HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-10-01 CAC Minutes
CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL
October 1, 2025
6:30 In Person
Lansing Town Hall
1. Call Meeting to Order
Present: Ed Dubovi, Robyn Bailey, Travis Kitch, Brian Boerman
Excused Absence: John Fleming, Todd Walters, John Hatfield,
Non-CAC attendees: Christine Montague, Town Board, Ashley Seyfried, Kathleen Yen, Village of Lansing
A quorum of the current CAC members was present.
1. Discussion on the implementation of the Climate Smart Communities program
The contract for administering the CSC program for the Town of Lansing is now with the Southern
Tier 8 Regional Board. Our contact person is Ashley Seyfried. The focus of the discussion of the CSC
program was how do we move forward with no administrative support from the Town. Ashley will
contact Jerry Zhang from CCE to see what items might have been identified that would qualify for
submission to the CSC program. It was not clear to the CAC who can submit documentation. Many of
the items that might qualify for points were actions done in the past for which documentation may or
may not exist. Without administrative input, very little can be achieved toward the goals of the
program. Ashley will forward her recommendations once she has some idea what may be possible.
Some simple items such as participation in the EMC, CWIO, NYSAAC are relevant but need
documentation. Also looking for joint programs with the county.
2. Meeting with the Conservation Board of the Town of Ithaca.
The chair of the CAC met with the Town of Ithaca Conservation Board on September 4 to learn
how the CB operates with regard to assessing the environmental impacts of developments. The Town
of Ithaca “planning” structure is very different from the Town of Lansing. The Planning Board consists
of 3 Town Board members. The Planning Department has 5 planners and an admin aide. A senior
planner attends all CB meetings and plans the agenda. Any resources needed by the CB are provided
by the Planning staff. The CB may become involved in any development project of 5 acres or larger
(their OSCP included many more parcels of land than the Town of Lansing OSCP). In any given year, the
CB might have input of 5-10 projects. Any needed documentation is provided by the Planning Dept.
After reviewing the documentation, a site visit may be done to assess the environmental impact of the
project – drainage, rare species, impact on adjacent properties, UNA, scenic views impact, etc). While
state law allows 45 days for submission of a report the CB tries to have a memo to the Planning Dept in
15 days. All of this effort is backed by the admin staff of the Planning Dept. While no formal training is
involved, long-serving members of the Board provide guidance. The CB did give a presentation to the
NYSACC meeting in Ithaca in 2022 on their process.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMl1K5_xlMU&list=PLJB3yoXsQzc38wOjE6l3emKzBMXMCDcqO
&index=2)
The “take home” message is that a Town of Lansing CB cannot function without significant
administrative support from the Planning Dept.
3. Future of the CAC
The CAC has been struggling over the past year to identify areas of interest to the Town Board
mainly because the Board has not provided any guidance as to their areas of interest. In addition, the
CAC is the “task force” for the CSC program. Again, the CAC struggled with the means to implement
this program without any administrative support. The CAC will have up to 5 positions to fill for 2026
(two vacancies and 3 possible renewals). It will be difficult to fill these vacancies without a pro-active
agenda which can attract interested parties.