Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC)

SARATOGA SPRINGS OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE MEETING August 25, 2021 5 PM 3rd Floor Music Hall (City Hall) and via Zoom 1 Welcome and Attendance- City Staff: Tina Carton Committee Members: Tom Denny, Jenn Hunt Dempsey, Maureen Roberts, David Miller, Steve Samuell, Ed Lindner. Absent: Mr. John McMahon Members of the Public: none. 2 Public Comment: none. 3 Administrative Business: Mr. Ed Lindner was introduced as the newest member of the OSAC, replacing Mr. Tim Holmes. He is a semi-retired attorney, who has a long interest in bicycle infrastructure. 4 Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the two prior meetings on 6/23/21 and 7/28/21 were reviewed and approved as circulated. 5 Update on Revised Bylaws: Ms. Tina Carton provided a paragraph detailing the history of the OSAC back to 1970. Several changes to the bylaws have been made: there is no term limit for the president. The responsibilities of the OSAC and in particular, how the committee interacts with the Planning Board, has been delineated. The City Attorney, Mr. tony Izzo, has reviewed the changes and given his approval. The OSAC had adopted bylaws in 2017 but these had never been submitted to City Council for approval. Due to the mission of the OSAC having evolved over time, it was deemed essential to revise these bylaws, to get feedback from the City Attorney, and then to submit the revised version to City Council. The most recent version, with attorney changes, had not been circulated to the OSAC members. The final version was to be sent to the OSAC after the Aug 25 meeting. Given that the committee had given input earlier in the drafting process, that Tina (as City Staff) had made a final review, and Tony Izzo (City Attorney) had reviewed and approved this latest version, the OSAC unanimously agreed to adopt this version with the caveat that, if any member reviewed the final document and requested further discussion, it would be brought back to the OSAC at the September meeting. If no member requested this within one week following the August meeting, the version would stand approved as circulated and would be sent on to City Council. 6 Update on Open Space Plan Progress: MJ consultants met with Tina Carton, Tom Denny, and Mike Horn (Saratoga PLAN). They presented a Conservation Analysis Model, and it was felt that their maps overemphasized stream corridors, and forested areas were not well shown. Some updated zoning maps may help to better delineate parcels that are parks and areas adjacent to parks. An upcoming 9/24/21 steering committee meeting with MJ Consultants will be focused on these Conservation Analysis maps. Include Funding in new Open Space Plan: MJ will provide information on funding for both acquisition and maintenance of properties by September 10, 2021. 7 Discussion of OSAC on Observations From 7/28/21 Meeting with Commissioner Scirocco: It was discussed that with capital improvements, we need maintenance monies too. The Operating Budget currently does not provide the necessary funds for improvement to and maintenance of our open space resources. Commissioner Scirocco plans on asking for more funding to cover an additional vehicle and 3 personnel to maintain trails in the city. (Representatives from the State Park and from PLAN had both felt this was more personnel that should be needed for current scale of open space and trails.) Ms. Tina Carton would like to see a generic city template to deal with maintenance, with data such as costs per mile included. This template could be attached to the new Open Space Plan. It is critical that maintenance costs are tied in with acquisition of new properties. The Committee discussed the possible use of dedicated Community Preservation Fund (CPF) for maintenance. Several towns in NYS have CPF’s that can be funded by real estate transfer taxes. Other funding options include: Property tax surcharges, sales taxes, and set-aside park fees. Unfortunately, the laws that cover these towns do not apply to the city of Saratoga Springs. Legislation would need to be passed for Saratoga Springs to have a CPF. We need to do more research into what options and what limitations there are with funding through CPFs. Will the state Legislature pass it? That remains to be seen, but it was discussed that having both the City Council and County Board of Supervisors on board with the plan would be essential to its passage by the state Legislature. In other municipalities, the CPF can be used for maintenance, but the costs are not to exceed 10% of the fund. It would also be useful to have a CPF that could be used for acquisition. In purchasing property, the city has to work with the appraised value of the property. Commissioner Scirocco was very receptive to the idea of 501c3 funding, but he felt local volunteers should have a limited role in maintenance projects involving trails and parks. We discussed the need to speak with the City Attorney about the union workers’ contract and what volunteers can do without “stepping on toes.” Since there are liability concerns, insurance covering volunteers is essential. We discussed the possibility of a new position within DPW, that of a “Open Space Steward or Manager”, something other towns and cities in nearby states have. This person could be the individual who coordinates with volunteers, and roles would need to be clearly defined. In fact, the Recreation Dept in our city has a person who deals with all the volunteers. Bond Referendum: this may be necessary in the future, as we only have a small amount of money left from the last bond referendum for land purchases. The new Open Space Plan will have information on funding for both acquisition and maintenance. Also, much of what was in the 2002 Open Space Plan, such as preserved parcels and parcels which have been purchased, will be included in the updated 2021 Plan. OTHER BUSINESS: A discussion of “no-cut buffer zones” and regulation of conservation easements followed, but Mr Denny made it clear that the OSAC will probably not get involved in this as it is strictly a Planning board issue. Finally, Ms. Tina Carton discussed a new conservation subdivision Project before the Planning Board on Kaydeross Ave E for which they will probably request an OSAC opinion. Some OSAC committee members of the Planning Board will probably go out and walk this property with City staff, which will for the basis for the OSAC advisory letter. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 PM by Mr. Tom Denny. The next meeting is 9/22/21 at the 3rd Floor Music Hall in the City Hall building.