No preview available
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-03-31Conservation Board March 31, 2015 Page 1 of 4 Conservation Board March 31, 2015 Members present: Bob Beck (Chair), Charlie Smith, Craig Schutt, Gian Dodici, Milo Richmond, and Nancy Munkenbeck at 8:30PM. Guests: Eileen Munsch and Mike from Design Connect, Timothy and Heather Gowe, Dutcher Road Liaisons Present: David Weinstein (Planning Board), Linda Lavine (Town Board) The meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM Design Connect: Eileen Munsch Ms. Munsch said that “Team Dryden” has been moving along. Two weeks ago they held a meeting of potential trail supporters that generated great ideas. On the 25th of April, Ms. Munsch is planning to have a meeting of property owners of trail sections and property owners that are near the trail. It will be similar to the meeting with the trail advocates. She shared a draft of the letter that Design Connect is sending to the landowners and asked for feedback. She said they had some issue generating a list of landowners and the process of going through the County data. She asked the Board members to review the list in case they know more landowners that she might have missed. The letter also needed information added, such as contact information, and C. Smith suggested that Ms. Munsch develop an independent email to protect her own information. D. Weinstein suggested the Town of Dryden provide her with a Dryden email. It will also be helpful when she is finished with the project and the project will return to the Town/Conservation Board. Ms. Munsch asked that some of the Conservation Board members attend the meeting on the 25th to assist with the discussions. Supr. Sumner also suggested that a Town Board member should be there. Ms. Munsch hopes to have the letter ready to go in about a week. She asked about stuffing envelopes and paying for the mailing. It was determined that the Town will cover the cost for postage. Review and approval of minutes from February 24th: C. Schutt moved to approve the minutes, C. Smith seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved with the recommended changes. Beck Farm Manure Pit and Pipeline, Timothy and Heather Gowe: The Gowes are concerned about the 3.2 million gallon manure pit that will be located across the road from their house and the manure line that is being run from the Beck Farm on Red Mill Road under Fall Creek, through the DEC wetlands and buffer and under North Road to the east side of the road. The paper had a notice from the DEC but Mr. Gowe doesn’t feel that was acceptable since it only concerned the risers. He has not seen a full scope of the project; there isn’t a complete plan for the public to view. Mr. Gowe explained that they are concerned about the potential damage to the wetlands through which the pipeline will run. The Gowes had another engineer review the plan that is available (from Jess engineering) and he had some concerns regarding the fact that there wasn’t any pre-boring done to determine whether there are any underwater streams that might be affected and the riser slope that might permit Conservation Board March 31, 2015 Page 2 of 4 sediment build up (the drainage of the slurry from the pipe) when the pipes are disconnected. The Beck plan calls for the pipes being connected for about 3 days twice a year (fall and spring). However, the Gowes have not seen that in writing. Mr. Gowe said that at the time the grant was written there were alternate sites under consideration but they have not been told where those sites were. He said he is not against farming but he does think that having a manure pit or line in a wetland or buffer zone is a bad idea with no emergency response plan in place by DEC or CAFO. The land has already been cleared and Mr. Gowe said he has had permission to hunt there for 15 years. He has seen turkeys, two ringneck pheasant nests and a bobcat. He believes that this project should not be identified as a type II action in reference to SEQR. The Gowes have hired an environmental lawyer, Lorraine Moynihan. Mr. Gowe has a map done by the Cayuga Watershed network in 2012 (finalized in 2014) and it depicts the wetland as a lot larger than the DEC appears to acknowledge. He has prepared a statement with nine objections that he will send to DEC. He has also heard that there is a road being put in somewhere but he doesn’t know where. He has FOILed CAFO and the DEC. The CAFO reports that he has seen show that Beck farms spread about 2 million gallons which leads him to question the need for a 3.2 million gallon pit. They have hired someone to take 131 aerial photos; they show the Beck lands and the waterways and he has identified several areas that look more appropriate for a manure pit. He said the only uncooperative agency has been Tompkins County Soil and Water. He says there isn’t a DEC permit for the pit, and no footprint. Upstream Construction and Murdocks both bid for the job and Upstream Construction got the job to build the storage tank. Mrs. Gowe has talked to some of the residents on Leisure Lane who had some concerns about the location of the line in relation to their wells. She has also visited some of the neighbors on Dutcher Road. According to the entities in charge, including T.C. Soil and Water and the DEC, Mr. Beck has contacted his neighbors but the Gowes and others were not aware of what was planned. He feels it is a matter of common courtesy to let neighbors know. Mr. Gowe has photos from October 2013 that shows the Beck Farm spreading herbicides in the wetland area. Jean Foley (DEC) cannot tell him where the wetlands end and the buffer zone starts. D. Weinstein believes that a SEQR should have been required; the fact that this is a farm operation allowed the DEC to grant permits without an environmental review. L. Lavine advocated writing a letter to the DEC asking for more information before moving forward with the pipeline/pit project. D. Weinstein agreed to write a letter on behalf of himself, and any others who wished to sign on, to the DEC requesting an extension on the public comment period to get more information regarding the manure pit and pipeline. The DEC has put out a notice regarding the pipeline risers (not the pit or the actual pipeline) but the public comment period ends on April 2nd. M. Richmond is more likely to call someone to ask more questions rather than writing. He believes signing a letter might not be the best idea without having the information to back up any desire to ask for an extension. Town Board: L. Lavine A candidate for the Planner position was interviewed today. L. Lavine said he is highly qualified. Conservation Board March 31, 2015 Page 3 of 4 Planning Board: David Weinstein The Planning Board reviewed a site plan for 1808 Dryden Road (corner of Hanshaw and Route 13). The owner wants to put in a small landscape/garden store. The board has also split into three groups to review the Comprehensive Plan in an effort to determine whether the Plan needs to be re-written or just updated. Agriculture Advisory Committee: C. Schutt The last meeting was the gathering of farmers and landowners. Approximately 40 people attended and the outcome is seen as generally positive. Parks and trails guide B. Beck asked that page 3, item h be changed. It is the section that refers to the Parks and Trails Maintenance Committee. The change will be to reflect that the chair of the Conservation Board will be the Chair of the Maintenance Committee, one member selected from the DRYC, an additional member from the Conservation Board and 2 members from the community at large selected by the Conservation Board. Other minor changes were suggested. M. Richmond moved that the Conservation Board accept the Park and Trail guide with the recommended changes. C. Schutt seconded the motion which was unanimously approved. G. Dodici moved that the Conservation Board recommend to the Town Board that they accept the Parks and Trails Maintenance guide as provided. M. Richmond seconded the motion as amended which was unanimously approved. Rail to Trail Resolution In January, the Conservation Board passed a resolution in regard to the Game Farm section of the trail. Their intention was to encourage the Town Board and others that are involved to keep working with the DEC to reach an agreement. They did not intend that the Town should accept the Batcheller letter but should use it as part of the negotiation. Several of the reasons for rescinding the proposal including: the DEC may never change their position or move forward on the trail, bicycles would not be permitted on the DEC recommended trail, and there are still negotiations taking place. Several people have approached B. Beck asking the Conservation Board to rescind the resolution so they can keep working on getting the ideal situation for the Town. G. Dodici recalled the discussion as being more of either we accept the recommendations or we get nothing. He did not realize how many other entities are involved in this discussion and argued that at least we would have a foot in the door. Rescinding the resolution may slow down the process. He suggested that instead of rescinding the resolution, they amend or clarify the former/original resolution. B. Beck prefers to rescind the resolution and start moving forward with a new direction. The Board agreed that they did not have enough information in January and now that they know more, they wish to encourage a continued dialog among the interested parties. Conservation Board March 31, 2015 Page 4 of 4 C. Schutt argued that the Board knew what they were passing and he was in favor of amending the resolution but he refused to vote for the rescinding of the original resolution. He pointed out that the Town Board does not have to act on the resolution. B. Beck noted that people outside of the Board may point to this resolution as an indication that the Town was ok with the Batcheller letter suggestion. G. Dodici moved to table the motion until the resolution could be amended to actually say what they want to say. C. Smith moved to approve the resolution rescinding the January resolution regarding the Game Farm section of the rail to trail project. M. Richmond seconded the motion which was passed with a 5-0-1 vote. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:50PM. Respectfully Submitted, Erin A. Bieber Deputy Town Clerk Town of Dryden Conservation Board 31 March 2015 Resolution to Town Board Proposed that the Town of Dryden adopt the attached document, "Parks and Trails Maintenance Guidelines," and facilitate the recommendations contained therein Whereas, Trails, such as Dryden's popular Jim Schug Trail, are highly valued by residents and visitors for many activities such as family outings, nature study and enjoyment, walking, jogging, bicycling, cross-country skiing and horseback riding, Whereas, Maintenance objectives of mowing, brush and tree trimming, surface repair and drainage ditching for trails and parks differ significantly from the maintenance and safety requirements for motor-vehicle roadways, Whereas, It is appropriate and useful to view our current and future trails as multi-use, off-road "linear parks," Whereas, An overarching maintenance goal for parks and trails is to preserve the natural diversity that makes them the special places that they are, Whereas, Discussion between Conservation Board members and the Superintendent of Highway & Public Works has identified issues of concern and has produced agreement on maintenance goals as well as plans for ongoing annual communication and recommendations, Now, therefore, be it resolved that, The Conservation Board recommends that the Town Board approve the attached document entitled, "Parks and Trails Maintenance Guidelines," and facilitate its implementation through the Department of Public Works. Approved: 6–0 by the Conservation Board on 31 March 2015 Town of Dryden Conservation Board 31 March 2015 Resolution to Town Board Recision of Game Farm Trail Resolution of 27 January 2015 Whereas, In consideration of further information coming to light, Whereas, In full support of the work of the Tompkins County Parks & Trails Network in furthering the Tompkins Priority Trails Strategy: A Vision for Networked Trails in Tompkins County (paper of 9 January 2014), Whereas, We wish to encourage ongoing discussions with the DEC concerning the Game Farm section of the Ithaca to Freeville rail trail, using the letter from DEC, dated 21 August 2014, as a starting point, Now, therefore, be it resolved that, The Conservation Board recommends to the Town Board that our Game Farm Trail Resolution of 27 January 2015 be rescinded, And further resolved that, The Town Board move expeditiously to provide leadership in trail planning, including planning for the important Game Farm trail segment, consistent with the Tompkins County vision of "a network of connected multi-use and thru-hiking trails." Approved: 5–1–0 by the Conservation Board on 31 March 2015