Schoharie Concerned About Mining Modification

SCHOHARIE - On Tuesday evening, the Schoharie Village Board met to discuss the pending application from Cobleskill Stone Products about a quarry modification, as well as several housekeeping resolutions.

When the quarry was first established decades ago, the contract put in place ensured that a quadrant of the land that bordered the Village would not be mined.

However, this was recently upended by an application from CSP to the state, and although it hasn’t been approved yet, the Village Board worries that any blasting in that quadrant would disrupt their local water tank.

Set at the edge of the Village’s reach, the water tank supplies not only the Village residents, but the post office, government buildings, and the school. 

Deputy Mayor Peter Johnson worries that the pipes or tank itself could be compromised by any close proximity mining operations, saying “An eruption could lead to a leak that lasts for five months or even a year.”

With the rest of the Board agreeing that it could be a disaster waiting to happen, they entered into correspondence with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to set up an informational meeting for the public and eventual public hearing.

Although no dates have been set yet, the Board would like to invite several other voices to the conversation, including the Village attorney and the Department of Health, to be counseled further on the matter.

In other news, the Board took care of several annual agreements and appointments, such as the joint fire department agreement and the replacement of Russ Shaw on the Village Planning Board with Mike Ullman to fill the term until 2027.

Finally, the Village moved to add Depot Lane to the Department of Public Works’ highway inventory, potentially making that road eligible for CHIPS funding in future paving projects.