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Website of the Save Wiccopee Organization
 

Also, it looks as if IBM submitted a large volume of detailed objection to this proposal as well. This can be viewed in the proposal's file at the East Fishkill Town Hall during business hours.

Save Wiccopee's Questions for Scoping Session:

We are very concerned overall of this proposal based on the applicants past violations and conditions at this site.

For example when asked by a ZBA board member to research gas spills in the area, the first time he had not done this research, the second time, he said something to the effect he couldn’t really find anything. Yet, I was able to easily find publicly available information about MTBE spills. Quite a few are in close proximity to this site.

Also, he was asked to report whether the applicant/site was in any current violations – he reported he could not find any. Yet both Tim Leed and I have asked the zoning and planning offices at the Town of East Fishkill Hall if there was any record of a final site plan approval from when site owner changed use of site by filling, in his own testimony at a ZBA hearing in 1989, “a million yards of fill, as in some places it is 10 feet deep”, they could not find any approval.

The filed application also reports no areas of site in flood plain, yet a quick look at floodplain maps indicate site and specifically areas that the tanks are to be buried in, are in or right on edge of floodplain.

We are concerned that site applicant might be in violation of consent orders from the DEC, and request that this is looked into further.

The DEC, the EF Town Building Inspector and the EF Town engineer, all have reports of all manner of potentially harmful materials and materials that would “make for a very poor base for future construction” – quote from EF Building Inspector – we would like the site fully explored to determine the material therein and to what effect 1). Disturbing it would release pollutants, air, water and otherwise. 2). Why anything so potentially dangerous as gas pumps, gas tanks, buildings, etc. should be allowed to be constructed on site.

We request that ground penetrating radar and other geophysical surveys be conducted of the site to determine what is in this fill.

We would think test borings studying soil compaction should be done before, during and after any construction.

There were reports that much of the fill came from IBM site, we would like all testing done to absolutely verify that there was no contaminated soil dumped at this site.

We want a complete detailing of the lighting to be used at the site. The placement, lumens, lamp type, distant of glow created, distant seen by line of site, hours of operation, shielding to be used with exact specs for angle of shield and heights.

Traffic, we want a complete study as to the nature of the traffic. What is the size and numbers of vehicles, hours of expected ingress and egress, speed of traffic entering and exiting site? Also what is the turning radius of the various trucks and where they would be during deliveries, garbage pickup, refueling, etc? Applicant should perform a study of the impact on two close by intersections on Route 52 by Hook and Fishkill Hook Rd. Impact on traffic visiting the Day Spa across the street. And impact of traffic and site size and setbacks should State widen Route 52 in the future. We also feel that entry and exit ramps would be needed to not impede traffic unduly on Rte 52. What are the weights of vehicles that would access site?

Exact measurements and identify all sources of noise from the site, hours that the noise would occur. Decibel levels, and distances that noise would be heard.

Health impact is a major concern. We asked that levels of fumes, ozone and other materials be studied and reported. We ask that applicant provide in the study, as complete a base of information about the rates of cancer and other diseases of residents in close proximity to gas stations. Including distances of impact.

A study on how much Town services would be further strained and used by this proposal. i.e. additional fire calls, police calls for accidents, robbery, loitering, noise, etc. Detail of additional costs for created for these town services should be supplied.

Ground water. We request s complete study on the impact the current site has had to date, including whether there are pollutants from previous filling in at site entering the ground water.

We request a full study of ground water flow, rate and direction. An examination of where water will now flow if there is additional fill brought into site. Detail the impact on already wet basements and yards in the area. Full percolation tests and even more detailed analysis of how this additional water usage, site filling, removal of drainage area by virtue of being covered by buildings or blacktop, will affect neighboring properties. A detailed study of how the subsurface sewage system would impact neighbors and water flow from it should be done.

Also an examination of all possible contaminants should be done… i.e. ground water contamination from spill like antifreeze, battery acid and any other possible source that could affect groundwater runoff.

We request the Board of Health do a full assessment of the impacts that this proposal would have on the area.

We want a full analysis of possible spills and possible accidents – with response times, extent of damage, accidental incidents. What are the possible amounts of chemicals that could enter the groundwater, and/or adjacent tributary of the Fishkill Creek watershed?

Exam and report the distances to wetlands and the stream, a tributary of the Fishkill Creek watershed.

A study on current flora and fauna and impact on. Site application indicates no threatened species are on site. How was this determined? We request a full site survey of all possible flora and fauna on this site and the impact this site would have on these.

Additional garbage generated by site, ongoing site clean up, attraction of vermin, etc. should be studied in detail. We’d like a full study on exactly what would be in garbage, quantity, days stored on site, how stored, how screened, mitigation effort to eliminate odors and pests from accessing garbage. Also we want a study of what additional roadside garbage generated from businesses at the site.

Dust, dirt and airborne pollutants released by the construction of site.

Amount, quality, quantity, length of time, and hours during day involved. We’d like to see a study on how these airborne particles will affect the available sunlight in the area during construction.

Study and report the negative impact on property values and the fact that this project might induce a sell off of properties resulting in a major change to the area. That a sell off might result in a change of this rural mainly residential historic hamlet and that this quality might be lost forever.

We request, that since the Wiccopee Hamlet was settled back around the 1750’s, and that prior to then, it was inhibited by the Wiccopee Indians, that a full archaeology and historical survey be done prior to any more filling at the site. It is unfortunate that the much of the site has been filled that it may have trampled and obscured much of the historical past.

And since our many of our homes are old stone foundations, many with dirt basements, and frame and timber construction, we want an study done that would examine the possible damage to these older historic homes caused be any construction, operation of heavy equipment at the site and further operational traffic from deliveries at potential site.

What is the height of all buildings and structures? What impact this would have on views, amount of light reaching neighboring properties, what additional heating costs might be incurred from blocked sunlight?

That these changes from this proposal would cause a loss of the quality of life for the neighbors.

We could like a detailed explanation of all mitigation measures that were not incorporated in the submitted scoping document, as items deemed unnecessary by applicant.

Because of the extend of impact on this site, some issues we’re following up, knowing residents of Wiccopee want to comment on this scoping session, and that we want to comment on additions and changes to the applicants scoping document, we ask that the public input on this be left open for some time.

Sincerely. Save Wiccopee Organization
Residents of the Wiccopee Hamlet and Wiccopee area.

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