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The Altamont Enterprise - Thursday, December 25, 2008 Federal stormwater regs may affect three projects By Jo E. Prout NEW SCOTLAND—The costs of implementing new federal requirements for stormwater management are being passed down to the local level. The new Environmental Pro- tection Agency restrictions could EPA or state Department of Environmental Conservation criteria, Dolin said, Three proposed developments currently under discussion in the town that exceed the five- acre minimum are the Charles Carrow senior housing develop- \As usual, they've passed down the cost to the local governments and the local taxpayers.\ apply to three proposed develop- ments in New Scotland. \The idea is, to keep storm- water from polluting streams and rivers,\ Supervisor Thomas Dolin said this week. \It has a good purpose. As Usual, they've passed down the cost to the lo- cal governments and the local taxpayers.\ Last Week, the town board discussed the new requirements at its Wednesday meeting. L. Michael Mackey, the town attorney, told the board that the restrictions were meant to keep sediment from new developments from getting into the Hudson River. Mackey called the require- ments \expensive to maintain\ and an \unfunded mandate.\ The board discussed con- solidating retention basins for multiple housing developments. Town engineer Keith Menia said that the hew retention basins need more maintenance than previous designs. The board is considering '-ac-, cepting the responsibility for the expenses as it \ would: for street clearing, or requiring de- velopers to create bank accounts from Which the maintenance costs could be paid perpetually from interest. In some cases, homeowners' associations could be responsible for the costs, but, Dolin told The Enterprise, such associations can run out of funds. \No matter what happens, we're going to end up owning them,\ he said of the basins at the meeting. \Correct Menia said. The restrictions apply to any new development that exceeds five acres, if an engineer deter- mines that the site meets the ment, the Colonie Country Club Estates, attd the Kensington Woods housing development. At the meeting, Menia said that a $i6,OO0-per-Mfee in each development could be used to set up an account to pay for the esti- mated annual town maintenance cost of $60,000. \Teh thousand dollars is a couple Of bucks a month\ in a mortgage for people buying $350,000 to $1.2 million homes, said resident Saul Abrams. Ratherthan applying a special assessment to the future resi- dents of the homes, Dolin said, the towti could decide to share the tax burden ainong all town residents. The town, he said, giving an example to explain the argument, will have to pay to update the roads in 30 years. The town pays for services for its residents, he said. \We've been exploring what other municipalities are doing,\ Dolin said;-thji8 0 yfe^to,, ,„,>,.:» • -, ,-x- m - ftrhe.c^cvQatip^Sjv^e^^seep, < could be as b^Efca^ an annual increase of local taxes at $20 per household. Some of the as- sumptions [for the calculations] have to be looked at,\ Dolin said. \That's where the discussions are right now.\ He hopes to continue the dis- cussion with the board in Janu- ary, he said. \We've been advised that we're not holding up the ap- proval process\ for the curfent proposed developments, he said. \It's more a question Of Who's going to bear the expense. Also, what's fair? And, what's legal? If you tax to individuals, you must show a special benefit. That's hot always legally easy to define,\ Dolin said. '. • ..The Enterprise — Saranac Hale Spencer Corridor intact; The view from Voorhee$ville, stretching towards the Port of Albany nine miles away, may soon include crossrcountty skiers rather tfian abandoned track. Albany County Executive Michael Breslin signed a contact this month to purchase the rail trait from Canadian Pacific Railway fbr$700,600: Breslin signs rail trail deal, linking Albany to V'ville By Jo E. Prout ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County Executive Michael G. Breslin signed a contract this month to purchase the long- awaited Albany County R^ Trail from Canadian Pacific Railway. The trail Willrun from the Port of Albany, partially through the town of Bethlehem, and end in the town of New Scotland in the village of Voorheesville. ,,* ^|ve 0 .n^>n r .pj;ofit organization , Scenic Hudson and the New York State Office of ^arks,;15tecreation and 'Historic Preservation each contributed $350,000> meeting the sale price of $700,000. Environmental assessments of the rail trail have already begun, according to'Breslih's office. After a 300-daydue diligence period, environmental liability for the trail will be assumed by. the county, said Kerri Battle, the di- rector of communications for the county executive, in August. This week, Battle said that the assessments began Dec. 12. Bridges along the trail are being inspected now, she said, and the results could dictate how soon the trail Would be open to the public. \We are aiming for the end of 2010,\ she said. Engineering firm Greenman- Pedersen, Inc;, with ; headquar- ters on Long Island and an office in Albany, is doihg the assess- ment, Battle said. Patrick Kenneally, a vice- president with GPI, said that the firm has had an office in Albany for 30 years. \All of our Capital District ; work is done in our Albany office,\ -Kenneally said. \We\re happy to be-doing it.\ Traffic signs and diversions for the eight bridges in the rail trail are in place, he said, and the inspectors are trying to dodge the wintry weather. Albany County Legislator Her- bert Reilly Jr. represents New Scotland and, was a principal sponsor of the program five years ago, he said in August. Reilly said that the legislature has money set aside to do improvements like adding guide rails where the rail had tun over a creek, Highway crossings already have guide ratts, he said* The county will put in a 10-fiibt-wide strip/oflevfeied and graded crushed stone N a surface that would hie good for a runner's ankle, he said. The county cost will be $2.9 million, which will be used to ' £ •• . ..,'•. refurbish the trail, according to Albany County Legislator Wil- liam Aylward, who represents Guilderland. Aylward arid Reilly are members of the legislature's conservation and improvement committee. Of that, $2:4 mil- lion will be federal funds arid interested groups will raise the remaining $500,000, Aylward said in August. \We thought it would be a tre- mendous asset to the county and the town [of New Scotland], and now for Bethlehem, l!o0,\ ReiHy said then. Since 1995, when Reilly was supervisor for the town of NeW Scotland, the project has been negotiated and altered several times; Originally^ he said, the proposal included the rail from Albany to its end in Delanson. Now, Canadian Pacific: Railway, which owns the line, Will keep the spur from Vdorheesville to Delanson, Reilly said. Reilly told The Enterprise in August that he had ridden on the line. \It's a very scenic route. Oh, my goodness, it's gorgeouSj,\ he said then. \You see a different perspective on the world. People will enjoy it.\ Theoriginal'Since 1974 AWRENCE MARK LAWRENCE Duanesburg, M f 12056 (518)8954059 MMTER WELLS, INC. ROTMV HAMMER DRILL ^OLD STYLE'POUNDER DRILLING WELL JHYDROFR^CTUMNG -DOWNT HE HOLE CAMERA DEC CERTIFIED - IfULLY: INSURED - YEAR ROUND SERVICE COMPLETE PUMP INSTALIATIONJA^P SERVICE YIELD TESTS & EI^lEEStl^TES Due to ctfrtent fnM<0t (cpriditibn$i please call for price ; ^: , ! ;w \' , ;\; :i '''We accept HEAP Quantity Discounts Casfccheckor credit card on delivery FREE SHIPPING!! 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