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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976_12_09 Conservation Advisory Commission Minutes �O laY 1°4 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN OF MAMARONECK 1 ' CONSERVATION ADVISORY COMMISSION A regular meeting of the Town of Mamaroneck Conservation Advisory Commission was held Thursday, December 9, 1976, at the Weaver Street Firehouse. CALLED TO ORDER: The Chairman called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Members Present: Mr. Amlicke Mrs. Silberstein Mr. Gunsalus Mrs. Fredston Mrs. Munzer, Emeritus Mrs. Johnson, Emeritus Also Present: Mrs. Bers, Planned Parenthood Mrs. Amlicke, L.I.L.E. Center Mrs. Hartford, L.I.F.E. Center Mr. Leddy, Town Conservationist Mr. Emanuelson, Conservation Consultant MINUTES: 1. Larchmont/Mamaroneck Conference of Recycling A. Mr. Amlicke reported on the Monday, December 7 meeting of the Village Board. The Board has agreed to cooperate on garbage pickup twice weekly, with paper pickup every Wednesday. Paper pickup will include all households, schools and businesses. There will be a $65,000 saving in salaries of 5 collectors and give the Highway Department more time to concentrate of its IC: job. B. Nancy Hartford gave a detailed report of need of publicity -1- 40.4 and education to aid recycling program. A letter to be paid for by the Joint Garbage Commission will go to all homeowners the week of December 26-31. Mr. Kellogg has drafted the letter which is to be sent to Wally Irwin for comments. Mr. Emanuelson will check with Mr. Vandernoot to seek police cooperation to deter paper scavengers. C. Stamp on envelopes "Recycling Saves Dollars" was OKed. Mr. Emanuelson was given authority to purchase. 2. Conservation Advisory Commission Membership b[r. Harold Wietzner and Mrs. Vivian Brauman will be appointed members of the C.A.C. by the Town Council at its January 5, 1977 meeting. At the same meeting Mary Anne Johnson and Mardie Munzer will be appointed Members Emeritus, and hopefully Jim Gunsalus 401/ and Ellie Fredston will each be appointed for a three-year term. 3. Solid Waste Management and Recycling Report from Wallace Irwin, Jr. concerning Westchester County Solid Waste Management Plan is attached to the minutes. This report will be discussed at the next meeting and our recommendations will be forwarded to the Town Council. 4. Environmental Quality Review Act Joe DeSalvo will have information for the next meeting and will advise how to develop local regulations for April 1 deadline, and local law for June 1 deadline. 5. Redesignation As A Conservation Board Mr. Amlicke received a letter from Supervisor Vandernoot stating that Board status has not been granted because of fears of a 45 -2- day delay in action on open space development decisions. (:: 6. Wetlands and Watercourses County League of Women Voters and FCWC will hold a meeting at SUNY 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on February 12, 1977 to explain Coastal Zone Management Act. C.A.C. members of Water Control Commission will be Thomas Amlicke, Ellie Fredston, Mary Anne Johnson and Jim Gunsalus. Flume Plan -- Army Corps of Engineers will report in January or February. Planning and protection will extend from above Braircliff Road to the Duck Pond. Watershed Association -- Mardie Munzer to report at the next meeting on new developments and also on meeting to be held by Edith Reed. 7. Water Monitoring thly Report postponed until next meeting. Decision made to assist Bob Hohberg in recruiting personnel for his program. 8. Zoning and Planning Boards Jim Gunsalus reported that Guadagnola is seeking town house condominiums with high density rate for his property. 9. Land Use Planning and Housing The Master Plan Review has been completed and reviewed by all Town Council members, Mrs. Munzer reported. A summary of important recommendations will be distributed. Mrs. Munzer will report at next meeting on land use and other pertinent information in report. • 10. Parks, Cemeteries and Conservation Areas Mr. Emanuelson asked Mrs. Munzer and Mrs. Johnson to review O ,I Larchmont Reservoir Walkbook. After review, it will go to print. -3- They will also review Sheldrake Walk Book before it is reprinted. r.. Signs for Larchmont Reservoir Conservation Area are being made and dedication will be in the Spring. Joe DeSalvo to inquire re possibility of receiving state and federal funding up to 75% toward purchase of land for conservation • areas. 11. Miscellaneous 1. Dues have been paid NYSACC. Mrs. Bers will report at next meeting on NYSACC Annual Conference. �nv;rb Mc*a( 2. Westchester County Advisory Council has a new chairman, Marvin A Spector. Ellie Fredston, Joe DeSalvo and Jim Gunsalus will become members. • - - .. - •• _ . • - . . • - • - n . 4. Little Harbor Sound Association letter has been sent to the Town Supervisor with Dr. Utter's recommendation. Copies of correspondence can be had from Cliff Emanuelson. 5. Tom Leddy reported Town has $8500 federal funds for beauti- fication. Mr. Leddy will give final budget report at the next meeting. Mr. Emanuelson will report at the next meeting on the possibility of our making application to the Youth Conservation Corps in order to get youths to do specific summer jobs. 6. Work to begin on Annual Report. Next meeting Thursday, January 27, 1977. C -4- ' Dec-emk e 4, -19176-- Comments , 19-76--Comments on "Summary Status Roport" of November 22, 1976, by Malcolm Pirnie , Inc . , on the latest version of the Westchester County Solid Waste Management Plan r� * N� The County plan, after many changes since it was first put forward in ?say 1974, has acquired some excellent features -- mainly the elimination of incinerators and the addition of resource recovery; but in other respects it now reveals dangerous and perhaps fatal flaws . Estimated capital costs --, before a single shovel has been put into the ground -- are now far beyond the 1974 estimates . Per-ton operating costs , in the new estimate , are already beyond the earlier 14 figure. Are these costs necessary? This memorandum argues that A wrong they are not. Their supposed necessity is based on _avron� assumption assumption which pervades the entire plan : namely, t at�^ the .Future tonnage of solid waste which the County systc,, must dispel e of will grow uncontrollably from year to year at an annual rate of 1 percent . Proceeding from this assumption, the County proposes to build a system that can handle the projected volume. Suppose this volume does not appear in future years? No matter; the County plans to require advance "assurances' from participating districts that they will each provide a stipulated daily tonnage to feed the system. Presumably each district will pay for this stipulated tonnage whether it is delivered or not; and thus the operating and amortization costs of the machine • will be paid , in full, whether necessary or not . Logic stood Somewhere along this road, logic is in danger of being stood pasta sqi uo on its head . V.e began with a need -- to get rid of garbage; and a solution -- a County system. We end with a reversal, in which the need is to pay for the County system, and the solution is to maintain the flow of garbage in full flood and at all costs. The tail is now wagging the dog. County The point made here is not new. In August 1974 the County policy of Legislature adopted a resolution approving the County Execu- 1974 tive ' s plan and calling for its implementation, with certain forgotten provisos and statements of policy. Prominent among these were (1) that it should be an objective of the County to achieve a long-term reduction in the volume of solid waste generated in the County; and (2) to further that objective, the County should encourage local source separation and recycling of newsprint and other materials . Nowhere in the Malcolm Pirnie rerort of November 22 is either of these objectives so much as mentioned . The exponential grotiith of • - 2 - the County' s solid waste stream is treated as en unalterable fact , and local recycling is ignored completely. This is contrary to the policy of the County Legislature -- and to numerous oral assurances given by County officials to the County Environmental Advisory Council (CEAC ) in 1974-75. A white As the Mamaroneck-Larchmont district has demonstrated , lo^.a1, - elephant? source separation and recycling of paper and glass are very much alive and, in fact, . improving. As for source reduction, there is at least a reasonable likelihood that in the decade ahead -- to say nothing of the 30-year life of the planned County system -- rising costs of raw materials and energy will force many of today's wasteful, packaging practices and 'throwaway • products out of the market . If this happens , the waste handling capacity now projected by the County will prove to be a very . expensive white elephant . • • Recommendations. Assurances" 1. Neither Mamaroneck-Larchmont (Joint Garbage Disposal District) nor any other Westchester district should be asked to give "solid waste assurances" to the County based on its present waste generation tonnage -- let alone on the annual 1% rise assumed by Pirnie. On the contrary, any such assurances should take.. fully into account (1) the potential (far above present) ' for separation and recycling of paper, glass and metal at the municipal level, and (2) the likelihood that long-term changes • in packaging and in durability of products -- whether forced by rising costs or mandated by law -- will substantially reduce solid waste volume in the years ahead. ;harges 2. Municipalities should refuse to enter into any solid waste disposal contract with the County imposing fixed charges for ..an "assured" volume of waste . The basis of charges to munici- palities should bethasztonnage of waste actually delivered . • This will• maximize the incentive for source separation and • source reduction. - Phasing 3. The phasing of the County plan should be revised and made more flexible, so that at any given stage only so much of the system is built as we can really foresee the need for. If • our estimates prove low, this will provide a strong incentive • for the most desirable solution of all: long-term source reduction and short-term source separation and. recycling. • ItVallace Fwin Jr. Fo r Chairma , Solid Waste ommittee, County Environ ntal Adv sort' Counc 1 (CEAC)