Developer will provide in-ground sewage

DINGMAN — Last Saturday, developer Dominic “Dino” Bradlee spoke to over 100 area homeowners who packed the Netimus Summer Camp facility dining room for a meeting of the Coalition To Save The Dwarfskill Creek. The coalition is a loosely formed group of citizens concerned about Bradlee’s Gateway Project, approximately 300 acres of land across from the Wachovia Bank on state Route 739. The proposed multi-use commercial and 730 residential unit Gateway Project, originally including a 300,000 gallon per day sewage treatment facility which would discharge treated effluent into the Dwarfskill Creek. Pollution of the creek is the issue and several community residents spoke about their concerns. Dick Hanel, a representative from Marcel Lakes, spoke about the problems his community has had with a failing sewage treatment facility. In addition, Rick Loomis of Clean Water Action (CWA) a multi-state citizens organization working for clean, safe, and pollution free water. Loomis spoke of rapid growth in many rural areas and the impact this has on rivers and streams. Bradlee, had been invited and spoke for about 45 minutes, while standing in front of an aerial view display of Gateway. He was interrupted several times when audience members sought answers to their questions. Bradlee told the audience he was intending to switch his original Dwarfskill Creek discharge plans to a land based system which would not discharge into the Dwarfskill. Sean Strub, owner of the Hotel Fauchere and a landowner along the creek, asked Bradlee whether he was committing to never having any treated sewage effluent discharge into the Dwarfskill. “No I wouldn’t commit to that because this is going to be a 20 year project and I don’t know what the future holds for Gateway,” Bradlee replied Bradlee used his aerial view display to show the many different area communities and said most people have to drive a considerable distance just to get a quart of milk. He said Gateway would address some of these concerns by providing necessary retail stores close to heavily populated communities as well as outpatient medical facilities and senior housing. Bradlee responded to concerns about on-site sewage treatment saying he had already dug over 500 test pits and had lots of soil scientists and engineers look at the data collected. He said that the result of all the testing showed there was not much opportunity for land based disposal on site. He said initial testing showed land based disposal could not accomodate a dense mixed use development, however he said there have been advances in sewage disposal facilities and he claimed his would be so technologically advanced that the effluent discharged would be safe for the environment. Francis Ruggiero, one of the coalition leaders and a property owner on the creek, asked, “We all want to get along and look forward to your project, but the big problem is whether or not you are going to pollute the Dwarfskill. Can you make a statement this will not be the case and if so would you sign the petition we have going around and become part of this concerned group?” Bradlee replied, “No I won’t be part of an organization which opposes my project.” Bradlee left open the question of a future treatment plant discharging into the Dwarfskill. For now his plans are based around sewage treatment with land based drip or spray discharge.