3
Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, April 12, 2017
New school bus company
looking for a new home
By JESSICA COHEN
Where 150 to 200 school buses
will park in September has become a
point of conflict between the Town of
Montgomery building department, East
End Bus Line and property owner Brian
Amthor, according to Walter Schmidt,
Montgomery building inspector.
Brian Amthor owns three contiguous
lots at 1041 Route 52, just outside Walden.
East End has eyed the property as a
possible base for their buses, which will
serve both Valley Central and Wallkill
school districts. The deal between districts
to share bus service saves the districts
$7.5 million, says Amthor, comparing
the price East End bid to those of other
bidders. He emphasizes their energy-
efficient propane power, air conditioning
and GPS features.
However, Amthor contends that the
three lots on Route 52 that he wants to lease
to East End should be “grandfathered in”
as locations that need little or no planning
board review for school bus use.
“It’s the same use my grandfather used
the lots for in the 1940’s,” said Amthor.
But Schmidt differs. Lot 83, which is
2.5 acres, is permitted to store vehicles, he
says. “It’s a pre-existing condition, so it’s
an allowable use,” he says. “But they don’t
have permission to run buses from there.
Only storage is permitted.”
A second lot, Lot 84, can be used for
bus repair, he said.
“The bus company said they would
pursue planning board approval to use all
five lots for vehicle for hire,” Schmidt said.
“They thought they had rights that were
grandfathered in, but my determination
is that they haven’t had that use on that
site for the last few years.”
However, Schmidt said he did offer
Amthor and East End an option to use
the lots while pursuing planning board
approval. They would first at least need
to get planning board approval for storm
water runoff and traffic plans. A truck
sales business had been given a similar
option in the past when their Newburgh
building burned down, and they were
allowed to use a site for 1 ½ years before
they got planning board approval, said
Schmidt.
“That’s possible, but they need to
apply to the planning board and get storm
water and traffic addressed at least. They
should have done that a month and a half
ago. They said they would come to the
planning board and take care of the issue,
but they haven’t, and they have given no
time line.”
Asked about pursuing that opportunity,
Amthor said, “The tenant will take care
of the storm water, and traffic is not
an issue. There’s no significant traffic
impact on Walden. Buses coming out of
the lots don’t have to go through Walden.”
Meanwhile, East End representatives
have been looking at other sites, including
one at the southern end of Maybrook, the
former Osram Sylvania facility, according
to Maybrook Mayor Dennis Leahy. Last
Thursday, Maybrook Planning Board
received plans, an application, and an
application fee from East End, and their
representatives will appear before the
planning board on Thursday, said Tina
Johnson, Maybrook clerk/treasurer.
Leahy said the site has previously
provided a base for two bus companies,
Quality and then Matthews Bus Services.
Whether the site is still zoned for bus use,
Leahy does not know, he said.
Amthor predicted that the Maybrook
site could be problematic, since the bus
company is required to be within a half
hour of all schools it serves. Leahy said
that would not be a problem.
However, asked about the possibility
that environmental issues might deter
East End from pursuing planning board
approval, Walter Schmidt conceded that
as a possibility if lead based paint was
used on truck tanks in the lot when it
was allowed, pre-1974. But he has no
testing evidence either way. Amthor said
truck tanks were aluminum and did not
require paint. He also said that New York
State Department of Environmental
Conservation representatives had done a
“Series III” study in the last few years and
found no contamination.
Schmidt said he had no knowledge of
the study, but was sure the planning board
would be interested in documentation of
it. However, Amthor said that, despite lack
of planning board approval, buses would
be arriving “in the next month or two” to
transport summer school students.
“I’m not sure how many buses,” he
said.
He added that he had a “signed letter
from Walter Schmidt” affirming that
buses could be stored at and run from
Lot 83.
However, no such letter exists,
according to Schmidt.
“I sent a letter back saying he would
need planning board or zoning board of
appeals approval to expand use of Lot 83
beyond storage to running buses.”
If buses are run from the lot without
board approvals, said Schmidt, “There
will be court action.”
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