Mine Expansion To Be Discussed
by Doug La Rocque
Following their Thursday, January 6 meeting at which only subdivisions were on the agenda, the full Brunswick Planning Board was informed that the Valente Quarry, currently mining in the Town of Grafton but with land that reaches across the border into Brunswick, is considering crossing that border with their mining operation. To do so would require action by two Town Boards and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The land located in Brunswick is not zoned for heavy industrial and would require Town Board action to make the change, and the site application would need Planning Board approval. The mining application to DEC would also require a full and very detailed Environmental Assessment Form, on which the Board feels DEC will probably assume lead agency. Unlike the Planning Board, DEC does not typically hold public hearings but sets a definitive period of time in which it would receive written comments on the proposal.
The quarry is located on land entered off NYS Route 2 in Grafton, but adjacent to the Town line. There is also a second quarry located across the road but operated by Troy Sand and Gravel, Not R.J. Valente.
Approved At Last
For about a year Sean Gallivan has been trying to subdivide property at 159 Deepkill Road into three building lots. This is not the first subdivision of this property, which caused the Planners to seek legal counsel as to whether it should really be a major subdivision, which would have required a lot more paperwork and environmental review. In the end it was determined the major designation was not needed. Dealing with wetlands on the site was also an issue. At their meeting, the Planning Board determined that all the i’s had been dotted and the t’s crossed, the stars were in alignment in the heavens and there was no real opposition, so the subdivision was granted.
The Board also spent considerable time debating a waiver of subdivision request from Michael Vickers for property located off Kreiger Lane. The original application was filed five years ago, but apparently never completed. The Board and applicant spent more than half an hour debating what was still valid and what wasn’t before deciding to adjourn the debate for another gathering.
The Board’s next meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 20 at 7 pm.