Mining application for site in Milan undergoing revision

By William J. Kemble, Correspondent Poughkeepsie Journal January 23, 2006

MILAN - Red Wing Sand and Gravel officials are nearly finished making revisions to a mining application for a proposed Turkey Hill Road property to become part of expanded operations of the Roe Jan mine.
The changes to the application with the state Department of Environmental Conservation were discussed Monday during a telephone interview with company Vice President Paul Doherty, who said paperwork is expected to be submitted within the next two months.
"It's part of our (state Draft Environmental Impact Statement) that's going back to DEC," he said.
"At the present Roe Jan site ... we have about 100 acres," he said. "So now instead of hauling the material that's right on the site to the (processing) plant, we're going to haul it from a mile away."
Red Wing purchased the Roe Jan mine, which is partly in Columbia County, in 2002 from former Milan town Councilman Stephen Odak through a $980,000 mortgage. At about the same time, company officials filed an application for use of 69 acres of a 192.24-acre site on Turkey Hill Road that brought about strong opposition.
Doherty said there are between 30 and 40 loads per day taken from the Roe Jan site, with no additional traffic to be generated at the Turkey Hill Road location if the application is approved by state and local officials. He added that access for both locations would be on county Route 55.
"Since traffic and trucks were a big part of the problem (for mining opposition in Milan), we decided to take it out," he said.
"We'd be digging from the back of the (Turkey Hill Road) property so no one would even know we're back there," Doherty said. "We'd be going through the woods (about 1.8 miles) to the present sand and gravel plant. We would just have to cross the road and we'd be into the present Roe Jan site."
Town Supervisor Van Talmage said the changes had previously been brought to officials' attention and are not expected to be well-received by the new Town Board.
"The Town Board has changed twice (since 2002) and now the sentiment is we don't want to have a light industrial district and we're not in favor of a commercial mine," he said.
"Right now there is a lot of opposition among the local people to the mine in general because it is a commercial mine," Talmage said. "It's not like a farmer who is doing a small thing on his own."©Daily Freeman 2006

AREA NEWSPAPER
CONTACT INFORMATION

ULSTER/ DUTCHESS

Poughkeepsie Journal
PO Box 1231
Poughkeepsie, NY 12602
(845) 454-2000
For an on line letter to the editor. Fill out this form

ULSTER COUNTY

Saugerties Times
Monday deadline
P.O.Box
Phone:334- 8200
FAX your letter 334-8202
saugertiestimes@ulsterpublishing
(Attention Erica Freudenberger, editor)
P.O.Box 3329
Kingston, NY 12402

Albany Times Union
Times Union
90 State Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 454-5091
For an on line letter to the editor. Fill out this form

COLUMBIA COUNTY
The Independent
Indenews (online)

P.O. Box 360
Hillsdale, NY 12529
Phone (518) 325-4400
FAX (518) 325-4497
Parry Teasdale, editor

letters to editor require form through website

***NOTE: Our websites make an effort to glean info for our readers from local papers. This is no way a substitute for subscribing or picking up a local paper. We gratefully acknowledge the efforts local newspapers and publications make to our community.