Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena – Coeymans

There are several serious flaws in the Public Hearing process based on what transpired on Monday, December 11, 2023, at the Coeymans Town Hall in Ravena regarding Carver Companies’ proposal to build wind blade manufacturing on residential land.

1. The Public Hearing should not be held until a full environmental impact assessment has been completed.  However, there was no EIS or SEQR presented to the public.
2. Carver Companies workers were allowed to take seats by 6 pm, so no one else could get it.  They filled the capacity of the hall. The general public was not told to be there an hour ahead of time so the public was kept out of the meeting. 
3. Police were at the door, controlling who was allowed into the meeting and who was not.  Carver speakers were allowed in, others were not.
4. There was great confusion about sign-in lists for people attending and wanting to speak. Some sheets were titled “Carver”, and others were titled “Public”, but it was not clear why they were different.
5. After Chairman Nolan opened the Public Comment Period he gave the floor to Carver Companies who gave a 143-minute presentation from Carver Companies contractors, advisors, employees, and authors of various studies (e.g. traffic). It was less a presentation than a propaganda exercise.  Chairman Nolan then said he was opening up the public comment period, having already opened it earlier.
6. There were no time limits on Carver Company presentations and some Carver Company speakers went back multiple times to address various sections of their lengthy slide show.
7. 18 speakers from the public were eventually admitted and spoke but were not allowed to speak longer than 3 minutes each.
8. At least 10 people, residents, and neighbors who would be affected by this proposal were not admitted and wrote to me about it.
9. It should be noted that Chairman Rob Nolan is the owner of Nolan Propane and does a lot of business with Carver Companies.  Mr Nolan, as chair, never asked the Carver employees to make room for others or arranged for a larger venue despite knowing this was an important public hearing that would attract a lot of people.  Mr. Nolan has a history of not recusing himself in cases where his businesses are affected by the Planning/Zoning Board’s decisions.  (See the Marebo/Long Energy decision.)

QUESTIONS
~ Why is this application being rushed through?
~ Is GE still interested in Coeymans now that other ports in the Capital region are opening up?
~ What does Holcim think of this proposal? They were not present at the public hearing.

Thank you to reporter Briana Supardi of Channel 6 (WRGB) TV news and CAC’s fearless voice of reason, Barbara Heinzen, for helping to raise awareness of the ongoing industrial expansion in our little hamlet. Supardi took the bold step of deconstructing a divisive issue that has plagued our community for years. It takes a journalist with the foresight to see the ‘bigger picture’ of the consequences of infinite industrial expansion.

Watch the coverage on the Channel 6 website.

Dozens of exasperated voices waited for hours in freezing conditions outside of the Coeymans Town Hall on Monday evening, December 11, 2023. They huddled in groups, some returned to their cars, others gave up and went home. One woman, determined to be there, drove for a full hour, from the other side of the Hudson River. Shockingly, it would be nearly 9p before most were allowed inside to observe and/or participate in a public hearing convened by the Coeymans Planning and Zoning Board.

“Town meetings serve as the foundation of American democracy. How is what happened on Monday night legal?”

Frustrations and resentment swelled knowing a majority of available seats inside were consumed, early on, by employees and/or supporters of Carver Companies. They had arrived at least an hour beforehand; ahead of Town officials, sooner than even the town’s live-streaming tech, to stake claim to available seats.

With a maximum capacity of 80 persons, police officers stood vigilant at the front door enforcing the law. The tactic effectively deprived all others of joining the meeting.

Those left waiting tried in vain to attend the meeting virtually by way of the VIMEO feed. Unfortunately, this technology did not work. The live stream webpage failed to launch and even those with a strong cell phone signal and fast download speeds could not connect to the VIMEO page.

Reasonable accommodations for all ensure fair and transparent participation, but, in this case, Planning & Zoning Board Chair Robert Nolan failed to take measures to improve the situation. Those left waiting outside did not get to observe any of the critical presentations and testimonials given by Carver Co.

Moreover, Carver’s reputation for bullying was made worse when none of his supporters volunteered to trade places with those left shivering in the cold. Extending said olive branch, especially this time of year, would have had a big impact on perceptions of the company. Instead, it reaffirmed the moral character of a company whose ambitions have forsaken any sense of self-control and community civility.

The site plan in question will be the source of our next CAC post. Members are still reviewing the VIMEO feed.

On Wednesday, October 4, Hudsonia ltd hosted a free workshop to identify and protect small streams and wetlands in the Coeymans neighborhood. Educators discussed the values of small wetlands and streams; how to find and identify them, even in their dry condition; threats to wetlands and streams; and effective regulatory and non-regulatory protections.

CAC members Barbara Heinzen and Sara Pruiksma joined Gretchen Stevens from Hudsonia for a walk through Joralemon Park.  They were part of a group of about 20 people, many of whom were from Bethlehem,  NY.   Gretchen took the group to see different examples of wetlands that a town might want to protect as New York State and Federal laws do not include smaller wetlands and vernal pools.  Importantly, she noted that a wetland does not always have water, but it can be identified by the types of plants that grow there, the nature of the saturated soil, and a thick matting of leaves that would have once been covered with water.

Gretchen Stevens also noted that Joralemon Park is an exceptional site for native plants and ferns of many kinds.  The people of Coeymans are lucky to have this treasure in their boundaries.