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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CAC-1978Regular Meeting CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMPASSION 7:45 P.M. January 17, 1978 PRESENT: Commissioners (7) - Carlson, Burbank (arrived late), Hoard, Sterling, Gallant, Capowski, Holman ALSO PRESENT: Jeanne Fudala, representative of Ecology Action MINUTES: Amendment to Minutes of the November 15, 1977 Meeting By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Sterling Under Nuclear Waste, p. 3, RESOLVED, That the item be amended to read: "States have the authority to regulate transportation of nuclear wastes if delegated authority by federal agencies." A vote on the amended minutes of November 15, 1977 resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously DESIGNATION OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN: Chm. Carlson asked for nominations for chairman and vice - chairman of the Commission. By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That Patricia Carlson is nominated as chairman of the Environmental Commission for a term of office to expire December 31, 1978. By Comm. Sterling: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That William Burbank is nominated as vice - chairman of the Environmental Commission for a term of office to expire December 31, 1978. Carried Unanimously PRIORITIES FOR THE CON24ISSION: Following are priorities as discussed by the Commission. Chm. Carlson commented that first, the Commission should follow through on ongoing projects; and secondly, be ready to respond to crises which arise. Possible New Priorities: Southwest Study Noise Pollution and Ordinances Energy Study of Growth Recycling Food /Environment Interface Fall Creek By -Pass Open Spaces Survey Comm. Holman suggested that Larry Hamilton be invited to speak at a Commission meeting regarding Fall Creek. It was also suggested that Prof. Fisher ba invited to talk to the Commission on returnables and recycleables; and that Jonathan Meigs be invited to discuss growth in the Southwest and the Southwest Study. Comm. Hoard and Comm. Gallant were delegated to design a method for collecting informa- tion in regard to projects requiring permits or started from the Building Department and /or the Department of Public Works, in relation to SEQRA threshholds. The Commission agreed they should get copies of the legislation dealing with the Open Spaces Survey and copies of the Tompkins County proposal. OLD BUSINESS: Environmental Management Council Expense By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That Comm. Burbank be reimbursed from Commission funds up to $10.00 for the expenses incurred in attending the Council. Carried Unanimously Ex- Officio Representatives Comm. Burbank inquired about the status of ex- officio members of the Commission. Comm. Holman explained that the Commission could have nine ex- officio members as follows: the Mayor, City Attorney, two aldermen, one member of the Mayor's Citizens Advisory Committee (inactive for a number of years), a city member of the County Board of Repre- sentatives, chairman of the Planning Board, chairman of the Board of Public Works and the City Clerk. -2- January 17, 1978 Bikeway Funds Comm. Holman informed the Commission that $5,000 which was to have been appropriated for bikeways in 1978 was not appropriated. The thinking was that because the $5,000 that was left in the budget had not been expended, it was highly unlikely that $10,000 would be expended in 1978. Therefore, all that remains in the budget is the encumbered $5,000. She said the Commission should have firm plans by April to convince the Council that there ought to be additional money appropriated in the final budget for 1978. CETA Employees Comm. Holman informed the Commission that CETA workers to do Open Spaces Survey or other projects should be handled through Bickley Townsend and the Planning Department. Terms of Office There was discussion concerning the amendment of legislation which changed the terms of members from four years to two years in order to conform with State regulations. Three members of the Commission were appointed to terms ending December 31, 1980, and therefore are not in conformity with the new legislation. It was suggested that three of the members involved, Nancy Gallant, John Capowski and Patricia Carlson be reappointed immediately to terms expiring December 31, 1979 because of the following advantages: 1. All Commission members would have terms conforming to City and State regulations; 2. Half of the terms would expire each year, thus ensuring some continuity on the Commission; 3. The three members involved, who are all actively involved in Commission work, could continue their commitments. If Comm. Hoard's appointment expires in 1979 instead of 1978, one of the three members listed above should be reappointed to a term expiring December 31, 1978. Date of Meeting The Commission were informed that the third Tuesday of each month is the regular meeting time of the Commission and they meet in the Common Council Chambers in City Hall. NEW BUSINESS: H -39 Alaskan National Interest Land Conservation Act Comm. Capowski informed the Commission he had received materials from Audubon requesting support of Bill HR -39 Alaskan National Interest Land Conservation Act. Unless Congress takes action on large parts of Alaska, some of which are wilderness, some not, it will be very much open to development. Congressman Matt McHugh who serves on the House Subcommittee of Alaskan Lands and Oversight, would welcome letters in support of the bill which would be helpful; in addition the Audubon Society is looking for people locally to meet with Congressman McHugh to talk about the issue, ADJOURNMENT: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That the meeting is adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Patricia Carlson Chairman, Environmental Commission CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. February 21, 1978 PRESENT: Commissioners (6) - Carlson, Capowski, Gallant, Hoard, Sterling, Holman ALSO PRESENT: Press: Jennifer Rohm, W.H.C.U.; Dan Cummings, W.T.K.O. The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. Chairman Carlson read the minutes of the January 24th meeting. The following correction was made by Comm. Hoard: Item delegated to Comm. Hoard and Comm. Gallant - correct wording to read, "requiring permits or started from the Building Department and /or Department of Public Works." Resolution By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the minutes of the January 24, 1978 meeting be approved as amended. Carried Unanimously Because of an oversight in procedure in electing officers, a new election was held. Resolution By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the Commission adopt the slate of Patricia Carlson as chairman and Will Burbank as vice - chairman. Resolution to Close Nominations By Comm. Sterling: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the nominations be closed. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously Carried Unanimously Bikeways By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That Comm. Burbank be delegated to work with the Planning Department on bikeways in regard to incorporating bikeway design into any construction in the golf course and Fall Creek areas as a result of the flooding. Carried Unanimously Southwest Comm. Sterling reported that Jonathan Meigs of the Planning Department and Paul Glover from Ecology Action will be present at the March meeting to discuss the Southwest study. Chairman Carlson suggested the commission might wish to consider having the Chamber of Commerce meet with them to present their ideas on growth. Comm. Capowski suggested that three people might be too many for one meeting. Open Space Survey Comm. Capowski reported that the scope may be larger than the commission had thought: end uses ought to be considered at the outset of the study as this may determine how the study is conducted. He said community interests ought to be considered in determining the scope of study. Chm. Carlson reported on Comm. Burbank's conversation with Bickley Townsend regarding Open Spaces Survey relationship to the General Plan. The Council will have to approve the study upon its completion. The consensus of the Commission was that Comm. Holman take the General Plan to Per Moberg and consult with him. If the General Plan meets with DEC approval, a working session before the next regular meeting will be -2- February 21, 1978 called to examine the General Plan. If not acceptable, an application for CETA employment should be submitted. Comm. Hoard suggested that Fall Creek studies may provide some of the information, particularly in regard to soils in that area. SEQR Comm. Hoard reported that she and Comm. Gallant had been working on a form to be used by the Building Department and perhaps the Department of Public Works which, after being approved by the Commission, will be sent together with a cover letter explaining what information the Commission needs, what they are trying to do, the threshholds and the requirements of the State which will take effect in September of this year. She expects to have the draft form ready to present at the next meeting of the Commission. Noise Ordinance Chairman Carlson and the Commission reviewed the draft of the Noise Ordinance which the Charter and Ordinance Committee has been working on. Chm. Carlson noted that Article III had been deleted. The Commission made recommendations as follows: 1. In Article IV, 68.40 Violation, the violations refer only to "levels" of noise. Levels are not specified in 68.24 or 68.29, and people who have noisy animals, who annoy hospital patients, etc. might not be in violation of the ordinance. 2. "Annoyance" itself appears to be a very vague term, and it would be desirable to improve the wording of any sections using this term. Comm. Capowski suggested that the Rochester City Code section might serve as a good model for rewording. He suggested further that it would be useful to have examples of different db levels. Chairman Carlson was asked to inform Chairman Nichols of the Charter and Ordinance Committee of the Commission's recommendations. Resolution By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Hoard KhSOLVED, That the City check into whether or not it is in compliance with the air pollution requirements under statutes such as the Air Quality Review Act. Carried Unanimously Old Business: Terms of Office By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the terms of the commissioners be as follows to conform to the amended local law: Burbank term expiring December 31, Sterling it 11 " IT Carlson if " Hoard Gallant " Capowski 1978 it If 1979 it IT Carried Unanimously Chairman Carlson agreed to inform the Mayor of the suggested terms. Comm. Hoard asked for a list of the commissioners with terms, addresses and telephone numbers. Chairman Carlson agreed to ask Mrs. Hutson to provide such a list. She was provided with a copy of the State law. Jeanne Fudala of Community Self- Reliance Center, reported that an issue of Nucleonic Week reported that Salina Salt Bed will most likely be chosen as nuclear repository site because of the proximity of the West Valley installation which is heavily contaminated. Adjournment: By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That the meeting adjourn at 9 :45 p.m. Carried Unanimously Patricia Carlson Chairman CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. March 21, 1978 PRESENT: Commissioners (6) - Carlson, Burbank, Gallant, Hoard, Sterling, Holman ABSENT: Comm. Capowski ALSO PRESENT: Jon Meigs, Planning staff; Joel Meltzer, WTKO; Carl Lagase The meeting was called to order at 7:45 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. MINUTES: By Comm. Sterling: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the minutes of the February 21, 1978 meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously Bikeways Comm. Burbank reported that he had met with Bickley Townsend of the Planning and Development staff concerning bikeways. He said he sees a need for more comprehensive planning, particularly with county review of railroad rights -of -way. He reminded the Commission that the Board of Representatives have scheduled a meeting on plans for rights -of -way for Monday, March 27, at noon at the Tompkins County Court House. for bikeways signs Chm. Carlson reported that the specifications 'have been sent by the Planning Department to the Board of Public Works, and followed up by several reminders. She feels now, it is a matter of contacting the proper persons in the Department of Public Works to get the signs made. Bikeracks Comm. Burbank reported he had researched further into the matter of using bikeracks on the buses. He found that racks can be made to allow easy access to the engines; they are not designed for use by children; and the drivers do not have to leave the bus to aid with loading or unloading the bicycles. Mr. Burbank is now trying to find out more about the insurance programs covering the buses. Noise Ordinance Comm. Holman reported that the Noise Ordinance will go to the Common Council for adoption at its April meeting. The section on howling animals which had been of concern to the Commission has been deleted and is covered by another section of the ordinance. A drawback, perhaps,as it is written is that in order for a peace officer to file an appearance ticket someone must make an official complaint, which cannot be anonymous. This is quite different from the thing in the Noise Ordinance, and Comm. Holman commented that she wants to call it to the attention of Ethel Nichols, chairman of the Charter & Ordinance Committee. Supercan Comm. Gallant reported attending a meeting at the public library in Syracuse at which she received a booklet from which she got an idea for a superman -like figure which could be used as a recycling symbol for local use. She is presently researching copyrights on same. Comm. Burbank informed the Commission that a lecture will be held on March 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Community Self - Reliance Center at which Dick Fischer will speak on "Don't Take Garbage for Granted" which concerns container legislation. Comm. Holman informed the Commission that hearings on state resource recovery plan will be held on April 6 in Liverpool and April 7 at 10 a.m. in the County Office Bldg. in Binghamton. Container legislation is not included. Copies of the proposal may be obtained from the region Appointment to Fall Creek Capital Project Information Committee 'al office in Cortland Comm. Carlson reported receiving a letter from Mayor Conley requesting the Commission to appoint a representative to the Fall Creek Capital Project Information Committee. RPQnllltil n By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That Comm. John Capowski be appointed as representative of the Environmental Commission to the Fall Creek Capital Project Information Committee, with Comm. Carlson and Comm. Burbank to serve as alternates. Carried Unanimously 66•'BUSINESS: NYSE &G Proposal for Transmission Line Comm. Burbank called attention to plans which the New York State Electric & Gas Corp. have for a transmission line across the flood control channel, permission for which they have applied for to the Army Corps of Engineers. The deadline for response to the application is April 17, 1978. Chin. Carlson designated Comm. Sterling and Comm. Holman to investigate the plan for the power line and its impact. -2- March 21, 1978 By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That Comm. Sterling and Comm. Holman be empowered to act in the name of the Commission after investigating the proposed power line by the NYSE &G. Carried Unanimously Sun Day Comm. Burbank informed the Commission that Sun Day will be observed on the Commons on Saturday, May 6. The purpose is to promote the use of sources of renewable energy of the country and also promote conservation of energy. Comm. Burbank asked for support and participation of the Commission. Chm. Carlson agreed to serve as liaison for the event. 4 OLD BUSINESS: SEQR Comm. Hoard distributed a draft of a form on which she and Comm. Gallant have been working which is intended for use by the Building Department and /or the Department of Public Works, and asked the Commission for review and comment. ADJOURNMENT: By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, the Commission adjourn from regular session to work session on the Open Space Survey at 8:30 p.m. Open Space Survey Jonathan Meigs of the Planning Department staff discussed the Southwest Study to inform the Commissioners of proposed uses for the largest remaining open space in the City. He made a full, informative presentation and answered the many questions of the Commissioners. Chairman Carlson distributed sections of Egner & Niederkorn's study on open spaces and recreation which was done in 1968 to each commissioner for updating. The Commissioners are asked to report on their respective sections at the next meeting. Respectfully submitted, Patricia Carlson Chairman CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. April 18, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Burbank, Capowski, Hoard ABSENT: Sterling, Gallant, Holman ALSO PRESENT: Kevin Rowe, Planning & Development Dept. staff; Bob Lynch, WTKO OLD BUSINESS: New York State Electric and Gas Proposal for Transmission Line Chm. Carlson reported that investigation revealed the NYSE &G transmission line work is underway and no action is necessary by the Commission. Nuclear Waste Storage and Transport Chm. Carlson reported on Cornell University's low -level radioactive waste, and transport of same. She said she had discussed the subject with Bob Gardner, Mgr. of Radiation Safety at Cornell's Radiation Biology Laboratory on Warren Road, near the Tompkins County Airport. He told her that the radioactive waste storage site near the airport is to be closed soon and the waste will be transported to another site. He also told her there are all kinds of federal and state guidelines and his office is responsible for seeing that these are followed. Unless the person who is to receive the waste is licensed and going to transport it himself, Cornell has to provide a properly licensed person to take it to its destination. Chm. Carlson said it may be possible to invite Mr. Gardner to a meeting of the Commission to discuss transport of radioactive waste or other hazardous substances. Chm. Carlson also reported that the Ithaca Fire Department has no record of transport of any hazardous substances, Comm. Hoard reported on Dr. Pohl's report to EMC on the federal program to develop a national waste disposal system. She said the extent of potential jurisdiction over, or control of, waste disposal outside of city limits, varies. Comm. Capowski was designated to check with Cornell University (J. Rish's group) to investigate legal avenues to control or just know about hazardous waste transport through Ithaca. Comm. John Capowski informed the Commission that the May 1978 meeting will be his last inasmuch as he is moving from Ithaca. Fairgrounds Subdivision Because of the likelihood that an Environmental Impact Statement will be required, Cornell University is required to supply information for an environmental assessment on subdivision of its Fairgrounds site. Chm. Carlson agreed that she will write a letter to the Planning and Develop- ment Director, asking him to include the Commission in the assessment process. SEQR Comm. Hoard reported that the form on which she has been working, to determine the number of type 1 actions the city is involved in, is ready to be typed and duplicated. Resolution By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission agrees to sponsor a workshop in late summer on SEQR which will be open to the public, business and government officials. Carried Unanimously MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the minutes of the March 21, 1978 meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously Sewage Treatment Project Chm. Carlson asked Kevin Rowe to report on the sewage treatment project and tell the Commission, if nothing else, where to find out about it. -2- April 18, 1978 Mr. Rowe described how the ICI "deep shaft" waste water treatment process operates, and explained that it is a test project that the Canadians want to install in the United States to demonstrate how the system works. The City of Ithaca has agreed to let them test it here so that EPA can include it as an alternative in the 201 Water Treatment Studies that are in progress. He explained that the one being discussed is only a demonstration project. If it is selected as the final system on the basis of a cost - benefit analysis, several more shafts would have to be built to process city output. The question was asked whether or not the water was being tested for substances before it goes to the municipal water system. Mr. Rowe said it isn't, but he would think it would be essential. Chm. Carlson asked if the engineers are working for the City of Ithaca or for the Canadian group, and Mr. Rowe explained they are working for the City. Chm. Carlson commented that maybe the Commission should request the engineers to make the test of the water, but Mr. Rowe said Mr. Dingman doesn't see any sense in it, and explained that the entire city sewage system is being studied, not the entire water system. Chm. Carlson commented that if they end up with the results of that study and what comes out one end, it might be possible to check the input also, by having somebody else do it inexpensively and then compare the figures. Chm. Carlson commented that the results of this process on toxic waste is one question the Commission would want to see answered. She asked if the Commission want to take any further action on this program, or if the Commission should keep themselves more informed than they have been doing. Bikeways Comm. Burbank reported that the Department of Public Works has just informed Planning and Development staff that more information is needed on signs, routes, etc. and would like to have another meeting with them.. Sun Day Comm. Burbank informed the Commission he has been requested to ask the Commission to have a table or display on the Commons on May 6, 1978, for the observance of Sun Day. The Commission agreed this would be done. Tompkins County Resource Recovery Program Comm. Burbank reported that Tompkins County is still pursuing a county -wide resource recovery plan, and he suggested that the city develop a position on solid waste. Comm. Burbank and Comm. Gallant were designated to in- vestigate city solid waste and to formulate a proposed Commission position on the program for action at the next meeting. Noise Conference Comm. Hoard informed the Commission that the New York Noise Control Conference will be held at Statler Hall on May 19, 1978. Resolution By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Carlson RESOLVED, That the Commission provide the $10.00 registration fee for Comm. Hoard and Comm. Burbank to attend the Noise Control Conference on May 19, 1978. Carried Unanimously Open Space Study Comm. Sterling and Comm. Carlson were designated to work up a draft proposal of the Open Sapce Study, to be sent to DEC. Chm. Carlson asked Kevin Rowe to advise the Commission on what is needed in the Open Space Study. Among other things, he commented the 1969 Recreation Plan should be expanded to include undeveloped areas. An Open Space Index will be produced which will provide for each area: 1) Description 2) Present use 3) Comments (if proposal is in works or if special ownership problems exist, or if the Commission has some proposal to make) -3- April 18, 1978 Chm. Carlson commented that the 1969 Recreation Plan will be used, supplemented by aerial photographs to add to areas listed in that report. It was agreed the Commission will write their own definition of "open space" to include schools, etc. or not. ADJOURNMENT: By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank RESOLVED, the meeting adjourn at 9:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Patricia Carlson, Chairman CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:00 P.M. July 18, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Burbank, Gallant, Hoard, Sterling The meeting was called to order by Chm. Carlson at 7:05 p.m. MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the minutes of the April 18, 1978 meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL SITE: By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That the City Environmental Commission urges the Common Council to oppose the establishment of a nuclear waste disposal site in the vicinity of Ithaca in every way possible. Carried Unanimously ROUTE 96: Chm. Carlson presented a draft resolution to be presented to the Common Council, as follows: WHEREAS, the Common Council last year requested the investigation of lower- impact alternatives to the building of a four -lane Route 96; and WHEREAS, the differential impact of different design alternatives cannot reasonable be measured without comparable data for the different designs; and WHEREAS, investigation of pre - emptive signals to stop trains for emergency vehicles has been initiated but not concluded by the City; and WHEREAS, investigation of possible bus service to the hospital has been initiated but not concluded by the City; and WHEREAS, the City environment and neighborhoods will bear the brunt of the serious adverse effects of a four -lane expressway, such as destruction or devaluation of homes and businesses, loss of economic development to areas outside the city's control, and increased air pollution, noise pollution, and water runoff problems; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the City Environmental Commission advise the Common Council to ask New York State Department of Transportation for a full -scale evaluation of a low- impact second bridge design com- parable to any other design evaluations NYSDoT may make for Route 96. AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Environmental Commission advises the Common Council not to allow construction of a four -lane expressway design to begin unless the lower - impact solutions to the City's problems such as those cited above are implemented, tested, and proved to be ineffective. Discussion followed on the floor. The second paragraph of the draft was amended as follows: WHEREAS, the various impacts of different designs cannot reasonably be compared unless similar data are available for the different designs; and Resolution By Comm. Sterling: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the resolution as amended be adopted by the Commission. Carried Unanimously -2- July 18, 1978 NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That $30.00 be allocated for a representative or representatives from this Commission to attend the annual meeting of the New York State Association of Environmental Commissions, to be held at Grossingers, N.Y. on September 17 and 18, 1978. Carried Unanimously NUCLEAR WASTE INFORMATION MEETING: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That Comm. Carlson be reimbursed $5.00 for a check given on behalf of the Commission for its share in the sponsorship of the informa- tional meeting on nuclear waste. Carried Unanimously CETA EMPLOYEE: Chm. Carlson reported that an application for a CETA (Comprehensive Employment Training Act) employee is being filed by the Commission jointly with the City and Town Planning Departments. If successful, this employee would work on an open space - natural resources document. OPEN SPACES STUDY: Comm. Gallant wondered if people's backyards would be affected if such spaces were listed. Comm. Hoard explained that this Commission would only review applications which required discretionary action and would not affect projects people were permitted to do by right. The present brief, Open Spaces Study could be expanded later with information from the CETA employee's study. Another possibility was a suggestion by Bickley Townsend that Cornell planning students wanting to do field work could be utilized on natural resources; and Neil Orloff's offer for spring term student projects in environmental law. NEW COMMISSIONER: Persons were discussed who might be willing to serve on the Commission and several will be checked out before the next meeting of the Commission. SEAR: Comm. Hoard reported on the SEQR legislation. The City version was often used as a model to the county. She noted that DEC lists had been changed and the City will have to pass some amendments by September 1st to reflect the new procedures. BIKEWAYS: Cemm. Burbank reported that he had talked to those in charge of construc- tion of the peripheral streets project and they were receptive to his suggestion of providing places for bikes on the project. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Patricia Carlson, Chairman NUCL7.AR WASTE DISPOSAL SITE RESOLUTION Be it resolved, That the City Environmental Commission urffes the Common Council to oppose the establishment of a nuclear waste disposal site in the vicinity of Ithaca in every way possible. ROUTE 96 RESOLUTION Whe ­e as the Common Council last year requested the investigation of lower - impact alternatives to the building of a four -lane Route 96; and Whereas the various impacts of different designs cannot reasonably be compared unless similar data i$ available for the different designs; and �. Whereas investigation of pre - emptive signals to stop trains for emergency vehicles has been initiated but not concluded by the City; and Whereas investigation of possible bus service to the hospital has been initiated but not concluded by the City; and Whereas the City environment and neighborhoods will bear the brunt of the serious adverse effects of a four -lane expressway, such as destruction or devaluation of homes and businesses, loss of economic development to areas outside the city's control, and in ;reased air pollution, noise pollution, and water runoff problems; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Environmental Commission advises the Common Council to ask NYSDOT for a full -scale evaluation of a low- impact second bridge design comparable to any other design evaluations NYSDOT may make for Route 96; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Environmental Commission advises the Common Council not to allow construction of a four -lane expressway design to begin unless the lower- iripact solutions to the City's problems such as those cited above are implemented, tested, and proved to be ineffective. CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. September 19, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Arnold, Burbank, Hoard, Holman ABSENT: Gallant, Sterling Chairman Carlson introduced The Rev. Earl Arnold to the members of the Commission present. MINUTES: By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the July 18, 1978 meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously BIKEWAYS: Chairman Carlson reported to the Commission that $5,000 in the Bikeways budget has been deleted by the Common Council on the recommendation of Supt. Dingman. Comm. Holman reported that Mayor Conley meeting that he is going to investigate on the bikeways signage from existing 1 the capital project is closed out. She discuss the matter with him but did not from him. had commented at the Council to see if he can get work done ine item accounts, even though said she had called him to reach him and has not heard Chairman Carlson presented a draft of a resolution which she wished to forward to the Council. Discussion followed on the floor. Resolution By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank WHEREAS, bicyclists in the City of Ithaca have been requesting a bikeways system for many years; and WHEREAS, numerous studies by both lay groups and city departments have been completed with the aim of implementing a bikeway system; and WHEREAS, numerous delays have already occurred in the implementation of the plans; and WHEREAS, deletion of funds for this project was done with no advance notice to the public, to lay boards, or even to city departments; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Common Council is urged to restore the funding of the signing of the downtown - Stewart Park bikeway immediately, and to direct the Department of Public Works to proceed with the needed work as soon as possible. Carried Unanimously New York State Association of Environmental Commissions By Comm. Arnold: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That Comm. Burbank be reimbursed in the amount of $72.10 for the balance of the cost of attending the Annual Conservation Commission Conference at Grossingers September 17 and 18, 1978. The Commission had originally allocated $30.00 toward the cost of attending the conference. Carried Unanimously Cornell DEIS The Commission discussed a public informational meeting to be held in the Common Council Chambers at 7:30 p.m. the following evening, September 20, 1978, by the Planning Department staff in regard to the proposed development by UFAIR, a Cornell subsidiary that proposes to develop the land on South Meadow Street to developers for the benefit of the Cornell University Medical School. Planning and Development Director Van Cort does not want to take the additional time required for a full public hearing and final impact statement, which was among the recommendations of the Commission's letter responding to the Draft Statement. The Commission felt that the public hearing would not -2- September 19, 1978 require too much additional time, and that the estimates of the period required to prepare the final statement were exaggerated, since the FEIS can simply be the DEIS plus the comments received from the public and responses to the comments. The Commission also felt that more copies of Environmental Impact Statements must be made available to the public. Resolution By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission recommend to the City that there be a minimum of three copies of draft statements provided for public view: 1 to be located in the Tompkins County Library, 1 in the City Clerk's office and 1 in whichever office is going to make the decision, in addition to their own working copies. Carried Unanimously Truck Traffic on East State Street Comm. Holman reported that the following resolution had been presented by an East State Street resident to Common Council and was referred to the City Attorney for negotiation with the New York State Department of Transportation: Section 1. The Common Council of the City of Ithaca hereby finds and declares that heavy truck traffic in residential neighborhoods is a public nuisance, resulting in high levels of noise for residents at all hours, extreme hazards for pedestrians, other drivers, and resi- dents, and excessive wear and tear on City streets which are maintained by the taxpayers of the City of Ithaca. Section 2. It shall be the policy of the City of Ithaca to eliminate, insofar as possible, all heavy truck traffic from resi- dential neighborhoods. Section 3. Under authority of 91640(a)(5) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York, we hereby direct that a sign be erected at the entrance to the City of Ithaca at East State Street saying Trucks Over 8 Tons Prohibited Trucks Use Alternate Routes into Ithaca Further, we direct that a sign be placed at the foot of State Street, for Eastbound traffic east of the intersection known as the Tuning Fork, saying No Trucks Except Local Deliveries Section 4. In order to assist in the implementation of these rules, we hereby direct the Mayor to request the New York State Department of Transportation to erect a sign for northbound traffic at Exit 8 on Interstate Route 81 saying Truck Traffic to Ithaca Use Exit 11 Route 13 23 Miles Ahead Section S. Insofar as is necessary for the performance of their duties, trucks belonging to any governmental unit are excepted from these provisions. Carried Unanimously The Commission expressed approval of the Council resolution on East State Street truck traffic. SEQR: Chairman Carlson noted that study on actions falling under SEQR had not been undertaken because of impending changes in rules and regula- tions by the State. -3- September 19, 1978 CETA Application Comm. Carlson reported that the Planning Department has submitted the application for a CETA employee to whoever makes the decisions. Comm. Holman reported that the federal government had approved funds and eventually the Commission should hear as to whether or not they will have someone to work on the site inventory and natural resources inventory. Conservation Commission Conference Comm. Burbank reported on the Conservation Conference. He called attention to a new position of Environmental Management Specialist in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. He noted that some communities have used school classes to conduct open spaces surveys. Comm. Burbank recommended that starting next year the Commission should send at least two persons to the Conference. Comm. Burbank reported that there is published a directory of environmental organizations in New York State that he thinks would be worthwhile obtaining. The cost is about $3.95. Resolution By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Arnold RESOLVED, That the Commission forward a check and obtain a copy of the Directory of Environmental Organizations in New York State. Carried Unanimously Announcements Comm. Holman reported that the Federal government has sent 4 sets of material - -Task Force Reports on Nationwide Outdoor Recreation, 2 sets of which were complete. Chairman Carlson accepted 1 copy for her files. Comm. Burbank announced that there will be a conference during the weekend of October 8 -9 at Washington, D.C., the subject being the Critical Mess (Nuclear Waste), and expressed the hope that a Commission member might attend; if not, that a report be obtained from someone who does attend. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Patricia Carlson Chairman Environmental Commission August 7, 1978 H. N. VanCort Director, Department of Planning and Development City of Ithaca City Hall Ithaca, New York 14850 Dear lair. VanCort, This letter is in response to your request for comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the pro- posed subdivision of the UFAIR Development Corporation property. Members of the City of Ithaca Environmental Commission have thoroughly reviewed the DEIS and have found it to be inadequate in several respects. First, the DEIS is too much an advocacy document for the project, rather than the unbiased report on the social, economic and environmental impacts which is intended by the State Environ- mental Quality Review Act (SEAR). A bias for the proposed project is apparent throughout the DEIS -- a flaw which has proven to be common in other states where the draft impact statement can be prepared by the developer rather than by the lead agency itself. It is im -oortant that the bias of the draft statement be eli7_ir at, ed when the Final statement is prepared by your department. Perhaps the most serious problem with the DEIS arises from the fact that the proposal for which City approval is sought at this time is not the actual development of the entire 45 -acre site, but only the division of the site into six parcels to be disposed of by UFAiR. According to the DEIS, commitments have' been made to potential buyers for two of the six proposed parcels, but the sale and development of the remaining four parcels is "difficult to forecast." Despite the acknowledged difficulty of ::acting the sale of the majority of t'r.e proposed parcels, it Re ZreTV purpCSe Of an impact statement, On this type of ; ropCSal attempt to forecast the likely develo -D ,ent of the entire site the consequent impacts. The Final EiS should go fLSt'r!Er , -:e DEIS by presenting specific market - controlled "hypothetical development" or "development scenarios" for the parcels for which no development is proposed at present. It is not sufficient to state only that the potential devlopment would be commercial or industrial.Without this attempt to more precisely predict the impacts of the development of the entire project site, the City has not gained the type of information which the State Legislature intended the SEQR process to provide. Similarly, the Final EIS should eamine a "development plan" for the entire site as an alternative to the proposed market -con- tolled development. Such a development plan is an important alternative in liEhtl of the the following finding re €arding the project area in the City's recent report Ithaca's Southwest: A Develo -Dment ct-udv , vdhile 1t is easiest for the clay to be a svectator to market development, the results can be undesirable and costly... For these reasons, the market - controlled growth option seem less desirable than one featuring some degree of mun- icipal control and direction." (P age 5'�) According to the DEIS, the proposed project includes the subdivision of the project site and the deeding of a 13 -foot wide right -of -way alon` South Meadow Street to the City. Certain specific measures w -ich would help handle the increased traffic due to the develoi .en-1 of the site are also described, _ncluding the widening of South Meadow, the sigralization of several inter- sections along South Meadow, and the realignment of West Clinton Street. Land requirements for the widening of South Yeadow and the realignment of 1 %est Clinton are discussed in the DEIS, and both projects are described as "proposed." However it is not established when, or if, UFAIR or the City or the State can or will carry out these improvements. It appears possible that they will not be carried out. Therefore the Final EIS should explore the impacts of the heavier traffic resulting from the full development of the site without these improvements. It is not sufficient to dismiss the impacts of the proposed project on traffic by stating that the adverse effects of the proposed project will be mitigated by improvements which are not part of the proposed project. Also, the Final EIS should give estimated traffic volumes which could be generated by the proposed project and project alternatives. It is not sufficient to merely state the number of parking spaces which are possible. The number of times each parking space is likely to be used each day should be estimated, and daily and peak hour traffic volumes should be calculated. The amount of truck traffic generated by the proposed project should also be projected. The economic impacts of the proposed project should be more thoroughly explored in the Final EIS. The uses proposed for the project site should be related to existing uses in adjacent areas and the central business district. The relationsh_ of existing to proposed uses is especially importan j n 1, g, t of trio following f r_di n_s from the previously mentioned Scutriwest Development Stun:,, The Southwest's via il1ty for commercial use has already been proven by the successful and exDanc -ng E1?' -ra Road/Meadow Street commercial area. But whether Ithaca can support further retail expa=nsion is dubious, especially in view of the one- year -old Pyra_mmiid Mall in nearby Lansing and present plans for a new retail complex in the central business district. Instead, the Southwest could serve as a site for diversified commercial uses that do not compete with existing retail trade." (Page 70). In this regard, the increase in City sales tax revenues due to the proposed project projected in the DEIS should be closely examined in the Final EIS. The DEIS does not appear to have con- sidered the possibility that much of the sales tax revenues generated by the proposed new development may be at the expense of existing City businesses. Finally, the Environmental Commission believes that the City should hold a public hearing on the DEIS. Because this is the first impact statement for which the City has been lead agency, a public hearing would be an ideal forum to explain the i?;act statement process to the public and City decision makers, and to receive comments on the DEIS. T�oreover, a public hearing would establish a precedent of full public disclosure and public - Darticipation on projects of this scale and ii-i,portance to the co=u— rtity. Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the DEIS. If the Environmental Commission can be of any assistance in the preparation of the Final EIS on this project, please feel free to contact me. Very truly yours, Patricia Carlson Chair, an CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. October 17, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Arnold, Burbank, Gallant, Holman ABSENT: Sterling, Hoard OTHERS PRESENT: WTKO - Nigro The meeting MINUTES: The Ithaca Journal was called to order at - Marcham 8:10 P.M. By Comm. Arnold: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the Minutes of September 19, 1978 be corrected as follows, and approved as corrected: The last paragraph on the first page of the Minutes showing the heading Cornell DEIS should be changed to show the first word on line 5 as "sell" rather than "develop." CYANIDE DISCHARGE: Chairman Carlson had a.letter which she had received earlier in October from Paul Sheneman, and part of the letter was the recommendation that the Department of Public Works state the measures they are taking to enforce the cyanide discharge regulations when they appear for state aid. Chairman Carlson will write a letter to the Department of Public Works asking for a copy of the section of its Operation and Maintenance Aid Application for 1978, the section -,dhich deals with enforcement of the cyanide discharge. BIKEWAYS: Chairman Carlson reported that the Commission has decided to make a statement to the Budget and Administration Committee at its regular meeting on October 26th. Among the main points to be presented to the Budget and Administration Committee are that the bikeways project should not be penalized for inaction by various City departments, and the fact that the Environmental Commission thought this project was going along perfectly well until it was deleted without prior notice. Comm. Arnold suggested that maybe members of the Budget and Administration Committee could be approached before the October 26th meeting to see how they feel about bikeways. Other Commission members felt this was a good thing. NOISE CONTROL: Chairman Carlson mentioned Stan Blum's interest in noise control, but since Blum had not reported back to the Commission as yet, she would wait until she has something to tell the Commission. UFAIR: Chairman Carlson discussed the UFAIR case. She mentioned that it was rather a peculiar case. She felt that the aims of the SEQR legisla- tion were, in fact, carried out in this case. The Environmental Commission is trying to make sure that the environmental concerns, both social and economic, are taken into account in the granting of discretionary application and that although, in many ways, this turned out to be a real problem in terms of getting the information to the public, the legislation and draft environmental impact statement were in fact used by the Planning Department in exactly this way. Many changes were made with reference to the original application and the developers were required to change aspects such as landscaping, traffic, etc. Many points that were brought up by the Commission were not in the draft environmental statement, even though the answers were in the supplementary documents. When the Environmental Commission saw the document it w�is very pro- development and a lot of the work that had gone into it did not show up at all. The public had about two or three weeks to respond to the draft environmental impact statement but there was only one copy available. The public was not aware of the situation and the responses were therefore very late and the City Planning staff was under great pressure to do something quickly. -2- October 17, 1978 Chairman Carlson felt that if the Planning Department had received the Commission's letter earlier it might have gone ahead and scheduled the public information hearing. As it was, the letter was not re- ceived until the last day. Since many of the points raised in the Commission's letter had already been taken care of in the supplementary documents, or at least noted, the Planning Department did not feel that it was justified in delaying the project any longer. Chairman Carlson felt that the seeker process was working but in a very awkward fashion. Next time she hopes that the developer will know sooner what he has to do and also that the public will have greater access to the DEIS involved so that more response can be made. Chairman Carlson brought up a matter that she considered to be separate from the one just discussed. Part of the objection to the UFAIR project was not to the project itself, but the whole idea as to what the area was zoned for. Puny developments presently allowed by zoning would have the same problem. Some people have suggested that perhaps the area should be used for residential purposes or for a park area. Chairman Carlson thought these were good ideas and should be considered but does not consider the present time the right time to do it. If the Commission is interested in this kind of issue, the time to do some- thing is before a developer has worked up a specific plan. Discussion followed on the floor. Comm. Arnold said that the discussions had opened up the whole question of the City's land -use policy and perhaps the Commission should take an educational role in the problem. Perhaps the Commission could ask individuals, such as someone from Natural Resources at Cornell, and Mr. Van Cort from the Planning Department, to talk or describe the land -use policy as it applies to Ithaca. Some months ago Jon Meigs talked about the southwest area of Ithaca and maybe this might be a good time to ask the Planning Department to bring the Commission up -to- date. PARKING SPACE REQUIREMENTS: Comm. Holman mentioned that the Charter and Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board had been asked by the Board of Zoning Appeals to consider certain larger general questions that were caused by the recent Goldberg /Thaler project. Those developers asked for a parking variance on Aurora Street. One of the specific questions that the Board of Zoning Appeals is raising and Charter and Ordinance Committee is considering is the requirement for a certain amount of parking space for a certain number of square feet within the Central Business District. Comm. Holman questions the reasonableness of expecting a developer in the business district to provide a specific number of parking spaces. She wonders if there is another way, and if perhaps this might be a project for the Environmental Commission. Discussion followed on the floor. The Commission discussed the parking situation as a whole, especially in the residential area just outside of the business district. Resident permits were discussed for those people living near the business district so that they would have first choice of parking areas in front of their own homes. Chairman Carlson is going to write to Frank Gombas to see if she can get the rationale of the alternate parking method and to inquire as to whether it could be done on a weekly rather than a daily basis. Chairman Carlson asked the Commission to be thinking about the parking situation and if ideas occur, to draft resolutions so the Commission can talk about them at the next meeting. -3- October 17, 1978 ZONING: The Commission discussed zoning, especially as it pertains to parking lots and the landscaping of parking lots, in accordance with the Code. Comm. Holman mentioned that there is available a chart that shows the various zones in the City of Ithaca and the requirements and use designations. Such a chart can be obtained from the Building Depart- ment for $.50. NEW BUSINESS: Several conferences were mentioned. Comm. Holman mentioned one that will be held in November by the National Urban Forestry organization. The registration fee is $30.00. One of the Commission members had an application which was received from the Department of Environmental Conservation. It referred to recycling or resource recovery programs at the local level. The City is associated with Challenge Industry and the Commission wondered whether Challenge Industry is the agency to do a larger and more complete resource recovery program than the City is currently engaged in, and if so, how is it to be carried out. Comm. Gallant mentioned that she will be moving from Ithaca. She is going to New Mexico. Discussion followed as to where to look for someone to take her place. ADJOURNMENT: On motion made by Comm. Gallant and seconded by Comm. Arnold, the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Patricia Carlson Chairman Environmental Commission CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. - Room 208 November 28, 1978 PRESENT: Burbank, Chm. Carlson, Hoard, Sterling ALSO PRESENT ABSENT: Arnold Council Liaison Holman; Jeanne Fudala, Community Self- Reliance Center; Mick Bottge, Planning & Development; Paul Harvey, W.H.C.U.; Peter Shacknow, W.T.K.O. Jeanne Fudala was present to announce two community forums at the Community Self- Reliance Center: Tuesday, December 5, 1978, 8:00 P.M. on UFAIR- Meadow St. Mall Tuesday, December 12, 1978, on Solid Waste Disposal In addition, on Saturday, December 2, 1978, a workshop on Solar Ene - --gy is being conducted. MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the October 17, 1978 meeting be approved as recorded. Carried Unanimously BIKEWAYS: Comm. Burbank reported briefly on a meeting with the Budget & Administration Committee on October 26, 1978. Alderman Holman commented that she had assumed that the resolution which directed the Department of Public Works to construct the signs from the Commons to Stewart Park, and further resolved that the cost of the project be taken out of the operating budget of the Department of Public Works, had the support of the Budget & Administration Committee. However, at the November 1, 1978 meeting of the Common Council, the Chaiman of the Budget and Administration Committee skipped the bikeway item. After Mayor Conley called this to his attention, Alderman Holman and Boronkay moved that the item be lifted from the table, and the following resolution was presented by Alderman Gutenberger, seconded by Alderman Bordoni: "WHEREAS, this Common Council closed out the capital project known as "Bikeways" on September 6, 1978, and WHEREAS, it is the consensus of this Common Council that a part of this system can be built in 1978; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That this Common Council directs the Board of Public Works to construct the signs necessary for the route from Ithaca Commons to Stewart Park, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the expense for this project be taken out of operating funds of the Department of Public Works." After discussion of the resolution, Alderman Boronkay and Holman moved the following: "RESOLVED, That the final papagraph of the resolution read, "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the expenses for this project be taken out of operating funds." The amendment was defeated;Alderman Bordoni withdrew his second of the original resolution, and Alderman Boothroyd seconded the original resolution. After additional discussion, the original resolution was defeated. Later in the meeting, under NEW BUSINESS, Alderman Holman and Boronkay presented the following resolution: it WHEREAS, This Common Council closed out the capital project known as "Bikeways" on September 6, 1978, and WHEREAS, it is the consensus of the Common Council that a part of this system shall be built in 1979; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That this Common Council include in its 1979 Budget -2- November 38, 1978 be a capital project to /known as "Bikeways," and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an allocation of funds to the "Bikeways" capital project be included in the 1979 City of Ithaca budget, said allocation to be sufficient to adequately sign that portion of the route from the Commons to Stewart Park and that funding for this portion be the minimum amount considered, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Department of Public Works he directed to develop a budget for the Bikeways capital project in the month of November 1978." The resolution was Carried Unanimously. Alderman Holman reported that at the November 22, 1978 meeting of the Board of Public Works the following resolution was passed: By Comm. Cleveland: Seconded by Comm. Schickel ''RESOLVED, That the Common Council be requested to include $3,000 in its capital program for 1979 to fund the signing of a bikeway between Ithaca Commons and Stewart Park." Discussion followed on the value of si -,nage to the total Bikeways system. Recc) liit inn By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank RESOLVED, That the Common Council include $5,000 in its capital program for 1979 to fund the signing of a Bikeway between Ithaca Commons and Stewart Park and further development of Bikeways within the City. Carried Unanimously SEOR. (State Envi ronrientaI Qu:il i ty ReN, 1e�,) Anc UFAI R (Univers i ty -Fa i rgrounds) : The effects of SEQR on development within, and outside the City where the review process is not enforced was discussed briefly. OPFN SPACFSr Comm. Hoard volunteered to work on inventory and try to prepare the open spaces review for submission to the Department of Environmental Conservation. LAND -USE PLANNING: Mick Bottge of the Planning & Development staff addressed the Commission, describing overall planning and in particular, the Southwest. He reported on the Cherry Street Industrial Park as a project which simultaneously would encourage developers (especially local developers) and would safeguard environmental concerns. An EIS would be worked out at the beginning, and desirable environmental criteria would be incorporated so that undesirable effects would not result. The advantage to developers is that the review process would be shortened, since a separate EIS would not be required. The desirability of encouraging certain light industry to locate within the City instead of in rural areas was discussed. Mr. Bottge suggested that Cherry Street and Southwest Park could be developed to include parkland and a segment of bikeways, which the Commission might want to recommend. He suggested that the State, through the Finger Lakes Parks Commission, be approached for cooperation with landscaping and bikeways in the Southwest and Cherry Street development. He commented that a partnership between the City of Ithaca and the federal government could provide infrastructure for the Cherry Street development so that developers would be encouraged to locate there. At this point, $169,000 is proposed as the City's share. At present, there are three companies interested, with option on land. NEW BUSINESS: Commission members were reminded to submit comments on the proposed federal nuclear waste management policy. APPOINTMENTS TO COMMISSION: Business, Realty, and the Community Self - Reliance Center were suggested as areas to be represented on the Commission in appointing new members. MEETING: Comm. Burbank suggested an informal meeting in January so Commission members can become acquainted. SCREENING OF PARKING LOTS: Comm. Burbank reported that parking lots do indeed require a screen and wondered how this portion of the ordinance could be uniformly enforced. Investigation of the possibility of inspecting parking lot screening as part of housing inspection was recommended. -3- November 28, 1978 ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 9:50 P.m. Patricia Carlson Ch,,u T rman Environmental Commission OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Mayor Edward Conley 108 E. Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Dear Mayor Conley: CITY OF ITHACA TOMPKINS COUNTY ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850 December 26, 1978 TELEPHONE:272 -1713 CODE 607 As you know, the terms of three Commissioners on the Environmental Commission have expired. In addition, one Commissioner, Nancy Gallant, has moved to the Southwest, and informed us at the November meeting that she was resigning her post (which was to have run until Dec. 31, 1979). The two continuing Commissioners are the Rev. Earl Arnold and I,.s. Deborah Hoard. I would like to recommend the following people for your consideration to fill the three 2 -year vacancies and the single 1 -year vacancy created by Isis. Gallant's resignation: 1. Will Burbank, 222 Utica Street. Mr. Burbank is a Commissioner at present, and has contributed a great deal to the Commission's work in the last two years. We think reappointment would be very helpful to the Commission. 2. Christopher Lee, 118 West Court Street. I•ir. Lee is manager of the Stovepipe at 910 West State Street, and would bring to the Commission the point of view of a businessman. As you know, this point of view is increasingly important as Ithaca attempts to keep both its excellent environment and its healthy business climate. In addition, Mr. Lee is interested in working with the City on ways to take greater advantage of its attractive waterway! 3• Jeff Furman, 220 Utica Street. Mr. Furman is an attorney (he shares an office at 108 West Buffalo with attorney Ruth Siegel). He is already active on civic boards in the mental health area, especially mental health in adolescence, and would also like to contribute to the betterment of the environment. His interests include the proposed nuclear waste disposal site in the Salina salt deposit. We feel that Mr. Furman's legal expertise will be especially helpful to the Commission as it addresses the problem of what the City can do to minimize this threat. I recommend that one of the three people above be appointed to fill out Ms. Gallant's term, and the other two to regular 2 -year terms. In addition, we have a vacancy in the 2 -year term which is to be filled by - 2 - a person between the ages of 16 and 21, as described in our enabling legislation. This year we have two excellent possibilities for this position: 1. Ms. Noreen Richards, 145 Grandview Court. Ms. Richards is 16 years old and attends the Alternate High School. She is interested especially in air and water pollution problems, and (like Mr. Furman) in the nuclear waste problem. She was recommended by a teacher, Jeff Stein. 2. Ms. Katie Stein, 1018 East State Street. Ms. Stein is also 16, and attends the high school. She became interested in environ- mental conservation through a section of a biology course, and has a general interest in the environment of the City. Either of these young women would do an excellent job, I am sure. I have personally spoken to every one of the people listed above, and they have all expressed their willingness to serve on the Environmental Commission. I believe the City is fortunate to have so many talented people willing to give of their time and energy to help make Ithaca an even better place to live. I hope you will give all of them serious consideration for appointment. Sincerely yours, Patricia r1. Carlson Chairman CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. PRESENT: Arnold, Burbank, Chm. Carlson, Hoard ALSO PRESENT: December 19, 1.078 Council Liaison Holman; Cris Lee, potential commissioner; Stan Blue, citizen interested in noise probic"n; Jane Marche m, Ithaca Journal; Peter SchacRnoy, WTKO MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the minutes of the November 28 meeting be accepted as corrected. Carried Unanimous]), Correction--motion to approve minutes: Seconded by Sterling, not GRKAW Vehicle - Noise * J called attention co Qe Stan Blue, a cKizen interested in noise Problems, I t iffled ones. Ee said he W noise created by motorcycles, especially un"'I investigated the problem with , muffler Outlet an Elmira Road JIM found that removal of the muffler increases mileago per gallon by 10-20 percePt. Muffled motorcycles produce around 50 jecibels of noise; unmuffled cycles may ploduce as much as 70-80 decibels, sigrificanti), exceeding the statutory limit for noise in residential areas' The recently adopted Noise Ordinance was discussed, and strategy for obtaining enforcement Of it- ResKution By- Secohded by Comm. Buybanh RESOLVED, That the Charter and Ordinance Committee be requested to consider the enforcement of the Noise Ordinance, especially " as mOtW"a' ,,,, into ,,,t,r use in the Spring. Carried Unanimously Chairman Carlson agreed to write to the New York Stite Dapartmont K Environmental ConserVaLion concerning assistance on training that may ho available to local agoncios,attempting noise Or""ce on"comeh" SEOR she had scnt to the COM""n" Clem. Carlson called attention to the letteys a couple of which are listed under SEQR. She said silo needed a senne P'L Shing the commission should do in terms & vnr` guidance about what, if any — , to the Council for copshleTP110-1 vil_iaae of Lansing; also on the letter sent in regard to the proposed industrial pdA on Cherry Street:. Alderman Holman informed the Commission t"at the City fund"'" for the industrial part would be discussed at the Common council budget hearin,, the following evening. There was discussion of how the Environvental Commission might provide support for both the Bikeways project anal the:: industrial park. Resolution Seconded by Comm Hoard By Corilm. Arbank: pport funding for the RESOLVED, That the Environmental CommisslOn sil Bikeways project and the Cherry Street Industrial Park development, at tK' City budgeting Process- carried Unanimously Letter to Seyrou - r Smi - dt , -,- T__ t sub,ect to the I of the rozonipg of a site Carl atten-1011 �son ci_ Rua 0 nnd Rosto 13 by the Village Of Lan "L', at the intoysection of Nal-ynn ie had written to ''Ir, Smidt on- to light industyin! use. She rePor" s) toxic waste on somc i ,,,Qng ho concern hocn"su Of M disPa" 1 0i impact ate, wOuld the Wn''! npd quggosting that Burbank, an FnVQ0nnPnearl IA COW" u's reProsonty. ` very Useful. Commissioner K�nm­ "nd unmmi!nsioncr Hoard, alsO ­1 the Envd7onmontai Kanonuwn,L hr'" his ,,Lcr to the attention of TW, member of EMC, wurc nyi`" 19 Environmental Managcmcnt "wlss- t -2- December 19, 1978 SE_QR Ordinance Chm. Carlson announced that in the Spring Kevin Rowe and a fellow student will be reviewing the City's SEQR Ordinance in Light of the latest revision of the State SEQIZ laws. The review will be under the direction of the Planning Department. Parking Chm. Carlson reported on her exchange of letters concerning alternate side parking. There appears to have been no change in policy for street cleaning since the enactment of the alternate side street parking ordinance in 1964. Alderman Holman will inquire about the status of overnight parking in metered areas in residential areas. Mrs. Carlson received response from traffic engineer Gombas, copies of which she had suit to thu Commission. Comm. Hoard suggested that a discussion of "Ithaca and Automobiles" be on the agenda for the next meeting. New Members Chm. Carlson introduced Cris Lee, who has been suggested for appointment but has not yet been officially appointed. New appointments need to be glade, including so;ieone under 21 years of age. RecolmTlendat ion Shave been sent to the Mayor whc will male the appointments. Resolution of Appreciation By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Arnold WHEREAS, This will be Pat Carlson's last meeting, and WHEREAS, Pat has served as chairperson for the last two years, and WHEREAS, Pat's leadership has been a real asset to the work of the Commission, and II;EREAS, Pat's personal contributions in the area of environmental concerns have been a source of encouragement and support to other members of the Commission; BE IT RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission extends its thanks to ComlOiss_ioner Carlson and wishes her well as she relocates out of the Ithaca area. Carried Unanimously AD,JOFiRNI,IF.NT By Comm, Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Heard RESOLV1 =1i1, The meeting is adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Carried Unanimously Patricia Carlson Chairman Environmental. Commission Regular Meeting PRESENT: Comm iss oners (7) ALSO PRESENT: CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMWrAL CONf14ISSION 7:45 P.M. January 17, 1978 - Carlson, Burbank (arrived late), Hoard, sterling, Gallant, Capowski, Holman Jeanne Fudala, representative of Ecology Action MINUTES: Ame— nc.ent to Minutes of the November 15, 1977 Meeting By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Sterling Under Nuclear Waste, p. 3, RESOLVED, That the item be amended to read: "States have the authority to regulate transportation of nuclear wastes if delegated authority by federal agencies." A vote on the amended minutes of November 15, 1977 resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously DESIGNATION OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN: Chm. Carlson asked for nominations for chairman and vice - chairman of the Commission. By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That Patricia Carlson is nominated as chairman of the Environmental Commission for a term of office to expire December 31, 1978. By Comm. Sterling: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That William Burbank is nominated as vice - chairman of the Environmental Commission for a term of office to expire December 31, 1978. Carried Unanimously PRIORITIES FOR THE COMMISSION: Following are priorities as discussed by the Commission. Chm. Carlson commented that first, the Commission should follow through on ongoing projects; and secondly, be ready to respond to crises which arise. Possible New Priorities: Southwest Study Noise Pollution and Ordinances Energy Study of Growth Recycling Food /Environment Interface Fall Creek By -Pass Open Spaces Survey Comm. Holman suggested that Larry Hamilton be invited to speak at a Commission meeting regarding Fall Creek. It was also suggested that Prof. Fisher be invited to talk to the Commission on returnables and recycleables; and that Jonathan Meigs be invited to discuss growth in the Southwest and the Southwest Study. Comm. Hoard and Comm. Gallant were delegated to design a method for collecting informa- tion in regard to projects requiring permits or started from the Building Department and /or the Department of Public Works, in relation to SEQRA threshholds. The Commission agreed they should get copies of the legislation dealing with the Open Spaces Survey and copies of the Tompkins-County proposal. OLD BUSINESS: Environmental Management Council Expense By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That Comm. Burbank be reimbursed from Commission funds up to $10.00 for the expenses incurred in attending the Council. Carried Unanimously Ex- Officio Representatives Comm. Burbank inquired about the status of ex- officio members of the Commission. Comm. Holman explained that the Commission could have nine ex- officio members as follows: the Mayor, City Attor:.cy, two aldermen, one member of the Mayor's Citizens Ad eLsory Committee (inactive for a number of years), a city member of the County Board of Repre- sentatives, chairman of the Planning Board, chairman of the Board of Public Works and the City Clerk. _2_ January 17, 1978 Bikeway Funds Comm. Holman informed the Commission that $5,000 which was to have been appropriated for bikeways in 1978 was not appropriated. The thinking was that because the $5,000 that was left in the budg_.t had not been expended, it was highly unlikely that $10,000 would be expended in 1978. Therefore, all that remains in the budget is the encumbered $5,000. She said the Commission should have firm plans by April to convince the Council that there ought to be additional money appropriated in the final budget for 1978. CETA Employees Comm. Holman informed the Commission that CETA workers to do Open Spaces Survey or other projects should be handled through Bickley Townsend and the Planning Department. Terms of Office TF re was discussion concerning the amendment of legislation which changed the terms of members from four years to two years in order to conform with State regulations. Three members of the Commission were appointed to terms ending December 31, 1980, and therefore are not in conformity with the new legislation. It was suggested that three of the members involved, Nancy Gallant, John Capowski and Patricia Carlson be reappointed immediately to terms expiring December 31, 1979 because of the following advantages: 1. All Commission members would have terms conforming to City and State regulations; 2. Half of the terms would expire each year, thus ensuring some continuity on the Commission; 3. The three members involved, who are all actively involved in Commission work, could continue their commitments. I£ Comma Hoard's appointment expires in 1979 instead of 1978, one of the three members listed above should be reappointed to a term expiring December 31, 1978. Date of Meetin The Commission were informed that the third Tuesday of each month is the regular meeting time of the Commission and they meet in the Common Council Chambers in City Hall. NEW BUSINESS: H -39 Alaskan National Interest Land Conservation Act Comm. Capowski informed-the Commission he ha received materials from Audubon -requesting support of Bill HR -39 Alaskan National Interest Land Conservation Act. Unless Congress takes action on large parts of Alaska, some of which are wilderness, some not, it will be very much open to development. Congressman Matt McHugh who serves on the House Subcommittee of Alaskan Lands and Oversight, would welcome letters in support of the bill which would be helpful; in addition the Audubon Society is looking for people locally to meet with Congressman McHugh to talk about the issue. ADJOURNMENT: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That the meeting is adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Patricia Carlson Chairman, Environmental Commission CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. February 21, 1978 PRESENT: Commissioners (6) - Carlson, Capowski, Gallant, Hoard, Sterling, Holman ALSO PRESENT: Press: Jennifer Rohm, W.H.C.U.; Dan Cummings, W.T.K.O. The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. Chairman Carlson read the minutes of the January 24th meeting. The following correction was made by Comm. Hoard: Item delegated to Comm. Hoard and Comm. Gallant - correct wording to read, "requiring permits or started from the Building Department and /or Department of Public Works." Resolution By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the minutes of the January 24, 1978 meeting be approved as amended. Carried Unanimously Because of an oversight in procedure in electing officers, a new election was held. Resolution By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the Commission adopt the slate of Patricia Carlson as chairman and Will Burbank as vice - chairman. Resolution to Close Nominations By Comm. Sterling: Seconde by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the nominations be closed. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously Carried Unanimously Bikeways By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That Comm. Burbank be delegated to work with the Planning Department on bikeways in regard to incorporating bikeway design into any construction in the golf course and Fall Creek areas as a result of the flooding. Carried Unanimously Southwest Comm. Sterling reported that Jonathan Meigs of the Planning Department and Paul Glover from Ecology Action will be present at the March meeting to discuss the Southwest study. Chairman Carlson suggested the commission might wish to consider having the Chamber of Commerce meet with them to present their ideas on growth. Comm. Capowski suggested that three people might be too many for one meeting. Open Space Survey Comm. Capowski reported that the scope may be larger than the commission had thought: end uses ought to be considered at the outset of the study as this may determine how the study is conducted. He said community interests ought to be considered in determining the scope of study. Chm. Carlson reported on Comm. Burbank's conversation with Bickley Townsend regarding Open Spaces Survey relationship to the General Plan. The Council will have to approve the study upon its completion. The consensus of the Commission was that Comm. Holman take the General Plan to Per Moberg and consult with him. If the General Plan meets with DEC approval, a working session before the next regular meeting will be -2- February 21, 1978 called to examine the ;- vneral Plan. If not acceptable, an application for CETA employment should be submitted. Comm. Hoard suggested that Fall. Creek studies may provide some of the information, particularly in regard to soils in that area. SE R Comm. Hoard reported that she and Comm. Gallant had been working on a form to be used by the Building Department and perhaps the Department of Public Works which, after being approved by the Commission, will be sent together with a cover letter explaining what information the Commission needs, what they are trying to do, the threshholds and the requirements of the State which will take effect in September of this year. She expects to have the draft form ready to present at the next meeting of the Commission. Noise Ordinance Chairman Carlson and the Commission reviewed the draft of the Noise Ordinance which the Charter and Ordinance Committee has been working on. Chm. Carlson noted that Article III had been deleted. The Commission made recommendations as follows: 1. In Article IV, 68.40 Violation, the violations refer only to "levels" of noise. Levels are not specified in 68.24 or 68.29, and people who have noisy animals, who annoy hospital patients, etc. might not be in violation of the ordinance. 2. "Annoyance" itself appears to be a very vague term, and it would be desirable to improve the wording of any sections using this term. Comm. Capowski suggested that the Rochester City Code section might serve as a good model for rewording. He suggested further that it would be useful to have examples of different d.b levels. Chairman Carlson was asked to inform Chairman Nichols of the Charter and Ordinance Committee of the Commission's recommendations. Resolution Ry—Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the City check into whether or not it is in compliance with the air pollution requirements under statutes such as the Air Quality 'Review Act. Carried Unanimously Old Business: Terms of-Office By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the terms of the commissioners be as follows to conform to the amended local law: Burbank term expiring December 31, 1978 Sterling 11 if ft it " Carlson IT " it " it Hoard if " it " 1979 Gallant it it it it Capowski " " " " it Carried Unanimously Chairman Carlson agreed to inform the Mayor of the suggested terms. Comm. Hoard asked for a list of the commissioners with terms, addresses and telephone numbers. Chairman Carlson agreed to ask Mrs. Hutson to provide such a list. She was provided with a copy of the State law. Jeanne Fudala of Community Self- Reli4nce Center, reported that an issue of Nucleonic Week reported that Salina Salt Bed will most likely be chosen as nuclear repository site because of the proximity of the West Valley installation which is heavily contaminated. Adjournment, By Comm. Capowski; Seconded by Comm, Sterling RESOLVED, That the meeting adjourn at 9:45 p.m. Carried Unanimously Patricia Carlson Chairman r` CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. March 21, 1978 PRESENT: Co— mm sioners (6) - Carlson, Burbank, Gallant, Hoard, Sterling, Holman ABSENT: Commissioner (1) - Capowski ALSO PRESENT: Jonathan Meigs, Planning staff; Joel Meltzer, WTKO; Carl Lagase The meeting was called to order at 7:45 p.m. by Chairman Carlson. MINUTES: By Comm. Sterling: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED That the minutes of the February 21 1978 meeting be approved � g PP as published. Carried Unanimously Bikeways Comm. Burbank reported that he had met with Bickley Townsend of the Planning and Development staff concerning bikeways. He said he sees a need for more comprehensive planning, particularly with county review of railroad rights -of -way. He reminded the Commission that the Board of Representatives have scheduled a meeting on plans for rights -of -way for Monday, March 27, at noon at the Tompkins County Court House. Chm. Carlson reported that the specifications for bikeways signs have been sent by the Planning Department to the Board of Public Works, and followed up by several reminders. She feels now, it is a matter of contacting the proper persons in the Department of Public Works to get the signs made. Bikeracks Comm. Burbank reported he had researched further bikeracks on the buses. He found that racks can access to the engines; they are not designed for drivers do not have to leave the bus to aid with bicycles. Mr. Burbank is now trying to find out programs covering the buses. into the matter of using be made to allow easy use by children; and the loading or unloading the more about the insurance Noise Ordinance Comm. Holman.reported that the Noise Ordinance will go to the Common Council for adoption at its April meeting. The section on howling animals which had been of concern to the Commission has been deleted and is covered by another section of another ordinance. A drawback, perhaps, as it is written is that in order for a peace officer to file an appearance ticket someone must make an official complaint, which cannot be anonymous. This is quite different from the thing in the Noise Ordinance, and Comm. Holman commented that she wants to call it to the attention of Ethel Nichols, chairman of the Charter $ Ordinance Committee. Supercan Comm. Gallant reported attending a meeting at the public library in Syracuse at which she received a booklet from which she got an idea for a superman -like figure which could be used as a recycling symbol for local use. She is presently researching copyrights on same. Pertinent Meetings Comm. Burbank informed the Commission that a lecture will be held on March 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Community Self- Reliance Center at which Dick Fischer will speak on "Don't Take Garbage for Granted" which concerns container legislation. Comm. Holman informed the Commission that hearings on state resource recovery plan will be held on April 6 in Liverpool and April 7 at 10 a.m. in the County Office Building in Bingha mton. Container legislation is not included. Copies of the proposal may be obtained from the Regional Office in Cortland. Appointment Comm. Carlson reported Commission to appoint Information Committee. to Fall Creek Capital I receiving a a representai 2- March 21, 1978 roject Information Committee letter from Mayor Conley requesting the ive to the Fall Creek Capital Project Resolution By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Co Sterling RESOLVED, That Comm. John Capowski be appointed as representative of the Environmental Commission to the Fall Creek Capital Project Information Committee, with Comm. Carlson and Comm. Burbank to serve as alternates. Carried Unanimously Old Business: SEAR Comm . Hoard distributed a draft of a ford on which she and Comm. Gallant have been working and which is intended for use by the Building Department and /or the Department of Public Wo ks, and asked the Commission for review and comment. New Business: NYSE$G Proposal for Transmission L_ Comm. Burbank called attention to j & Gas Corp. have for a transmissioi permission for which they have app: The deadline for response to the al ne Tans which the New York State Electric line across the flood control channel, ied for to the Army Corps of Engineers. plication is April 17, 1978. Chm. Carlson designated Comm. Ster ing and Comm. Holman to investigate the plan for the power line and it3 impact. Resolution By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Co Hoard RESOLVED, That Comm. Sterling and omm. Holman be empowered to act in the name of the Commission after i vestigating the proposed power line by the NYSE$G. Carried Unanimously Sun Day Comm. Burbank informed the Commission that Sun Day will be observed on the Commons on Saturday, May 6. The purpose is to promote the use of sources of renewable energy of the country and also promote conserva- tion of energy. Comm. Burbank asked for support and participation of the Commission. Chm. Carlson agreed to serve as liaison for the event. Adjournment: By Comm. Gallant: Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, the Commission adjourn from regular session to work session on the Open Space Survey at 8:30 p.m. Open Space Survey Jonathan Meigs o the Planning Department staff discussed the Southwest Study to inform the Commissioners of proposed uses for the largest re- maining open space in the City. He made a full, informative presentation and answered the many questions of the Commissioners. Chairman Carlson distributed sect: spaces and recreation which was di updating. The Commissioners are sections at the next meeting. ons of Egner & Niederkorn's study on open ne in 1968 to each commissioner for sked to report on their respective Respectfully submitted, Patricia Carlson Chairman CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. April 18, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Burbank, Capowski, Hoard ABSENT: Sterling, Gallant, Holman ALSO PRESENT: Kevin Rowe, Planning & Development Dept. staff; Bob Lynch, WTKO OLD BUSINESS: New York State Electric and Gas Proposal for Transmission Line Chm. Carlson reported that investigation revealed the NYSE&G transmission line work is underway and no action is necessary by the Commission. Nuclear Waste Storage and Transport Chm. Carlson reported on Cornell University's low -level radioactive waste, and transport of same. She said she had discussed the subject with Bob Gardner, Mgr, of Radiation Safety at Cornell's Radiation Biology Laboratory on Warren Road, near the Tompkins County Airport. He told her that the radioactive waste storage site near the airport is to be closed soon and the waste will be transported to another site. He also told her there are all kinds of federal and state guidelines and his office is responsible for seeing that these are followed. Unless the person who is to receive the waste is licensed and going to transport it himself, Cornell has to provide a properly licensed person to take it to its destination. Chm. Carlson said it may be possible to invite Mr. Gardner to a meeting of the Commission to discuss transport of radioactive waste or other hazardous substances. Chm. Carlson also reported that the Ithaca Fire Department has no record of transport of any hazardous substances Comm. Hoard reported on Dr. Pohl's report to EMC on the federal program to develop a national waste disposal system. She said the extent of potential jurisdiction over, or control of, waste disposal outside of city limits, varies. Comm. Capowski was designated to check with Cornell University (J. Rish's group) to investigate legal avenues to control or just know about hazardous waste transport through Ithaca. Comm. John Capowski informed the Commission that the May 1978 meeting will be his last inasmuch as he is moving from Ithaca. Fairgrounds Subdivision Because of the likelihood that an Environmental Impact Statement will be required, Cornell University is required to supply information for an environmental assessment on subdivision of its Fairgrounds site. Chm. Carlson agreed that she will write a letter to the Planning and Develop- ment Director, asking him to include the Commission in the assessment process. SF.QR Comm. Hoard reported that the form on which she has been working, to determine the number of type 1 actions the city is involved in, is ready to be typed and duplicated. Resolution By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission agrees to sponsor a workshop in late summer on SEQR which will be open to the public, business and government officials. Carried Unanimously MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Capowski RESOLVED, That the minutes of the March 21, 1978 meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously Sewage Treatment Project Chm. Carlson asked Kevin Rowe to report on the sewage treatment project and tell the Commission, if nothing else, where to find out about it. -2- April 18, 1978 Mr. Rowe described how the ICI "deep shaft" waste water treatment process operates, and explained that it is a test project that the Canadians want to install in the United States to demonstrate how the system works. The City of Ithaca has agreed to let them test it here so that EPA can include it as an alternative in the 201 Water Treatment Studies that are in progress. He explained that the one being discussed is only a demonstration project. If it is selected as the final system on the basis of a cost - benefit analysis, several more shafts would have to be built to process city output. The question was asked whether or not the water was being tested for substances before it goes to the municipal water system. Mr. Rowe said it isn't, but he would think it would be essential. Chm. Carlson asked if the engineers are working for the City of Ithaca or for the Canadian group, and Mr. Rowe explained they are working for the City. Chm. Carlson commented that maybe the Commission should request the engineers to make the test of the water, but Mr. Rowe said Mr. Dingman doesn't see any sense in it, and explained that the entire city sewage sys '1 is being studied, not the entire water system. Chm. Carlson commer that if they end up with the results of that study and what comes one end, it might be possible to check the input also, by having so, t)ody else do it inexpensively and then compare the figures. Chm. Carlson commented that the results of this process on toxic waste is one question the Commission would want to see answered. She asked if the Commission want to take any further action on this program, or if the Commission should keep themselves more informed than they have been doing. Bikeways Comm. Burbank reported that the Department of Public Works has just informed Planning and Development staff that more information is needed on signs, routes, etc. and would like to have another meeting with them. Sun Day Comm. Burbank informed the Commission he has been requested to ask the Commission to have a table or display on the Commons on May 6, 1978, for the observance of Sun Day. The Commission agreed this would be done. Tompkins County Resource Recovery Program Comm. Burbank reported that Tompkins County is still pursuing a county -wide resource recovery plan, and he suggested that the city develop a position on solid waste. Comm. Burbank and Comm. Gallant were designated to in- vestigate city solid waste and to formulate a proposed Commission position on the program for action at the next meeting. Noise Conference Comm. Hoard informed the Commission that the New York Noise Control Conference will be held at Statler Hall on May 19, 1978. Resolution By Comm. Capowski: Seconded by Comm. Carlson RESOLVED, That the Commission provide the $10.00 registration fee for Comm. Hoard and Comm. Burbank to attend the Noise Control Conference on May 19, 1978. Carried Unanimously Open Space Study Comm. Sterling and Comm. Carlson were designated to work up a draft proposal of the Open Sapce Study, to be sent to DEC. Chm. Carlson asked Kevin Rowe to advise the Commission on what is needed in the Open Space Study. Among other things, he commented the 1969 Recreation Plan should be expanded to include undeveloped areas. An Open Space Index will be produced which will provide for each area: 1) Description 2) Present use 3) Comments (if proposal is in works or if special ownership problems exist, or if the Commission has some proposal to make) -3- April 18, 1978 Chm. Carlson commented that the 1969 Recreation Plan will be used, supplemented by aerial photographs to add to areas listed in that report. It was agreed the Commission will write their own definition of "open space" to include schools, etc. or not. ADJOURNMENT: By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank RESOLVED, the meeting adjourn at 9:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Patricia Carlson, Chairman CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:00 P.M. July 18, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Burbank, Gallant, Hoard, Sterling The meeting was called to order by Chm. Carlson at 7:05 p.m. MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the minutes of the April 18, 1978 meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL SITE: By Comm. Gallant Seconded by Comm. Sterling RESOLVED, That the City Environmental Commission urges the Common Council to oppose the establishment of a nuclear waste disposal site in the vicinity of Ithaca iri every way possible. Carried Unanimously ROUTE 96: Chm. Carlson presented a draft resolution to be presented to the Common Council, as follows: WHEREAS, the Common Council last year requested the investigation of lower- impact alternatives to the building of a four: -•lane Route 96; and WHEREAS, the differential impact of different design alternatives cannot reasonable be measured without comparable data for the different designs; and WHEREAS, investigation of pre - emptive signals to stop trains for emergency vehicles has been initiated but not concluded by the City; and WHEREAS, investigation of possible bus service to the hospital has been initiated but not concluded by the City; and WHEREAS, the City environment and neighborhoods will bear the brunt of the serious adverse effects of a four -lane expressway, such as destruction or devaluation of homes and businesses, loss of economic development to areas outside the city's control, and increased air pollution, noise pollution, and water runoff problems; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the City Environmental Commission advise the Common Council to ask New York State Department of Transportation for a full -scale evaluation of a low- impact second bridge design com- parable to any other design evaluations NYSDoT may make for Route 96. AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Environmental Commission advises the Common Council not to allow construction of a four -lane expressway design to begin unless the lower- impact solutions to the City's problems such as those cited above are implemented, tested, and proved to be ineffective. Discussion followed on the floor. The second paragraph of the draft was amended as follows: WHEREAS, the various impacts of different designs cannot reasonably be compared unless similar data are available for the different designs; and Resolution By Comm. Sterling: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the resolution as amended be adopted by the Commission. Carried Unanimously -l- July 18, 1978 NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Conol. oallant RESOLVED, That $30.00 be allocated for a. representative or representatives from this Commission to attend the annual meeting of the New York State Association of Environmental Commissions, to be held at Grossingers, N.Y. on September 17 and 18, 1978. Carried Unanimously NUCLEAR WASTE INFORMATION MEETING: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That Comm. Carlson be reimbursed $5.00 for a check given on behalf of the Commission for its share in the sponsorship of the informa- tional meeting on nuclear waste. Carried Unanimously CETA EMPLOYEE: Chm. Carlson reported that an application for a CETA (Comprehensive Employment Training Act) employee is being filed by the Commission jointly with the City and Town Planning Departments. If successful, this employee would work on an open space- natural resources document. OPEN SPACES STUDY: Comm. Gallant wondered if people's backyards would be affected if such spaces were listed. Comm. Hoard explained that this Commission would only review applications which required discretionary action and would not affect projects people were permitted to do by right. The present brief, Open Spaces Study could be expanded later with information from the CETA employee's study. Another possibility was a suggestion by Bickley Townsend that Cornell planning students wanting to do field wor: could be utilized on natural resources; and Neil Orloff's offer for spring term student projects in environmental law. NEW COMMISSIONER: Persons were discussed who might be willing to serve on the Commission and several will be checked out before the next meeting of the Commission. SEQR: Comm. Hoard reported on the SEQR legislation. The City version was often used as a model to the county. She noted that DEC lists had been changed and the City will have to pass some amendments by September 1st to reflect the new procedures. BIKEWAYS: Comm. Burbank reported that he had talked to those in charge of construc- tion of the peripheral streets project and they were receptive to his suggestion of providing places for bikes on the project. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.. Patricia Carlson, Chairman .. CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. September 19, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Arnold, Burbank, Hoard, Holman ABSENT: Gallant, Sterling Chairman Carlson introduced The Rev. Earl Arnold to the members of the Commission present. MINUTES: By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm.'•Burbank RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the July 18, 1978 meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously BIKEWAYS: Chairman Carlson reported to the Commission that $5,000 in the Bikeways budget has been deleted by the Common Council on the recommendation of Supt. Dingman. Comm. Holman reported that Mayor Conley meeting that he is going to investigate on the bikeways signage from existing 1 the capital project is closed out. She discuss the matter with him but did not from him. had commented at the Council to see if he can get work done ine item accounts, even though said she had called him to reach him and has not heard Chairman Carlson presented a draft of a resolution which she wished to forward to the Council. Discussion followed on the floor. Resolution By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank WHEREAS, bicyclists in the City of Ithaca have been requesting a bikeways system for many years; and WHEREAS, numerous studies by both lay groups and city departments have been completed with the aim of implementing a bikeway system; and WHEREAS, numerous delays have already occurred in the implementation of the plans; and WHEREAS, deletion of funds for this project was done with no advance notice to the public, to lay boards, or even to city departments; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Common Council is urged to restore the funding of the signing of the downtown - Stewart Park bikeway immediately, and to direct the Department of Public Works to proceed with the needed work as soon as possible. Carried Unanimously New York State Association of Environmental Commissions By Comm. Arnold: Seconded by Comm. Hoar RESOLVED, That Comm. Burbank be reimbursed in the amount of $72.10 for the balance of the cost of attending the Annual Conservation Commission Conference at Grossingers September 17 and 18, 1978. The Commission had originally allocated $30.00 toward the cost of attending the conference. Carried Unanimously Cornell DEIS The Commission discussed a public informational meeting to be held in the Common Council Chambers at 7:30 p.m. the following evening, September,20, 1978, by the Planning Department staff in regard to the proposed development by UFAIR, a Cornell subsidiary that proposes to develop the land on South Meadow Street to developers for the benefit of the Cornell University Medical School. Planning and Development Director Van Cort does not want to take the additional time required for a full public hearing,_4nd final impact statement, which was among the recommendations of -the Commission's letter responding to the Draft Statement. The Commission felt that the public hearing would not -2- September 19, 1978 require too much additional time, and that the estimates of the period required to prepare the final statement were exaggerated, since the FEIS can simply be the DEIS plus the comments received from the public and responses to the comments. The Commission also felt that more copies of Environmental Impact Statements must be made available to the public. Resolution By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission recommend to the City that there be a minimum of three copies -.of draft statements provided for public view: 1 to be located in the Tompkins County Library, 1 in the City Clerk's office and 1 in whichever office is going to make the decision, in addition to their own working copies. Carried Unanimously Truck 'traffic on East State Street Comm. Holman reported that the allowing resolution had been presented by an East State Street resident to Common Council and was referred to the City Attorney for negotiation with the New York State Department of Transportation: Section 1. The Common Council of the City of Ithaca hereby finds and declares that heavy truck traffic in residential neighborhoods is a public nuisance, resulting in high levels of noise for residents at all hours, extreme hazards for pedestrians, other drivers, and resi- dents, and excessive wear and tear on City streets which are maintained by the taxpayers of the City of Ithaca. Section 2. It shall be the policy of the City of Ithaca to eliminate, insofar as possible, all heavy truck traffic from resi- dential neighborhoods. Section 3. Under authority of 91640(a)(5) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New 'York, we hereby direct that a sign be erected at the entrance to the City of Ithaca at East State Street saying Trucks Over 8 Tons Prohibited Trucks Use Alternate Routes into Ithaca Further, we direct that a sign be placed at the foot of State Street, for Eastbound traffic east of the intersection known as the Tuning Fork, saying No Trucks Except Local Deliveries Section 4. In order to assist in the implementation of these rules, we hereby direct the Mayor to request the New York State Department of Transportation to erect a sign for northbound traffic at Exit 8 on Interstate Route 81 saying Truck Traffic to Ithaca Use Exit 11 Route 13 23 Miles Ahead Section 5. Insofar as is necessary for the performance of their duties, trucks belonging to any governmental unit are excepted from these provisions. Carried Unanimously The Commission expressed approval of the Council resolution on East State Street truck traffic. SEAR: +� Chairman Carlson noted that study on actions falling under SEQR had not been undertaken because of impending changes in rules and regula- tions by the State. -3- September 19, 1978 CETA Application Comm. Carlson reported that the Planning Department has submitted the application for a CETA employee to whoever makes the decisions. Comm. Holman reported that the federal government had approved funds and eventually the Commission should hear as to whether or not they will have someone to work on the site inventory and natural resources inventory. Conservation Commission Conference Comm. Burbank reported on the Conservation Conference. He called attention to a new position of Environmental Management Specialist in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. He noted that some communities have used school classes to conduct open spaces surveys. Comm. Burbank recommended that starting next year the Commission should send at least two persons to the Conference. Comm. Burbank reported that there environmental organizations in New worthwhile obtaining. The cost is is published a directory of York State that he thinks would be about $3.95. Resolution By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Arnold RESOLVED,.That the Commission forward a check and obtain a copy of the Directory of Environmental Organizations in New York State. Carried Unanimously Announcements Comm. Holman reported that the Federal government has sent 4 sets of material - -Task Force Reports on Nationwide Outdoor Recreation, 2 sets of which were complete. Chairman Carlson accepted 1 copy for her files. Comm. Burbank announced that there will be a conference during the weekend of October 8 -9 at Washington, D.C., the subject being the Critical Mess (Nuclear Waste), and expressed the hope that a Commission member might attend; if not, that a report be obtained from someone who does attend. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Patricia Carlson Chairman Environmental Commission CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. October 17, 1978 PRESENT: Carlson, Arnold, Burbank, Gallant, Holman ABSENT: Sterling, Hoard OTHERS PRESENT The meeting was MINUTES: WTKO - Nigro The Ithaca Journal - Marcham called to order at 8:10 p.m. By Comm. Arnold: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the Minutes of September 19, 1978 be corrected follows, and approved as corrected: The last paragraph on the page of the Minutes showing the heading Cornell DEIS should be changed to show the firs -t word on line 5 as "sell" rather than as first "develop." CYANIDE DISCHARGE: Chairman: Carlson had a_letter which she had received earlier in October from Paul Sheneman, and.part of the letter was the recommendation that the Department of Public Works.state the measures they are taking to enforce the cyanide discharge regulations when they appear for state aid. Chairman Carlson will write a letter to the Department of Public Works asking for a copy of the section of its Operation and Maintenance Aid Application for 197/8, the section ,diich deals with enforcement of the cyanide discharge. BIKEWAYS: Chairman Carlson reported that the Commission has decided to make a statement to the Budget and Administration Committee at its regular meeting on October 26th. Among the main points to be presented to the Budget and Administration Committee are that the bikeways project should not be penalized for inaction by various City departments, and the fact that the Environmental Commission thought this project was going along perfectly well until it was deleted without prior notice. Comm. Arnold suggested that maybe members of the Budget and Administration Committee could be approached before the October 26th meeting to see how they feel about bikeways. Other Commission members felt this was a good thing. NOISE CONTROL: Chairman Carlson mentioned Stan Blum's interest in noise control, but since Blum had not reported back to the Commission as yet, she would wait until she has.something to tell the Commission. UFAIR: Chairman Carlson discussed the UFAIR case. She mentioned that it was rather a peculiar case. She felt that the aims of the SEQR legisla- tion were, in fact, carried out in this case. The Environmental Commission is trying to make sure that the environmental concerns, both social and economic, are taken into account in the granting of discretionary application and that although, in many ways, this turned out to be a real problem in terms of getting the information to the public, the legislation and draft environmental impact statement were in fact used by the Planning'Department in exactly this way. Many changes were made with reference to the original application and the developers were required to change aspects such as landscaping, traffic, etc. Many points that were brought up by the Commission were not in the draft environmental statement, even though the answers were in the supplementary documents. When the Environmental Commission saw the 'document it was very pro - development and a lot of the work that had gone into it did not show up at all. The public had about two or three weeks to respond to the draft environmental impact statement but there was only one copy available. The public was not aware of the situation and the responses were therefore very late and the City Planning staff was under great pressure to do something quickly. i -2- October 17, 1978 Chairman Carlson felt that if the Planning Department had received the Commission's letter earlier it might have gone ahead and scheduled the public information hearing. As it was, the letter was not re- ceived until the last day. Since many of the points raised in the Commission's letter had already been taken care of in the supplementary documents, or at least noted, the Planning Department did not feel that it was justified in delaying the project any longer. Chairman Carlson felt that the seeker process was working but in a very awkward fashion. Next time she hopes that the developer will know sooner what he has to do and also that the public will have greater access to the DEIS.> involved so that more response can be made. Chairman Carlson brought up a matter that she considered to be separate from the one just discussed. Part of the objection to the UFAIR project was not to the project itself, but the whole idea as to what the area was zoned for. Many developments presently allowed by zoning would have the same problem. Some people have suggested that perhaps the area should be used for residential purposes or for a park area. Chairman Carlson thought these were good ideas and should be considered but does not consider the present time the right time to do it. If the Commission is interested in this kind of issue, the time to do some- thing is before a developer has worked up a specific plan. Discussion followed on the floor. Comm. Arnold said that the discussions had opened up the whole question of the City's land -use policy and perhaps the Commission should take an educational role in the problem. Perhaps the Commission could ask individuals, such as someone from Natural Resources at Cornell, and Mr. Van Cort from the Planning Department, to talk or describe the land -use policy as it applies to Ithaca. Some months ago Jon Meigs talked about the southwest area of Ithaca and maybe this might be a good time to ask the Planning Department to bring the Commission up -to- date. PARKING SPACE REQUIREMENTS: Comm. Holman mentioned that the Charter and Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board had been asked by the Board of Zoning Appeals to consider certain larger general questions that were caused by the recent Goldberg /Thaler project. Those developers asked for a parking variance on Aurora Street. One of the specific questions that the Board of Zoning Appeals is raising and Charter and Ordinance Committee is considering is the requirement for a certain amount of parking space for a certain number of square feet within the Central Business District. Comm. Holman questions the reasonableness of expecting a developer in the business district to provide a specific number of parking spaces. She wonders if there is another way, and if perhaps this might be a project for the Environmental Commission. Discussion followed on the floor. The Commission discussed the parking situation as a whole, especially in the residential area just. outside of the business district. Resident permits were discussed for those people living near the business district so that they would have first choice of parking areas in front of their own homes. Chairman Carlson is going to write to Frank Gombas to see if she can get the rationale of the alternate parking method and to inquire as to whether it could be done on a weekly rather than.a daily basis. Chairman Carlson asked the Commission to be thinking about the parking situation and if ideas occur, to draft resolutions so the Commission can talk about them at the next meeting. A. -3- October 17, 1978 ZONING: The Commission discussed zoning, especially as it pertains to parking lots and the landscaping of parking lots, in accordance with the Code. Comm. Holman mentioned that there is available a chart that shows the various zones in the City of Ithaca and the requirements and use designations. Such a chart can be obtained from the Building Depart- ment for $.50. NEW BUSINESS: Several conTerences were mentioned. Comm. Holman mentioned one that Will be held in November by the National Urban Forestry organization. The registration fee is $30.00. One of the Commission members had an application which was received from the Department of Environmental Conservation. It referred to recycling or resource recovery programs at the local level. The City is associated with Challenge Industry and the Commission wondered whether Challenge Industry is the agency to do a larger and more complete resource recovery program than the City is currently engaged in, and if so, how is it to be carried out. Comm. Gallant mentioned that she will be moving from Ithaca. She is going to New Mexico. Discussion followed as to where to look for someone to take her place. ADJOURNMENT: On motion made by Comm. Gallant and seconded by Comm. Arnold, the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Patricia Carlson Chairman Environmental Commission CITY OF ITHACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. - Room 208 PRESENT: Burbank, Chm. Carlson, Hoard, Sterling ALSO PRESENT: ABSENT: Arnold November 28, 1978 Council Liaison Holman; Jeanne Fudala, Community Self - Reliance Center; Mick Bottge, Planning & Development; Paul Harvey, W.H.C.U.; Peter Shacknow, W.T.K.O. Jeanne Fudala was present to announce two community forums at the Community Self- Reliance Center: Tuesday, December 5, 1978, 8:00 P.M. on UFAIR- Meadow St. Mall Tuesday, December 12, 1978, on Solid Waste Disposal In addition, on Saturday, December 2, 1978, a workshop on Solar Energy is being conducted. MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Gallant RESOLVED, That the Minutes of the October 17, 1978 meeting be approved as recorded. Carried Unanimously BIKEWAYS: Comm. Burbank reported briefly on a meeting with the Budget & Administration Committee on October 26, 1978. Alderman Holman commented that she had assumed that the resolution which directed the Department of Public Works to construct the signs from the Commons to Stewart Park, and further resolved that the cost of the project be taken out of the operating budget of the Department of Public Works, had the support of the Budget & Administration Committee. However, at the November 1, 1978 meeting of the Common Council, the Chaiman of the Budget and Administration Committee skipped the bikeway item. After Mayor Conley called this to his attention, Alderman Holman and Boronkay moved that the item be lifted from the table, and the following resolution was presented by Alderman Gutenberger, seconded by Alderman Bordoni: "WHEREAS, this Common Council closed out the capital project known as "Bikeways" on September 6, 1978, and WHEREAS, it is the consensus of this Common Council that a part of this system can be built in 1978; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That this Common Council directs the Board of Public Works to construct the signs necessary for the route from Ithaca Commons to Stewart Park, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the expense for this project be taken out of operating funds of the Department of Public Works." After discussion of the resolution, Alderman Boronkay and Holman moved the following: "RESOLVED, That the final papagraph of the resolution read, "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the expenses for this project be taken out of operating funds." The amendment was defeated;Alderman Bordoni withdrew his second of the original resolution, and Alderman Boothroyd seconded the original resolution. After additional discussion, the original resolution was defeated. Later in the meeting, under NEW BUSINESS, Alderman Holman and Boronkay presented . the following resolution: it WHEREAS, This Common Council closed out the capital project known as "Bikeways" on September 6, 1978, and WHEREAS., it is the consensus of the Common Council that a part of this system shall be built in 1979; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That this Common Council include in its 1979 Budget -2- November 38, 1978 be a capital project to /known as "Bikeways," and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an allocation of funds to the "Bikeways" capital project be included in the 1979 City of Ithaca budget, said allocation to be sufficient to adequately sign that portion of the route from the Commons to Stewart Park and that funding for this portion be the minimum amount considered, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Department of Public Works.be directed to develop a budget for the Bikeways capital project in the month of November 1978." The resolution was Carried Unanimously. Alderman Holman reported that at the November 22, 1978 meeting of the Board of Public Works the following resolution was passed: By Comm. Cleveland: Seconded by Comm. Schickel "RESOLVED, That the Common Council be requested to include $3,000 in its capital program for 1979 to fund the signing of a bikeway betwee.i Ithaca Commons and Stewart Park." Discussion followed on the value of signage to the total Bikeways system. Resolution By Comm. Hoard: Seconded by Comm. Burbank RESOLVED, That the Common Council include $5,000 in its capital program for 1979 to fund the signing of a Bikeway between Ithaca Commons and Stewart Park and further development of Bikeways within the City. Carried Unanimously SEQR. (State Environmental Quality Review) and UFAIR (University- Fairgrounds): The effects of SEQR on development wi0 in, and outside the City where the review process is not-enforced was discussed briefly. OPEN SPACES: ork on inventory Co. Hoard volunteered to w and try to prepare the open spaces mm review for submission to the Department of Environmental Conservation. LAND -USE PLANNING: Mick Bottge of the Planning & Development staff addressed the Commission, describing overall planning and in particular, the Southwest. He reported on the Cherry Street Industrial Park as a project which simultaneously would encourage developers (especially local developers) and would safeguard environmental concerns. An EIS would be worked out at the beginning, and desirable environmental criteria would be incorporated so that undesirable effects would not result. The advantage to developers is that the review process would be shortened, since a separate EIS would not be required. The desirability of encouraging certain light industry to locate within the City instead of in rural areas was'discussed. Mr. Bottge suggested that Cherry Street and Southwest Park could be developed to include parkland and a segment of bikeways, which the Commission might want to recommend. He suggested that the State, through the Finger Lakes Parks Commission, be approached for cooperation with landscaping and bikeways in the Southwest and Cherry Street development. He commented that a partnership between the City of Ithaca and the federal government could provide infrastructure for the Cherry Street development so that developers would be encouraged to locate there. At this point, $169,000 is proposed as the City's share. At present, there are three companies interested, with option on land. NEW BUSINESS: Commission members were reminded to submit comments on the proposed federal nuclear waste management policy. APPOINTMENTS TO COMMISSION: Business, Realty, and the Community Self- Reliance Center were suggested as areas to be represented on the Commission in appointing new members. MEETING: - Comm. Burbank suggested an informal meeting in January so Commission members can become acquainted. SCREENING OF PARKING LOTS: Comm. Burbank reported that parking lots do indeed require a screen and wondered how this portion of the ordinance could be uniformly enforced. Investigation of the possibility of inspecting parking lot screening as part of housing inspection was recommended. -3' November 28, 1978 ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m. Patricia Carlson Chnarman Environmental Commission CITY OF ITIIACA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M. December 19, 1978 PRESENT: Arnold, Burbank, Chm. Carlson, Hoard ALSO PRESENT: Council Liaison Holman; Cris Lee, potential commissioner; Stan Blue, citizen interested in noise problems; Jane Marcham, Ithaca Journal; Peter Schacknoy, TVTKO MINUTES: By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the minutes of the November 28 meeting be accepted as corrected. Carried Unanimously (Correction -- motion to approve minutes: Seconded oy Sterling, not Gallant) Vehicle Noise Stan Blue, a citizen interested in noise problems, called attention to tl*.e noise created by motorcycles, especially unmuffled ones. fie said he had investigated the problem with a muffler outlet on Elmira Road and found that removal of the muffler increases mileage per gallon by 10 -20 percent. Muffled motorcycles produce around SO decibels of noise; unmuffled cycles may produce as much as 70 -80 decibels, significantly exceeding the statutory limit for noise in residential areas. The recently adopted Noise Ordinance was discussed, and strategy for obtaining enforcement of it. Resolution By Comm. Arnold: Seconded by Comm. Burbank- RESOLVED, That the Charter and Ordinance Committee be requested to consider the enforcement of the Noise Ordinance, especially as motorcycles come into greater use in the Spring. Carried Unanimously Chairman Carlson agreed to write to the New York State Department of- Environmental Conservation concerning assistance on training that may be available to local agencies.attempting noise ordinance enforcement. SEQR Chm. Carlson called attention to the letters she had sent to the Commission, a couple of which are listed under SEQR. She said she needed a sense of guidance about what, if anything, the Commission should do in terms of the Village of Lansing; also on the letter sent to the Council for consideration in regard to the proposed industrial park on Cherry Street. Alderman Holman informed the Commission that the city funding for the industrial park would be discussed at the Common Council budget hearing the following evening. There was discussion of how the Environmental Commission might provide support for both the Bikeways project and the industrial park. Resolution By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission support funding for the Bikeways project and the Cherry Street Industrial Park development, at the City budgeting process. Carried Unanimously Letter to Seymour Smi.dt Chm. Carlson called attention to the subject of the rezoning of a site at the intersection of Warren. Road and Route 1.3 by the Village of Lansing to light industrial_ use. She reported she had written to Mr. Smidt ex- pressing her concern because of the disposal of toxic waste on some of the land and suggesting that an Environmental Impact Statement would be very useful. Commissioner Burbank, the Commission's representative to the Environmentai Mianag�:,rnejit. C�,r, l:; : c.:, and Commiss:i.oner Hoard, also a member of EMC, were asked to bring; this matter to the attention of the Environmental Managcment Commission. - 2 - December 19, 1978 SEQR Ordinance Chin. Carlson announced that in the Spring Kevin Rowe and a fellow student will be reviewing the City's SEQR Ordinance in light of the latest revision of the State SEQR laws. The review will be under the direction of the Planning Department. Parking Chm. Carlson reported on her exchange of letters concerning alternate side parking. There appears to have been no change in policy for street cleaning since the enactment of the alternate side street parking ordinance in 1964. Alderman Holman will inquire about the status of overnight parking in metered areas in residential areas. Mrs. Carlson received response from traffic engineer Gombas, copies of which she had sent to the Commission. Comm. Hoard suggested that a discussion of "Ithaca and Automobiles" be on the agenda for the next meeting. New Members Chin. Carlson introduced. Cris Lee, who has been suggested for appointment but has not yet been officially appointed. New appointments need to be made, including someone under 21 years of age. Recommendations have beer. sent to the Mayor who will make the appointments. Resolution of Appreciation By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Arnold WHEREAS, This will be Pat Carlson's last meeting, and WHEREAS, Pat has served as chairperson for the last two years, and WHEREAS, Pat's leadership has been a real asset to the work of t]-je Commission, and WHEREAS, Pat's personal contributions in the area of environmental concerns have been a source of encouragement and support to other members of the Commission; BE IT RESOLVED, That the Environmental Commission extends its thanks to Commissioner Carlson and wishes her well as she relocates out of the Ithaca area. Carried Unanimously AD.70URNIMENT : By Comm. Burbank: Seconded by Comm. Hoard RESOLVED, The meeting is adjourned. at 9;25 p.m. Carried Unanimously Patricia Carlson Chairman Environmental Commission