Camp Monroe future in question
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Development of Camp Monroe may bring Chester the park of its dreams

Chronicle, February 11, 2005

....Developers plan to put about 168 (154 in Chester/14 in Monroe) houses on Camp Monroe's 275 acres....(if the town was to acquire the park portion) it would go far beyond giving Chester baseball diamonds and soccer fields.  It will also get a pool, tennis courts, roller-skating rinks, an indoor gymnasium, an equestrian center, and an auditorium with a stage....there is a pond with a dock house for canoes and rowboats, and a spindle that makes water skiing possible without motorboats....The portion of the camp that would go to the town has about 36 buildings of various shapes and sizes from small cottages to big dining halls that would offer civic organizations no shortage of meeting space....The idea of making a portion of Camp Monroe into a park has been around for a while, and is even written into the Town's Master Plan....plans (for the development project and open space) are still at the very early stages and have not yet begun to jell....a silver of the property is in the Town of Monroe and a meeting needs to be scheduled to discuss how they can both work together on the environmental review. (for full article contact nyoffice@strausnews.com)

Letter to Editor of Photo News & Chronicle

February 2005

"Big picture of Camp Monroe"

Dear Editor -

First let me say, I agree the Town of Chester has a great opportunity to acquire approx. 25 acres of existing park facilities for free as part of a subdivision proposal.  However, it is important to remember that it is a long review process of the remaining land and there is more here than what meets the eye.  To get to the park, the proposal is through an existing neighborhood of homes and through the new development of homes on the other side of the ridge rather than having direct access from a county road close to the village.  As a result, there will be safety, traffic and police issues to address. * In addition, the interconnecting of Trout Brook and Lake Hill Farm developments, the relationship to the Henry Farms project across the street ** as well as the Chester Golf Club proposal on adjacent land is a major concern to those that live there. The cumulative impacts on the combined 700+_ acres in this one area alone needs to be looked at closely since these 3 housing developments could bring in approx. 1,500 more people to this one rural corridor not including the park, golf and office/retail business attractions from each proposal.  There is obviously a need to have an extensive review of the groundwater, sewer and other environmental impacts from all these projects together.  I hope this helps to shed some light on the big picture and raise awareness to residents' concerns on the other side of the story.  While I plan to follow the Town and Planning Board meetings and stay in touch with you via our website http://www.thepreservationcollective.com/chester_developments.shtml, everyone interested can go to the town hall to review the file and maps directly.  I urge you to join in and give your input in the early planning stages rather than wait to the end of the process when you will have little impact.  

* These comments are based on the intial sketch plan by the developer, which does not include the entire park (i.e. current entrance, parking & tennis courts).  We are sure there are certainly ways to create the park design to have less impact on current neighborhood roads inorder to reduce traffic and improve safety.  We believe the site plans need to be reviewed not only by the Planning Board but also by the Town Board, Park & Rec Committee and the community as a whole for input in order to see that the site plan moves in a favorable direction.

** Henry Farm Estates has their groundwater wells within 500 feet of the Old Monroe Landfill and residents in the area are concerned about their drinking water being contaminated once the project is approved due to the disturbance of this unlined/uncapped site with sporadic water quality testing over 15 years.