found myself
with more questions than answers. In an effort to try and educate myself I sat
and listened to all sides over the 3 ½ hours (didn’t need to be that long at
all) I came away with a couple of questions that I hope to get some answers to:
The NPBOE in there resolution stated “THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED that the New Paltz Central School District Board of Education declares
its strong opposition to the Town siting the sewage treatment plant adjacent to
or within reasonable proximity to the High School or any other school for
reasons of health, safety and welfare of students and staff; “ What would be a
reasonable proximity? I know there are other sites under consideration.
Amy Dooley
Mosbacher What other sites are being studied Ed? I haven't seen that anywhere.
Ed Burke It
wasnt clear. What I heard was a possible connection to Park Point, possible new
treatment plant on 32N in the Village that Sewer 6 could tie into, and there
was another property that was ruled out. It was a long meeting. Amy what would
you consider a reasonable proximity?
Steve
Greenfield Ed, speaking only for myself, I would consider "reasonable
proximity" to be one that could provide substantial assurance that this
would not happen. I am choosing this example because it is the very sewage
plant that Dave Clouser mentioned last night as being a good example of a plant
near a school that's been safely operating for a long time. The land currently
proposed was deep underwater at this same time, for this same reason. I hope
this isn't too much to ask.
http://dmna.ny.gov/pressroom/?id=1318970765
NYS DMNA Press
Release: New York Air National Guard Cleans Middleburgh High...
Ed Burke Steve
agreed, but would that distance be?
Steve
Greenfield And it's also important to remember that this is a school. The
proposed site is not 900 feet from the school. It's less than 100 feet. One
would think a youth athletics leader like Kevin Barry would be acutely aware of
that, and arguing to protect it. The playing fields are part of the school, not
just the parts inside the bricks.
Steve
Greenfield The distance would depend on variables. That's why it's better not
to be specific, and just have planners of sewage disclose what they're doing
case by case. For example, a plant on high ground could possibly be closer as
the crow flies than one in lowlands that readily floods. Or one on a downhill
that's flowing in the opposite direction from the school could be closer than
one on a downhill side that's flowing towards the school. One cannot make a
blanket distance in feet.
Steve
Greenfield But one thing is absolute: anywhere kids go is "school."
Not a physical structure. Parking lots, ballfields, anywhere kids go.
Ed Burke Steve
I believe you are the chair for facilities for the School. Were you surprised
at all with what Dave Clouser disclosed about the water treatment issues at the
HS? I dont recall the specifics but that there were no plans with the BOH or
DEC and the permits are expired? If I did not summerize this properly I
apologize- too much popcorn at the meeting
Steve
Greenfield Interesting thing, Ed, is that Dave didn't actually describe any
issues with water treatment at the school, so no, I was not surprised at all.
He didn't speak to anyone at the school, nor did he make any observations of
any kind. He raised some issues about DEC procedures, which is not my
wheelhouse, and has nothing to do with the school district. Surely you're at
least as curious as I am about why Kevin Barry's son made the only attempt at
an observation, rather than the Town's expert who was tasked with the report,
and that nothing wrong was revealed by the young Barry. Aren't people with
ownership and immediate family connections to ownership legally barred from
these kinds of activities on behalf of the government? I'll save you the
research time: yes. And yet there it was, presented at a Town Board meeting.
Unlike Kevin,
Susan, and Jeff (because I will not use the term Town Board as long as they're
exluding Dan from access to the information he's required to be given), the
School District is an open book. All Dave needed to do is talk to our staff.
Steve Greenfield
Any further questions about specifics of our system will have to be directed to
our professional staff whose contact information is on our website. I do not
personally operate or test the system. I am oversight, not operations. If you
have any questions about saxophones or pianos, I'll do my best.
Ed Burke Steve
so the school district has an in force SPIDIES (not sure on spelling) permit? I
thought I heard it lapsed. Would that fall under oversight
Michael
O'Donnell Ed Burke, what I remember as concrete data on locations was the
following:
1. The
Ohioville plant is not an option because the DEC will not approve any
additional flow at that facility (since it dumps into a wetland).
2. Connection
to Park Point has been ruled out. The reason why was not disclosed. That came
up when I asked the question (from the Clouser-Moriello memo) about the first
location that "became unavailable".
3. Jason West
recently contacted the Town about connecting the South Putt corridor to the
Village system.
Sue Zimet
mentioned toward the end that the High School location was not her favorite and
implied that there is a second location. No idea where that is.
Terrence Quinn
Ed Burke let me take a shot. Non adjacent (1/4 mile?) non line of sight. The
proposed system still produces the same amount of by products per unit of waste
as other systems. The comment about reduced odor is due to air being forced
through the system. Overly simplying this... They are reducing the odor
potential by blowing the air away from the plant. One of the byproduct to worry
about are sulfides. These are heavier than air and can spread long distances
per the Published MSDS. So they will move away from the plant staying low to
the ground following the path of least resistance. The proposed layout I saw
shows no trees between the proposed plant and the school and fields. So the
sulfides hang around the school and fields till moved out by weather or
breathed in. According to CDC 10% of kids have respiratory issues (asthma etc).
So subjecting a more at risk population to it for 7 hrs a day for multiple
years does not seem wise.
Ed Burke
Terrance thank you
Eric Schwartz
I'm gonna go with...a flood plain away?
Eric Schwartz I
think a better way to phrase the question is: "how many ways can a Town
Board member figure out how to sell their land to either the Town or School
District?".
Ed Burke Eric
how much distance would that be?
Steve
Greenfield Ed, are you unsatisfied with the list of criteria I provided that
could, along with other possible factors, influence the proper distance, and
that it is not an exact one-size-fits-all measurement?
And now a question
from me: can we all agree that the actual distance of under 100 to a couple of
hundred feet (depending on which tank you measure from, and to which point
along the property line), in a lowlands that regularly floods, is too close?
Because what we're talking about is an actual "site-specific conceptual
design that's being submitted to the county under the name shovel-ready"
(see, I didn't call it a "site plan, which some consider a term of art,
rather than a plan for a site) that is actually proposed to be situated right
alongside the actual New Paltz High School?
Because I'm
really hoping, especially given what we know about the terrible sewage flood at
Middleburgh High School in 2011, that for starters, we can all agree on that.
Once we make sure that's not going to happen, then I'll be happy to talk about
other sites, or what kind of industry we might attract, as I have many times
before. But right now, something dangerous and time-sensitive is in our laps.
First things first.
Eric Schwartz
I'm not really sure Ed - how far...not-adjacent...Maybe there is more land a
Town Board member has for sale?
Ed Burke There
is a map of the light industrial zone. I am trying to figure out what the
consensus is on a distance based on the resolution the BOE outlined.
Ed Burke Steve
I am not an expert on sewage systems. Are the systems designed today better
than the one the HS is using now. Do the systems today use chemicals? I am
asking these ??? To try and better understand it
Ed Burke Eric
move past Kevin already. Would any of you be any less stirred up if the
property were owned by anyone else
Ed Burke Steve
this town/village seems to always looks at issues in silos or vacuums. I can't
stand that. Put the sewage treatment place anywhere else. What businesses would
be acceptable within certain distances of the HS is absolutely relevant to me
because it appears water and sewer is coming
Kathleen KT
Tobin I'm inclined to first explore hooking up to our existing system. I
believe Jason West has voiced that it is a possible option.
Jason West I
don't know if its workable, but you'd think it would be explored
Kathleen KT
Tobin Also, if this is primarily for the water park proposal, shouldn't they be
building any needed sewage treatment infrastructure?
Eric Schwartz
is this a Common Core trick question? Is this to get us to explore ideas that
would normally be rejected outright based on common sense, in order to examine
another perspective?
Kathleen KT
Tobin http://www.dailyfreeman.com/.../most-of-susan-zimets...
Most of Susan
Zimet’s campaign money in Assembly race came from owner of New...
dailyfreeman.com
Amy Dooley
Mosbacher Ed, in my view there are plenty of businesses that do not cause
health risks or need to house large amounts of dangerous chemicals that could
be close to a school.
Amy Dooley
Mosbacher Ed, there was a great thread between Mike Mike Russo and Dominick
Profaci that explained very clearly why this is not a good idea on the New
Paltz School Budget Watch page. I've learned more about sewage plants in the
last week than I ever thought I would know.
Ed Burke Amy I
too am trying to understand as much as I can
Ed Burke Eric
if your asking me this my answer would be no and no
Mike Russo Ed
Burke - this may help
https://www.facebook.com/groups/npzsbw/permalink/898756910134748/
Ed Burke Mike
thank you. Read that a few minutes ago
Steve
Greenfield Ed, the corridor has been zoned light industrial for 54 years, and
is still almost entirely undeveloped. This "it's coming now" outlook
is people trying to win elections, and, unfortunately, trying to line their
pockets with taxpayer money. I understand the problem of short policy
sightlines that you mention, but sometimes the problem is immediate. Right now
I have two big problems, and a small handful of self interested people have
tied them together -- unfortunately, right around me, since I'm on the School
Board. Those issues are extending the lifespans of our schools to secure the
quality gains of the last decade for the next generation, and to prevent the
construction of a commercial-scale sewage plant in a flood zone alongside one of
our schools. I will be delighted to talk to you about the long-range issues
after those fires are extinguished.
I would
appreciate your leadership on these matters. Surely you can see that the same
people who are attacking the idea of the high school being in the industrial
zone are the very same people who are insisting we should move 500 more,
younger, kids into what on some days they say is a better place, supposedly
safe from drugs (which is false), and on other days, is too dangerous even for
the high school kids that are there since the 1960s. But at the same time they
also want not only to double the student population in the zone, and lower its
average age, but also to surround them with both biohazards and even more
trucks. I know you have friendships within what's going on, but if you really
want to get out of the silos, the first thing you have to do is help us get
some breathing space.
Others have
said this, and they're right. What makes New Paltz what it is today is our
public education system, and that's what will make or break us tomorrow. Nobody
will move here if the education system is in decline. Nobody will open
businesses here if people don't want to live here, and operate service
businesses for those industries. So I ask you these two things: help us get the
schools renovated, and help us stop this one location for a sewage plant. Don't
just cast a good vote -- step up to a public role.
If we can solve
these two problems, we can move on to the rest. If we don't solve these two
problems, we can't move on to the rest, because we still have these two huge
problems to deal with. So how about it? Lend a hand. Let's get over this hump
so we can move ahead.
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