The Daily Star | Gary Herzig, Mayor of the City of Oneonta

January 27, 2019

 

“The Oneonta Rail Yard is a unicorn.”

That statement was made by Tracey Ledder of Delaware Engineering, working on behalf of the Otsego County IDA in conducting a Generic Environmental Impact Study for the potential development of the former D&H Rail Yard into a center of economic activity and job creation. Why a unicorn? Well, unicorns are hard to find and apparently so is a level site with immediate access to a railroad and an interstate highway, an abundant supply of fresh water, sewer and public transportation.

The city of Oneonta Common Council is overseeing an environmental review of the redevelopment of the rail yard as proposed by the County IDA. The IDA will prepare a master plan and an economic development strategy for 50 acres with the goal of creating a new commercial business park that would provide additional markets for Otsego County, create new jobs and add to the local tax base.

The draft GEIS prepared by Delaware Engineering under the leadership of the Common Council is now complete and available to the public. It can be accessed on the city website. What is a GEIS? It is simply an analysis of the potentially significant adverse and beneficial environmental impacts of the proposed development. Along with the supporting documents (traffic study, soil study, etc.), there are nearly 400 pages to review, so here are your CliffsNotes. (After a quick Google, I was surprised to find that CliffsNotes actually do still exist.)

What is being proposed for the Oneonta rail yard?

Potential business operations that would find this site valuable include food processing, brewing/manufacturing, bottling/packaging, warehouse/storage and temperature-controlled distribution. Facilities for these activities are generally lacking in this county. The great advantage of this site is access to both highway and rail for bringing local products to markets outside of this area.

What environmental issues were studied?

Topography, geology and soils, as well as water and air resources were evaluated for potential impacts. The good news was, that given the nature of the proposed project at a site with an industrial history, many of the issues typically associated with development on an unused site were not found to exist.

However, wetlands are present and need to be addressed. The need for mitigation measures is identified and discussed with respect to the disturbance of existing wetlands. The protection, restoration and enhancement of wetlands and habitat will need to be planned and implemented. Development of the site will also add impervious surfaces, buildings, roads and parking areas — the mitigation for which must also be planned. While these are challenges, the engineers tell us they are not insurmountable obstacles to the development of this center of economic activity and job creation.

An extensive Traffic Impact Study was conducted (available in full on the city website), which included a detailed evaluation of all intersections and roads to be potentially affected. The study evaluated traffic impact at different times of the year, including the summer, when the Cooperstown All Star Village baseball camp facility is in operation. The good news is the study did not identify any potentially significant adverse impacts associated with the rail yard development.

What about energy?

Here is where things start to get interesting. Development of the rail yard will involve the use of energy, during construction and during operation. During construction, fossil fuels are likely to be used by building, grading and excavating equipment. Construction workers will use fossil fuels in traveling to and from their jobs. When complete, the new facilities will require energy for operations, lighting, heating and cooling. Employees will use energy commuting to their jobs.

This is where we will need to work smart and work together. We have too many local families in desperate need of good jobs and we have a planet in desperate need of proper care. Saying “no” to either of these would be neglecting our responsibilities. Efficient construction and machinery, along with the use of renewable energies such as geothermal and solar, can reduce initial fossil fuel use. A long-term plan to achieve 100 percent renewable energy sources should be planned and can be reached. The governor has proposed 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. We can strive to do even better. No one believes that this will be easy. Unicorns, after all, are hard to find and even harder to catch. We owe it to both our families in need of good jobs and to our planet and our children not to let this one get away.

Gary Herzig is the mayor of the city of Oneonta. He can be contacted at mayor@oneonta.ny.us.