Officials in the Town of Cairo, New York are continuing to gather input on a resort expansion in the small hamlet of Round Top. As WAMC’s Lucas Willard reports, tensions are running high between residents of the Greene County community and the town planning board, as consultants seek local approval for the project.
The former Blackhead Lodge and Country Club in the northern Catskills town of Cairo could see some big changes. Hired consultants from the firm KARC have for the past several months been updating Cairo’s planning board on a project that would include dozens of new buildings, pools, tennis courts, and a helicopter pad.
KARC consultants provided updates on stormwater management, exploring new wells to meet water demands, and other issues Thursday night. Meantime, community members say their questions are going unanswered.
Speaking to the planning board, Agent for the Applicant Natalie Quinn said as the company explores new wells for the project, it has chosen to monitor three wells on surrounding properties, and has reached out to neighbors who may want their own wells monitored.
“We put out the solicitations. We have not, as of today, heard back from any of those to enter. Again, it's a fully voluntary program about whether you want to have your well monitored or not,” said Quinn.
Jen Schwartz, a member of the grassroots group Save Round Top, lives across the street from the Blackhead property. She said she hasn’t been contacted by KARC about her well.
“They're telling the DEC that they're having a hard time because they're not hearing back from anyone, but someone like me and a lot of my neighbors, who are very willing to be involved have not had any outreach, and I think that is a missed opportunity in the most generous sense,” said Schwartz.
Some neighbors said they’ve already experienced impacts on their wells.
The Save Round Top group has been vocal in its opposition to the project and the planning board’s approach. They say the developer’s estimates on traffic, financial and other impacts have been misleading.
“So, we can talk all day about pie in the sky fantasies of property values going up, but if my well runs dry, my property, what is my property worth?” said Schwartz.
For more than an hour, residents raised concerns, with some demanding KARC answer their questions. While they engaged with the planning board, KARC consultants did not respond to the public’s concerns at the meeting. Attorney for the applicant John Furst insisted KARC is responding to residents in writing.
“They're in the record. They're in the link. They are responding to every single comment. I know you don't like the answers, but they have responded to the comments,” said Furst.
Frank Algozzine, a former Director of Real Property Tax Services for Greene County, presented a lengthy report on financial concerns, and asked planning board members to examine whether they may have a conflict of interest. An analysis from the applicant predicts the project could raise property values.
“The question that board members have to ask themselves is, ‘Do I have a conflict of interest, actual, real, perceived or potential? Will I financially benefit in any possible way? Do I have family or friends that may benefit in some way,’” said Algozzine.
Algozzine’s questioning drew pushback from Cairo highway superintendent Art Evans, who stood up to defend the planning board members.
“I know them to be good, honorable people, and for you to get up here and question their integrity and sully their reputations through insinuation was despicable. You should be ashamed of yourself,” said Evans.
With such a large development project – the largest the town has ever experienced, according to officials at the meeting – the Save Round Top group wants the planning board, the lead agency in the State Environmental Quality Review process, to issue a positive declaration. Such a declaration acknowledging a significant adverse impact would require the applicant to prepare a detailed environmental impact statement.
It’s something resident Stephen Petronio wants to see.
“Pos dec, pos dec, pos dec. Next meeting, please, everyone, wear a t-shirt that says positive dec,” said Petronio.
Cairo planning board chair Joe Hasenkopf declined to comment on the proposal to WAMC.
The public hearing will continue August 1st.
