The New Windsor Town Board voted Wednesday, April 3 to close the continuation of a public hearing on a proposed Parkland project. No comments were received. The town board voted to approve the second and third parts of the Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF) and the board also determined the project would not have environmental impacts and adopt a negative declaration on the proposed action. The motion also requests the state senate and assembly to sponsor legislation authorizing the town’s proposed action.
The town is in the process of upgrading its wastewater treatment plant located at Caesar’s Lane that will increase its treatment of water to eight million gallons per day, whereas the existing plant treats up to five million gallons per day. The footprint of the project will require more land and according to town documents, 17.62 plus or minus adjacent acres, which is designated as parkland, would need to be alienated from Butterhill Park and go towards the plant’s construction.
The town has since identified 8.48 plus or minus acres along the Moodna Creek adjacent to the site, identified as replacement property, which would replace the land being alienated. An additional identified 74.76 plus or minus acres adjacent to Kristi Babcock Memorial Park has been dedicated to the town. Thus an identified 83.24 plus or minus acres would be designated as parkland in the town.
The town also received and filed correspondents from the town planning board and the Orange County Department of Planning with no objection to the town serving as lead agency for the proposed project.