Putnam Valley

Debate over historical Peekskill Hollow Road as it winds from Putnam Valley into Kent is far from over.

The Legislature’s Physical Services Committee was inundated with residents of the two communities Tuesday evening when Peekskill Hollow Road infrastructure was discussed for more than 90 minutes.

County Executive Robert Bondi replied to the legislature’s original resolution urging that the entire road undergo renovation to eliminate many of the dangerous curves while at the same time widening the county artery.

Legislator Sam Oliverio who represents constituents in Putnam Valley called on his colleagues to “guard against this by creating an historic road district disallowing any alteration from its original state. This is the only way the residents will be assured of its preservation.”

Legislator Vincent Tamagna of Cold Spring who chairs the Physical Services Committee asked if the county could reopen the SEQRA process. Two years ago the lawmakers approved a resolution when declaring themselves as the lead agency in the improvement project indicating that no environmental impact existed with the original plan. Since that time the public has expressed alarm with the county’s plans.

Tamagna asked Deputy County Attorney Andrew Negro if the county could rescind its negative declaration and start the process from scratch.

Negro explained research has shown when a municipality decides to “rereview a SEQRA determination once a negative declaration has been issued, time constraints exist. In addition since the county has been awarded funding for the project from federal and state lawmakers, the municipality is foreclosed from re-opening the review.”

Tamagna stressed that Phase II and Phase III of the original project were “dead issues and were abandoned. Phase I is still up in the air. While Mr. Bondi wants the road to be realigned in several locations, engineers will be invited to our next meeting in October who will explain alternates to the ‘hot areas’--bridge failures, drainage issues and the like. Money is tight in Putnam County. There is no reason to force a project down the throats of people who don’t want it. Necessary improvements and the protection of the character of communities are a must in order that Peekskill Hollow Road is preserved once and for all.”

–Eric Gross