By Nathan Mayberg
MONTICELLO — June 6, 2006 – The Yukiguni Maitake Manufacturing Corporation of America continued its string of successes in pushing forward with its plans to build a mushroom plant in Wurtsboro when Alex Smith, attorney for the Basha Kill Area Association, recently announced the BKAA’s plan not to appeal a Sullivan County Supreme Court ruling in favor of the plant and the town planning board for the review of the environmental impact statement last year.
Smith said he had requested a stay from the New York State Appellate Court to prevent the planning board from making a decision on the site plan and special permit applications. By denying the request, the court was indicating its lack of desire to overturn the decision made in Sullivan County Supreme Court, said Smith.
Smith brought in scientific experts to refute some of the statements made by the company in their environmental impact statement. He said Judge Robert Sackett relied too heavily on assertions made by the company.
The announcement followed a ruling by the same court by Judge Sackett against neighbors Kevin and Patricia Moore, who fought the decision by the Town of Mamakating Zoning Board of Appeals to approve variance requests, including an 80-foot height variance request for the project.
John Parker, attorney for the Moores, said he and his clients are still reviewing the decision and their options regarding an appeal.
YMMCA President and CEO Kazunori Kameyama was elated with the recent news. Of the recent court decision regarding the ZBA case, Kameyama said, “This is another big step for the completion of this long process. Through this court decision, I am sure more Mamakating residents would deepen their understandings in the nature of the project, and they’d feel more comfortable.”
The town planning board is currently reviewing the site plan and special permit applications. Yukiguni is preparing to draft responses to the verbal and written comments on the application. The company expects the planning board to be rendering a decision in the next few months.
The company has a plan to build a main building of approximately 900,000 square feet off State Route 209 and McDonald Road near Wurtsboro.
The company plans to use up to 425,000 gallons of water and discharge 256,000 gallons of vapor into the atmosphere each day in the cultivation of highly prized – and extraordinarily healthy – Maitake mushrooms.