Referred to:  The Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning and Transit Committee (Chairman Hector S. Rodriguez and Legislators Archer, Delaune, Maio, James Maloney, Joseph Maloney, and Woltman), The Public Works and Capital Projects Committee (Chairwoman Petit and Legislators Fabiano, Greene, Litts, and Nolan), and The Energy and Environment Committee (Chairwoman Greene and Legislators Eckert, Heppner, Wawro, and Woltman)

Chairman of the Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning, and Transit Committee, Hector S. Rodriguez, and Deputy Chair Brian Woltman offer the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted by the Acting County Executive on behalf of the Department of Planning; and 

 WHEREAS, the approved 2019-2024 Capital Improvement Program includes a project entitled “Fire Training Center” in the amount of $4,551,000.00 for the construction of a fire training center; and  

 WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. 379 dated August 16, 2016, the County established Capital Project No. 483, which provided funding in the amount of $152,000.00 for the site alternative analysis, concept plans, and necessary environmental work for the fire training center, and declared the County’s intent to serve as lead agency pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 617.6(b) (3) of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”); and 

 WHEREAS, the County has completed an alternative site analysis for the location of the fire training centers to include sites at SUNY Ulster in the Town of Marbletown and at 250 Ulster Landing Road in the Town of Ulster; and  

WHEREAS, the County pursuant to Resolution No. 392 dated October 16, 2018 increased funding for Capital Project No. 483 to complete final design of a Fire Training Center in the Town of Ulster located at 250 Ulster Landing Road; and  

WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. 395 of October 16, 2018, the County upon completion of its preliminary design work at 250 Ulster Landing Road in coordination with the Town of Ulster executed an Easement and a Memorandum of Agreement to allow the construction of the Fire Training Center at this location finding as part of a segmented review under SEQRA that such action would not have an adverse impact on the environment; and  

WHEREAS, the progress of the final design work is such that the County has all of the relevant environmental information required to determine the likely and probable impacts on the environment associated with the construction of a Fire Training Center (the “Project”)  to be located at 250 Ulster Landing Road including,  but not limited to, location of all proposed project elements, areas of disturbance, wetland delineation, water and septic system adequacy, traffic data, endangered species coordination, historic and archeological resources, and land use  and community character; and 

WHEREAS, Ulster County has examined the proposed action consisting of the construction of the Project and in consideration of this action being a lawful segmented review pursuant to the SEQRA Regulations at 6 NYCRR Part 617.3(g)(1) and prepared the Environmental Record as now on file with the Clerk of the Legislature; and 

WHEREAS, as part of the Project approval process, the County has completed an expanded Environmental Evaluation of Impacts and Negative Declaration that includes an analysis of impacts to historic and archeological sites, wetlands and water bodies, threatened or endangered species, traffic, community character, and other environmental considerations as required under 6 NYCRR Part 617 of the Regulations of Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law of New York State (“SEQRA”); and 

WHEREAS, pursuant SEQRA, the County Legislature has considered the significance of the potential environmental impacts of the Project by (a) using the criteria specified in Section 617.7 of the Regulations, and (b) examining the EAF for the Project, including the facts and conclusions in Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the EAF, together with other available supporting information, to identify the relevant areas of environmental concern, and (c) thoroughly analyzing the areas of relevant environmental concern; and 

WHEREAS, such evaluation of impacts and negative declaration has been filed with the Clerk of the Legislature and made available to members of the Legislature; and 

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature has reviewed the Environmental Record prepared for the project including the project plans as currently on file with the Clerk of the Legislature; and   

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature has addressed all SEQRA issues as identified, considered and examined by the Involved and Interested Agencies and members of the public in conducting the environmental review; now, therefore, be it   

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature hereby determines that the Project will not have a significant adverse environmental impact, will not require the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement with respect to the Project, and has made a determination of non-significance under SEQRA (“Negative Declaration”), a copy of which is annexed to this Resolution and made a part hereof; and be it further  

 RESOLVED, that the adoption of the Negative Declaration shall constitute the SEQRA Decision of approval for the construction of the Project as therein defined and all the actions associated with such project including the construction of a burn building, fire safety training props, improvements to existing buildings, reconstruction, and improvements to parking areas and roadways, together with all plans and documents associated therewith,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                          NOES:    

Passed Committee: Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning and Transit on ______________.

Passed Committee: Public Works and Capital Projects on __________________.

Passed Committee: Energy and Environment on __________________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE