May 2011: The Senseless Destruction has Begun The special environmental area is currently being destroyed for present and future generations for the benefit of a handful of users. We thank all our supporters for the many hundreds of comments submitted. We thank the one Town Board member who had the courage to speak out in favor of our compromise. Unfortunately the Town of Victor, supported by NYS DOT and FHWA just went through the motions to give the appearance of due process. They invoked their guidelines when it suited them. Your comments were ignored and misrepresented to guarantee an outcome that had already been decided. Our public servants traded a treasured natural area used by walkers, cyclists, and families for a sterile stonedust bike path. At a taxpayer cost of $900,000. This website will remain as a testament to the extraordinary nature that was found along the trail. It will also serve as a reminder of a failed public process, of the inability of agencies to think 'out of the box', and of the needless waste of taxpayer dollars. There are lessons to be learned. (2010) The Town of Victor is recommending a 10' wide swath of destruction (8' stonedust with 1' mowed shoulder) through a scenic and sensitive environmental area - a popular recreational trail for walkers, cyclists, nature lovers. Take a look at the photos below - the existing trail section that we want to preserve, and an already the completed section in Victor. It's a stonedust road. And it comes at a cost of almost a million dollars. What sense does this make?
This misguided plan will obliterate the existing linear meadow habitat and destroy the natural qualities that have been cherished by so many users.
Coalition Comments on the Environmental Assessment
Read Full Report (Downloadable version at bottom of page.)
On May 10, 2010 the Coalition submitted its comments on the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to the Town of Victor. Our main submission is 58 pages long. Additionally we submitted hundreds of pages of supporting material, which included over 300 new comments from concerned citizens addressing serious deficiencies in the draft EA. The EA ignored over two years of public comments, and did not give adequate consideration to the project's impacts on current trail users, or on the environment.
The draft Environmental Assessment is a fatally flawed document that should never have been released. The Coalition has recommended to the Town of Victor and Federal Highway Administration that no approvals are given until a new and substantially revised draft is prepared for public review.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an Environmental Assessment to be an unbiased document that is based on high-quality scientific data, which helps planners make the best decisions. However, the draft Environmental Assessment which Fisher Associates prepared for the Town of Victor is filled with unsubstantiated statements and speculation, not scientific data. It was written to justify and rationalize decisions that the planners made long ago. That is improper.
Our comments discuss many inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the draft EA. They also discuss the planner bias that is evident throughout the document. Our comments show how the draft EA was written to justify predetermined decisions.
NEPA requires that all comments be listed and responded to.
Contents:
What can you do?
• Contact Project Planners and Administrators - Let them know your thoughts
• Peruse this website to learn more about the Railroad Mills Special Environmental Area (RRMSEA).
• Visit the Trail in person or online - Google Map
• Send us an E-mail requesting that we keep you informed
Help us Preserve & Protect:
For more information, please e-mail rrmsea@gmail.com |
In MemoryWe dedicate this website to Christine Sevilla. Christine was a tireless advocate for preserving local habitats and wetlands. She knew and loved this section of the Auburn Trail, even before it was scheduled for destruction. Christine photographed it, wrote about it, and spoke at Town Board meetings to preserve it.  Visit: www.christinesevilla.com On the TrailFirst butterflies of Spring Eastern Comma  Mourning Cloak  Northern Flicker  |
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