Can I get more information on what's going on this Saturday and what Camp Foster is? Is there a big green where we can show up, rain or shine, with signs if not input? A suggestion was floated about including our kids if possible. How does that sound? If there is enough interest, I'd be happy to host a sign-making potluck at my house on Friday (before or after Depot Docs?).
Best, Dar

It's a good idea to show up, because they need to know that people are concerned and that they are paying attention. I believe Camp Foster is a park, but I haven't been there. Chances are there will be no opportunity for the public to speak, and perhaps there may not even be anything on the agenda relating to Highland Valley, but if you have a look at the agenda ( at http://bit.ly/d6ywu3 ) you'll see that they don't really break it out much in terms of what they plan to discuss. Directions below.

Here's the info from the philipstownfacts.com site:

Fishkill Town Board Meeting – Saturday, June 19th, 10am at Camp Foster.
The agenda for this meeting is at http://philipstownfacts.com/wp-content/ ... Agenda.pdf. Please note that this meeting is NOT at the Town Hall, but at Camp Foster. This meeting will be an important one to attend.

Directions to Camp Foster:
Take 9D north of I84 for about 2 miles. Pass Dutchess Stadium and on the left is Castle Point Rd. Make a left onto Castle Point Rd and Camp Foster is about 300 yards on the left hand side.

Here's the link to the informational email: haldane-pta-list-t54.html

How was the meeting? Was there a good turnout from our camp? Did the board address our concerns at all?

There were 25-30 people there, about 15+ from Philipstown. This would be considered a big turnout if it were Philipstown. The Highland Valley project was not on the agenda, but the attorney for the developer, Kenneth Stenger, was asked by the Supervisor to speak about the project, and he said that the developer was revising the application. I have a little snippet of video of him speaking (having a little trouble with the learning curve on my video camera - mortifying) which I'll try to post here in the video section. Town of Fishkill has a peculiar process, wherein the public speaks about agenda items at the beginning of the meeting before the Board discusses them. So there's no way for the public to respond to what the Board says. Odd.

It was surprisingly nice to be at a Town Board meeting in a park - Town of Fishkill takes the Board meetings on tour in the summer months. They had a small camp-style building (roof, floor, no windows or doors) and picnic tables, and it was a beautiful morning. Not sure I recommend it for our Town Board, but maybe if they borrowed the bandshell in Cold Spring and the gazebo at Garrison Landing some Saturday it would increase attendance. Don't know if Continental Village has a similar outdoor space, but that would round out the experience.

Thanks for that info kk. I'll look forward to seeing that video snippet.

I was at the press conference convened by Joel Tyner Friday in the Fishkill Town Hall parking lot, as was a reporter from The PCNR, so I'm counting on coverage in this Wednesday's edition.

I was at the meeting for a short time with my kids. The development's lawyer spoke with Seamus Carroll at length about the kinds of modifications the developers were looking into (and Seamus shared them with me and others):
1. Building up the land so that the development is farther above the aquifer.
2. Looking into making part of the development senior housing to reduce the number of children coming to Haldane.
The lawyer also mentioned that at present, there are mining rights that would allow the present company to drill right down to the aquifer, so really, this development would be a step up from the present situation.
Just as I was about to lament this lose-lose situation, my Philipstown friends brought me up to speed on how this is often part of the developers' playbooks: make the new (development) seem like a preferable option to the status quo of mining (apparently this scenario played out recently here in Philipstown).
Given the Huffington Post article that was circulating about this, I hope we can get to the root of this issue: protecting one of the last clean water sources in the area, one that actually helps to make the more polluted sources of water more potable, if the HP article is correct. No jam-packed development or mining operation will help that.
Also, the traffic issue is a real one.
And these problems are all besides the untenable influx of students, which, by the way, is regardless of socio-economic status, for all those who think this is a NIMBY issue about low-income kids in our school system. We must be clear with each other. It's not about income status. More than one person has expressed concerns that we are being classist here. Haldane is a very crowded place that already could use some more room--100+ kids in one year could really sink us (and *our* lower income tax payers), and this development, at first blush, is more about money (and sewage lines) than providing a truly decent living space for anyone.
Many thanks to all the members of Hudson Highlands Land Trust who showed up to put this all in a perspective they could share. And to Andrea, if she gets this, my son said of your sons, "Hey, those were boys I liked right away."
-- Dar

Who speaks for Haldane / Philipstown? Is there a designated representative at this time?

And has anyone, or any group, spoken directly with the property owner, rather than relying solely on its attorney for communications?

Because he is paid by Montfort and because he has demonstrated disregard for those who oppose his/his client's interests, Montfort's attorney is a dubious liasion where Haldane / Philipstown interests are concerned.

At the June 15, 2010 meeting, the Board of Education agreed to retain William P. Harrington of Bleakly Platt in White Plains to provide legal representation and protect the interests of the district in the proposed Highland Valley project. Haldane Board of Education news is reported on its PTA blog at http://haldanepta.blogspot.com/.