For Immediate Release: November 14, 2024
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | keith.mckeever@apa.ny.gov
Public Information Officer | Adirondack Park Agency | Press Office | (518) 891-4050
Board Authorizes First Five Years of Barton Mines Project and Revocation of General Permits
RAY BROOK, NY –At the November Agency meeting, the Adirondack Park Agency Board conditionally authorized the modification and expansion of an existing mineral extraction, approved the revocation of five general permits, and heard an informational presentation about the Agency’s social media outreach.
First, the board conditionally authorized the first five-year permit-term of an anticipated 66-year plan by Barton Mines, LLC for the modification and expansion of an existing mineral extraction. The project will require Agency review and approval every five years of the proposed plan. The activities anticipated to occur within the first five-year permit term are:
- Expansion of the residual minerals pile from 73 acres to 88.4 acres in size;
- Lowering of the quarry floor from 1,860 feet above mean sea level (amsl) to 1,790 feet amsl;
- Increasing the hours of operation for on-site trucking and other on-site mining activities from 7am to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday, to 7am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday;
- Increasing the hours for delivering supplies to the site from 7am to 3pm, Monday through Friday, to 7am to 5pm, Monday through Friday; and
- Increasing the number of off-site truck trips from a maximum of five per day to a maximum of 16 per day, with off-site trucking hours reduced from 7am to 10pm, Monday through Friday, to 7am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.
The approval is predicated on adherence to a number of conditions for the duration of the project, including adherence to seasonal tree cutting restrictions, limitations on hours of operation and truck trips, measures to limit the spread of invasive species and the reclamation of the mine site at project completion. The full details of the package can be read online.
Then, the board authorized the revocation of five general permits, specifically:
- GP2005G-2R for Minor Projects Not In Or Impacting Wetlands;
- GP2005G-5R for Subdivisions to Convey Two or More Lots Without Principal Building Rights;
- GP2010G-3 for Change in Use of an Existing Commercial, Public/Semi-Public, or Industrial Building;
- GP2011G-1 for Subdivisions Involving Wetlands; and
- GP2011G-2 for New York State Department of Transportation Herbicide Vegetation Management for Guide Rail and Sign Delineator Posts Adjacent to Wetlands in the Adirondack Park”.
These permits were identified as creating confusion amongst project sponsors that led to inconsistencies in project review, detail in project plans, and resulting conditions. Two of the permits were also for projects that would generally be non-jurisdictional to the Agency and therefore were unnecessary. The full details of the package can be read online.
Finally, the Board was provided with an informational presentation by APA Assistant Public Information Officer Ben Brosseau about recent efforts to achieve goals outlined in the Agency’s 2021 Transparency Initiative through social media. This includes an overview of approaches for reaching current and future audiences through audience-specific outreach strategies.
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law.