The situation in the Town of Mamakating regarding Porco Energy is an object lesson for municipalities throughout the region and the rest of New York State. Either through incompetence or outright dishonesty, the Marlboro-based company failed to follow the site plan that had been approved by the town planning board for the propane storage facility it is building on Route 209. Fortunately, the town's building inspector was alerted to this and the company has since been called on the carpet by town officials to explain a long list of violations.

Mamakating residents have rightly wondered how many other Porcos are out there that are currently undetected. And when considering some of the other big projects coming along — the Yukiguni Maitake mushroom plant, in particular — it is only proper to ask whether a beleaguered and overwhelmed building inspector's office is fully equipped to handle the job of ensuring that town code is followed. Mamakating Supervisor Robert Fiore certainly has his hands full when it comes to correcting the years of neglect that have led to this situation.

But Mamakating isn't alone. The Wawarsing Planning Board has signed off on the construction of a new Walmart store to occupy the now partially derelict Napanoch Valley Mall. Despite the pending litigation by Shop-Rite and a local citizens group, there is a strong possibility that the store is going to be built. If the project does indeed go forward, all Wawarsing can do is ensure that Walmart follows what are sure to be highly complex technical plans. Given the vastness of the project, Wawarsing residents would be right to ask whether the building department is fully equipped to handle it.

On the other side of the ridge, you have the Town of Crawford. This is a municipality that has recently raised the ire of contractors, some of whom feel the town is perhaps too nitpicky in its determination to ensure that the letter of the law is followed. And Crawford has its major challenge when it comes to commercial development. The proposed Crawford Commerce Park, which was once to include 11 warehouses of up to 100,000 square feet each, has now morphed into two warehouses of 400,000 square feet, with the larger size of the buildings likely to have a dramatic effect on view-shed as well as a potential long-term impact on home values in the area. While the desire to bring new taxpayers into the town is understandable, the Crawford Planning Board has rightly offered what is now some mild skepticism about the project. There can be no doubt that Planning Board Chairman Phil Jameson is feeling a great deal of pressure, as he walks the tightrope between the need for new ratables and the requirements of due diligence. It is not any easy job.

Planning boards and building departments in our area, and the rest of the state, should take note of the fact that they have an extremely important job to do, and that the decisions they make involve real lives and real people. New tax-paying businesses are great for the towns in which they are built — but not if it comes at the expense of the local economy — or worse, public safety.