Talking Points

The Past

There has been a quarry at the present location of the CSP Schoharie quarry for close to 100 years. However it has not always operated at the same intensity. While CSP has refused to release the historic production figures for the mine, SOS assessed historical aerial photographs to provide an estimate of the relative rates of stone removal at the Schoharie quarry. SOS acquired aerial photographs from 1940, 1975, 1995, and 2002; and compared the area that the mine covered and the depth of the mine in each photograph. SOS concluded that the rate of stone removal increased by a factor of 10 to 20 after CSP acquired the property in 1984. So the claim that the current CSP operation is simply a continuation of the mining of the last 100 years, is similar to replacing a Mom and Pop corner store with a Wal-Mart, and claiming that there has there hasn’t been any noticeable change in use.

The Future

CSP has repeatedly stated that they have 40 years of reserves in the current Schoharie quarry. Therefore the denial of this permit will not affect their operation for 40 years.

However CSP has also repeatedly stated that neither the state nor the community has any right to restrict their production rate, and that production at the Schoharie quarry will be dictated solely by CSP and the market. During the issues hearing CSP made the statement that the only legal restriction on their production is that their air permit is based on the physical limitation of their primary crusher (800 tons/hr, equivalent to 20 to 50 trucks an hour) which is can run up to 20 hours per day 300 days per year. At the same time, CSP in this application has proposed adding an additional tertiary crusher (which would be louder than their current crushers), and improve their conveyor systems, which would triple their current ability to produce gravel. The owners of CSP have recently purchased a new fleet of flowboy trucks. These actions certainly suggest that CSP is looking to greatly increase their production rate if this application is approved (or not).

Taxes

In 2006 CSP paid a total of $46,107 in property taxes ($26,934 in School taxes, $15, 319 County/Town taxes, and $3,854 in Village taxes). As an example of the public tax burden shouldered by CSP, their school tax bill represents less than 0.2 % of the total school budget for Schoharie Central School. If the application for expansion is granted, under current assessment methods, there would be no change in CSP taxes. There is no local property tax benefit if this application is approved.

Employment

Although CSP refused to provide their employment records, SOS did retrieve some information from the NYS Department of Labor. The CSP Schoharie quarry employs 16 people, a number of which are seasonal (e.g., are laid off in the winter). It is not known if any of these workers receive benefits such as health insurance. According to CSP’s DEIS the approval of this application for expansion will not increase the number of people employed by CSP in Schoharie. There is no employment benefit to approving this application.

It may also be noted that several people associated with CSP have described the Village of Schoharie as a “ghost town” in terms of business. SOS would like to salute the 60 or more business that are operating, providing employment, and paying tax revenue along the Main Street corridor of Schoharie.