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Citizens continue to oppose Thruway exit People opposed to the proposed Route 88 Thruway Interchange are working furiously to disseminate information.
Sandy Dunn, of McBurney Road, Phelps, says most people in Phelps and Newark were not aware of the feasibility study being done through the Genesee Transportation Council in Rochester. Meetings have been held in November, May and June. As of the June 6 meeting, 328 people had attended the six meetings. In one month, the members of the Thruway Interchange Opposition Committee have gotten 343 signatures of people objecting to a Route 88 Thruway Interchange. The next meeting is June 29 at 7 p.m. at the Wide Awake Grange on Route 88. All are welcome to attend. Approvals have been received by the Towns of Phelps and Arcadia, Villages of Phelps and Newark, the Newark Central School District, Newark Chamber of Commerce, Wayne and Ontario Counties. Also giving support are Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Sen. Charles Schumer, as well as Congressman Tom Reynolds. Sen. Mike Nozzolio and Assemblyman Brian Kolb have announced that they do NOT support the Interchange. Sandy Dunn and Debra Ford have worked tirelessly and have stacks of paperwork to prove it. Also on their steering committee are Doug Croll, John Shipley, Al Pelletreau, Sue Carney, Jan Blackman and Lowell Falkey. About 25-30 people attend each meeting and do legwork, make copies, circulate petitions, make signs. More wood was being ordered Tuesday to assemble more signs. Pictured are Sandy Dunn, Deb Ford and Hannelora Reinhardt. Ford reminds citizens, 'It's not over yet. We have made progress, but we need to keep working on this.' She and Dunn both chimed in with what the study did not address in detail. This includes the increased traffic on village streets and secondary roads in Phelps and Newark, the impact on local businesses, increased costs to local governments such as reconstruction and maintenance of the secondary roads, increased law enforcement, and the increase to taxpayers, decrease in school bus safety, decrease in property values, air and noise pollution. The secondary roads include Melvin Hill Road, Vienna Street, Vienna Road and Peirson Avenue, for example. At a public hearing on May 15, Wayne Williams said (in part): 'No one is talking about what this will do to County Road 26, which runs parallel to Route 88. We don't need to sacrifice this area to correct the ills that Newark has thrust upon itself. They want a big interchange here and will call it the Newark Interchange. I am not willing to put up with 5000 more cars to save 500 cars in Newark, to make it quieter there.' Other residents complained that the advertising for the meetings was done in the Rochester and Canandaigua newspapers, while Phelps residents read the Finger Lakes Times and the Merchandiser. Newark Mayor Fred Pirelli has said (at May 15 hearing): 'The Village of Newark needs this exit. It is vital to our requirements for major economic growth. As far as commerce, we generate 30 percent of the county sales taxes, we are the center of the county for manufacturing, the center for banking and medical and were are a major supplier of water. There is potential for new jobs for companies, if expansion is possible.' Ford reminds citizens that this is a Phelps-Newark group, opposing the interchange, working side by side to get information out. Ford said, 'The study is complicated and it is flawed; information is missing and concerns are not being addressed.' She adds that Mayor Pirelli started discussing this interchange two and one-half years ago, but people did not pay attention, they did not listen. When the Transportation Council talks about homes and property to be affected, they refer to a map from the 1950's. They don't even know how many homes there are on McBurney Road, says Dunn. The amount of acreage needed for the interchange is between 60.8 and 64.3 acres, according to Doug Croll. He mentioned that the Village of Newark is strapped with a $5 million debt right now...how can Newark afford to add to that debt? Information pieces are still available at local businesses, including Carl's Pools in Newark (Route 31 West) and Newark Physical Therapy in Cannery Row Mall. People have until June 30 to submit questions or offer comments to: Genesee Transportation Council, 65 West Broad St., Suite 101, Rochester, NY 14614-2288.
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Six people met informally on Tuesday to share information, and general meetings were
planned for June 22 and June 29. People have one more week to write to the Genesee Transportation Council (address below). The GTC planning committee will meet again on July 20 to discuss the feasibility study and the future of the project.