T IMES
MID
HUDSON
Vol. 30, No. 38
3
SEPTEMBER 19 - 25, 2018
The City of Newburgh Public Safety
Building’s faulty air conditioning units
raise questions on the ability to keep
the building open. City Manager Michael
Ciaravino questions the ability for the
structure to remain habitable long term.
Ciaravino took a tour of the
building with Mayor Torrance Harvey,
the presidents of the International
Association of Firefighters (IAFF) and
the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association
(PBA), Police Chief Doug Solomon, Acting
Fire Chief Terry Ahlers, City Engineer
Jason Morris, and Water Superintendent
Wayne Vradenburgh.
The group toured the building
alongside Quest Environmental who
conducted tests and are expected to give a
report to city council in the coming week
on the quality of the building and the
air. Ciaravino is awaiting this report to
make decisions on whether the building
is suitable for continued use.
“We have installed humidifiers and are
looking for air scrubbers to reduce the
humidity problem that has been ongoing,”
said Ciaravino. “We are addressing short
term immediate needs to dehumidify the
environment while we wait for the final
report from Quest Environment. We may
have to take more radical measures, but
what is important right now is ensuring
the short term air quality in the building,
while we discuss with the city council
what a longer term solution looks like.”
Contingency planning has been
discussed with Solomon and Ahlers in the
worst case scenario, the building is not
functional. This plan includes the police
Four
pastellists
Page 38 Page 12
SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR
department temporarily relocating to
the City of Newburgh Courthouse, while
the Fire Department would be moved
to temporary trailers outside the Public
Safety Building.
“We are taking a measured approach,
we don’t want to jump to any conclusions,”
said Ciaravino. “It is incumbent on us to
consider contingencies upon test results.”
Until test results are turned in and the
report is discussed there is no estimation
to potential costs fixing the building
can have on the city. The city council is
waiting on the report being conducted
by Quest Environmental. They will
discuss and make decisions regarding the
report once they have all the necessary
information.
Ciaravino plans to give an update on
the situation at the City Council work
session on Thursday in City Hall at 6 p.m.
W hite on B lue
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds streak across the sky Sunday, during the New York Air Show at Stewart Airport. Story, photos on pages 20 and 21.
WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM
ONE DOLLAR
Goldback
girls win
Public safety building may be unsafe
By KATELYN CORDERO
[email protected]
3
City group
opposes
town project
Newburgh Clean Water Project
opposes Shoppes at Union
Square development
By LAUREN BERG
City of Newburgh resident Ophra Wolf
was one of several residents at the Town
of Newburgh’s September 6 meeting
holding signs stating, “Don’t protect your
reserve water by destroying ours!” as the
planning board voted on the Shoppes at
Union Square project.
The site, located at the corner of Union
Avenue and Orr Avenue, contains a
tributary that flows through the property.
The planning board has indicated that
the project would pose small to moderate
impacts on surface water and nearby
water bodies, but Wolf believes it is more
serious.
“There are three things that are
really troubling about this [project]: it’s
adjacent to a wetland, we are dealing with
groundwater that is contaminated with
PFOS, and its being built right on and
around a stream that feeds directly into
Washington Lake,” asserts Wolf. “And
while we understand it is going to take
time to remediate Washington Lake, we
are not ready to give up on our reservoir
forever.”
Wolf is part of the Newburgh Clean
Water Project, a nonpartisan grassroots
group whose mission is to protect the
city’s access to clean drinking water
and engage the local and regional
communities in watershed protection and
Continued on page 22