Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991_01_17 Conservation Advisory Commission Minutes ' l h'1 aerie --rr- Town of Mamaroneck RETEr llED Conservation Advisory Commission r 991 IC1A A.O 6° PAIR WµCLERK 740 West Boston Post Road FO pRONECK Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543 � .At�N�' 914-381-6133 / ;,`l MINUTES JANUARY 17, 1991 A regular meeting of the Conservation Advisory Commission (CAC) was held on Thursday, January 17, 1991, in Conference Room A of the Town Center, 740 West Boston Post Road Mamaroneck, New York. The meeting commenced at 8 PM. Members Present: Kevin G. Ryan, Chairman Susan Cavalieri Sandy Feldman Edward Hindin Others Present: William Bruce, Town resident Mary Anne Johnson, Emeritus P. Thomas Leddy, Beautification Director Claudia Ng, Environmental Coordinator ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS Next Meeting - The next CAC meeting was changed to February 14, 1991. Approval of Minutes - Both October and December's minutes (with a minor correction) were approved. CAC 1991-92 Work Program - The Environmental Coordinator passed out copies of the work program which was submitted to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Attendance - Attendance problems were discussed. The Chairman thought that a letter should be written to all CAC members reminding them of the importance of showing up at meetings and suggesting that if they forsee having trouble making it to meetings then, perhaps they should consider relinquishing the position so that someone more available can participate more fully. The Chairman also suggested that the chairpersons of the two subcommittees establish regular meeting times to facilitate interim work sessions. EMC Liaison - The Chairman summarized the suggestion made at the last meeting to have a CAC member designated as a liaison to the County Environmental Management C.:ancil (EMC) . This person would he responsible for reviewing its bulletins, attending EMC meetings if necessary. and bringing relevant issues to the CAC. No one volunteered. so designation was postponed. CAC Minutes 1/17/91 Municipal Cooperation - The CAC decided to send out a letter to the legislative boards of the Town and Village of Mamaroneck and Village of Larchmont in order to have the CAC officially recognized as a trimunicipal body and to expand membership if possible. New York State law limits membership of CACs to 9 people. However, one suggestion was to have alternatives appointed until approval from the State could be obtained. TASRFORCE REPORTS Conservation Areas/Work Plan - Ms. Ng reported that Michael Scheffler had faxed to her a draft memorandum for CAC review. The memorandum discussed the projects listed on the Open Space Committee's Work Plan, dated May 1989, and what still needs to be done. With regard to the Hommocks, Mr. Leddy reported that the triangular pipe had been removed. In response to the suggestion that the entrance to the field towards the end of the Conservation Area be narrowed to prevent illegal dumping, Mr. Leddy commented that it should not be narrowed because the Highway Department needs to be able to get a large mower through. Chairman Ryan suggested that a letter should be sent to the County to inquire as to what facilities are being provided for construction debris waste so as to prevent this problem. With regard to the Premium, the CAC felt that the tow-a-way sign should be kept and accompanied by another sign explaining where visitors should park. Mrs. Johnson added that she thought all the Ailanthus trees there should be removed because they tend to overgrow. Mr. Leddy said that his department could accomplish that. Following these changes the CAC approved the sending of the memo to the Town Administrator with copies to the Town Council. Landscape/Maintenance Pamphlet - Edward Hindin outlined the ideas for this project. He suggested that a series of materials should be distributed, each focusing on a single subject; that no original research should be done and that it should not be scientific, but rather a presentation of basic information with direction to other, more professional sources. He proposed four topics and distribution as follows: Overview To be distributed in early Fall Lawn Care Mid to late fall Pesticides & Herbicides Late Winter Planting alternatives Spring There are still many unanswered variables, such as: how to make fair and accurate; how should it be produced; should high school students or established organizations (i.e. , Cornell Cooperative Extension) be utilized; how much is the budget; etc. Ms. Ng was asked to send out notices to participants of the Earth Day Fair to see if anyone would be interested in helping with this project. Ms. Ng was also directed to determine the costs of production if a professional agency was used. For estimation purposes, it was assumed that the each pamphlet would be 8ix11 folded in three. Mrs. Cavaliers would look into the costs of utilizing individual resources. -2- CAC Minutes 1/17/91 CONSULTANT LIAISON REPORTS Water Monitoring Program - Ms. Ng reported that Robert Hohberg was planning to retest East Creek (although it had been tested by him just a couple of years ago) because of the troublesome data that was submitted by Students who had sampled East Creek this past year. The CAC wondered whether or not it would be more efficient to write letters to the appropriate officials informing them of this problem and letting them take care of it in order to allow Mr. Hohberg to do new testing. The CAC requested Mr. Hohberg's presence at the next meeting to explain the options. ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR REPORTS Tree Preservation Law Amendments - A copy of a recent amendment to the tree preservation law (local law 09 of 1990) and a currently proposed amendment had been distributed to the Commission in their mailing packet. The Commission discussed the amendments and thought that for section 76 A-5 (B) some criteria/standards should be delineated, such as "undue economic hardship, " in order to protect both the property owner and the Town its decision. HILLTOP ROAD CONSERVATION AREA As there was no one present to discuss the matter further, the topic was tabled to the next meeting. NEW OR OTHER BUSINESS Earth Day Funds - Mrs. Feldman suggested that some of the funds be used for the publication of the landscape information pamphlets. Mr. Ryan suggested that $100 be given to Greg Ryan as a token payment for his musical contribution to the Earth Day Fair. The Commission approved the payment to Greg Ryan. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. -3-