THE CAPE CHARLES MIRROR APRIL 17, 2024 AT 5:49 PM
Paul Plante says:
Where I have been these last several days of apparent quietude on my part in here is out there in what these days passes for the “real” world, embroiled in a controversy splitting my small community which is a direct outcome of what happens when BIDEN INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY is mindlessly made available to small towns like mine for alleged “infrastructure” improvements, which small towns, to get their hands on what they consider “free money,” a windfall of riches into their pockets courtesy of the federal government in Washington, D.C., have to promise to put their local taxpayers in hock for a certain percentage of the project cost, whether those taxpayers want or need the project, in this case a public water supply, without those taxpayers having any say in the matter, period, largely because it is all, the process of actually getting that money being political in nature, going on behind closed doors with absolutely no transparency for the affected taxpayers of whom I am one, as can be seen beginning @6:34 into this video of the April 11, 2024 Poestenkill, New York town board meeting (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc0BOo3NIa4 ) where I go ballistic with respect to us being lied to and misled as I vent some incandescent rage at a corrupt town board for selling us into debt slavery to get their hands on some $5,277,567 of grant money of which $670,367 is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-EC grant, and $1,693,000 in a congressional community project funding grant from Kirsten Gillibrand, with us in a small community being on the hook for a minimum of $272,433, subject to cost overruns we will also be on the hook for, all based upon an imaginary crisis at local middle school as the need for the grant money.
In other words, to get their hands on this “free government money,” the Poestenkill town board simply lied, knowing they could and would get away with it, because first of all, given the secrecy, who would even know, and then, once they did find out, which always happens, other than vent some fury about it, as I am seen and heard doing in that video, and make some noise, which goes away real soon, what can they do about it?
Have the federal government, which based the grants on that lie, take the money back?
HAH, as if that is going to happen, as we see in a 31 July 2023 writing from myself to Hon. Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator, Leo W. O’Brien Federal Office Bldg,, 11A Clinton Ave, Rm 821, Albany, NY 12207, RE: Federal funding for Water District No. 2, Poestenkill (T), Rensselaer County; U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law, wherein was stated as follows with respect to the fraudulent nature of this grant application, to wit:
Dear Senator Gillibrand:
As you will recall, on 28 January 2023, I sent a letter to your office concerning this above referenced matter of Water District No. 2 in the town of Poestenkill, Rensselaer County, state of New York titled RE: Poestenkill (T), Rensselaer County; Water District No. 2; Requesting federal assistance for Water District No. 2 based on false pretenses, wherein I detailed for you the fact that the PFAS contamination in Poestenkill’s groundwater is as a result of willful gross negligence and neglect of duty by the town of Poestenkill itself, which raises the substantive question of why the federal taxpayers should be put on the hook here to pay for the intentional negligence and neglect of duty by Poestenkill, especially when the request is made based on falsehoods?
Subsequent thereto, on July 28, 2023, Poestenkill Town Councilmember Eric Wohlleber, who since 27 September 2021 has been spearheading a whitewash and cover-up in this matter to protect the polluter, Waste Management of New York, LLC, at the Poestenkill transfer station in a Planned Development District at the intersection of NYS Rts. 66 and 351 in Poestenkill regulated by the town of Poestenkill, sent out a notice to Poestenkill residents titled Subject: Poestenkill PFOA Water Update, wherein was stated as follows, to wit:
Neighbors,
I just received a message this evening from a member of Senator Gillibrand’s office with some great news.
“The appropriations committee moved your Poestenkill Water Supply Project CDS request forward!”
“This means there is a very high likelihood your project will be included in the final appropriations package and funded.”
“I will keep you updated on any movements and please let me know if you have any questions.”
This is an important step to hopefully securing additional funding for a potential Water District #2 here in Poestenkill, which would lower the cost per unit, should the district receive approval.
end quotes
So my question to your office, which I will also raise with Senator Patty Murray, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, and Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, remains the same: why are the federal government taxpayers, who get no benefit from the expenditure of these federal dollars, being put on the hook here to pay for the intentional negligence and neglect of duty by the town of Poestenkill, coupled with nuisance, negligence and trespass by Waste Management of New York, LLC at the Poestenkill transfer station?
This question is relevant because to date, there has been no demonstration whatsoever that this water district is even needed because in a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Report titled “Community Update – April 2023 – Poestenkill Area PFAS Contamination, it was stated as follows, to wit:
To date, RCDOH has sampled 97 private wells near the school.
PFOA and/or perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) were detected above the State’s public drinking water standards of 10 ppt in 14 private wells.
As a result, DEC provided the 14 homes served by private wells that exceed 10 ppt with point-of-entry treatment systems (POETs) to filter out PFAS and provide clean drinking water.
The remaining 83 private wells did not show PFOA or PFOS detections above the standards.
end quotes
The cost of these activated carbon point of entry treatment systems is between $300 – $1,800, and as the NYSDEC Report from April of 2023 makes incandescently clear, the 14 homes affected have already had these systems installed, which the NYSDEC states will provide them with clean drinking water, which is more than this proposed Water District No. 2 can claim, given it is based on a surface water supply which itself is susceptible to PFAS contamination.
As to the remaining 83 private wells, the cost of installing activated carbon filter point of entry systems, which is the most cost-effective solution, assuming a cost of $2000 per home, would be $166,000, which money Poestenkill already has in hand.
So what then, is your office providing federal tax dollars to Poestenkill for?
To establish a slush fund for the local politicians?
We federal taxpayers residing in Poestenkill would like to know!
Thanking you in advance for your prompt reply to this taxpayer inquiry, I remain
Respectfully.
end quotes
And I never heard a word back from any of them.
As to the MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR LIE that is bringing home the federal bacon to tiny Poestenkill, I have emulated Wayne Creed, who I consider a true unsung American hero for maintaining the Cape Charles Mirror as a bastion of sanity in otherwise totally insane world, by starting my own on-line newspaper, this is what today’s edition had to say on that score. to wit:
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill
April 17th 2024 Edition
“THE WATER DISTRICT NO 2 FLIM-FLAM – STEALING FROM THE TAXPAYERS POESTENKILL STYLE”
Yesterday, I was asked by a fellow town resident to justify a statement I made about the town procuring these county, state and federal dollars for water district no. 2, all taxpayer dollars, which means the pockets getting looted here include ours, based on false pretenses (a deliberate misrepresentation of facts, as to obtain title to money or property), which is a form of stealing, although stealing from the taxpayers in Rensselaer County and New York state is not considered a crime, but a benefit of holding public office.
“What false pretenses,” he wanted to know, “where are the false pretenses, because I am unaware of them?”
To which I answered that he was unaware of them precisely because he was supposed to be, because if he knew his pocket was being picked, and his bank account was being looted, then he would have stood up at a town meeting and protested, and that had to be prevented at all costs for this taxpayer scam to succeed, which it has to the tune of MILLION$ in the form of a cash transfer from our pockets into those of the looters.
As to the false pretenses, they are right there staring us all in the face, in the beginning of the Laberge report accepted by the town board in August of 2022:
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Map, Plan and Report was commissioned by the Town of Poestenkill Town Board to evaluate the feasibility of, and to assist with, the creation of a water district in the Town.
The need for expansion of the water system stems from the joint investigation by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Health, and Rensselaer County Department of Health.
The presence of multiple contaminants shows the priority of providing municipal water to the Algonquin Middle School and surrounding area.
end quotes
The false pretenses are right there for all to see right there in that last sentence, where it says there is a priority of providing municipal water to the Algonquin Middle School, which is an untrue statement.
There NEVER was a need for Poestenkill at taxpayer expense to provide water to the school.
That was a ruse that Poestenkill and Laberge used to obtain county, state and federal funds.
The Algonquin Middle School in Poestenkill is already served by Public Water Supply NY4117257, a Non-transient non-community water system serving 1000 persons at the Algonquin Middle School in Poestenkill, which water supply is owned by the taxpayers of the Averill Park School District, of whom we are all one, and that is a separate taxing district the town neither owns nor controls, so that was a patently false statement the town submitted to get those funds, which is a false pretense.
That Poestenkill would have known in August of 2022 that it was a false statement that the town needed to run water to the school, the necessary excuse to get this project going, is made clear by the following:
COMMUNITY UPDATE
NOVEMBER 2021
PROTECTING POESTENKILL’S DRINKING WATER AND INVESTIGATING PFAS CONTAMINATION
Two Public Availability Sessions Scheduled for Dec. 8, 2021
The school is currently installing a granular activated carbon (GAC) system to filter the PFOA and other PFAS and effectively treat the contaminants to provide clean water to the school community.
end quotes
So if the town knew in November of 2021 (actually earlier) that the school was getting that filter, it would have known it was telling a falsehood in September of 2022 when it applied for state funds based on a premise that it had to supply the school with water.
And it is news to ALL of us because it was all very well buried so we wouldn’t know, given we had no access to that Laberge Report in August and September of 2022 when the town made those funding requests.
As to the funding requests, recall from the Laberge Report at p.5 in the section titled PROJECT BACKGROUND AND HISTORY, under i) NYS Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), as follows:
The Town, as required to submit for certain grant funds, has completed the required SEQRA review and has made a Determination of Significance under SEQRA (6 NYCRR Part 617). The Town Board issued a Negative Declaration on September 8th, 2022, a copy of which is included in Appendix F.
That the town would have known on September 8th, 2022 that it was a false statement about the need to provide water to the school is further reinforced by the following:
COMMUNITY UPDATE
FEBRUARY 2022
POESTENKILL PFAS INVESTIGATION
Updates: New Investigation Summary Reports
The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Health (DOH), and the Rensselaer County Department of Health (RCDOH), are working together to protect the public health and environment of the Poestenkill community.
The following is an update from the November 2021 community update.
Beginning in December 2021, the school installed a granular activated carbon (GAC) system to provide effective long-term treatment of the contaminants to ensure clean water for the school community.
System startup and flushing of the school’s distribution system continued throughout January and into February 2022.
The school district is currently working with the RCDOH to test the water and make the system operational.
end quotes
If in fact as the DEC said in February of 2022 that the granular activated carbon (GAC) system installed by the taxpayers at the school would provide effective long-term treatment of the contaminants to ensure clean water for the school community, then clearly, in August of 2022, there was no need for the town to do so, but they needed that excuse to get those funds – big emergency, school kids, poisoned water, send money!
That money doesn’t come from heaven, it comes from our pockets. so should the town be telling lies to take it from our pockets?
Call me very old-fashioned, but I don’t think so.
http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/paul-p ... ent-918798