Not so fast on camp sale

Editor’s note: The following letter by County Legislator Tom Pahucki is in response to Michele Murphy, a citizen advocate who supports the county’s purchase of the New York City-owned Camp LaGuardia homeless shelter in Chester, which is set to close in July. Pahucki also is an associate broker at RJ Smith Realty. The (county legislature’s) unanimous vote to bond $300,000 was supposed to allow for an independent appraisal of the property. However our decider claims that the county, with the help of John McCarey, will appraise the property. I asked (Ed Diana, the Orange County executive) in our last meeting why we are not getting an independent appraisal and he said that the City of New York is doing one and that was enough. When I expressed my displeasure in that he told me, “Too bad, if you don’t like it just vote no.” I take offence when taxpayers’ dollars are given such little consideration. I asked if the county purchasing the site was a dealbreaker on whether the city will withdraw or stay. All I got was silence, no answer. I am concerned that the towns of Blooming Grove and Chester will take a hit on the taxes the city pays to the tune of about $250,000 between the two municipalities and the Monroe-Woodbury school district of about $730,000 per year. The county has no plans to make them whole. What is the county going to do with the site? Mr. Diana says possibly workforce housing or a place for senior dinning kitchen and/or a place to store voting machines. Our senior dining meals have been declining for the last four years as many seniors cannot afford to stay here because of the taxes. More increase in taxes will take place if the county doesn’t make the communities and school district whole. As for workforce housing, as an elected official I don’t want to get into the home building business nor do I believe that is the charge of government. Workforce housing requires density. Out of the 285 acres, if 150 are buildable and there are half-acre lots, just do the math. Three-hundred homes at an average of 1.5 cars each? How do they get to I-86 once the Oxford exit and the eastbound entry between Chester and Monroe evaporate? Through Chester. Can we handle it? Many many questions. Michele, there is so much secrecy here in this deal that makes it almost impossible to go ahead as our collective heads are in the sand. A “yes” vote to purchase as it now stands is nothing more than saying “Ed, we trust you and we will allocate $8.5 million to an already overtaxed and overburdened constituency because you asked us to.” Don’t think that is going to go over well with the legislature. Mr. Diana failed to implement the terms of the Rampe agreement and would not allow the legislature to move forward, and now he is asking the taxpayers to bail him out! That’s how I see it. Tom Pahucki New Hampton