Propane delivery truck dispute continues in Pine Plains

PINE PLAINS — A dispute between neighboring property owners at 2775 Church St. over equipment storage, drainage and driveway conditions continued before the Pine Plains Planning Board last week.

CEEN Properties owns the industrial lot behind Gallatin Barn Creations. Crown Energy employees use the CEEN property to store propane delivery trucks and reach the lot through a driveway easement across Gallatin’s property.

Gallatin’s owners contend that the trucks have damaged the driveway and have asked CEEN to widen and pave it. They also say activity at the CEEN property has caused drainage problems and want the company to develop a solution.

The type of equipment stored on the property is another point of contention. CEEN’s original site approval allowed the lot to be used for seasonal storage of boats and campers, not commercial delivery trucks transporting propane.

At last week’s meeting, the Planning Board again asked CEEN representative Wesley Chase to submit an amended application that includes the storage of propane delivery trucks and addresses potential environmental and safety hazards.

Chase said an engineer is preparing a site plan addressing erosion concerns and that a revised application will follow.

“I am not trying to slow roll the application,” Chase said. “I’m trying to be very thoughtful in all of the issues that I bring to the board, and come with a final resolution that takes all these things into account.”

Despite the dispute, representatives for both property owners said they were moving toward a resolution.

“I’m confident there’s going to be an agreement that materializes,” Chase said.

Planning Board Chair Michael Stabile emphasized the need for a timely resolution, noting that CEEN is responsible for costs incurred when the board consults professional advisers during the application process.

“The law says we will recoup all costs incurred by the board for applicants. We have to consult professionals, and it adds up,” Stabile said. “You’ve been on the agenda a couple of times … technically, [CEEN] should not have been able to open the equipment storage at all, because the original conditions of the application were not met.”

Timber Harvest Moves Closer to Approval

A proposed timber harvest at 3228 Route 199 moved closer to approval after the Planning Board closed a public hearing on the application. The town attorney will review the plan before the board considers a special-use permit next month.

The proposal calls for harvesting 426 trees across 42 acres of the 78.76-acre property. The property has been enrolled in the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s 480-a Forest Tax Law program and managed by a professional forester since 1988. It was last harvested in 2008.

Existing skid trails from the previous harvest would be reused, eliminating the need to build new trails. The DEC identified no rare, threatened or endangered species on the property.

Christopher Prentiss, the forester overseeing the project, said he hopes to complete the harvest this fall. Operating hours would be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, although work would stop at dark.

Stabile said the board appeared inclined to approve the application, provided no unforeseen issues arise.

Five-acre subdivision proposed on Skunks Misery Road

The owners of the approximately 160-acre property known as the Malarchuk Lands at 299 Skunks Misery Road are seeking approval to subdivide a five-acre parcel containing the property’s original house. The house is occupied by a member of the owners’ family.

“It’s just taking five acres out of 160,” Chase, the project representative, told the Planning Board.

The board scheduled a public hearing on the proposed subdivision for Oct. 14.