PINE PLAINS — At the Pine Plains Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, May 10, the Carson Power solar project proposed for 454 Bean River Road made significant headway. The board also considered an application for the expansion of the Pine Plains Stewart’s Shops location, and scrutinized the proposed cannabis manufacturing project.
Carson Power representative Andrew Gordon and Matthew Allen of Saratoga Associates gave a presentation of a number of items requested from the board. Included among them was a proposal to convert the forests set to be felled by the project into 57,000 board feet of lumber, the estimated $11,000 value of which would go directly to the town. This would avoid a requirement to pursue a timber permit.
Allen also gave a detailed visual presentation of the viewshed impact that the proposed project would have on homeowners in the region, and used comprehensive 3D modeling to present the board with a realistic portrait of what the solar panels would look like from 13 different locations throughout the area.
The board indicated that the presentation had gone a long way to provide the full range of information the members need to make their State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) evaluation, which will either send the proposal to the town board, or further delay the application.
Having received a determination from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that the proposed project would have “no impact” on box turtle and Northern long-eared bat populations, all that remains for Carson Power and the planning board is to receive word from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on habitat impact.
According to Frank Fish, a consultant to the Board from BFJ Planners, pending that information and the creation of an application appendix that includes Allen’s visual presentation, “the record is nearly complete” on the application. The board will hold a final public hearing for the project on Saturday, June 10, at 10:30 a.m. at the Pine Plains Free Library. 7775 S. Main St.
A long and heated discussion of the CEEN Properties change of use application ensued, which would see the former dairy barn at 2775 Church St. used, in part, for dry goods cannabis manufacturing. A prolonged back-and-forth between the board, town attorney Warren Replansky and Wesley Chase, who was representing the applicants, revolved around the incomplete state of the application, the confusing approval process from the nascent Office of Cannabis Management, and the convoluted nature of the ownership of the involved businesses.
A public hearing was set for the project on Wednesday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Pine Plains Town Hall, 3284 Route 199.
The board also granted a request from the Stissing Center (TSC) to extend the use of a temporary roof the building has in place while it prepares for renovations. Executive Director Brett Bernardini and Doug Larson, lead architect on the TSC’s renovations and director of architecture and design at Larson Architecture Works, provided a comprehensive site plan update for the renovations, which the board approved in 2016, and received updates on in 2018 and 2022.
The project is set to begin in September or October, and will take an estimated nine to 12 months to complete (see the “Stissing Center renovation in the works” from the March 30 edition of the Millerton News for more details).
As the last item of business, the board began consideration of an application from Stewart’s Shops for the proposed construction of a 4,000 square-foot store at the current Pine Plains Stewart’s location. Stewart’s was granted a setback variance for the project from the town’s zoning board of appeals on April 24, though the official resolution has not yet been accepted.
At the request of the board, Stewart’s will provide the board with the alternative site plans it developed that would comply with Pine Plains’ 2019 Comprehensive Plan. Planning board Chairman Michael Stabile made note of the fact that Stewart’s had received approval for purchase of additional land from the planning board last year under the explicit understanding that it had no plans to expand its store.
Stabile indicated that if Stewart’s had been more upfront with its plans, the board might have been able to advise the company more thoroughly.
Additional updates and discussion of the Stewart’s expansion will occur at the board’s next meeting on Wednesday, June 21.
"They had this in mind from last year," girls varsity head coach Les Funk of Pine Plains said. Funk said the young team wanted the sectional title and "never gave up," until they won it Wednesday, March 5, at Mount Saint Mary College.Photo by Nathan Miller
Naveah Rennie, no 34 of Pine Plains, was the Bombers' dominant scorer, racking up 20 points by the end of the matchup against S.S. Seward Institute during the Section IX Class C finals at Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday, March 5.Photo by Nathan Miller
Lent: Time to consider social gospel movement
We are entering the annual Christian season of Lent this week.With its 40 days of contemplation and “little Easter” Sundays, it is a time to remember the healing ministry and the sacrifice of Jesus.During this season, we are invited to think deeply about our role as agents of grace and love in our hurting world.
There is a long history of making sacrifices and commitments for Lent, modeling our discipleship and hopes for a more heavenly world. It is through this lens that I invite you to join us in considering what gifts and services the community needs that we can commit to bringing forth in the weeks leading up to Easter.While many lean into solitary introspection during Lent, it may be particularly advantageous to use our meditations and sacrifices for the greater good this year.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, advised his followers centuries ago that “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness but social holiness. Faith working by love is the length and depth and breadth and height of Christian perfection.”These words are connected to the firm belief of Wesley that a Methodist was fundamentally one who loved God with all their heart, mind, strength, and soul, along with loving one’s neighbor as oneself.He believed that being in love with God naturally also required loving other people, as every person was a beloved soul coming from the same source of life that we are.
Consequently, Wesley stood against slavery long before it was a popular view, prioritized caring for those who were poor and imprisoned, and made a point to do good to as many as he could for as long as he was physically able.
Indeed, the Methodists are not the only Christians who believe such things.These thoughts are primary messages of the Christian faith.In more recent history, we can note that during the time of the Golden Age, at the end of the late 19th century, the Christians mobilized to counteract the abject poverty, child labor, dangerous working conditions, and lack of education of the time.Famous theologians such as Washington Gladden, Walter Rauschenbusch, and W.E.B. DuBois began the Social Gospel movement, enacting with new verve the passion of Christ that empowers the community toward building the Kingdom of God.As Christians, they believed in uplifting the downtrodden and creating a community where all had a chance to thrive.Child labor laws were enacted, better working conditions were secured, Sunday School helped provide education, settlement houses were created, and the Salvation Army was born.
The social gospel movement continued in another wave of reforms and empowerment through the Civil Rights era.Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his intellect, energy, and life to help secure the reforms that enabled persons of color to vote, go to non-segregated schools, and have the right to share public spaces without discrimination.Like Christ, he paid the ultimate price for his prophetic vision.However, his impact on our society was formidable, lasting far beyond his short lifetime.
As Christians, it is very clear what to do in times of hardship, crisis, or challenge.Throughout the centuries, our call has been to help heal the world, doing whatever we can to uplift and transform loneliness into community, reminding each one how precious they are and how important it is to unite for the sake of the whole.Individually, the challenges can be overwhelming, even too much to bear.Collectively, we can do all things through the One who strengthens us.As they say, “We have the receipts!” We can do it again.
This Lent, let us give up our pessimism and fear, replacing it with a commitment to community and hope.Yes, things can seem dreadful, but our souls are not served by allowing ourselves to descend into the dark.We are keepers of the light.Let us do all within our power to create brightness so that its warmth may strengthen all as we live into the Social Gospel movement for our time.Chin up, friends, we can do this.We simply must be willing to get serious about doing it together.
Rev. Dr. Anna Crews Camphouse is pastor of Canaan, Lakeville, Millerton, and Sharon United Methodist Churches
Lead Pastor of the Northwestern Hills Cooperative
Parish UMC