A daycare center in the Town of New Paltz is seeking to add to its outdoor recreation and learning space with the addition of three shade pavilions.
Agri-Business Child Development of New Paltz will return to the Town Planning Board this week as they seek a site plan waiver to allow for the installation of the pavilions at their facility at 355 Rt. 32.
Representing Agri-Business at the meeting of the planning board on Thursday, September 28 was center director Melissa Hoffstatter, who said they’d received grant funding for the project through the federal Head Start and Early Start designed to facilitate school readiness for infants, toddlers and preschoolers from families that meet income eligibility requirements.
According to the plans, two of the shade pavilions are 12-feet-by-12-feet, the other 16-feet-by-24-feet. Agri-Business is requesting a site plan waiver for a variety of reasons, most of which due to their interpretation of whether town codes apply to their project.
According the request submitted by Highland-based Bolder Architecture, the town’s site plan requirements are aimed at more substantial projects than the pavilions proposed by Agri-Business and not only shouldn’t apply, but are also not required for decision-making by the planning board. Further, the pavilions would only be used during regular business operations, require no new water or sewage needs due to their limited use and would not now or in the future be used for anything other than as outdoor learning and recreation space as the weather allows.
The request also asks that contour lines be waived as they are not required for assessment, and that a requirement that shows “single trees with a diameter at breast height of 12 or more inches” is unnecessary as there is no clearing proposed for the project, and even with the installation of silt fencing as required, there will otherwise be minimal site disturbance as a result of the project. The request also indicates that there are no new utilities proposed for the project, no culverts or drainage, no clearing or minimal grading and that the existing driveways on the property will not be modified.
The plans for the pavilions are to pour sonotubes, cardboard tubes into which concrete is poured, to secure the structures.
Hoffstatter said the pavilions are planned to allow for outdoor education and recreation all year long.
“It’s mostly for the children and the teachers to get in out of heavy rain or snow, and sun cover,” she said.
The project will also include the removal of an existing pavilion, described by Hoffstatter as “a metal frame with a canvas on the top,” with the canvas removed in the winter to avoid collapse during snowfall.
Lyle Nolan, chairman of the planning board, asked a series of questions about the plans, including whether electricity would be run to the pavilions — there won’t — and whether they were required to install ADA pathways connecting the structures with other parts of the property. There were also questions among planning board members as to whether any regular building codes applied, not only because of the limited use of the pavilions, but also because they’re on an educational property.
The town planning board referred the project to the Ulster County Planning Board for review, and as of October 5 it was found to have no adverse impact and in their eyes could proceed. Should the town planning board agree, the project could proceed quickly; Hoffstatter said with all the grant funding already in place, the center would like to proceed this fall.
Agri-Business Child Development was founded in 1946 by a group of New York State farm owners who realized the value in assuring their workers’ children were in a safe and healthy environment while their parents were in the fields. The non-profit has daycare centers across the state, offering bilingual education services and partnering with school districts and other community partners.
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