HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2007-11-01 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board
November 1, 2007
Final Minutes
PRESENT: Chris Benedict, Diane Conneman, Lenore Durkee, Mike Goettel, James
Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Brent Katzmann, Jon Meigs, Larry Sallinger
STAFF: Sue Ritter
Persons To Be Heard:
None
Member Concerns:
Mike passed around an article about scenic beauty concerns in Onondaga, NY. The
article stated that they based their scenic beauty views on; 1.) vastness; 2.) color; and, 3.)
contrast.
Chair and Coordinator Reports:
Chair: A meeting invitation was received from Cornell regarding the proposed natural
gas line construction in the Town. The meeting is planned for November 8th. Diane
also recently attended the NY State Planning Federation Conference where she received
some notable advice such as the idea for undertaking "90-day" projects (those that can
be accomplished in 90 days) and Zoning for Green Design (i.e. less parking spaces).
Diane also recently visited the Tug Hill wind towers and offered some photographs.
Lastly, Diane informed the board that the stormwater management local law was
finished by COC and is being moved to the TB.
Coordinator: The Town Board has chosen LeCain Environmental Associates Inc. to
conduct a biological study of the lands in and around the Sapsucker Woods UNA,
(largely the proposed Briarwood II subdivision site). Holochuck Homes, LLC (Cayuga
Cliffs) has submitted a preliminary development proposal to the Town. The
environmental impact statement for the proposed Ithaca College Athletic and Events
Center has been submitted for a determination of its "completeness".
Business:
Minutes: Both September and October minutes were accepted as corrected.
Scenic Resource Committee's Final Report
CB members were recently supplied with the SRC Final Report. A revised edition
included a summary memo to the Town Board preceding the full report. Editorial
changes were discussed along with additions by CB members. Diane expressed her
disappointment that the report did not address the concerns that she and others had
previously raised. She felt that the style, with its lengthy descriptions and lack of
headings or summary statements, made the report burdensome to read. Brent
introduced the idea of giving a presentation to the TB, as a means of providing a verbal
summary of the report. This would be similar, and a follow-up to, the presentation that
he and Diane had given several years ago, to introduce the work plan of the Scenic
Resources Committee to the Town Board. Larry asked whether this presentation
should be directed towards the new TB, after they take office in January. CB members
agreed that this would be a good idea. Diane followed by recommending that the
report should be sent along with a letter to the TB.
Further discussion followed amongst members suggesting that the document be placed
on the Town's website for public access. Eva outlined that the document, as is, will
need to be re-worked for the website. Brent emphasized that the goal here is to get the
document to the TB to accept our recommendations. James finished by saying that the
CB must adopt the report for the new TB and also that an oral presentation should be
given to the TB. Diane moved to adopt the executive summary along with the report,
"Saving Ithaca's Views", with plans for an oral presentation to the new TB as soon as
possible in the new year. Sue will inquire about a 20-30 min. presentation at the
January TB meeting. Lenore seconded the motion, and the motion was carried
unanimously by the Board.
Regular Reports and Updates:
ERC: Cornell will send a complete application regarding its co-generation plant soon.
Some noise concerns surrounding the project during the construction phase of the
project have been raised.
TOMPKINS COUNTY EMC: None
SIX MILE CREEK VOLUNTEER MONITORING PROGRAM: Volunteers were seeking
a flood event for sampling, but the weather did not cooperate, and instead they
sampled a low flow event on 10/23. Another sampling event is planned for 12/3
regardless of weather. Recently the group compared sediment samples to the USGS
estimate. The group's sampling was 30% of USGS samples, but this may be attributed
to the difficulty in capturing samples during heavy flood events (safety concerns). The
City of Ithaca would like CSI to look into illicit discharges in addition to evaluating
other river/streams in the watershed.
CITY OF ITHACA NATURAL AREAS COMMISSION: None
Other Business: Some discussion about CB vacancy resulting from Lenore departure in
December, and of the Town's renewal policy for expiring terms; it is anticipated that
members with expiring terms will be receiving inquiries from the Town Clerk regarding
their interest in being re-appointment by the TB.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:40PM.
Minutes generated by Chris Benedict