Location:  CWC Headquarters (Arkville, NY)

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Present:  Ric Coombe, David Kukle, Steve Walker, Bud Gladstone, Edward Snow, Greg Vurckio, Will Outsen

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Others:  Jeff Baker, Tim Cox, Jason Merwin, Bruce Dolph, Michelle Yost, Mary Crisafulli, Cher Woehl

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1.  Call to Order:  Ric Coombe called the meeting to order at 6:15 pm.

2.  January 15, 2024 Meeting Minutes Approval:  Will identified two minor corrections needed to the minutes. Motion to approve the minutes with the corrections made by Ed Snow and seconded by Greg Vurckio.  Motion carried.    

3.  LAP/SAP Negotiations:  Jeff provided an update on the LAP/SAP negotiations.  He shared that the negotiations are proceeding in good faith, with all parties coming together on most of the issues.  He did share that Tom Snow, DEC, raised the idea of getting back to a backstop, suggesting a change to the already agreed upon language which allows for the towns/villages to approve the projects.  Tom was asked to bring to the next negotiation meeting a “layout” of the process for his suggestion. Jeff felt that this change would more than likely not occur, and for CWT the agreed upon language is a non-negotiable position.  That next negotiation meeting will be held in mid-March.   

4. Status of Amended City CE to State:   Jeff reported that discussions are still in progress on the Conservation Easement proposed amendments.  The discussions are mostly with the environmentalists and are not problematic but more for clarification and to provide an understanding on the issues.

5. State Wetlands Regulations:  Jeff provided an update on the amendments to the State Wetlands Regulations.  He reported that this is a slow process.  Further analysis is required, but Jeff shared that so far there is nothing in the regulations that targets or is different for the watershed than statewide.  That’s not to say that the new wetland regulations are not posing problems at the state level.   DEC has reached out to Jeff to have a special meeting regarding the impacts and issues of the amendments.   The primary issue deals with the interplay of the amended state regulations with the wetland regulations.  The change will be in the administration, specifically on how to determine if land is in the wetlands.  The wetlands will no longer be designated and identified on “maps”, as in the past, so there will more than likely be a significant impact in the timeframes for determining if land is in the wetlands.   There will be discussions with DEP to determine how this will work and how issues will be managed.   Board Members had an in-depth discussion on this topic with Jeff and Ric both agreeing that they will keep the board members apprised as it progresses.

6. CWC Report:  Jason shared the following information in his CWC report:

• The annual meeting is scheduled for April 2 at CWC headquarters.  
• $23 million contract for the storm water program was signed last week, so if any of the towns/villages need funding they should contact CWC.
• RFP for the Community Vitality Study is being finalized, with completion scheduled for February 23^rd.
• Tim reported that the average repair/replacement time has gone down to 300 days, so individuals need to get their replacement/repairs completed within this designated timeframe.  There were 312 septic systems replaced last year.

7.  Warrants and Treasurer’s Report:  Bud reported that as of January 31, 2024, the checking account had $6,369.48 and the savings account had $102,586.98.  Bud also reported that, as approved by the Board Members in the December meeting, CWC had invested $50,000.00 in a CD with a maturity date of 1/24/2025.   Ed Snow made the motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, seconded by Steve Walker.  Report accepted.   Bud presented warrant #105 in the amount of $4,495.03 for payment of January legal fees.  Steve Walker made the motion to pay warrant #105, seconded by Will Outsen.  Motion carried.   

8.  Other:  Ric discussed the membership dues as we move forward.   Both Ric and Jeff agreed that we need to continue, as we need to ensure we have the financial resources in the event of any legal issues that may arise.  We do have funds in our accounts that could warrant bypassing collection of dues for the 2024 year, however both Ric and Jeff felt that if we gave relief for a year, it might be harder to reinstate collection in the subsequent years.  They suggested reducing the dues for the 2024 dues.   Greg reminded board members that the town/village budgets are set in advance and eliminating the funds for dues, then trying to reinstate in following year, would have an impact on these budgets.  Dave agreed with Greg, sharing that if the amount is reduced or eliminated this year, the funds would be gone (or redirected) and may not get reinstated due to the budget processes.  Ed suggested that we leave the dues status quo, and revisit if/when we end up in a legal contract/litigation situation.   All members agreed.  We will revisit this in future months.

Steve Walker asked if funds for stewardships will be included in projects.  Jeff stated that stewardship is one of the items that should be in every project.  He also shared that the Catskill Center will have primary responsibility to identify stewardship funding sources before going to the city.  Jeff re-iterated that towns should not approve a project if the stewardship funds do not meet their needs.

9.  Adjourn:  Motion to adjourn was made by Bud Gladstone, seconded by Greg Vurckio.  Motion carried.  The meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.