42.6 F
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024

Chasidic Rep Supports Casino Project Near Kiryas Joel

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

The proposed Grand Hudson Casino and Resort that is planned to be located in the Orange County town of New Windsor.

In a surprising move last week, officials representing the Chassidic enclave of Kiryas Joel came out in favor of a proposed upstate casino and resort complex which would be located 15 miles away from their village near Monroe, New York.

The mega-project includes the proposed Grand Hudson Casino and Resort that would be located in the Orange County town of New Windsor, located adjacent to Stewart Airport in the City of Newburgh, according to published reports.

According to a report in the Times Herald Record, a Kiryas Joel official said the completion of the casino was a fait accompli of sorts despite the fact the village he represents had filed suit against the two proposed casinos this past August. Both projects, one in Woodbury and the other in Blooming Grove, would have been located near Chasidic communities.

“There was no question, 100 percent, this casino was going to be happening in Orange County,” said the official, who noted that arguing against the casino would have been pointless.

The Village of Kiryas Joel filed suit against two proposed casinos this past August, as reported in The Times Herald Record. Both projects, one in Woodbury and the other in Blooming Grove, would have been located near Chasidic communities.

The official, known as Felberman, addressed the matter at a recent public hearing in Poughkeepsie and explained why Kiryas Joel residents were opposed to having a casino in their immediate vicinity.

Felberman said, “We moved to Orange County to get away from the noise and the city. We don’t tell anyone else how to live their lives and at the same time, we don’t want people making changes that will affect how we live our lives.”

Situating the project in New Windsor was a win-win situation that would revitalize the Newburgh area, according to Felberman. “We are being pragmatic. It won’t hurt our community and it will help the community you really want to help.  The poverty in Newburgh is unbelievable and this would be a tremendous benefit to Stewart Airport that really needs the business.”

A September 29th letter from Kiryas Joel Mayor Abraham Wieder to the New York State Gaming Commission lauded the New Windsor project, located near both I-87 and I-84, as the best possible site in Orange County.

“Of all the proposed Orange County sites, New Windsor’s Grand Hudson Casino & Resort stands out as the only one whose water and sewer infrastructure is fully in place and whose highway interchanges and roads infrastructure too is fully equipped to handle casino traffic without inundating local roads.”

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -