Woodstock moves against hydrofracking

Opponents warn that hydrofracking poses intolerable environmental risks, particularly the potential contamination of drinking water. They also cite degradation of the landscape by unsightly well pads and heavy truck traffic and unanswered questions about the health and environmental effects of the chemicals involved in the drilling process, noting that drilling companies have thus far not been required to disclose the identity of those agents, some of which may be carcinogenic.

Selected sites only

According to recent reports in the New York Times, the DEC, at the behest of the Cuomo administration, is expected to recommend that hydrofracking be selectively permitted in a handful of counties in southwestern New York along the Pennsylvania border, overlying the deepest areas of the Marcellus Shale formation, and only in towns that approve it. Hydrofracking would be banned in the Catskill Park, in aquifers, and in designated historic districts.

Under those circumstances Woodstock, which lies within both the Catskill Park area and the New York City watershed, would be an unlikely target for drilling. Nevertheless, town officials are pursuing the two-pronged preemptive approach. At the suggestion of councilman Bill McKenna, Wenk agreed to postpone the public hearing on the civil rights measure until July 24 if necessary, should the board encounter “stumbling blocks” between now and the scheduled hearing.

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With supervisor Jeremy Wilber absent due to a reported family matter, the town’s deputy supervisor, Liam Kahn, presided at the meeting. Kahn, who is 18 years old, was appointed to his position by Wilber last January. He recently completed his first semester of studies at SUNY Ulster. The young deputy moderated the brief, 45-minute meeting adeptly, noting at the outset that, in his nonvoting capacity, he could read resolutions but could not initiate action on them. The board’s votes, mainly on routine matters, were all unanimous.

 

The agenda included the following items:

Summer camp. The town-operated Summer Recreation Camp, based at Andy Lee Field, begins on Wednesday, June 27, announced the town clerk, Jackie Earley. Residents who wish to use the field’s tennis courts or tend the community garden on the property while the camp is in session must obtain ID badges at the clerk’s office. The badges must be displayed in order to gain access to the field during the camp season. The board approved the hiring of 28 camp staff members and their rates of pay.

 

Town Hall renovation. With construction expected to begin early in July, municipal employees will relocate from Town Hall to temporary quarters on Comeau Drive by July 8. The justice court will move to the main room of the town offices at 45 Comeau Drive; as a result, meetings of boards and commissions, including the Town Board, will take place at the Community Center beginning on July 28 and continuing for the duration of the construction work. The Police and Emergency Dispatch Departments will occupy a trailer on the Upper Comeau property, with a second trailer to be used for processing work, such as arrests. Producers of programs on the local cable TV access channel may pick up and return keys to the station at the Dispatch Department’s trailer. Contact information for the court and the two other displaced departments will be unchanged during the renovation.

 

Highway equipment. The board voted to authorize the highway superintendent, Mike Reynolds, to purchase from the town of Hamilton a surplus truck for dumping and plowing, at a cost of up to $50,000. McKenna noted that the purchase price was likely to be lower, as the truck is being sold at auction. The resolution stipulated that the funds for the purchase would be withdrawn from the Highway Equipment Reserve Fund. In a separate resolution, the council proposed that the equipment fund be replenished by an allocation from a capital reserve fund, subject to a permissive referendum to be advertised by the town clerk.

 

Jobs for youth. Earley reported that temporary, five-week jobs are available to local young people through the Ulster County Office of Employment and Training. For information, call the county office at 340-3170 or the town clerk’s office at 679-2113, extension 4.

 

Zoning changes. The board took no action on a packet of proposed zoning amendments involving matters such as required setbacks from roads, site plan requirements for municipal projects, and terminology used in sections of the zoning law. A resolution to schedule a public hearing on the packet had been printed on the agenda but stricken before the meeting began. Board members have been contemplating further changes to the measure, which has been reviewed by the county and town planning boards.