Shokan residents packed an Olive Planning Board meeting for a third month to decry a proposed warehouse development on DuBois Road, citing traffic and environmental concerns.
KSE Suppliers, a wholesale linen provider based in Hillburn, N.Y., wants to turn a 100,000-square-foot structure at 167 DuBois Road into a storage and distribution hub. Residents said developing the 149-acre site, partly contaminated by a previous owner, will bring truck traffic to a residential area and endanger the safety of children.
Subdividing the site could worsen soil and groundwater on the site, according to Shokan resident Carol Lamonda. Ametek Rotron used trichloroethane and freon at the site for two decades to build cooling systems for the aerospace and defense industries, and the presence of those chemicals earned the site a Class 2 designation on the state’s Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites.
“Why would they choose a spot in a little town like Shokan?” said Shokan resident Carol Lamonda. “Why not put it closer to the thruway?”
The site was downgraded to Class 4 in 2003 after initial cleanup efforts, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. It remains under “site management” to monitor residual contamination, according to the agency’s website. The DEP didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.
Ametek is still responsible for cleaning it up, said Planning Board Chair Stephen Dibbell and Nathan Reisman, KSE’s director of purchasing. KSE’s plan won’t interfere with remediation efforts, and any future subdivision would be subject to Planning Board approval, Dibbell said.
Residents at the meeting also fretted about whether increased traffic at the site, once used by Woodstock Chimes, would impact public safety. A school bus stop at the corner of DuBois Road and Route 28 requires children to walk along the same stretch of road that KSE trucks would use.
“As a kid, there weren’t large trucks coming to Woodstock Chimes very often, but when you did see one, it was very frightening to a small child,” said James Perez-Rogers, who lives nearby.
Yet KSE plans to employ only 10 people, far less than the 125 people who worked at Woodstock Chimes, said Garry Kvistad, who sold the property in 2002.
“While we had a lot of cars and tractor trailers coming and going, we never received one call or complaint from anyone regarding noise or safety,” he said.
That said, more families with children are walking on DuBois Road these days, according to Shokan resident Ingrid Opsis. Signage or traffic signals could mitigate traffic risks, she said, potential changes that Dibbell said he would discuss with Ulster County officials.
The Planning Board will refer the project to the Ulster County Planning Board before voting on it, Dibbell said. The next Olive Planning Board meeting is set for Sept. 2.
Jim Rich is a reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.
