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PUBLIC AGENDA

WEDNESDAY , DECEMBER 7 New Windsor Town Board , Town Hall , 555 Union Ave ., New Windsor .

THURSDAY , DECEMBER 8 Newburgh City Council Work Session , 6 p . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway .

MONDAY , DECEMBER 12

Newburgh City Council meeting . 7 p . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway . Town of New Windsor ZBA , 7:30 p . m . Town Hall , 555 Union Avenue .

WEDNESDAY , DECEMBER 14

Town of New Windsor Planning Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 555 Union Avenue .

THURSDAY , DECEMBER 15 Town of Newburgh Planning Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 1496 Route 300 , Town of Newburgh .

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The Mid Hudson Times , ( USPS 000-5947 ) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh , NY 12550 , with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , NY . Single copy : $ 1 at newsstand . By mail in Orange , Ulster or Sullivan Counties : $ 40 annually , $ 44 out of county . Periodicals permit at Newburgh , NY . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Mid Hudson Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , NY 12550

Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , December 7 , 2016

The Newburgh Rowing Club hosts a sip and paint event , led by Artist Melanie Delgado on Thursday , December 8 , at 6 p . m . at the Newburgh Jewish Community Center , 290 North Street , Newburgh . Enjoy a glass of wine as you paint the scene depicted in the above photo , and enjoy some Holiday Shopping , as well as cheese and crackers , fruit and snacks . Price for the full package which includes wine and 10 tricky tray raffle tickets is $ 45 per person . The price for persons under the age of 21 and non-wine drinkers is $ 30 per person . The price at the door is $ 50 per person with wine , $ 35 per person without the wine . All net proceeds go to benefit the Rowing and community programs of the Newburgh Rowing Club .

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The proposal has generated significant bipartisan opposition from local , state and federal officials as well as from environmental organizations , citizen groups and residents from across the region .

Kelly said the Maritime Association was founded in New York City in 1873 and is concerned with commercial navigation and shipping issues from the Long Island Sound , north to Albany and along the New Jersey shore . The association has about 550 paid corporate and individual members that consists of international shipping lines , marine terminals , tug and barge operators , admiralty attorneys , long shore laborers , marine underwriters , divers , fuel organizations and vessel staff facilities . The industry brings imports and exports to the greater Mid-Atlantic region , which is considered a gateway to the United States .

“ When you stop to think about the ramifications about how the world has gotten so small and the maritime industry transports so many of those goods in and out , it has really made the world a better place ,” he said .

Kelly said the Hudson River Pilots Association and the American Waterway Operators are supporting his association ’ s internal tug and barge committee recommendations that have been submitted to the Coast Guard for the additional federally designated anchorage areas . Kelly said due to the high level of interest this proposal has generated , with more than 6,000 letters submitted , he expects a series of public hearings would be scheduled for the spring and a final decision by late 2017 .

Kelly said the reason his association favors the increase in anchorages is based on facts .

“ We ’ ve seen a tremendous amount of disinformation and misinformation on the subject that has been put out there by various organizations ,” he said . “ There are things on websites that are not true . There are things that are being spoken about that are not true . It is my opinion that you should first establish the facts and then try to distort them , not the other way around .”

Kelly said the safety record of water transport of oil products is well documented , with vessels now required to be double-hulled .

“ It is the cleanest and most environmentally friendly way to move freight . It is the most fuel-efficient [ and ] requires the minimal amount of infrastructure . It reduces roadway congestion and wear and tear , so therefore it reduces the need for public taxes to replace infrastructure , roads and bridges . It does reduce emissions both in the air and in the water as compared to any other mode of transportation ,” he said .

Kelly estimated that one barge on a waterway saves 60 truck trailer trips on roadways .

Kelly said the additional anchorages would help barge operators when facing difficult weather conditions such as fog , ice and sudden thunderstorms . The proposed locations have been chosen because they are in wide areas of the river , have deep water so ships would not run aground , provide shelter from strong currents out of navigable channels and are spaced in closer proximity so stopping points are not a far distance apart .

Kelly said these anchorages would not be used by oil companies to park oil while waiting for their product to rise in value because the cost in equipment , man-hours and each with an attendant tugboat is simply cost prohibitive . He said critics who claim this is the real reason have “ never looked into the actual economics or cost of trying to do that or else its an inconvenient fact they don ’ t want to talk about .”

Kelly said the anchorage sites “ do not require any construction or the placement of any infrastructure in or around the river . These are not proposed moorings and nothing will be placed on the bottom of the river … and no yellow lines painted on the water .”

Kelly was asked if the industry would agree to limit the number of barges on the river at any given time if the additional anchorages were granted ; Kelly responded with a question .

“ Is there any place in the United States where you are going to tell people what they can do ? That ’ s against the Constitution . We would never get that enacted ,” he said .