ECC Meeting Minutes – April 2018

Town of Rochester ECC Meeting April 12, 2018
Present:

Laura Finestone
John Messerschmidt
Sarah Archibald
Judith Karpova
Kristin Marcell (Climate Resilience Program, former ECC Chair)
Larry DeWitt
Rick Jones

Presentation:
Tim Guinee presented his initiative, “One Hundred Percent Committed.” He has talked to Saunderskill and other local businesses about “the pledge.” Also noted that if the town joins a national organization, we get CSC points
Suggestion that this be puts off for now until we get our NH plan through. Tim is good with this, it gives him time to sign up more businesses. He has given his presentation to the Kerhonkson Fire Department. There will be a pizza party at the ToR Community Center, 2:00 pm. on April 21st . Tim can attend and talk about his initiative
The Pledge is to commit to 100% renewable energy excluding heating, cooling and transportation. A business or municipality can use a 100% wind farm as an electricity supplier to fulfill the pledge. Reference made to John Wackman and the “Solarize your Congregation” campaign.
Tim asks us to steer him towards local businesses that may want to sign up.
Announcements
Laura Finestone is resigning from the commission after 9.5 years, 9 years as chair. She will remain involved during the transition to a new chairperson.
Who will now be chair? What does Mike Baden want? Suggestion that he wants us to be less activist and more deliberate. Discussion of where different Board members stand. Observation that Mike is a technician, as well as an environmentalist and a liberal.
Suggestion that Kristin Marcell be our new chair.
Old Business
We conducted a review of what we’re doing presently:
REVIEW
• NH Plan – Will turn over at the end of May. Kristin Marcell came onto the ECC to shepherd that along. Decided to come back after she saw the NH presentation. Kristin is Cornell/ contractor to DEC.
• John Messerschmidt has taken over “RiverSweep.”
• Couple of weeks ago a meeting to talk about reviving the RCWA took place. MannaJo Green talked about the history of the Alliance. Laura is meeting with Laura Heady and others about this initiative. Mike Baden wants to include the farming committee in the RCWA revival. Irrigation from the creek becoming an issue. Farmers can make money from riparian buffers. John will take ‘another stab’ at the watershed septic district. Want to come up with a 10 year plan. Overlay on septic: bio-digesters, overlay zoning district; can create jobs. Private septics would be serviced by this new company to prevent pollution from going into the Rondout. 10 years to happen, but you have to think 20 years ahead.
• There is money going through the EMC for septic cleanup via the Water District/Sewer District. Suggestion to get the ECCs together and bring this to their town boards. For example, promote the “first bio-digester in Accord.” Steve Winckley did a hydrologic study in 2006 of the Rondout area; he later came back and revised it re: the aquifer along the 209 corridor. He recommended a lot of restrictions and there was pushback on them. However this whole region is instrumental in water quality. This may become a big political issue, soon. The Rondout Golf Club / Country Club is folding. It may be developed. The current proposal is to have 9 holes, the rest to be a little restaurant, pool, tennis courts, a high-end inn, possibly a convention center, 14 duplexes along the tree line, and put a pond in on the karst.

The proposal has to go to Ulster County before there can be a public hearing. The original idea of housing has been abandoned. The company has committed to restoring areas and do plantings, use low-water grass and preserve existing trees. The 14 duplexes were originally “glamping” structures. They may ask for tax relief from the County. They will not use chemicals (they will use Scottish methods). However the whole area is actually wetlands. They have done an architectural plan and are doing a SPIDIES study. Rick Jones is impressed with their effort.

Our town engineer can be required to review their plans, paid for by the applicant. Is their terrible. Or will it actually work. They may ask to add another 85 acres for eco-tourism. They may include a park lights project and bring in Tom Somer a NYC chef.

We need to figure out our role as an advisory group as an ECC. Redoing the golf course more organically, water drainage, may be in our province. Can’t pollute runoff that goes into the karst. The whole of Whitfield is all protected karst. Have to be very restrictive re: chemicals. Rick says they will not use chemical turf or fertilizers.

We can bring professional expertise to this examination of the project, show competency, set a foundation for being a Board. (Have the buildings been designed? Are they green building) 2nd Monday in June will be heard. Inness Corp.

We want to be a board, we need to show that we’re useful in this capacity. Then we can make our case for being a board. It’s realistic to attain this by the end of the year.
New Business
What kind of relationship and help can we give to the agricultural sector? Suggestion that we have a permanent advisory board of farmers to the Town Board / attached to the town board.
Talk to other boards in the Hudson Valley; i.e., New Paltz, have them come and talk to us. [I don’t have any notes on what this refers to – jak]
Mike wants an EV charging station, Kristin talked to Amanda LaValle, she will set us up for a grant to get this. We’re in a race now to get the funding.
Opportunity for publicity in the Bluestone Press, Shawangunk Journal: “Meet Your ECC.” Put together bios of each of the ECC member. Put these bios on town website also: This is the person, this is what we do in the world, why we love to live here, what our vision is for the town.
Adding members to the ECC: Suggestion that we find a person who grew up here as the 9th member of the ECC, with expertise as well.