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C.A.R.E.S. (Citizens Action for Residential Environments in Saugerties) P.O. Box 899 Saugerties, NY 12477 PRESS RELEASE

CARES (Citizens Action for Residential Environments in Saugerties)
P.O. Box 899 Saugerties, NY 12477
www.stopthemine.com
PRESS RELEASE
Press Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons (845) 246-4431
Saugerties, August 30, 2001

ZONING BOARD SET TO HEAR ANTI-MINE ACTIVISTS' APPEALS

   CARES (Citizens Action for Residential Environments in Saugerties), the citizens's group formed to combat the large-scale mining operation proposed for a residential area of Saugerties, will appear at a public hearing scheduled by the Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday, September 10. The ZBA scheduled the hearing in response to two
requests filed by CARES relating to actions by town officials in the matter of the Shott Rock mining application..    CARES has already won support from New York Department of State officials pertaining to one of its assertions-- that Planning Board Chairman William Creen acted improperly in declining lead agency status without a vote of the full board. In comments made to the Kingston Freeman earlier this week, Theresa Wescott, a Dept. of State spokesperson, said that determination of what agency will lead a project's environmental review is "not within a chairman's unilateral authority to decide." CARES has asked the ZBA to offer an official interpretation that a decision to assume or renounce lead agency status under the State Environmental Quality Review Act constitutes an official action and, thus, requires a vote of the Planning Board.
    "The bottom line is we want the Planning Board to follow procedures established by law," said Pat Fizsimmons, Chairman of CARES. "This proposed mining operation has already had a terrible impact on people living in the area, and we just won't accept anything less than full compliance with zoning law and the open meetings law." Fitzsimmons was referencing Planning Board Chairman Creen¹s refusal to allow video or audio taping of the board's public meetings, even though taping meetings is a practice long accepted in Saugerties and the State Committee on Open Government has, over the years, repeatedly held that individuals have the right to record meetings. The September 10th ZBA public hearing will take place at the Senior Citizens Center on Market Street in Saugerties. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and CARES urges all residents of Saugerties to attend and speak out. More information is available on the CARES website.... www.stopthemine.com.

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