There has been a great amount of disinformation surrounding our proposed Wesley Residence (Fishkill Senior Project to Try Again, Feb. 4).
Churches work from a mission model, and that can include day cares, schools, health care, counseling, job training and addiction programs, to name a few. These ministries may at times create inconvenience, such as when a church school lets out for the day. But no one would doubt the value of the services.
The team at Wesley Residence has spent a great deal of time, with experts in the field of traffic engineering, to come up with a plan that was accepted by the Department of Transportation during the state-mandated review process. Based on their advice, we reduced the number of driveways from three to two. Leaving the property, you will be able to turn right onto Route 52. We also have made arrangements with the medical offices next to us and purchased a right-of-way from our property to access the stoplight that will allow a left turn onto Route 52.
The engineers took into consideration the projected use of the project. The Wesley Residence is designed as an independent senior living center. The target population will be people 62 and older, many of whom will be retired and won’t have a need to travel during rush hours.
A portion of the population will be people who have spent their lives in our community and own homes here but no longer have the desire or ability to maintain them. But they also don’t want to leave their families and friends.
The most recent revised plan before the village leadership has been designed in compliance with the comprehensive plan. The building is within the height regulations of three stories; it meets the requirements of density and parking; all fire, safety and noise issues have been addressed and provisions provided for.
The proposed fuel cell is not a controversial or experimental technology. It has been used throughout the world and at five campuses of the University of Connecticut and in corporate facilities in the area. The state proposed that we create a model community based on this technology and gave us an $866,000 grant. The village building inspector and the fire department vetted the system.
The Church of the Nazarene has been in this extended community for nearly 115 years. We have allowed the village to use our facility for meetings, as a polling space and to construct its water pumping station on our property with no compensation. We have responded to community concerns by reducing the size and scope of the development.
Our team is willing to have open and honest discussions with anyone who is truly interested in the factual discovery of the truth regarding our project. The project will next be discussed at the Tuesday (Feb. 22) meeting of the Village Board.
The Rev. Ronald Pankey, Fishkill
Pankey is the pastor of the Fishkill Church of the Nazarene.
