1942 Old Dekalb Road, Canton, NY 13617 s1

St. Lawrence County Recreational Trails Advisory Board Meeting St. Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District Office 1942 Old DeKalb Road, Canton, NY 13617

DRAFT Minutes for November 19, 2013

Present: Dawn Howard, Roger Bennett, Scott Sutherland, Danny Collins, Deb Christy, Janice Lutz, Art Wilson, Alex MacKinnon, Bill Dashnaw, Erik Backlund, Walt Paul, Stan Hewlett, David Irish, Spencer Thew, Schyler Shea, and Bill Swafford.

Guests: Pat Whalen, Ron Robert, Charles Schloer, Kendra Sultzer, Kate Lagios, Allison Bachner, Kim Pollock, Molly Plunkett, Will Pellerin, Will McMaster, Saddie Serviss, Christy Cecot, and Julie Orosz-Spagnolo.

Excused: Tony Arquiett, Kermit Blanchard, Warren Irwin, and pending member Matt Brown.

1. Meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM by Chairman Roger Bennett..

2. Quorum present.

3. No October 15, 2013 minutes were available for approval. 4. Speaker – Two Center Riding Club members present. This is a horse riding club.

5. Trail Coordinator – Deb Christy. . The Trail is not open. Steps left include: County Highway sign the roads, Schedule A for GEIS on County parcels (B&L and the Hwy Dept. will GPS tomorrow), and the APA has to look at this before it opens because of the grant monies. Walt Paul suggested that someone should figure out the jurisdictional aspects of this. . The Town of Parishville law went through with NYS and the Colton letter should be there today and back soon. Dave Irish asked about State Highway 56 in Colton. Deb Christy feels that once the Town opens their roads and the County Attorney oks, that the DOT will open theirs. Looking at the Fish and Game Club land this week.

6. Reports of Committees:

a. Executive – Roger Bennett. Dawn Howard gave a brief update on Roger Bennett’s progress from his recent knee surgery. He expects to be back next month.

b. Board of Legislators – Alex MacKinnon, Scott Sutherland, and Tony Arquiett. . Alex MacKinnon said the BOL passed two resolutions re the opening at their last Finance Committee meeting. These will go to the full Board 9/9. . The sales tax increase passed. . The BOL wants to keep the Wladis Law firm another year at $5,000/mo. They can work on the side by side issue. Discussion was held on registrations. . Dave Irish asked Janice Lutz how many units Fun Unlimited had sold in the last 12 months. She said 78, including 45 Rangers. Deb Christy remarked that tires are an issue.

c. Oversight – Kermit Blanchard. . Kermit Blanchard said he really didn’t have a report, but he asked what the committee’s next step should be. Deb Christy feels at their next meeting (which is the first Tues of the month) that a new co-chair should be elected. The group should then work on additional land. Art Wilson added the Pierrepont letter needs to be responded to. Judy Wendt talked about the open hours on the trail and Tom Ortmeyer’s resignation. There was discussion on review of how things are working.

d. Finance and Insurance – Dawn Howard. . Dawn Howard reported that a small group met over at Hwy. Deb Christy said the cost of the signs will exceed the $30,000 from RVRDA.

e. Enforcement, Safety, and Education – Judy Wendt. . Judy Wendt reported that the committee didn’t meet, but will soon.

f. SEQR – Erik Backlund & Alex MacKinnon. Nothing to report other than what was in Deb Christy’s report.

7. Unfinished Business.

a. Walt Paul talked about the lobbyist. His brother-in-law from ME sent him info on the business climate for motorized sports in ME. Our lobbyist should go to the Governor, Environmental Secretary and DEC Commissioner and give them the big picture like the other states. We need to push for a change in the V&T Law. Alex MacKinnon suggested we have Leanne West, our lobbyist, attend one of our meetings, or that we send her the info. We need to lay out a plan of attack on the UTV and V&T Law. Walt Paul talked about coalition building with other groups.

8. New Business.

a. Deb Christy was in favor of a letter to Tom Ortmeyer and suggested we ask the Adirondack Mountain Club for a new representative.

b. Town of Pierrepont Letter – Bill Dashnaw suggested we refer the letter to the Oversight Committee to work on this, and then forward Toby Bogart at Hwy.

c. Judy Wendt stated she joined the Trails Board for economic development purposes and feels we need to do more along this line. The Towns of Clifton and Fine have hired a SMART Planner who is also Judy Wendt’s nephew. Would the Board endorse a membership application from him? Board consensus was yes. Deb Christy reminded everyone that Brian Norton from IDA was also here as an ad hoc member.

d. Dawn Howard announced that Matt Brown had been hired as the new SWCD Forester. Group consensus was to also endorse a Board membership for him.

e. Art Wilson revisited the question about equipment usage by folks other than Hwy Dept. employees. Should we lease equipment instead of buying? Bill Dashnaw said this just needs coordination and pre-planning. The equipment is dedicated. The County will store and maintain it. Usage would have to be by qualified (trained) individuals. The Hwy Dept. does loan equipment to other public entities. This needs to be researched with the County Attorney and a certification process developed. There is a liability and no Workers Comp. Deb Christy mentioned that she had spoken with SLC Attorney Mike Crowe yesterday about the Adopt a Natural Resource (ANR) Policy. She has also spoken to NYSSA about insurance. Walt Paul will send out a copy of the new DEC ANR policy.

f. Walt Paul reported that the Finch Pruyn land in the Park had been purchased. Planning for the 60,000 acres is by the Upper Hudson HUB group. He wanted to plant the seed to look at SLC and trail segments with that model for cohesion on motorized access.

g. Alex MacKinnon asked Brian Norton about the status of the Newton Falls RR tracks. Brian Norton reported that they are moving forward.

h. Deb Christy was at the DMV re registrations for electric carts and asked about running a trail pass system through DMV. They can’t do it locally unless they work through NYS. Start with Senator Pattie Ritchie. Alex MacKinnon will talk to our Lobbyist.

i. Deb Christy reported on the west end of the trail at the Greenwood Hunting Club. The Timbervest Land Manager pulled his permission for the Trail to go through here. Toby Bogart and Deb Christy met with the Land Manager who said the landowner was still hesitant and wanted to wait until the trail was operational in other areas. Concerns about law enforcement, maintenance, etc. A small committee wants to talk to the landowner directly to address concerns. Toby Bogart will try and set up a meeting. Timbervest does not sell easements.

9. Announcements. None.

10. The next Trails Board meeting is scheduled for 9/17/13 at 7:00 PM in the SWCD office.

11. Hearings and Comments. None.

12. Motion to adjourn by Kermit Blanchard, seconded by Stan Hewlett, and all were in favor. Meeting adjourned at 8:22 PM.

Minutes by Dawn Howard