Deerpark Quarry Management Planning Questioned
As the Quarry Management pile grows and towers above residential areas, questions about Deerpark management proliferate.
By David Ofshinsky
Construction work at Quarry Management’s 131-143 US Route 6 site in Deerpark appears to be near completion, and some earlier problems have been addressed.
Now questions abound about operations there.
According to the Deerpark Planning Board application, the site was to be used as a transportation hub and to stockpile materials. The plan also included small changes and grading to the property. Some specific uses listed were a building supply yard, light manufacturing, bulk storage of stone aggregate materials and a wholesale establishment.
What exists there now is an enormous mountain of soil and stone that towers above both US Rt. 6 and Lime Kiln Rd. It is close in height to the westbound lanes of I-84. This ‘mountain’ is also spilling down onto a Lime Kiln Rd. property. Residents there say it’s an eyesore and complain about quality of life issues and the loss of property values.
Travelers on US Rt. 6 lament the dust and gravel from Quarry Management’s trucks going in and out of the site. A nearby motorcycle shop has posted spray painted signs to deter Quarry Management’s trucks from spewing gravel into its lot, a hazard to its customers.
So what is going on?
A series of questions were emailed to Alfred Fusco, CEO of Fusco Engineering, the firm contracted by Deerpark to oversee building and zoning matters.
For the US Rt. 6 area, is what is there now consistent with the approved uses for the site? If not, how and when might this be addressed?
Are there height restrictions for the piles of materials?
Are the piles of materials safe, and would they be able to withstand a severe weather event?
On the current tax roll, the Lime Kiln Rd. properties are listed as residential. It appears that they might be being used for material storage and expansion of the US Rt. 6 area operations. Are there any zoning issues with this?
At the 88 Lime Kiln Rd. property border, property line encroachments and inadequate property line setbacks may be issues. Have these been reviewed? If not, how and when might these be addressed?
Questions about these issues were also emailed to Deerpark Councilmember Arthur Trovei. He was owner of the property, and its sale to Quarry Management was contingent on Planning Board approval, so he was party to the Planning Board submission. He was represented by Glen Plotsky, Esq. for the sale and Planning Board transactions. Plotsky also serves as attorney for the Town of Deerpark and its Planning and Zoning Boards, a role overlap that raises ethics questions.
The following questions were emailed to Trovei:
Given that you were the owner at the time and thus a party to the Planning Board application for the project, is what is there now consistent with your understanding of how the project would turn out?
If so, do you believe a project like this is what is best for Deerpark?
To date, neither Fusco nor Trovei have responded. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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This is a DISGRACE!!!! The board member should be removed from office and fined for using his position to secure an inflated property value, by guaranteeing that the new owners would have carte blanche approval from his office for their future use of the property. The attorney should be reported to the NYS Bar association for conflicts of interest violations, for representing board members privately while also representing the town in the same matter.
Bottom line YOU CAN’T USE YOU’RE elected/appointed position to line your own pockets at the expense and detriment of the community YOU SERVE!!!
It’s ILLEGAL and IMMORAL!!!
Perhaps the elected representatives in Albany and Washington will have better luck rectifying this tragic injustice being perpetrated on the community