Why is it up to 3.5 million and Still Going?
The simple answer is - Arrogance and Total disregard
for the public's wishes.
During the Kellogg administration the taxpayers of Woodstock
voted to bond $1.3 million for the construction of a new highway facility
at the former recycling site adjacent to the closed landfill. The site
is located on the West Saugerties Rd. The site was selected by a Town
appointed committee that surveyed potential locations around Woodstock.
.
A lawsuit was filed by Wilber's supporters Sam Mercer
and David Boyle (they are proponents of sitting the Town Highway garage
on the Comeau property in the center of town) and another individual
to prevent the highway garage being sited at the recycling center.
The lawsuit held up the project for several years until
it was dismissed. During that period Wilber won election as Supervisor.
He with fellow board members Mike Stock, Brain Shapiro and Steve Knight
consistently refused to site the Town Highway Facility at the old recycling
center. Wilber went so far as to misrepresent the findings of the DEC.
At one point he declared that nothing would be built on the site. Not
even a salt shed.
Stock, Shapiro and Knight supported Wilber's attempt
to site the facility at the Kingston reservoir property west of the
water treatment plant. After fierce opposition from adjacent homeowners,
and in spite of thousands of dollars spent on site plans, the project
was quietly dropped without comment.
Wilber's next move was to propose a $100,000 bond issue
to do a feasibility study to site the Town highway facility on the Comeau
property.
Interestingly enough the site footprint was to be smaller
(1.5ac) than the Bearsville site (1.8ac.) The previous Highway Superintendent
had always claimed that he needed as least a 5 ac. site.
There were several other proposals floated to make the
project more palatable to the public. One was to buy out the neighbor
whose backyard (literally) the project was in. Another proposal was
to swap acreage with a contiguous neighbor.
Again, after spending thousands of dollars on site plans
the voters rejected the proposal and the bond issue was overwhelmingly
defeated.
After painting himself into a corner by refusing to
consider the recycling center site we have come full circle. Wilber
then proposes upgrading the Bearsville site. The first proposal considered
buying out a neighbor and expanding the personnel facilities. Somehow
that proposal got dropped from the subsequent plans.
After much machinations and expense in getting the flood
plain map redrawn and glossing over other environmental problems, the
buildings have been demolished and construction started on the site
plan.
However, all has come to a halt. A new lawsuit had been
filed against the Town and work has been halted by the Judge hearing
the case.
Who is leading the charge? (in terms of rhetoric) None
other than David Boyle - a plaintiff in the first suit that held it
up for several years.
Woodstock
Times Story
In the latest development, the Judge in the case has
ruled in favor of the Town. The project can now proceed. However, Wilber
is sure when that will be.
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editor always play an important part
in an election campaign.
This is especially true on the
local level. Many people write to endorse their candidates others, the
political operatives, write to spread disinformation and to distort
the facts. These letters are important to candidates because they give
the impression of a widespread support and certain legitimacy to the
letters that contain distorted and misinformation (you only get one
side of the story.)
If one looks at this week's Feedback in the Woodstock
Times they would see several letters from the political operative's
category. These letters are usually written by less than a dozen people
who write these letters week after week, either alternating or in tandem,
depending on the circumstances. They use the same techniques that the
Swift-Boaters used against Kerry in the last presidential election.
Their negative content is usually about the candidate that they are
opposing. There are really are offering no new facts or information.
Just fog. These are the very same people who are always complaining
about the lack of civility in their opponent's camp.
Just go to the Woodstock
Times and then search on the name. You will get list of the weeks
they sent letters. You can then select the link to read the letters.