An Open Letter to Supervisor Becker on Cortlandt Quarry Property

January 18, 2022 Examiner Media

Dr. Becker, I hope this letter finds you in good health. My family has been very fortunate so far and I hope the same for you.

I have some questions regarding the proposed Cortlandt Quarry Park property in Verplanck.

One: A 2014 press release stated that the property has been bought for town residents’ recreation and to move the town garage to the property. The same press release also stated that the Public Service Commission approved the sale for community use. Are they aware of these three new proposals?

Two: Being that the Hendrick Hudson School District is going to lose millions of dollars in tax revenue, shouldn’t school district residents have a say in what happens on the property? I’m asking since the Lakeland and Croton-Harmon school districts are the ones mainly having a say in this project. So why isn’t Hendrick Hudson involved?

Three: Can you provide example of another project the Town of Cortlandt has pursued in which millions of dollars have been used to subsidize private industries? If so, how were those projects pursued and how have they benefitted the community?

Four: Will the advisory committee be able to see an estimate on the annual cost for upkeep and infrastructure of this development? I believe it goes without saying that we have a right to know.

Five: One proposal for the quarry property was to make it into a town pool. Would it be possible to give an estimated cost of liability insurance for the residents?

Six: Are you aware of how much commercial real estate is vacant in the Town of Cortlandt? It seems like you’re putting all of your eggs into one risky basket, in the sense that there are clearly better options in other areas. Why here?

Seven: What is the average amount of time that a commercial property is vacant in the Town of Cortlandt?

Eight: At the last meeting, Martin Russo, the representative of the project Cortlandt Pitch, stated that it would cost him $12 million to $14 million to build his state-of-the-art facility. In previous meetings, we were told it would be $40 million to $50 million to build a town garage. Why is there such an enormous cost difference? Mr. Russo also stated that he would plant trees and shrubs to hide his facility. Why couldn’t the same also be done for different proposals?

As you are well aware, I believe that the proposals given out so far have no benefit to town residents and will create problematic issues.

I still stand by my desire to have a recreational center with solar panels to be used in that area. Furthermore, I believe that the proper use of that land could benefit the community, and my proposal is the only one that I can see outdoing any others you have brought to me and the committee’s attention thus far.

If you have a proposal that you could bring to our attention that helps our community, please let us know.

Thank you for your time.

Christopher Vargo
Cortlandt