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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, August 21, 2019
ASAP Scrap hits bump in approval process
By LAURA FITZGERALD
[email protected]
A proposed metal recycling facility
has come under scrutiny as the business
built a structure without the proper
permits.
In an email to the town planning board,
project attorney Marissa Weiss explained
the scale that will be used to weigh
scrap metal and vehicles was installed
in fall 2018, before the submittal of the
application for the special exception use
permit for a recyclable handling and
recovery facility/automobile recycling
facility.
The scale is for ASAP Scrap Recycling,
LLC, a new use for the existing metal
shelving recycling business at Headzup
Inc. on State Route 208. Headzup CEO
and Founder Edward Alicea thought
he did not need a building permit and
associated gravel in order to install the
scale because the scale is not a building in
the traditional sense, Weiss said.
However, the town zoning code defines
a building as “a structure with a roof
supported by columns or walls and having
a horizontal area of more than 50 square
feet.” By this definition, Alicea should
have received a building permit from town
building inspector Walter Schmidt and
associated site plan amendment approval
from the town board prior to installation,
Weiss said.
Weiss said Schmidt inspected the site
in fall 2018, after the scale was installed,
so Schmidt was aware of the scale’s
installation. Schmidt determined he
would not issue a violation as long as there
would be no further site work completed
until the required special exception use
and site plan amendment is obtained from
the planning board.
Weiss said Alicea is taking full
responsibility for the mix-up. Weiss, an
associate with Jacobowitz and Gubits,
LLC, was contracted after the incident.
“We understand that we did mess up,
but we are trying to take full responsibility
of that as we continue with the planning
board application,” Weiss said in a
planning board meeting on Aug. 12.
Alicea said ASAP will aid in the
extension of the existing business with
Headzup, which designs and installs
warehouse shelving systems. Headzup
recycles old shelving by cutting off the
damaged sections, which are immediately
discarded. Currently, to discard its
metal, Headzup uses third-party scrap
companies to collect steel cut-offs.
Alicea said Headzup will be one of
ASAP’s largest customers because
Headzup will be able to process its cut-
offs on-site.
The site is also open to the public and
accepts any scrap metal and cars.
Once each truckload of scrap
and crushed cars are full, it will be
immediately shipped out. Alicea said cars
and other scrap metal will not be at the
site for long periods of time because the
business has an economic incentive to
ship materials to the mill as fast possible.
“We’re not keeping any of the stuff,
we’re simply a transfer station for the
mill,” Alicea said.
Cars will be processed through the
Enviro Rack. ASAP Scrap Managing
Partner George Sanchez said cars will be
loaded onto the rack, drained of all fluids
and crushed. The rack includes a catch
basin, a 249-gallon pan and a 360-gallon
tank to catch any spills. The rack is air
operated to avoid sparks and accidents.
Crushed cars will then be loaded onto
concrete pads until a full load is reached,
according to planning board documents.
Batteries will be placed on a pallet with
a carboard bottom and stacked three
high. The shrink-wrapped bundles will
be placed in a sea container until ready
to ship. Tires will be removed from the
cars and placed in enclosed containers
until full.
Residents have expressed concerns at
several planning board meetings about
environmental impacts of run-off to the
Wallkill River, which is adjacent to the
site.
The Orange County Planning
Department also expressed concern
about potential pollution to the Wallkill
in an email on July 22, recommending
the developer install an impervious
membrane to prevent contamination.
“We question the location of the
proposed vehicle crushing aspect of the
project at this site, as this site is nearly
adjacent to the Wallkill River (the site is
only separated from the river by State
Route 208 and a small strip of land) . . .
Although the Enviro Rack is designed
to contain fluids drained from vehicles
to be crushed, it is not clear that the
vehicles will be stored in an area that
will contain any additional potential fluid
leaks, should there be any remaining
fluid left in the vehicles,” the email states.
Weiss responded to the planning
department, stating the concrete
pads installed at the site will provide
an impervious membrane to prevent
groundwater
and
surface
water
contamination. All fluids will be removed
before vehicles are crushed and residual
fluids will be removed with a vacuum
wand.
All material storage and processing
areas will be installed on concrete pads to
prevent stormwater run-off and to allow
any potential leaks or contaminants to
be quickly identified and cleaned up. All
concrete pads will be monitored daily for
leaks and spills, according to planning
board documents.
Material processing areas—including
the precious metal storage and sorting
area, storage of flatbed trailers full of
recyclables waiting to be removed and
from the site, and the Enviro Rack—
will be kept under enclosure to prevent
precipitation from creeping in.
Alicea said the business will be a
service to the community and a benefit
to the environment because it promotes
recycling and gets junk off people’s lawns.
The company is committed to protecting
the environment, Alicea said.
“I’m very much in tune with concerns
about the environment and we’ve been
taking our time to do things right,” Alicea
said.
ASAP Scrap Recycling will return to
the planning board on Sept. 9 at 7:30
p.m. at town hall, 110 Bracken Road,
Montgomery.
study of speed limit on Indian Springs Road
extremely dangerous. There’s a lot more driveways now
than the last time they looked at it.”
Shawangunk Police Chief Gerald Marlatt explained
during Thursday’s meeting that it’s been over three
decades since the last time the state explored lowering
the speed limit on Indian Springs Road. “I think the last
time the speed was in question on that road was the early
‘80s and a request was put in to have a reduction there, as
well as Oregon Trail Bruyn Turnpike,” he said. “It was
denied back then by the state. More than enough time has
passed and more than enough population increase would
warrant it being revisited. Frankly, all of the roads in the
town besides state roads should be less than 55.”
Valk noted that the relatively high 55 mph limit was a
rarity on Shawangunk roads. “It’s a county road, but it is
a rural road,” he said. “The more I thought about it, it’s
the only section, along with a part of Albany Post, it’s the
only section through here and Walker Valley that’s 55.”
Shawangunk is partnering with the Watchtower Farms
group to refurbish the handicap ramp outside of Town
Hall. The town will pay for the materials, while the
organization will donate the labor for renovation. The
work is projected to begin on Sept. 23, and could last
for six weeks. “Moisture got in and the brick popped off
and it’s really falling apart,” Valk said. “So it’s got to be
rebuilt. We had the same thing with some of the landings
at the bottom of the stairs and they did those a few years
ago. Now they’re going to do the whole ramp over for
us and put new brick in. We’ll pay for the materials and
they’ll do the labor. It’s going to be expensive with the
materials alone. I can see us putting $10,000 in that easy.
Brick isn’t cheap.”
During the renovation work, visitors who normally
need to use the ramp will be directed to enter the building
through the community room and will be able to use the
elevator.
The board accepted the resignation of Planning Board
Vice Chair Kristine Pedersen during Thursday’s meeting.
The town board will fill the vacancy, and is currently
looking for suitable candidates for slots on a number
of town councils. “We have an opening on the planning
board and the zoning board,” Valk said. “So we’re looking
for people who are interested in the positions. With
the EMC (Environmental Management Council) we
always have positions open and also the Climate Smart
Committee. So we’ve got to recruit some people who are
interested. A lot of people are qualified, but they’re too
busy to donate their time. So we have to find the right
people.” Valk added that the board will probably wait
until the council’s reorganization meeting at the end of
the year to appoint the new planning board member.