HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2008-11-06 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board
November 6, 2008
Final minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chris Benedict, Diane Conneman, James Hamilton, Eva
Hoffman, Tony Ingraham, Brent Katzmann, Jon Meigs. Vice Chair Brent Katzmann
conducted the meeting.
STAFF: Darby Kiley
GUESTS: Steve Komor, Nirav Patel, Stephen Wagner
PERSONS TO BE HEARD: None
Members' Concerns:
• Tony Ingraham asked about the City of Ithaca's dump on Van Ostrand Road next
to Robert H. Treman State Park in the extreme southwest corner of the Town of
Ithaca, as discussed in recent press articles. Darby Kiley responded that there was
an on-site meeting with representatives from the Town, the City, and the Town of
Newfield. The City does not have a plan yet as to what exactly they want to do
there.
Chair and Coordinator Reports:
• Brent did not have anything to report.
• Darby shared an article (that Diane passed along) from the Tompkins Weekly
regarding dairy farms in Dryden. The study began 100 years ago and George
Conneman participated in the more recent interviews. In 1907, 207 of the 297
farms were dairy operations, in 1957 there were 65 and today there are only 8.
GF Warren observed in 1911 that not all areas should be cleared and should be
kept in forests.
• At the October 20 Town Board meeting, the board approved the changes to the
Lakefront Residential Zone.
• The Planning Board recently heard a sketch plan presentation regarding
Carrowmoor, for which an Environmental Impact Statement will be drafted.
• The Cornell University Energy Recovery Linac will be discussed at the first
December Planning Board meeting. The PB will declare lead agency, work on
the environmental assessment, and start reviewing the EIS scoping document.
• At the November 18 PB meeting, Plantations Welcome Center is on the agenda
for preliminary site plan and special permit approvals.
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• The Ithaca College A&E Center Wetland mitigation proposal has been received
and the PB will discuss at the Dec. 2 meeting.
• Conservation Zone language will be sent on to COC.
• At the next Codes and Ordinances Committee meeting, the group will discuss the
stream setback law and the suggested changes to the Conservation Zoning
language.
• Last month Darby mentioned invasive swallow-wort concerns on town property.
For a future meeting, we could have a panel discussion with Rich Schoch(Town
Parks Maintenance Manager), Cornell researchers, and Cornell Plantations staff.
Eva suggested someone who presented at the Native Plant Society. The current
Town policy is to not use herbicides on Town property.
• Chris Balestra, Jon Bosak (on Planning Board) and Darby attended the Finger
Lake Institute's "Land Use in the Finger Lakes: Making the right decision to
sustain economic viability and water quality." The one-day conference included
presentations on IAGT's Owasco Lake Watershed Viewer, local laws being
developed by other Finger Lakes communities, including steep slopes, lake rights
conveyance, and others.
Business:
• Approval of October 2, 2008 minutes. Jon Meigs pointed out two typographical
corrections to make:
o Page 2: "Darby past out a flier...." "Past" should read "passed."
o Page 3: "SRC: SCR..." SCR should be changed to SRC.
The minutes were approved (James H. moved, Tony I. seconded) with these
corrections.
Discussion of Northeast Environmental Assessment of Lands Adiacent to Sapsucker
Woods
• Darby K. said that at the next Town Board meeting there will be a public hearing
on the Town's extension of the moratorium on development in this area until June
2009. Diane C. was present at the Town Board meeting this week. She reported
that Werier and Glase presented this study. Lucente and Fabbroni are hiring their
own consultant. Herb Engman stepped in on our meeting and replied to a couple
of questions. He said, "The moratorium will give everyone more time, including
Lucente, Cornell, and the Town to review the data, including from the developer's
consultant."
• Comments by board members
o Drainage and hydrology: Brent K. asked whether a drainage study was
going on as well. Darby K. said that a study was done in the summer and
that the data still needs much interpretation. Herb Engman said that the
Town Engineering Department is analyzing drainage data collected by
interns in the summer. Interns surveyed everyone's property and put the
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information on maps. Diane C. noted that as the larger hydrological area
extends into the Town of Dryden, Dryden and Ithaca should be talking
with each other about this area. Not all drainage issues have been
answered yet.
o Conservation Zoning and this study: James H. said that he thinks that the
researchers don't understand what conservation zoning protects and
doesn't protect in the Town of Ithaca when they recommend portions of
the sites in the study be conserved. He pointed out that conservation
zoning does not prevent a landowner from clear-cutting their property, for
example. He wished that there were a way to coordinate this kind of study
with developers' plans. He felt that options 2 and 3 in the
recommendations seem "arbitrary."
o Herpetology: Diane C. noted that no real survey was done of amphibians
and reptiles. Tony I. pointed out that there was some limited discussion of
the probable value of this area to some species of amphibians and reptiles
and how the options would affect that, but no data.
o Brent K. noted that the first time the moratorium was extended was for
four-season studies. This study was not a four-season study.
o Tony I. supported the importance of the study's emphasis on identifying
strategies to protect high quality ecological communities including the
County's Unique Natural Areas associated with Sapsucker Woods and
Monkey Run, including buffer areas.
o Tony I. agreed to send out his notes on this discussion to all CB members
for feedback which he will boil down into draft questions for the Town
Board at our next CB meeting.
Regular Reports and Updates:
• Environmental Review Committee: No report.
Scenic Resources Committee:
o James reported on a trip around the proposed scenic route with Tony, and
said that they agreed that the Brown Road/Route 13 intersection does not
seem of significant concern in terms of safety, an issue raised at some
point in the past.
o Three or four sites have been discussed as priority sites for possible
wayside exhibits including:
■ East Shore Park
■ Longview on Route 96B where the current overlook exists.
■ Pine Tree Road near the pig barns looking west toward Ithaca
College. Eva suggested that with Cornell's plans for expansion in
the neighborhood, the Town might be able to get a commitment to
leave this view intact for the public.
o Wayside exhibit project:
■ Diane said that this project needs to keep moving with the Town
Board Planning Committee for their December meeting.
■ Tony noted that we need a preliminary interpretive plan that
evaluates the interpretive resources of each view point and
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develops an overall guiding theme structure for the exhibits. He
felt we can make progress with some graphic design and hardware
decisions. Several potential graphic design resource people were
discussed.
■ It was noted that the Town was to determine the "feasibility" of
wayside pull-offs, and some confusion as to what this means.
Members wanted to know if anything had been done on this.
• R. Fischer Award Committee (Brent): Brent will write a plug to send to the CB
and we can post to list serves. There was a notice in the Town newsletter.
• Tompkins County EMC: no report.
Sixmile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James): There has been no storm
yet this season to do high water sampling.
City of Ithaca Natural Areas Commission (Jon): No report.
Comprehensive Plan (Diane): The public sample survey is on track to move
ahead. It will be done by a telephone survey which is more representative than a
mailback survey. It will probably occur in January. It will be important to have
neighborhood meetings, working with organized neighborhood groups to reach
people throughout the town.
Other Business:
• Darby K. discussed the proposed resolution in support of the Water Resources
Council—Cornell University Monitoring Plan of the Southern Cayuga Lake
Basin. There was a discussion of the conflict between the Town and Cornell over
monitoring near the Lake Source Cooling. It was noted that the final "Resolved"
paragraph differs from the Town's resolution in that the latter maintains its
position that Cornell should continue all of its "monitoring stations as in the past."
Brent proposed that we make consideration of this resolution as part of the 2009
action plan.
• Establishment of an interview committee for the next CB meeting: Jon and James
will be on this committee. Diane noted that two Town Board members, Peter
Stein and Tee Ann Hunter volunteered to be on the interview committee.
• 2009 appointments will take place at the December meeting. We should
determine 2009 chairpersons and vice chairs and membership on committees.
The next meeting is scheduled for December 4, 2008.
Adiournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:33 p.m.
Minutes generated by Tony Ingraham
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