Supervisor addresses recent oil spill at Flagship Cinemas

Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson at the May 5 Town Board meeting about a recent oil spill that affected the Millponds in the Town of Monroe.

Two weeks ago, an oil spill occurred at Monroe Flagship Premium Cinemas when an elevator malfunctioned and began spilling oil throughout the elevator and the elevator shaft. The issue was caused by a malfunctioning piston at the top of the elevator. The bottom of the elevator shaft has a pit for draining water due to its position at ground level, which is where the oil entered and was pumped into a storm water drain that connects directly to the Millponds.

According to Supervisor Richardson, it was determined that no more than 40 gallons of oil was spilled based on the levels in the tank. The town reported it to the DEC, and an emergency response team quickly started the remediation process of using “blooms” to absorb any oil while keeping the water levels intact.

A motion was proposed to authorize the supervisor to use funds to accommodate for the cost of the remediation, repairs and potential fees associated with this event. The motion was passed.

County sales tax discussed

The Town Board also discussed the county sales tax, which came up in conversation during the meeting. According to Richardson, Orange County municipalities believed the county sales tax was to be shared at 3.75 percent, but after the first quarterly review were informed by the state comptroller and county attorney that they are limited to sharing 3 percent. The town had used that 3.75 percent rate in their budgeting in November to account for predicted sales tax revenue in each quarter, and the result of that was the town pulling in $375,476.14 in sales tax revenue instead of the predicted $469,345.18.

“I have already been in contact with our county legislators on this, with neighboring supervisors on this, and we’ve made our concerns known to all of our assembly members in Orange County,” said Richardson. They are working on the establishment of a home rule legislation to correct the issue.

“We are fighting to get those tax dollars returned to the municipalities where we feel they belong,” said Richardson. She also stated the town would announce any modifications with the budget and will not be engaging in unnecessary spending in order to accommodate for this unexpected change.

Seven Springs road realignment project

A public hearing for the Seven Springs road realignment project was moved to June 1 due to procedural defects. The project, according to the resolution, aims to make improvements to the section of Seven Springs Road between the intersection of Seven Springs Mountain Road and the area north of Lanzut Court. Residents will have the opportunity to comment on the project at the June 1 Town Board Meeting at 7 p.m.