THE 2017 "WHAT THE HILL?" FRIENDRAISER
HURLEYVILLE — Imagine waking up in the morning and walking into the kitchen for a glass of water. You turn on the faucet and nothing happens.
That is the scenario members of the Columbia Hill Neighborhood Alliance (CHNA) are asking residents of Fallsburg, Thompson and Hurleyville to fathom.
CHNA, as well as members of Fallsburg's Future, met at the Hurleyville Fire House on Sunday for the 3rd Annual “What The Hill” Friend-Raiser Festival.
It was a day of family fun with live music, a petting zoo, craft vendors and good food, but there was a serious message underlying it all.
CHNA was formed in 2012 in response to a purposed development by Gan-Eden Estates, which originally planned to build over 1000 housing units around Columbia Hill, the former site of the Columbia Hotel.
A diminished plan for Gan-Eden has recently been purposed after the project stalled for several years.
“They seem to go dormant for a year and then they'll have a flurry of activity,” said CHNA Co-Founder Roger Betters.
The current proposal by Gan-Eden involves 535 housing units - about 60 percent of the original project - as well as a pool, clubhouse, tennis courts and other amenities.
Most of the development falls within the borders of Fallsburg and Thompson, but their wells and water resources would be located in Hurleyville.
CHNA is concerned that waste water effluent could run downhill into Hurleyville and ultimately find its way into the East Mongaup River, a Class B trout stream.
“They did some water testing last fall and that report came in March where they professed to have adequate water for this project. Although there were some residents who said they had trouble with their wells as a result of the test,” said Betters.
CHNA members say the project would deplete local water supplies and greatly endanger the long-term health of nearby streams and wetlands. They estimate the project would require 147,510 gallons of water per day and generate an equal amount of wastewater.
Gan-Eden would entail its own wastewater treatment plant, requiring meticulous year-round maintenance. If the treatment plant were to fail, untreated effluent would flow down hill and straight into the river, say members of CHNA.
It's not an unlikely scenario. Over the years, the Town of Thompson had to assume control of four different wastewater treatment plants after private developers left and their systems failed.
Other community organizers like Steve Gordon mentioned parking and traffic issues as another concern of the CHNA. “One of the most frightening parts of this development is its location at the top of a very perilous hill during winter,” said Gordon. “If thousands of people will be coming out of this development in the snow I can almost guarantee regular accidents. On every level of travel this is a bad idea.
”Bonnie Makofsky and Steve Gordon are two members of the CHNA who oppose the Gan Eden Estates development.
That is the scenario members of the Columbia Hill Neighborhood Alliance (CHNA) are asking residents of Fallsburg, Thompson and Hurleyville to fathom.
CHNA, as well as members of Fallsburg's Future, met at the Hurleyville Fire House on Sunday for the 3rd Annual “What The Hill” Friend-Raiser Festival.
It was a day of family fun with live music, a petting zoo, craft vendors and good food, but there was a serious message underlying it all.
CHNA was formed in 2012 in response to a purposed development by Gan-Eden Estates, which originally planned to build over 1000 housing units around Columbia Hill, the former site of the Columbia Hotel.
A diminished plan for Gan-Eden has recently been purposed after the project stalled for several years.
“They seem to go dormant for a year and then they'll have a flurry of activity,” said CHNA Co-Founder Roger Betters.
The current proposal by Gan-Eden involves 535 housing units - about 60 percent of the original project - as well as a pool, clubhouse, tennis courts and other amenities.
Most of the development falls within the borders of Fallsburg and Thompson, but their wells and water resources would be located in Hurleyville.
CHNA is concerned that waste water effluent could run downhill into Hurleyville and ultimately find its way into the East Mongaup River, a Class B trout stream.
“They did some water testing last fall and that report came in March where they professed to have adequate water for this project. Although there were some residents who said they had trouble with their wells as a result of the test,” said Betters.
CHNA members say the project would deplete local water supplies and greatly endanger the long-term health of nearby streams and wetlands. They estimate the project would require 147,510 gallons of water per day and generate an equal amount of wastewater.
Gan-Eden would entail its own wastewater treatment plant, requiring meticulous year-round maintenance. If the treatment plant were to fail, untreated effluent would flow down hill and straight into the river, say members of CHNA.
It's not an unlikely scenario. Over the years, the Town of Thompson had to assume control of four different wastewater treatment plants after private developers left and their systems failed.
Other community organizers like Steve Gordon mentioned parking and traffic issues as another concern of the CHNA. “One of the most frightening parts of this development is its location at the top of a very perilous hill during winter,” said Gordon. “If thousands of people will be coming out of this development in the snow I can almost guarantee regular accidents. On every level of travel this is a bad idea.
”Bonnie Makofsky and Steve Gordon are two members of the CHNA who oppose the Gan Eden Estates development.
