Conservation Commission Meeting
Christ the King Church
May 7, 2008, 7:30 pm
Members: Ted Crosby (ex-officio representing Gateway Commission)
Eleanor Czarnowski
Paul Dean
Taffy Holland
George James
Janice Kraus
David McCulloch
Agnes O’Connor
Tom Sherer
Attending: Ted Crosby, Eleanor Czarnowski, Taffy Holland, George James, Janice Kraus, Dave McCulloch
Visitor: Emily Kearney, OLHS Student, Dr. Pfeiffer’s Civics class
1. Minutes of April 2, 2008.
Accepted. (Time of meeting was wrong.)
2. Point O’Woods Sewer Plans
George said we need a legal judgment for the POW municipality. The Town has voted not to have sewers, and rejected POW’s earlier plans for a sewer system. The board of governors of POW was against sewers 8 to 1. The rest of Old Lyme has a sewer avoidance ordinance. The WPCA refused POW’s request to take on the plans. Now they’re going to Zoning and Planning.
Dave said they’ve been to Wetlands, who had to approve it since there’s no wetlands impact. He said their charter says they can have their own sewer system.
Ted said this is a ten-year-old item. POW is a municipality. They priced making their own system, but the price was too high. They weren’t prepared for the price to connect to the East Lyme sewer system.
George said again that we need a legal decision as to whether or not the town ordinance applies to them.
Ellie said Mike Kiernan (who lives in POW) said there’s no legal action at this time. Zoning wants our reply for their May 12th hearing. She asked if the Town in general knows about this plan. Who is responsible for the agreement (for hooking up to the East Lyme/Waterford/New London sewer system? Who is responsible for the loan if POW defaults? Old Lyme taxpayers?
Ted said the town can’t abate its own ordinance. George said again that this is a legal issue.
Ellie said we have to respond to the plans. We need to let the Town know this is happening. If the State starts charging Old Lyme taxpayers for cleanup of sewage going into Long Island Sound, we should point out this potential problem.
George said we need to get in writing from Zoning that there will be no sewage systems in Town.
Ellie will write to Zoning with these issues. We support the Town’s ordinance against sewage and the Town’s formal rejection of CEE study.
Ted asked if plan is rejected do we become the Conservation Commission of POW? We can offer them our review of their conservation issues.
George said currently POW has 420 houses with no resulting pollution from human habitation. He said Dave should comment on the effect of the SLOSH zone dangers.
Ted said the plans contain no environmental statement anywhere – this should go first on the letter to Zoning.
George said also there was no thorough study of alternative locations for a septic system nearby as required by law. Ted said no alternative systems have yet to be approved by the State.
3. Habitat Newsletter
Ellie distributed copies of this CACIWC (Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commission) publication. Dave will deliver copies to the town land use people (who are moving back to the town hall).
4. Funding of Open Space
Ted: The selectmen held their meeting on Monday May5th. In 1998 the selectmen requested a budget from Open Space, and the annual allocation was $75,000. The fund now has $464,000 (and will be receiving money from the AWWA penalty). The selectmen decided to allocate $25,000 to the fund this year, and the Board of Finance approved that amount without notifying Open Space. Open Space asked that the funds be restored. There will be a special meeting tonight (May 7th) to decide about restoring the additional $50,000 to the funds. In the future the boards will be notified in advance.
Dave and George said the town should take out a bond and increase the open space funds to take advantage of the current real estate situation for developers.
5. Land Use Academy course
The Trust for Public Land is holding a strategy meeting on May 22nd from 9 to 12 at the Avery Point UCONN campus.
6. This Year’s Action Plan
Ted said we should pursue the conservation development plan. Ellie said there will be a Planning Commission meeting here at 7:30 on Thursday (May 8) to discuss the questionnaire. Taffy will send Ellie the two responses we got from the CC town mailing requesting input to the questionnaire.
George suggested the following topics:
o Go Green. Continue to press for this. We now have an organic lawn care service in town.
o Pesticides are still being applied to the town fields.
o We should publicize recycling of electronics and CFLs – Lyme line? OL Events?
o Rogers Lake weed problem (now planning to use plastic mats)
Ellie will ask Diana to come to our next meeting to discuss properties for possible open space acquisition.
7. AOB
The town Code of Ethics was approved. Ellie has copies. All town employees and board members must read it. The code is available on the town we site (note: still labeled “Proposed Code of Ethics”). Q&A sessions will be scheduled for all town employees, and all board members are invited.
8. Assignments
o Ellie will write to Zoning about the Point O’Woods sewage proposal, with the commission’s list of comments and
objections (no environmental study and inadequate study of alternative locations).
o Ellie will invite Diana Atwood to our next meeting.
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