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Boards Should Get Issues Resolved Before Approvals are Granted
Dear Editor:
There were two threads to the letters last week in response to the ad from the PCA about the gas station at 9/403- 1- Mr. Giachinta is a good local guy who has built something attractive and 2- we all need to put this behind us and accept that business brings much needed taxes. The PCA ad didn't touch on those points and though they said facts were incorrect, the facts in the ad were well researched.
The PCA is not against business and just wants business owners to be responsible and ensure that our environment is protected. The ad showed that despite the many months this has been before the Boards, there are still unanswered questions about the old septic at the site and about the runoff that will be created because a larger than allowable amount of the lot has been paved. All the drainage is in front of the site despite the fact that the gas was moved to the back. The Boards should be responsible for getting answers to these issues resolved before approvals are granted. It is the responsibility of members of this community to question things like this, which is exactly what the PCA was doing.
The boards shouldn't be pressured to just grant approvals after the fact. The letters in the paper say that the issues should be "resolved" and that the "problem should be rectified." Those things are in the hands of the owners of this property. But CLE has seemed unwilling to make any compromises. Rather than addressing the possible septic issues, they say they won't have public bathrooms. Rather than scale back anything, they say that if they don't get the variance for covering 86% of the lot, they'll cut out the parking in the front that is for hikers. That isn't what you'd expect from someone who is just trying to do good here in Town.
I understand Mr. Giachinta's philosophy about development is to put his buildings near the road and the "dirty" part of his business behind it. As the next door neighbor, from 5am-11pm, while you are stopping by to gas up your cars and pick up some milk or beer at a place that is open hours no one else in PTown is open, I get to watch as you park 10 ft. from my property line and spill gas and oil that will wash into the aquifer that feeds my well. The stormwater plan that was handed in doesn't explain how that won't happen and it's what this business will do to the water table that concerns me, not it's appearance.
We'd all like this to be behind us. We don't know why proper, legal procedures and week after week of Stop Work Orders were ignored. We await the court decision on the violations issued by the DEC. And we hope our Town Boards will insist on getting some answers to these issues before rendering decisions.
Liisa McCloy-Kelley
Garrison
former Town Supervisor
Putnam Valley
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