In normal summers, when municipal activity slows down a bit, some small towns in our region scale back their schedules of municipal meetings a bit to accommodate officials’ vacation plans. Gardiner has long been one of those, with the Town Board only meeting once instead of twice in July and August.
But these are hardly normal times, with so many issues and projects on local officials’ plates in recent years, and progress hampered by the pandemic. So, instead of twice in August, the Gardiner Town Board is having three full-scale meetings. An extra “special meeting” has been scheduled for Wednesday, August 24 at 7 p.m., with legal counsel in attendance, to be dedicated entirely to addressing the applications by Lazy River Resorts, LLC for the creation of a Campground Floating District and Special Use Permit. The public hearing phase for Lazy River/Yogi Bear Campground was closed in July after months of controversy.
Gardiner Town Board approves cell tower
The August 2 meeting was also designated a “special meeting,” dedicated to wrapping up the Town Board’s role in approval of the Special Use Permit (SUP), amending the Lease Agreement with Wireless Edge Towers II, LLC and extending the “shot clock” on the Tolling Agreement that would otherwise have run out at the end of the month. With only councilwoman Carol Richman voting Nay, the Board finally gave its blessing to the construction of a wireless telecommunications facility tower on the grounds of the Town Highway Garage at 630 South Mountain Road.
Questions about the terms of the Lease Agreement and SUP left hanging the previous month were resolved, with the height of the cell tower limited to 110 feet, not counting the additional ten feet that may be necessary to accommodate a municipal “whip” antenna. Approval came with a lengthy list of other conditions requested by the Board, including submission of compliance reports at regular intervals, parameters for signage and lighting, measures to be taken for ice management and sound attenuation and some additional notations to be added to the Site Plan Set. Full details of the final agreements, including all of the Town Board’s findings on the application, can be found in the August 2 minutes posted at www.townofgardiner.org/town-board-minutes.
The Gardiner Planning Board’s August 16 agenda includes consideration of approval of the Wireless Edge Site Plan. This would clear the way for Town supervisor Marybeth Majestic to sign all the agreements, with the project to commence 30 days after the Town Board vote.
Easements get stewards; Gardiner Day set for October 1
At its regular meeting on August 9, the Town Board authorized the supervisor to execute a Land Stewardship Agreement between the Wallkill Valley Land Trust and the Town of Gardiner. This will enable regular monitoring of conservation easements donated to the township for the first time.
The Board also approved the Gardiner Day Committee’s application for a Mass Gathering Permit to hold the 2022 event at Majestic Park on Saturday, October 1. There will be no Gardiner Day activities on Main Street this year.
Volunteers are needed to help organize and run the event. If interested, contact Jewell Turner at jturner.tog@gmail.com. To learn more about Gardiner Day 2022, visit www.facebook.com/Gardiner-Day-New-York-162022735751.
Join the family! 
