Easton Lane residents will once again get the opportunity to speak about their concerns over a timber harvest permit when the Woodstock Planning Board reopens a public hearing November 3 that was recessed in September.
A property at the end of the road that lies between Easton Lane and Blue’s Quarry Road has been under forest management since 1982. More recently, a timber harvest was managed by Anthony Del Vescovo in 1999 and 2000 to clean up destruction in the wake of Hurricane Floyd. The property is now owned by a Long Island-based company called Woodsy Mack, which is run by John McCormack.
But residents of the narrow road say times have changed in the last 20 years and the neighborhood cannot safely support this type of activity.
One issue is low-hanging cables that supply electricity and internet service for Adam Snyder and his family. The lines are only 11 feet from the ground and Snyder worries the logging trucks and machinery will snap them, leaving them without power, internet or both.
Children play and people walk on the narrow street, prompting safety concerns about the 40-50 truckloads of timber being brought out of the property.
Del Vescovo estimated the project would take 60-65 days of logging that would take place through the end of 2023. The property can’t be logged during inclement weather or during the muddy season, so the work has to be spread out over a year or more.
One result of this proposed timber harvest has been the unifying of neighbors. In a day and age where people can live next to each other for decades and not know each other, the folks on Easton Lane have exchanged cell phone numbers and now speak to each other regularly about the concerns, including safety, noise and quality of life.
“It’s about the sanctity of this collective,” Snyder said on a recent evening when told the Planning Board was scheduled to reopen the public hearing and possibly vote on the matter.
Snyder hadn’t been aware that the issue was on the agenda and said he would inform all the neighbors.
Planning Board Chair Peter Cross said in September limits can be placed on the time and number of hours for the logging and when trucks can use the road, but a recent site walk by Planning Board members gave Snyder the impression approval was likely.
Still, he’s cautiously optimistic things may change on November 3.
In other business…
The Planning Board has also scheduled a public hearing on a wetlands and watercourse permit for Timothy Ryan to build a bridge to access property on Lewis Hollow Road. Also on the docket is a sketch plan review for a subdivision of a 31.91-acre lot into a 25.91 acre lot and two 3-acre lots on John Joy Road for property owned by Rodrigo and Marie Karolys.
The board will review a sketch plan for Twin Gables on Tinker Street for the construction of a roof deck with landscaping and fencing.
The board meets Thursday, November 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the town offices at 45 Comeau Drive and via Zoom. Contact the planning office at (845) 679-2113 ext. 16 or planning@woodstockny.org for the meeting link.
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