[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6268641,"mediaKeyId","3050313-be1647b0f2c6f1c6589a8cb8a936e813","parentId",3050313,"title","Public speakers urge county to block Wawarsing landfill; legislature refers resolution back to committee, 12-10","audioSeconds",2249,"startMs",2275000,"endMs",4524000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3050313-be1647b0f2c6f1c6589a8cb8a936e813&start=2275&end=4524","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3050313-be1647b0f2c6f1c6589a8cb8a936e813/thumbnail_2275000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6268641/Ulster-County/New-York/Public-speakers-urge-county-to-block-Wawarsing-landfill-legislature-refers-resolution-back-to-committee-12-10","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6268641-73a10f0cecbbd4bde3eea71dffdf8e83/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432566&Signature=UFmKPzFmsnsqvLV6C2n6E-FoBEUyOwEG9BJgwt2QuEkWTPgryH~zR2ijx9E4cmxdTNzZNIlF~PDvaqCctwew2e51civHZ1J0ZRyoy4JOIY~k~n5zBAUtRZ5rM78jvQ0OLVOVmiVb~bEDJwgV~ylLf1m0EcPPKB87qPPszzCNvbXVL8fEdI-gov0FuepaGyYycD4kpQ9fh-saIP8QqyMC-UnR8ZnQMs59R-QJvFbjJ19tD12WLFiI9hW~Q-cb1j0jxPxbjRozM0tFq0HotJ0Z15n-xGDW99jGja4RB7tyhhoeYah0W86cKlLkyzdLXf0aOTe62ilAtIbSwZ3U5KKr~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ulster County Legislature","date","2025-04-16T00:00:00Z","article","Hundreds of residents and property owners urged the Ulster County Legislature on April 15 to oppose any landfill sited near Wawarsing and to press the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency to pursue zero-waste and alternative technologies.

Public comment was dominated by speakers who described wells that supply household water, concern about odors and property values, and long-term health and environmental justice risks. Reuben Bouchard of Greenfield Park told the legislature, \"no to the dump in Worsing,\" and called for \"experts with other ideas, implementing new technology.\" Lauren Salvey, who said her home is “more or less right in between the Milk Road and Brown Road sites,” urged legislators to follow Sullivan County’s bipartisan condemnation earlier in the year and \"do the right thing and pass this resolution.\" Kenneth Cook, identifying himself as \"a member of the Onondaga Nation from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,\" warned of the cultural and environmental stakes, saying \"We took care of [these lands] for 12,000 years.\" Several other speakers — including farmers, homeowners and representatives of local 0-waste efforts — said they fear groundwater contamination, losing homes and community identity.

The public comment period also included testimony from James (Jim) Gordon, who identified himself as chairman of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA). Gordon asked the legislature not to short-circuit the process and described UCRRA’s activities as following the county’s solid-waste planning process. He said the agency is issuing requests for proposals (RFPs) both to identify alternative technologies and to study additional potential landfill sites and that \"a landfill would be the final step in a system that prioritizes avoidance, waste diversion, reuse, recycling, and composting.\" Gordon also said siting a landfill, if required, typically takes a decade.

After public comment, Legislator Dawn Nolan moved to refer Resolution 33 — a measure titled \"Opposing the establishment of a county landfill in Wawarsing, New York, and urging the exploration of alternative locations and waste management solutions\" — to the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee for further evaluation. Legislator Green seconded the referral. The motion drew extended debate on the floor. Some legislators, including Minority Leader Roberts and Legislator Maloney, urged an immediate vote in support of the resolution to give Wawarsing residents certainty; others, including Nolan and Green, argued the referral would allow the body to develop a countywide approach rather than opposing a single site.

The legislature voted to refer Resolution 33 to committee. The clerk recorded the outcome as \"adopted 12 to 10.\" The referral means the committee will review the measure and related technical work before returning a recommendation to the full body.

Key factual clarifications recorded on the record during public comment and committee debate included:
- Several residents said that the proposed Wawarsing locations would rely on private wells and expressed concern that groundwater contamination could affect drinking water. Residents also described local economic activity and new businesses they said would be harmed by a landfill.
- Speakers used alternate spellings for the county agency and the proposed town (transcript shows \"ACRA,\" \"Accra,\" \"UCRA,\" and variants for Wawarsing); the county agency responsible for solid-waste planning and operations is the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA). Residents said they were concerned that UCRRA has asked for authority to self-bond and that testing at some sites could begin as early as June.
- The Ulster County report of a legislative committee (delivered Aug. 1, year not specified in the meeting record) and the county's Solid Waste Management Plan (passed by the legislature in 2020) were cited by UCRRA’s chairman as the documents guiding the agency’s process.

Other votes and appointments recorded during the session (summary):
- Resolution 81, confirming an appointment to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency: adopted 22 to 0.
- Several other related motions on UCRRA reappointment and governance were discussed at length; committee members and multiple legislators called for a more transparent appointment process and stronger oversight of the agency. (See the meeting \"Votes at a glance\" section below for a compact list of additional outcomes recorded on the meeting minutes.)

What the referral means: The Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee now has the request to examine the technical work done to date, review alternative locations and technologies, and return recommendations to the full legislature. Residents who testified asked the committee to prioritize groundwater testing, require independent technical review, and consider zero-waste and diversion-focused alternatives instead of landfill capacity.

Next steps raised on the record included requests for additional funding and timetable clarifications for testing and for proponents of zero-waste approaches to respond to UCRRA’s RFP process.

Votes at a glance (select items recorded in the meeting minutes):
- Resolution 33 (referal to Energy, Environment & Sustainability Committee): Motioned by Legislator Dawn Nolan; seconded by Legislator Green; outcome: referral adopted 12–10.
- Resolution 81 (confirming appointment to Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency): outcome adopted 22–0.
- Resolution 85 (contract with Solar Liberty Energy Systems, Inc., $1,427,490.29 – Planning & Public Works): adopted 21–1 (one abstention initially recorded then withdrawn; final recorded 21–1 in the minutes).
- Multiple bond and capital resolutions (including government operations center bonds and SUNY Ulster roof reconstruction) were adopted later in the meeting; these votes were recorded in the official minutes (see clerk's record for full tallies).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ulster County April 15, 2025 Legislative Session","oneSentenceSummary","Public commenters urged the Ulster County Legislature on April 15 to oppose siting a county landfill in Wawarsing, citing groundwater, property values and environmental justice concerns; after extended debate the legislature voted 12–10 to refer Resolution 33 to the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee for further study.","taxTitle","Ulster County, New York","taxId",14535,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6268647,"Consultants present final Ulster County arts and culture plan, estimate $814 million annual economic impact",1290,939000,2229000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3050313-be1647b0f2c6f1c6589a8cb8a936e813&start=939&end=2229","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3050313-be1647b0f2c6f1c6589a8cb8a936e813/thumbnail_939000.jpg","/articles/6268647/Ulster-County/New-York/Consultants-present-final-Ulster-County-arts-and-culture-plan-estimate-814-million-annual-economic-impact","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6268647-334d800ff6d547ca4b92a0395260e2b3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432566&Signature=VOdSsFC2vwTIRK~Uy7oH5daqzzB1DvIB4mkvOfQev-Bi7~-CdP8W~shNiM1goM525M7Mymp~b4V4crI0mtUzx3V~IlJxTKf50~VhOITr5Ard55C5zCvkxHtKYQ-gsPEfZQZifaRkzvnpC5d4SjF00sxYotOV0OsWQ0t2f4Xmk80sCUABg~CzfKy~acRQlojRdfNUaDIFXQvm92TYgOMUfBjiZPMvEjcYJH5McGaxAe4nryZLqGc1lfVCN8ZIjHtmmEkF9NwHfkzbSiSFfgzWcOSTsiYMNhVTiTOHvoSRqR4gEmlkAQhDqEaUm18uaUDPM3wnEjkzXdH7G-de4PFNVQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lorde Cultural Services and John Stover & Associates presented the final Ulster County Arts & Culture Plan to the Ulster County Legislature on April 15, summarizing a year-long process of public engagement and an economic impact analysis that the consultants said shows arts and culture are a measurable engine for local economic activity.

The consultants described the plan as focused on four priorities—investment and advocacy; mobilization of networks; infrastructure growth (including affordability and transportation); and education and workforce development—each with specific “action plan” items staff could use to implement projects. \"This plan is really supporting this new position, director of arts and culture and parks and open spaces,\" Eve Morris Ortega, director and project lead at Lorde Cultural Services, told the legislature.

John Stover & Associates presented the plan’s economic analysis. Aaron (last name not provided), the firm’s economist on the project, said the county’s cultural establishments directly employ more than 2,000 people and attract visitor spending “just under $200,000,000 annually.” He testified that, after accounting for indirect and induced effects, the study estimates an $814,000,000 annual output impact, supporting roughly 3,500 jobs and generating about $16,400,000 per year in combined property, sales and hotel tax revenue attributable to cultural activity.

Consultants described a broad public-engagement phase that included town halls, stakeholder interviews and more than 1,300 “community touch points.” Miguel Espinal, a member of the Lorde project team, said the planning process produced a State of Culture report identifying strengths (a large local talent pool and natural amenities) and gaps (funding, marketing coordination, public-art policy and geographic connectivity). \"We had almost 1,400 community touch points that inform this plan,\" Espinal said.

The plan lists a set of action items with approximate costs, time frames, and lead implementers. Examples delivered during the presentation included: exploring cultural districts and creative business zones, establishing an Ulster County arts and culture advisory commission, piloting material-exchange and creative-space programs, expanding arts education and internship pipelines with Ulster BOCES, and exploring financing strategies for public art and affordable studio space.

County leaders praised the outreach and the plan’s practicality. The presentation materials and the full plan were announced as publicly available the day after the meeting and the consultants said the county would host an April 22 public launch with watch parties. The consultants repeatedly framed the plan as a tool for using arts and culture to support economic development, education and community identity.

The consultants and county staff emphasized that the plan is a roadmap, not a final budget or ordinance. The plan's action section lists who would lead or partner on each item and includes order-of-magnitude costs; the presentation did not commit county funds but presenters and legislators noted the plan is intended to inform future budget and grant decisions.

County Executive Jen Metzger and the legislature were thanked during the presentation. \"This plan is now yours,\" Eve Morris Ortega said. \"We're so grateful to have been able to work on this with you.\"","Lorde Cultural Services and John Stover & Associates presented a final arts and culture plan to the Ulster County Legislature on April 15, outlining four priorities—investment, mobilization, infrastructure growth and education—and estimating an $814 million annual economic impact tied to arts and culture in the county.","actionData","errors"]

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Public speakers urge county to block Wawarsing landfill; legislature refers resolution back to committee, 12-10

Consultants present final Ulster County arts and culture plan, estimate $814 million annual economic impact