Carver Companies, owners of the Port of Coeymans, have access to roughly 665 industrial acres near the Hudson River. Should Coeymans rezone another 134 residential acres on the Hudson for CARVER industries?
Let your views be heard – PLEASE Speak out at Coeymans Town meetings!
Town Board: Thursdays, October 12 at 5 pm & October 26 at 6 pm Planning/Zoning Board: Tuesday, October 10th and Wednesday, October 25 at 7 pm
Meeting dates and times may be subject to change. To verify, please visit the Town website or call Town offices at 518-756-6006 Email the Town of Coeymans Supervisor or write to the Supervisor at 18 Russell Ave, Ravena, NY 12143
In winter 2023, Carver Companies cleared 25 acres of woodland along Bronk Rd and Route 144, without a credible reason for doing so. The proposed rezoning is adjacent to that clearing.
Mark Dunlea of the Hudson Mohawk Magazine interviewed Barbara Heinzen and Sara Pruiksma, two activists with the Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena-Coeyman on Monday, September 11, 2023. As the previous blog explained, both were arrested by the Coeymans police in June 2023 for allegedly trespassing on the property owned by Carver Laraway. In reality, they had been walking on the side of a highway to see what plants had been impacted by the clearcutting of 25 acres by Carver Company, which owns the Port of Coeymans and recently took control of the Coeymans Town government. Local activists have fought the company over various issues, such as importing tires at the Port to burn at the LaFarge Cement Plant.
In June of 2023, Barbara Heinzen, a renowned local geographer, and Sara Pruiksma, a local artist and mother of two, were falsely accused of trespassing onto Carver Companies’ property on Bronk Road, Town of Coeymans, NY. Heinzen and Pruiksma are also members of the Clean Air Coalition, and both have been vocal about Carver’s businesses in Coeymans. Read more from the Press Release or watch their story here:
On June 15, 2023, radio host David Lombardo of the Capitol Pressroom spoke with CAC member Barbara Heinzen about the proposed expansion of the Port of Coeymans. The 22-minute interview addressed several key issues including waste management, heavy traffic, noise and air pollution, permit violations, political nepotism, river degradation, and the lack of transparency at the Port. Heinzen spoke about cleaner and smarter port alternatives to manufacturing offshore wind parts. She also cited reasons as to why the activities at the Port of Coeymans are not merely a NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) issue. What happens in Coeymans doesn’t stay in Coeymans… because environmental degradation affects everyone, reiterated Heinzen.
On the morning of Wednesday, May 24, the CAC invited the local press and all interested guests aboard a patrolling vessel on the Hudson River operated by Riverkeeper Captain John Lipscomb. The media opportunity served to highlight a 2.5-mile stretch of vulnerable ecological shoreline at risk of further industrial expansion. NYSERDA is in the process of deciding on one or more of 3 ports in the Capitol region to award with a lucrative offshore wind contract this summer.
In addition to major deforestation, ambitions at the Port of Coeymans in both waste collection and offshore wind could, potentially, destroy a part of the new Eagle Recreation area designated from Kingston to Albany including dozens more rare habitats.
The informational tour was narrated by Riverkeeper member, Rebecca Martin along with CAC Chair, Dr. Barbara Heinzen. Invited guests included Times Union writer, Rick Karlin, Times Union photographer, Lori Van Buren, Ravena resident and CAC member, Ashley Redfield, and Ravena resident, Eric Remillard.
The boat tour underscored the importance of Hannacroix Creek and the remaining parcels of land currently owned privately by the Ten Enyk Powell family. It navigated the shoreline from just south of the Port of Coeymans to just shy of the Castleton Bridge and returned within the hour.
Captain Lipscomb and Dr. Heinzen described the potential dangers to the environment and quality of life issues like additional barge and truck traffic, noise and water pollution, and continual deforestation.
Several acres at 47 Bronk Road that abuts the River were destroyed in early 2023 when Port of Coeymans owner, Carver Co, purchased the land.
Since 2006, the Port and allied businesses on the banks of the River have tripled in size from its original 122-acre footprint to at least 665 acres. The area is largely controlled by Carver Co who has been building one of the biggest waste depots in the Northeast. The Coeymans community and the river do not want or need more industrial development.
Some of the material being collected at the Port of Coeymans is said to be recycling C&D but when the piles never move out, it’s a dump, one that sits right next to the Hudson River.
