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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB 2025-04-29 CB 2025-04-29 Final 1 CONSERVATION BOARD April 29, 2025 Hybrid Present: Gian Dodici (chair), *Anne Clark, *Jeanne Grace, *Kate McKee, Nancy Munkenbeck, Craig Schutt, *Tim Woods Absent: Steve Bissen, Andrew Miller, Naomi Cator-Szymanski (alternate) Liaisons: *Spring Buck (Town Board) Staff: Loren Sparling (Deputy Town Clerk) “*” denotes attendance via Zoom The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. Review and Acceptance of Minutes Review of the minutes from the Conservation Board meeting held on March 25, 2025, was tabled until next month due to their late distribution to Board members. Report: Agriculture Advisory Committee C Schutt reported that the Agriculture Advisory Committee did not meet this month. Report: Town Board S Buck reported that the Freese Rd Bridge project is nearing the bid phase for contractors. The Town is awaiting final approval from the DOT before sending out the Request for Proposal (RFP). The Dryden Fiber project is experiencing growing pains brought on by its transition to a new vendor. This new vendor, with much more knowledgeable engineers and a much more robust team, is identifying issues with the work of the previous smaller company, leading to a temporary pause period for reassessment. Examples of identified issues include potential problems with how poles were assessed for permits (site visits vs Google Maps ), and one instance of an improper connection to another line that could impact the backup loop system. While the delays are frustrating for residents eager to subscribe, S Buck framed this reassessment as a positive step to ensure proper installation. She reiterated that the Town did not renew its contract with the Etna Fire Department for 2025. The rationale for non-renewal was for good reasons and to be responsible with taxpayer funds. This decision, though, has led to the Etna Fire Department being very unhappy and taking out newspaper articles. Etna’s territory will be split between the Freeville and Varna fire departments. There is interest from the Freeville department in potentially taking over the Etna facility, but those conversations haven’t started yet. Any decisions about the use of Etna Fire Department’s resources (property and taxpayer funds) will be assessed once things move forward and these resources are returned to the community. New Business: Climate Smart Coordination A Clark informed the Board that the Climate Smart Communities Task Force has achieved a major milestone by submitting data for silver certification, the highest level available, and maximizing available no-match grants from the Clean Energy Communities program. Having largely achieved their state-driven goals, Task Force members are looking to continue as a committee with a broader mission focused on long-term sustainability and long- CB 2025-04-29 Final 2 term community resilience. With Alice Green stepping down as chairperson, a new chair will be elected by this new group at their next meeting. There is a strong desire from Task Force members to collaborate with the Conservation Board on shared goals, potentially through occasional joint meetings and developing short- term strategic plans. This collaboration is seen as a way to have even more thrust and make suggestions a little more potent and relevant. Conservation Board members expressed a willingness to help facilitate this transition and organize a joint meeting in the near future. G Dodici thought that working together on common goals would be a useful and productive endeavor, something that should probably be emulated with other boards. The “Future Forward Committee” was posited as a potential name for this new committee, so as to highlight its efforts to help the Town move forward positively into the future. Old Business: Zoning Rewrite S Buck reported that this month’s discussion focused heavily on data centers. The Planning Board is developing a recommendation to the Town Board on how data centers should be incorporated into the zoning law. The current proposed recommendation is to allow one small data center in each of the two light industrial areas, provided they are for local use only. The Town Board should receive this recommendation in the next few weeks. N Munkenbeck, who also attended the meeting, relayed that another key discussion point was determining the best approach to help ensure the improvement of housing affordability for people. (A member at this workshop had expressed significant concern about people living in RVs and suggested restricting this practice, citing concerns about property taxes, which was disputed by another member.) It was clarified that while these are opinions, the focus for zoning language around such issues will likely be centered on residents’ health and safety (e.g., fire department access). The process of developing specific language for the rewrite is still at an early stage. Old Business: Chaffee Rd A landowner on Chaffee Rd unauthorizedly excavated a wetland area adjacent to the road and Rail Trail. The Town’s Highway Department has since filled it in. G Dodici expressed extreme disappointment with the Town’s action, explaining that, with there being no legal recourse against the landowner, the Town essentially subsidized his action by levelling out a quarter-acre of private land. This resulted in the loss of trees, wetland storage, and stormwater attenuation. It is simply more impervious surface being created in a Town that does not need more impervious surface, and for the Town to do such work is really disheartening. The Town’s justification, based on discussions with the DEC and the Army Corps of Engineers, was that the area was not a regulated wetland. The Town’s attitude should be to protect every wetland, regardless of jurisdiction. We still need to understand and convey the importance of wetlands, and that involves educating the Town Highway Department of the impact of their actions. To this, S Buck added that there had been concerns about the road being undermined, which prompted the Town’s action in filling in the pit. (G Dodici understood the Town’s need to address this, but did not feel this justified the entire tract being filled.) The Town also did not have any support from the courts with respect to legal action, and so it is now exploring the development of a fee structure to levy increasing fines against individuals for inappropriate actions without needing court involvement. The fill material is purportedly local, potentially from Town ditch digging operations. CB 2025-04-29 Final 3 Board members echoed G Dodici in their disappointment with the Highway Department’s actions, with one stating that the goal should have been to bring the tract back to its original state (a depression) rather than level with the road and Rail Trail. S Buck reported that the Town’s Highway/DPW intends to plant the filled area with trees or bushes, but concerns were raised about the suitability of the fill material and the way it was compacted for supporting native plants, in addition to the Town’s responsibility for planting on private property. Board members held that the Town could go so far as to plant pollinator-friendly seeds (e.g., milkweed and wildflowers) to help slow the establishment of non- native invasive plants (e.g., garlic mustard and knotweed), but anything more would be a waste of taxpayers’ money. It was noted that the landowner’s actions extend beyond the filled triangle, including ditching to increase drainage from his residential property into the creek and digging a ditch on the other side of the Rail Trail into a wetland area, none of which have been remediated. Just because the triangle was filled in does not mean that the situation on Chaffee Rd has ended. The landowner’s stated intention was to return the area to its topography before a hurricane in the early 1960s, claiming permission from the DEC and Army Corps, which is disputed by those familiar with the area. The Conservation Board plans to formally summarize their view of the situation to the Town Board, highlighting the ongoing conservation issues and offering whatever assistance may be necessary to restore the area to near-natural conditions, including advice on plant selection and location. As the Town’s advisors on conservation matters, Board members are willing to take a stand on this, as this issue is something worth fighting for. G Dodici concluded the discussion by stating that the Town must ensure that whatever restoration it undertakes is protected from future vandalism. Old Business: Update on Tree Planting at O. D. von Engeln J Grace reported that she is in contact with the Nature Conservancy about the memorial tree planting project to honor Bob Beck. She will provide them with a map, a list of intended tree species to be planted, and cost estimates, as well as seek confirmation that they would not take issue with the addition of a memorial plaque. The planting will focus on native trees around five feet tall, likely bare root trees for easier self-planting. The possibility of planting heartnut, a Japanese walnut, was raised but deemed non-native. To highlight B Beck’s service to the community, serviceberry was also considered as a shrubby complement to the trees. Pending approval from the Nature Conservancy, the project will also involve addressing invasive species, specifically a multiflora rose bush. The Conservation Board is coordinating with the Town’s bookkeeper to set up a separate account for donations specifically for this project, from which project invoices can be paid. (Checks may be made payable to the Town of Dryden, with “Bob Beck Memorial Tree Planting” written on the memo line.) Ideas for soliciting donations included mentioning the project in the Town newsletter and potentially having a presence at Dairy Day (scheduled for June 14). Coordination with the Rail Trail Task Force is also being pursued. Old Business: DRYC Update C Schutt reported that two plans have been developed, but the potential space for the area has become even smaller due to maintaining a 100 foot buffer from the wetlands. Parking remains an unresolved issue. The plans will be distributed to Board members. CB 2025-04-29 Final 4 Old Business: Newsletter Submissions The Conservation Board had a successful newsletter submission last month. Ideas for future submissions include pieces on a homemade (vinegar-based) earth-friendly herbicide and No Mow (or Low Mow) May initiatives, referencing efforts being promoted in Cortland and Homer. Concerns were raised about the impact of mowing on nesting birds if mowing was delayed beyond May. The upcoming memorial garden planting will be featured in the June newsletter. Town Conservation Fund The idea of establishing a dedicated town conservation fund for voluntary public donations was discussed. A similar account exists for recreation, but establishing a conservation fund was previously presented as requiring complex procedures, potentially state approval. N Munkenbeck desired to push for such an account to allow for generic conservation donations to fund unspecified projects. Examples of conservation funds in Vermont (over 55 towns) were cited as a potential model. Challenges include clearly defining the fund’s purpose and usage for auditing and reporting purposes and potentially needing to develop specific legal language. The possibility of allowing donations only for specific, approved conservation projects was suggested as an alternative approach. There being no further business, on motion made by G Dodici, seconded by N Munkenbeck, the meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Loren Sparling Deputy Town Clerk