A LETTER TO THE PLANNING BOARD RE: HUDSON NATIONAL FROM PAULA CHABROWE, POSTED WITH PERMISSION

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

To: Village Planning Board 

Courtesy of: Ms. Karen Stapleton

Hudson National Golf Club (HN) submitted a Wetlands Activity Permit (WAP) for a major golf course restoration, which was the subject of the 12.7.22 Water Control Commission (WCC) meeting. What I heard at that meeting strongly suggests that the PB should oversee all permits and applications submitted by HN. 

Village Code 195-5 B, and Wetlands Law 227-7 F (1) state that the PB is the approving authority for any application involving property for which a special permit already exists. While Trustee Simon’s 12.27.22 email reports that Matrix Development LLC has withdrawn their solar application, the same cannot be said of HN. Their subdivision application remains active as does their application to amend the existing Special Permit for the golf course. 

The 11.22.22 WCC letter said this WAP application is an Unlisted Action under SEQRA. At the meeting, Ms. Whitehead downgraded it to Type II ‘maintenance,’ thereby exempting this application from SEQRA requirements. I believe the WCC and Ms. Whitehead are wrong. This should be Type 1 and subject to a Long EAF. 

The discussion at the 12.7.22 meeting strongly suggests that this is not regular ‘maintenance,’ but rather a major golf course restoration. HN’s Superintendent, Mr. Scales, stated that the pipes for HN’s existing irrigation system, much of which is currently in the wetlands buffer zone, will be capped off, the existing irrigation heads removed, and a new irrigation system installed after new trenches to accommodate it are dug within that wetlands buffer zone. He also said that the greens (18) will be rebuilt and relocated. That the 14th green will be enlarged. That 80+ sand bunkers will be rebuilt and relocated. That this major golf course restoration will require the creation and use of an additional half-acre or more site to stockpile materials. 

Little of the scope of this major restoration appeared on either the WAP application signed by Mr. Scales or the Short Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) signed by Mr. Mastromonaco, HN’s Consulting Engineer. Mr. Mastromonaco also grossly underestimated the total acreage that would likely be disturbed. In a revised short EAF submitted just prior to the 12/7/22 meeting Mastromonaco added to the project’s scope, but did not again, disclose its entirety. He amended the area to be physically disturbed area as 9.5 acres.

9.5 acres should raise a red flag. Under SEQRA, actions that physically disturb 10 or more acres must be classified Type 1 and are subject to a Long EAF. The scope of this major golf course restoration suggests that more than 10 acres, some of it in the wetlands buffer zone, will be disturbed. 

Also noteworthy is that besides stockpiling materials, both new and discarded on this half-acre+ site, Mr. Scales told the WCC that discarded materials which will be trucked ‘off-campus’ and dumped, would be classified as ‘clean fill.’ The WCC failed to require HN to provide soil sample tests. 

When questioning Mr. Scales, one WCC member said, “…not to get too deep in the weeds,” when it is, in fact, the WCC’s job to do just that. To go ‘deep into the weeds,’ to ‘drill-down’ and subject HN’s WAP application to a ‘hard look.’ 

Given its history, all HN’s permits and applications should be under a microscope. And the PB should be the approving authority.

Thank you.

Paula Chabrowe

LETTER TO THE PLANNING BOARD FROM GUY PARDEE RE: HUDSON NATIONAL

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

WITH PERMISSION TO POST

LETTER TO THE PLANNING BOARD FROM GUY PARDEE RE:  HUDSON NATIONAL

December 12, 2022

  

Dear Valued Planning Board,

It is out of concern that I engage your wisdom at this time regarding what I would recognize as Village oversight into Planning Board responsibility. On Dec 7th 2022, I along with several other concerned members of this community had the opportunity to attend the Water Control Commission meeting. This meeting’s sole purpose was to address Hudson National’s intrusion into a wetland buffer in order to rebuild the course’s irrigation, bunkers and greens throughout the course as HN states. However, as one resident spoke at this meeting, the Hudson National property is presently under “special permit” and, being so, is first under the oversight and scrutiny of the Planning Board.

The Village representing attorney L Whitehead has designated this project as a class type 2 action. Which enables it to bypass review by the Planning Board and a full SEQR review. Which we do not find acceptable.

Unfortunately, Hudson National has only furnished basic drawings and little supporting information for such a project upon near 300 acres. If, however, you are familiar with restorations/rebuilds of such endeavors, you would realize that it requires enormous amounts of volume/tonnage for such constructing excavations, which I will prove as follows. During the meeting of the 7th, Brett Scales course superintendent under his own public admission. Further, Mr. Scales stated that the course would be building a 20,000 sq ft storage facility for the spoils of this project. Also indicating that this material would be trucked from site but he had not chosen a facility as of yet. Which likely can only be determined at the time and discovery of what materials are excavated, soil, sand or bedrock. This single factor alone brings into address a full EAF under SEQR. Now, upon Mr. Scales further public generosities, he indicated that this transfer/storage facility would be made up of item 4 and crushed concrete, being of 20,000 sq ft hardened and compacted materials. One could then only assume that this storage site is only fitting for the illegally expanded maintenance area of past violations as this is simply something you wouldn't expect to find on a fine course such as Hudson National. Yet Mr. Scales or representative A. Milton do not divulge that information, nor is it known to be written into the specs of the project.

It is my belief along with many others that installing the WCC as the lead agency is the intent to avoid public and official scrutiny and oversight. It is also our belief that it is the responsibility of the Planning Board to seek further detail into the present situation and address such issues responsibly and legally.

Sincerely, Guy Pardee

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ALSO FYI---THIS IS THE AGENDA FOR THE 1/17 PLANNING BOARD MEETING Planning Board Meeting | Croton-on-Hudson NY (crotononhudson-ny.gov)

BY SPECIAL REQUEST: 1983..THE TOY GARDEN OF GRAND STREET & THE CARVELAS

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

BY SPECIAL REQUEST:  From August 1983..the quirky TOY GARDEN OF GRAND STREET & THE CARVELAS. Click on the images below.

Courtesy of the archives maintained by THE CROTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

OBITUARY FOR DONNA MARIE CAVALIERI

Donna Marie Cavalieri, a longtime resident of Croton on Hudson, NY passed away peacefully on January 9, 2023. She was 77 years old. Donna was born on June 15, 1945 in Tarrytown, NY to the late Coleridge and Georgetta (Ferris) Hunt. She graduated from Ossining High School in 1963. It was during high school where she fell in love with Anthony J. Cavalieri and they were married on October 9, 1965. Their marriage lasted 48 years until Anthony passed away on July 24, 2014. Donna is survived by her son, Eric and wife Nicole (Tirri); her daughter, Danielle and husband Brian Spahr. Donna leaves behind her cherished twin grandchildren, Kacey and Kyle Cavalieri.

Donna worked many years as a fitness instructor at Club Fit in Briarcliff Manor, NY. She loved animals and nature. In her free time, she enjoyed spending it with her grandchildren, gardening and feeding the birds. She will be greatly missed by her family.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.efcarterfuneralhome.com for the Cavalieri family.

Donna Cavalieri Obituary - Croton-On-Hudson, NY (dignitymemorial.com)

NEW FROM TRAVALANCHE: JOURNEY FOR MARGARET (O'BRIEN)

New from Travalance - Journey for Margaret (O’Brien)

Today is the birthday of Margaret O’Brien (Angela Maxine O’Brien, b. 1937), not to be confused with Margaret Sullavan or Maureen O’Sullivan, who is not to be confused with Maureen O’Hara. Nor should she be; for of all those, she is the last one standing, indeed, she is very nearly the last of ALL the classic Hollywood stars to still walk among us.

Read and see more here.

FROM THE EVERYTHING CROTON MAILBOX

A reader was trying to remember the name of a children's clothing shop in the upper village formerly in the space now occupied by Croton Running Company.  The reader could only mean the fabulous Groovy on Grand (click on the photo).

It closed in 2013; read more here.

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A reader wondered if there was anything in the archives on "the old Winkler's" and the "village boot store".  For Winkler's, click here.   For the "Village Bootery: click here

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The blog has received quite a bit of feedback on a recent SWEDISH STUDY but as always, you MUST do your own due diligence; there are a number of articles out there---here's one of them:

Covid Vaccines Are "Obviously Dangerous" and Should Be Halted Immediately, Say Senior Swedish Doctors......we shouldn’t see continued excess deaths from a respiratory virus of this kind after three years of global exposure due to the inevitable consolidation of natural immunity.....If such a situation persists, the hypothetical connection to a vaccine-related immunity suppression that just now has come into focus becomes pertinent to investigate in detail.  read more at https://dailysceptic.org/2023/01/13/covid-vaccines-are-obviously-dangerous-and-should-be-halted-immediately-say-senior-swedish-doctors/

A LETTER TO THE BOARD FROM STEVE VARVARO REGARDING HUDSON NATIONAL, MATRIX, ETC.

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON. January 9th, 2023

The Honorable Brian Pugh, Mayor 

& Village Board of Trustees

Village of Croton-on-Hudson

1 Van Wyck Street

Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520

Prior to the January 9th, 2023 Croton on Hudson Village Board meeting the following letter was submitted to the Village Board. It was misleadingly summarized and not fully read into the minutes at the meeting. The citizens of Croton can draw their own conclusions, but this is not what I would call transparency or honesty on the part of the Village Manager.  Steve V.

Dear Mayor Pugh and Village Trustees,

After many months, an unreasonable amount money, time and effort and most especially angst, it now appears the Hudson National Golf Course/Matrix Solar project issue has come to an end.

Fortunately, we learned that citizens care and they speak up against unreasonable projects that are way out of bounds regarding true environmental stewardship and the steep slopes and tree removal laws in the Village codes. 

Unfortunately, we learned a lot about our Village Management. We’ve learned that the Village Board was willing to squander the trust of the community to acquiesce Hudson National.

We found that the Village Board does not respond well to citizen input, i.e.: over 150 letters and emails submitted against the project, many dismissed as irrelevant because they lacked “substantive” issues.

We learned that the consultant selected by the Village but paid for by the applicant will pretty much rubber stamp whatever the applicant submits and it goes unchallenged by the Board. (Numerous examples exist.)

We see that even today as it relates to the planned greens, bunker and irrigation renovations, the Board is not really interested in challenging anything that the applicants, Hudson National, Matrix and Mastromonaco submit. As demonstrated just before the applicant decided to go back to the drawing board last January, the Village Manager and Village Attorney were pushing to have a vote on the erroneous and inadequate SEQRA designation.

We learned that the Village Board continues to countenance the clear conflict of interest of the Village Attorney vis-à-vis Hudson National. 

Today, although three letters have been provided: one from Matrix, one from HNGC and one from Brian Healy, we have not heard that the Village Board intends to close down future discussion of any of the preposterous aspects of the original proposal which included subdividing the HNGC property, cutting 600 trees on steep slopes, building a Tier 3 Solar farm adjacent to private property, and most importantly ignoring the No Disturbance Stipulation of the original charter.

The public may never find out why the applications were withdrawn. The reason could be financial; they could be about viability; it could be that HNGC has other plans for the future of the property. We’d like to think that all of the citizen efforts against it had some part in stopping the plan.

Today, unfortunately, we see that Hudson National’s newest initiative, a complete renovation of the greens, the bunkers and (least important or intrusive) the irrigation system, has been proffered as a simple maintenance update, like a roof repair. We learned that after the submission of HNGC’s plans, the Village saw fit to downgrade the significance of the project, ignoring the true scope of what it will entail, and designating it a Type 2 action, thereby bypassing the need for the project to go before the Planning Board and be subject to the scrutiny it deserves.

So back to the Solar proposal. Is it possible that the only reason they’ve withdrawn the applications was to satisfy the  Village code that says, “any property that is subject of an open Special Permit must go to the planning board”? 

Is this just a temporary strategic withdrawal in order to accommodate Hudson National’s “preference” not to go before the planning board with their renovation project?

I would like to hear this board come out and say the Solar Proposal on this site is dead, and will not be reviewed in the future because it is against a number of our codes.

I would also like to see the Board look further into the renovation plans that have been submitted because I am sure there will again be misrepresentations related that project.

Sincerely,

Steve Varvaro

1983---CROTONITE ABE BIRNBAUM'S DRAWINGS AT COTTON GALLERY

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

Had a request for anything from the archives on Croton's Abe Birnbaum----this is from 1983 and an exhibit at Cornelia Cotton's Gallery.  Click on the image.

KATZ PROPERTY JANUARY 2023 UPDATE-------IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

Heavy equipment is now on site at the Katz property---soon to be home to an "all-affordable" housing project; CLICK HERE TO READ AND SEE MORE---HOWEVER:

1) There seems to be some commentary and impression that these units are reserved for Croton residents, empty-nesters, or their children.  This is incorrect. All questions regarding selection for the low income/affordable units should be directed to village staff and/or officials.

2) Questions regarding school taxes and the PILOT for this project should be referred to village/school staff and/or officials.

SURPRISE....NOT....CNN ANALYST SLAMMED AFTER WRITING COVID DEATHS ARE BEING OVERCOUNTED: TWO AND HALF YEARS LATE

CNN analyst slammed after writing COVID deaths are being overcounted: ‘TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATE’CNN medical analyst and Washington Post columnist Dr. Leana Wen admitted in a column, Friday, that the medical community is “overcounting” the amount of “COVID deaths and hospitalizations.”

Wen, who writes an occasional Washington Post column providing her observations on the pandemic, masking and other COVID-related subjects, cited sources claiming that most “patients diagnosed with COVID are actually in the hospital for some other illness.”

The article is titled, “We are overcounting COVID deaths and hospitalizations. That’s a problem.”

Wen’s observations prompted readers on Twitter to complain, stating that it’s “two and a half years late.”

Wen began her column with some apparent skepticism about the CDC’s latest COVID-19 death stats: “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States is experiencing around 400 COVID deaths every day. At that rate, there would be nearly 150,000 deaths a year. But are these Americans dying from COVID or with COVID?”  MORE AT Dr. Leana Wen writes that COVID deaths are being overcounted (nypost.com)