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Wallkill Valley Times , Wednesday , July 11 , 2018

PUBLIC AGENDA

WEDNESDAY , JULY 11

Wallkill Board of Education , 7 p . m . Wallkill High School Library Media Center .

TUESDAY , JULY 17

Walden Village Board of Trustees , 6:30 p . m . Village Hall , 1 Municipal Square . Montgomery Village Board , 7:30 p . m . Village Hall , 133 Clinton Street .

CORRECTION

The continuation of the Farmhood Fields public hearing in Crawford will take place on Wednesday , July 25 . The date was incorrect in last week ’ s paper . In addition , the entrance on Crosby Court has been taken off the site plan .

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The Wallkill Valley Times , ( USPS 699-490 ) 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 Wallkill Valley Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . 12550

By LAURA FITZGERALD lfitz @ tcnewspapers . com

Friends of Tillson Lake , Inc . hired an environmental attorney and two environmental specialists in its latest efforts to stop the drainage of Tillson Lake .

Friends announced their hiring of environmental attorney David Gordon in a meeting on June 30 and the retainment of two environmental specialists : Hudsonia , a not-for-profit educational and research institute for the environmental sciences , and Karen Schneller-McDonald , president of Hickory Creek Consulting and Wetlands Water Specialist .

The Palisades Interstate Park Commission ( PIPC ) plans to drain Tillson Lake and demolish the dam that created it because they can ’ t obtain the funding to repair it .

Executive director Erik Kiviat said Hudsonia isn ’ t an advocacy organization , so the goal of the study is not to sway any opinions on whether the dam should be removed , but rather to study what effects a dam removal might have .

“ You don ’ t just pull the plug on that and nothing happens ,” president of Friends of Tillson Lake Morey Gottesman said . “ You don ’ t just restore it to a pristine stream . There ’ s significant environmental impact so we wanna make the PIPC aware of that in the most professional manner .”

Gordon said the environmental impact study should look at the impact on fragile wetlands bordering the lake .

Another concern Gordon said hasn ’ t been studied yet is the impact of phosphorous . The dam keeps any phosphorous that might be present from flowing downstream , but if it ’ s removed , the stream might carry it to the Wallkill watershed , which already has problems with excess amounts of the mineral .

The lake is a valuable resource for community members and visitors , Gottesman said , offering fishing , hiking , kayaking , bird watching and more .

“ It ’ s a considerable resource and I think that the PIPC weren ’ t as aware of the value of the lake as they are now ,” Gottesman said .

While there is large public opposition to the project , several government officials have written to the PIPC to stop the drainage of the lake as well . Senator John Bonacic , Assembly member Kevin Cahill and Representative John Faso wrote to the PIPC to protest the draining of the

Tillson Lake provides a valuable water resource to many residents , from boating and swimming to fishing and bird watching .

lake , saying their constituents have built homes and created a community around the recreational activities at the lake .

Conor Gillis , communications director for Senator John Bonacic , said the funding for dam repairs might come from next year ’ s State Budget . Residents of Tillson Lake shouldn ’ t be punished for failure of the PIPC to ask for and obtain funding , he said .

The town of Gardiner passed a resolution on May 8 requesting that the PIPC and the New York State Office of Parks , Recreation and Historic Preservation withdraw the application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for decommissioning of the dam .

To name a few of the resolution ’ s reasons for their request : Tillson is the only lake in Minnewaska State Park that provides a place to fish , the Gardiner Master Plan protects special natural resources and key water bodies , and the lake has immense value in the Gardiner community . The town of Shawangunk also passed a resolution pledging support for Gardiner ’ s request .

PIPC superintendent James Hall said the state has no other choice , as it doesn ’ t have seven to nine million dollars to repair the dam .

“ This is not a policy decision we make as a preference ,” Hall said . “ It ’ s one where we said we ’ re in a position we have to make in order to ensure it is safe and the conditions for those downstream are safe and continuing to do nothing is not a reasonable place to be .”

The dam is a Class C “ high hazard ” dam , a hazard assigned to dams with a certain amount of development downstream . A 2012 Engineering Assessment Report for Tillson Lake Dam stated the advanced deterioration in the spillway represents an “ unsound ” condition .

Gordon said the dam should have been maintained in previous years so it wouldn ’ t have deteriorated to the state that it must be demolished . Gottesman said several members of Friends have also asked why the PIPC hasn ’ t asked for funding before for repairs and upgrades .

Hall said the classification of the dam requires more stringent standards , which requires more extensive repairs . The PIPC has done basic maintenance on the dam , but it hasn ’ t had the funding to do more significant repairs and upgrades , and it wasn ’ t up to the standard of a class C dam when they acquired it .

“ We ’ ve owned the dam for maybe ten or 15 years and I can ’ t say it ’ s deteriorated much in the time we ’ ve owned it ,” Hall said .

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