Smaller town
Board approves sale of California Quarry acreage but keeps the cell tower pie

by Jim Gordon Woodstock Times  February 16, 2006

The Woodstock town board unanimously approved, at its February 14 monthly meeting, the sale of some 186 acres of town owned land around the California Quarry to the Open Space Institute. Under the deal, which was facilitated by the Woodstock Land Conservancy, the OSI will convey the parcel to the state of New York for inclusion in the state forest preserve. An adjacent 12 acre parcel was retained by the town, and is currently slated to serve as the site of a cellular communication tower.
The sale of the California Quarry parcel is for $186,000 - $1,000 per acre - and is subject to a permissive referendum if anyone opposed is able to file petitions with at least 146 valid signatures, thereby forcing the vote of town residents on the matter.
Arthur Kahn, the town's attorney, confirmed on Wednesday, February 15, the number of signatures required as five percent of the total votes cast in town on the last gubernatorial election. He said that information is contained on the official notice posted by the town informing citizens of the sale of town owned property.
The sale has been under discussion since August and has surfaced one other time at the town board level before the resolution was introduced last night. But town councilwoman Liz Simonson said to her it "was a surprise" that the matter was up for approval by the town board, because it had not been discussed with the town board's land use subcommittee. She also urged that the town get a written appraisal, or some document from the town's own assessor, regarding the value of the property. Thus far, the only appraisal was commissioned by the Open Space Institute. "We're having [the buyer] telling us what it is worth. I want to do this, believe me, but this is town property," said Simonson. "Signing the contract should be contingent on getting documentation about the parcel's worth from the town appraiser."
Board member Chris Collins suggested the town investigate what will become of the 12 acre parcel it retained in the event that the cell phone tower planned for that location is ultimately not built. Town resident Michael Veitch suggested that the town use the money from the sale to create a special fund dedicated to protecting sensitive areas of open space in the town that might be threatened from development or other pressures.
While expressing general agreement on the need for a town appraisal, Wilber said the town should not delay the process of making the sale because Governor Pataki, who has been active in purchasing sensitive lands for preservation by the state, is in the last year of his term. "This is a window of opportunity and it is a closing window," said Wilber.
Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to approve the resolution authorizing the sale to proceed. Several members of the town land conservancy in attendance at the meeting burst out in applause.

"EVOLVING" COSTS OF HIGHWAY GARAGE
The town board also discussed a variety of projects and concerns as part of committee reports, including a report from the highway garage subcommittee that the project should be "substantially complete" in August and the town highway department may be able to occupy and utilize the facility starting in September. But the total cost of the project is still "evolving," according to Simonson, a member of the highway garage subcommittee.
Town board member Bill McKenna gave the report behalf of the highway garage subcommittee that he serves on along with Simonson. He said that the warm winter has allowed work to begin on installing the geo-thermal heating and cooling system, a series of roughly six inch deep pipes that will be sunk some 400 feet, to take advantage of the consistent temperatures at that depth to regulate temperatures in the building. He said that the mild winter has allowed an aggressive work schedule to be planned, and that work pouring concrete footings could being as soon as March 1, with an expected date in August to complete the roughly $4 million facility.
Simonson said the town had agreed to purchase equipment for washing and lubing trucks and an emergency generator for the facility. These items were originally included in the plans, but were removed as rising costs pushed the total project past the costs ceiling imposed by the referendum approving the amount of money that could be borrowed for the project. A reserve fund has been set up to help fund the equipment, but Simonson and McKenna both said there is no firm price yet for those items, nor other sundry furniture and fixtures.
"I want to be very clear to the public about the evolving nature of the cost of the project," said Simonson. "There are still on the horizon project costs we will have to consider, if we are to be able to open up the building." Besides the equipment already cited, she said that such mundane items as desks, table, and chairs - "all those sorts of equipment that will go into a stellar building project" - are not currently included in the budget. "We are still trying to find ways to fund all these things," she said.

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.