Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes
07/25/2007

OLD BUSINESS:

1.   West Seneca Night Out - August 7 – 6 P.M. – 9 P.M.

Gary and Joyce will be there by 4:30. Joyce will be there 4:30 to 6:30. Paula: at 6:30. We will be in big tent, table provided. We will give out the bird stickers and tattoos. Joyce will contact Gary Bommer re: stormwater display. Evelyn and Dave: staying to cleanup. Gary Bommer will be there. Rick will contact Gary Bommer and Mary Rossi for confirmation. Have a sign up sheet for Creek clean up volunteers.

2.   Canisius Sports Stadium – construction ongoing. What is the status of a meeting re: land conservancy for Eastern parcel? ZBA meeting tonight. Stop work order issued because there was a complaint. Bill Bonds said Don Grasso petitioned to stop work order. The question was whether the zoning is appropriate for that site and can there be mitigation. Father Higgins and consultants offered to meet with Environmental Commission re: trying to protect the eastern parcel. RAV has contact information – perhaps a special meeting in early September. (Table it until we know the result of ZBA meeting.)

3.   Fishing Derby: pushed to September, don’t have a date yet.

4.   Boat Launch Project – status of grant application: Dave, Joyce, Gary and Paula went to Town Board meeting where it was voted into the Comprehensive Plan. Joyce, Dave, and Gary spoke. Gary got a phone call, possibly from Carol Ash, but we are unclear of the significance of that call.

5.   Wal Mart Status: We have no current information. Walmart has not submitted the information that the town requested, to our knowledge. We need to stay on top of property issues on Mineral Springs, regardless of what Walmart does. We should put some pressure on Oak Grove to ensure proper clean-up and explore other options for protecting floodplain forest.

6.   Stormwater project: RAV reported that the Erie County Environmental Management Council is using the stormwater program that we hosted in April as a model for other towns in Erie County. All towns have been invited to a special ECEMC meeting on August 16 at 2:00 at the Orchard Park Town Hall to discuss technical assistance to towns who want to host a similar educational program on the new stormwater management regulations. RAV cannot attend the meeting but will send a memo to Tom Hersey re: what worked, what didn’t (i.e. some issues were too complex for audience).

RAV suggested that our next educational priorities for stormwater should focus on three activities that impact water quality: (1) dog poop (2) car washing (3) lawn fertilizer. There are some model educational materials available. Need to adapt to West Seneca. This would be a public education campaign to change people’s behaviors. Costs involved: designing and printing educational materials; publishing advertisements in the Pennysaver; establish a “Watch Dog” program; purchase materials such as printed poop bags. Collaboration would include: Highway Department to make signs for locations around Town re: pooper scooper law; Law Enforcement re: pooper scooper law; local businesses re: excess lawn fertilization (demonstration projects); Schools re: where to hold car wash fund raisers.

7.   Riverkeeper Fall Cleanup Event: We are signed up for the Harlem Road site on September 15. We should do the Mineral Springs access also. RAV will contact Lazzarra about Americorps. RAV will have to call all the WS Commissioners because we don’t have a meeting before then.

8.   Computer Security – Password protection. RAV volunteered to talk to Mark Lazzarra on getting our computer set up by the same guy who does the Americorps set up.

9.   Solicitations: Hawk Creek has their festival 7/28 and 7/29. Riverkeeper has some ecotours this summer.

10.    Recruiting of Youth for Environmental Commission: Roberta’s nominee never showed up. Evelyn’s cousin works in East Senior Guidance Office. Evelyn will ask her for ideas.

NEW BUSINESS

MEETNG ADJOURNED<

Roberta Vallone, Secretary