Town of Rochester ECC March 8, 2018

Present, Laura Finestone, John Messerschmidt, Sarah Archibald, Judith Karpova, Tim Ganon, Kristen Marcell
Visitors, Sheila Finan, Susan Arbor,
Old Business:
Wendy Monk will work with Laura on Earth Day (need to find banners). April 21st is Youth Commission Earth Day pizza party; also April 14th is first clean up day. Roads previously cleaned 209 at Airport. Tim Ganon will update the signs and help install; last week of March.
10 am, Airport Road itself, Laura will publicize.
Laura will ask Wendy Monk to be ECC secretary; Judith will continue to take notes and distribute minutes for now.
Naming Creeks
Still underway, won’t be done for about a month or more, everything doesn’t have to be in the NH plan. Recommendations and next steps will move along.
Climate Smart/Clean Energy Communities
Kristin will take some of this on, especially benchmarking. EV charger, solar, discussion of what’s going on with the Community Center. Tim Gannon will help me do at least one audit on further town buildings
New Business
Sheila: came to discuss lighting. Town Hall lights very penetrating through her house, she lives nearby. Can’t use her telescope. Asking for a shade around the Town Hall lights or even better, interrupters. Motion sensors. Mike Baden wants to change to LED lights, which are much more focused and downward-facing. Will look into whether we can have interrupters, perhaps not.
Sheila brought documentation on light pollution and light pollution reduction.
If we become a Clean Energy Community, we can get a grant for $5,000 to replace streetlights with LEDs/Town Hall lighting as well, we should move fast. New projects now required to have non-intrusive lighting. Project taken on by Mike, Chris with advise from Tom Konrad.
Upcoming Events
Kerhonkson firehouse, March 13, 5:30, jpint public hearing on NH/OSP . Kristen has friend who wants to work on the “Colony Farm” connection/continuity area from Gunks to Catskills, she will contact Jack Grifo. Grant available to work on this. Dept. of Corrections has to let Town of Wawarsing take it over.
March 22, 5:30 Riverkeeper/Hudson River Watershed Alliance at Municipal Building on Lucas Tpk,
March 27, Scenic Hudson, Community Solar, natural habitats, siting
April 8, Mohonk, Nature Across Boundaries 3-6
May 5, Riverkeeper, Rondout tire cleanup

Earth Day
Just do our roads, then go to the pizza party
Discussed our ECC sending a letter opposing Town of Ulster gas plant, as the Marbletown ECC is doing. Judith will write up a letter, send it to the ECC to be edited/revised, and once approved, send it to the Town Supervisor and Board of the Town of Ulster plus cc’s to everyone that everyone indicates after reading.
Copy on letter:
Sheila ulsterfinan@gmail.com
Kristin marcellkristin@gmail.com
shawsusan13@yahoo.com
people will tell me where to send the letter once we sign off on the letter.