HOW DUMB DO YOU THINK WE ARE? WOODSTOCK TIMES Aug. 2, 2001 p. 24
I have lived in Saugerties many years. I live in a 275-plus year old house on Hommelville Road, one of the very roads Mr. Shott proposes to use for the next 28 years, as his trucks haul rock, stone and gravel, dirt, dust, diesel fumes and noise.
   This is once again time for the residents of Saugerties to rally together to stop this man from being allowed to take our beautiful area and turn it into just another mining town: filthy, dirty, dusty, noisy, water and air polluted, denuded of trees and devoid of wildlife. Mr. Shott has already demonstrated his total lack of regard for the law, as he has already denuded and altered his property, presenting it in photographs at the Planning Board meeting of July 17th. Who does he think he is kidding? Doesn't he realize that many of us have walked that very property over the years and are very well aware of the changes he has made. He only stopped because he was caught in the act. Is there any, and I mean ANY, reason we should trust him at his word any more than we could hurl one of his trucks into the sky? Were he honest in the first place, he would have quickly found out that this is NOT an area he can invade and destroy to fill his pockets and bank accounts. Right off the bat he has proven himself to be a liar and a deceitful man. Who does he think he is? What does he think of us...that we are so stupid and naive as to want to welcome an outsider into our midst to created an environment that he surely wouldn't want his children to grow up in? Go home, Mr. Shott. Dig your mine in Westchester, see how your neighbors would feel about that. Play in your own back yard...not ours!
Marjory Greenberg-Vaughn, Saugerties

"Try again, Mr. Shott" SAUGERTIES POST STAR August 2, 2001 p.4
It is time to take up action again and revolt against the latest intrusion to our peaceful community. A person called Shott, from Westchester County, of all places, seems to think he is smarter and more aggressive than the past multitude of garbage dumpers, paper recyclers, cement plants, brick factories, etc., in trying to seduce us into allowing him to start up a mining operation in our area. What is his first step in trying to convince us of the need of such a devastating idea for our community? Why, money of course! He alludes to the possibility of an "awesome 300 well paying jobs." But he doesn't explain when, where, what and to whom these jobs benefit Coming from Westchester County, Shott has convinced himself that every town outside his domain is in need of his financial help. (Regardless of the consequences). Again, we are being asked to subject ourselves to countless motor trucks competing for our highway use. Dust and debris clogging our air and roads. We are being asked to overlook the possibility of 135,000 gallons of sullified water a day being discharged into our pristine streams. Where will this tremendous amount of water come from? How will it effect the local water table and nieghborhood wells? Are the people of Saugerties so in need of jobs that we will sacrifice our community and lifestyle for the benefit of a few, including Shott? These supposed jobs are of the pick and shovel type, menial at best. Is that all that Shott has to offer? Try again, Mr. Shott, if your aim is to truly help Saugerties, then bring in an endeavor that brings money into Saugerties, not take it out. Thomas Mastell
***WEBMASTER'S NOTE---- The proposal calls for 3 employees not 300

Send them packing ! Post Star July 26, 2001 p.6
   On Tuesday, July 17, I attended a meeting of the Saugerties Planning Board along with a large number of Town of Saugerties residents who are concerned over what we feel is an illegal mining operation run by Shott mines. I own property adjacent to Shott's and therefore have a vested interest. One thing that was made abundantly clear to me after listening to Shott¹s representatives is that Saugerties residents should not expect Mr. Shott to dig up any truth about his mining operation for them! He has acted in an arrogant, deceptive and underhanded manner from the beginning.
    To give one example, Shott originally told his neighbors he was going to subdivide the property into five acre lots for upscale homes. Can you think of any upscale homes in the quiet countryside overlooking a noisy, dusty, rock crushing mine site? I can't! It's incredible to me that he has been allowed to get this far with all the layers of government that we have in place which are supposed to protect us from this type of destructive activity. Where has the Saugerties Town Board, the Saugerties Zoning Commission, the Saugerties Planning Board, the Saugerties Building Inspector, etc. been? A private citizen attempting a zoning change in Saugerties has to go through all kinds of red tape to gain approval for his/her plans, yet Shott and his group have been able to ignore all of this and radically change and devastate a large area in Saugerties with impunity and not so much as a "peep" from local officials.
    To get an idea of how these people operate, imagine a group buying the entire Hamlet of Veteran. They evict all residents (wildlife) they then proceed to bulldoze the entire area down to bedrock diverting or covering any brooks, quarry holes, and wetlands which may impede their operation. After accomplishing this devastation without much interference they go before the planning board and declare "We have found the perfect site for a mining operation, it's devoid of all vegetation and wildlife. It's completely uninhabited by humans and it has a rich and wonderful history of mining! If you grant our permit we promise to be good neighbors, to follow all rules and regulations of government and to preserve the integrity of the area!"
    I realize the need for mines. We all need building materials at some time such as crushed stone etc., however, Saugerties already has plenty of mines. We do not need another one but, if the local planning board gives lead agency to the DEC you can be sure we will have another large scale mining operation run by people who have already shown a complete disregard for their neighbors and local zoning and environmental laws.
    If facts put forth at the meeting are correct the DEC is definitely pro mines with a 99 percent approval rating in favor of mines. Perhaps they should change their name to the New York State Bureau of Mines and Land Mismanagement. Therefore it seems as in the case of the Winston Farm dump and Besicorp that it will be up to the residents of Saugerties to terminate this mining operation and send Mr. Shott and his cronies packing!     Louis Parisi,Saugerties

WANTED: 2 to 3 unskilled laborers SAUGERTIES POST STAR July 26, 2001 LETTERS TO EDITOR

   Can you picture the rest of this employment ad if Shotz Rocks' mining operation gets the green light from Saugerties Planning Board and DEC? It might as well read as follows: Looking for a couple of unemployed locals, preferably unskilled and non-union, willing to perform menial tasks requiring tremendous physical exertion for especially grueling work in potential life-threatening and hazardous environment, without much promise for job growth and/or future benefits. Work would include, but not limited to, quarrying rock in 145 ft. deep hole for multi-million dollar mining operation for out-of-town speculators. Accepted applicants will report ASAP to actual mining site located in a quiet Saugerties neighborhood for blasting, crushing, cleaning, hauling and pumping operations projected to last well into the year 2029.
    Is this the quality of jobs that Saugerties attracts: brick yards, power plants, incinerators, assembly lines, and now mining? It seems as though some of our officials would prefer to ignore quality businesses in favor of minimum wage employers. Some would even prefer that we turn back time to the good ole' days of lead manufacturing and paper plants. Just look around the village and there's been several businesses that recently have had to close up shop.
    We need to look ahead at new economies, communications, high-tech, small businesses and tourism. Our local officials and representatives should consider Saugerties' true potential, rather than selling out to speculators trying to make a quick buck on our backs, our health, our property values, and our children's future. Saugerties has a much brighter future than they would have us believe. Let's not allow another shallow promise by strangers bite us in our rear.
David Radovanovic

CONCERNED CITIZEN SAUGERTIES POST STAR Letter to Editor July 26, 2001 (p. 4)

   We are all very concerned about our health, wells, foundations, property values and our wildlife, should Shott Inc. obtain permission for all the land destruction they have planned! The Village of Saugerties should also be very concerned!
    We have their water tank in Blue Mt., I had a guided tour when Natgun was placing the side panels. There are seams between each panel. The tank has 3 million gallons of water pressure on the panels and seams. I seriously doubt Natgun Corp. will take any responsibility if cracks or fissures develop in the tank's seams. DYNAMITE will be the excuse for any and all damages!
    Lastly, Mr. Shott, do you really believe the deer, bears, Canada geese, great blue herons, whooping cranes, red foxes, etc., enjoy feeling the earth move (DYNAMITE) the sounds and smells of the rock crushers and diesel trucks any more than we do? GOOD BYE MR. SHOTT, WE AND THE WILD-LIFE DO NOT WANT YOU!! Gail Pfleghaar

ON MY SOAPBOX NO MINING HERE SAUGERTIES POST STAR July 26, 2001 p. 3

   Just when I thought all was well with the world and happiness was abounding in our little town, here we go again...Mining! In our town, in the back yards of our neighbors and friends? I don't think so. I've read what I could find and in my opinion the whole thing smells like last week's left over fish. Okay, I'm no expert, but it seems to me taking 45 truckloads of anything out of an area everyday is going to change the environment and nobody is going to convince me otherwise. Dumping in a creek!!! Now how good can that be?
    Oh, but I really should look on the bright side here. This venture, according to what I read in the FREEMAN, and what people have told me, will employ 300 people (see correction below). What a boom to our economy. NOT! I'll bet the employees will come from Westchester County and go back there every night after digging their holes and hauling out whatever they haul out and who would blame them.
    Well, as usual, I have a solution. Why doesn't Mr. Shott buy some land in his home area and dig to his hearts content. I bet they have rocks there and soil and trees and children, etc.
    Okay Saugerties, let's get together and help our neighbors protect what's theirs. Write letters, picket, march, do what it takes to stop this travesty. Even if you live miles away, these people are still our neighbors and friends and they need our help to stand up for what is right. We live in an area with lots of woods, quarries, streams and creeks.
    The next time it could be my backyard, or even yours.   Janet Curry
***CORRECTION***   SAUGERTIES POST STAR August 2, 2001 p. 3 There was a typo in Janet's column last week that was no fault of her own, except for the fact that her handwriting sometimes looks like she wrote the article with her feet. We erroneously wrote the mining project would employ 300 workers when it should have read "3 to 4". We apologize for any inconveniences.

MINING WILL RUIN SAUGERTIES DAILY FREEMAN Letters to the Editor July 27, 2001 (p.A11)

     Dear Editor: We have an urgent problem in Saugerties that needs your help. Gilbert Shott, a businessman from outside the area, is attempting to obtain a "special use permit" to mine a residential area for shale covering over 100 acres over the next 28 years. The mining will leave a 22-acre crater over 140 feet deep. His plan involves blasting, stone-crushing and 100 trucks a day entering and exiting the site. The area is located on a ridge overlooking state Route 32 in the beautiful Blue Mountain-Veteran area, about a mile from the Grant D. Morse Elementary School. The blasting noise and stone-crushing will echo around the mountains. Shott says the blasting won¹t be felt by nearby homeowners. The dust created by blasting will negatively affect the air quality in the area in which we live and send our children to school. There are many ponds and streams which are vital to wildlife which will be lost and/or polluted by the blasting. The water table will be affected and surrounding homes may lose their water. Shott says it won't affect our wells. There are two possible routes for the trucks in and out of the mining site: Hommelville Road to Route 32 and Morse Road to state Route 212. There would be one heavy loud truck every five minutes on steep and twisting residential roads barely wide enough for two cars, and that would greatly increase the danger to the children on school buses and all other vehicular traffic. Shott says that there would be little impact on our roads! Shott¹s plan will have a negative impact on the property values of this area. There are many homes tucked into the trees and woods. Small neighborhoods will feel and hear the mining and it will greatly devalue these homes and we will have to suffer the consequences of his mining for generations. Mining will leave a huge scar on the landscape. Please help us. Don't let Saugerties be ruined by blasting, mining, crushing and thunderous trucks rumbling through our town, lining the pockets of people who don¹t live here or care one tiny bit about our town or the irreparable damage they will do. We have organized ourselves into a concerned action group called Citizens Action for Residential Environments in Saugerties. Please visit our Web site: it's loaded with ways to help and is updated with information almost daily at www.stopthemine.com
Fiona Cottrell, Saugerties

Clearing up some facts. Daily Freeman Wednesday, July 25, 2001 (A5)

Your article on the proposed mining operation in Saugerties, although factual, states some information that needs to be clarified. First, this proposed large-scale intense commercial mining operation can only be thought of as a continuation, if, and only if, illegal mining without a permit is considered as "a continuation." Gilbert Shott was closed down by the Saugerties building inspector and Department of Environmental Conservation because he was mining illegally. While Shott claims that he has not altered or taken down an existing ridge at the site (and changed the topography of the land) he also, and at the same time, is saying that he is a continuing mining operation. He can't have it both ways. Unfortunately, while illegally mining, he has altered the site.
    Second, I had to laugh when Shott's engineers said that a study showed there would be no significant traffic impact. Your reporter quotes them as saying that "it is anticipated that nine to 45 trucks would go to the site each day." While Shott may only be collecting money from nine to 45 trucks a day, if you live on Morse Road or state Route 212, truck pass-bys are 18 to 90 trucks a day ­ double the amount mentioned by Shott's engineers. They merely forgot to mention that what goes in must go out ­ which doubles the truck numbers and brings truck traffic to 90 trucks a day. At the Saugerties Town Board meeting on July 18, Supervisor Greg Helsmoortel said that the town was going to get lead agency status back from DEC and then hire its own engineers and consultants. Apparently the go-ahead to DEC was not proper.
Susan Puretz, Saugerties

If developer gets mine, Saugerties gets shaft   July 24, 2001 Daily Freeman pg. A5

Dear Editor: What is it with Saugerties? Is there a huge bull's-eye slathered across the collective backs of the residents or what? First, there was the garbage gnomes wanting to dump the collective garbage of the county on Saugerties. Then came the newspaper recycling octopus, wanting to "recycle" all the newspaper in the Northeast and flood the waterways of Saugerties with thousands of gallons of the inky, chemical loaded residue in the process. Now we hear of some Westchester guy, Gilbert Shott, has a pressing need to mine bluestone. In the process he wants to blast a hole 100 feet deep covering 25 or 30 acres. Is he going to dig it in Westchester? Oh, heavens no, it¹s too messy; those big trucks play havoc with the roads, they keep folks awake, and then there's all that dust. Wouldn't want to get their Mercedes all dirty. No, this sounds like a job for Saugerties. No surprise there: Give those rich city folk 10 minutes and they can think of a dozen ways to screw up someone else¹s backyard. I happen to be an Oliver Stone fan and, as such, I can find a conspiracy faster than you can say grassy knoll. Boy, have I found one here! I figure that this is all a plan to make good on the other failed attempts to dump on Saugerties. Heck, they may even make some money selling rocks while they do it. Think about this: By the time this hole is dug and all the stone sold off, Saugertesians will have dealt with 50 to 100 huge trucks a day hauling rocks out for years. What would be the difference if there were 50-100 trucks bringing garbage in instead? In fact, since the trucks go out full and come back empty, why not take out a load of stone, bring back a load of garbage? Remember that flood of ink? Well, it seems that as part of this mining operation, the man is trying to get a permit to discharge 135,000 gallons of water per day into the Beaverkill. Seems like a small thing to add some used newspaper ink and chemicals to that already running water. Even though I live in Esopus now, I grew up in Saugerties and I hate the thought of my home town being turned into some Pennsylvania mining town look alike. Don't let this happen. Stand up for your town. If this man gets his mine, Saugerties will surely get the shaft.
Karl Swchintone, Ulster Park tarnknight@aol.com

Foul shot July 19, 2001 New Saugerties Times Ulster

The application by Shott Rock Inc. to operate a quarry in Veteran should be denied outright, with little expense or trouble to the town. It violates the zoning law's restriction that these types of permits only be approved hen "non-intensive" actions are contemplated. The level of intensity of this project was measured in meetings at the senior center this week. This application is so over-the-top as to be almost laughable. The changes to the Morse Road traffic and the impacts on the lives there are dramatic. That anyone would even contemplate such a retro-use for this land demonstrates crass exploitation, as well as an ignorance of the town and how it has grown. The fact that that ignorance may be shared by some members of the town planning board is scary. The haste with which the planners dropped lead-agency status may merely be a sign of their lack of understanding of the environmental review process. We hope that's the case. Otherwise, we are left with the thought that some of these officials might seriously contemplate approval of this application. And that¹s a dangerous thought. Vernon Benjamin

Concerned about Animals   July 19, 2001 New Saugerties Times Ulster
To the Editor: I would like to have this letter placed in the newspaper. Do you know about the quarry that is trying to be built in Veteran, Saugerties? Well, I am the son of Deborah and Peter Bazzani, who are protesting against the person who is trying to build this quarry several acres from our land, and I would like to tell you how I feel. I feel that the quarry should not be built because I wouldn't want any people or animals getting hurt by the blasting. Our family owns a dachshund who is very protective of her territory and loves to hunt in the woods. I would never want anything terrible to happen to her. We also have a deer herd, coyote and bear. They don't belong to us, but still I wouldn¹t want anything to happen to them. Some people would say that it is no big deal if an animal dies, but I think that no animal or person should have to die due to human activity. Mike Bazzani, Veteran


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