More about: DAVE CHANNON,
CAROLYN ZOLAS & JULIA McQUAIN
and the "SAVE THE MOUNTAIN" CITIZENS
ACTION MOVEMENT
Dave Channonhas been an active exhibiting painter and sculptor in the New York
art scene
since
his first show in 1979 at
Franklin Furnace, an alternative art space in SOHO.He was
apprentice to Joseph Cornell in 1969 at the
tender age of seventeen, and has collaborated
with such greats as Red Grooms, Phillip Guston and
Robert Indiana. His oversize inflating
sculptures have been reviewed in the New York Times,
the New Yorker, The Village Voice
and New York magazine. Channon has exhibited in the New
Museum, The Brooklyn Museum,
the Venice Biennale, and many well respected galleries.
Since 1990, Channon has focused
on video art and his wildly inventive creations have been
cablecast and satellite broadcast
in New York, England, Germany, Canada and Mexico. He is also
fiercely dedicated to the
fight against censorship in the media. Channon served six years on the
board of directors
of the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, and helped the MNN establish a better
franchise,
double the channels, build a $5 million studio, hire a great Executive Director, and
create a
$250,000 revolving grant fund for individual program producers and non-profit
organizations.
He was victorious as sole individual named in a Supreme Court lawsuit in 1996 against
Time Warner, thwarting a conservative telecommunications act, and won an exclusion for
Public
Access Television from the bogus "indecency" standards that
commercial networks
supposedly
adhere to but don't.
He started
another career as a website designer in 1997 and has
continued to create alternative videos and documentaries. The award
winning "Too Much Time for Non-Violent Crime" marked the beginning of
a series of video projects to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws. in
2002 he met with Governor Pataki and the Mothers of the New York
Disappeared, videotaping the negotiations for a new drug reform bill.
He worked with National Artists For Mental Health producing programs
that support the use of creative arts to reduce the need for drug and
shock therapy for people with mental illness. Channon was
instrumental in getting his town board in Shandaken to set up its own
public access head end and cablecast their meetings live.
His latest project, “Belleayre: The Last Resort” tells the story
of how a greedy developer and a corrupt ex-Governor are trying to
circumvent environmental law and common sense, and could end up
costing New York City $30 Billion.
Channon lives with his wife, Karen Charman, an investigative
journalist, in the Catskills near Woodstock. He paints in oils, does
graphics and illustration, produces videos, designs websites, and
welds rusty old farm implements into large sculptures. He also grows
a lot of sweet fruit and vegetables. Visit www.esopuscreek.com to
learn more.
The Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park is a huge
development proposed to be located on Belleayre Mountain at the
intersection of Routes 28 and 49A in Highmount, NY, with
buildings and roads continuing up the steep slopes to over 3000' in
elevation. The location is within in the Catskill Park, in the NYC
Watershed and borders constitutionally protected, forever wild
forest preserve lands rich in wildlife, on the West side of
the taxpayer owned, DEC managed Belleayre Ski Center.
Photo Credit: Mark Loete
The Belleayre Resort proposed by Crossroads Ventures, LLC with
partners Dean Gitter, Emily Fisher and Ken Pasternak, now consists
of two developments totaling 629 "units" of various sizes, an
18-hole golf course, driving range, clubhouse, two hotels, two spas
-- one underground, five restaurants, ten retail stores, a
conference center with a 12,000 sf footprint but unknown number of
stories, parking, guest and service roads, gates, security guards,
street lighting, service buildings and other structures not yet
detailed. More details of the plan are below.
Many local residents, community and environmental groups are
standing firm in their opposition to the scale of this project,
its impact on the rural communities, picturesque hamlets and
protected trout streams, and in particular to some of the buildings
and roads built on very steep slopes and at elevations not usually
allowed.
Please join our efforts to make this a good project, of sensible
size, to enhance, not destroy the Catskill Park and the
co-existing wildlife, towns and communities.
Here are the details of the Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park,
proposed for steep slopes on Belleayre Mountain, the location is in
the Catskill Park, the NYC Watershed, and borders constitutionally
protected, forever wild forest preserve.
The "Deal"
The "Deal" covers the Wildacres Resort whose plans, although
constantly changing, have been public for some time, and the NEW
Highmount Resort that was unveiled to the public for the first time
by NY's Governor Eliot Spitzer in a press conference on September 5,
2007. View
resort plan.
The information below is taken directly from a binding legal
agreement, called the
Agreement in Principle (AIP) that was negotiated in secret at
the direction of Governor Spitzer. The negotiations were held in the
Governor's chambers, under the direction of Deputy Commissioner
Judith Enck.
The AIP, signed by Crossroads developer Dean Gitter, the
Governor's staff and some members of the Catskill Preservation
Coalition, caused the dissolution of the Coalition as other member
organizations DID NOT AGREE. The list of which members did, and
which did not agree to sign, is listed in the
Who's Who.
The developer's information has yet to be thoroughly verified. What
is listed below was agreed to in principle by the signatories, and
they are now legally bound to support it.
Belleayre Resort NOW consists of 2 developments:
To be located on Belleayre Mountain, on the West side of the NY
State taxpayer owned, DEC managed Belleayre Ski Center at the
intersection of Route 28 and 49A in Highmount, NY the Belleayre
Resort now consists of two developments totaling 629 "units" of
various sizes, an 18-hole golf course, driving range, clubhouse, 2
spas - one underground, two hotels, five restaurants, ten retail
stores, a conference center with 12,000 sf footprint but unknown
number of stories, parking, guest and service roads, street
lighting, service buildings and other structures not yet detailed.
See all exhibits and the
AIP here.
By the numbers:
Wildacres Resort
Total 389 units
250 unit (room/suites) Wildacres Hotel
139 lodging (2-bedroom) units in multi-unit buildings (initially
planned as 21 eight unit Octoplexes)
(NOTE: Sf is for footprint only. Could be multiple floors in
height or underground)
Hotel and Golf Clubhouse = 185,600 +- sf
Detached Octoplex Units = 7,900 +- sf per building
Parking Structure = 45,000 +- sf
Fitness Structure/Pool House = 10,000 +- sf
Maintenance Buildings = 9,5000 +- sf
Driving Range Structure = 5,500 +- sf
Water Treatment Plant and other minor accessory structures = 2,500
+- sf
PLUS, 18-hole golf course, ??? acres
Highmount Spa Resort
(a NEW segment, plans not seen by the public, nor yet reviewed by
agencies) Total 240 units:
120 unit (rooms/suites) Highmount Spa Hotel,
60 lodging (2 bedroom) units in two 30 multi-unit buildings,
60 individual lodging (3-bedroom) units (HOUSES) in either
individual or duplex buildings.
(NOTE: Sf is for footprint only. Could be multiple floors in height
or underground)
West Lodge = 32,000 + - square feet
East Lodge = 32,000 +- square feet
Hotel = 60,000 +- square feet
Spa (underground) = 30,000 +- square feet
Conference Center = 12,000 +- square feet
Detached Single Units = 2,800 +- square feet per building
Detached Duplex Units = 4,500 +- square feet per building
PLUS ROADS up the mountain, ??? acres
The Catskill Heritage Alliance is a
grassroots organization dedicated to preserving
the harmony between the villages of the central
Catskills and the surrounding wilderness through
community revitalization and open space
conservation. The CHA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt
charitable organization.
SAVE THE
CATSKILLS AND
NEW YORK CITY
WATER SUPPLY
Rally with
Sierra Club at
Manhattan City
Hall
Thursday, March
13. Meet at
10:30 AM -
Starts at 11 AM
For travel info:
info@catskillheritage.org
Take
an
animated
3-D
virtual
tour
of
the
mountain
and
project
site
-
Download
Google
Earth
NOW!
Write
to
local
newspapers
and
representatives.
Here
is a
sample
letter.
Please
write
in
your
own
words!
Email
links
are
provided
below
To the editor:
There are still very serious problems with the proposed development by Crossroads Ventures at Belleayre.
First, while the total project has been reduced in size by 20%, on the west it is actually increased by almost 45%. The original plan for the west side of the resort was for 439 units; the current plan is for 629 units. Such density would result in a range of adverse impacts: traffic congestion, noise pollution, sprawl, etc.
Second, the project still calls for construction on steep slopes—steeper than 20%. This poses the threat of extensive run-off and flooding.
Third, the project includes construction of 19 units at elevations above 3000 feet. Such construction, requiring extensive rock-blasting and tree-clearing over an eight year period, will irrevocably and adversely alter the natural beauty of the mountain and would set a dangerous precedent for future development in the Catskill Park. At the same time, the blasting and clearing would endanger existing homes in the area.
Fourth, it is local people who are being asked to pay the price of this project twice.We are paying first in the incentives and sweeteners being offered to the developer to be paid for out of taxpayer money. We will pay again in higher property taxes to support an expanded infrastructure. Moreover, developments of this scale—all-inclusive, self-contained resorts that are small cities unto themselves—never benefit the local economy as visitors buy all they need on site.
Finally, we believe that our political leaders have missed an opportunity here to set an example of the kind of smart, sustainable development next to public land that could be a model for the nation. We’re sorry they did so.
Those organizations that signed the Governor’s agreement gave up their right to seek judicial review of these issues in the future. On behalf of the residents of the hamlets and villages most affected by the proposed development—and on behalf of all of us who cherish the unique natural treasures of our region—the Catskill Heritage Alliance has chosen to continue the process mandated by the people of the state.
The Catskill Heritage is committed to supporting responsible growth. We are only opposed to irresponsible growth.
Richard Schaedle
Chairman, Catskill Heritage Alliance
Daniel T. Whitehead, Environmental Analyst
Division of environmental Permits
625 Broadway, 4th floor
Albany, NY 12333-1750
Tel: (518) 402-9167
Email: wildacre@gw.dec.state.ny.us
(Put "Scoping -Belleayre" in Subject Line)
Scoping is the legally-mandated detail of Public Concerns about all possible Impacts of the proposal.
DEC extends Scoping public comment period one week. DEADLINE for comments is now January 14, 2008. Get details on Scoping and making a comment: http://www.savethemountain.net/scoping_details.html
REVISED
BELLEAYRE RESORT
STILL WRONG FOR
CATSKILL PARK,
LOCAL
COMMUNITIES
Four Catskill
Preservation
Coalition
Members
Decline to Sign
Agreement with
Developer Dean
Gitter
(Shandaken, NY –
September 5,
2007) The
Catskill
Heritage
Alliance,
Friends of
Catskill Park,
Sierra Club, and
Pine Hill Water
District
Coalition
announced they
have not signed
an MOA approving
a revised
Belleayre Resort
development
negotiated
between
Crossroads
Ventures, LLC
and the Catskill
Preservation
Coalition (CPC).
The final MOA
was released to
CPC member
groups only
yesterday.
Because it is
not
substantially a
lower-build
compromise the
four groups said
they could not
endorse it by
signing. They
will continue to
oppose this or
any other
project of
similar size and
scale.
The revised
resort was
proposed during
confidential
negotiations in
Governor
Spitzer’s
office, under a
gag order, with
details unknown
to the public
until now.
Groups that
don’t sign
retain their
rights to
publicly oppose
the project, to
adjudicate
issues in an
SDEIS, and to
judicial review
of the FEIS, the
SEQRA findings
statement, any
final
permits—state,
county or local,
and any Unit
Management Plan
or changes to
the
taxpayer-owned,
DEC-managed
Belleayre Ski
Center.
Too Big
“Scale remains
the
stumbling-block,”
said Judith
Wyman, Friends
of Catskill Park
Chair and one of
CPC’s official
negotiators.
“This proposal
is for a resort
only slightly
smaller than the
outsized
original. That’s
not an
acceptable
compromise.”
“We local
residents would
still shoulder
the adverse
impacts of this
unacceptable
development:
traffic, noise,
disastrous
flooding, the
undermining of
our way of life
and our
economy,” said
Richard Schaedle,
Chairman of
Catskill
Heritage
Alliance, also
one of CPC’s
official
negotiators.
“This Agreement
sets a terrible
precedent for
future growth in
the Catskills.”
The negotiations
did result in no
build on the
sensitive Big
Indian plateau,
improvements in
monitoring, one
18-hole golf
course instead
of two with
organic
management, and
some green
building
improvements—all
with conditions.
But the revised
plan merely
places most of
what was
originally
planned for both
sides of the
proposed Resort
all onto the
west, straddling
Rt. 49A, a
winding,
mountain road.
The massive
scale of the
project would
dwarf the area
villages causing
severe
socioeconomic
displacement, in
addition to
environmental
concerns due to
the location.
It would include
a completely new
Highmount
development with
east and west
lodges, a
120-room hotel,
a spa,
conference
center and other
amenities, and
120 detached
housing units on
steep mountain
slopes, as high
as 3000 feet and
highly visible,
even from Forest
Preserve hiking
trails.
“The stormwater
protocol for
Highmount is
only
conceptual,”
said Michelle
Wooten,
President of the
Pine Hill Water
District
Coalition. “And
we’re still
concerned about
where they will
get enough water
for this
project, since
the well testing
is incomplete.”
We’re asked to
approve this MOA
right now, with
major issues
unresolved.”
Endangers Public
Resources
Of particular
concern is the
development’s
location in the
watershed
serving 10
million New
Yorkers.
"It’s difficult
to control
flooding and
erosion on
mountains, yet
this plan calls
for a square
mile of dense
development,
including a golf
course. Heavy
development in
this sensitive
mountain area
could put NYC's
water at risk of
filtration,
estimated at a
cost of $10
billion," said
Carolyn Zolas,
Watershed
Committee Chair
for the Atlantic
Chapter of
Sierra Club.
www.newyork.sierraclub.org
“We couldn’t get
an accounting of
the
taxpayer-funded
perks promised
the Developer
during
negotiations,”
said CHA
Treasurer Doris
Bartlett.
“Taxpayers
deserve to
understand the
full costs they
will bear.”
The proposal
includes
taxpayer-funded
chair lifts and
ski trails with
snowmaking
leading from the
taxpayer-owned
Belleayre Ski
Center directly
onto private
Resort property.
“The Belleayre
Ski Center is a
vital economic
engine for the
region,” said
Schaedle. “Some
expansion and
additional area
lodging will
help it remain
competitive; but
the Resort’s
size -- over
2000 beds -- is
unacceptable. It
will suck the
economic
vitality from
the surrounding
communities.”
“Now that the
details are
public,”
Schaedle added,
“those concerned
about the future
of the Catskill
Park and forest
preserve can
inform
themselves and
participate in
the scoping
session, public
hearings and the
supplemental
DEIS.”
www.CatskillHeritage.org
“These mountains
are already a
destination for
millions,” said
Wyman, “and the
people of New
York State have
long protected
them. This
development
threatens a
precious public
resource and we
have to find a
better way. The
process
continues.”
Prior to its
dissolution with
some members
agreeing and
some declining
to sign an MOA,
the Catskill
Preservation
Coalition
comprised
Catskill
Heritage
Alliance,
Catskill Center
for Conservation
and Development,
Friends of
Catskill Park,
NRDC, NYPIRG,
Pine Hill Water
District
Coalition,
Riverkeeper,
Inc., Sierra
Club, Theodore
Gordon
Flyfishers,
Inc., Trout
Unlimited and
Zen
Environmental
Studies
Institute.
Additional
issues for
comment by
Schaedle, Wyman
or Zolas:
Precedent
Water
Stormwater
runoff,
potential
watershed
impacts
Steep slope and
mountaintop
development
Noise/Light
pollution
Socioeconomic
and community
character
impacts
Workforce
availability
Traffic on
Routes 28 and
49A
Taxpayer-funded
“sweeteners,”
and public
amenities
Waivers of
standards and
recommendations
Potential for a
Casino
Development
Pressure on Open
Space is a
Regional Issue,
Residents Say
Pine Hill, NY,
May 22, 2006 —
“Threats against
our environment
and our economy
are region-wide,
and so is the
fight against
those threats,”
said Catskill
Heritage
Alliance
chairman Susanna
Margolis,
referring to
large-scale
development in
the Catskills
region.
Illustrating
growing
cooperation
among
grass-roots
environmental
and community
groups to
preserve the
region’s
environment and
turbo-charge its
economy, Save
the Ridge
coordinator
Patty Lee
Parmalee and
treasurer Ann
Songayllo
attended a
recent CHA
meeting to
exchange signs,
t-shirts, and
ideas.
“They’ve saved
the Ridge,”
Margolis said,
“preserving
forever a
nonfragmented
wilderness in
the storied
Shawangunks. Now
the battlefront
shifts northward
just a bit.”
“It’s the same
battle,” Patty
Lee Parmalee
concurred,
“whether here or
there, and it’s
waged by
citizens banding
together and
just simply
never giving
up.”
With nearly 500
members and
supporters, CHA
has spearheaded
opposition to
the golf
mega-resort
proposed for
Belleayre
Mountain in the
heart of the
constitutionally
protected
Catskill state
park and forest
preserve. CHA is
a member of the
Catskill
Preservation
Coalition, which
is waging the
legal battle in
the
state-mandated
environmental
quality review,
SEQRA.
“As with the
Gunks,” Margolis
said, “if you
cut down forest,
blast and pave
mountains here
you get
flooding, soil
erosion, greater
temperature
extremes,
falling water
tables, and
contaminated
aquifers. You
also destroy our
economy, because
wilderness is
our most
important
economic asset.
That’s the point
Save the Ridge
made
successfully,
and it’s the
point we’re
driving home
today.”
Save the Ridge
was founded in
2002 to fight a
350-house-plus-golf
course
development
proposed for a
2500-acre slope
of the
Shawangunk
Ridge. After
vigorous
community
activism, Save
the Ridge
achieved its
goal in March
2006, when a
court ordered
the sale of the
property to
Trust for Public
Land and Open
Space Institute,
who immediately
sold to NY
Parks,
Recreation and
Historic
Preservation for
addition to the
Minnewaska State
Park Preserve.
Catskill
Heritage
Alliance is a
501(c)3
not-for-profit
grassroots
organization
dedicated to
preserving the
harmony between
the villages of
the central
Catskills and
the surrounding
wilderness
through
community
revitalization
and open space
conservation.
Information on
CHA activities
including stream
and reservoir
cleanups and
educational
public forums is
available at
www.catskillheritage.org
.-###-
Note to editors:
Interviews,
photo available.
THIRD ANNUAL
FALL MUSIC & FAMILY FUN
FESTIVAL
ROSTER SET FOR 2007 FALL MUSIC &
FAMILY FUN FESTIVAL! This year’s featured
performers include:
SPLIT THE
LARK
JULIA NICHOLS WITH NAKED
JOHN HOLT & FRIENDS
JAMES KRUEGER & HENRY HERMANN
WATER WITCH
UNCLE ROCK
JIM RAUTER’S BAND
…AND MORE
WHEN:
Saturday, September 15, NOON - 5
pm
WHERE:
The Rauters’ Beautiful Place
741 Halcott Road (County
Rte. 3)
DIRECTIONS:
From Citgo Gas Station on
Main St. in Fleischmanns,
take Lake St. 4.5 miles
north
PLUS:
food and drinks, exhibits,
volleyball, spectacular
views, and plenty of room to
enjoy being with others or
to get off on your own.
ESPECIALLY FOR
KIDS:
face-painting, a butterfly
exhibit, storytelling, and
hayrides across the fields.
HOW MUCH:
$10 per person, $5 for a
child under 12. Tickets at
the door.
WHY?
To preserve our Catskill
heritage and keep it vital,
so if you can’t come, please
send contributions to:
Four prizewinning essays from
schoolkids in our area
Each winning
student was awarded a $100
scholarship by the Catskill Heritage
Alliance. We want to thank all the
students who participated and look
forward to your submissions next
year.
DEC Deputy Commissioner rules on
Belleayre Resort:
6 Issues must be adjudicated
§ Water supply
§ Aquatic habitat
§ Stormwater
§ Visual impacts for users of the
forest preserve, including nighttime
lighting
§ Noise impacts for users of the
forest preserve
§ Smaller-scale alternatives to the
proposed mega-resort.
6 issues not to
be adjudicated:
Impact on forest
preserve
Impact on wildlife
Traffic Impact
Impact on community character
Secondary and induced growth impact
THE FIGHT AGAINST THE
MEGA-RESORT: WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. While the CPC will not be surprised
to lose some issues on appeal, we fully
expect to argue a number of issues in
adjudication hearings. This is our next
battleground, and we are preparing now
to wage a powerful fight in that legal
arena. Our greatest need is for funds to
support this essential legal challenge.
Your
donation to the CHA is tax-deductible.
Send your contributions to:
CHA Treasurer
POB 88
Shandaken NY 12480
2. Write letters. Although the periods
of public comment are over, there is
nothing stopping any citizen from
writing to:
Governor Eliot Spitzer
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
email
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
LOB 932
Albany, NY 12248
email
State Senate Leader Joseph L. Bruno
Room 909 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
email
To find your Ulster County
representatives,
click here
To find your New York State assemblyman
or your local state legislators,
click here
If you live in New York City, please
write to:
The Honorable Michael Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
email
To find your New York City
Councilmember,
click
here
DEP Commissioner
Department of Environmental Protection
59-17 Junction Boulevard, 10th Floor
Flushing, NY 11373
email
Following is the press release issued by
the Highmount Preservation Association:
Press Release
Issued by the newly-formed Highmount
Preservation Association
Matt Frisch, Coordinator
Freddi Dunleavy, Communications Director
We the under-signed
members and supporters of the Highmount
Preservation Association reject the
current Belleayre resort plan both for
its negative impacts on the local
environment and community as well as the
New York City water supply and global
environmental challenges.
The development plan
would negatively impact the local
environment and community in the
following ways:
The development would
create the largest population center
between Woodstock and Delhi. Those towns
grew organically in suitable locations
with adequate resources; this resort
"city", consisting of 629 housing units
would be artificially forced upon an
unsuitable site and an unwilling
community. The development would be
located on mountain slopes ill suited to
high-density housing. The development
"Agreement" was signed without proven
potable water supplies or storm water
protocols for the Highmount section. No
provision has been made for a buffer
between the development and existing
homes. A construction project of this
size requires a huge expanse of suitable
land. Squeezing high-density housing
into small, marginal sites would scar
the natural environment. The massive
scale and side effects of the
development would destroy the rural
character of the community.
The resort as planned
would dramatically increase traffic,
noise, air and light pollution. People
have been coming to the Catskills for
generations to experience nature at its
unspoiled best. Permitting such a
development would truly kill the goose
that lays the golden eggs. For over 60
years, Belleayre Ski Center has been a
good neighbor to surrounding
communities. It has provided us with
great recreational opportunities without
unduly harming the environment or
damaging the rural character of the
area. The ski area's development has
been held in check by its location
within the forever wild Catskill Park
and its special status as a public
facility. It has been a balancing act
and Belleayre Ski Center has performed
beautifully. Now, Governor Spitzer and
Dean Gitter have lost sight of the
partnership between Belleayre Ski Center
and the Catskill Park and see nothing
standing in the way of an explosion of
development on Belleayre Mountain and
Highmount. We question their right to
bulldoze and blast the mountains beyond
recognition.
While the developer
promises that this mega-project will
bring in additional tax revenue, the
opposite is actually true. The project
will receive tens of $millions in tax
abatements for years to come. Meanwhile,
the development will exact a huge price
in increased police, road and emergency
services not to mention the cost of
educating resort staff and resident's
children. Expenses incurred by a
city-size resort will result in property
tax increases year after year. Studies
conducted throughout the nation have
shown that mega-developments such as
this result in an increased tax burden
on the local population. Typically,
mega-development also results in
increased crime.
While the building
sites specified in the plan are
relatively small, the proposed
structures are huge. The main building
at the Wild Acres site, looking like a
Victorian castle on steroids in artist's
representations, would overpower the
landscape. The 120-room hotel and dozens
of condominium units planned for the
Galli Curci site would be visible from
the north, west and the south. The 19
houses perched atop the Highmount ridge,
above 3000' and their 4-season access
road would make any argument over cell
towers or wind turbines seem quaint.
Construction on this
scale on our rocky slopes would require
years of blasting. The aquifer adjacent
to the planned development is very deep.
Residential wells on nearby Kelly Road
are typically 700' and flows are often
under 1 gallon/minute. Construction
blasting could easily divert water from
residential wells in the area. The
planned resort's enormous water
requirements would overtax the aquifer
and cause neighboring wells to fail.
A development of this
size would divert investment, energy and
commerce away from our already neglected
local hamlets of Pine Hill, Fleischmans,
Arkville and Margaretville. As
envisioned by the developer, this resort
would be full-service. It would bring
people to the area but they would never
have to leave the resort. Would the
trickle-down benefit of a mega-resort
nearby be worth the costs? We need
sustainable, complementary development
that helps bring lodging and retail
business and light industry back to our
once charming villages rather than a
competing development on mountain slopes
that has an unfair advantage due to tax
breaks and government largess. The
aquatic center and the Watershed Museum
announced for the Arkville cutoff will
strengthen our hamlets. The resort as
planned would likely increase the
challenges they face.
The development plan
would negatively impact the New York
City water supply and exacerbate global
environmental degradation in the
following ways:
The projects will
place 629 residential units, a golf
course (which legally only has to be
"organic" for 5 years according to the
Agreement in Principle) and two hotels
on the slopes of Belleayre Mountain and
Highmount within the forever-wild
Catskill Park. The 629 housing units
would be squeezed into high-density
clusters within the total resort
holdings of 748 acres. Runoff from this
development will drain into the Pepacton
Reservoir in the Delaware Watershed.
This entire mountainous region is
composed of shallow, clay soils and
disturbances of any magnitude can cause
erosion and runoff, dangerous to water
quality. Recently, New York City won
another exemption from filtration.
Runoff from an over-sized, poorly sited
development could force the DEP's hand
when the city applies to renew its
filtration waiver.
"...Development in the Croton watershed,
east of the Hudson River, has resulted
in taxpayers paying over $3 billion in
filtration expenses. This filtration
caused a 9% increase in NYC water bills
and will rise again next year by 11%.
The cost of filtering the
Catskill/Delaware system has been
estimated at $10 billion, and would
result in even steeper rate hikes",
according to Caroly Zolas, Chair,
Watershed Committee, Sierra Club
Atlantic Chapter. "This development
disaster will have a negative impact on
residents of the surrounding counties as
well as the millions of people in NYC
who rely on the Delaware Watershed for
their precious water supply."
The economic
viability of this plan is anyone's
guess. Hotels in Sullivan County have
been mothballed for decades and they are
only 2 hours from New York City. They
are now desperately vying for legalized
gambling in order to revive their
fortunes. Is that the kind of bargain we
want to make in the northern Catskills,
as well?
In terms of the
global environmental challenge of
climate change, the proposed resort is
uniquely environmentally irresponsible.
The resort is 3 hours from New York City
on a good day. There is no provision in
the plan for mass transit. All of those
residents and guests getting in their
cars for the 150 mile trek each weekend
would leave a huge carbon footprint. It
is ironic that the more "successful" the
resort, the more negative its impact on
the environment will be. The plan claims
to be environmentally responsible by
virtue of "green" construction while
depending for its existence on people
not hesitating to hop in their cars and
burn up barrels of fuel on their weekend
excursions upstate.
The signatories below
are the beginning of a groundswell of
opposition to this ill-conceived,
over-grown resort. We represent area
residents and visitors who appreciate
what we have and are willing to fight to
preserve the mountains, the fresh air
and the peace and quiet that are this
scenic region's greatest and most
lasting assets. We are working in
conjunction with the Catskill Heritage
Alliance to specifically address the
proposed Belleayre resort. Our mission
is to facilitate grass-roots opposition
to the resort as planned.
In order to be added to our
membership/contact list, please e-mail
the Catskill Heritage Alliance-
HPA@CatskillHeritage.org and request
membership in the Highmount Preservation
Association. Membership in the
Association is free and open to all.
Financial contributions to help in the
effort to adjudicate potential harms of
the resort are much needed and
appreciated and can be directed to the
Catskill Heritage Alliance.
Matt Frisch,
Coordinator
Freddi Dunleavy, Communications Director
Following is the press release issued by
the Catskill Preservation
Coalition:
CPC Gratified by Ruling on
Appeal of Mega-Resort Issues
Arkville,
NY, January 1, 2007
The spokesman for the Catskill
Preservation Coalition (CPC) said today
that the 11-group organization was
gratified by the Issues Ruling handed
down by Deputy Commissioner Carl Johnson
of the state Department of Environmental
Conservation concerning the proposed
Belleayre mega-resort. The ruling, which
was delivered just before 5 pm on
Friday, December 29, the last full work
day of the Pataki administration,
upheld the CPC on six significant issues
it had raised about the proposed
development, the biggest in the history
of the region, agreeing that the
issues were "substantive and
significant" and required further
inquiry on
behalf of the public and the
environment. The CPC had argued that the
issues should be considered in the
state-mandated environmental review of
the proposed project. The ruling means
that a trial-like hearing must be
held on the six issues.
“The ruling confirms what we have been
saying all along that the resort as
proposed would cause significant and
pervasive adverse impacts that need to
be aired and addressed publicly," said
CPC spokesman Tom Alworth, Executive
Director of the Catskill Center for
Conservation and Development. He added:
"The environmental review process is a
requirement of the state government,
and we look forward to working with the
Spitzer administration to ensure
that the public is heard on these
important issues."
The six issues include:
§ Water supply
§ Aquatic habitat
§ Stormwater
§ Visual impacts for users of the forest
preserve, including nighttime
lighting
§ Noise impacts for users of the forest
preserve
§ Smaller-scale alternatives to the
proposed mega-resort.
The issues ruling argues strongly in
favor of the resolution urged by
Congressman Maurice Hinchey to close the
Big Indian Resort proposed for the
east side of the Belleayre ski center
and construct a reasonable
environmentally benign resort on the
western Wildacres side, Alworth
asserted.
"Certainly, we are disappointed that in
the final minutes of the Pataki
administration, the Deputy Commissioner
overturned the hearing officer’s
rulings on such key issues as community
character and secondary growth,
issues that will result in significant
impacts to the local community,"
Alworth said. "But overall, we are
gratified."
The Catskill Preservation Coalition
represents a collective membership of
some 100,000 and reflects a wide range
of interests including the
environment, economic development,
conservation, community, landscape
preservation, and more. It comprises the
Natural Resources Defense Council,
Inc., the Catskill Heritage Alliance,
the Pine Hill Water District
Coalition, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers,
Inc., the Zen Environmental Studies
Institute, Friends of Catskill Park, the
Catskill Center for Conservation
and Development, Trout Unlimited, the
New York Public Research Interest
Group, and Riverkeeper, Inc. The Sierra
Club has joined with the CPC in
its petition for party status in the
adjudicatory hearing on the proposed
development project.
###
The 6 issues that are not to be
adjudicated are:
Impact on forest preserve
Impact on wildlife
Traffic Impact
Impact on community character
Secondary and induced growth impact
