Abby Hoover is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Copake Planning Board delayed its vote on the proposed GRJH gas station project to the frustration of those who showed up in protest at a special meeting on February 15. The special meeting was called to vote on a site plan review of the proposal to construct a convenience store and gas station at State Route 23 and Craryville Road in the hamlet of Craryville. Petroleum-based products were found on the property as the result of previous uses by GRJH. That contamination was reported to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Planning Board member Ed Sawchuk said it is a nuisance that after more than two years into the project a work plan has not been submitted for review as the board requested. GRJH is waiting for feedback from the state, company president Alicia Metz said. In December 2019, the Town Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special use permit for the gas station at that location. Sawchuk asked if the zoning board would have approved the special use permit knowing there was a previous spill. A hydrologist hired by the citizen group Save Craryville had determined an aquifer lies below the site. Town Attorney Ken Dow said contamination is not a criterion used by the ZBA. It looks only at whether a project meets the town's zoning requirements. The meeting concluded without taking public comment and no board action. The board did discuss the possibility of taking a vote at its March 5 meeting. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.