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Angry Foundry Pond and Lake Surprise Residents Vent Their Frustration
Draft agreement reached on Glenclyffe property donation to Town
by Mike Turton
A delegation of more than a dozen residents from Foundry Pond Rd. and Lake Surprise spent more than an hour at the Philipstown Town Board's monthly meeting on October 4, 2007 voicing their strong concerns over the possibility that the DeVido Subdivision could result in the construction of four houses on the 6.7 acre property. The area's two-acre zoning would normally permit a maximum of three houses.
Residents are also dismayed that an old road that crosses the property is included in the area to be developed. A letter from Badey and Watson Surveying and Engineering to the Town Planner Tim Miller had dismissed the road as having had "no apparent use." Correspondence from the Village of Cold Spring to the Town of Philipstown has indicated that the road in fact has been used by the Village to gain access to the upper reservoir "since the inception of the (reservoir) system."
Resident David Weinpahl spoke on behalf of the group and asked how Badey and Watson, Tim Miller, Philipstown Building Inspector Tom Monroe and Town Attorney Ed Doyle all missed clear signals that the road was still being used by the Village. "How did they all miss the red flag"? an exasperated Weinpahl asked. Council member Richard Shea admitted that "the ball had been dropped" but added "I understand your anger; the question is what can we do from here on…everyone is fully aware now." When residents continued to express alarm over the building of the fourth house Shea responded emphatically, "We are nowhere near a fourth house being built." Town Supervisor Bill Mazzuca was also adamant, stating that "We will do what we have to do to prevent that" he stated. The Town Board will meet with residents to discuss the issue further at a Workshop scheduled for October 10 at 7:30pm at the Town Hall.
Michael McKee of the Philipstown Greenway Committee addressed the Board regarding the Hudson Fjord Capital Improvement Feasibility Study. The study, which is now complete, calls for improvements to parking and trails at Little Stony Point Park on Route 9D just outside of the Village of Cold Spring. The committee will now meet with the Town Board at a Workshop scheduled for October 24 at 7:30pm to discuss the study results and funding strategies.
Marlo Kovacs of the Hudson Highlands Land Trust presented the final Philipstown Natural Resources and Open Space protection Plan to the Board. The plan was prepared by the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Subcommittee on Natural Resources. The committee has recommended that the Board now include it as part of the Philipstown Comprehensive Plan. Copies are available through Hudson Highland Land Trust's office in Garrison and on its website as well as at the Philipstown Town Hall and on the Town website. Councilman Richard Shea praised the committee for having completed "a tremendous amount of work" in preparing the plan. A public hearing will be held to review the plan on October 17 at 7:30pm at the Town Hall.
Andrew Galler of the Conservation Advisory Committee (CAC) submitted the Philipstown Open Space Index and Map to the Board. The document is intended to implement the Open Space Protection Plan. The index identifies 27 areas in Philipstown that are considered significant for their biodiversity, ground water, viewshed, recreation or historical values. By way of example, it identifies Old Albany Post Road, one of the oldest roads in the country, as a significant historic resource worthy of protection. The Index and Map will also assist the Town should it decide to raise funds through the Community Preservation Act. The CAC will review any changes proposed in the areas identified. The Town Board will review the index and discuss its implementation on October 17.
Recreation Commission Chairman Claudio Marzollo reported to the Board that a draft agreement has been reached with the Open Space Institute regarding that organization's donation of the Glenclyffe property, site of the Philips town Recreation Department and Community Center. The agreement, which has been four years in the making, will permit an increase of up to 5000 square feet to the footprint of the buildings, up to the height of the existing buildings. One possible new use being considered is the development of a community pool. A workshop will be held to review the proposed agreement in detail. No date has been set.
Nat Prentice, a candidate for Town Board in the upcoming election, appeared before the Board to discuss the 2008 budget process and to urge public participation. In the discussion that followed, Supervisor Bill Mazzuca indicated that Mortgage Tax revenue would be down by some $200,000 in the coming year and proposed budgets must realistically take that into account. "We have a difficult budget coming up" Mazzuca said. It was also pointed out that after the Mortgage Tax the Recreation Department is the Town's largest non-tax source of revenue, taking in more than the Town's subsidy of the department's programs.
Councilman Richard Shea reported that at the new Garrison water system "well water is now flowing" and that the system should be up and running by December 1st. Supervisor Bill Mazzuca praised Shea for his leadership and commitment to the project. Shea, who estimates that he devoted at least 1000 hours of his own time on the project, said that the Town "spent $110,000 to complete a $1million project." The old system was 125 years old.
The Town-Wide Clean Up is scheduled for Saturday October 20 from 9am to 1pm at the Garrison Fire Hall on Route 9. Only Philipstown residents are eligible and only pickup-sized trucks are permitted.
John Sussmeier was honored a the meeting with a plaque presented by the Town Board for his twelve years of volunteer service on the Conservation Advisory Committee (CAC) from 1995 to 2007.
The Town Board's next monthly meeting will be on November 1st at 8pm. A public hearing will be held at 7:45 that night to receive comments regarding the proposed Host Liability Law.
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