By Rebecca Martin
* Because we want to get this information out to the public ASAP, we are still extracting important details from the video and of documents pertaining to SEQR in the proposed Niagara Bottling Project over the next few days. Please check back daily on this post as we do so and thank you.
Tonight at the Town of Ulster Town Board Meeting, the Town Board under the leadership of Supervisor James Quigley passed several resolutions that included a Resolution for the City of Kingston and Town of Woodstock to become Involved Agencies (Denied Unanimously, though with some hesitation), 2) A resolution clearing Lead Agency to construct a water bottle facility. (Resolution passed unanimously.) 3) A resolution declaring a positive SEQR declaration (passed unanimously).
The public comment was incredibly rich. Take a moment and review it below.
I ask that the citizens not be discouraged and to continue to be diligent.. There is a great deal underway to protect our interests. As the Town of Woodstock Supervisor Jeremy Wilber states in his public comment “There are citizens that transcend the borders…that are going to involve themselves. We would rather be inside the tent with you spitting out than outside the tent spitting in. But we will be an involved party….I just hope that we won’t have to dwell on legalisms as neighboring towns and as people and that share a very neutral concern for the future of our water sources of the area.”
We are united and committed in seeing our region prosper and in working together to find alternative solutions in addressing Kingston’s aging infrastructure.
Special thanks to Clark Richter of Kingston News for filming this evening.
Initial Public Comments
1:26 – 4:41
Kevin Smith, Chairman of the Woodstock Land Conservancy
4:45 – 6:11
Dennis Doyle, Ulster County Planning Board
6:20 – 8:05
Kate Hudson, Riverkeeper
8:14 – 11:57
Rebecca Martin, Kingston, NY
READ REBECCA’S SPEECH
12:00 – 15:44
Jennifer Schwartz Berky, Kingston, NY
15:55 – 18:37
Rev. Betsy Stang, The Wittenberg Center for Alternative Resources
18:47 – 22:13
Kitty McCullough, Kingston, NY
22:19 – 25:21
Rachel Marco-Havens, KingstonCitizens.org
READ RACHEL’S SPEECH
25:30 – 28:45
Robert Barton, Town of Ulster
28:58 – 31:58
Donald Gregorius, UC Legislator
31:57 – 35:39
Jeremy Wilber, Town of Woodstock Supervisor
35:55 – 39:39
Henrietta Wise, Olivebridge, NY
On Niagara Bottling Company Resolutions
0:10 – 1:08
Resolution including City of Kingston and Town of Woodstock as Involved Agency
Resolution defeated unanimously (though with hesitation)
1:12 – 1:41
Resolution clearing Lead Agency to construct a water bottle facility.
Resolution passed unanimously
1:42 – 2:29
Resolution declaring a positive SEQR declaration
“I would the people in the audience to know the that the town board is dedicating itself to an open and public process…as requested.” – Supervisor James Quigley
Resolution passed unanimously
Closing Public Comments
2:46 – 5:21
Robert Barton, Town of Ulster
5:28 – 7:31
Jeremy Wilber, Town of Woodstock Supervisor
7:37 – 10:14
Rachel Marco-Havens, KingstonCitizens.org
10:23 – 11:27
Donald Gregorius, UC Legislator
11:35 – 13:40
Jennifer Schwartz Berky, KingstonCitizens.org
13:47 – 16:34
Kevin Smith, Chairman of the Woodstock Land Conservancy
16:43 – 20:09
Rebecca Martin, KingstonCitizens.org
READ REBECCA’S SPEECH
20:24 – 21:24
Mike Berardi, Town of Ulster
Kingston Citizens has been amazing through this. Thank you, thank you, thank you for organizing so well and for taking action. It is heartening beyond words.
…wondering if a letter writing campaign directly to Niagara Bottling Co.–literally FLOODING them with letters in opposition to their proposed plant–might be the most expedient way to be rid of this boondoggle. (Unfortunately, that would also have the effect of Niagara taking their boondoggle to another community that should not suffer this plan either.)
No matter what, this proposal has exposed so many problems within our various governments and agencies that we STILL need to stay involved in order to correct those problems.