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Philipstown Board Asks Congress to Reconsider Bills for Indian Point Assessment
Firefighters & Regale show mutual mistrust at monthly TB meeting
by Maria Theodore Leiter
Reports of an investigation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission into a small radioactive leak and ongoing issues with the siren system at the Indian Point nuclear power plant prompted the Philipstown Town Board to pass a non-binding resolution at the Board's monthly meeting on February 1, 2007 that urged the United States Senate and House of Representatives to reintroduce bills that fell by the wayside with the close of the last Congressional session.
The bills, S. 2488 and H.R. 4891, required the NRC to conduct an independent safety assessment of the plant.
"In the past, the problems were always on the electric generation side, not the nuclear end," said Councilman David Brower. "Now there are also problems with radiation."
Councilman Richard Shea, who introduced the resolution, said that in light of the fact that Entergy was seeking to renew its license to run the plant for another twenty years, it was important that there be no unanswered safety issues. He said that the assessment should look at both the condition and safety of the plant, and the evacuation plan.
"Notice we are not addressing the issue of closing Indian Point," said Supervisor William Mazzuca.
The resolution, which was introduced at the end of a short agenda, passed unanimously.
Before delving into agenda items, Shea commented on a letter that appeared in the previous week's PCN&R, coming to the defense of the Conservation Advisory Council, which was criticized by the letter writer.
"We have volunteers of the highest caliber [on the CAC]," he said. "People make time in their busy lives to volunteer. Before firing off a letter, people ought to come to meetings and try to help."
The regular agenda items included a resolution appointing Loriann Merrigan to the position of part-time Justice Clerk. Mazzuca said that her recommendation came from both the Town Justices. It was unanimously approved. The Board also approved a resolution appointing Justine Bruno as Secretary to the Continental Village Park District.
Another resolution changes the meeting schedule for the Zoning Board of Appeals from the first and third Monday of every month to the second and fourth Monday of each month.
At the Board's January 24 workshop the Board passed an amendment to a Local Law that increased fines for dumping following a public hearing in which there was no public comment.
Following these items, Mazzuca shared a letter written to the Town Board from a resident of Winston Lane. In it, the resident took issue with commercial truck traffic that used Winston Lane to cut across from Route 6 to Route 9. New to the neighborhood, the letter writer said he was shocked to realize the volume of commercial traffic that existed on such a narrow country road. He recommended that the Town consider a weight limit on the road.
"As a jogger, I can attest to that," said Bruno, who was in attendance to accept her appointment.
Mazzuca agreed that the road was not adequate to serve as a commercial through way. He said that the Board would consider amending the local code to include a 5-ton weight limit on all but local delivery trucks. Councilman Al Hosmer said he would discuss the matter with the Department of Transportation and Highway Superintendent Roger Chirico.
Mazzuca also advised that he had received correspondence from the Garrison Volunteer Fire Department as answer to a number of inquiries from Garrison resident Joe Regale. The issue touched off a bitter discourse involving members of the GVFD and Regale.
Regale said that at the advice of Town Board members, he contacted the fire department directly in an attempt to obtain answers to financial questions he had. He said that he sent a number of emails to Sally Simone of the GVFD, to which he got no response. Ms. Simone told him that she did not feel it appropriate to speak to him directly, but preferred to go through the Town Board. Regale said that it was telling to him that his attempts to obtain basic financial information were met with such resistance.
"All I'm attempting to do is see how this money is being spent," declared Regale. "Every part of the Town Board budget is transparent, except this. It's not an attempt to increase or decrease. I just want to know what is spent."
Mazzuca said that he held the responses in his hand and would share them with Regale. He also advised that the fire department would soon undergo a mandatory Independent Audit. He also told Regale that while he found it helpful for citizens to take an interest, sometimes the manner in which questions are asked can "raise hackles."
Chris Simone, a firefighter with the GVFD, speaking as a private citizen, took issue with Regale's claim that he was trying to help the department save money. He pointed out that Regale began his interaction with them by placing a full page ad in the PCN&R using a computer generated image of a large cell tower atop the old firehouse building on Route 9D. "The picture you put in was nothing like what we were planning to put there." He added, "You are opposed to the cell tower. It would be nice if you were honest about it. I respect that."
"I am against the cell tower," responded Regale. "The lack of courtesy involved in deciding to go into contract to put up a tower that would affect their neighbors without involving the community led me to question the judgment of the institution... You don't get a free pass by saying 'We are volunteers'." He pointed out that $1.5 million taxpayer funding has gone to the fire department over the last few years and said he found it incredible that there was no accountability in how that money is spent.
Councilman David Brower disclosed that he was a member of the GVFD, but in all actions pertaining to the fire department, he recuses himself.
Fire Chief Rodney Tudor said that Regale was being disingenuous. He said that he was at the informational meeting on the Length of Service Awards Program proposed increase, which was subsequently voted down. He said that Regale attended and his questions were answered.
Simone said that while Regale claimed that he only wanted information at the meeting, he had already paid to take out another ad in the PCN&R opposing the LOSAP. Tudor also said that Regale was asked to join the department to lend his expertise, but Regale responded that he did not have the time.
A clearly disheartened Regale said that while the fire department might not believe him, his interest was in trying to lend his financial expertise in order to see if there were ways in which the department could better manage their money. He said the very fact that simple financial questions that should be easy to find on financial statements took so much research was not a good sign.
"I am taken aback that asking questions in themselves is an aggressive act. If you ask questions and you don't get answers, then you wonder why." He said he was not oblivious to the fact that should the GVFD decide to pull out of Philipstown it would cost the Town a lot to hire a professional department. "I don't want to pay for that." Had he gotten the answers he sought, he could have given them advice whether or not he joined, he said.
In a final exchange, Simone used one question regarding depreciation as an example of an "inane" waste of time, pointing out that not-for-profit organizations do not take depreciation.
"It was not an inane question," responded Regale. "It is a very sophisticated question." He explained that there were third parties that made a practice of purchasing depreciation from non-profits for fees that could possibly benefit the fire department. After that, Regale got up and left the meeting.
Mazzuca said he would review the answers provided by the GVFD and forward them to Regale. The next monthly meeting of the Philipstown Town Board will be held on Thursday, March 1 at 8pm in the Town Hall. The Board also meets most Wednesday nights in workshop session.
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