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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012 Spring NewsletterFrustrated because your leaves fell too late for Town crews to pick up? Try composting. Composting requires a source of material like leftovers, leaves, grass clippings, and non-woody plant material. To produce soil faster, layer “green” material like the sources listed above with soil and turn it at regu- lar intervals. For less work, the raw material can simply be thrown on the pile, but should be covered with soil, leaves, or grass to reduce unsightliness and odors. Although meat leftovers can be successfully composted, it’s not recommended since they can attract animals. Local stores offer countertop con- tainers with odor control for accu- mulating leftovers until they’re composted. Some people transfer the kitchen material to a larger container with a secure lid in the garage or storage shed and then compost when there is a greater amount available. An enclo- sure can make for better-looking and more efficient composting. An enclosure can be a simple chicken-wire ring or a fancier one constructed from lumber. Treated wood is not recommended if the soil will be used for vegetable gar- dening. Town Code says that com- post inside an enclosure must be located at least three feet from a property line; if not enclosed, com- post must be located at least ten feet from a property line. For more information, visit Cornell Cooperative Extension at 615 Wil- low Avenue or ccetompkins.org/ garden/composting. TOWN OF ITHACA TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE INSIDE Help Plan the Town’s Future Pesticides West Hill Community Garden Kick-off Building a Better Permitting Process Conservation Board News BACK PAGE Board and Committee Openings The Pet Corner Board Meeting Packets WHAT TO DO • Bag leaves and garden waste in biodegradable paper bags • Pile brush in neat bundles parallel to the roadway (see diagram at left). • Put out limbs no larger than 8 inches in diameter (it is not necessary to cut limbs into small pieces). • Limit brush piles to the size of a pickup load (approximately 4 feet x 4 feet x 8 feet in size). • Place brush along road shoulder or at the end of the driveway if no shoulder exits. WHAT NOT TO DO • Do not tie bundles of brush. • Do not place materials in a ditch. • Do not put out metal, rocks, glass, roots, stumps, or lumber scraps. • Do not put brush out until the week before collection. Spring Brush and Leaf Pickup The Public Works Department will be picking up yard waste starting Monday, April 16th, and will continue throughout the Town until finished. All yard waste must be at the roadside by 7 a.m. on the first day of collection. The intention of the Town’s roadside collection service is for residents of the Town of Ithaca outside the Village of Cayuga Heights to put a reasonable amount of yard waste (as is generated during a normal year) out at the roadside for pick up by the Town’s crews. Clearing of building lots and hedgerows is beyond a normal amount of material. Roadside collection crews reserve the right to not pick up excessively large volumes of brush and improperly piled materials. Brush you collect before the first day of the pickup needs to remain out of the rights-of-way until a couple of days before the pick up; this will assure your safety and that of your neighbors. Errant brush piles can wreak havoc on the stormwater systems and can create a hazard for walkers and cyclists. You can also make arrangements to drop off your yard waste at the Public Works Facility at 106 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. any time of the year. If you have questions, please call 273-1656 weekdays before 3:00 p.m. SPRING 2012 TRAFFIC TRAFFIC cut ends WASHING OR PEELING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES BEFORE YOU EAT THEM WON’T PROTECT YOU FROM SYSTEMIC PESTICIDES. THESE PESTICIDES ARE IN THE PLANT, NOT ON IT. WHEN WE MAKE THE PLANT ITSELF POISONOUS TO PREDATORS, ONE HAS TO WONDER WHAT (OR WHO) ELSE IT’S POISONING. Pesticides Are Designed to Kill Extreme care should be taken when using any pesticides – they are designed to kill something. “Pesticides” is the overall term used for specific poisons: rodenticide for rodents, herbicides for plants, insecticides for insects, etc. All pesticides should be applied according to label instructions. Using more than recommended can be both wasteful and dangerous. Poisons entering our sewage system can’t be filtered out and those that find their way into our streams and Cayuga Lake endanger other living things and may compromise our water supply. For that reason, there are current and proposed Town laws urging caution when using pesticides. Our Town Code states that “… prohibited activities include, but are not limited to, improper management of animal waste, application of fertilizer or pesticide not in accordance with label directions, and storage of fertilizers or pesticides so they are exposed to stormwater, where such activities cause or contribute to violations of the Town’s Munici- pal Separate Storm Sewer System SPDES permit or cause or contrib- ute to the triggering of any of the special conditions in said permit.” The Town’s proposed Stream Setback Law states in its findings that “By reducing the amount of particulates and chemicals in streams that enter Cayuga Lake, vegetated riparian areas are a cost-effective way to maintain the quality of this important drinking water source for the Town.” A purpose of the new law is to “Reduce the amount of sediment, organic matter, pesticides, and pollutants entering streams.” What will be permitted is “The selective application of herbicides to control non native invasive plant species, and the selective application of pesticides to protect native plant species; and application of herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers or other chemicals for the protection of human or animal safety, or for agricultural purposes for farms, in accordance with product label instructions and pursuant to applicable New York State laws and regulations.” The Town has a minimal-use pesticide application policy and urges residents to use pesticides with great restraint or not at all. West Hill Community Garden SPRING KICK-OFF AND CLEAN UP The garden clean up is scheduled for April 14th at 10 a.m. (Rain date: April 21st.) Come meet some of the gardeners and take a look around. We have a lot of fun getting our hands dirty and growing our own veggies! The garden rules and application form are available on our website or by contacting the Town Clerk at 273-1721. When the Ithaca Town Board considered a ban on hydrofracking in 2011, it could rely on a very strong Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 1993, to support its decision. A new Com- prehensive Plan will be established in 2012, and we would appreciate public input to help inform the Town Board’s decision. A Comprehensive Plan is the basis for a lot of government decisions: what zoning will be adopted, revisions to codes, protection of natural areas and farmland, what the Town will look like, and some predictions about the future of the Town. Some funding sources will ask for the Comprehensive Plan as an indica- tion that careful planning has taken place for the municipality. The current revision process started in 2007 when a small group analyzed the 1993 plan and decided that a full re-write was needed rather than just amendments. A Comprehen- sive Plan Steering Committee was established in 2008, and has been working hard to create a new vision. A resident survey was conducted in 2009, and the results have been used in committee discussions. Several neighborhood meetings were held to invite initial participa- tion. Finally, a series of meetings were held on specific issues – with specialists in each field invited – such as transportation, the environ- ment, housing, and health. Concurrently with the overall Comprehensive Plan work, an updated Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan has been completed and is awaiting State approval. The final agricultural document will be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan. We would once again like to invite everyone interested in the plan to provide input, with the goal of having a draft posted to our website by early summer. Watch for media releases in the papers and on our website (www.town.ithaca. ny.us) for informational sessions to solicit com- ments and ideas; we will be notifying our neighborhood groups as well. If you would like to be added to an email alert list, please contact the Town Clerk at PTerwilliger@town. ithaca.ny.us or 273-1721 ext 110. Staff and the Town Board look forward to working with residents to create a wonderful new vision and plan for the Town of Ithaca. The Garden is located at Lindermann Creek on West Hill. Plots are still available for this season. CODE ENFORCEMENT BY THE NUMBERS In 2011 the department, which consists of a director, three inspectors, and one support staff, reviewed and issued 348 building permits for alterations and new construction. These permits required 1,495 inspections. The Code Enforcement Department is also responsible for fire safety inspections, operating permit inspections, and reviewing and issuing sign permits. These other responsibilities required 350 inspections/re-inspections. Code Enforcement staff investigate complaints submitted by residents for property maintenance, occupancy, and safety issues. Last year, there were over 120 complaints filed and investigated. The department responds to emer- gency incidents such as fires and flooding to assess the damage and the safety of affected struc- tures. This past year was a particularly busy year with many weather-related events, and we had to coordinate our efforts with FEMA. The department is also responsible for reviewing Zoning Board of Appeals applications and preparing materials for the board. MANAGING THE WORKLOAD EFFICIENTLY Our goal this year is to improve the department’s image and expedite the application process. We have worked to identify some of the problems that are stalling our processes. In a survey of past applicants, we learned that most people are not aware of everything that must be done to do the job right. The people who visit the Code Enforcement Department – contractors, busi- nesses, colleges, etc – are looking for a building permit and wanting it fast. The department has identified several areas we can improve upon: • Public outreach and education, starting with this newsletter, will help explain all the respon- sibilities the department faces. • Streamlining the application process will expedite the review time for a building permit application. The clock starts with the acceptance of an application. When an application is accepted that does not have all the required information, the review is held up until the contractor or homeowner can be contacted to obtain the missing details. So from now on, incomplete applications will not be accepted. Going forward, code enforcement officers will perform a “triage” review before allowing support staff to accept applications. We will try to have a code officer available for triage each day. This may add a few minutes to submitting your application, but will save many minutes in the process as a whole. • Staff will set aside “do not disturb” time to return calls received while in meetings or out on inspections. This means that calls for next-day inspections may not be accepted after 3:00 p.m. to allow staff time to focus and prepare for the next day’s commitments. • We are working on a method to show where in the process your application is as well as other commitments being handled by staff at any given time. This will be displayed in the reception area. We hope this helps clarify how our department operates. We welcome questions and com- ments as we go through this process. Please contact Code Enforcement Director Bruce Bates at BBates@town.ithaca.ny.us or 273-1721. HYDROFRACKING COMMENTS The Conservation Board compiled detailed comments on hydrofrack- ing for shale gas. These were submit- ted to the New York State Department of Conservation identifying problems with the DEC’s Revised Draft Supple- mental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS). The board found the document failed in adequately pro- tecting our water supply and consider- ing the possible negative public health effects of hydrofracking. It also did not anticipate unacceptable hikes in local housing costs, as well as increased costs to local governments and communities. A complete copy of the comments are available at www.town.ithaca.ny.us/ conservation-plan. INTERPRETIVE SIGNS A sign highlighting the Town’s great views will be installed at Lake Shore Park in the spring. The sign in the park on East Shore Drive will be the first in a series of interpretive signs. A product of the Sce- nic Resource Committee’s study of views deserving protection, the sign will give visitors useful information on Cayuga Lake and testify to the importance Ithaca gives to protecting such great sights as this sweeping shore vista. PESTICIDE USE No pesticide use is a policy for Town parks and other lands. The Conservation Board urges residents to consider pesti- cide alternatives in their own home lawn care. A great source of information is the Cornell gardening site. Visit the fol- lowing link for specific steps to create a healthy lawn without pesticides: http:// hdl.handle.net/1813/3574. Conservation Board News Building a Better Permitting Process CODE ENFORCEMENT. THE NAME DOESN’T SAY IT ALL. We’re mainly known for processing and issuing building permits. These permits are reviewed by staff for compliance with the New York State Fire and Building Code, which consists of nine code books: Building, Fire, Existing Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel/ Gas, Property Maintenance, and Energy, which was added in 2010. All applications also have to be reviewed for compliance with the 52 sections of the Town Code and the 260 sections of the Zoning Chapters in the Town Code. As you can see, the Town’s Code Enforcement and Zoning staff are responsible for a lot more than our name implies. NOTICE New fees and applications will be in effect April 2nd. Check our website for more information. HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN, BUT WEREN’T SURE HOW TO GET INVOLVED? Town of Ithaca is looking for Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals Members The Planning Board consists of seven regular members and one alternate. The Board is charged with reviewing land-use and development issues and approving subdivisions, site plans, and special permit requests. Planning Board meetings are generally held at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) consists of five regular members and two alternates. The ZBA is a quasi-judicial board that is charged with ensuring that the Town’s zoning ordinances are complied with and ruling on variance and special-approval requests when certain criteria are met. ZBA meetings are generally held at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of the month. Some knowledge of the application of municipal law and other rules and regulations is help- ful but not required. Both boards have a residency requirement that members live in the Town of Ithaca and both boards’ members receive a small stipend. Members of the Planning Board and ZBA are appointed by the Town Board, with regular member appointments serving seven and five-year terms, respectively, and alternate member appointments serving a one-year term. Being an alternate is a great way to try it out and see if a regular membership is something you could commit to. Please contact the Town Clerk for an application: • Call 273-1721 • Email PTerwilliger@town.ithaca.ny.us • Visit our website: www.town.ithaca.ny.us. THE PET CORNER The Town will hold a rabies clinic in May at the Public Works Facility; clinics are also held every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at the South- side Community Center for a nominal fee. Don’t forget that you can now renew your dog’s license for the duration of his or her rabies vaccination. For example, if the license is up for renewal in 2012, but the rabies vac- cination does not expire until 2014, you can renew the license for two years at the regular license fee of $10 or $20 per year. For owners of multiple dogs, we can synchro- nize their licenses to renew in the same month. Call 273-1721, option 2, for details. BOARD MEETING PACKETS Materials for the Town Board, Planning Board, and ZBA are available five days before each meeting. Most materials are available electronically; there is a nominal fee for hard copies. For information, call 273-1721 or email TownClerk@town.ithaca. ny.us. We are working towards providing access to the packets via our website.