Cornith sells out to trash industry

[guy]

Cornith has courted the trash industry. This is clearly a polarizing and negative initiative for a community that's trying to build itself as a gateway to the outdoors and Adirondack Park. There are numerous meetings taking place and the residents are furious and totally against this initiative, yet there is not one bit of news on your site about it.

This is an hot issue and it's being kept as quiite as possible while this industry and its' polical allies manipulate their story into a workable position. There are two key intiatives that we are aware of, a sludge process facility and a trash/waste burning facility in the former IP plant. In and of itself this site should be cleaned up and IP held accountable fot the toxic dump they left behind.

We need an environmental impact statement and class action lawsuit to stop this as the own government, the county and the state all seem to be in quiet agreement as to the fate of Saratoga county. We are the new Staten Island, the new Fresh Kills for NYC and the rest of the state.

THe Mayor and his team are silent in the face of protest from the residents. Silence is worse than lies. Silence is the abscence of the truth. Silence is the ally of the of the wate industry and the politicians who traded the health and well being of the community of Cornith and all of Saratoga county for their own short-sighted gain.

What aren't you covering this story.

[Newman]

What are you basing your information on??

[Ally]

I am aware of this issue unfortunetly Corinth is not filled with internet, friendly residents as they would rather hang out in front Stewarts and remain unemployed.

[TOYDOLL]

YOU ARE RIGHT ALLY, I HAVE BEEN AWAY FROM THIS AREA FOR 10 YEARS AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED, PEOPLE STILL HANGING AROUND STEWARTS AND WAITING FOR THE CHECKS TO COME IN THE MAIL.HOW SAD

[ex-resident]

I used to live there my-self. That town will never change as long as it is pretty much run by welfare checks, and drug runners. They NEED TO CLEAN THAT TOWN UP!!!!!!! IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. IP has always been a nasty stinky place and definately needs to clean up what they have done to the land and the people, What a mess that town is in. And YES IT IS SAD, AND DISGUSTING TO ALLOW SUCH A BEAUTIFUL TOWN TO BE IN SUCH DISARRAY.

[Resident and Taxpayer]

Corinth just finished paying off a huge debt to International Paper when they sued and won tax assessment lawsuit. Thank you very little IP! The best thing about IP leaving is the place no longer stinks to hi heavens, literally. Now there are these dips that are putting ads in the local pennysaver making it sound like the residents of Corinth are going to be destitute by spending taxpayer money to prevent trash industry from getting their foot in the door. I just hope the people of Corinth are smarter than that and not let trash in... sometimes I have my doubts. It is too bad, Corinth has a lot of potential but because of stupidity it may just go to "trash". I hope not.

[Resident and Taxpayer]

The residents of Corinth just recently finished paying off a huge debt to International Paper after they won a tax assessment lawsuit. Thank you very little IP! The best thing about IP leaving is that the place doesn't stick to hi heavens anymore, literally. Now there are these dips that are putting ads in the local pennysaver trying to make it seem like the residents are going to be destitute because the Village and Town boards are spending taxpayer money to prevent the trash industry from getting it's foot in the door. These people just don't have a clue. They just don't comprehend how big and corrupt the trash industry is. I really hope that the boards puts some laws on the books real soon. Corinth really does have potential but sometimes I wonder if the stupidity will win out and trash will move in. I hope not.

[Herbert Syrop - Yonkers]

Please be aware that as anywhere else, there is a difference between ordinary
people and those who have political power and/or financial power. Corinth
is no exception. The town is wounded and the economic vultures are circling
above.
The overwhelming majority of Corinth townspeople are fighting to save their
pleasant and very Americana town. Wish them well; help them if you can.
You could be next.

[Yvonne]

I would like to correct a couple of comments above-- yes, there are welfare peopls here-- probably too many-- but guess who sends them up here! Saratoga Co.! I am 81 and have lived here all my life.my husband and I raised 10 great kids here. and I guess I do resent people who don't even live here to turn up their noses when they don't know what they are talking about-- a dedicated group of citizens are working very hard to keep downstate trash from being sent here. trying HARD to educate the masses so they can see beyond their pocketbook-- Philmet will ruin us--continue to do what Int.Paper started ! Our mayor is true to the cause , doing all he can to prevent this-- the town supervisor on the other hand , makes us wonder.

[Yvonne]

by the way, I do not live in schenectady-- I proudly live in Corinth !

[Artie]

I own a rental rental property there for awhile now and the town seems fine. Every town will have its own problems. The people who live there all seem to like it and do not want to leave.

[Resident and Taxpayer]

AMNESIA PREVENTION BAIT AND SWITCH COUNTDOWN
START DATE 3/23/07 STATUS
Plastics Company - 0 of 150 jobs so far
Gasification Feedstock - Adirondack Trees
Industrial Waste Importation – Not Allowed
Landfill - Closed
Property Owner Taxes – Still Unpaid
Taxes residents pay – watch carefully

[Brutus]

The Philmet saga was brought to you by Roy McDonald(r) and the charlatans on the Saratoga County Board of Stupervisors. Why? In their warped minds, they want "economic growth" at any cost, including the environment. Look how they destroyed Wilton with endless commercial interests. When they say "economic growth", watch your wallets because they aren't talking about your economic growth.

Here's a message for all Saratoga County residents; You get what you vote for. You wanted, you got it. Let this be a lesson for anyone who believes in the voodoo economic priests warped vision for your future.

Besides, the imported NYC/NJ/CT slobs already destroyed the nature and character in all of upstate.

Which garbage is worse?

[Resident]

i THOUGHT A DEMOCRACY WAS GOV'T OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE WELL IT SURE ISN'T THAT WAY IN CORINTH. OVER 3500 NAMES ON PETITIONS AGAINST PHILMET BUILDING A GASSIFICATION PLANT BUT DID OUR BOARD MEMBERS LISTEN. ABSOLUTELY NOT. THEY SIDED WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO NEVER HAD ONE NAME ON A PETITION STATING PEOPLE IN CORINTH WANTED IT. WHAT A SORRY STATE THIS TOWN IS IN.

[Joel]

I just want to clear up a few misconceptions being spewed here: Philmet's attorneys and the town's attorneys and the village's attorney have written a land use covenant for the old IP sight. Once signed and filed with the county that site will forever be barred from burning municipal solid waste (TRASH) no matter who owns the property! This document has more protections for the community than any zoning law legally could have. Anyone can and should read it on the village's web site before making judgements. People that don't read these documents and don't do their own research are just being brain washed!! The 3500 signatures on a petition they talk about is an exageration too. This petition was circulated for another proposed project for the site that did not go through and has nothing to do with the current owners or their project. Many of the people who signed that petition then would not sign it again. Many names on the list are duplicated several times and many names are from people riding through the are to Americade in Lake George. They do not live anywhere near here and know nothing about all the facts. All the people who oppose this project woukd get more respect from me if they truly lived the way they preach: They all drive their SUV, turn on the electric lights and put out their trash each week for the "Tooth Fairy" to make magically disappear. The fact is that as humans everything we do has an impact on the environment and I don't see them doing anything to lessen their impact. If Philmet can build its gasification plant that is a much more environmentally friendly generation plant than the alternatives such as coal plants and if we have local jobs like we had for the past 100 years less would have to drive to Saratoga , Glens Falls or even Albany for a job lessening air polution and demand for foreign oil products! In closing, don't be brain washed!! Research the facts for yourself!

[Former resident]

It runs much deeper than local folk's.
The NYS legislators need to be run out of the state.

For weak upstate cities, hope
Brookings Institution report says struggling urban areas have assets for an economic turnaround

By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Sunday, May 20, 2007

ALBANY -- Twelve upstate cities, including Albany, Schenectady and Troy, are economically weak compared with their peers nationwide, but they have assets that innovative state economic development planners could bolster to bring about a resurgence, a new report by a Washington, D.C., think tank says.
The Brookings Institution's two-year analysis of urban areas across the country found dozens of downtowns rebounding from past losses. But, the study says, upstate's cities are still struggling.


A total of 65 medium-sized cities, all former industrial powerhouses in the Northeast, are lagging, including seven key upstate metros areas: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, Schenectady, Syracuse and Utica, the Brookings team said.

When researchers added smaller cities to their review, five other upstate cities made the list of distressed: Elmira, Jamestown, Niagara Falls, Rome and Troy.

The findings -- not surprising to those living and working in the once-robust regions -- are meant to back a series of recommendations Brookings researchers suggest after chronicling what is working in other parts of the United States and Europe.

This "new urban agenda" includes several elements now under way or proposed in New York by local governments, the state Legislature and Gov. Eliot Spitzer, such as building on universities, colleges, medical centers, cultural venues and transportation systems, including rail.

The recommendations also include such measures as relocating, burying or dismantling freeways that isolate cities from waterfronts. The roadways follow the rivers of this region as do railroad links. Opening up such water assets would pose an enormous expense, area planners say.

But substantial state investments would bring about a return to prosperity for urban areas, Brookings vice president Bruce Katz said. So will big spending on K-12 education and higher education, cutting urban crime and investing in key industries that give birth to small businesses and advanced manufacturing.

Sound familiar?

"I think Gov. Spitzer has made a very dramatic start with proposals that could ... benefit urban places," said Katz. "What we're offering here is an integrated set of policies and strategies that hopefully can provide some additional juice for reform."

Indeed, some of the proposals began with Gov. George Pataki, who moved thousands of state jobs from suburbs to downtown locations. But Katz said the former governor was too wedded to obsolete policies for growth.

Spitzer's priorities, and those of legislative leaders, seem to conform to the Brookings proposals, and the state is embarking on several of the economic development strategies while the political leaders are pushing to do more.

For instance, Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have promoted huge investments in public universities in cities while overseeing record budgets for public education.

The Capital Region seems to have benefited disproportionately, particularly with vast investments in the East Campus of the University at Albany in Troy, where Bruno has directed millions of dollars to develop biotechnology research. At the uptown campus of UAlbany, Silver has taken the lead in building nanotechnology development.

[Resident and Taxpayer]

WOW, thanks Joel, finally some real discussion on the topic. Even though it’s too late, Corinth may get some potentially intelligent debate going. I’m against large scale waste importation in the middle of existing residential areas. Waste processing in the middle of a community without municipal necessity is bad. Corinth does not need “waste processing” for Corinth. You’re right, the Philmet agreement would prevent MSW as well as C&D but falls short on industrial waste. The Philmet agreement should end right there and the rest should all be driven by the zoning laws. Thus the agreement subverts zoning and has degraded the integrity of zoning law development. Remember, the agreements were due to eminent domain not since the “beginning”. Philmet clearly wants to do more than just refurbish an existing power plant or else there wouldn’t be a problem. They clearly want 24/7 large scale waste importation, thus the “bait and switch” comment. The hierarchy of waste is to reduce generation in the first place. Waste to energy plants inherently have a voracious appetite for waste feedstock thus counteracting waste generation reduction efforts, a paradox since waste is big business. Our country would be far ahead with waste to energy if we just did a couple of basic things: 1) Mandated buffer zone (miles) from existing residential areas. 2) Provide federal/state funded road/rail for feedstock delivery. Now, without zoning, a company can stick a plant right in the middle of residential areas. No wonder communities like Corinth tear themselves apart, go figure. The only thing “tearing” Corinth apart is NOT industry in general, but large scale waste importation. The right answer is to zone it out. Philmet says they are going to “refurbish” an existing power house to wood gasification. Sounds good, even a church needs a furnace. A “refurbished” power plant and Empire Zone benefits including Utility Rate Savings are great incentives yet Philmet wants even more. Just go “modify” the power plant and build the plastic plant. So what’s the problem? The real issue is how big of a gasification plant are they really talking about? The Philmet agreement doesn’t have a megawatt cap nor do we even know the gasification vendor nor its’ environmental compliance history yet the agreement makes the undefined gasification plant an “as of right” land use. How short sighted and absurd is that? How long do you think it will be before the wood “fuel source” gets changed to large scale 24/7 industrial waste? I have no doubt we will see the “switch” right out of the starting gate. Philmet “slips in” under the moratorium as non-trash (Adirondack tree feedstock) and the people of this community are too blind to even understand what just happened. Great opportunity exists for all kinds of industry including Philmet. Zoning that simply prohibits waste importation and processing, which is all that has ever been asked for by the way, would NOT change that fact. If one is OK with large scale 24/7 waste importation right into the middle of a village then sign the Philmet agreement and that’s exactly what one will get make no mistake about it. P.S.- the real hard thing is keeping these comments under 4000 characters!:-)

[Resident and Taxpayer]

Former resident Radcliff, KY ?????????? so what is your bottom line "point" of your news article copy?

[Resident and Taxpayer]

It's too bad that whoever started this forum spelled Corinth WRONG.

[Former resident]

I escaped NYS.

Resident and Taxpayer wrote:

Former resident Radcliff, KY ?????????? so what is your bottom line "point" of your news article copy?