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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-06-30June 30, 2015 Conservation Board Page 1 of 5 Dryden Conservation Board June 30, 2015 Members Present: Bob Beck (Chair), Charlie Smith, Gian Dodici, Craig Schutt, Jeremy Sherman, Nancy Munkenbeck and Rick Ryan. Milo Richmond, excused. EMC Liaison: Steve Bissen Town Board Liaison: Linda Lavine Planning Board Liaison: David Weinstein Town Hall Staff: Ray Burger, Planning Board Meeting was called to order at 7:02 pm Review and approval of meeting minutes from May 26, 2015: C. Smith moved to approve the minutes with the recommended changes, C. Schutt seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved. Reports and updates: Town Board: Linda Lavine - No report - FYI – at the next TCCOG meeting, Monika Roth and Debbie Teeter will be presenting an Agriculture Land Protection Plan Planning Board: David Weinstein - They are reviewing the Comprehensive Plan. At this time, the Planning Board doesn’t believe they have enough history with the Plan and associated Zoning Law to re-write the plan. They are discussing adding energy efficiency considerations to certain parts of the Plan. - The Planning Board is considering a parallel resolution regarding the criteria for acquisition or purchase of property by the Town Ag Advisory Committee: Craig Schutt - The last meeting was just before Dairy Days; much of the meeting was spent preparing for that event. - They are going to look at 2-3 issues per month that arose via the survey and try to work through those. By fall, the Committee is hoping to have those issues worked out and they are going to start looking at the Town’s Zoning Law. Rural Water Meeting: They met June 4th for the first time. Mr. Winkley has sent out an email asking for information regarding the areas in the Town which have water quality (surface or well) problems; water availability issues (are there places that don’t have enough water); and where community build out is happening versus where growth is limited. DRYC: Rick Ryan - The DRYC is reviewing the Recreation Master Plan June 30, 2015 Conservation Board Page 2 of 5 - A Resolution was passed requesting permission from the Town Board to explore options for a Town Park (beyond the Must Have Play plan and the property behind the Town Hall) - Discussed liaisons to the Rails-to-Trails Committee and the Trail Maintenance Committee (S. Mulinos, J. Sinicropi and D. Bravo-Cullen are all interested in various capacities) - Dryden Lake Festival will be July 25th. - The DRYC has verbally indicated that they support the acquisition of the Hoag-Harvey property EMC: Steve Bissen - They are continuing to work on the UNAs - State report on fracking came out and the State has officially banned current technologies for fracking. Guide to Dryden Trails and Preserves: Rick Ryan - He is working with J. Jones (Recreation Director) and E. Bieber (Deputy Town Clerk) to get the information updated. - The county project has not started their electronic trail guide Rail-Trail Steering Committee: Bob Beck Trail Maintenance Standing Committee: Bob Beck - The meadow on the north side of Dryden Lake was mowed prior to June 14th. The meadow (and the mowing thereof) is part of the maintenance plan that the Highway department has agreed to. Mowing it early in the year undermines the opportunity for specific birds’ nests. Resolution: Varna to Freeville rail-trail plan - The resolution calls for a vote of support for the Design Connect plan - B. Beck hopes that this section of trail can be coordinated with movement forward on the Game Farm section - R. Burger stated that contact has been made with Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and will coordinate a visit to the site when she has time in her schedule - Supr. Sumner has been in contact with Gordon Batchellor - R. Burger feels we have several parties that can be involved including the DEC and Cornell Lobbyists - Several members agree that at this point, the Town should take the lead and the Conservation Board will continue to request information and updates Town of Dryden Conservation Board 30 June 2015 Resolution to Town Board: Varna to Freeville Rail-Trail Plan June 30, 2015 Conservation Board Page 3 of 5 Whereas, Cornell Design Connect's "Team Dryden" has prepared a "Town of Dryden Rail Trail Concept Plan: Spring 2015" (May 15, 2015) for the Varna to Freeville rail bed, Whereas, This 6.25-mile trail segment is an indispensable component in the Town of Dryden's goal of connecting the popular Jim Schug multi-use trail in Dryden to Ithaca via the Village of Freeville and the hamlets of Etna and Varna, Whereas, This plan complements the Town of Dryden's "Draft Design Report for the Dryden/Freeville Trail Project" (May 2006) for the Dryden to Freeville rail bed segment, Whereas, This plan is in full alliance with the work of the Tompkins County Parks & Trails Network in furthering the "Tompkins Priority Trails Strategy: A Vision for Networked Trails in Tompkins County" (January 9, 2014), Whereas, This plan provides details on existing conditions, design guidelines, features and materials, alternative routes, neighbor concerns and mitigation measures, a cost estimate and potential funding sources, Whereas, This plan has begun an essential public outreach effort involving local citizens, neighboring landowners, trail user groups, and conservation advocates, Now, therefore, be it resolved that, The Conservation Board recommends to the Town Board that this "Town of Dryden Rail Concept Plan: Spring 2015" be acknowledged with a formal vote of support for the concept, with financial details to be determined, And further resolved that, The Town Board move expeditiously in providing leadership in additional planning, public outreach, legal necessities and trail implementation for the benefit of our communities and future generations. The resolution was moved by C. Smith, seconded by J. Sherman, and unanimously approved. Natural Resources Conservation Plan B. Beck suggested the Board go back to the work that was done on the Open Space Plan and review some of the information that they generated last year. He believes that the concept of the three intersecting circles (recreation, conservation and agriculture) is still relevant even though the focus of the plan has shifted from Open Space to the Conservation of Dryden’s natural resources. Potential approaches to create the plan: - Using another Town’s plan (Ancram) as a template, edit that plan with information pertinent to Dryden - Start with actionable items – the resources we need to protect, the resources we need to enhance, etc. And then gather the background information to support/encourage/justify those actions. - The Board can revisit the goals and objectives in the draft Open Space Plan and work from there June 30, 2015 Conservation Board Page 4 of 5 - Will the Natural Resources Conservation Plan include the Ag Protection plan and the Recreation Master plan? The Board was agreed that the plan will be independent but reference the other two plans. - The Town of Dryden has close to 200 UNAs that should be addressed - Is preserving rural character important to the plan and if so do we want to address unprotected lands? How much focus does the Board want to put on Agricultural lands versus other open spaces? Just because the Ag Protection plan will address the ag lands does not mean it should not be part of or at least addressed by the Conservation Plan. - N. Munkenbeck suggested that recommendations for riparian buffers should be one of the Plan’s goals but other Board members feel that is too specific to be set as a goal. The Goals should be broader and encompass several related objectives. - B. Beck is going to pull out about 10 pages worth of lists from the Ancram Plan to send around to generate comments and feedback. - The Board will work on section 4 of the Open Space Plan draft for the next meeting in addition to the information regarding the Ancram Plan. R. Burger: - He asked the Board members about the New York State Association of Conservation Commissions and whether membership is something they are interested in. - the Town has had a membership in the past but C. Smith believes the membership would be more beneficial for Planning. - R. Burger was impressed with the presentation that K. Servoss shared with the Town Board. He believes the presentation was a great promotion for the Commissions current work - Varna Plan update: working on the integration of road work and the rail trail. Although the plan is on the TIP, that really isn’t that much money in regard to the overall project. - GIAC has a conservation board and are looking for conservation projects Other Business: G. Dodici expressed his concern with the ditching that is occurring around the Town. Baker Hill Road is a good current example. The manner in which the ditching is being done does not appear to have any viable reason and there are concerns about the safety of water resources. The rest of the Board agreed that the methods being used are not justified and pointed out that much of the ditching is going to increase the debris and run-off pollution. The highway and DPW Superintendants have indicated that they consider the Trail Maintenance Guide provided by the Conservation Board as simply a suggestion and therefore they are not required to follow the recommendations. L. Lavine suggested that it might be time to revisit the issue of election versus appointment of the Highway Supervisor. June 30, 2015 Conservation Board Page 5 of 5 There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9PM. Respectfully Submitted, Erin A. Bieber Deputy Town Clerk