Planners spent much of the meeting questioning promoters as to whether there were any plans to install permanent infrastructure.
Planning Board member Dan Weeks said the board is being asked to make a recommendation to the town based on similar past proposals. “They are going to use the same temporary infrastructure,” he said. “I think these events have gotten really good at being mobile, coming in and coming out, so we’re only left with the traffic impact.”
Planning Board member Paul Andreassen ticked off the number of festivals Saugerties now hosts: “We have the Garlic Festival, the Fourth of July festival, we get thousands [of visitors]. However, “the discouraging thing to me is how temporary they are,” Weeks responded. “I was looking forward to seeing some infrastructure starting there. Are you envisioning two events this year?”
There are two events, with possibly three events proposed for this year, said promoter Michael Lang. “In 2015 we’re possibly looking for five,” he added.
Pullman said the long-term plans could include the installation of a permanent solar energy field if the property becomes a regular venue. “This would provide power, not only for the events in that space, but it would reduce the load in and load out, trucking generators, carbon footprint and it allows for the possibility of generating more energy that we could feed back into the grid. That’s our long-term thought.”
Planning consultant Dan Shuster asked when the organizers plan to begin publicizing the event. Schwenker estimated that the push would begin in about a month. “This is going to draw people from all over.”
Lang estimated that the publicity would ramp up about the beginning of March.
“Our hopes are that at the end of the day, we can create a template that we could use for all future events and make it a very simple process,” said Stock. “As the infrastructure grows, it will become a simpler process. This site has some infrastructure from Woodstock ’94, and that has been a great help to this facility. It allows us to use the property without adding a great deal of infrastructure; everything else is there.”
Weeks suggested that if increasing numbers of festivals are held at the site, much of the infrastructure, such as fences and parking areas, could remain permanently.
“It’s a pretty common practice in our industry to bring in, build, move on and take down,” said Lang. “That’s kind of the standard, but obviously it would be better if we had a permanent site that would be flexible enough to take on different kinds [of performances].”
Weeks suggested that as the board is discussing the impact of a major event, the village should be included, as the traffic impact will fall most heavily on the village. Board members agreed to this. Andreassen pointed out that the board, in its recommendations after the last planned gathering, had included a proposal that the town develop a zoning district for mass gatherings.
Post said the Town Board could simply reinstate the zoning that was written for the 1994 Woodstock Festival.
Councilman Jimmy Bruno said the Town Board has already asked its attorney to review the earlier law, which had been left out of the zoning when it was updated, and determine whether it is still applicable.
Post said the board will formulate a resolution to forward to the Town Board, “and we look forward to you guys being there.”
