The Columbia Paper recently quoted Sam Pratt as saying that Scenic Hudson and the Open Space Institute (OSI) were prepared to purchase land owned by Holcim along South Bay if city officials said "We want you to do this" ("Group presses for revised waterfront plan," Aug. 5).
Scenic Hudson and OSI are committed to helping conserve ecologically important areas like South Bay and its upland watershed to protect native habitat, restore natural resources damaged through years of industrial activity and create meaningful recreational opportunities for anglers, kayakers, bird watchers and others.
However, every transaction that OSI and Scenic Hudson make to protect the Hudson Valley's irreplaceable natural treasures adheres to the principle of working with willing sellers based on independent appraisals of fair market value.
Tremendous benefits await Hudson and the entire valley, if Holcim, the city, the community and conservation organizations can find common ground in protecting the area's natural treasures, which are the underpinning of the region's $4.7-billion tourism economy.
Ned Sullivan and Joe Martens
Ned Sullivan is president of the environmental group Scenic Hudson, based in
Poughkeepsie.
Joe Martens is president of the conservation organization Open Space
Institute, based in Albany and New York City.
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Letter from Scenic Hudson and OSI
There's been some buzz about a letter from Scenic Hudson and OSI that appeared in the Columbia Paper today. Frustratingly, for those of us curious about its content, it appears only in the print version of the paper not the online version. So, to satisfy my own curiosity as much as anything, since I couldn't lay my hands on a copy of the Columbia Paper this morning, I contacted Scenic Hudson and asked if they would send me the letter so I could publish it on The Gossips of Rivertown, and they obliged. So here it is:
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Here are some facts to keep in mind about this curious letter -- which was sent to the papers prior to the recent request and petition from local business owners:
ReplyDelete1. A private entity can't initiate eminent domain proceedings; that can only be done by a municipality. As such, the Valley Alliance would hardly suggest that either Scenic Hudson or OSI deploy such tools, since they are in no position to do so. Any press reports to that effect misrepresent the Alliance's actual statements.
2. The Alliance most certainly *has* offered a frank assessment (based on long experience with such groups) that outside organizations are not likely to pursue land acquisition unless local leadership encourages it. That message was directed at local leaders and their concerned constituents, to discourage passivity and encourage pro-active measures.
3. Rather, the Valley Alliance has supported the local business community's request for those two groups to lead a public-private effort to begin assembling funds to that end -- so that if and when parcels become available, they're ready. If a better Waterfront plan emerges, and Holcim’s profits in the U.S. continue to drop, such an opportunity may come sooner than some think.
4. For the record, it may be recalled that in 2005 after the SLC victory, Scenic Hudson in fact brought two large developers to Hudson to explore purchase of South Bay property — one from the Midwest, one from the lower Hudson Valley — despite the absence of a "willing seller" at that time. Outreach was also made by varies parties to a major land conservation group in the Mid-Atlantic. In addition, in 2005 Scenic Hudson also approached the City anonymously through a Chatham attorney to inquire about purchase of South Bay lands.
5. Though representatives of Scenic Hudson have been in close communication with one of our directors, and we have conferred with their reps at a number of recent meetings (including a recent dinner with one of their key land stewards), at no time did they raise any such concerns directly with us until after the above letter was sent to the papers.
6. The Valley Alliance has two standing requests for a meeting with OSI's Joe Martens, dating back to early last Spring.
7. It was obliquely disclosed at a recent Council committee meeting that both Scenic Hudson and OSI have had private sessions with the City (possibly in some cases with Holcim/O&G reps present) about land issues in the South Bay. At various times, eminent domain has come into the public discussion — but not in relation to Holcim, but as a means of ennabling a truck route through the Basilica and LB properties. Perhaps it is time for those groups and the City to disclose more details about the nature of those private meetings.
8. The Valley Alliance is sympathetic to both groups' sensitivity regarding any perception that they might be "bigfooting" in local affairs. One trusts that such concern extends beyond correcting flawed media report to also include their relations with local citizens and groups. Meaningful communication is necessary to respect and understand such community perspectives.
Both groups are thus encouraged in the future to reach out and contact local groups directly if they have any concerns about coordination of efforts or any public statements -- rather than relying on either flawed media reports or private spin from less-than-disinterested parties like the Mayor. If nothing else, it is good that these groups (one of which has been entirely silent until now on the matter of South Bay and the LWRP) are at last beginning to make their thoughts known more publicly. It is only a shame that it required mistaken media reports to draw them out.
--Sam Pratt