Here's the link to the mp3 file
0 hrs - 0 minutes - 0 seconds - I arrived and started my recorder a few minutes late while they were going over the budget.
0-4-33 Planning Board Report - Ken Zeserson, and Dick Coogan talk about Grass Roots parking
0-14-00 Ken brings an Ithaca Journal article to our attention. Governor Patterson has apparently been bought by the oil and gas industry. He thinks that hydrofacking the Marcellus Shale is a great idea, and will solve all of our problems.
Check out the comments by "thruthsquadtwo"
0-16-45 Leslie Spurgin reports on the results of an audit recently performed. She reports on some minor problems, but closes by complementing Doug and Dick and Marsha and Jim on a fairly good job of keeping the books.
0-52-20 Chris Thomas reports on Village goings on. They are considering several different options for a second source of water.
Also, there will be a meeting on 8/24 at 7pm to go over the Fire Dept./EMS budget. He said the budget is in two parts - Fire and EMS. Fire budget has remained flat for several years. EMS will go up 25% from 09 to 2010 due primarily to declining volunteerism and having to hire more paid staff. They will discuss how to pay for it at this meeting.
''The question is going to be how do we move forward in terms of paying for it"
This, of course, worries me. I know how Chris would like to pay for it and I remain opposed. See my blog at http://trumansburgambulance.blogspot.com/
We should continue paying for it with our taxes, as we always have. I have some ideas about increasing volunteerism, which I will be speaking about soon.
I think I'll go to that meeting.
0-56-00 I get a chance to talk about hydrofracking. I wrote a new short and sweet ordinance, hoping to entice the board into taking action. Here it is,
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Conservation recently published a "Summary of Hydraulic Fracture Solutions" used by vendors that provide the chemical solutions that are added to the water used in Hydraulic Fracturing.Some of these ingredients are very dangerous, and very likely to enter the ground water around drilling sites, and inevitably will be in the large quantities of waste water that is a byproduct of the drilling and fracking process.Ethylene glycol, and Methanol are common ingredients in these solutions.Ethylene glycol is toxic and due to its sweet taste, children and animals will sometimes consume large quantities of ethylene glycol if given access to it. It and its toxic byproducts first affect the central nervous system, then the heart, and finally the kidneys.Methanol is toxic. If ingested, as little as 10ml can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve.Whereas, we the Ulysses Town Board, object to the use of large quantities of these poisons in our town, we do hereby prohibit their use within the Town of Ulysses, in quantities greater than one gallon per year per natural person, or per corporation doing business within Ulysses.Enforcement: any natural person or corporation found to be in violation of this ordinance shall be fined $750 for the first offense, and $1500 for second offense, and the fine shall continue to double with every subsequent offense. The Ulysses code enforcement officer shall be responsible for enforcing this ordinance, and issuing these fines, which shall be payable to the Town of Ulysses.
If you listen to the audio, you'll here me say that Alex Rachun, our code enforcement officer, is supportive of this kind of ordinance. Then you'll hear Dave Kerness, (board member) say that he spoke with Alex, and I am wrong about Alex's support. So.......... I checked again with Alex the next morning, and indeed, he is in support.
Doug Austic pointed out that every big truck that goes through Ulysses would be in violation, because they would have more than one gallon of ethylene glycol in their radiators. Good point. I will be happy to increase the allowable limit. I have written to the Environmental Management Council, and I hope to get some expert help in setting the limit low enough to catch hydrofrackers and high enough to allow continued normal use.
Doug says that Chris Thomas might have had greater than my allowable limits in his drums full of materials for his insulation business. Chris agrees and says that he didn't have sheets describing the contents of those drums.
this is interesting - from wikipedia,
In the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that MSDS be available to employees for potentially harmful substances handled in the workplace under the Hazard Communication regulation. The MSDS is also required to be made available to local fire departments and local and state emergency planning officials under Section 311 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The American Chemical Society defines Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Numbers (CAS numbers) which provide a unique number for each chemical and are also used internationally in MSDSs.
1-2-10 Dave Kerness says if my ordinance could actually be effective, someone would have already done it. hmm..... not the greatest philosophy for inovating solutions to our problems. I point out that perhaps the reason it isn't being done is because it would violate Article 23 of NYS Conservation Law. This section preempts municipalities from attempting to protect the health of their residents and their environments from giant, hugely profitable, oil and gas corporations. How could such a gross violation of our constitutional right to self government be passed into law? Simple. Corporations own our government in Albany and Washington, but they do not yet own Ulysses, so, we need to stand up on our hind legs and do something.
1-05-42 Karen Brower, from Jacksonville, talks about her difficulties caused by the burning of garbage by a neighbor. She has sought relief from the Sheriff, and the Troopers, and the Tompkins County Health Department, but the burning continues. The board offered no help. I think if I were the Ulysses Supervisor I would have asked for her address and phone number, and arranged a visit to see if I could negotiate a solution.
1-15-40 Jim Meeker- highway report
1-19-00 Marsha Georgia Clerk report
1-22-40 Liz reports from TCOG - Tompkins County Council of Governments
1-26-35 Dick Coogan and Town Attorney discuss the best ways to handle future Grassroots parking (zoning changes, permits, development zone, whatever)
Dick also says that Ulysses has been left holding the bag for a water improvement flyover. The town has paid and the state was supposed to reimburse us and hasn't
This flyover was supposed to identify faulty septic systems. The results were inconclusive. I think we should have a watershed inspector who's job it is to check the systems every two or three years. This is what they have on the southern end of Kueka Lake where I built a house on the lake.
1-44-00 Town Barn Project. Doug discusses the various bids from 3 contractors. Finger Lakes Construction won the bid and the Town resolved to accept their bid of 396,000
2-01-00 Some discussion of progress on the Comp Plan.
2-04-30 Lucia Tyler has written a letter for the Board to Michael Arcuri etc about our concerns re: hydrofracking urging them to support legislation which might disallow the exemptions from the Safe Drinking Water Act. All of the members sign.
2-15-00 Adjourn
I'll post more notes later.
