WAWARSING – The public hearing over new plans for a resort and rabbinical college where the Tamarac Lodge one stood, and later burned, was a crowded and emotional event this past Tuesday night, February 18.

Much was the result of confusion over the separation and ties between the Greenfield Resorts LLC and Yeshiva of Ocean rabbinical college proposals for the former Borscht Belt hotel and pseudo-Native American reservation property.

"What we have here are two separate and distinct applications, and the reason I say that they are separate and distinct is that we've all heard about what is going on in Bloomingburg, in which there is a school and a subdivision next to it which are somewhat interrelated with each other," said the applicants' attorney, Jeff Kaplan. "That is not the case here."

He went on to delineate that one proposal is for a rabbinical yeshiva on approximately

30 acres for 60 young men and teachers, within what had been the Western Mohegan Native American Museum. The upstairs of the building will house the rabbi of the school and his family, while four existing town homes will become dormitories. The second parcel of 200 plus acres will be developed into a seasonal housing development, although no plans have been submitted as yet. And both parcels will be on the tax rolls.

The rabbinical college already has partial okays, and 18 students in residence; a 49 unit development was also previously approved for Greenfield Resorts on Tamarack, and is currently generating $150,000 in tax revenue annually, added Kaplan.

The problem now has to do with some needed property changes geared to fundraising for the two entities before the planning board. Kaplan explained that in order for the rabbinical college to really take off, it has to shift from tenant to landowner. And in order for Greenfield Resorts to financially be able to afford the costly cleanup of a recent fire on the property, they have to subdivide and sell the 30 acre lot to the yeshiva.

Complicating matters are issues with sewer easements, parking... and unpaid taxes on the combined properties.

"I've seen it deteriorating here for the past five years, but it's been deteriorating for a much longer period of time," said Greenfield Resorts' Chesky Landau. He added that his goal, besides developing the property, is to complete a major clean up and pay off all the property's back taxes.

Landau added that he would have no problem with making each approval of his plan for a phased development contingent on fulfilling clean-up requirements.

Those in attendance, though, had different issues. They asked numerous questions regarding clean up time lines, environmental testing of grounds and water for contaminants other than the known presence of asbestos, and what they viewed as possible mishandling of violations by local code enforcement officer Bryant Arms.

Rachel Weiner, great granddaughter of the man who first developed the Tamarack Lodge, voiced concerns about having rabbinical students living and studying on what she thought was condemned lands. Others were confused about the legitimacy of the former museum building, and whether anyone could live there or not.

Randy Watson, Greenfield Resorts LLC engineer, informed everyone that progress was being made in obtaining needed well and sewer permits from the Ulster County Department of Health and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Other issues were scheduled to be worked out by the resumed public hearing date of March 18.

In other business, a public hearing was scheduled for the March 18th meeting for the revision of the Polk subdivision. Concerns regarding the driveway grade were discussed and will continue to be worked through at the next meeting. A public hearing concerning the lot line revision for Collazo, Sparling and Smith residents will also continue at the next meeting. The lot line drawn through a building is delaying sale of the property, but the building cannot be taken down until the property is sold.

Also, a Central Hudson lot line revision was approved; a new motorcycle and ATV repair shop named East Side Speed Shop was scheduled for a March 18 public hearing, and it was determined that parking remains an issue for the Dollar General store planned for Kerhonkson.