Minutes of Citizens’ Advisory Committee meeting for Wilmington Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) and Policy/Strategy subgroup meeting

April 18, 2006 , Wilmington Town Hall

I.  Policy subgroup meeting:  3-5pm

 

Attendees:  Dawn, Tom , Garrett, Jeanne, Judi, Kara, Andy L., and Lisa N.

Our goal this day was for each of us to start looking at policy guidelines from DOS, and examples from Saranac Lake, Binghamton, possibly Essex, etc. and adapt rough versions that fit Wilmington’s needs.  The larger committee will examine these drafts later and give us feedback. 

Tips from Andy LaBruzzo and Lisa Nagle included:

bulletFirst, eliminate issue's that are not applicable to Wilmington . 
bulletThen describe local resources (noted in the inventory) that apply to that is sue (e.g. on historical policy describe historical resources – buildings, sites, and organizations)
bulletIdentify what’s missing, e.g., “need better standards for protecting historical sites”
bulletAdd to State goals with local goals:  e.g. “preserve historical sites” or “examine ways to preserve historical building”, etc. 
bulletUse language from Inventory in preamble if desired.
bulletKeep notes on projects that can be described later in “Implementation” section.

The draft we worked on was Policy #2:  Historical Resources Identified and Preserved.

Our goals included:

bulletAdaptive reuse of historical buildings
bulletIncorporating historical resources into economic policy of town
bulletProtecting and identifying cultural heritage and resources
bulletSupporting the work of Wilmington Historical Society
bulletIn the event archeological resources are found, preserve and protect them (e.g. charcoal / logging areas up rte 431). 

 

[Notes for Implementation section included:

bulletReview existing 1982 inventory, update and expand list to include all of Town, and map sites
bulletExplore option of resubmitting amended proposal, explore/adapt goals of that proposal]

We committed to the following tasks: 

Policy 1:  Judi, Jeanne, and Kara to tackle

Policy 2:  Begun at April 18 session

Policy 3:  Judi

Policy 4 – 8:  Kara and Dawn

Policy 9:  Tom

Policy 10-11:  Dawn

Policy 12-13:  Garrett (and Jeanne on Energy Resolution)

II.  Whole Committee meeting:  6:30-8pm

Attending: 

Dawn, Judi, John L., Lisa N., Gary Follos, Tom H., Garrett, Kara, Jeanne, Holly, Andy Keal , Bob Hammond , Andy LaBruzzo, Brian Grisi.

Items:

bulletThis was the first “Agency night” – several state agencies involved with the waterfront planning process and follow up attended to give their input and explain how they worked and answer committee members’ questions.   Committee members said they thought it was very informative and interesting. 

NYS Dept. of State:

bulletAndy L. from DOS, our grant contact, began with a very brief overview of the LWRP process for any that were new to it.   He made several interesting points:  LWRPs can act almost as a comprehensive plan for a community, which is useful in funding, as well as an implementation document (i.e., a project list).  DOS gives away $10-15 million/year for LWRPs around NYS.  Wilmington can now (even though we aren’t done) apply for MORE waterfront funds to do projects, like a feasibility study for dredging the lake, and a beach renovation design. 

Adirondack Park Agency:

bullet Brian Grisi , local government liaison from APA, came to talk about land use plans, wetlands and dredging, and other APA is sue s.  He noted that towns with APA-“approved” land use plans get greater local control over their jurisdiction and Wilmington might want to do that at some point.  He works with all 102 towns in the Park and with DOS doing training for local code enforcement officials; he and other staff also do site visits, work with planning boards, etc.  They have flyers on wetlands and zoning is sue s on the web site at: http://www.apa.state.ny.us/Documents/Flyers.html
bulletBrian noted that a “new” is sue is upland subdivisions that are being developed on hillsides, where others can see new houses from previously scenic vista spots.  Many communities are now addressing this problem before it arises through zoning.
bulletBrian described how other towns have gotten permits for dredging:  Wells, which sits on the Sacandaga river, flowing through the town and facing an impoundment as in Wilmington , got approval for its dredging permit in 2004.  They had to address 2 problems:  one – protecting wetlands (essentially where the weeds grow), and two - dumping dredge spoils somewhere they won’t cause other problems and require waste disposal permits.  (One idea floated for Wilmington is to use dredged materials to cover exposed areas at the town transfer station, assuming they are appropriate for that use.)  So, the feasibility study for dredging should cover where fish habitat is, turbidity patterns and controls, where dredged materials can be disposed of, where contamination lies and special remediation would be needed.  For Wilmington ’s purposes, it might also need to examine sources of sedimentation so that controls on this process could also be applied, and repeated dredging avoided. 
bulletAlthough the West Branch is a state designated Scenic and Wild Recreational river, these protections do not apply within the hamlet boundaries, and “moderate intensity” areas. 
bulletClass 1 wetlands are the highest category, which applies to much of Lake Everest , so the Town needs to show a strong public purpose to dredge them.  In Wells, they dredged those class 1 wetlands, but not below the 2 meter depth, allowing wetland vegetation to reestablish. So although the wetland was disturbed, it would have the capability to return to a functioning wetland.
bulletThey also had to address the invasive species question as they have Eurasian milfoil.  Wilmington only has spots of Phragmites, which is somewhat less problematic. 
bulletTheir permit took 2 years to obtain and the dredging preparations took 3 more.  They are beginning work this summer and it may be helpful for a small team of committee members to visit and observe how this is working, and be able to ask town officials in Wells about the process.  Efforts in identifying upstream sources of sedimentation are very important, according to Mr. Grisi. 
bulletWells obtained funds through grants, their lake association and its members, and a loan from the EFC.  [New information from Wells’ supervisor is that:  “I think the feasibility study was around 60K, by the time I got to an APA permit the town had spent about 250K. Add another 2.6M to that to actually make it happen.”]
bulletThe committee discussed making a study tour to North Creek, Lake Algonquin , and/or Saranac Lake to see results of dredging applications and other LWRPs, including economic impacts. 
bulletBrian Grisi noted that Wilmington would want to organize a pre-application meeting with the relevant agencies, including APA, DEC, and the Army Corps of Engineers at some point in the future. 
bulletWithin the hamlet, he noted that APA rules apply only in terms of wetlands and the 40 foot building limitation or other very large projects. 
bulletAs regards Wilmington ’s zoning and land use codes, he said that working with the agency to swap “density” from one zone to another is easier than changing the hamlet map, which requires water and sewer service to new areas.  Also the Town needs a comprehensive plan in force to make the change; Wilmington has one but it is dated 1975 so needs to be updated.  The LWRP, once completed later this year, could form the basis for a new comprehensive plan but some areas would need to be expanded upon. 

ORDA:

bullet Bob Hammond , the planner and erosion specialist at ORDA, noted that Whiteface Mtn ski area is an “intensive use” area so can be expected to have impacts on the environment.  His office oversees each venue managers’ response to general problems like erosion. 
bulletThe Whiteface UMP has an amendment in draft that he will share with us when public, addressing trail construction and expansion at the kids’ campus area and the rebuilding of “pumphouse 1.”   Trail construction was originally included in the UMP, then withdrawn due to discovery of conflicts with the Bicknells’ thrush habitat.  Whiteface is now leading this species protection work with support from the Vermont Natural Heritage Association. 
bulletSoil disturbance is always an issue .  He is working on establishing a 5-point soil management staff training program that raises the bar on sediment control.  It includes planning, phasing in changes, programming, education of staff, and review to assess progress and adjust plans as needed.
bulletPlanning:  They have a problem when ice and sediment from the river plug up snow-making equipment and pumps.  They are planning upgrades this summer to screens and a new “wet well,” but have designed it in such a way as to minimize impacts during construction.  They also now plan (on trails) to leave stumps in to hold soil in place, and to manage stormwater runoff.  E.g. on the kids campus, they will be working farther away from the building and embankment than originally thought, so that there will be less increase in impervious surfaces and less digging. 
bulletPhasing:  They will be gradually clearing trails in phases, instead of all at once, putting mulch and seed down as they go.
bulletProgramming:  They leave the stumps in place, use chips to stabilize roads, and avoid hydroseeders and fertilizers which can add pollutants to runoff. 
bulletEducation:  they have a staff guidebook on this 5 point plan; they focus on properly applying silt fences; they have “tailgate” meetings to review erosion control devices and practices and held training with Don Lake for all staff to understand the importance of erosion control. 
bulletReview:  after the projects are done they assess with staff if it worked well, what to change next time, the staff feel ownership of the process and results. 

 

Norms adopted by committee

(From the minutes of meeting on 12/03/05.):

bulletMeet every third Tuesday of the month in town hall at 6:30pm .  Meetings maximum 2 hours, 1.5 hours is the goal.
bulletAgree to disagree if necessary, and move on.  Group makes decisions, then all support decisions. 
bulletGet familiar with guidelines and documentation, reports. 
bulletCome to every meeting, plan it now.  Find a replacement if absolutely necessary.  Give them background.
bulletIf you have to be absent, respect the decisions made and don’t force group backwards. 
bulletParticipate and make your views known.
bulletRead minutes and documents before meetings. 

 

For more information on the Wilmington LWRP, please contact:

Jeanne Ashworth , Town Supervisor (946 7179) or Kara Page , ASCI (946 7557)