Vol. 36, No. 42 3 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018
Savage wins
MHAL title
Page 38
3
ONE DOLLAR
Stomping
out
bullying
Page 21
w w w .W a l l k i l l V a l l e y T i m e s . n e t
Montgomery weighs new moratorium
Concerns from residents have prompted the town board to re-examine a 2017 town solar law
By LAURA FITZGERALD
[email protected]
The Montgomery town board proposed
a six-month moratorium on all new solar
applications.
Town Supervisor Rodney Winchell
said the moratorium would give the board
time to review its 2017 solar law, which
allows for utility-scale solar projects in all
zoning districts in the town.
Winchell said he is concerned that
these solar projects won’t be maintained,
and the maintenance will fall to the town.
“I don’t wanna burden the taxpayers
because a foreign country wants to come
in here and open up a solar project or
power station and that really shouldn’t be
on the burden of our taxpayers,” Winchell
said. “Cell tower sites and stuff like that,
we see a lot of these sites that aren’t
maintained.”
Winchell said he would like to revise
the law so all parties, including the
town board, planning board and solar
companies, are aware of the expectations
of solar projects when they submit their
plans to the planning board. The board
would seek advice from solar providers,
town residents and the planning board
to reach an agreement that benefits all
parties.
“We gotta get some kind of parameters
to say, this is what we expect, with public
Continued on page 37
Scary lineup
Participants in the annual Walden Halloween parade and costume contest line up, Saturday, at Olley Park to await the judges’ decisions. More
photos on page 20.
Gardiner
jet fuel spill
leaks into
the Wallkill
By LAURA FITZGERALD
[email protected]
A jet fuel spill from the Gardiner airport
has caused some parts of Gardiner to
smell like a gas station when a portion of
the leak reached the Wallkill River.
The New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
responded to a report of odors and a
sheen on the Wallkill River from the
Gardiner Fire Chief on Oct. 7. The DEC
determined the spill was a result of the
release of jet fuel at the Gardiner airport.
The jet fuel traveled several hundred
feet across the airfields before running
into nearby drainage swales, according to
a report from the DEC. While a majority
of the fuel ended up in the retention
pond on the airport’s property, some of
it crossed Sand Hill Road and followed a
small stream a half mile to the Wallkill,
causing odors and a sheen on the river.
No recoverable product was noted
on the river and no impacts on wildlife
have been seen, but the DEC continues
to monitor the area. The spill hasn’t
impacted residential drinking water
wells or surface drinking water sources,
according to the DEC.
The DEC, which oversees the clean-up,
hired American Petroleum Equipment
and Construction Company, Inc. to place
booms in the retention pond and remove
recoverable fuel. American Petroleum
recovered about 1,000 gallons of fuel.
Hard and soft booms were also placed in
Continued on page 4
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL