The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2015-05-26Conservation Board May 26, 2015 Page 1 of 4 Town of Dryden Conservation Board May 26, 2015 Members Present: Bob Beck (Chair), Milo Richmond, Craig Schutt, Gian Dodici, and Charlie Smith. Bard Prentiss (excused) Liaisons: Linda Lavine, Town Board Town Hall Staff: Ray Burger (Planning Director) and Mary Ann Sumner (Town Super- visor) Guests: No guests The meeting was called to order at 7:09PM. Review and approval of minutes from April 28, 2015: C. Schutt moved to approve the minutes with suggested changes. C. Smith seconded the minutes which were unanimously approved. Natural Resources Conservation Plan - Natural Resources Inventory from 2003 - The state forests plan - Unique Natural Areas - The Land Acquisition Guide - The Trail Maintenance Guide - The Rail to Trail plans – Dryden to Freeville from 2008 and the new Design Connect plan for Varna to Freeville - NYS Rural Water resources - Steven Winkley Supr. Sumner suggested part of the plan include a definition for Natural Resources. This process will not require holding public meetings. - Part of the Ag Plan that deal with the Conservation of Agricultural lands - Trails and Preserve guide - physical geography - soils - water resources - waterways, sheds, creeks, etc - biological resources - forests and fields - scenic resources - recreation The plan needs to include: - perceived threats - action items to protect them - conservation tools - partners that we can work with - county and state government, land owners, FLLT, Nature Conservancy, land owners - goals with a time frame Supr. Sumner asked if there is an upper threshold to open space. R. Burger indicated that there is a “sufficient amount” of open space but the chances of actually achieving that amount is unlikely. Conservation Board May 26, 2015 Page 2 of 4 B. Beck asked R. Burger when he believes the Board should reach out to the public. R. Burger suggested that the Board gather their materials first and be prepared to give the public as much information as possible. It will help the public understand the pro- cess. C. Smith suggested that the first public meeting for plan review be with the other vol- unteer boards and the Town Board. There is a wide range of beliefs and concerns with- in those groups. Another recommended source of information is the TC3 long range plan (hopefully with economic factors). Rail to Trails Steering Committee: - needs representatives - from the county - from Freeville - from Etna - from Varna - from the Conservation Board - from the DRYC - possibly Tom Knipe? - other community members Design Connect made recommendations regarding who they believe should be involved in the Steering Committee. It is on page 49 of the Design Connect Rail to Trail plan. B. Beck reminded the Board that contact needs to be made with The William George Agency regarding the Dryden to Freeville trail and the DEC regarding the Game Farm section. Supr. Sumner said that Ed Marx (County Planning) is trying to arrange a meeting be- tween Supr. Sumner, State Representative Barbara Lifton and himself to discuss sev- eral aspects of the Game Farm section of trail. G. Dodici suggested that the Town reply to Gordon Batcheller before exploring other channels. Several of the Board members feel the letter was an attempt at compromise and suggestion; they prefer Supr. Sumner reach out to Mr. Batcheller again before meeting with Ms. Lifton and Mr. Marx. Supr. Sumner agreed that she will reach out to Mr. Batcheller and some other people in the DEC. The Board discussed whether and when they should send a resolution to the Town Board requesting their acceptance of the Design Connect plan. Since some of the members of the Board have not read the plan, the members agreed that they will work on a resolution for next month. Supr. Sumner asked that the Board write the resolu- tion encouraging the Town Board members to look more closely at the plan and point- ing out the aspects that they find most relevant. Conservation Board May 26, 2015 Page 3 of 4 Town Board Update: Linda Lavine No report Planning Board: David Weinstein Not present Ag Committee: Craig Schutt The Ag Committee is working on the Farmland Protection Plan. They met with Monika Roth at the last meeting for an update on the surveys that have been returned. DRYC: Rick Ryan Not present Tompkins County EMC: Steve Bissen Not present Hoag- Harvey potential acquisition: - the visit to the site (May 14th) was beneficial - Supr. Sumner and Andrew Pierce both visited the site. Mr. Pierce believes it is a good site for recreational activities and may benefit some of the Recreation Depart- ment programming - Andy Zepp, Finger Lakes Land Trust, has already requested an appraisal. - B. Beck said that D. Weinstein has heard through Scott Doyle (County Planning) that there might be some money available though county planning. G. Dodici added that the County has flood hazard mitigation money that could be used at Campbell Meadow. A potential project has been held up for several years, partly by inaction of the Town Highway department. That money, although slated for flood mitigation, may be available to help with the purchase due to the potential damage that could be done to the stream bank and the bridge located just downstream from the Campbell Meadow in case of a flood event. Better maintenance of the stream be- tween Campbell Meadow and the Hoag-Harvey property will help the situation. Bridges: - The Conservation Board passed a resolution to the Town Board requesting they en- courage the County to replace the Red Mill Bridge with a two lane bridge that can accommodate farm equipment. The Resolution also called for the maintenance of the West Malloryville road bridge and a request that the Red Mill bridge, due to it’s historical value, be moved, if reasonable, to an alternative site as a pedestrian bridge. - If the County agrees to replace the Red Mill bridge, the West Malloryville bridge will probably be left as is. There are concerns that if the Malloryville Road bridge is fixed, the road may be straightened and repaired to accommodate a larger traffic load. Ag Committee: C. Schutt Conservation Board May 26, 2015 Page 4 of 4 - They discussed: − what size or gross sales are necessary to be identified as a “farm”. − the interaction/competition between small and large farms. − the positive maintenance of farm land by the farmers – it is a limited resource. − the Dairy Day tent Standing committee for trail maintenance: - per the Resolution passed by the Conservation Board, the Committee needs to in- clude: - the Conservation Board chair - a member of DRYC - another Conservation Board member (Milo Richmond volunteered to fill this role) - and 2 citizens from the Town selected by the Conservation Board. (potential members included Ann Leonard, Judy Pierpont, Tom Reimers, Nancy Kleinrock, and Bruno Schickle) Other Business: C. Smith recently visited with Bard Prentiss who expressed interest in finishing his term. Although he is not able to attend meetings, he is still in communication with members of the Board via email and personal visits. The Board agreed that they wish Mr. Prentiss to continue until the end of the year; his input, advice and historical knowledge of the Town are valuable to the Board. Signs for the Natural Preserves: Ray Burger - Mr. Burger presented a potential layout for the signs, the cost of an 11x11 inch ver- sus a 7x7 inch sign and the potential number/placement of the signs. - The Board discussed the wording and word placement on the sign and the locations and frequency of signs on a given property. - Mr. Burger was given permission to move forward with the design and ordering. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:22pm Respectfully submitted, Erin A. Bieber Deputy Town Clerk