City Plans More Destruction of the
Pine Bush

At the January CANA (Capital Area Neighborhood Association) meeting, Jerry Jennings announced that, unless the City of Albany gets its landfill approved in Coeymans, it will look for another landfill expansion at the current landfill site, into the former Fox Run Mobile Home Park. As a requirement by the Department of Environmental Conservation for the permit for the last landfill expansion, the City of Albany purchased and agreed to add the former Fox Run Mobile Home Park to the Preserve. The City bought the property in August of 2000 for $3.2 million.

As far as SPB can determine, the mobile home park is a 60 acre site. The trailers were on 20 acres, and 40 acres are undeveloped. The 40 acres have already been dedicated to the Preserve, but the remaining 20 have not been. The City should do the right thing, dedicate the 20 acres to the Preserve, and look for other ways to deal with the garbage problem, rather than landfilling. Of course it all comes down to money - 10% of the City’s revenue comes from the landfill.

Another proposal on the Karner Blue migration route

The Albany Planning Board plans to review a 14.8 acre proposal for an expansion of Daughter’s of Sarah Nursing Home at its March 13, 9:00 am meeting. This land is adjacent to the Avila House site, and is an important potential Karner Blue migration route. Building on this site will destroy any possibility of Karner Blues being able to re-populate the Blueberry Hill site by migration from the Crossgates Maul site and down the power lines. Write to the Albany Planning Board to express your outrage that they would even consider allowing development here: Albany City Planning Board, 21 Lodge Street, Albany, NY 12210.