Editorial - Claim of County Corruption Re. Mangin Road is A False Election Blame Game

Photo by Edie Johnson on December 22, 2022

Claims of corruption during election campaigns are nothing new. This week is no exception. That is not to say that election claims are never true. But this time there is a 99.9% chance that the claim that County Executive Steve Neuhaus was a participant in corruption during the construction from Mangin Road to Gonzaga Park and lied about it is FALSE How do I know this? Because I was there at the beginning of the construction. right at the opening where bulldozing, clearcutting and road building had just begun, without a proper environmental study or proper permits. In December of 2022, as a journalist, I was on Mangin Road to cover a different story, Not knowing my way around well in the neighborhood, I drove to the end of Mangin Rd., and was absolutely shocked to see massive clearing and the beginning of a road headed toward Gonzaga Parkland.

THERE WERE NO PERMITS OR SIGNAGE POSTED AND MAJOR CLEARCUTTING AND NEW BROAD ROADBUILDING WERE APPARENT

 (PHOTO ABOVE, TAKEN ON DECEMBER OF 2022)

Having covered news of "Clovewood" for over 15 years (since it was going to be a Country Club and Golf Course), including the span of time when illegal entry roads were constructed without proper permits, I was immediately very concerned..... especially since (once again) the construction at Mangin Road was headed toward protected Parkland. I immediately contacted officials at the Village of South Blooming Grove and requested a MAP showing the expected full length of the road and its expected end point, which by logic might be Seven Springs Road, since traffic snarls and accidents were regularly occuring at the intersection of Seven Springs and Route 208. With the Village then saying that they sent letters to ask for help to move it forward from the County, they clearly had not met with them yet. After reminding the Village of South Blooming Grove of my request for a map and with again "no response" I decided that:

"THIS ROADWAY IS STILL IN RELATIVELY NEW STAGES, AND IF I REPORT IT TO OFFICIALS MAYBE IT CAN BE STOPPED BEFORE THE

PARKLAND IS INALTERABLY DAMAGED".

I contacted both local and county officials. Being a complex issue related to an overbuilding history and lack of Smart Planning practices where safety WAS (and still is) an important issue, I expected it might take a month or two for County officials to determine the status (or lack of) of permits and when I next checked the status I was told they were "looking into it", which clearly indicated that they had not known about it earlier. With over 900 readers of the story and some online responses to it, I saw that the Gonzaga Park people were also getting involved to make sure the Parkland was not and would not be damaged. Whether permits had or would be obtained raised the question of "Could a through road improve serious safety concerns without harming the beauty of Gonzaga Park?" Meanwhile there was the death of a young boy in the area, who was hit by a bus on Seven Springs Road near where a through road might end, raising the further question of whether additional traffic congestion on Seven Springs Rd. would just increase the congestion from one overcrowded area to another. thus allowing even more potential accidents.

The next time I inquired about the County's response to the looming Mangin roadway that if continued would eventually be adjacent to if not into Gonzaga Parkland, I was told "The County has filed a lawsuit and will be taking them to court".

Did Steve Neuhaus talk to the Village of South Blooming Grove during the interim? Probably, as he should. Might he have said the County would see IF there was any way that both needs could possibly be met (could there be a through road somewhere while 100% protecting Gonzaga Park and its views?) It would seem part of a logical thought process and appropriate. But after considering where this "Road to nowhere that is acceptable" (and with questionable if any environmental study), the County Executive filed a lawsuit and is taking them to court. Neuhaus has repeated several times during the past 2 1/2 years that the County is taking them to court on the issue and the lawsuit has been filed. If anyone questions the truth of a lawsuit having been filed, go ahead and ask County Attorney, Rick Golden for the Case #, or contact the New York courts. Steve Neuhaus, like everyone else, may have made errors in judgement from time to time. But secretly allowing this road project to move forward and then lying about it is not one of them.

As pundits and politicians frequently say these days, 'THERE IS NO THERE THERE!"

ORANGE COUNTY COURIER JOURNAL POSTED IN DECEMBER 2022

          Clearcutting & Construction Headed Eastward Of Mangin Road

No Permits Posted!

No Response to Request to the Village for a Map!

No Thorough Environmental Study!

Photo by Edie Johnson

A problem intersection only got worse last week when a temporary DOT approval allowed a new stoplight to be hung at the intersection of Route 208 and Seven Springs Road, about 2 1/2 miles from the Quickway exit in Monroe. The week that the new traffic light was turned on there were 2 accidents in 4 days, and one day traffic was backed up for miles, to Merriwold Road.

                  School Bus Making A Right Turn on Red Onto Route 208

                                           fortunately at a low traffic time

Route 208 is the primary route from and to the Quickway (Rt. 17/6) that takes commuters to the North and West (Village of South Blooming Grove, Town of Blooming Grove, Village of Washingtonville, Cornwall, New Windsor and Newburgh), in the afternoon and evening, and to and from Kiryas Joel, Monroe, the Quickway and New York. The only alternative for many is Route 94, whih is the next significant Quickway Exit in the Town of Chester. It has been a growing traffic nightmare for years, and there are few alternative solutions to offer in the dense housing and business area nearest the Quickway.

The problem with the new light, commuters have said, is that there is no "Left turn only signal", and there is no space for those travelling East to pass to the outside of those waiting for a chance to turn left when the light turns green. Meanwhile, drivers are trying to make a right turn against a red light and into oftentimes fast moving traffic going West.

Residents at the Village of South Blooming Grove's Board Meeting last week said that a resolution was proposed and unanimously passed to extend Mangin Road (a road that goes into a subdivision about 4 miles farther along Route 208), and have it extended East where it would link to Seven Springs at some distance from the problemmatic intersection.

Google Image of the Gonzaga Parkland between Mangin Road and Seven Springs Road (before new construction) 12/2025

The Courier Journal has reached out twice to the Village's Mayor, George Kalaj, with a request for a map showing the exact proposed route and has as yet not received a response, possibly because of Hannukah activity.

What could be wrong with the idea? It could provide some mitigation, but only if the existing 2 issues at the light are corrected (turn signals and passing lane).

Another significant concern is whether that link could be constructed without going through or impacting the views of Gozaga Park, a State Parkland. In addition to a map, we have asked whether the significant construction/road work currently under way at the end of Mangin Road is part of the proposed link, and if so, do they already have DOT permits, or is this roadway already approved for a different project?

Officials in the Village said they have sent letters to Orange County requesting assistance in moving this project forward.