HomeMy WebLinkAboutLP-08/09/2011LAND PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING
Minutes & Discussion Notes from Meeting held
Tuesday, August 9, 20'1 '1 at 6:45 p.m.
Members Present:
Members Absent:
Also present:
John Sepenoski, Chairman (7:00 p.m.)
Ray Huntington
Allan Connell
Maureen Cullinane (7:00 p.m.)
Sam McCullough
L/Il/an Ball
Eric Keil
Melissa Spiro, Land Preservation Coordinator
Melanie Doroski, Land Preservation Secretary
Laura Klahre, Land Management Specialist
Al Krupski, Town Board Liaison (7:45 p.m.)
Mary C. Wilson, Esq., Land Preservation Legal Counsel
Timothy Caufield, Peconic Land Trust (7:46 p.m.)
Commencement:
· The meeting began at 6:48 p.m. with four LPC members present.
Adoption of Meeting Minutes:
· ACCEPTANCE OF MEETING MINUTES FROM JULY 12, 2011
MOTION made by Maureen Cullinane, seconded by Sam McCullough, to accept the LPC meeting
minutes from July '12, 20'1'1.
Motion carried: 6/0
Land Preservation Applications and Inquiries:
· SCTM#1000-53-1-6.1 (Pekunka)
Update re: Status
Landowner reactivated application for potential Town open space acquisition.
Potential grant opportunity from NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation due
September '1, 20'1'1. Grant is a 50/50 partnership. Due to grant time frame, Melissa and Laura met
with Town Board to discuss application and potential grant opportunity, prior to meeting with LPC.
Town Board favorable to potential purchase only if substantial grant awarded. Due to time frame,
appraisal ordered after meeting with Town Board as appraisal is a requirement of the grant proposal.
MOTION made by John Sepenoski, seconded by Ray Huntington, to approve the actions of Melissa
Spiro, Land Preservation Coordinator, who directed an appraisal to be prepared for an open space
purchase of the Pekunka property.
Motion carried: 6/0
Applications & Inquiries for Uses or Structures on Preserved Property:
None
Stewardship and Management:
· Bittner Management Plan
Laura Klahre to present draft plan
Laura presented draft Stewardship Management Plan of proposed improvements at the Bittner
property. Trail, parking area, LIPANerizon poles and proposed phragmites removal were discussed.
Laura would appreciate receiving committee comments by Monday, August '15th. Once comments
are incorporated, Laura will send the draft Stewardship Management Plan to Suffolk County Parks for
further collaboration and drafting.
Names for the preserve were discussed. There is no Town policy in effect for "naming" parcels. In
consultation with others, Laura reviewed several names and proposed "Sound View Dunes
Preserve".
MOTION made by Lillian Ball, seconded by Maureen Cullinane, to recommend naming Bittner
property acquisition "Sound View Dunes Preserve". Since the LPC has no authority to name a
preserve, but only to give advice, that this name recommendation be forwarded to the Town Board
and the Suffolk County Parks Department for further action.
Motion carried: 4/2 (no - John Sepenoski [due to disagreement with Land Preservation Committee in
submitting recommendations without a policy and after rejecting an alternative name due to the lack
of policy] and Ray Huntington)
Deer Management
Laure Klahre to give update
Laura distributed hand-out entitled: Appendix A. Town-owned Properties included in the Deer
Management Program and Appendix B. County-owned and County/Town-owned Properties
Proposed for the Deer Management Program.
Laura discussed with LPC the addition of five additional Town-owned properties to be reviewed for
inclusion in the current Deer Management Program. These properties were listed at the end of
Appendix A.
MOTION made by Sam McCullough, seconded by Lillian Ball, to include the five parcels - two
Hummel's Pond parcels, Evergreen Drive parcel, Down's Farm Preserve, and McFeely at Laurel Lake
parcel - to the current Deer Management Program.
Motion defeated: 3/0/1 (Ray Huntington abstained as wanted time to review properties; John
Sepenoski and Maureen Cullinane not in attendance at time vote taken)
Discussion continued with further review of each of the five properties offered for inclusion.
MOTION made by Maureen Cullinane, seconded by Lillian Ball, to include the five parcels into the
current Deer Management Program.
Motion defeated: 3/3 (no - Ray Huntington, John Sepenoski, Sam McCullough)
Discussion continued centering around Laurel Lake property and shutting down this portion of Laurel
Lake Preserve from public use from October to December for the Deer Management Program.
MOTION made by Sam McCullough, seconded by Maureen Cullinane, to include only the first four
parcels listed at the bottom of Appendix A - two Hummel's Pond parcels, Evergreen Drive parcel, and
Down's Farm Preserve - for inclusion in the current Deer Management Program.
Motion carried: 6/0
LPC members requested additional information on the Deer Management Program as it would relate
to the McFeely property at Laurel Lake Preserve, such as number of zones, placement of stands, etc.
Laura continued discussion with regard to the Town applyin9 for a Nuisance Permit for dealin9 with
the over populated deer population that would allow bow & arrow huntin9 of deer from September ,1,
20'1'1 to February 29, 20'12 on $ Town-owned properties (subset of properties in current program)
proposed. Properties with official trails were not proposed as part of Nuisance Permit.
MOTION made by Lillian Ball, seconded by Maureen Cullinane, to approve and support the Deer
Nuisance Plan runnin9 from September '1, 20'1'1 to February 29, 20'12 on eight Town-owned
properties listed on Appendix A that have no official trail systems.
Motion carried: 6/0
Laura continued discussion focusin9 on Appendix B. County-owned and County/Town-owned
Properties Proposed for the Deer Management Program.
MOTION made by Maureen Cullinane, seconded by Allan Connell, to approve the five jointly owned
County/Town parcels listed on Appendix B for inclusion in the Deer Management Program if County
approves said inclusion. These parcels include two parcels at Dam Pond, Arshamomaque Preserve,
Bittner property, and Blocker property.
Motion carried: 5/'1 (no - Sam McCullough opposed to shuttin9 down additional public properties for
an extended season for deer hunters)
General Land Preservation Items:
· AG PRODUCTION DEFINITION / EASEMENT
Continued discussion
Mary Wilson, Esq. reviewed previously approved easement language and new easement language
for Committee comments.
Discussion will continue.
Next Regular Meeting:
o The next regular meeting will be held on August 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Annex Executive
Board Room.
Adjournment:
· The meetin9 was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. by the six attendin9 LPC members.
Respectfully submitted by Melanie Doroski, Land Preservation Secretary