| Yaphank
Residents Remind Supervisor Foley of His Promise
The Long Island
Advance - June 14, 2007
"Supervisor Brian X.
Foley,
We, the residents of
Yaphank, thank you and Councilwoman Kepert for enforcing
your noise laws against the Suffolk County Trap & Skeet
Gun Range
BUT … There’s One More
Thing to Do!
You need to take charge
of this situation as a voting member of the Pine Barrens
Commission and make a motion to have that commission
take jurisdiction of the land on which the range exists
and close this abomination once and for all. The range
was abandoned for over four years and that certainly
establishes the necessary precedent for the commission
to act. Even John Cushman, president of S. A. F.E. (a
local sportsman’s association) has declared this to be
the case, so what are you waiting for?
According to John Turner,
Director of Environmental Protection for Brookhaven
Town, co-founder of the Pine Barrens Society, and your
representative on the Pine Barrens Commission, your
wishes are to have the commission act. In fact, he was
quoted in the Long Island Advance on April 12th, 2007 as
stating, “I at the behest of Supervisor Foley, attempted
to have the commission review the proposal. In truth,
Supervisor Foley attempted to “use his seat” to call the
project up but could not get other commission
representatives to go along. If (Richard) Amper has an
issue about the commission representatives not taking a
closer look at the shooting range, and look to cast
blame, look to the other four commission representatives
and not Brookhaven’s.”
In fact Supervisor Foley,
according to public records, you have not made a motion
to have the commission take jurisdiction over this
facility, declare it illegal new development and close
it for good. Your inaction has forced hundreds to seek
refuge inside their homes, worry about free floating
lead dust, unhealthy gun noise levels, and witness their
home values decline dramatically.
Promise made, promise
“NOT” kept!
Facts about the Suffolk
County Trap & Skeet Range:
• The entire site is
situated in the Core Pine Barrens Preservation area and
sits atop an environmentally sensitive watershed as well
as bordering the NYS Protected Carmans River Watershed
• The range was reopened
in violation of the 1993 Pine Barrens Protection Act
classifying such as “new development” after being closed
for longer than one year.
• The range is presently
in serious violation of local noise laws, and has been
cited for such repeatedly.
• The range is
contaminated with lead and other materials from “clay”
targets, which actually contain Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons and are carcinogenic.
Brian, pretend for a
moment that you’re not a politician and imag- ine that
you’re an ordinary citi- zen who’s not beholden to
Special Interest Groups which promise votes or campaign
money.
Make the motion, protect
the core, your residents … and our children.
You have the law on your
side and your promise to uphold
DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT
BRIAN – MAKE THE MOTION NOW!
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