The proposed expansion of the County Waste Transfer Station, located at the South Troy Gateway into Troy, is on the fast track and it’s all because of a lack of response from our mayor’s office to a letter from NYSDEC that they may or may not have received. Let’s throw the blame here right where it belongs. The mailroom clerk. You know, the one who may not have DONE THE JOB THEY WERE HIRED TO DO by delivering the mayor his mail back in June. Gees, you just can’t get good help these days. Someone's ineptitude has put the city and her citizens right into a big trash bin.
Regardless of why the city administration’s office didn’t respond to the letter, they didn’t. And since that letter to the Mayor’s Office from NYSDEC regarding lead agency status for the proposed expansion back in June wasn’t responded to, NYSDEC assumed lead agency status of the project. On July 20th - as lead agency - NYSDEC made a negative declaration, clearing the way for the expansion to proceed WITHOUT a full and complete Envirnomental Impact Statement. It appears that no one in the city administration, on the city council or the citizens who will be directly impacted by this expansion were notified of this declaration either. We can only assume that, if a letter notifying the City of Troy of this was sent, it found it’s way to the same place the June letter did.
Since the letter may or may not have been received, the city administation wasn't able to notify the city councilmen about this lead agency status either. After all, if the mayor's office didn't receive the letter, they couldn't have shared the information, right? As far as I know, no public hearings regarding the proposed expansion were held. Until the citizens spoke out at the council meeting on August 5th (including one who suggested that the city take lead agency status), no one in city government apparently was aware that anyone other than the "trash talkers" from South Troy were concerned. When it became apparent to the council members that many residents outside of South Troy were also concerned, the councilmen agreed that more thought needed to go into the process. They said that they would explore taking lead agency status. No one at that meeting seemed to be aware that the NYSDEC had already assumed that role or that a negative declaration regarding the expansion had in fact already been made.
NYSDEC had only received a handful of comments regarding this during the regular comment period. Given that no informtion regarding this was made public, it surprises me that NYSDEC received ANY comments at all. They were not aware that the real citizens of Troy were against the expansion. Because of the outcry of at that council meeting, (and I suspect at the request of our city council) NYSDEC has extended the time period for public comment through August 19th. This is the final week that anyone will be able to comment on the proposed expansion.
Now this is where the trash talking REALLY has to start flying. This expansion will bring increased truck traffic to EVERY neighborhood in the city. This increased truck traffic will further strain our already teetering infrastructure, both above and below ground. It will further degrade the appearance of one of our cities MAIN gateways. It will further erode property values throughout our fair city. It will give the City of Troy federal slum status. No real citizen of Troy could want any of this. I certainly don't. It's time for the Real Citizens of Troy to STAND UP. Are you a Real Citizen of Troy? If you are, please contact Nancy Baker at NYSDEC or call the Region 4 permitting office at 357-2456 to make your opinion known.
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