WAWARSING – Residents can learn more about the proposed redevelopment of the Nevele at a public scoping session at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 18, at Wawarsing Town Hall in Ellenville. The meeting will outline the environmental impacts of the project and allow the public to ask questions and make comments about the Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) completed by the town last month. Written comments about the EAF will be accepted until Oct. 25. The 21-page EAF was finalized in late September.

The Wawarsing Town Board has declared itself "lead agency" in the environmental review process, and will be hosting other public meetings as the process goes on. In the EAF, the town answers several questions pertaining to potential impacts that the redevelopment will have on the environment. The town will take all comments, both at the meeting and in writing, into consideration when writing up the next step in the process.

The first part of the EAF gives the "lay of the land" and outlines the plans for the site and approvals required by certain agencies. The second and third parts of the EAF get to the nitty-gritty of the plans and how it will affect the area.

Given its size, the project will have a large impact: Roughly 176 acres of the 564 acres onsite will be developed, although most of the development will cover the footprint of existing buildings. The EAF lists impacts such as:

• Changes to the land at the project site;

• Effects on protected and non-protected water bodies, including drainage and changes to surface and/or groundwater;

• Threats to air quality or plants/animals;

• Changes to aesthetic views;

• Effects on open space, transportation and energy use;

• Noise and odor; and

• Effect on growth and character of the neighborhood.

The second part of the form asks for specifics on those impacts. According to the EAF filled out by the town, the Nevele redevelopment may have a significant impact, whether beneficial or not, on the environment and community; therefore, the town as lead agency has given the project a "positive declaration." If there were no such impacts predicted, there would have been a "negative" declaration.

Regarding water: The EAF says groundwater will be adversely affected; more than 1,100 gallons of petroleum or chemicals will be stored onsite; and drainage and surface water will be affected. Air quality is also expected to change, as more than 1,000 vehicle trips per hour are predicted once the Nevele is finished. Increased traffic and "public controversy" are additional impacts listed on the EAF.

But there is good news as well. Greater opportunities for recreation are predicted with the Nevele revitalization, as well as a boon to job creation in the area.

The EAF is the first step in a process that will thoroughly examine the Nevele project and what it will mean to the community and the environment. The third part of the form asks for a brief description of each impact, along with ways its severity could be mitigated. At the end of the form, it is noted that an Environmental Impact Statement would investigate the impacts in finer detail.

Copies of the EAF can be viewed at Wawarsing Town Hall, 108 Canal St. in Ellenville. Written comment on the scope may be sent to Wawarsing Town Hall, P.O. Box 671, Ellenville, NY 12428.