THOSE DEADLY TROUBLEMAKERS Irene and Lee spawned an impressive stream along Route 66 in Ghent where Price Chopper plans to build its new supermarket. What’s normally a stripe of thick marsh grass rapidly lived up to its name as a wetland as the storms came through. The stream wasn’t as dramatic as the moat around a nearby bank branch. But it made me wonder what it will cost Price Chopper to avoid the need for life rafts in its new parking lot.
The Planning Boards of the Town of Ghent and the Village of Chatham, along with the state Department of Environmental Conservation are charged with anticipating the types of disasters that might happen if developers don’t take prudent steps to avoid foreseeable problems. Some people call that burdensome regulation. On the other hand, I’ll feel better when the company installs systems to prevent a future deluge from severing the main highway to Hudson, isolating the new Camphill retirement community or sending me scrambling to the second floor of our office in the downtown hamlet of Ghent. Read more…