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Home My WebLink About09/07/2022 Town of Southold Agricultural Advisory Committee Meeting th Minutes of September 7, 2022 Members Present Members Absent Guests Anthony Sannino – Chairperson John B. Sepenoski Chris Baiz John Sepenoski Doug Cooper Scott Russell (TB Liaison) Jim Glover Steve Schnee Tom Stevenson Mark VanBourgondien Opening: th The Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting was called to order on Wednesday September 7 at 7:05 pm in the Meeting Hall. Next Meeting(s): th The next regular AAC meeting will be held on Wednesday October 5, 2022, at 7:00 pm in the Southold Town Hall meeting hall and via Zoom. Site Plan Referral:  Discussion on Site Plan #1000-107.-5-6.3 & 6.5 for North Cliff Vineyard Agricultural Storage Building.  The site plan is for a storage building to store farm equipment.  The committee members have no objections, to the plan but want to know why it is going through this process. An agricultural storage building should bypass planning.  Anthony will type up a letter to send to the planning department stating that the committee has no objections, but would like to know why it requires a site plan. Chapter 70:  Discussion on the status of Chapter 70.  Review and revision of the letter that Anthony sent to the committee members. Motion to send letter regarding Chapter 70 to the Town Board made by Tom Stevenson and, seconded by Steven Schnee, ALL in Favor  Chapter 70 letter attached. LP Coordinator:  Discussion on the upcoming retirement of the Land Preservation Coordinator and the hiring of her replacement. Page 1 | 2 Town of Southold Agricultural Advisory Committee Meeting th Minutes of September 7, 2022  The committee has concerns about what her replacements opinions are on agricultural rights, easements, and the future of land preservation. They would like to make their concerns known before the new coordinator is hired.  Review and revision of the letter that Tom sent to the committee members about the LPC position. Motion to send letter regarding LPC position to the Town Board made by Anthony Sannino and, seconded by Doug Cooper, ALL in Favor  LPC letter attached Budget:  Starting in 2023 the Agricultural Advisory Committee with have an annual budget.  The main purpose of requesting a budget is to place ads in the local newspaper to educate the public on the Right to Farm.  The budget requested is for $3500 enough to cover bi-monthly, half page ads. The budget is not yet finalized so the amount can change.  Discussion on the types of ads the committee would like to create and the information that can be included. Other Topics Discussed:  Brief discussion on the referendum for affordable housing tax.  Discussion on the Water Committee. Adjournment: MOTION to adjourn at 8:45 pm made by Anthony Sannino, seconded by Mark VanBourgondien, ALL in favor. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Laura Arena Page 2 | 2 Anthony Sannino, Chairman Scott Russell, Town Board Liaison Chris Baiz Southold Town Hall Douglas Cooper 53095 Main Road Jim Glover P.O. Box 1179 Steven Schnee Southold, New York 11971 John Sepenoski John B. Sepenoski, Jr. Tom Stevenson Mark Van Bourgondien AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE September 8, 2022 To: Scott Russell, Town Supervisor Members of the Town Board On March 22nd the Agricultural Advisory Committee met with you for a work session regarding changes to Chapter 70 that we believe are in the best interest of the agriculture industry in the Town of Southold. In mid-May we sent a similar letter to this point and have not yet received a response from the Town Board in regards to that meeting. The Committee is asking if you could let us know where your review of Chapter 70 stands. We are also formally requesting a Code Committee meeting to discuss Chapter 70 and how revisions can proceed. Thank you for your attention to this matter, Anthony Sannino, Chairman Members of the Agricultural Advisory Committee Anthony Sannino, Chairman Scott Russell, Town Board Liaison Chris Baiz Southold Town Hall Douglas Cooper 53095 Main Road Jim Glover P.O. Box 1179 Steven Schnee Southold, New York 11971 John Sepenoski John B. Sepenoski, Jr. Tom Stevenson Mark Van Bourgondien AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE th September 12, 2022 Dear Members of the Town Board, With the upcoming retirement of the long-serving Land Preservation Coordinator, the members of the AAC are genuinely concerned about her replacement's opinions on agricultural rights (e.g., Right to Farm law), easements, and the future of land preservation as it relates to farming operations in Town. The Committee is duly concerned about the apparent lack of interest from the Town Board in this regard. As volunteers, the Committee members have donated thousands of hours of time and in some cases, over decades of service towards bettering agriculture in the Town of Southold. Since farmland preservation is at the core of the Land Preservation Coordinator’s duties it is essential that agriculture’s interest and needs be recognized in the hiring process. Selecting a person equipped to navigate the challenges of modern agriculture makes this hiring decision critical to the future of farming in Southold. The AAC would like to share its expertise in the interviewing process. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Anthony Sannino, Chairman Members of the Agricultural Advisory Committee