HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-16 Newspaper - C'ville, Gutchess finalizing park swap to 3U 1 rium uk T, 1 momum CT 10, AU"I / LAM' 1 LMIVU, Pa. !. ;
F C ville, Gutchess finalizing park swap
By TODD R.McADAM the town and Gutchess Lumber to give assessment leading to the negative dec- % Noise, odor and light: The plan is
Oe`'..J'1,. Associate Editor the lumber company the 6.1-acre Citi- laration, Folmer pointed out areas that to someday light some of the eight sac-
tmcadam@cortlandstandard.net zens Park on Route 281 in return for will require greater study later: cer fields, four baseball diamonds and
y 4„ . CORTLANDVILLE —By the first 100'acres at Route 13 and Gracie Road. ■ Agriculture. resources: The 100- several sand volleyball courts,Supervi-
days of March,the town will have corn- The town will lease the existing park acre parcel is now used as farm field. sor Richard Tupper said. A gas station.
�•" . :�," pleted its swap of land with Gutchess from Gutchess for two years as it devel- Developing it into a park may be desir- operates across,the street, Byrne Dairy
"'" Lumber Co. to make way for a new ops the two fields at the new park. able,butthe town would need to under- and Pyrotek are nearby, and the county
am, park on Route 13. The board' also completed a State stand what losing 100 acres of farmland is considering a jail a few hundred feet
But don't inflate the soccer balls and Environmental Quality Review Act,re- would do to the community. away.All of those contribute light, but
D�Y hang the nets just yet. It'll be a while view:and declared that transferring the ■ Recreation and open land resourc- it's something future environmental re-
st real before the park is completed. Perhaps deeds`between the town'and;Gutcless es: It's an.expansion of recreation re- view will need to consider. .
s many.years. Lumber would;have no:negative'envi- sources, which is what town officials "We'll probably have to do a SEAR
The Town Board authorized Town ' ronmental effect. want,but the development would have on every single phase,!:.Tupper said.
¢> ',Ks Attorney John Folmer'on Wednesday to ,-But:that's just for the.deed transfer.As ry a,nota1le'affect on the.resource,.so.it'll. Conceptual:drawings;by .consultants.
� `u complete the:transfer of"deeds between the Town Board'affiii ied a:consultant''s need;to be"studied: See SWAP,;page 7; •
SWAP "
continued from page 1 • The board voted. unani-,
mously to enact a five-minute,
Clough Harbour &.Associates limit on public comment dur-
of Syracuse, who also prepared ing,a privilege of the floor sec-
the. environmental assessment, tion of its meetings. Speakers
show eight soccer fields and would need to sign up ahead of
four baseball diamonds.=some time;the entire comment period
of which would use artificial turf. would be limited to 30 minutes;a
— and two to three sand vol- . people who become vulgar or
leyball courts. Parking would abusive will be cut off. • is\
be available for 900 cars. A ■ Cortland County .Environ-"
playground, -restrooms, open mental. Health Director Mike
space and a walking trail con- Ryan advised caption in changing
netting to neighboring Lime town code to allow gas stations
Hollow Nature Center would all , to be built at 11-sites over the
be developed. Offices for town county sole-source aquifer,which
employees and members of the' provides water to.30,000 county
Regional Sports Council would residents. "If you-can stand on
also be built: _the town well and hit a gas tank
That would cost $9.8 mil with a rock, you're probably
lion — lighting a single field too close," Ryan' said. He also
can cost-$190,000,Tupper,said. suggested above-ground tanks,
"If you're going to have a very which would be easier to monitor
big tournament,they can go to 9 for leaks than in-ground tanks.
o'clock." The county Planning Board '
"The fact of the matter is, as has recommended banning gas
we sit here today,we don't know stations over the.aquifer. .
when, if or how that program While most petroleum spills
will develop,"Folnier said."We spread only about 300 feet from
don't know how we're going to the source,arid many of the'pro-
pay for the development of that posed sites are 5,000 feet from
parcel." "the aquifer, Ryan said some
But there's a payoff at the end spills can.travel thousands of.
of it. The $9.8 million project feet.And surface water,particu-
would generate an annual income larly Otter Creek,flow right into
of$2.4 million, $7.3 million in ' the aquifer. "A spill at a creek
economic activity and$770,000 can travel to the aquifer in an
in state and local tax benefits by hour,"he said.
attracting sports tournaments, "We've had all these cata-
said,consultants who.studied the strophic leaks. Why 'are we
proposal last fall.' '. not seeing the chemicals in the
"You'll be re-visiting 'that wells?"Tupper asked. "
project for years,"Pokier said. "A lot of luck,"' Ryan said.
Also at the meeting: "You can't lose them all."•
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