Developer and Town Abandon Hillcrest Commons Appeal

Hello all - there is some good news that came our way.  Both the developer of Hillcrest Commons off Rte 52 and the Town of Carmel have abandoned the option to appeal Judge Nicholai's decision.  I am attaching the Press Release from CWCWC.

Merry Christmas everyone, especially the folks from Hill & Dale who supported the Coalition and CWCWC and our attorney, Jim Bacon.

Sincerely,
Ann

10/24/07

Carmel tries to halt DEP dam reconstruction
By BARBARA LIVINGSTON NACKMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: October 20, 2007)

CARMEL - The town has issued a stop-work order against New York City, attempting to halt a multimillion-dollar dam reconstruction project near the Putnam-Westchester border that it says lacks the proper permits.

The order was issued Tuesday, but it seems there is no quick way to shut down a project of that size. Yesterday, trucks barreled back and forth along the site off Croton Falls Road, and backhoes piled crushed rock into a mountain. The town told the city by certified mail and in person at the job site that it was to "suspend" work described as a "regrading, rock crushing/mining operation, and modifying the existing spillway" because it requires "multiple approvals" from the town's Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, which apparently were not secured before construction started.

The city Department of Environmental Protection yesterday said it would cease construction but needed to secure the site first.

Mahopac residents Mitch and Homa Oscar, who live across the street from the southern end of the dam project, are hoping for some relief from the blasting near their home -at one point strong enough to knock their 11-year-old son off the couch. They also hope that some of their environmental concerns will be addressed.

In February, the DEP began the $74 million project at the Croton Falls Reservoir and the Diverting Reservoir off Route 22 as part of an upgrade and rehabilitation of city-owned dams east of the Hudson River. The intent, the DEP said, is to meet current state and federal dam safety standards and extend the life of the dams for 50 to 100 years.

The Oscars said they realize the work must get done and they must endure a few years of construction. But they are frustrated that they can't seem to get information about the work and a timetable from the DEP, that their home was never inspected before the nearby blasting and that the agency doesn't seem to want to mitigate the significant environmental impact on them.

Further exacerbating the matter is Homa Oscar's story.

A political refugee who fled Afghanistan with her family, first to Pakistan and then to New York City in 1982, Homa Oscar said the Croton Falls blasting and extensive construction is upsetting.

"I lived in a place where there was a curfew and bombs were going off in the night," said the 36-year-old jewelry designer who works from home. "When you are here and your home shakes, well, it gives me tremors and makes me nervous."

The blasting has rattled the Oscars' 11-year-old cedar house and shaken it from its foundation, they said. In July, they thought their boiler had exploded. Mounds of dust have filled their deck's swimming pool and settled on their landscaping, preventing any summertime swimming and causing asthma and breathing problems for Homa Oscar.

The DEP said it notified residents within a prescribed area from the center of the work, but the Oscars said they were not notified and repeated attempts to discuss the issue with DEP representatives have fallen on deaf ears.

Town officials said they could take legal action if the DEP does not stop the work.

The DEP said it would resolve the issues with the town, which include regrading roadways and mining without the necessary approvals.

"(We are) eager to work with Carmel's Code Enforcement agency to resolve this situation," said spokeswoman Mercedes Pidalla, "and address its concerns so DEP can resume full operation expeditiously."

09/06/07

Camarda - Blasting His Way thru Putnam

Good morning - Please note the following; it should be of particular concern to all in Carmel and Putnam County.  We are a county of steep slopes and projects such as Camarda Park,  Hillcrest Commons, Gateway Summit (hotel) and Patterson Crossing will require blasting.  The Town of Carmel lacks a blasting code as also the towns of Kent and Patterson.  As you know, I have sent letters to supervisors of both towns to address this striking omission.

Please watch for showings of the September 5th Carmel Town Board - Doris Stahl's response to Councilman DiBattisti should not be missed.

The following is a copy of my post on carmelresident.org:


On June 27, 2007, Camarda issued a letter addressed to Supervisor Munday and the Town Board.  In it, he relieves himself of all responsibility for the ensuing destruction to residents' quality of life and property.  I quote from the first paragraph: In my twenty years developing property in Putnam County, I have only had to deal with ledge rock on two sites.  In the Willow Ridge subdivision, we blasted ledge rock on a small section of the road without any problem or impact to any of the neighbors (there weren't any to speak of).  The second site is at Carmel Centre,  This is a site that I sold more than a year ago to Pulte Homes.... who contracted with Brennan Construction to perform the pending infrastructure construction.  Although I have no involvement in the ownership of the land or the construction, I would like to offer the following:
 
The rock excavation/blasting is approximately ninety percent completed. The small remaining area will either be chipped, hammered, blasted or a combination of the three.  The only other pending site of which I am aware that may require blasting is the hotel site located at the Gateway Summit.
 
For nine months, the town has dragged its feet in enacting a blasting code that protects residents.  Finally last Wednesday, August 29th, it was discussed as #31 on the workshop agenda.  And still there is no resolution.  
 
And we can see why in the next portion of the letter, "Changes to the ordinance could make it very difficult for blasters to get insurance coverage when they work in Carmel.  This could put all parties, including the Town of Carmel, and any adjoining property owners at risk."  I guess Camarda hasn't heard but there are property owners presently at risk of losing their insurance and their homes.  
 
Another concern is that changes to the ordinance could double or triple to cost of rock removal which could have a very detrimental effect regarding the hotel's budget and overall feasability." So there we have it.
 
Obviously Camarda has not read or thinks we have not read that the New York State Blasting Code was fashioned to protect the blaster and his workers not the blastee, the property owner.  And it was on this point that Rob Vera, the assistant engineer, stressed that the code must contain provisions that would give the building inspector powers to immediately respond to resident complaints and most importantly, shut down the operation until a full investigation is completed.  I must say that I was shocked that Mr. Vera should consult with Brennan Construction, the very company engaged to "chip, hammer, blast or a combination of the three" the hillside off Stoneleigh.  For residents, the name "The Retreat" attached to the senior complex, must seem like some sick joke.  There is no retreat.
 
However, in my opinion, it is the Planning Board that bears the obligation to thoroughly assess the consequences to residents of any project proposed on Carmel's unprotected steep slopes.  Together with the Town Board, they are the government entities duty bound to protect the health, welfare and safety of residents not the health, welfare and safety of a developer's investments.  
 
Another instance of profits over safety. 

Sincerely,
Ann

05/31/07

Good morning all -  Unfortunately, the writer fails to identify the owner of FourMen Construction Company  none other than Carmel Supervisor Wannabee, head of the Town of Carmel Recreation Committee and all-around sportsman, David Furfaro, who thinks he can do a better job than either of the candidates or the present supervisor.    Question:  Did the hapless Mr. Newkirk finally receive the $600,000 due him from the another FourMen mishap?  While Mr Furfaro doesn't have liability insurance, perhaps before November, the residents of Carmel should make certain that they do.

Sincerely,
Ann


Peekskill not protecting citizens

Regarding "Cove project riles Peekskill neighborhood," May 19 story:

A stop-work order was issued on "The Cove" at 324 Simpson Place on March 13. As of May 18, FourMen Construction Inc. has not secured the site and the structure, their responsibility under City Code 138-17.B: "All openings shall be sealed in a manner to prevent unauthorized entry." This site is likely to attract undesirable activity, impacting quality of life in that neighborhood.

Peekskill officials also have not done their job. They have not kept watch on this company, which has a sad record in our city. In 2004, Herbert Newkirk's home was destroyed, the result of site prep by FourMen at Lincoln Terrace. A 2006 decision by Judge Mary Smith, Supreme Court, Westchester County, in the case of Herbert Newkirk, Plaintiff, vs. FourMen Construction Inc., DMAC Construction LLC, et al., Defendants, states: "Defendants, who initially had denied any liability, in any event had no insurance to cover any damages alleged by plaintiff Newkirk . . ." and later states, ". . . defendants had no liability insurance . . ."

Doesn't Peekskill require that construction companies working in our city have liability insurance, and verify its existence? It took citizen complaints for our city to notice flagrant violations at "The Cove" and issue the stop-work order. It took two months, and more complaints, for city officials to start insisting that the "Cove" site and structure be properly secured as required by our city's laws.

It is time for Peekskill, our city, to represent us, and to enforce the laws put in place to protect us, the citizens of Peekskill.

Jim Knight

Peekskill

05/24/07

Good morning all -

It was another mindless night in Carmel with Camarda again presenting his plans before the Planning Board to transform our town and county into his vision of what the residents need and want and it certainly wasn't anything of high caliber but what "working stiffs" would think is just grand.  The entire scheme was just grand: the four floors of the 123 room Staybridge just chock full of style and grace.   Former South African resident and now Tourism Director, Valerie Hickman can't understand why residents should want more and better.  And she finally admitted that this was a hotel for businessmen and not for families - only 26 one bedroom rooms available and 3 two-bedrooms.  She failed to mention that despite Councilman Ravallo's persistent efforts, Marriott and Hilton said no thanks to Carmel. Can't wait to reserve my 300 sq.ft room with kitchen.  Gee Hannaford is opening soon.  Just like home.

Robert Buckley has pre-registered.  His family can't wait.  And even though there was evidence to the contrary last week, (see my letter to the Journal News) he is looking forward to his first tax rebate check.  Well, the only ones who will be getting any tax rebates are the Jaral Property investors and Camarda. 

No questions need to be asked.  And how tiresome of me to ask them.  For ex. why wasn't a market analysis included in the Draft Environmental Statement and if it wasn't included why didn't the Planning Board demand that it be done.  Who determined that a four-story, 123 room extended stay hotel with a 75% average occupancy rate was right for Carmel? Why not 90 rooms and three stories? That was the figure that Camarda gave to the Economic Development Committee of the legislature in May of 2005.  I have the tape. Perhaps the study would reach inconvenient conclusions.  Let us not shed the light of truth into the shadowy world of Carmel's backroom deal making. 

And of course, let us not deal with the possibility that the owners could flip the hotel and presto, we have the makings of another condo.   Many people have suggested that possibility to me. Not outlandish. All owners have to do is to obtain the approval of the attorney general bypassing town officials. Hotels in New York i.e. Plaza are no longer but are now residences and the St. George in Brooklyn in the 70s became overnight a Single Room Occupancy for the homeless. When I mentioned it, Chairman Gary unaccustomedly raised his voice and directed the secretary, Peggy Moore, "to strike it from the record."  In order to protect the town and residents,  I persisted and demanded that the site plan include the condition of restricting the use to simply that of a hotel and nothing else.  I will scrutinize the site plan for that restriction.

Mahopac resident, Cifalone, decried the past mistakes of town officials who discouraged IBM, Pepsi and yes, according to another resident, Hamlet of Carmel Civic Association member, Gebhardt, the Rupert Brewery.  And of course, there is always the Danbury Mall, a favorite of the late Ed Heelan.  Has anyone been to Danbury, seen its Main Street, recently undergoing some renovation from the devastation of its business section unable to compete with the mall.  How many of you are moving to Danbury?

And lastly, senior housing and assisted living - all 300 units.  That's what the law and market will bear says Camarda and he is going to make sure that it isn't 299. Made $30 million on the senior housing project off Stoneleigh - can't wait to read what he is going to make on this one. 

Nor is the Planning Board going to compel him nor scrutinize other alternatives for the area.  In reading the Alternatives section of the Draft Environmental Statement, I suggested that a simple residential subdivision would preserve open space; reduce traffic; protect water quality and vistas. And why wasn't that alternative selected?  You guessed it - "it was to the investor's advantage not to do so and the impact to the schools would be intolerable - the subdivision would generate 15 children (DEIS)  Greed written large. 

No matter that even according to Camarda's figures each of the 150 senior units would have space for a two-car garage _didn't he say, seniors don't drive) and get this for 300 additional visitor parking spaces and that the hotel would have 1,194 parking spaces.  Just for comparison, Brewster Highlands has 2,000.  A resident's concern about traffic was dismissed as inconsequential.  $1 million dollar "improvements" to Rte 6, installation of a traffic light (totaling 4 from the juncture of Rt 6 and Putnam Plaza) and traffic will disappear.  

As I said in my letter, all smoke and mirrors.  Carmel residents can view it on 95.

Sincerely,
Ann

05/23/07

Good morning all - after three weeks, my computer is finally working so there is a lot of catch to do.  In case, you haven't seen it, on the heels of Wednesday night's Carmel Town, I wrote a letter to the editor which has appeared today.  Word limitation prevented me from further discussing other issues raised by residents.

For example, John Butler cited the contract which explicitly stated that residential development would be excluded.  Guess what? Senior housing does not meet the definitional parameters of "residential," according to the wordsmith Camarda. So we now have 150 market rate senior units plus a 150 unit senior assisted living facility.  All this is going to save Carmel residents thousands in tax dollars since seniors don't generate children.  Empty nests invite birds from Long Island and Westchester together with their hatchlings who need schooling.   

Not included in the tab will be the extra dollars spent on emergency services: fire, police and ambulance in additional staffing and equipment.  Response times so critical to survival will be reduced for all residents as limited roads become clogged with traffic. Don't worry Camarda says, seniors don't drive.  And the maintenance of a town road specifically dedicated and built to provide ingress and egress from the development who's paying for that? 

What about the issue of the "Y" raised by long-time advocate Scott Friedman.  Carmel desperately needs a complex that provides comprehensive services and activities for all residents and the "Y" is the answer.  But don't tell that to the entrenched sports interests who are busy recklessly devastating land and communities - at a recent Board meeting, the quoted price alone on Camarda Park is $3.7 million to start and over $400,000 for the fields at the Mahopac Airport.

And where is the public scrutiny over a project that will change the face of Carmel.  Certainly not from the mindless parrots that perch on the dais of the Town Board.  Who will come to Carmel to stay in studios with one bed? Families with children? As I stated in my letter over 80% of the tiny rooms fit this description - 82 out of 123 to be precise; 26 one bedroom;  and 3 - two bedroom.  The rest are handicap accessible. 

Tonight the Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 7PM on the hotel and senior housing portion of the Gateway/Fairways project.  Camarda is banking that the public won't attend.   

Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.

Smoke and mirrors on hotel plan

Carmel was the scene ("Public lodges views on Carmel hotel plan," Friday story) of a one-night stand for a Manhasset-spawned production starring former hometown boy, Paul Camarda; his friends, aka the investors, Jaral Properties and the architect from Garden City; directed by Councilman Bob Ravallo who, though overtly requesting one half-hour "update" as an agenda item, covertly plotted for 2 1/2 hours of smoke and mirrors before a stacked audience comprising some members of the Hamlet of Carmel Civic Association, the Industrial Development Agency and supervisor wannabees. Accidental attendees: the public.

After one hour of persistent resident questioning, Camarda sheepishly admitted that the hotel was not the luxury, original represented by the architect but a 123-room (80 percent studio) copycat of Staybridge Hotels pictured on their Web site, tweaked cosmetically with materials and colors.

Lie No. 2 - Although job generation has been on the Camarda spin list, a defensive Albert Salvatico of Jaral Properties evaded the issues of union construction jobs, salaries, number of executive-level positions and hotel staffing needs. The Putnam paradox: Putnam residents need not apply.

Lie No. 3 - Tax relief. In the revelation of the evening, Kevin Bailey from the IDA admitted that Jaral and Camarda were being forgiven at least 50 percent of school taxes the first year with a sliding scale through the decade; sales taxes and other perks. But the final stab in the back was that Camarda admitted that the taxes generated by some of the senior housing units would benefit not Carmel but the Brewster school district. Thank you, Mr. Camarda.

Ann Fanizzi

Carmel

The writer is chair of the Putnam County Coalition to Preserve Open Space.

Good morning all - in a brazen attempt to nullify the freshly enacted (flawed) Carmel senior housing law and substitute their own interpretation of the law and definitions of "active seniors,"  Pulte Homes resident architect, officials and spokesmen Tim Miller, sought to transform the "315 senior Retreat" oon the carpet bombed slopes off Stoneleigh Avenue into a Condo project.  Nevermind "staying in place" as Camarda's slick propaganda stated, Miller said well if anything happened, they would have to leave The Retreat and move into assisted living.  They were not building for the handicapped but for the active senior. 

At the ZBA Thursday night,  I strongly opposed the attempt to obtain a variance as an act of nullification superceding town law;  setting a terrible precedent for all the other proposed senior housing in the Kent, Carmel area (800 units) and ending with a personal anecdote re: my elderly mother i.e. buzzers and doors.  

As the article clearly states, Pulte is feeling the pinch of the downturn in housing and is trying to wrest the last dollar in profits by cutting corners.  And they would have been significant if the ZBA voted the other way, millions were at stake.  Accoding to AARP figures I cite, just for widening doors, the purchase price of a house could increase from 1% to 2%.  Just do a bit of math and see what just that feature would come to in 315 homes ranging in price from $300,000 to $500,000.

I have advertisements from Pulte's other projects and each one trumpets reduced prices anywhere from $15,000 to over $25,000.  Let's see what they do in Carmel. 

Bravo to the ZBA and for an excellent article written by Barbara Nachman. 

Sincerely,
Ann


Carmel turns down national developer over features for senior citizens
By BARBARA LIVINGSTON NACKMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: April 30, 2007)

CARMEL - A national builder who has torn up a very visible hillside off Stoneleigh Avenue to construct 315 units of senior housing must include special features for elderly residents, such as buzzers and extra-wide doors, even if they might make the housing more expensive to build and less appealing to an affluent active buyer.

Pulte Homes, which paid developer Paul Camarda $30 million for the 96-acre property and its development rights, was flatly turned down by the Carmel Zoning Board of Appeals in its bid to get free of such specified features, such as bathroom doors that swing in and out of the room, 36-inch wide doors and windows fitted with safety devices so they can't slam shut once opened.

"My concern is not for their marketing but whether an applicant can build without getting special permission," said zoning board Chairman Mark Fraser. "In this case, it was clear that they could comply with the code."

The board voted 7-0 that Pulte had to include those items that are part of a senior-citizen housing law that was enacted just a year ago -a law whose critics contend was largely approved to facilitate Camarda's projects. Camarda had initially proposed an office complex known as Carmel Corporate Centre, then considered a large retail project. He split off 9 acres for another senior-citizens project, Stoneleigh Woods, with 68 units. That piece was sold to Blue and Gold Development of Riverhead, Long Island, for $3.1 million in April 2006, but construction hasn't started yet.

Pulte representatives came before the zoning board Thursday night.

"There were items that we needed clarified and the board did that," said Jim Mullen, development approval manager for Pulte Homes' Bernardsville, N.J., office. Mullen stressed that most of the buyers at The Retreat, would be around the 55-year-old range and not in need of any sort of special help.

"These people are not going to sit home in their wheelchairs," Mullen said. "It is a more active buyer."

Mullen said he hopes to complete construction plans and get building permits within 30 days. Crews have already built an access road, Terrace Drive, into the site. Extensive excavation work on the hillside overlooking Putnam Plaza shopping center has gone on for months, generating some complaints of noise and dust along with shock about changes to the once-wooded vista.

Ann Fanizzi, a Southeast resident who has been critical of this and other large projects, said she was glad town officials upheld the new zoning law, which allows senior-housing clusters in commercially zoned areas.

"They were trying to transform and supersede the town code," said Fanizzi, president of Putnam County Coalition To Preserve Open Space. "They are trying to make this into a condo complex (without the senior-citizen features). That wasn't the town's intent with this zoning law."

Plans call for 315, two-bedroom apartment units in clusters on the sprawling property near Route 6. There will be a recreation center and some outdoor facilities, such as a putting green and walking trails.

Michigan-based Pulte Homes, one of the nation's largest builders, has had a difficult start to the year, part of a larger downturn in the real estate market, but said it is nevertheless moving ahead with its Carmel project.

Officials announced last week that the company's revenues for the first quarter were down 37 percent from the same time period last year. In 2006, Pulte built 41,487 homes and generated consolidated revenues of $14.3 billion, according to its financial statements. During its 57-year history, the company has constructed nearly 500,000 homes.

In coming to the Carmel board, Mullen said, the company wanted to better understand the code requirements and be certain that features like double-acting door hinges and extra-wide doors were needed since they would add to the cost of the complex.

The buzzer system requires the units to have an emergency button throughout the apartment such as in the bedroom and bathroom so that if a tenant falls or has an attack, he or she can alert others in the same house or the complex with a sound or flashing light.

"It may save a person's life," Fraser said. "It's the law - it's in the code and it's needed."


Reach Barbara Livingston Nackman at bnackman@lohud.com or 845-228-2272.

04/02/07

Good morning all - am sharing this letter from a resident whose home is close to the 381 senior housing project - "The Retreat" off Stoneleigh.  Even tho I warned residents in the area of the hoax that was being perpetrated and the costs including taxes and maintenance charges incurred would skyrocket,  the threat of a Wal-Mart et al on their doorstep, trumped common sense.

Mr. Knupple says $300,000 but that is the low end of the project; the high end is $500,000 and get this Pulte Homes, to whom Camarda flipped the 100 acres, getting a cool $30 million, is now asking the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance from the senior housing law in order to dispense with such senior amenities as buzzers, wide doors, doors that swing in and out, etc.  Active seniors don't need them, they say. 

So now we will have housing with at least two bedrooms with possibly three, visitor parking, garages and community club house.  Now let me see.  To me it sounds like an ordinary condo community like mine not senior housing.  Are Camarda and Pulte trying to pull a fast one - circumventing both the senior housing and single family housing law?

What will the Town Board officials say who were so intent enabling Camarda to push thru this law so that he or his surrogates, would build not only "The Retreat" but another 150 senior housing units attached to the so-called Gateway/Fairways - hotel, etc. development, not one mile from Stoneleigh, threatening the area around Kelly Ridge.

Lastly, Mr. Knupple, who is a fine gentleman, mentions Leibell's Putnam Foundation Corporation building another 120 senior units adjacent to Putnam Hospital.  Well, guess what, they also want a variance from the senior housing law which requires that all such developments be within 2,500 ft. of a retail establishment.  Well, they are.  The seniors can go to the hospital commissary and pick up food or go to the gift shop and get slippers, sweaters and sweets. Anyone opening up a window and shouting, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more? "

Sincerely,
Ann

Camarda housing plan no help to seniors

Paul Camarda's $300,000-and-up "senior housing" off Stoneleigh Avenue in Carmel is not for the seniors who have been living in Carmel for decades. We cannot afford such "luxury," particularly when you would be living in stamped-out cardboard houses or just another condo community.

About four or five years ago, state Sen. Vincent Leibell announced the wonderful news that rental apartments for middle-income seniors (a much-neglected group) would be constructed next to the Putnam Hospital Center, at a monthly rental of $800 to $1,000, depending on the size of the apartment. The outfit in charge of the project, Putnam Community Foundation, put my name on the waiting list, along with my handicapped cousins. We were even given a choice of ground floor or upper floor apartments. We have waited all these years for construction to start, being reassured by PCF and Sen. Leibell's office that construction would start "in the spring." That was repeated each year.

I tried to get through to PCF but the phone company advised that the phone is no longer in service! With an 18 percent property tax increase by our compassionate Legislature, the sky-high school taxes, and now the county executive's sales tax increase proposal, Putnam's "Donald Trump" is here to help with $300,000 housing, plus yearly maintenance charges.

I asked Camarda to give some of his money to the Putnam Humane Society, but as of this date, no dog or cat has informed me of receipt of any contribution to build a shelter to replace the crumbling one they now live in.

Jack Knuppel

Carmel

03/31/07

Response to William Shilling

Good morning all - am sharing with you my response to William Shilling- Guest Column - March 22nd, which appeared in the Putnam Courier.  I don't know whether they will print it, but I couldn't resist not saying what I thought.  If you are not a subscriber, you can find it available in Mahopac and Reed Libraries.

Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com


Rare to find agreement with Camarda's erstwhile attorney, William Shilling, but I did find it. Agreed, "it is the Hamlet's last chance to have a park within its confines," thanks to the orgy of Camarda-initiated residential and commercial development, leaving the Hamlet with only 37 unbuildable acres.  

Agreed, Camarda Park should remain a "beautiful little pocket park tucked away in a wooded area ... a beautiful asset to the Hamlet for generations to come."  The irony is that it will be but a memory if you, the sports associations and those enslaved to them, the town politicians, have their way - 22 acres of  "wooded area," graced by old maples and oaks, will be axed and slopes leveled. There will be, however, some survivors, a 50 ft buffer will remain so that "residents can continue to enjoy their property."

Do "Pocket Parks" have professionally designed major and minor league fields; 100 parking spaces; bleachers, bathrooms, significant operation and maintenance costs, paid staff, lighting or need to blast 14,000 tons of rocks and dirt, costing millions. No, but they do have picnic areas, hiking trails, playground, and small all-purpose field, in David Furfaro's memorable phrase, for "disorganized sports."  All within walking or biking distance. No buses, cars or SUV's, plying Seminary Hill's narrow, hilly lanes and no need to stagger coach-supervised games or harried parents driving hither and yon. 

"Pocket Park"describes Ward & Associates' "neighborhood park" concept. Contracted for $55,000 by the Town Board, a sum omitted from Shilling's recitation of legal (DEP-sued the Town not environmentalists) and engineering expenses (two firms had to be hired), amounting to over $200,000 and counting, it was tasked with developing a town-wide resident survey and Master Plan.

The survey, the results of which Town officials, the  Committee and Mr. Furfaro deliberately withheld from the public, contradicted the fiction "That the majority wanted ball fields."  Of 11,000 mailed,  450 responded, of which over 300 reported that "That they didn't have any children" and "They didn't know or use any of the parks."

Both were ultimately scrapped or perverted, together with DiCarlo's promised resident referendum,  part of the hoax perpetrated on town residents to provide a fig leaf for "the  plan - fair and balanced -  chosen by the Town Board and recommended by the Recreation Commission," headed by David Furfaro. 

Faced with a survey that proved nothing, town officials chose to ignore it, for one that had already been taken.  Responds Mr. Shilling, "rely on the directors of the sports associations" as to whether "there is an urgent need for such a park." Certainly not on a survey, not on $55,000 consulting firm, not on Cindy Katz,  not on Paul Ehrlich or even Carmel School District personnel who indicated that out of a total 5000 students, 1,500 participate in various sports activities, without waiting lines. 

Brushing aside surveys, contracts and expressed wishes of residents, attorney Shilling patronizingly advises Seminary Hill residents to "embrace the project," secure that "they will be heard as to their concerns and desires."  Heard by whom? Town officials and David  Furfaro, not one of which lives in the Hamlet and who have displayed contempt for residents, the sanctity of contracts, and the democratic process.

Ann Fanizzi
2505 Morgan Drive
Carmel, New York 10512
(845) 228-4265

02/28/07

The Camarda Park Saga Continued

Good morning all - I am sharing with you this morning's post on carmelresident.org.  (If you are not a member, you can still view the posts, but are prohibited from replying).  The post was in response to one by John Dondero wherein he mentions Herbert Newkirk and I further elaborate on this case.

Sincerely,
Ann


John, you certainly have whetted my curiosity so I did a little research and lo and behold there was a case - Herbert Newkirk, Plaintiff against Fourmen Construction, Inc, DMAC Construction LLC, et al, Defendants.  For those who are not aware, Fourmen Construction, Inc. is David Furfaro's company. And when I looked at their website, up popped the name of Robert Pozzi.  Is he the same Robert Pozzi who was the former supervisor of the Town of Carmel?
 
The genesis of this case was the following and here I quote "Mr. Wallace had been retained by Herbert Newkirk on November 24, 2004, pursuant to a contingent fee retainer agreement to recover damages for the destruction of his house due to ongoing excavation and construction activities undertaken by the defendants on the land situated below Mr. Newkirk's house. The house, which at this point had been vacated by Mr. Newkirk and his tenants due to its structural instability, was described as "falling down the hill"; its condition rendering the structure unmarketable.  Indeed, condemnation proceedings appareen tly had been commenced with respect to the subject property.  Moreover Mr. Newkirk, who then was living in a motel, was still liable for mortgage and tax payments on the house and was in dire financial straits."  
 
It goes on:  "defendants (Fourmen Construction et al) at that time had admitted liability and had been willing to commit in writing to compensate plaintiff $700,000 with a $6,000 per month "living expense" payment to plaintiff until May 2, 2005 and $3,750.00 per month to be paid from June 1, 2005, until rendering final payment of $350,000.00 on or before June 1,2006."
 
Question:  Has Mr. Furfaro compensated the hapless Mr. Newkirk or is Mr. Newkirk still a nomad living in motels?
 
2. A little more research and Mr. Furfaro's name came up associated with Turf World on Rte 22 in Brewster.  He was the contact person.  The same Turf World who got assembly-line approval from the Town Board for a zoning change in Mahopac on 100 acres off Miller Rd in Mahopac to enable a Rec Center to be built.  Wonder who is going to bid on that contract?  By the way, a vigorous advocate of that change was none other than the widow of Jimmy McDonough, Susan.  MMMMM
 
3. And lastly, Mr. Furfaro is the disinterested, impartial Chairman   of the Recreation Commission who is currently squiring Camarda Park through the same Town Board, ignoring chapter and verse of Ward & Associates contract; surveys and Master Plans that were to govern the Recreation plan for the Town.  Not to worry - the ends justify the means, the first sign of corruption.

02/21/07

Good morning all -

I have posted the following response in the LoHud Forum section. You might wish to do so also.

Sincerely,
Ann

Jim Flanagan's letter responding to Cindy Katz's objections to Camarda Park is replete with misrepresentations.

1. The "community" did not decide unless Mr. Flanagan's universe includes only the sports community and it does since he is a member of the Carmel Sports Association. As per instructions from the town board and in violation of their own process that a survey and Master Plan would guide their decisions, the "community" was instructed to choose one of three imposed options.

2. The needs assessment or survey created by Ward & Associates was scrapped and never examined by Mr. Flanagan, the Recreation Committee, and the Town Board because it reflected an "inconvenient truth" that only 458 responded out of a total of 11,000 mailed and out of the 458, over 300 self-reported that they had no children; rarely used parks. Without factual ground, Mr. Flanagan, the sports association and the Town Board steamrolled their version of the park for their use, not for the community's use.

3. Ward & Associates entangled in a political muddle between the sports association and a town board hell bent to have the sports version of Camarda Park become a reality and with their survey discredited and useless and ignored and Master Plan shredded by a mendacious town board and complicitious Rec Committee, tried to put the best face possible.

4. There is no factual foundation that the Hamlet of Carmel needs the sports association version of a park. School officials have indicated that out of 5,000, approximately 1,500 participate in some form of sports activities; that waiting lists are non-existant and that fields are available for all extracurricular activities. Only the sports association, a private group, funded by parents and taxpayer dollars have raised the specter of insufficient fields.

5. Since taxpayers from the entire Town have to bear the exorbitant costs of a park, then a referendum is mandatory. Let's put it to a vote, Mr. Flanagan. That's what Councilman DiCarlo said, "I'll never make a decision, the people will.

02/21/07

Good morning all - in the event that you may have missed this morning's Journal News Letters to the Editor section, responding to Camarda's crowning piece of self-promotion in the Community View.

Sincerely,
Ann


Retail development won't lower taxes

In Paul Camarda's Monday Community View, he claims to have the solution to our problems of higher taxes. Our problems? He lives in Ridgefield, Conn., not Putnam, and pays school and county taxes to them, not us. These are our problems, not his. The fact is that he is here in Putnam to make money, period. His solutions to "our problems" are simply self-serving. A "more diverse economic base with more shopping centers, commercial space and a hotel" will not solve our problems but will result in the exact opposite: more and more taxes, more and more services, and more and more traffic congestion. A perfect example of what he is proposing for our property tax woes already exists. It's called Bergen County, N.J., a shopping mecca if ever there was one, with numerous corporate parks, shopping malls galore and hotels, and yet with all this revenue-generating base, Bergen County has the fourth-highest property taxes in the U.S. Is this a great model for Putnam or what? And traffic is so horrible that stores must be closed on Sundays so the local folks can get a little relief.

Want another example? Look at Westchester County- major shopping, major number of corporate parks and numerous hotels, and its taxes qualify it to be in the top three highest-taxed communities in the U.S. No thanks. We can surely do better.

How about Paul Camarda giving his generous plan to Ridgefield? I'm sure residents there will embrace it with open wallets.

Peter Katz
Carmel

So Paul Camarda wants to build Patterson Crossing here in our lake community of Lake Carmel (Kent.) He says that it will curb our taxes. I have a hard time believing this, considering the burden of policing this mall will fall primarily on Kent taxpayers.

Consider what has happened to Clarkstown after the Palisades Center mall was built in Rockland County. According to a Jan. 23 article in The Journal News: "Clarkstown officials yesterday pressed the county for more sales-tax revenue to cover the town's cost of policing the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack . . . citing the town's yearly cost of $3.3 million to police the mall, Supervisor Alexander Gromack continued his public campaign to get more sales-tax revenue from the county . . . Clarkstown gets $1.5 million in sales-tax revenue yearly from the county - and wants more."

So Clarkstown polices Palisades Center at a cost of $3.3 million, but only gets $1.5 million in sales-tax revenues. Is Kent is going to become another Clarkstown?

And having to police Patterson Crossing is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems with building this mall in our community. Let us not overlook the effects many more cars will have on both noise and pollution. Oh, and how about runoff in our lake and The Great Swamp? This mall will be an ecological nightmare that the citizens of Lake Carmel and Kent do not need.

Say "No" to Camarda; say "No" to Patterson Crossing.

If we wanted more shopping, we would have moved to Westchester.

Patricia Bolgosano
Lake Carmel

When Mr. Camarda refers to "our" tax base and community, I am sure he means Ridgefield, Conn., and not my town of Lake Carmel where Patterson Crossing is proposed.

In this month's issue of "Ridgefield" magazine, an article written by Amanda Bergen tells of Ridgefield's sales-tax slump. Ridgefield has an Economic Development Board that determined not to focus on one or two big companies (like Wal-Mart and Costco perhaps?) If Ridgefield is experiencing a sales-tax slump, why doesn't Mr. Camarda bring these ideas of large-scale retail box stores to his own community and solve the problems in his own back yard?

The EDC of Ridgefield is looking to develop their town in accordance with the town's personality. What are our local leaders and business people doing to preserve our personality? Have they all been bought or bamboozled by Camarda's mythological dissolution of property taxes through sales tax? Where are the county leaders? Have they been swayed by their sons working for Camarda's development company?

Look to Rockland County, to Yonkers, to anywhere on Long Island and New Jersey to see what large-scale development does to property taxes. The property taxes consistently increase due to the increased demand on services required to support the businesses. Not one town's property taxes have gone down due to the type of economic development proposed by Mr. Camarda.

Wake up, Putnam County. Say "No" to Patterson Crossing and the myriad other proposals Mr. Camarda has for his New York neighbors.

Charlotte Berwind
Lake Carmel

02/13/07

Good morning all - Seminary Hill Road resident, Cindy Katz, raises the question: Is Camarda Park as Proposed Needed and who pays.  A sensible recommendation for a neighborhood park for Hamlet residents, esp. Willow Ridge, Little Pond and Seminary Hill Rd. follows.
Sincerely,
Ann

Build park that serves whole community

Before Carmel's former director of recreation and parks, Richard Gennero, retired, a neighbor and I had a face-to-face with him regarding ball fields in the town and the need for more fields at the proposed Camarda Park. He talked about the possibility of new ball fields at the old airport and at Baldwin Meadows. He said that if those fields became a reality, then we wouldn't need fields at Camarda Park. He also mentioned that more than 33 percent of the Carmel Sports Association's members do not live in Carmel.

Well, it looks as if the airport and the Baldwin Meadow fields are moving along well. So why, then, is the town pushing forward with a park for the hamlet of Carmel that is all about ball fields as described in the Feb. 9 article, "Carmel gets look at plans for park"?

Yes, there can be a park. But let it be a community park, with a ball field, playground, basketball court and picnic tables. Build it on the east side of the entry road, and leave the west side wooded with walking and nature trails. This option would be the least burdensome to the taxpayers, would offer activities that would not overwhelm Seminary Hill Road and the surrounding neighborhoods, and would be the least environmentally destructive.

And as for the 33 percent of CSA members who are not residents of Carmel, I'm curious as to who exactly the taxpayers are being asked to build all the proposed ball fields at Camarda Park for?

Cindy Katz
Carmel
 

02/12/07

Talk Back to the Journal News - Camarda Park

02/12/07

Read My Lips - The Natterers on the Carmel Town Board

02/04/07

01/30/07

01/29/07

Good morning all - opposition grows to Camarda Park - reminder January 30th meeting - Sycamore Park - 7:00PM.  If this is a neighborhood park as Ward & Associates describe it, then neighborhood folks i.e. Seminary Hill, Willow Ridge, Little Pond, should be the decision-makers as to the appropriate activities that could accommodate the area, not the sports associations and their tax and spend political supporters and bulldozing buddies.

So far, over $250,000 have been spent on engineering firms trying to round out the square hole of all the environmental obstacles; $55,000 for Ward & Associates to create a survey and Master Plan is not neither being permitted to be published nor commented on by the public in violation of expressed town official statements and that the entire matter would be subject to a referendum.

And a gag order imposed by Mahopac Sports Association Pres. Furfaro at the so-called informational public informational meetings at Sycamore Park, required by the Stipulation Settlement and the DEP,  that issues of traffic, eminent domain, noise, lighting, blasting, referendum, park alternations, are now off the table.  The DEP should not be viewed as complicitous in this sham and perversion of the very process that is part of a legal agreement.

This is another instance of the lack of official accountability in blatant disregard of resident and taxpayer concerns.  With the town facing over 9% tax increase; county taxes at over 18%; school taxes spiraling out of control and with town department heads demanding golden parachuttes, how much more can the residents of Carmel bear -  $5 million more for a park to accommodate the over-the-top sports associations' field of dreams.  Outrageous

Sincerely,
Ann
PS- please share with neighbors

Many reasons to object to Camarda Park proposal
By PAUL EHRLICH
(Original publication: January 29, 2007)

When I went to the first public discussion meeting about Camarda Park, I experienced a combination of shock and outrage. Shock that such an inappropriate park was being planned for a lovely old narrow, winding road, and outrage that it was talked about by smiling local leaders as an accomplished fact- although there had been no public discussion and none was being permitted.

(Editor: Camarda Park, which backs up against the upscale Willow Ridge subdivision, is to include a 90-foot baseball diamond, a Little League and multipurpose fields, a playground and walking trails. Sizes of each element vary depending on which of three plans is chosen by the Town Board, which has charged a Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee with developing a specific park plan and a vision for townwide recreation in general.)

My objections to the park presently contemplated range from not too important to supremely important. There are five main objections.

First, it would needlessly spoil Seminary Hill Road forever by widening and straightening, and condemning some of the houses on the road so that parents could drive at 60 mph or more to and from ballfields. Right now there are narrow places on the road where two school busses cannot pass each other. The cost to tax-payers would be enormous. The cost of maintaining the planned park, year in and year out, would be enormous. The traffic created would be horrendous. The dirt road I live on, Rock Mill Road, would have to be paved to supply an access road. At game times the grid lock would prevent anyone from going into town without re-routing to Stoneleigh Avenue.

There is no urgent need for such a park. There are several parks fairly close, with ball fields and parking lots and easy access, that are underutilized; William Heustis Park on Farmers Mills Road, with several ballfields and a basketball court, is one. So is Ryan Park in Lake Carmel. There are ballfields in Mahopac, on Crane Road and Long Pond Road, that are also not fully utilized by children.

There are enough other locations for such a park, if needed. Nearly every day I pass the corner of Fair Street and Simpson Road, where at the top of the golf course is a large unused lot, big enough for many ballfields, with perfect access and no need to straighten or level. There is some type of digging going on there now, and "eminent domain" might have to be called into use. But eminent domain would have to be used on Seminary Hill Road to displace all the good citizens whose houses would have to be bulldozed to make way for widening and straightening. Why are they less important?

It is strikingly obvious that Seminary Hill Road is not the right place for the park being planned. Perhaps the customers who bought the Willow Ridge houses were promised a ballfield next door. Perhaps they would be satisfied with some tennis courts. Probably most of them will not be there by the time any ballfields are built. The average homeowner is said to change his home every four to five years. At any rate, any promise made to them is dwarfed by the promise made by our town board to maintain our way of life in the best and most honorable way.

I know about children's need for sports and healthful exercise. I myself, when my kids were growing up, was a Little League coach for baseball and football. I was also a Webelos leader for Boy Scouts. Before that I played college football. So I am not a person who is denying children's needs. What I am denying is the outrageous idea that this is the right place for the planned park, and the outrageous stubbornness that keeps on spending our money on it.

The writer lives in Carmel. Now retired, he was the longtime orchestra director at John Jay High School in Katonah.
 

01/19/07

Hi all - "Bully" for you, Virginia.  Terrific letter.  By the way, Patterson Crossing supporters have tried to bully the Pennysaver over the Camarda as "Santa" ad that appeared in the Dec. 20th issue.  The representative got quite a tongue lashing for permitting its publication.  What happened to free speech!

Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com


Don't shove project down our throats

I read with interest your Jan. 11 article, "Developer finalizing Patterson Crossing plans." It comes as no surprise that the developer wants to start construction by the end of 2007. Had he been able to start yesterday, he would have. Residents of Putnam County, wake up!

There are two words that come to mind when I think of this developer - ramrod and bully.

First, the developer is trying to shove the Patterson Crossing down our throats. I applaud Santec, Patterson's consulting engineers, who originally raised serious questions and doubts about the original draft environmental impact statement report of this development. These issues should have been addressed and answered; they weren't. Sorry, it is a long, expensive and tedious process for the developer. The major issues with the Patterson Crossing were given to them free. It was at Patterson taxpayers' expense that they chose to do nothing. Since Santec's original recommendations were totally ignored, we cannot assume that the developer will comply with recommended DEIS changes.

The developer says, "The plan is going to change somewhat." Does anyone realize how much change has to be done when water usage has been underestimated by two-thirds and that septic fields, equivalent to eight football fields, have also been underestimated by two-thirds? "The plan is going to change"? You bet it is! The project has to be cut down to one third the size. It's not worth building at this reduced size.

The ramifications of a project this size have lifelong implications on Putnam County and its residents.

Virginia Reeves

Carmel

01/16/07

Pleasantville vs. Camardaville

Good morning all

Just sharing a post that I wrote on carmelresident.org.  The whole of Putnam County will become Camardavilles if we don't rise up, attend meetings and shout it loud and clear - "we're mad as hell and we're not taking it anymore."

Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com

The wringing of the town officials hands and their protestations that they want to ease the tax burden on residents, is something to behold.  Let's see how they are trying to accomplish this laudable purpose and compare it with Pleasantville, Katonah, Beacon,  and North Salem.

1. Storage Facility next to Post Office on Rte 6 - a huge piece of property with astounding curb appeal, facilitated by the town zoning board of appeals that approved a setback variance of approximately 5 feet. 

2. Hilltop Properties also on Rte 6, a strip mall on the hill with a well located right on the slopes.  How convenient.

3. Mahopac Rail & Tie - Rte 6 - relocation of a business that is by consensus one of the worst eyesores around.  Temporarily halted by the Coalition and resolute residents surrounding the property. 

4. Hotel/conference center, restaurant, office, senior housing etc.  of Rte 6, another tax enhancer and job producer and tourist venue to survey the hot spots of Carmel - United Rental, the car dealership, Friendly's, and of course, Giggles up the block. 

And I am only skimming the surface.  For coming attractions, the Town Board on Jan 4th held a public hearing on a zoning change that would include "Recreation" so that  Turf World with the blessing of Furfaro could construct,  you guessed it - a recreation center on 100 acres off Miller Rd. - the Olympic Diner is on the corner.  I guess that shouldn't be included in the Master Plan either.  The Camarda promised "Y" isn't and it won't be entoned Councilman DiCarlo.

Let's see what Pleasantville and the other towns have done to ease tax burdens and provide a commercial base and still maintain small town atmosphere.  Is there a theme?

In this week's NYTimes Real Estate section entitled "Art House to Get a Campus." I quote: "In 2001 when the three-screen 18,500 sq ft Jacob Burns Film Center open on Manvile Road, it was a much welcomed addition to this sleepy suburban village which had a handful of pizza parlors, several restaurants and one or two bars."

Now building on five years of succss, the film center has broken ground on a new $12 million, 25,000 sq. ft media and education center that is scheduled to open in 2008."

And what has been the benefit to the town?  First to students - some 15,000 in Grades 3-12 take part in the film center's educational programs.  Now did Carmel have such an opportunity.  It sure did but threw it aside because the sports jocks had to have their way.  A family was willing to donate $200,000 to help create such a program on the grounds of Sycamore Park.  So now as Ravallo is busy raiding the Rec Fund so as to wreck land and a neighborhood, he and other wreckers on the town board, couldn't match the funds. 

But here is the real kicker.  According to the article, "The village was pockmarked with empty storefronts in the late 1990's, but now it is thriving.  It is estimated that more than 200,000 people visit Pleasantville each year to attend events at the Burns center, often window-shopping on their way from a nearby parking lot and dining at local establishments before and after the show....  Rents have increased to $25 per sq ft from $18 and residential real estate has also benefited."

The same pattern is true for each of the towns mentioned above.  Each has an art and performance center; Katonah - Caramoor; Beacon, The Dia; North Salem, Hammond Museum.  What does Carmel have? Teasers, Giggles, nails, lubes, strip malls and storage.  No wonder the public is reeling when officials are tied to third rate developers and their jock friends.

01/12/07

Who Says We Need ... (Fill in the blank)

Good morning all - just sharing with you my latest post on carmelresident.org.

Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com

There are whole bunch of projects out there with the advocates trying to make you believe that you need them; just can't live without them.  Let's see what they are and who says so and on what basis.

1. Who needs a hotel? Councilman Ravallo vociferously says so supporting his lunch companion efforts, Camarda, by tweaking the proposed senior housing code so that the hotel would have an advantaged location off Rte 6.  He is not the only one, the three other Board members joined him.  
 
Asked upon what basis was this momentous decision made.  Can't tell you.  Hush, hush.  All we can say, we need a hotel and the hotel folks won't release a study to the public, us the residents and taxpayers of Carmel and citizens of Putnam County.  Shouldn't the town board produce one?
 
2. Who needs more ballfields? Well here the Town Board at least put on a veneer of credibility by ceremoniously vetting along with the Rec Committee appointed by Pozzi,  made up of a five members of the sports associations, the largest single grouping among so-called representative body and then hiring an experienced firm, Ward & Associates to do a "Needs Assessment." But like all veneers, it was a cheap trick used to lull the residents and provide cover for pre-ordained results.    
 
When first engaged, Ward & Associates told the Board it would take over a year (if memory serves me correctly, 18 months) since it would include a survey of the residents; a survey of all the facilities including those present and proposed and those provided by schools and then in conjunction with residents, interested stakeholders and organizations develop a comprehensive Master Plan  Ah, but the need was great, so great that we filed the survey in the circular file with the Master Plan being reviewed by the Masterminds.   Nevermind that $55,000 out of taxpayers funds were expended on this firm from Batavia.
 
The plan is no longer comprehensive but compromised.   And so we had a meeting on Camarda Park sans survey, sans comprehensive plan, sans numbers of students and schedules and as my previous post indicated sans grappling with the major issues of road access; traffic; cost to taxpayers; quality of life; property valuations (Seminary Hill and Willow Ridge residents.  - blasting 14,462 cubic yards to create a Major League Field.  All discussion shut down by Furfaro.  
 
I invite you to go to the corner of Mechanic and Northgate and see what blasting has done to build 381 senior housing units. Carl Albano had no problem with this project and he had no problem with Camarda Park.  Why should he?  
 
 Latest reports are that cracks are evident in the basement of the residence most affected.  Who will pay for the repair and who will pay for the peace of mind and the enjoyment of one's property?  Not Furfaro, not Ravallo, not the town board.  Get out of our way residents, we're bulldozing through.  
 
3. Who needs senior housing? Why none other than the unofficial town planner and supervisor of Carmel, Paul Camarda.  He says so.  He says we need 1,300 units of senior housing in the Hamlet.  Can't have enough seniors - so benign - don't cost the taxpayers a dime or so he wants you to believe.  They'll move from their price inflated houses to his "Retreat" and of course, no one will move into them.  
 
 Being a senior, I know that in my future I will probably cost the taxpayers many dimes.  I'm going to need emergency services- ambulance;  maybe I'll demand more police (safety is a big issue) and if my eyesight worsens, even the fire department and of course, Ill demand centers for me to gather with my friends, eat and enjoy good conversation.  And being on fixed income, I'm not going to be too sympathetic to the tax increases to fund school projects and budgets.  Oh yes, having a disproportionate number of seniors in our midst will be a boon to Carmel.  
 
What we really need is to have a demographically balanced community not overly represented by any one age group and if we do, then we need to understand the consequences for the present and future of the town.  
 
4. Who needs Patterson Crossing on the Kent/Patterson border and Stateline on the outskirts of Southeast? You guessed it.  Camarda does.  His slickness sends out slick postcards screaming, You Need COSTCO. Why? We have in various towns- a ShopRite slated to expand by 10,000 sq ft; at least four A&P's; Hannaford scheduled to open in Carmel; STOP &SHOP on the Carmel border and Ace Endico up on 312 requesting permission to open as a food retail center.  Putnam has been targeted and nobody is asking "Who Says We Need.........

01/10/07

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, According to Chairman Fufaro

Good morning all - am sharing my comments on carmelresident.org concerning last night's meeting at Sycamore Park re: Camarda Park. 

Sincerely,
Ann

One thing I failed to mention and will include is the devastating impact on Willow Ridge residents, especially those who reside on Majestic Ridge. In one of the choices, The major league fields will be there on land that requires blasting over 14,462 cubic yds of dirt and rock to level it and parking.

Last night's meeting re: Camarda Park was vintage Fufaro - shut up and don't ask.  I'm the Chairman.  Well what shouldn't residents and taxpayers (I am a Carmel taxpayer) not ask, here is the list:
 
1. Don't ask about Seminary Hill Rd. safety, traffic and possible eminent domain proceedings to effect access to the park.  Off -topic that's not what we're here for; we design parks, growled a discourteous Fufaro to several residents.  Nobody had read the Collins Traffic Report about reconfiguration of Drewville and Seminary Hill.  Even the representaive from Ward & Associates could not restrain lowering his eyes and laughter from the audience when talk of left turning lanes and correcting line of sight were mentioned while giving assurances that no property would be taken just more blasting, I guess.
 
2. Don't ask about the survey - and well should Fufaro hide that piece of wanton misuse of the public's money.  A sham in the thousands of dollars perpetrated on the honest taxpayers of the town allegedly to assess community needs but meant to deceive and to mask predetermined results steamrolled by Fufaro and his official friends and Camarda.  The results are well known - 458 received out of a 11,000 mailed or is it 14,000 - depends on who you speak to; 185 disgarded and over 300 remaining souls stating they had no children.  Wow what a model for future statisticians.  Shut-up don't say anything about that either.  
 
Aren't plans usually based on a survey of needs?  Oh yes, but not the community.  Just the say so of the higher up of the sports association and the Pozzi hand-picked Rec Committee, some of whose members are well meaning and hope to do the best for the residents and the town.  
 
3. Don't ask about the referendum - the park belongs to the people, let the people decide - promised  Town Councilman, DeCarlo. on several occasions, one of which was at the Hamlet of Carmel Association meeting in May and never rebutted by either Councilman Ravallo or Supervisor Munday who attended Tuesday's meeting and sat there like deer in headlights when I mentioned it.  Sudden amnesia took hold of the both of them and neither one of them to whom Fufaro is accountable for his position as a member of the Recreation committee and for inexcuseable behavior, saw fit to stop bullying me, a Carmel taxpayer.  Shup up, Ann
 
4. Don't ask about safety and police - Obviously Recreation Director, Jim Gilchrist has not read Carmel Police Chief's  Johnson letter where he advises lights and possible additional park personnel but certainly not additional police who if all of us were to read the papers, have a great deal on their hands besides patrolling parks.
 
5. Don't ask about the forced choice of three - that residents have to make as to the activities in the park, prompting one resident to comment and I paraphrase - among the worse, the first one is my choice - a choice by the way not elicited from any survey or true appraisal of the community's needs.  
 
Is it possible, that there is a fourth choice but one that does not conform with the Fufaro drumbeat that the Hamlet must be disadvantaged, if the ballfields are not located within its boundaries and the children bereft if they are not participants in sports.  Let me count the ways that the children of Carmel are indeed disadvantaged.  They lack an Art and Performance Center befitting a community of 37,000 souls; aside from schools, they lack after school facilities to hone their technological and science skills; they lack a community college to take advanced courses and be truly competitive.  Indeed, there is a lack but there appears to be no lack for the sports headed by an individual who last night violated every rule of sportsmanship: courtesy.  
 
We must be cognizant that the Carmel Sports Association unlike Fufaro's Mahopac, represents a regional constituency since it includes students from Kent, Patterson, Carmel, who are part of a regional school system, the Carmel Central School District.  Shouldn't efforts be made to find a regional solution to providing facilities for our children? Hard isn't it. 

Re: Don't Ask,Don't Tell, According to Chairman Fufaro
Reply #1 - Today at 11:42:38     
It may require adoption of Intermunicipal agreements - oh horrors that we should be talking across the invisible wall of town borders that Fufaro and his ilk constantly raise so that problems cannot be solved.  But it's quite all right for an out of town, out of state resident to come to Carmel and try to direct our way of life, affect our quality of life, destroy our landscape and vistas for what he envisions.  As critical as I am of Camarda, at the very least he has a vision of what he wants which is more than I can say for our elected officials.  

01/03/07

Good morning all -

It is New Year but I can scarcely recognize it as such.  However, I thought I would share with you an exerpt from a letter sent to the Carmel Planning Board by a resident on Northgate.  It endorses the senior housing units now being built off Stoneleigh Avenue and euphemistically called "The Retreat." 

The letter writer states the following: "In my opinion, the major fears of traffic, increased medicaid and environmental impacts were adequately answered and allayed by the builder.  The Town of Carmel, as any other town in Putnam County, will not remain static but will continue to grow each year.  I would prefer to see the fields where I have walked my dogs for the past thirty years remain in their natural beauty, but that is not possible.  Therefore it is our job as concerned citizens to choose those developers who have shown a commitment to preserve the integrity and beauty of our area.  I feel Mr. Camarda has those intentions."

I invite you to visit the area of Carmel's premier preservationist of  beauty and integrity, Camarda and now Pulte Homes.   You will see deforestation on a massive scale; slopes blasted to smitherens; retention ponds literally located in residents' backyards; a road that slashes up and around the contours of Carmel's former incomparable landscape and wildlife scattered.  And more.

This devastation is scheduled to be duplicated on the slopes of Hillcrest Commons behind ShopRite;  on the slopes of Rte 6 to make way for a hotel, restaurant, senior housing, etc. etc. and of course, on the slopes surrounding Patterson Crossing off I84.  Finally, the blasting of rock to make way for three ballfields for Camarda Park, estimated to be over 14,462 cubic yards and an emergency access road right in the backyards of Willow Ridge residents on Majestic Ridge.

Here are the directions:  Take Rte 35 - which is Stoneleigh (at the corner of Friendly's near the A&P Plaza; proceed past Watson Pharmeuceuticals to Interlochen (the sign is a bit obscured by trees).  Proceed up to Crosby Avenue - turn right and go to the end, cul de sac). Look around and you will see retention ponds galore and the road (Terrace Drive) Once you've finished there, continue on Interlochen to Northgate and proceed to the end (Mechanic) and you will see a house completely surrounded by orange fencing and a huge retention pond out front; historic Gilead Cemetery next door no longer surrounded by noble trees but isolated; The owner of the home has given permission for us to visit. 

What has been wrought here? What is the price?  Who is guarding the integrity and beauty of Carmel and Kent and Putnam County?  Not the lunch companions of Camarda who sit on the Town Board scheming how to facilitate the next planned devastation of the character of our community.  Fellow residents of Putnam County, it is up to us to become the guardians of our homes and of the land we prize so dearly. Time is short - The barbarians are at the gates.

On January 10th, there will be a Public Meeting, where Ward & Associates, contracted by the Town Board to create a credible survey and Recreation Plan for the Town of Carmel, will present their plans for Camarda Park aka - Hamlet Community Park.  Please make every effort to attend, however, please check beforehand in the event of rescheduling. 

Sincerely
Ann

Good morning all -  the letters are really coming - three in the Journal News on the Town of Southeast open space referendum and this one on cemeteries in the free Putnam County Times - can be had at A&P in Carmel and Southeast and ShopRite in Lake Carmel.

Just a bit of a background.  There are many cemeteries located on this side of Putnam County, holding the remains of many of the figures well known to historians.  You can see them attached to churches or along county roads.  It is difficult to keep them in a state of repair and individuals located in each of the towns have formed "Cemetery Committees" to maintain them.  What is even harder is to find volunteers and the equipment to do the job.  Enter Paul Camarda who at a monthly meeting of the Cemetery Committee, offered to help.  Not even the dead can rest in peace - away from Camarda's reach.  By the way, he also offered to maintain Gilead Cemetery which now is feeling the effects of the massive senior housing construction off Stoneleigh.

The pastor of the First Baptist Church, Larry Maxwell remembered Camarda's offer and requested his assistance.  The letter by Lake Carmel resident, Joan Castiner, makes the point that Camarda was very quick to help the dead while at the same time, devastating the living.

Sincerely,
Ann
www.putopenspaces.com

December 8, 2006

Putnam County Times

Letter to the Editor

Fax (845) 628-8400

Dear Sir,

I read with interest the article regarding a Patterson Cemetery restoration by the same developer who proposes the Patterson Crossing Retail Center at I-84 and 311 on the border of the Town of Kent, thereby destroying 90 ½ acres of hill adjacent to the densely populated Lake Carmel Park District. While I applaud efforts to restore the resting place of the dead, it would be just as heroic to take care of the living. We residents will be within 500 feet of the daily digging and blasting to remove rocks, dirt and hill for an estimated period of 2 to 3 years. We too long to keep the tranquility we now experience.

While rescuing one graveyard, we are completely ignoring the creation of another kind of graveyard wherein residents of modest means, unable to fight big money, chance losing their bucolic way of life. Values of their homes could plummet and the integrity of the structure of their homes, wells and septic systems could be put at great risk. If residents run out of water, will the Board of Health allow them to stay in their homes? Could the daily onslaught of construction create a mass exodus of Lake Carmel residents, that is, if they can find buyers for their homes?

The priorities here are skewed. On the one hand, we rescue a graveyard and on the other, we risk burying the way of life of a community residents now know and enjoy.

Sincerely,
_________________________________

Joan Castiner

Lake Carmel, NY 10512
 

11/28/2006

Good morning -

As many of you know, a Stipulation of Settlement has been signed between the DEP and the Town of Carmel, effectively ending the threat of litigation.  An informational meeting - not a public hearing -  was held on November 15th which has been reported in the Journal News.

For over three years and through two town administrations, residents of Seminary Hill Rd. - Cindy Katz et al, CWCWC and the Coalition have worked to bring the grave environmental and quality of life issues before public officials and the community at large against the forces of special interests.  And we naively believed that the litigation would provide the means to bring some sanity to a SEQRA process that had been compromised, forestall the environmental devastation and give residents of the immediate area - Seminary Hill, Willow Ridge and Little Pond - the vehicle to create a park in harmony with the environment and yet fitting to their needs. 

Much to the dismay of many, in utter disregard of the wishes of the residents of the immediate area, the DEP approved a travesty - a stormwater plan that abetted maximum destruction of the environment and a full-build out Sports Rec Plex instead of a modest neighborhood park envisioned by residents.

In response to Wednesday night's meeting, several letters from the Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition have been sent to Supervisor Connie Munday together with my own letter on behalf of the Coalition to Preserve Open Space. 

Please feel free to distribute this letter to friends and neighbors.  The consequences of the DEP's alliance with the supporters on the Town Board and sports special interests groups, are grave and must be challenged.  

And please do write and call Supervisor Munday's office at 628-1500.  At the present time, only the supporters of these special interests are being heard and the voices of the residents are being drowned. 

Rest assured that every effort will be expended in reversing this unfortunate decision. 

Sincerely,

Ann

10/06/2006

Hi all

Just a brief summary.  Councilman Ravallo was there but not Connie Munday.  He probably came in her place.  Fufaro chaired - I mean bullied -  in place of Joe DiMarzo. 

Maps produced by Ward & Association were out on the table, giving access points, etc.  It was great to see the preliminary plans for all the parks, especially Mahopac Airport and Camarda Park.

Fufaro et al didn't want to hear about the survey; how it had been sent to folks in various towns that had Carmel 10512 as postal address - the old saw, "garbage in, garbage out."  They'll fix it - there was a question on school attendance and they would remove any that reported Brewster, said  Jim Gilchrist, the Town's Park Director. So what, ridiculed another member - how much could they affect the result. I simply said that everyone should have confidence in the result and they wouldn't have. They really didn't have a clue about how you create a valid study.  And I'll keep saying it.  And let us not go into the survey itself, I called it a "Sports Survey" with only two questions reserved for cultural affairs and two for Open Space.   "Unfair, unfair, protested Fufaro.

The Committee was very defensive.  We really shouldn't put too much emphasis on it since they was " a multilayered" process, including meetings with adjacent neighbors (Seminary Hill and Hill St. - they're coming, and the committee would be able from a variety of sources, to make a considered judgement as to the needs and wants of the community.

And then there was the whole issue of Open Space.  In not one town that I am aware of is Open Space subsumed under Recreation.  That was what Pozzi wanted and I am disappointed that Connie continued that practice especially after she promised during the campaign that she would create a "Carmel Open Space Committee."  But then Open Space=ballfields to the jocks.  Like one of the CSA folks said to me with respect to Camarda Park a little while ago - ballfields preserve Open Space and protect the environment.  Are you gagging yet?

Seems we are going to be running on " parallel tracks" - developing the Master Plan while at the same time developing the plans for each of the parks. Two years said the man from Ward and even sooner.   A sham if ever there was one.  The survey and anything else will provide cover for what has been already decided.  "You see we're doing what the residents told us to do."  They had gathered about 195 returns at the Sycamore Park Center. 

By the way, an interesting tidbit, prior to the meeting, there was a session held in late afternoon attended by "Special Interest Groups."  I was invited.  But I came a bit early and everyone was complaining that there wasn't an all-purpose center in the town fit for seniors, teens and adults.  I piped up what about The Y.  Well Bill Huestis, head of the Putnam County Office of Aging went into a long discourse and tried to completely discredit the idea and The Y.  Brought up the issue of what happened in Somers which I really wasn't up on.  So friends, the Y is history.  Disgraceful - deceiving a trusting, gullible public with that robber baron costing him just $1.2 million for 19 acres. 

I'll quite now - don't want to completely spoil your day.

Sincerely,
Ann

P.S. In a telephone conversation, there was comic relief.  Gilchrist share with me a comment by one of the residents.  Build Camarda Park in Ridgefield.

10/06/2006

Good morning all - Well $500,000 for the hospital from the Senator and all he got was thanks and a pat on the back but Camarda beat him out - got the entire building named after him for the same $500 thou. You think the Senator will at least get a bench?
Sincerely,
Ann

Hospital gets $500,000 check for cancer center expansion
By: Eric Gross
10/06/2006

CARMEL-State Sen. Vincent Leibell last week presented a check for $500,000 to Putnam Hospital Center officials for the medical center's new multi-million dollar five-story patient tower that will house the hospital's new cancer center and enhanced cardiology services.
 
"It was the senator who pushed hard in Albany to help make this expansion happen. The senator also assisted us in obtaining nine acres of land from our neighbors that will allow for the expansion of hospital parking," Weber said.

Leibell thanked Weber for his accolades but said they were unnecessary.

"This is a wonderful hospital," said Leibell. "I have tremendous confidence in this facility because I can't tell you how many times members of my family and I have been here. I had some tough surgery performed several years ago and there was some question at the time if I'd ever walk again. I'm walking!"

"The issues that face everyone in health care today are challenging," said Leibell. "What I love here is the spirit - the sense of community. Just as our community has grown over the years, so has our hospital grown."

Putnam Hospital will fund the $34 million required for the new building project through structured borrowing and philanthropy with a $15 million capital campaign.

The Campaign for Tomorrow was created to raise funds for the new patient tower as well as the renovations and new parking.

10/05/2006

Good morning all - There is no end.  On the heels of the Public Hearing, on behalf of the Coalition, I wrote the following letter which reiterated some of the issues brought up at the hearing.   Talk about the "emperor having no clothes" this law has no competitors and it shouldn't have any takers.  But the Hamlet, the Town and its residents sure have been had.

Sincerely,
Ann