HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-14-17 EMC Final Minutes
TOMPKINS COUNTY
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
121 East Court St, Ithaca, New York 14850
Telephone (607) 274-5560
http://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/emc
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EMC Final Minutes 2
September 14th, 4:00 p.m. 3
Tompkins County Old Jail Conference Room, 125 E. Court St, Ithaca, NY 4
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Attendance 6
Member Seat Member Seat
Steve Bissen P Town of Dryden Dooley Kiefer P Legislative Liaison
John Dennis P Village of Lansing Susan Allen-Gil P Associate Member
Brian Eden P Village of Cayuga Heights Cait Darfler P Associate Member
Bill Evans P Town of Danby Karen Edelstein A Associate Member
Pegi Ficken E Town of Groton Anna Kelles A Associate Member
Michelle Henry P Town of Newfield Dan Klein P Associate Member
John Hertzler A Town of Ulysses Jose Lozano P Associate Member
James Knighton P At-Large Osamu Tsuda P Associate Member
Vladimir Micic P Town of Ithaca David Weinstein A Associate Member
Steve Nicholson P Town of Caroline Robert Wesley A Associate Member
Susan Riley P At-Large Roger Yonkin A Associate Member
Tom Shelley P Ithaca CAC Scott Doyle E EMC Coordinator
Linda Spielman P Village of Dryden Kristin McCarthy P Administrative Assistant
Ron Syzmanski P Village of Freeville
A quorum was present. 7
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Guests – None 9
Call to Order – Chair Brian Eden called the meeting to order at 4:02 pm. 10
Privilege of the Floor – No one 11
Agenda Review/Changes – None 12
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Minutes approval (July 13, 2017) – Action: Susan Riley moved to approve the July 13th minutes. Tom 14
Shelley seconded. The July minutes were approved with parenthetical editorial remarks added by 15
Dooley Kiefer to clarify content. 16
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As an aside, Steve Nicholson informed the group that parliamentary procedure does not require that a 18
motion to approve minutes be seconded. The one exception is if someone at the meeting objects and 19
insists the motion be seconded. 20
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Roundtable Discussion: Harvey, Irma, and Building Local Flood Resiliency 22
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Given the recent extreme weather events happening, Brian thought it apropos to have a roundtable talk 24
about the topic. He reached out to a few experts around town to see if any were able to speak to the 25
Council, but no one got back to him in time. Here are highlights from their conversation: 26
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• Tom remarked that Irma was the only hurricane on record to sustain a maximum wind speed of 28
185 mph for more than a day (48 hours). The previous record was for 15 hours. Also, the issue 29
isn’t just about climate change but about people choosing to continue living in areas prone to 30
natural disasters and the ecological damage they inflict on those areas. 31
• Steve Bissen recounted that after the Great Flood of 1993, the federal government bought up 32
whole towns located in the Mississippi River floodplains because they knew any homes rebuilt 33
there were likely to fall victim to repeat flooding. In Steve’s opinion, while rising temperatures 34
are discussed extensively when talk turns to climate change, excessive rainfall and how 35
prepared we are to deal with its repercussions in the form of runoff will likely be a huge issue 36
moving forward. 37
• Michelle Henry watched a YouTube video about Houston sitting atop coastal prairie and 38
floodplain, which city developers knew made it vulnerable to repeat natural disasters. They built 39
there anyway. Brian commented that the problem with the National Flood Insurance Program is 40
that it encourages people to rebuild in high-risk areas. Moreover, it’s a complicated issue 41
because the people living in these areas, which are often depreciated, are usually low income 42
and cannot afford to relocate or to buy market-rate insurance. 43
• Dooley said that in watching the wall-to-wall TV coverage of the storms, she noted none of the 44
forecasters used the words “climate change.” 45
• Coming from the perspective of a municipal planning board member, Ron Szymanski is always 46
mindful of focusing his energy in ways that can have a concrete impact on issues affecting his 47
local community, versus becoming frustrated by putting his efforts into larger global problems 48
over which he has little control. For instance, he thinks issues like flood insurance and rebuilding 49
on floodplains after natural disasters like a hurricane is specific to areas like Texas and Florida. 50
Here in upstate New York we have other environmental concerns to consider. 51
• As a follow-up to Ron’s comment, Brian remarked that sometimes actions taken from a 52
geographic distance can still have an impact on recovery efforts. For instance, in the case of 53
Hurricane Sandy, Texan lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz voted overwhelmingly against 54
recovery assistance for New York and New Jersey. Now that the situation is flipped, would NY 55
and NJ representatives vote the same way as their Southwestern counterparts? In the larger 56
scheme of things, the populations living in these areas more vulnerable to natural disasters are 57
dependent on communities located elsewhere to help them recover. 58
• John Dennis mentioned that Richard Branson took refuge from Hurricane Irma in his wine cellar 59
on his private island in the British Virgin Islands, and that President Donald Trump’s luxury 60
property on St. Martin’s likely suffered some damage during the storm. John D. was 61
disappointed, however, to learn that Irma spared Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. 62
• Steve N. said that while NYSDEC engineers are developing a larger culvert for capturing 63
stormwater, which shows the state is aware of the change and increase in rainfall events in 64
recent years, the government still only requires that the first inch of rainfall be captured. The 65
rest of it can be runoff. 66
• The conversation then veered toward permeable surfaces and their rate of effectiveness for 67
containing rainwater. Dan Klein commented that Cass Park has one area of permeable 68
pavement, and other members added that there is a section of permeable surface at Cayuga 69
Medical Center too. John D. mentioned a study he’d come across that demonstrated road salt, 70
when it is absorbed by a surface, is good at releasing radon. 71
• Tom reported that one issue with permeable surfaces is that they are high maintenance and 72
need to be cleaned several times a year. Also, an engineer Tom knows on the CAC said he didn’t 73
use permeable pavement because of the prohibitive cost. John D. added that the scuttlebutt 74
regarding the permeable pavement at the hospital is that it has been benignly neglected year 75
after year and has never been cleaned or vacuumed and yet still functions well. 76
• James Knighton commented that his research takes the latest knowledge on flooding globally 77
and infers how it applies to flooding locally, specifically around Ithaca. Here are some points he 78
brought up: 79
o The theory is that at some point our area will experience flooding events, however 80
the climate models are ambiguous; 81
o Summers here are dominated by convective storms, while tropical storms occur during 82
fall and spring; 83
o Our hydrology is unique, as we have a strong snow season and a strong dry season. 84
• Michelle Henry attended a webinar on local flood resiliency. One area covered was the State 85
Department of Environmental Conservation’s methodology for getting their municipalities’ data 86
online for funding eligibility. County-level GIS tools to map data. She will forward her notes to 87
Kristin. 88
• Brian is hopeful that the Council’s Climate Adaption Committee can translate its findings into 89
concrete specific advice on flooding to share with local municipalities. Scott Doyle has done this 90
to a certain degree through the FEMA management program. 91
• Linda Spielman was curious about a large container for holding floodwaters that was built by the 92
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about 10 years ago in Dryden. She wondered if it is effective, and if 93
so, whether it is applicable to other communities. James said it is used as a model in watershed 94
management classes, but it is overkill for applicability elsewhere. 95
• Dooley said the Planning and Sustainability Department is asking in the 2018 County budget for 96
UNA funding as well as for a stream corridor restoration project, which the County 97
Administrator voted against. She asked anyone in favor of funding these projects attend the 98
Budget Committee meetings to show their support. 99
• Steve B. commented that even though we tend not to get hurricanes in this area, which can lead 100
to complacency in terms of prepping for one, it has happened before. He asked the other 101
members if they remember Hurricane Agnes, in 1972, which though an outlier event caused 102
tremendous damage in upstate New York. 103
• Michelle said that Tompkins County wasn’t included in the FEMA database of flood maps as of 104
2016. Brian informed the group that Scott Doyle has been working with FEMA for years to 105
update their flood map zoning. James added that he is working on a search committee that is 106
tasked with finding engineering consultants to perform a flood hazard analysis for the City of 107
Ithaca. 108
Committee Reports 109
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A. Climate Adaptation – James Knighton 111
• The committee is looking to send a survey about flooding to 40-50 people with historical 112
knowledge of flooding events in Tompkins County. They asked the members to pass along the 113
names of any individuals who might make good candidates for their survey. Brian mentioned 114
highway superintendents or library staff who catalog flooding incidents in their communities as 115
examples. The survey will also touch on people’s perceptions of flooding, whether accurate or 116
not. 117
• The survey, and a cover letter to go with it, has been drafted and two researchers who specialize 118
in developing surveys are now reviewing and fine-tuning it. When they’re finished, the survey 119
will travel along to the Cornell Internal Review Board. 120
• Dooley recommended that the committee reach out to local flooding expert Barry Goodrich, 121
whose work on hazard mitigation with regards to the Virgil Creek floodwaters has been used as 122
a model. 123
• James and Michelle are surveying spots in the County known to experience flooding and tagging 124
them for GPS. So far, they’ve worked in Newfield and asked members to let them know of any 125
other areas in the County they should survey. 126
• On a personal note, Dooley commented that she has lived in the same house in Cayuga Heights 127
for 50 years and never had water in her basement until last year (it flooded this year as well). 128
She asked if it could stem from the intensity of rainfall in recent years. Brian said yes and added 129
that Cayuga Heights sits mostly atop clay soil, which is poor at absorbing moisture. Linda added 130
that the extended periods of rain in our area this year would explain the increased run-off. 131
• Before continuing on to the Environmental Review Committee report, Brian introduced the 132
Council’s newest associate member, Osamu Tsuda, who is a graduate student in the Department 133
of City and Regional Planning at Cornell. He has joined the Climate Adaptation Committee. 134
Osamu spent a few moments telling the group about himself (his family relocated to 135
Trumansburg from the Oneonta area two years ago, so he is familiar with Tompkins County) and 136
sharing his enthusiasm about joining the EMC. 137
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B. Environmental Review – Brian Eden 139
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• The Sun8 community solar project in Dryden has almost reached the last step in the approval 141
process. Dan Klein added that its developers have had to jump through political hoops as well 142
because it is an election issue. 143
• Brian has been attending meetings of the Lansing Town Planning Board to comment on projects 144
relevant to the EMC’s mission. One is an affordable housing complex proposed by the 145
Cornerstone Group, a real estate developer based in Rochester. The project was hindered 146
originally because the town wouldn’t run sewer lines to the site, but a solution was found by 147
way of a small-scale package sewer system. Brian is enthused about this particular project 148
because it will use air-source heat pumps for electricity. No progress has been made, however, 149
on another affordable housing project proposed for Lansing, Cayuga Orchards (formerly Cayuga 150
Farms). 151
• According to an article in the Ithaca Voice on the Town of Lansing’s Comprehensive Plan, which 152
is still under revision, the area known as Cayuga Nut Ridge (Bell Station) has been changed from 153
“parkland” to “low-density residential” in the latest draft of the plan. John Dennis added that, at 154
almost 500 acres with 3,400 feet of shoreline, it is the largest undeveloped natural area along 155
any of the Finger Lakes. The property is currently owned by NYSEG’s Spanish parent company, 156
Iberdrola. 157
• An INHS project slated for the 200-block of Elm Street on West Hill will be reviewed by the City 158
of Ithaca Planning & Development Board later this month. The project calls for the removal of 159
roughly 15 mature trees on a half acre of land, which would make the development visible from 160
downtown Ithaca. Tom said the Conservation Advisory Council voted not to recommend the 161
project for environmental impact reasons. 162
• There is a NYSEG proceeding coming up on the West Dryden pipeline, construction of which has 163
been at least temporarily halted. NYSEG proposed a two-phase solution: the first part calls for 164
installing four pressure boosters along the existing pipeline to ensure service for gas customers. 165
To keep this idea alive, they’ll need the cooperation of both the Village of Cayuga Heights and 166
the Village of Lansing. If there isn’t community-wide support, then NYSEG will revert back to the 167
pipeline. The second phase would involve putting out an RfP to find a non-pipeline alternative. 168
Brian distributed green comment cards for people to sign in support of the NYSEG’s two-phase 169
solution. He plans to mail them to the NYS Public Service Commission before the comment 170
deadline on September 25th. 171
• As reported in the media, a new study reveals that 83 percent of the world’s tap water contains 172
plastic fibers. 173
• Brian reported that “six of us” met with Joan Jurkowich from the Planning and Sustainability 174
Department to review the County’s proposed SEQR policy. 175
• The surface part of the Cargill Mine Shaft #4 project just went to site plan review. John attended 176
the Town of Lansing Planning Board Meeting to discuss the project on Monday, September 11. 177
Brian said the Environmental Review Committee has concerns regarding the surface area, 178
including the risk of increased flooding downhill from the site and the use of a mounded 179
wastewater treatment system to serve as a drainage area. 180
• John, Cait Darfler, and other members of CLEAN are working to get municipalities to sign on to a 181
resolution to join an Article 78 proceeding to challenge DEC permitting of the Cargill project 182
because of insufficient environmental review. 183
C. UNA – Steve Nicholson 184
Steve N. showed everyone the framed 11 x 17 maps of revised UNA boundaries that the committee had 185
prepared, with the assistance of the County Planning and Sustainability Department, for the 186
municipalities to hang in their town halls, etc. He held up the map of Dryden as an example. He also 187
showed them the revised UNA brochures and UNA Inventory CDs, which will be distributed to municipal 188
officials as well, and the explanatory cover letter that goes with each package. The Council’s municipal 189
representatives took their respective maps along with the other materials for delivery. 190
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Next, Steve N. shared Scott Doyle’s update for the group on the UNA project: 192
• In August, a postcard was mailed to the 412 landowners whose land intersected with a 193
boundary change – postcard pointed landowners to interactive website where UNA data exists 194
o 15 postcards were returned as non-deliverable 195
o 18 landowners contacted County Planning – a majority of whom needed help 196
understanding interactive website or clarification on what UNA is/is not. The response 197
was very positive as most landowners were excited to learn their properties were home 198
to such important environmental resources. 199
o He has been checking on the number of website hits since the mailing went out. 200
• UNA 2017 Outreach Budget 201
o The EMC has a remaining $1,600 in its UNA outreach budget this year. Funds must be 202
used or contracted by the end of December 2017. Scott suggested that some of the 203
money could go toward printing a revised copy of the UNA inventory for the Tompkins 204
County Public Library, as the latest version they can find in their collection is from 1990. 205
• 2018 Budget for UNA Update 206
o County Administrator has recommended against the $5K request for updates next year. 207
o Staff has recommended including it in budget presentation this week. 208
D. WRC Liaison – Michelle Henry 209
• Suspicious HABs found in Mud Lock 210
• Hilary Lambert gave a presentation on the Cayuga Lake Watershed Restoration and Protection 211
Plan. 212
• The Community Science Institute is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to test the 213
water around Aurora, NY, because of its proximity to the hydrilla treatment site. 214
• The Workshop to Protect Water Resources Committee has identified three top priorities: stream 215
corridor protection, road ditching practices, and natural infrastructure. The committee is 216
proposing a fall workshop on road ditching and a spring workshop on stream corridor 217
protection. The road ditching workshop would be a half-day session in early November, and 218
committee members are reaching out to potential presenters, including staff from the Cornell 219
Local Roads program and the Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District. 220
• Members shared reports of local flooding, including at The Shops at Ithaca Mall. 221
G. Executive – Brian Eden 222
• Brian and Bill Evans have been busy publicizing the EMC’s resolution on recommendations for 223
reducing blue light exposure in indoor/outdoor lighting systems. They spoke about them at a 224
public hearing on the County’s Shared Services Plan and worked with the County’s public affairs 225
to publish a press release. In addition, Bill was interviewed by WHCU and both he and Brian 226
talked to an Ithaca Voice reporter for an article in that publication. 227
• There is a “National Drive Electric Week” celebration on Saturday, September 16. It will take 228
place downtown in Press Bay Alley. 229
• On September 30, the Community Science Institute is hosting a symposium on harmful algal 230
blooms at The Space @ Greenstar. 231
• Ed Marx retired as commissioner of the Planning and Sustainability Department, and Katie 232
Borgella is serving as interim commissioner. Steve N. is on the committee to find Ed’s 233
replacement. 234
• Steve N. announced that the New York State Conference on the Environment will be held 235
November 17-18 in Kingston, NY. (The mayor of Kingston is a long-time EMC member.) The 236
theme this year is “Linking Local,” and there are two tracks to choose from: clean economy or 237
planning. Scholarships are available. Go to nysacc.org for more information. The DEC seems to 238
be much more involved in planning the conference this year. 239
Staff Report – Kristin McCarthy 240
Kristin McCarthy gave the staff report because Scott Doyle was out of town (the portion of Scott’s report 241
that touched on the UNA inventory appears under the UNA committee report): 242
• Climate Adaptation 243
o Staff will be considering applying for a grant this fall to help update the County Hazard 244
Mitigation Plan with adaptation elements. They welcome any thoughts on aspects to 245
include. The current plan “expires” in Spring 2019, and they need to have an active 246
approved plan to be eligible for FEMA pre-disaster mitigation funds. 247
o Staff will attend a FEMA meeting next week at Ithaca City Hall regarding levee hazard 248
identification in the City, which is one of the key factors holding up flood map updates. 249
• Executive Committee 250
o Moving forward with agenda setting for future meetings, please provide final agendas 251
to staff 10 days prior to meetings to ensure we can package and send agenda packets a 252
full week prior to meetings. 253
• Events 254
o Streets Alive takes place the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 17th. 255
o A Biophilia: Ithaca public meeting is being held Wednesday, Sept. 27th, at the Tompkins 256
County Public Library. The featured speaker is city arborist Jeanne Grace. 257
o Also on Sept. 27th, the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions is sponsoring a climate 258
change lecture by Arctic advocate Will Steger. 259
Planning the Fall Membership Campaign 260
• A joint press release announcing vacancies on the EMC and Water Resources Council was 261
published on the County’s website and distributed to media outlets. Likewise, a short-form 262
“blurb” announcement was posted to various area listservs as well as the County’s Facebook 263
and Twitter accounts. 264
• There was some confusion over the role of the newly established Outreach Committee (chair 265
Susan Riley is still seeking members), versus the proposed Membership Committee, in recruiting 266
board members. Susan said she would consult the Strategic Plan compiled by Anna Kelles and 267
other EMC representatives and report her findings to the group. 268
• Members were encouraged to reach out personally to colleagues and acquaintances who might 269
make good candidates for the EMC. 270
271
Review of the New Member Packet 272
The members were asked to review the digital New Member Packet for accuracy and to submit 273
any changes to Kristin at their earliest convenience. It was agreed that the version containing 274
personal contact information would remain hidden to the general public. The only email 275
address to be published on the EMC site would be Brian’s, for individuals seeking to contact the 276
chair of the Council. 277
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Member Items/Municipal Reports 279
• Michelle reported that at the latest Town of Newfield board meeting she brought up Bill’s 280
lighting recommendations during a discussion on replacing the street light system with LEDs. 281
• Steve N. said that the Town of Ulysses received a $100,000 Climate Smart Community grant, and 282
the Town of Caroline is in the running for one. 283
• Brian inquired whether anyone planned to attend the Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management 284
Plan meeting that night (Sept. 14th) at Newfield Town Hall. He was specifically interested in 285
finding out the deadline for the public comment period. Michelle said she was attending part of 286
the meeting and would ask if she got the chance. 287
Adjournment 288
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Action: Michelle motioned, and Tom seconded, to adjourn the meeting at 5:30 pm. The members 290
present passed the motion unanimously. 291
These draft minutes will be formally considered by the EMC at its next monthly meeting, and corrections 292
or notations will be incorporated at that time. 293
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Prepared by Kristin McCarthy, Tompkins County Planning and Sustainability Department 295
Approved by EMC: 10/12/2017 296
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