The Town of Tuxedo continues to grapple with the massive mulch pile on town land along Long Meadow Road in Sterling Forest Park. Operated by local landscape and tree service company Perfect Cut, the mulch site is being probed and tested by environmental organizations, contracted consultants, concerned citizens, and Department of Environmental Commission (DEC) scientists. The flash point of concern was the recent mid-March fish die-off at Four Corners Pond. During the town’s recent April 9 Town Board meeting, a large contingent of concerned citizens showed up to ask questions about the Perfect Cut operation, with the mood at the meeting growing testy at times.

The board meeting was held at the unusual time of 9 a.m. instead of the regularly scheduled time of 7:30 p.m. and covered nearly everything related to the town’s relationship with the mulch pile, from taxes and revenue to water testing and business relationships.

The Tuxedo board reported that the town consultant from Land Use of Medford had met with NY Department of Environmental Conservation Regional Director William Janeway, along with eight other DEC employees, on March 29th at DEC regional offices in New Paltz.

As reported by TPFYI, the DEC’s conclusion regarding the mulch operation, and its part in the possible contamination of adjacent wetland and waterways, was essentially inconclusive. Town Supervisor Peter Dolan repeatedly said the town had to wait for further test results and stated emphatically that according to the DEC, “there is no connectivity from that area to the water that goes into Tuxedo Lake.”

When one Tuxedo resident, Jim Hays, requested the DEC water testing results, he was told that the “DEC was keeping the results to themselves until they had figured out what was happening.”

Supervisor Dolan was repeatedly pressed by questions related to the town’s “cozy” relationship with Perfect Cut, which eventually led to an exchange between resident Jake Matthews and the supervisor. When Matthews pressed the board whether the town would seek to immediately reduce the size of the mulch pile, Dolan said the board was in the process of discovery and that the town could only act when all available information was gathered.

Matthews pressed Dolan further, asking,“even when the Townspeople want it reduced?”

At that point the supervisor got heated and responded sharply, “don’t say the Townspeople! The same 30 people show up here and are against this thing. I talk to a lot of people and the Townspeople say to me, ‘Peter, don’t listen to them! Don’t cave in to these crazies!”

Matthews then asked the supervisor why those people were not at the town meeting, to which Dolan replied: “They are working, they’re busy doing other things.”

The Perfect Cut mulch site has received numerous consent orders from the DEC, stretching from March 2007, Feb. 2008, March 2010, Oct. 2010, October 2011, and ending with a fish kill in March 2012. Supervisor Dolan said that the town could fight the DEC consent orders, and win, but that the town sought to work with the DEC. All fines related to the site reportedly have been paid.

Supervisor Dolan and the Tuxedo Board stated that the mulch operation would continue to be a source of board concern and, as the board received updated information, would continue to appear on board agendas.

On Saturday, April 7, a contingent from the town and concerned citizens that included Supervisor Dolan and Councilman Clifford Loncar, Jim Hays, Sue Scher, Torne Valley Preservation Association and the Rampo Highlands Coalition member Patsy Wooters, and Ramapo River Watershed Keeper and Ramapo River Committee member Geoff Welch inspected the mulch operation site.

Source: TPFYI.

Photo Source: Geoff Welch. For further photo documentation of the visit, go here.

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