Watch this spot to find out what meetings are being held that you can attend. Attending meetings and making a large showing at them, may help make a difference. So attend all that you can! Check back frequently because we will post as many updates to our bulletin board and the news section as possible. Please also sign the mailing list and participate in the bulletin board.
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You can make a donation to help pay for flyers, signs, billboards and other expenses. You can click on the button below, or you can send a check to: Save the Ridge, P.O. Box 326, Wallkill, NY, 12589. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to pay for legal expenses, please email us at: treasurer@savetheridge.com.
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If you have a special talent or professional ability that might come
in handy, or would just like to volunteer to help in some way, please contact us
to offer your services! For general inquiries also write to above email address.
Inquiries to info@savetheridge.com or 845-895-5577.
Upcoming:
Big Save the Ridge "It's-Not-Over" fundraising Party Saturday November 6. A dinner dance, with a delicious dinner catered by Bridge Creek, and irresistible dance music by our favorite band Soul Purpose!
Time: 6:30 pm to midnight.
Place: Elks Lodge, 290 Route 32 South, New Paltz (2 1/2 miles south of route 299).
Cost: an amazing $20 for food, wine, beer, soda, dance music - even raffle tickets are included. ($25 at the door.)
For advance tickets call 845-895-5577. Invite your friends!
To volunteer to help sell tickets or set up, email warrenchristophernyc@yahoo.com.
Gardiner issues:
John Bradley and Chaffin/Light have settled their differences and are moving forward with the Awosting Reserve project. This makes the Dorf/Gatch proposed subdivision even more critical because of the precedent it sets to randomly use variances to rezone the ridge.
Our attorney and engineer have shared with the board substantial legal and structural
reasons why this project clearly is inappropriate to be allowed to move
forward. It is these
smaller projects that don't seem so important on their own that lay the
foundation that ultimately might allow a project like Awosting Reserve to
proceed. Yet this is not just a ridge issue: If variances like this were
issued all over town soon Gardiner would not be the community we all love so
much.
Please continue writing the town board (PO Box 1, Gardiner 12525), and attend meetings, arguing for a moratorium on subdivisions of 3 lots or more (not 4) and on all building above 600'. (And ultimately for a townwide moratorium.) Draft law available at totalwebgov.org/GardinerNY/Index.asp?section=19.
There is also an application before the Planning Board for a 3-lot subdivision that goes all the way up the ridge, off of Aumick Road, right next to Awosting Reserve. The ZBA gave permits that violate even the current zoning, in defiance of procedures and the vast majority of residents' desire to protect the ridge. This is a terrible precedent for ridge development. The town planner has recommended denying the application. There has been no environmental review. The runoff from a mile-long driveway (into the Palmaghatt) and the viewshed issues alone make it a travesty. Public comment is not being solicited but is important! This demonstrates, for instance, how important a moratorium is while new zoning is being written.
To see Town Planner's memo click here.
Regular Gardiner meetings:
Town Board (workshop) - 1st Tuesday of the month
Town Board (business) - 2nd Tuesday of the month
Town Planning Board - 3rd Tuesday of the month
PLEASE ATTEND ALL THAT YOU CAN! Please also pass this on to EVERYONE
you KNOW that might be able to attend! Thank you all for your efforts!
Find out when the Gardiner Town Board meetings are by joining their
mailing list. Click
here to go to their website.
 Wallkill Senior High School
Robinson Drive
Wallkill, NY
Robinson Drive is west off Route 208 about 4.5 miles south of the intersection
of Route 44/55 and Route 208 at Ireland Corners. Approximately 1.25
miles north of the center of Wallkill via Route 208
Gardiner Town Hall
Route 44/55
Gardiner, NY
Town Board meetings and Planning Board meetings are held in the old
school house on Route 44/55, approximately ¾ mile west of intersection
with Route 208. If large turnout is expected, meetings are held in Fire
Station across the road.
If coming from the west, follow 44/55 across the Wallkill River, and
through Gardiner. The Town Hall and Fire Station are about ¼
mile east of the Post Office.
New Paltz Village Hall
25 Plattekill Avenue
New Paltz, NY
Located where the main firehouse and police station are located. From downtown Main St./Rt. 299 turn
south at Starbuck's Coffee and Ariel Booksellers (P&Gs is on the opposite side of the street). The village hall will be up the hill and on the right.
Shawangunk Valley Fire Station
Route 7, Bruynswick Road.
If coming from the south Route 52: Route 52 intersects with New Prospect
Rd about 1 mile west of Pine Bush. Turn north on New Prospect (stop
light at intersection). Follow New Prospect (Route 7) about 6 miles.
[Note: just beyone Dwaarkill Country Store, Route 7 makes a sharp turn
right. Continue following Route 7 through a sharp turn to left. As you
approach the 6 mile mark, Route 7 will make another sharp turn to the
left. Red Mills Rd, and then Hoagerburgh Rd come in from the right.
Just past Hoagerburgh is the Fire Station on the left.
Shawangunk Valley Fire Station from the north. At intersection of Route
44/55 and Route 7 (Lombardi's Restaurant on corner), go south on Route
7 ( Bruynswick Rd). The Fire House is 3.5 miles, on the right.
Gardiner Reformed Church
Route 44/55
Gardiner, NY
The church is on the west side of the village of Gardiner, about ¼
mile west of the Post Office, on Route 44/55.
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You can also write to various editors of local newspapers. Don't be shy about sending the same letter to EVERY editor. The point is to get printed and get publicity on this issue. Click here for a sample letter to give you some ideas.
Letters to the Editor:
 NYTimes: letters@nytimes.com; fax 212-556-3622; or Letters to the Editor, The New York Times, 229 West 43rd St., NY, NY 10036-3959. Must include writer's
name, address, and phone.
Daily Freeman: letters@freemanonline.com; or Daily Freeman, 79 Hurley Ave.,
Kingston NY 12401. Include name, hometown, daytime phone. Limit 400 words.
Times Herald-Record: letters@th-record.com; fax 845-343-2170, or Times
Herald-Record, 40 Mulberry St., Middletown NY 10940-6301. Should be about 200
words and must be signed and include address and phone number. Limit one
letter per writer per month.
Poughkeepsie Journal: letters@poughkee.gannett.com; fax 845-437-4921, or
Poughkeepsie Journal, Box 1231, Poughkeepsie NY 12602. Must be typed or
printed, maximum 250 words.
New Paltz Times: newpaltztimes@aol.com; fax 845-255-7005, or New Paltz Times,
PO Box 537, New Paltz NY 12561. Should be less than 2 double-spaced pages,
and submitted by 3:30 pm Friday for the next week's paper; should be signed
with address, daytime phone (and email if you have it).
Wallkill Valley Times: WVTimes@aol.com; fax 845-778-1196 or Wallkill Valley
Times, 23 East Main Street, POBox 434, Walden NY 1586. Published Wednesdays
Woodstock Times
Send a copy to local politicians too. (Check their links below)
Write also (frequently) to the town supervisor and planning board members of
Gardiner (copy to each member)- names available on the town website. Address for all is:
Box 1, Town Hall, Gardiner 12525. (Then follow up by attending a planning board meeting and reading the letter out loud there.)
Town of Gardiner Supervisor Carl Zatz, 845 255-9675
New York State
Assemblymember Kevin Cahill, 1 Albany Ave, Kingston NY 12401, 845 338-9610
Assemblymember Tom Kirwan, 190 South Plank Rd, Newburgh NY 12550, 845 562-0888
Senator John Bonacic, 279 Main St Suite 202, New Paltz NY 12561, 845 255-9656
Governor George Pataki, State Capitol, Albany NY 12224
United States
Congressman Maurice Hinchey, 291 Wall St, Kingston NY 12401, 845 331-4466
Senator Hillary Clinton, 780 3rd Ave Suite 2601, New York, NY 10017, 212 688-6262
Senator Charles Schumer, PO Box A, Red Hook, NY 12571, 845 569-0923
Share your comments regarding the development plan of Awosting Reserve with the DEC, by writing to:
Marc Moran
DEC Regional Director Region #3
21 South Putt Corners Rd.
New Paltz, NY 12561
Here is some information about contacting your representatives. (Much of the data below was already collected by the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference and edited here for our purposes).
Contact Members of Congress:
Click here for a sample letter to give you some ideas.
To call your Member of Congress - US Capitol Switchboard: 800-504-0031
Senator Schumer's Website. Email address: senator@schumer.senate.gov
Senator Clinton's Website. Email address: senator@clinton.senate.gov
Write Your Representative - Lookup Representatives
The rep for that area is Maurice D. Hinchey. Email is: mhinchey@mail.house.gov
Governor George E. Pataki
Media Fax Numbers
- New York Times: FAX: 212.556.7614
- Time Magazine: FAX: 212.522.1530
- Newsweek: FAX: 212.445.4120
- USA Today: FAX: 703.247.3108
- Wall Street Journal: FAX: 202.862.9266
- NPR: FAX: 202.414.3329
- AP: FAX: 202.776.9570
- CNN: FAX: 404.681.3578
National Email Addresses
You can also call and write letters to Chaffin Light to tell them how you
feel. Let them know that there is opposition to this and explain why
you don't want the development.
DO NOT BE ABUSIVE and DO NOT HARASS THEM!
Chaffin Light
Associates
Awosting Reserve, L.L.C.
P.O. Box 112
Gardiner, NY 12525
(845) 985-9300
Jim Chaffin's Office:
42 Mobley Oaks Ln
Okatie, SC 29909-4012
Phone: (843) 987-2200
(843) 987-2000
(800) 242-8175
Fax: (843) 987-2025
info@srec.com
springsales@islc.net
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Jim Light's Office
24398 Highway 82
Basalt, CO 81621-9220
P.O. Box 620
Basalt, CO 81621-9220
Phone: (970) 927-0847
Fax: (970) 927-8274
contactus@roaringforklandco.com
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