HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-04-12 CAC MinutesTown of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 1 of 6
Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC)
Minutes of Video Conference (Zoom) Meeting on
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Danby, New York
Council Members present: Clare Fewtrell (chair), Joel Gagnon, Mary Woodsen,
Jonathan Zisk, Don Schaufler , Katharine Hunter, Margaret Corbit, Brittany Lagaly
Council Members absent: none
Others present: Elizabeth Keokosky (secretary), Ronda Roaring (Danby resident)
Zoom Meeting was officially called to order at 7:07.
Deletions or Additions to Agenda: none
Privilege of the Floor (PoF): Roaring noted that a .pdf file of agenda is easier to
see on Calendar than a Zoho file and she recommended this format. She also
brought up a book she thought important “Native Plants for Native Birds” by Joel
Baines – a member of Cayuga Bird Club. It is out of print. She recommended CAC
contribute it to Danby Library. Fewtrell has a copy that she said she would
donate.
(Approval Minutes MOTION for March 8, 2022 minutes was inadvertently
skipped)
REPORTS AND UPDATES from Agenda.
1. Status of local implementation of varying easement time lines and
tax abatements subcommittee – Joel Gagnon and Clare Fewtrell
There will be a meeting of the CAC tax abatement subcommittee (Clare
Fewtrell, Jonathan Zisk and Joel Gagnon, plus Town Planner David
West) this coming Thursday morning at 9am.
To re-summarize, this year NYS passed, at Danby’s request, the
following property tax exemptions for easements of various lengths and
abatements, as follows:
Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 2 of 6
Easement Tax abatement
Not less than 15 years but less than 30 years 50%
Not less than 30 years but less than 50 years 75%
Not less than 50 years but less than 75 years 85%
Perpetual 90%
The tax abatement subcommittee have suggested reducing this to the
following:
• 29-year easement 50%
• 49-year easement 75%
• Perpetual 90%
Currently Danby only offers permanent Conservation Easements. The
discussion below is to pin down what CAC members think of the
subcommittee’s suggested limits on temporary easements.
Opinions of CAC members are:
• Corbit and Hunter that they were OK with that
• Keokosky and Woodsen said they liked a 15 year easement (to
allow older land holders – and their children - to the get
comfortable with the idea – Keokosky suggested in her email that
the abatement should be even less that 50% for suggested for 15
year easement)
• Lagaly doesn’t see value in short term easement. She sees it as a
way to get out of taxes. Needs to know more of the rationale.
(Gagnon filled her in on the problems of parents with children
objecting to them taking easements), She said she thought the
whole point is tying the hands of future generations.
• Schaufler agreed with Lagaly and Zisk – only permanent
easements make sense.
• Keokosky noted that it might be a good idea to talk to some of the
land owners that CAC is interested in making easements with and
see how they felt about it.
• Gagnon thought the issue should be brought to the town board
and see what they thought about it
• Keokosky responded that that might allow the town board to
dictate the decision - that Gagnon should emphasize this is just
Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 3 of 6
part of doing preliminary research until West talks to Orchard
Park.
• Zisk agreed that additional data should be accumulated and
presented, such as the opinion offered by Jay Franklin (Director of
Tompkins County Tax Assessor’s Office)
• Fewtrell agreed that additional research makes sense before
going to school board, as well as town board.
• Conclusion: CAC wants to go to town board, but not until they
have more information to analyze. Hunter feared CAC displays
bias in its opinion rather than facts.
To recap why we are considering a 15 year conservation easement,
Gagnon explained that there is considerable reluctance among many
people CAC has approached about easements and the main reason is
that they don’t want to tie the hands of their children.
Gagnon mentioned reaching out to School Districts to see if they would
be willing to accommodate tax abatements similar to those above. Zisk
is going to reach out to teachers in the school districts to gauge their
interest in this as an environmental approach. Orchard Park has had 15
year easements for 16 years and David West will be checking with them
to find out how well these have worked.
2. Status of annual easement monitoring and placing easement signs
– Jonathan Zisk, Don Schaufler & Margaret Corbit
There was a discussion of the annual easement inspections last year and
writing up the reports. Zisk will spend more time on this now the
weather is better. Schaufler needs a template of the monitoring report
to fill in in Word for Google Docs. Palmer easement still needs
inspection. Zisk promised oversight of fellow monitoring volunteers.
3. Updates on Proposed Easements: Ravencache/Stein (Brittany
Lagaly), Woodsen (Jonathan Zisk), Hoffman/Karlsen (Joel Gagnon),
any others?
Lagaly is still working on active use zone problems. Gagnon has
proposed changes to the active use zone in the easement template to
remove limitations on building size and number as long as dwelling
units are not added. Lagaly needs to double her house size and add
bedrooms to house her new twins. Fewtrell asked Gagnon to email both
Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 4 of 6
copies of template - before and after changes -so the CAC could discuss
it at its next meeting.
Zisk has sent out a copy of a rough draft of the Wooden Easement via
email. (For instance, metes and bounds were from surveyor’s map.
Gagnon said it must match the deed.) Zisk was still working on getting
info together in right places. (i.e. baseline, schedules, etc.)
Hoffman/Karlsen easement is still in Planner’s arena.
4. Report on March 10th Timothy Woods talk on a “A Paradigm Shift to
Bio-Sequestration & Regenerative Agriculture” - Elizabeth
Keokosky
Keokosky gave some feedback on Woods talk. There were mixed
reviews but for the most part favorable.
5. Report of February 10th Native Plants talk – Brittany Lagaly
In the initial “Privilege of the Floor”, Roaring said that most of plants
recommended were perennial flowers in Lagaly’s talk. Since she
estimated that we could have 71,000 dead ash trees in Danby State
Forest and Norway spruce and ash were the source of a lot of dead and
dying trees, she recommended a second talk on native trees to replace
those.
Lagaly said that she was going to move to a regular Zoom format from a
webinar, since it allowed more feedback. Gagnon said he thought the
presentation was excellent. The suggestion that there be more on trees
was more for an additional presentation than a criticism.
Keokosky asked about the Facebook group Lagaly had proposed to
share purchase of bare root native plants. Others also had difficulty
finding it so Lagaly was going to send the link. Fewtrell asked her to
write an article for Danby News. This led to a discussion of where to
send monthly CAC update. Initially it was suggested to send article to
both, this led to some opposing views and a vote.
MOTION for Sending CAC update only to official town publication
Gagnon moved to approve
Zisk seconded
Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 5 of 6
Majority voted to go with motion, except for Woodsen and
Fewtrell, who abstained
6. Status of Timber Harvesting law – Jonathan Zisk & Don Schaufler
This writing was at a standstill because Schaufler continues to have
problems with Zoho, the new mail and web operating system. Zisk
thinks it is user operating system sensitive – too many bells and
whistles. Some other people in group are also having trouble with Zoho.
Fewtrell later gave her other email address since she was still having
problems receiving mail with Zoho.
7. Update on Proposed Solar Panel Farm – Joel Gagnon
Gagnon reported on status of the Wetland Report prepared for the CAC
by Zisk & Corbit (this was in last month’s CAC minutes appendix). The
Town Board was happy with it and, David West, Planner, said it could be
used as a wetland guide for the Planning Board during site plan
approval for solar farms. Thus the Town Board is sending it on to
Planning Board, which Zisk and Corbit said had been their intent.
Gagnon said the final combined wetland delineation report from the two
site consultants was supposed to happen this coming week. That would
allow the Town Board to go on with their SEQR review (New
York State’s Environmental Quality Review Act), and, if successful, then
the Town Board can approve the site for a solar farm. Afterward, it
would go on to Planning Board. Unfortunately, because of the delays,
the option on the property will expire and has to be renewed, and other
expenses are occurring. But he is optimistic.
Corbit reported that she felt the report was something that she enjoyed
doing , that she was good at it, and saw it as a good contribution.
Gagnon agreed as did the Town Board, saying that this was the kind of
expertise the CAC needed to give.
The meeting ended with more discussion of easements. Hunter was
concerned about her part in the new conservation easement being
started for Ruth Sherman and her husband Jim Lassoie. Lagaly had
been encouraged, using her experience with her own easement, to work
on this, as the lead person, mentoring Hunter. Gagnon promised to help
Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 6 of 6
them both if they needed it. Zisk and Fewtrell said they would walk the
property with them.
There was no Executive session
Next Meeting via Zoom is on May 10th 2022 at 7p.m.
Adjournment at 8:56pm
_____________________________________________
Submitted by Elizabeth Keokosky (Secretary)