HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-29CONSERVATION BOARD
3/29/2022
Hybrid
Members Present: Gian Dodici (Chair), Bob Beck, Anne Clark, Craig Schutt, Andrew Miller,
Nancy Munkenbeck, Tim Woods, Steve Bissen, J Grace
Absent:
Liaisons: Loren Sparling (Town Board), Simon St Laurent (Planning Board)
Guest(s): David Weinstein
The meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM.
Review and approval of minutes dated February 22, 2022
On motion made by C Schutt, seconded by B Beck, minutes were unanimously approved as
amended.
Comprehensive Plan
D Weinstein: Regarding the Comp plan, stream side buffers take up almost the entire
corridor from NYSEG up to Freeville is designated at a notal center. That is a place designated
for additional densification. We have no protection against that whole stream corridor, but it is
identified as a long strip as nodal development so that is more reason we need to think about
stream side buffers and protecting them so nobody builds right up to the creek. You can build
right up to a creek because there’s no regulation in the town of Dryden.
G Dodici was under the impression that the buffer along Fall Creek was zoned as a
conservation area. D Weinstein said in the future land use map in the Comp plan it is listed as a
notal development. S St Laurent thinks this should be brought to the Planning Boards attention.
A Clark thinks the board should ask for stronger acknowledgment and not make it look
like something could be invaded because then you’d have to fight off someone who has a plan
on building near a streamside buffer.
Board/Committee Updates
Rail Trail (B Beck)
The wet area on the trail at the Game Farm will be taken care of with a perforated pipe
and add more gravel. There will not be a ditch run to Cascadilla creek. R Young and his guys will
start work on this in the following months.
The Rail Trail received the plan from Barton and Loguidice for the Game Farm Road
crossing commissioned by the Town of Dryden and cost by the Town of Ithaca. They produced a
20 to 30 page plan. The speed limit change was not approved by DOT. The plan identifies the
dip to the north of the crossing and lists all the details with the speed limit and the stopping
distance, etc. That plan is now being reviewed by the Town of Ithaca, Town of Dryden and
County Highway. It is possible that they respond by just saying, “sorry we know it isn’t safe”. B
Beck is hoping to get proper signs after county approval. Jeff Smith, County Highway
Superintendent assured them that the next time they do road work, they would regrade the
road and take out the bump which would improve the safety.
B Beck is working closely with Amanda Anderson, Bookkeeper and HR director, who is
taking on the task of grant management for the Rail Trail project. She is collecting the data from
highway and DPW on time and money spent on these projects. There’s a lot of details and a lot
of work to be done but Amanda is doing a great job.
Ag Committee
C Schutt: The Ag Advisory Committee met on March 15 for their regularly scheduled
monthly meeting. The entire meeting was devoted to discussing the latest version of the
Comprehensive Plan. They questioned why many of their previous suggestions had been
ignored and would like more explanations for this. The committee has developed another list
to submit for consideration. Many of the items were on the previous list and some were asking
for further explanations. There are some suggestions concerning maps that they were assured
would be changed but never were. They are questioning if it is worth their time and effort if
they are not being listened to. For example the AC asked for a simple ag districts map in
the plan and the PB agreed to that, yet it was not included in the latest version. There were
also questions about where some of the ag statistics came from. They would like better
documentation of some of those. They will continue refining their comments. (Sent via email).
EMC
S Bissen: The EMC met on March 10th.
The majority of the talk was from Leann Kanda, professor of biology at Ithaca College
(lkanda@ithaca.edu) regarding amphibian breeding migrations. Her talk was about the
migrations around Cascadilla Creek near Thomas Road and Ellis Hollow Road. Migrations are
happening now but reach their peak during the first week in April when it is raining and wet and
temperatures are above 42 degrees F. Her study is on-going and will continue to find under
what conditions migrations tend to happen. You may have seen volunteers out on rainy nights
protecting migrating amphibians. Four groups of volunteers were out on Thomas Road on 3/19
and moved over 30 salamanders and 25 peepers. If you would like to volunteer, please email
Ms. Kanda.
The EMC is now producing a bi-monthly newsletter on all things environmental called the
Tompkins County Community Green Scene. This newsletter will inform on environmental news
and events throughout Tompkins County. You can see the latest edition here: Tompkins
County Green Scene - March 14, 2022. It you would like to subscribe, you can do that
here: Subscribe to the Tompkins County Green Scene. If you have any environmental events or
news that you would like posted on the Green Scene, send an email to
tompkinscountyenvironmental@gmail.com.
New York State Association of Conservation Commissions sent a letter reminding us that the
NYS Climate Action Council released their draft scoping plan for a 85-percent reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions and a net-zero economy by 2050 at the end of last year and people
can still comment on it until the end of April. You can see the plan and comment
here: https://climate.ny.gov/. (Sent via email).
Planning Board
The Comp Plan has been the Planning Board’s main focus the last few months.
Town Board
L Sparling did not attend the last meeting.
Storm Water Management
The following letter was sent to the Town Board and Planning Board:
The Conservation Board (CB) remains concerned that its comments (and those of other advisory
boards) are not being considered in the development of the revised comprehensive plan. We
understand that the goal of the comprehensive plan is to provide a “big picture” for future
development in Dryden. However, it is concerning that the document leaves the impression
that development in certain areas is to be favored and allowed with no acknowledgement of
the fact that, without enforcement of existing and / or proposed regulations, any development
could have adverse impacts on our water bodies and other natural resources.
The CB is concerned about the proposed designation of the corridor along State Route 366 from
Pinkney Rd to Freeville as a “nodal corridor”. The CB’s primary concern is the potential that
increased development along the Fall Creek corridor could have detrimental impacts on water
quality, but is also concerned about the potential impact of such “strip development” as
detracting from the rural feel of this part of the Town.
The town should put more effort into protecting Fall Creek from intensive uses in its vicinity
that could lead to increased inputs of pollutants into the stream as well as the potential to
increase stream bank erosion. The town has no specific requirement to prevent development
right up to the streambank or in a floodplain and no prohibition exists in the Zoning
regulations. Although the town has a Storm Water Management, Control, and Sedimentation
Law, intended to “Prevent accelerated erosion and sedimentation so as to avoid its deposits in
streams and other receiving water bodies” there does not appear to be a mechanism by which
the Town regularly enforces this law.
The CB feels strongly that additional language should be added to the proposed Comprehensive
Plan that specifies any development or increased densification occurring in nodal areas must be
done in a way that protects streams, creeks, and lakes in the town. The Town should require
any development or land modification be set back from the edge of the stream bank by an
appropriate distance (anywhere from 25-100 or more feet depending on the size of the
waterbody), in order to buffer stream corridors from the negative impacts of increased
development.
Submitted respectfully,
Gian Dodici
Dryden Conservation Board Chair
There, being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:58 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Banwell