Development guide released

Focus on western Sullivan County and Upper Delaware River Basin

link to article is here

By SANDY LONG

UPPER DELAWARE RIVER REGION — The past decade has revealed steadily increasing development pressure in western Sullivan County, NY and the Upper Delaware River Basin.

In collaboration with the Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition (UDPC), the Open Space Institute and the Urban Design Lab (UDL) at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, under the direction of professor Richard Plunz, recently released “A Citizen’s Guide to Residential Development,” which is now available to the public.

The guide is the result of a spring semester 2008 Urban Design Research Seminar conducted as a sequel to last year’s seminar and publication of “A River Endangered: Proposed Power Transmission and its Impact on Cultural History along the Upper Delaware River.” Both publications are available through the UDPC and various public locations soon to be determined.

According to Plunz, who is also a member of the Town of Lumberland Planning Board, “There seemed to be a real need for people in the Upper Delaware region to have a better understanding of how land development works, what are the review processes and what recourse people have if they disagree with a project proposal. What we found was that there were some very interesting cases in the region where folks had already learned a great deal about how development works, and had had some success in getting input into the process. So the report includes not only the basics of process and concerns, but also some case-studies that people can read and learn from.”

In part, the work augments the Upper DelAWARE Roundtable’s recent GIS mapping of large development projects within the eight counties bordering the Upper Delaware River. Additionally, the Open Space Institute became a partner following an explanation of the research project at a roundtable meeting.

The publication examines the effects of residential development on the natural and social ecologies of the region. As noted in the guide: “The environmental conflicts are as complex as the players involved—governments, residents, developers, tourists—as well as the voiceless participants—the fish, deer, birds and native plants.”

Useful information on official review processes and public recourse relating to development is included. Five case studies are presented: Lumberland’s Lake Diana Subdivision, Cochecton’s New Turnpike Homes, Tusten’s Eagles Nest Estates and The Chapin Estate in Bethel.

The studies are followed by a review of other impacts to the region, such as the New York Regional Interconnection powerline and the exploration of natural gas extraction. Information on tools and resources available to residents and officials is also provided.

“We had tremendous cooperation from many organizations and individuals,” said Plunz. “We concentrated only on western Sullivan County in order to make the scale of study workable.”

Visit www.udpc.net for more information.

Contributed image
This newly released publication examines residential development issues in the Upper Delaware region. (Click for larger version)

MONTICELLO – A Delaware River Basin Commission engineer says the two states that share the upper Delaware River are reasonably up to speed with Marcellus Shale exploration.

William Muszynski they are paying particular concern to water resources. How much water would be drawn for each drilling operations, what chemicals would be added to the water, and what is done with the waste, are key issues.

The DRBC and most Sullivan officials say the exploration and drilling will happen.

Muszynski, and County Legislature Chairman Jonathan Rouis say they believe the state is up to speed, but legislator Dave Sager disagrees. Sager said both the state DEC and the DRBC are dropping the ball.

link to article is here

Appeals court rejects challenge to NY tax payments
Associated Press 10.07.08, 8:42 AM ET

link to article is here
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -

A state appeals court has unanimously rejected a challenge to the state's authority to make property tax payments on state lands.

The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court reversed the November ruling of a judge in Chautauqua County who found the mix of tax payments and exemptions on various state-owned land was "palpably arbitrary."

In a ruling that alarmed some municipal officials in the Adirondacks and Catskills, he ordered payments to municipalities stopped, but stayed his decision.

The appeals court says the state has sovereign immunity from the obligation to pay taxes, but also can waive that immunity and pay local municipalities. The justices cited case law that the waiver is up to the Legislature's discretion, not subject to "equal protection" challenges under the constitution.

In his ruling, Walker had noted that the first statute permitting taxation of state-owned land was in 1886 for the Forest Preserve, which "bore a rational relationship to legitimate state purpose." But later measures did not, he wrote, and now some municipalities get payments while others don't, despite similar situations.

John Dillenburg, then town supervisor of Arkwright, brought the lawsuit, arguing that his community was being unfairly denied tax payments on state-owned property within the town.

Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club, said the reversal was a major victory for those who live, work and recreate in the Adirondacks and Catskills, where the state Forest Preserve protects more than 3 million acres. "The fiscal burden of maintaining these lands should be shared by all New Yorkers and not fall on the shoulders of a few," he said.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

State to publish document on gas-drilling review process

By Tom Wilber • Press & Sun-Bulletin • October 6, 2008

 

 

aryImgs[imgCounter] = "http://images.recordonline.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TH&Date=20081005&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=810050325&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=180&title=1&border=0"; aryCaps[imgCounter] = "<div class="caption">The%20Lazy%20Beagle%20Pub%20%26%20Grill%20in%20Livingston%20Manor%20opened%20late%20this%20summer.%20Other%20business%20owners%20in%20town%20hope%20the%20restaurant%20will%20bring%20them%20business.%20Peter%20Howley%2C%20shown%20here%2C%20manages%20the%20restaurant. <br /><span class="photoCredit">For the Times Herald-Record/MICHAEL D. BLOOM</span></div>"; aryZooms[imgCounter] = "javascript: NewWindow(870,625,window.document.location+'&Template=photos&img="+imgCounter+"')"; bolImages=true; var isoPubDate = 'October 05, 2008' By Adam Bosch

LIVINGSTON MANOR — As Sims Foster watched this hamlet blossom — the fresh sidewalks, handsome light posts and new businesses — he realized that Livingston Manor was missing what every other vibrant community had: a restaurant.

So he gutted part of his family's building at 2 Pearl St. and built one.

"Manor is a shining example of a revitalized Main Street," Foster said. "But I think every town needs a good restaurant and there was a demand here."

The Lazy Beagle Pub & Grill, which opened late this summer, highlights the Foster family's role in Livingston Manor's continuing comeback. Other business owners in town have said the restaurant will help attract more people to their shops. The Fosters bought their building in 2003, when most shops were boarded up and the sidewalks were crumbling, and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in it. They opened Peez Leweez, a coffee and lunch shop, in one of the storefronts, and The Hot Corner, a sports memorabilia shop, in another.

"We grew up here and wanted to invest in the town and be a part of the growing new role of Livingston Manor," said Barry Foster, Sims Foster's father.

The Lazy Beagle filled the last empty storefront in their building, just as other downtown shops have gained new life. Sims Foster hired a green building contractor and used wood from torn-down barns for the tables and bar. As for the name of his pub, "I just wanted something with an adjective and an animal," said Foster, who works as a consultant to bars and restaurants in major American cities. His fellow business owners in Livingston Manor say the Lazy Beagle fills the need for a gathering place that is open after dark.

"I think it's definitely brought business in already," said Carolin Walton-Brown, owner of the Willow & Brown housewares shop. "The Lazy Beagle has given people a reason to stick around town, which makes a huge difference."

Lisa Lyons, who owns the Morgan Outdoors apparel shop, hosted a guest lecture by a falconer in September. People came from far-off cities for the event. In the recent past, those visitors would have gone home after the lecture.

"The beauty of it now is that all those people walked a block to have dinner at the Lazy Beagle," Lyons said. "People were amazed that we had it all in this little town."

Starting From Scratch

STEVE AND LISA LEPITO love their vacation property on Prudence Island, R.I., in Narragansett Bay. The beaches, blanketed with pink and yellow shells, are a bike ride away. Creeks rich with shellfish can be explored by kayak. Hiking trails run through protected land. There are no hotels on the island, and no restaurants — perfect for their nature-loving sensibility.

Along dirt roads, hand-painted signs advertise island-grown vegetables; at a stand that sells honey and jam, the buyer can just leave the money in a cigar box.

“It’s awesome here,” said Lisa Lepito. “As soon as I get on the ferry and leave the mainland, I exhale.”

“You can see seals here in the winter,” her husband added. “Even during July Fourth weekend the beaches are empty.”

Their little piece of paradise has everything they wanted in a vacation spot. Someday they may even build a house on it.

The Lepitos are that rare breed of second-home owner: the pioneers who buy virgin land and develop it themselves, in their own way, without major financial resources. The process can take years or even decades, depending on the owners’ resources and the type of house they plan eventually to have.

In the meantime, why wait to enjoy their getaway? While they build the bank account or solve the initial problems of building roads, digging wells, bringing in electric lines and the like, the pioneers can still visit and plan for the piece of land that represents the getaway of their dreams. They can even vacation there — they just have to rough it a little.

The Lepitos, who live in central Connecticut, bought their 75-by-100-foot lot on Prudence Island from a neighboring landowner in 2006, for $97,500. For the time being, the only structure on the land is a shed.

Built by local carpenters, the shed is 10 by 12 feet, with a standard door in front, a sliding barn door at the side (convenient for taking their lawnmower and bicycles in and out), and two windows. Inside, a rope ladder, purchased at Ikea, leads up to a loft. At some point, the shed may be an ancillary structure. But for now, it is their base camp, the place where they store their essentials between visits and where they can take shelter from rain.

Near Morgantown, N.C., another pioneering couple, Doug and Heather Mason, whose main home is in St. Petersburg, Fla., bought an acre and a half of land three years ago on the banks of 6,000-acre Lake James. They don’t stay overnight there yet, but Mr. Mason refers to it as his “dream lot” and admits to thinking about it almost every day. Like a proud parent with a new child, he has shot a video and photos of their acquisition and will show them off readily if asked. “Everyone has to have hopes and dreams,” he explained.

The land is heavily wooded, and the first task will be clearing enough for a makeshift road and a place to set up some kind of shelter. Mr. Mason recently purchased a professional-grade chain saw and has begun taking down trees. “It would be nice to get an area cleared where we could park a camper, get septic installed and put in a well,” he said. After that, he’d like to make a path to the water.

Mr. Mason fixes up homes for a living, and a house on Lake James is definitely in the couple’s plans. “Of course, we looked at things like log cabins,” he said. “But we do not know what kind of home we want to build yet. It will be a work in process.”

For Gregory Schmidt and Janet Zahradnik, doctors who are married and living in the Farmington River Valley in Connecticut, the purchase of raw land next to the Delaware River in Deposit, N.Y., came with some unanticipated considerations involving what was beneath the surface. The deal was $90,000 for a six-acre plot with mineral rights.

Increasing flows of water being released from upstream made this section of the Delaware increasingly conducive to trout, and Dr. Schmidt, an avid fly fisherman who owns a McKenzie-style drift boat, was delighted less with the idea of a future house and more with the thought of newly acquired access to a long stretch of river shore. He realized, he said, that “I could use it now” to fish, without waiting for a home.

But then the purchase hit a snag. The seller signed a lease with a gas company giving it the right to drill on other plots in the area for the next five years. The possibility that a gas well could pop up next door made banks reluctant to provide financing, Dr. Schmidt said. While a local bank examines the gas lease, the deal is on hold, and they were able to get their initial deposit back.

Dr. Schmidt has not soured on the idea of buying raw land. If this transaction doesn’t work out, he’s not against finding another empty plot — especially since the couple’s initial research showed that it would be easy and quick to put a modular home on it. “Modular homes take the pressure off,” he said. “You can save money, avoid dealing with construction workers, and you’re more likely to stay within budget.”

Often, of course, mulling over what to build on a newly acquired plot of vacation land is recreation in itself — even if the process involves downsizing some dreams.

Ten years ago, Dick Schellens, who works for an engineering development firm and lives in New Hampshire, received a plot of undeveloped waterfront land in the coastal town of Port Clyde, Me. — one-third of a parcel that his parents divided in three and gave to him and his two brothers.

The original plan that he and his wife considered was to put a barnlike structure on the land with an apartment space that could be rented. Then Mr. Schellens began to imagine a companion structure, a large summer house similar to the venerable old homes he’d seen in Watch Hill, R.I. “Back then, it seemed like everyone was thinking in grandiose terms,” he said.

A foundation was dug for the barn in 2005. “Then, at some point, we said, ‘The heck with grandiose,’ ” Mr. Schellens said. The barn idea, too, was set aside. The current plan is to build a two-bedroom house with a small carbon footprint, but he feels no urgency to get started.

In the meantime, he may put up a dock and live part-time on a boat while working to get the land ready for a building. Now he visits mostly to cut trees.

A new idea could help with that, and more. Like the pioneers of old who looked at woods and saw log cabins, why not clear woodland and produce building materials in one operation? He and his brothers are talking about bringing in a portable sawmill.

Back on Prudence Island, Steve and Lisa Lepito and their two daughters settled in one weekend this summer for a couple days on their lot. They unloaded a grill from their minivan, erected an umbrella over their outdoor picnic table, and stretched a couple of hammocks into place for handy lounging.

Mr. Lepito fastened a clip to the top of the shed door to hang their new shower — a garden hose with a spray nozzle. City water had just been connected to the house, but they still had no electricity or plumbing. A portable toilet sat in an alcove built onto the outside of the shed. Drinks and food were in a cooler.

The Lepitos have blueprints for a three-bedroom house, but no definite plans for building it.

“In the beginning,” Mr. Lepito said as he and his wife sat at their table in the shade of a tree, “we looked at every potential dwelling we could think of. It was a little obsessive.”

They pondered purchasing a cottage already on the island and moving it, but learned that because of a wetland between Points A and B, it would have to be cut in two to be moved. At one time they entertained the thought of using metal shipping containers to create a house.

“I want a place with high ceilings,” Mrs. Lepito said as she watched a rabbit hop across the grass. “I’d like to be able to see the bay from the window and for the house to have a really open feeling.”

They’re “still pretty open,” Mr. Lepito said, on the question of exactly what they will build. But over the months and years, as they spend time on the land they love, they’re narrowing it down.

SAUGERTIES - Irma Sagazie's annual Esopus Creek Safari will be held Saturday morning.

Sagazie, who is a former Saugerties resident, will attend the race and celebrate her 100 th birthday a few months early.

Preregistration for the kayak and canoe race is $25 and includes entry in the race, a shirt, awards, prizes and birthday cake.

Registration forms can be downloaded at www.atkenco.com or village.saugerties.ny.us (click on "local events").

Registration the day of the race will cost $30 and will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Saugerties Village Beach. A mandatory safety meeting will take place at 10 a.m. and the race will begin at 10:30 a.m. Participants can choose from a 4- or 7-mile flatwater course.

Sagazie's birthday party - as well as lunch, awards, prizes and music - will begin at 12:15 p.m. For more information contact Kelly Myers at (845) 247-9664 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Money raised by the event will benefit outdoor education programs for area children.

The race is sponsored by Kenco and attorney William Myers.

This is an important opportunity for builders, contractors, and others -- please forward to people in the Sullivan County region who may be interested in applying home energy efficiency principles in their work.

Below is summary information for a training course beginning next week in Liberty NY, focusing on applied building science principles needed to do energy audits and full home performance assessments that address energy efficiency, indoor air quality and related issues.  This training is the first step towards certification by the Building Performance Institute.  Upon completion of the course, you are eligible for 75% reimbursement from NYSERDA of tuition costs.

The full training brochure with registration information is attached to this email, but people receiving this through lists may not get the attachment.  If you need more information call 607-778-5012, or reply to the course instructor, Paul Carroll, who is copied on this email.

Also -- save the date:  Nov. 13th, 2008, 4th annual green buildings and energy efficiency conference in Orange County, this year focusing on energy efficiency in the housing sector.  Contact me if you want the conference flyer, sponsorship or exhibitor info., or other information.

Simon Gruber

 

This 36-hour training runs as follows:

Classroom Sessions:

Tues. Oct 7,

Wed. Oct. 8, Thurs. Oct. 9, & Fri. Oct.

10 (8am–4pm)

Field Sessions:

Tues. Oct. 14 & Wed.

Oct. 15 (8am–4pm)

BPI Written Test (optional: see

registration info):

Thurs. Oct. 16

(8am–10am)

Location

: CACHE, 63 South Main

Street, Liberty, NY 12754

For registration information: 607-778-5012

 

Training Agenda:

•Fundamentals of building science

•Identify and understand building performance

problems including ice dams, mold and mildew,

and indoor air quality issues

•Analyze buildings using “Blower Door”

technology and other diagnostic equipment

•Assess building tightness, mechanical and

distribution systems and combustion safety for a

“whole house” performance-based approach

•Practical application of “blower door,”

combustion safety and other diagnostics for

assessing air leakage and efficiency in buildings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 29, 2008

Contact:
Steve Dimeo
Communities Against Regional Interconnect
315-338-0393 [email protected]

Public Service Commission Schedules Additional NYRI Hearings

Communities Against Regional interconnect (CARI), a coalition comprising of
seven counties and five citizens groups opposing the NYRI power line requested
that the New York Public Service Commission hold Public Statement Hearings
in all of the Counties affected by the New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI).
The Public Service Commission granted CARI’s request and scheduled
additional hearings throughout the region.

The New York Public Service Commission will hold public information forums
and public statement hearings concerning a proposal by New York Regional
Interconnect, Inc. to construct a new, high voltage direct current transmission
line between National Grid’s substation in the Town of Marcy and Central
Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation’s substation in the Town of New Windsor.
The proposed line is approximately 190 miles in length.

Public information forums and public statement hearings will be held as follows:

Madison County
Monday, October 20, 2008
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
J. C. Colgate Hall of Presidents
Hamilton, New York
Information Forums - 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Otsego County
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Foot Hills Performing Arts Center
24 Market Street
Oneonta, New York
Information Forums - 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Oneida County
Utica
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Mohawk Valley Community College
1101 Sherman Drive
MVCC Theater
Utica, NY
Information Forums - 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Orange County
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Kuhl's Highland House
512 Highland Avenue Extension
Middletown, New York
Information Forum - 1:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 2:00 p.m.

Valley Central School
High School Campus
1175 State Route 17K
Montgomery, New York
Information Forum - 6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 7:00 p.m.

Sullivan County
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Delaware Community Center, aka
Callicoon Youth Center, Inc.
8 Creamery Road
Callicoon, New York
Information Forum - 1:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 2:00 p.m.

Sullivan West Central High School
6604 State Route 52
Lake Huntington, New York
Information Forum - 6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 7:00 p.m.

Delaware County
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Hancock Central School
High School Campus
67 Education Lane
Hancock, New York
Information Forum - 6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 7:00 p.m.

Chenango County
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Chenango County Council
for the Arts
27 West Main Street
Norwich, New York
Information Forums - 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearings - 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

The information forums will be presented by the Staff of the Department of
Public Service and will address the details of the administration of the
proceeding under the Department’s rules and modes of operation.

Following the information forums, the public will have an opportunity to present
their comments at the hearing before the Administrative Law Judges assigned
by the Commission to this case. A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be
made for inclusion in the record of this proceeding. All statements and
comments received by the Administrative Law Judges and the Commission will
be placed in the public case file and are available for public inspection in the
Commission's file room in its Albany offices, Central Files, 14th Floor, Three
Empire State Plaza.

It is not necessary to make an appointment in advance or to present written
material in order to speak at the public statement hearing. Speakers will be
called after completing a card requesting time to speak. The hearing will remain
open and will continue until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or
other reasonable arrangements are made. Disabled persons requiring special
accommodations may place a collect call to the Department of Public Service's
Human Resource Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as
possible.

In addition to the formal hearing, comments may be mailed to Jaclyn A. Brilling,
Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New
York 12223-1350. Your comments should refer to "Case 06-T-0650 – NYRI
Transmission Line Proceeding.” Toll-free Opinion Line: Comments may also be
submitted through the Commission's Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This
number is designed to take comments about pending cases from instate callers,
24 hours a day. Callers should select English or Spanish and press "1" to leave
comments about the electric facility proposal.

The Internet: Comments may also be submitted via the "PSC Comment Form" in
the "Consumer Assistance" file accessed through the Commission's Web site at
www.dps.state.ny.us or via the "Contact Us" link at http://www.AskPSC.com.
Many libraries offer free Internet access.

The hearings will be broadcast on the internet. The broadcast can be viewed by
accessing http://www.NewYorkAdmin.com and clicking on New York State
Public Service Commission (RealPlayer software is required and may be
downloaded from the web site). The Commission has no financial interest in the
web site, its management, maintenance or administration.

For more information on CARI please visit www.caricoalition.org.

XXX

For more information about -
The Counties of Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Madison, Oneida, Orange and Sullivan
Counties are members of CARI. The citizen’s group members of CARI are the Upper
Delaware Council; the Upstate New York Citizens Alliance; the Upper Delaware
Preservation Coalition; STOP NYRI, Inc. and SayNo2NYRI, Inc. To learn more about the
work of this coalition of county governments and grass roots citizen groups, visit
www.caricoaltion.org, or contact one of the group’s representatives listed below:

Broome County Peter DeWind (607) 778-2109
Chenango County Donna Jones (607) 337-1640
Delaware County Sam Rowe (607) 637-3651
Madison County Rocco DiVeronica (315) 366-2201
Oneida County Steve DiMeo (315) 338-0393
Orange County David Darwin (845) 291-3150
Sullivan County Ethan Cohen (845) 794-3000
Upstate New York Citizens Alliance Michael Steiger (315) 725-6499
STOP NYRI, Inc. Eve Ann Shwartz (315) 691-2917
Upper Delaware Preservation
Coalition
Troy Bystrom (646) 205-2723
Upper Delaware Council William Douglass (845)-252-3022
SayNo2NYRI, Inc. Gail Heatherly (845) 386-2872

A report issued Monday by a fisheries conservation group says New York lags Northeastern states in protecting its water resources.

New York uses more water per household than any other state except California and Texas, according to "Tapped Out: New York's Water Woes," by Trout Unlimited. The report calls for New York to adopt water conservation laws, which could include new limits on residential water use, and higher prices for heavier users.

"The need to address [New York's water issues] is acute," Assemblyman Robert Sweeney of Long Island told the Times Union for its story on the new report. Sweeney is head of the Assembly's Environmental Conservation Committee

Water has become a topic of increased focus in New York. Recently, for example, the New York City Council has been inquiring into risks that new gas drilling could create for the city's water supply.