Hi Neighbors,
I'm posting this for my friend Andy Simon.

There is a Public Hearing to be held by VT Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on Monday, October 17, 6-7 PM, at the DPW Conference Room, 645 Pine Street. There will hopefully be a way to participate remotely via Zoom, but this has not been confirmed yet by DEC.

The Hearing is about a project proposed for a parcel of land on Pine Street known as 501 Pine Street Gatehouse. It's directly across from Jackson Terrace Apartments. This little (0.1 acre) parcel has been owned by VT Gas Systems since the 1966 closing of a highly-polluting coal gasification plant that operated there for 60 years .

Recently, it was sold to Kurt Schueler, a local investor, for his plan to open a seasonal drive-up food court. Here is an architect's rendering of the proposed food court project: https://tinyurl.com/96cze725.

The project has already received its city permits and was quickly greenlighted in June by the city's Development Review Board, despite several residents' strenuous objections .

The only obstacle now standing in the way of construction is the requirement for an environmental Corrective Action Plan (CAP) approved by DEC and EPA since it's directly in the Barge Canal Superfund site. The draft CAP was written by a private consultant and cleared by regulators on August 22. Comment deadline was September 21.

Andy submitted comments on September 20 and requested a Public Hearing.

The rest of the 24-acre Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund site will, in the future, become publicly-owned conservation land*. It is currently home to hundreds of species of plants, animals and fungi. Does it really make any sense to cut down all the trees and pave over one parcel of it for a private business that may or may not last more than a year or two?

If you would like to discuss the serious questions that people have raised about the environmental impact of this project, unresolved traffic issues and the failure to consider any real remediation of toxins on this part of the Superfund site please contact Andy Simon: sanschagrins@gmail.com

Also please consider attending the Hearing on October 17.

*This does not include the 4.3 acres outside of the Superfund boundaries where a bathhouse and bowling alley are being planned.

Event Info

Sep 19, 2024, 7:30 to 8:45 PM

Sep 21, 2024, 8 AM to 5 PM

Sep 24, 2024, 5 to 7 PM