CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

The Horseheads Village Board approved a site plan amendment Thursday night for the Schlumberger campus under construction in The Center at Horseheads, and were sharply criticized afterward for ignoring concerns and “rubber stamping” changes.

Not the case, Horseheads officials responded.

The site plan amendment includes rearranging the proposed locations of several buildings for efficiency purposes, downsizing the total square footage of the complex. It also involves eliminating a truck fueling station and scaling back bunkers used to store explosives.

But some felt the amendment also allowed for Schlumberger to ramp up railroad and sand distribution facilities on the other side of the campus, and feared it would lead to increased railcar traffic through the village, as well as sand and dust blowing into nearby neighborhoods. The original plans called for trucks to supply the sand, with railcars as a future alternative.

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