HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-NAC-2010-05-10City of Ithaca Natural Areas Commission
Minutes for Monday, May 10, 2010
5:30- 7:OOpm
City Hall, 108 East Green St
Second Floor Conference Room
Present: Joe McMahon, Vice Chair; Gerry Cox, notetaker; Anna Stalter
Absent: Alison Fromme, Chair; Ron Herring; Jon Meigs; Todd Miner; Sarah Steuteville;
Robert Wesley
Also Attending: Dan Hoffman, City Attorney; Roxy Johnson, Watershed Coordinator; Wade
Wykstra, BPW; Scott Doyle, Tompkins County Dept. of Planning; Rick Manning, Landscape
Architect
Minutes: Approval of the Minutes for April's meeting was postponed, due to lack of a quorum.
New Business: Rick Manning discussed the possibility of creating a trail on Fall Creek between
the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge and Highway 13 that would lead into the Fuertes Bird
Sanctuary. This trail could utilize the space now used occasionally for parking opposite the high
school as a trailhead and parking area. A safer, more accessible trail would not involve much
expenditure: it would involve cutting down under the highway bridge to create more
headroom and extending the width under the RR Bridge. He talked to the president of the bird
club and there should be no objection to having the trail go to the concrete arch in the Fuertes
Bird Sanctuary.
Scott Doyle observed that the need to shore up and stabilize the stream bank in that area offers
an opportunity to leverage partnerships and obtain funding to create a trail.
In answer to a question by Wade Wykstra, Dan Hoffman noted that the City owns the piece of
land where parking and landscaping would go.
Rick Manning will go to a forthcoming meeting with BPW to discuss this plan further.
Reports: About 10 -12 students from New Roots have been coming every Wednesday
afternoon about 3 pm to help out in the Wildflower Preserve. They have pulled garlic mustard,
put down wood chips on the trail, and reinforced the borders of the trail. Volunteers from NAC
would be most welcome.
On May 8, Robert's wildflower walk went well; a dozen to 15 people attended. Anna gave the
schedule of forthcoming activities.
Roxy noted that there will be a water presentation at the Farmer's Market on Sunday, May 16,
from 10 -3.
Joe reported that he had read the dEIS for John Novarr's project, Collegetown Terrace. He
called attention to the use of native plantings in landscaping. Overall, the project will decrease
the square footage of pavement in the area and increase the roofing footage. 25% of the
property will be undisturbed. Joe was also impressed by the way the slope has been utilized so
that the buildings do not loom up when viewed from South Hill. On behalf of NAC, Joe will draft
a letter to the Planning Commission and circulate it by e -mail.
Wade has given some attention to the question of how best to dispose of the spoils from
dredging the inlet. He suggested that it could be piped to the north end of the SW Park, leaving
the south end as wetlands. Piping the spoils would have the major advantage of not having
thousands of truck loads going through the city.