The following was written by Daniel Sturm, who is the Supervisor of the Town of Bethel, and is in regards to the recent construction of the new Satmar (UTA) Shul in Lapidus Bungalow Colony – which resulted in controversy.

It must be noted, that YWN had previously reported that Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda Friday had granted temporary permission for the United Talmudic Academy (Satmar / Lapidus Bungalow Colony) to occupy a portion of their new Shul for just six weeks, just for religious purposes.

Town officials opposed the occupancy claiming a special use permit was needed in addition to a building permit.

The judge made his decision after he went to the facility and inspected it himself.

Dear YWN, 

My name is Daniel Sturm, and I am the Supervisor of the Town of Bethel. I would like to offer you the real truth about the recent events concerning the new community building/Shul on Shultz road. There have been many misconceptions and outright lies about what the Towns actions have been, what my involvement has been, and what our motives really are. Some members of the UTA of Lepidus colony, and our building department official, Tim Dexter, are not telling you the whole truth. They got caught trying to circumvent very basic rules of building and construction and have jeopardized the safety of those who are going to use the new building.

First off, I am Jewish, and my Jewish name is Simone Daniel. My parents are Jewish, and my mother stayed at the Lepidus colony as a young child in the 1940s. My grandmother on my mothers side had 11 brothers and sisters, and many died in concentration camps. I have had a good relationship with the Jewish community since I have been on the Town board for the last 6 years. I have many friends in the Hassidic community in Bethel. The town’s new zoning laws took into account many views and concerns expressed to me by members of the Hassidic community.

I was told at the beginning of this year that a building permit had been issued for the new Shul. I was also told, and led to believe by Mr. Dexter, that it was a principal permitted use in that zoning district, which meant that no Planning board or Town engineer review was required or needed. I took him at his word, as he has been the building inspector for over 16 years, and I was comfortable that proper oversight was in his good hands. I believed at the time that the information he was giving me was honest and reliable. My first thought was that we will gladly welcome this new Shul to town, as I have welcomed others. The building went up quite rapidly and I was astonished at the speed of construction, and the sheer size of the structure. I received many words of concern from residents and Town Board members that perhaps proper oversight was lacking for this project. I became especially concerned when I was invited to participate in a conference when the UTA construction planners and the building inspector were discussing obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy when it was pretty obvious that much work needed to be done. This was the first time I was ever asked to attend a conference for a C of O since being on the town board. I felt something was not right, and I simply asked for our attorney and engineer to review the file for this project.

This was on a Friday afternoon, thus I asked that no Certificate of Occupancy be issued until the file was reviewed. I had no idea that Mr. Dexter had promised to deliver the C of O that day. I found out on that Monday that the building had been occupied over the weekend by the Congregation. I was asked by members of the Town Board to issue a stop work order, and a vacate order since no C of O had been issued, which we did. My goal was to have the file reviewed, which happened on that Tuesday.

This was the first time that the file had been reviewed by our attorney and engineer, and after only a few minutes of review, they were shocked by the contents of that file. For example, and as required by law, there are no mechanical, electrical or plumbing plans. There is no energy compliance document, sight plan, landscaping plan, or DEC SWPP plan, as required by state codes. The plans in the file include a stamped set of plans that do not match the structure built. The file is 45% complete at best. A complete engineer’s review of the file is available at the Town Hall, and I would be happy to share the contents to confirm the inadequacy of it.

The legal review is even more woeful. The original building permit issued was for a community building, not a new Shul. A community building in that district required planning board review automatically; Tim Dexter knew it, and tried to get around it. Even if it was a new Shul, it still required planning board review because it is in a Bungalow Colony/ Summer Camp, which would make it a mixed use, again, automatically requiring Planning board review. I am not trying to play with words describing the new building, but you must know that Planning board review was required for that building.

My efforts to date have been to determine the safety of that structure considering the plans are so faulty. Secondly, the impact of such a large structure on a small country road was never considered, as required. Therefore I have made two requests of the UTA planners in an effort to resolve the issues at hand; 1)  I’m asking for a real and accurate set of plans that match the structure to be submitted to our engineer for our review to determine safety. 2) The project should also be reviewed by the Planning Board so traffic and safety impacts to the community at large can be minimized. For example, perhaps the road could be paved and widened, sidewalks installed, or maybe even additional parking behind the building to accommodate the Congregation. This is what Planning Board review is for.

There are still clearly many State regulations and Bethel Town codes that were not complied with. I also demanded a complete audit of building department files over the last couple of years to ascertain compliance of other projects with our Laws. Action will be taken to insure this dangerous situation does not occur again in Bethel. Any anger should be directed at the UTA members involved in the planning of this new Shul, and the building inspector, Tim Dexter, who obviously had no regard for your safety. Those responsible are still trying to continue work, and there have not been any plans submitted to the Town. Your hard earned money contributed to the construction of this building, and you have a right to demand that rules and laws are complied with, and your safety will not be jeopardized.

I have been called anti-semitic, which is hurtful and not true. I will answer any questions, and respond to any concerns that regard this building. The file is available for your review, and I welcome you to view it. It is also your turn to question your UTA members involved in this project. I stand committed to good future relations with the Hassidic community.