Last Night at the Basilica
On Tuesday evening, Peter Jung and Sam Pratt of The Valley Alliance addressed a packed house at Basilica Hudson to articulate the shortcomings of Hudson's Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP) and the accompanying Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS). The central message, stated and elaborated upon in many different ways, was clear. The decision delivered by Secretary of State Randy A. Daniels in April 2005--the decision that put an end to St. Lawrence Cement's Greenport Project--"laid out a future for the waterfront that the City has not followed." Although a city's LWRP is supposed to "reflect the sentiments of the citizenry" . . . "irrespective of current uses," Hudson's LWRP is "too deferential to one property owner"--Holcim.
The visuals from last night's presentation, reviewing the issues and highlighting the inconsistencies in the LWRP and GEIS, can be viewed here. Pratt and Jung were interviewed this morning by Victor Mendolia and Columbia Paper reporter Debora Gilbert on WGXC's @ Issue. To listen to the tape of that interview, click here.
Thank you Sam & Peter for this informative presentation last evening. We need a new Mayor (Nick you listening) who is willing to work with a new group of citizens from the community to have the LWRP reflect what the citizens want and the hell with Holcim and O&G. Let's get the LWRP and GEIS moving in the right direction. This was started decades ago and I think it's time to get moving with a better plan than we have now.
ReplyDeleteWho's that old guy sitting on the stool?
ReplyDeleteThe City is getting very slanted and shoddy advice from its attorneys and planners. For example, the new plan attempts to pretend that a heavy haul road and port terminal for moving hundreds of thousands of tons of gravel isn't "industrial." And it pretends that the City has no right to control any such activity. We can do better, and it needs to start with getting more accurate and professional advice which can stand up to scrutiny. This "final" plan -- full of inconsistencies and errors both small and large -- is simply not ready for prime time.
ReplyDelete