Month of March...
Tusten Town Board meeting March 10, 2008
Present were Ben Johnson, supervisor, Carol Wingart, Eileen Falk, Board members, Kathy Michelle, Town Clerk, and Barbara Buckman, Deputy Supervisor. Absent...yet again, Lew Meckle, Board member.
The regular meeting was interrupted for two public hearings: 1. Special Districts.....which involves payments to Narrowsburg, and Lava Volunteer Fire Departments, and the Tusten Ambulance Corp for their services....charges were up 5% over last year. The approval was given at the end of the meeting. No objections from public.
2. Uniform Premise Law....ie. the requirement that all building will have a uniform sign, blue/white, visible from the road, indicating the address, for the benefit of emergency service personnel. they are available from the fire departments, and, Walmart??? There is no penalty, because its felt everyone wants the fire/ambulance to find them...Its a requirement to get a CO. this was also passed at the end of the meeting.
Correspondence was routine, and included Ben Johnson giving notice of "disclosure of interest" in that he is married to the owner of Narrowsburg Motors.
Division Reports were routine.
Old business: Hightway Dept Sand Bidgs were read and the low bids approved at the end of the meeting
Kenin McGurken was approved as Chairman of the Conservation Council, and Susan Sullivan (aka Major Chaos) as well as Kevin were approved as committee members of the Zoning Committee. ZONING COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 1, at 7;30PM...OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
New Business: Edward Lang's appointment to the ZBA was up for renewal, and was renewed per request of ZBA Chair Tony Ritter. There was a lot of discussion of two new items: increasing Rental Fees for the use of the Town Hall, and a committee report of subject of Shared Municipal Services. It was decided both needed further consideration and were deferred. Note that under Shared Municipal Services, in the name of saving money, the position of Highway Supt might become an appointed office, and we might lose the accountability for highway services we presently enjoy. This is very new, and it was decided to look at all pro's and con's which could take quite a while.
David Sager, who is our newly elected representative to the Sullivan County Legislature, introduced himself and offered his services. He will have a Town Hall meeting here sometime in May.
By Major Chaos
Announcements:
The Delaware Highlands Conservancy has opened a Sullivan County office, located in our Planning Department, in Monticello. it will be staffed by a land use planner and full details are available in their press release below.
I attended a training on Zoning presented by the Department of State. Ben Johnson, Tony Ritter and Ed Jackson also attended.
Gas drilling has arrived on our side of the river, and I think its worth knowing where to get free legal advice, in case you are approached. Go to The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. The River Reporter has covered this development extensively, and I think its an issue we need to know about. Our present zoning book indicates that a special use permit is required for any mining operations. No one has applied, yet I heard that at least one person has signed a lease. What should the new zoning code say about this?? There is a risk of destroying our drinking water and that of New York City and Philadelphia. One would think that would be out of the question, but not under the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Again, this was addressed on the front page of the River Report this week.
By Major Chaos
CONSERVANCY REACHES GOAL, OPENS SULLIVAN COUNTY OFFICE
The Delaware Highlands Conservancy, a land trust working with landowners to conserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Upper Delaware River region, reached a landmark goal of 10,000 acres protected as of the end of 2007. This remarkable achievement is attributed to the farsightedness and generosity of both landowners who protected their land, and financial supporters who made donations to this local land trust. With the addition of eight new easements in 2007, the Conservancy now has almost 50 properties protected.
"The number of landowners actively interested in land protection has grown to the point where it exceeds the Conservancy's ability to respond, a sign that more people are becoming aware that they have the option of preserving their land for posterity," said Conservancy Director Sue Currier. "While being responsive to these inquiries, the Conservancy also continues to be pro-active in working with municipalities, towns and villages on both sides of the Delaware to identify critical areas that need to be protected."
To make the services of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy more available to New York landowners, the Conservancy has opened an office in the Sullivan County Government Center at 100 North Street in Monticello, NY. The space is contributed by the Sullivan County Legislature and is co-located within the Sullivan County Division of Planning & Environmental Management. The office is currently staffed on Wednesdays or by appointment, with plans for full-time staffing later this year to meet the increased demand for services. The phone number there is 845-794-3000, extension 3228.
The Delaware Highlands Conservancy works throughout the watershed of the Upper Delaware River, encompassing Sullivan and Delaware Counties, New York, as well as Pike and Wayne Counties, Pennsylvania. Working with individual landowners, the Conservancy helps to protect the productive farms, working forests, and natural areas which contribute to our quality of life. In addition, the Conservancy offers educational programs to raise awareness about the region's "special places" and the various opportunities to protect land as an invaluable gift to future generations and the environment.
If you would like to learn more about conservation opportunities or to make a donation of time or money to support land conservation efforts, contact the Delaware Highlands Conservancy at 570-226-3164 or online at www.delawarehighlands.org.
Sue Currier Executive Director Delaware Highlands Conservancy www.delawarehighlands.org info@delawarehighlands.org 570-226-3164
Tusten Planning Board meeting March 17, 2008
Attending: Michael Eury, George Strumpfler, Georgia Campfield, Chairman Ed Jackson.
There were no Public Hearings. There were brief announcements/ discussions about: logging on the Adler Property (Feagles Lake), Sklar project coming before the Planning Board again (I did not know who this was, but Ed brought detailed information on it to the Conservation Council meeting, so I refer you to that report). DEC is allowing building near eagles nests since they are off the Endangered Species List.. The UDC's upcoming presentation on 3/26/08 was announced.
The rest of the meeting was about Gas Drilling. Dr. Mort Malkin was given 10 minutes to present the case against drilling on behalf of Damascus Citizens for Self-government and Friends. If you've been following their ads in the River Reporter and the many stories there and in the Sullivan Co Democrat, you know much of this, so I won't repeat it here. Since Ed Jackson has signed a gas lease, he did not agree with much that Dr. Malkin presented. Michael Eury brought out the fact that there is potential to contaminate the water supply of the large metropolitan areas the Delaware River watershed serves.
By Major Chaos
Conservation Council meeting March 24, 2008
Attending: Chairman Kevin McGurken, Linda Slocum, Helle Hendriksen, Cathy Patene, Tony Patene, Susan Sullivan, Kathy Michelle and Planning Board Chair Ed Jackson, who made the Council aware of recent developments regarding the Sklar property, which is over 200 acres, the the Scenic River District, south of Narrowsburg, near Cackletown Road.
Ed gave Council members a copy of a letter from DEC Region 3 Division of Environmental Permits, and I quote an important piece "it appears that the project site is in very close proximity to a documented timber rattlesnake den." So the history is that this project was denied by the Planning Board based on its incompatibility with an endangered species. As it is apparently resurfacing, the DEC is saying it will need detailed information on the SEQR review, and special permitting may be required.
I arrived as this discussion was ending. I assume Ed was asking the Council to help out with this.
Ed left, and the meeting continued, with topics related to setting up a new group. The task that is mandated by NYS for this Council is "Mapping Assets" which include wetlands, open space, ridgelines, endangered species sites, and other "assets" So there was a lot of discussion about gathering maps, overlays, and other material from Sullivan Co Planning, and other agencies. I'm not going to give a lot of detail here, because Kevin will do the minutes, until someone (so far, not me) volunteers to be secretary. And I can post the minutes to this website.
NOTE: The first meeting of the Zoning Committee is Tues, April 1, 2008 at 7:30PM at Town Hall. the public is welcome to attend as observers. This Committee is charged with updating the Town of Tusten's Zoning laws.
By Major Chaos