Berkman, speaking
at last week's public
hearing in Monticello,
on the Mohawk
Mountain casino
Orange County legislator Jeffrey Berkman of Middletown today proposed a resolution that would call on the county and its municipalities to be named as designated interested parties in the environmental review process for the Native American casinos planed for Sullivan County.
Berkman is recommending the move in anticipation of traffic congestion when the casinos are built. ''There's no question that we have serious traffic impacts, both on Interstate 86/17, and the town and county roads as well that will be impacted once the anticipated bottlenecks occur on 17,'' he said. Berkman would like the county named as a designated party, a 60-day extension on the review process and consideration of calling for an independent review process.
Orange County officials have already expressed concern that when the casinos are built, there could be a significant addition to traffic on the roadways passing through
הטקסט שלך כאן
נשלח ב-1/7/2004 18:01
Casino stirs Orange County interests
By DAVID HULSE
MONTICELLO, NY — Several county and village officials testified at the June 23 hearing for the Mohawk Mountain Hotel and Casino draft environmental impact study (DEIS)—Orange County officials.
Sullivan County's more populous easterly neighbor was represented at last week's Thompson Planning Board hearing by its planning commissioner David Church, county legislators Jeffrey Berkman and Roxanne Donnery, and Goshen mayor Scott Wohl.
The majority of speakers voiced opposition to any casino project, but the Orange County contingent are principally seeking status as a community eligible for host community benefit money from the new casinos, without an opinion on gaming.
''I'm not against casinos,'' said Berkman, who resides in both Sullivan and Orange counties. ''We don't want Sullivan County's $15 million [host benefit]. But there should be an open mind to a second mitigation fund,'' Berkman said.
Berkman said additional casino traffic on Route 17 would cause havoc on local roads because they will get additional use from residents trying to avoid the casino traffic. ''They should have started another lane on [Route] 17 long ago,'' he said.
Berkman said the residents are ''the local indigenous tribes,'' to be considered. ''There's lots of money. That's what this is about. Albany should commit to a special impact fund before it takes its cut,'' he said.
Donnery said she represents the Woodbury area, which is already well acquainted with traffic issues. ''I have no opinion on casinos. I just want our financial costs addressed,'' she said.
Goshen Mayor Scott Wohl was accompanied by former Sullivan County Attorney Ira Cohen, who has been hired to begin a negotiation to include Orange in a host benefit package. Wohl said he did not come to obstruct or oppose. ''I just want to provide the same protection for the residents of my village as you would in yours.''
Church said his department's review found the DEIS deficient ''and we will comment as such,'' to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The key point according to Church was the need for a regional discussion of traffic, including all areas of Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties, ''to solve the emerging traffic crisis.''
Michael Edelsen, president of Orange Environmental, agreed about the deficiency, saying the DEIS does not discuss impacts on Orange County and ''where they are addressed, they are incomplete and downright wrong.
''If you bring Route 17 to a standstill, there will be impacts. It's the heart of Orange County,'' he said.
Edelsen said Orange Environmental would call adjudication by the Department of Environmental Conservation (the same legal process Sullivan County is now going through regarding expansion of its landfill). ''And we want to be party to that adjudication,'' Edelsen said.
Marc Baez, president of the Sullivan Partnership for Economic Development, joined several people who spoke in favor of the casino project. Baez said he could not recall Orange County complaints when the traffic consisted of Sullivan residents spending their money in Orange County.
But a wide majority of speakers opposed the project. ''There's been no referendum. Why were we not given a vote? We are part of the impact,'' said resident Sally Gladden.
Several comments included complaints about the limited access and availability of the DEIS study. Based on those comments, acting Sullivan County Planning Board Chair Patrice Chester announced at the end of the two-and-half-hour session that more copies would be made available and that the comment period would be extended 15 days to July 21.
הטקסט שלך כאן
Goshen – When it comes to claiming a share of any Catskills casino jackpot to offset potential negative impacts of Indian gaming, Orange County has this: shaky proof, little leverage and even less time to act.
But all is not lost, former Sullivan County attorney-turned-freelance-casino expert Ira Cohen told about two dozen Orange County municipal leaders assembled for an 11th-hour casino strategy session in Goshen Town Hall yesterday.
That's provided they hire him, said the guy who helped get two casino-hopeful tribes to cough up $15 million a year each to pad Sullivan County's coffers.
"You've got to be committed," said Cohen, who's already been retained by the Village of Goshen. "You have to get together and make it clear that you're ready to bring a lawsuit if they don't address the impacts to Orange County."
A recent court decision may put precedent on Orange's side, Cohen said.
Last year, a federal district court judge sent an approved Indian gaming proposal back to the Bureau of Indian Affairs because the agency overlooked "arguably significant consequences." It's a hurdle the $160 million casino planned for rural Michigan still hasn't overcome.
In Sullivan, the BIA is now accepting public comments for the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed St. Regis Mohawks/Caesars Entertainment casino in the Town of Thompson. It's one of three potential Catskills casinos with applications before the BIA.
The Mohawks acknowledge some traffic impacts to Orange County's portion of Route 17 if their planned casino draws an expected 22 million visitors a year. The 2,167-page review argues, however, that any impacts would be mitigated, said project lawyer Barbara Garigliano.
Orange municipal leaders say that assessment falls short, particularly by failing to address increased demands on emergency services.
Cohen said he and the firm that drafted Sullivan's casino impact study could present Orange's case to the BIA before a July 21 deadline.
County Executive Edward Diana, admittedly caught off guard by the call to arms led by the Village of Goshen last week, assured officials yesterday that he's been voicing the county's concerns all along. He said he was willing to pursue impact fees, if necessary.
"Orange County is very concerned about what's going on with the casinos," Diana said. "We believe the county should take the lead role in this."
הטקסט שלך כאן
נשלח ב-30/6/2004 17:11
June 30, 2004
Monticello
Anti-casino graffiti mars billboard
Someone objected to a billboard for the proposed Mohawk Mountain Casino Resort. They spray-painted the words "not here" on the sign.
Monticello police said the vandalism happened sometime over the weekend. The sign is on property adjacent to the eastbound lanes of Route 17, between exits 104 and 105 in Monticello.
Police ask anyone with information to call them at 794-4422. Calls will be kept confidential.
יא אוודאי האב איך געשריבען קעגן די קריטיק וואס איז נישט געווען סיי לאגיש אין אפגערעד אידישליך אויסגעהאלטען צו מאכן אן עסק פין די פעשאן מאווי וואס ענקרע פריינד די העצערישע עי די על האט אינטער גענומען אזא אומגעלוגענעם קאמפיין געגן דעם אין עס געגעבן אזא פאבלסיטי אז ביים באקס אפיס איז עס שוין יעצט190 מיליאן דאלער וואס ווען זיי מאכן זיך נישט וויסענדיג דערפין וואלט עס נישט גדעקט אפילו די 20 מיליאן וואס עס האט געקאסט צו מאכן
אין דער גאנצער אנעסימיטיזים וואס איז ארויסגעקומען פין דעם איז זיי צו פארדאנקען עס קומען יעדען טאג ארויס בערך 10-15 מאויס אין אפילואז איינס גייט אין באקס אפיס פאר מער ווי דרייסיג מיליאן איז עס א היט אין דא איז אזא נישטיגער מאווי געגאנגען מיט אזא רעוויניו וואס ווען נישט די עי די על וואלט עס נישט אנגעקומען דערצו דאס זאגט ידער בר דעת וואס פארשטייט א טראפ אין פובליק רעלעשאנס
תוקן
נשלח ב-29/6/2004 22:03
אגב עקשטיין, די ווילסט נישט איך זאל אנהייבן אויסרעכענען נעמען פין אינגעלייט וואס מען זעהט יעדע נאכט ביי מעגינעס בולעוואוד
אויב איך וועל אויסרעכענען וועסט די, אדער א אנדערע זאלי כמותך, זיין וער עס וועט פארפירן אויף גילוי שמות...
נשלח ב-29/6/2004 21:55
עקשטיין, די ביזט פינקט ווי דער רבי זי"ע, להבדיל...
דער רבי זי"ע פלעגט יעדע וואך רעדען פון ציונות. ווען מען האט אים געפרעגט פארוואס אייביג פון דעם האט ער געזאגט וואס זאל איך טוהן דאס איז די גרעסטע פירצה פון דור און ווי איך מאך אויף א חומש זעה איך נאר דאס.
די ביזט אזוי נאר אויף א פארקערטען זון
ווי די דרייסט דיך, פין וואס אויף די וועלט די רעדסט נאר, אלעמאל זעהסט די נאר די ארונים
ווען מען זאל יעצט רעדען פון די לבנה וואלס די געהאט א תגובה היתכן די ארונים שטיצען יא די לבנה
ווען מען זאל יעצט רעדען פון תהום וואלסט די געהאט א תגובה היתכן די ארונים שטיצן נישט דעם תהום
איך מיין עס איז א שאד די זאלסט טרעפען אזוי פיל באזינדערע עבירות אויף זיי. ערקלעהר אפן אז די ארונים זענען געהעריגע גוים גמורים, באהאלטענער הייט זענען זיי קריסטען, (וואס אגב, די ביזט אויך באהאלטנער הייט, איך געדענק נאך ווען די האסט אטאקירט די קריטיק קעגן די פעשען מאווי...)
נאך דעם וועסט די דיר פארשפארן צו טרעפן אזעלעכע קליינע עבירות ווי קאסינא, התגרות באומות אין נאך
נשלח ב-29/6/2004 20:55
די פראגע איז פארוואס די גוים פארשטייען אז עס וועט זיי שאטען בגשמיות די קאסינא
אין די קרית יואל גאווערמענט וואס איז אין אראנדזש קאנטי טוט גארנישט דערצ אין די ארונים אפילו זיי האבן דארטען זייער איחוד קאנטרי וואס קען ווערן מיטגעשלעפט מיט די געמבלינג אטמאספער( איך ווייס נישט אפשר באדערט עס זיי שוין נישט פינקט ווי עס באדערד זיי נישט אז זייערע אינגלייט שפילען ידען טאג באל אויף מאגינאס בולאווערד ..עס שטטייט נישט אז מען טאר נישט)
ו אין דער צייט וואס מחנה רב טוב האט שוין געספענד טויזענטערס געגן דעם פראעיקט קוקט אויס אז יעצט אז מען גייט מאכן געלט וועט זיך די ווילידזש אויך צו שטעלען צו די אנדערע גאווערמענט אין אראנדזש קאנטי ווייל צו געלט באקומען זענען זיי שוין מחןתנים
תוקן על ידי - ekstein - 29/06/2004 21:10:26
נשלח ב-29/6/2004 17:20
June 29, 2004
Orange County towns looking for piece of casino pie
Goshen – Nearly a dozen municipal leaders think a small village mayo is onto something.
Something that, until now, most around here haven't given much thought to: Why aren't casinos planned for Sullivan County paying for the impact they'll have on Orange County?
Goshen Mayor Scott Wohl thinks that question needs to be answered, and quickly. He's looking for allies from Warwick to Middletown to Port Jervis in his quest to get Indian casinos to show Orange County the money.
Representatives from Port Jervis, Unionville, the town and village of Warwick, and the towns of Goshen and Monroe have agreed to attend a symposium tomorrow to discuss the issue, said Wohl, who extended an invitation to all 39 Orange County municipalities.
In the meantime, the Village of Goshen hired former Sullivan County Attorney Ira J. Cohen at $250 an hour – not to exceed a total of $10,000 – to investigate impacts and to shake loose any fees that Goshen, and possibly other municipalities, can get from the casinos.
Wohl said Cohen's experience working on Sullivan County's behalf to negotiate agreements with Indian casinos will help Goshen work through the system. Two casinos agreed to pay Sullivan $15 million each, per year, to pay for costs related to traffic, public services and school districts.
Wohl figures who better to try to negotiate something similar for Goshen, which will feel the pinch as millions travel Route 17 en route to gambling venues. The casinos could require more cops and other emergency services personnel, as well as place strains on existing infrastructure, like roads.
"(We) are not looking to tap into the monetary agreements between Sullivan County and the various tribes," Wohl wrote in a letter sent to Orange County municipal leaders.
Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton lauded Wohl's efforts. "Leadership needs to be taken, and I just applaud the mayor for taking that leadership."
The deadline to submit impact statements to the Bureau of Indian Affairs with regard to the proposed St. Regis Mohawk casino is July 21, Wohl said.
