Location: CWC Headquarters (Arkville, NY)

Present: Ric Coombe, Scott Grey, David Kukle, Steve Walker, Bud Gladsone, Glen Faulkner, Ritchie Gabriel, Will Outsen, David Edinger, Greg Vurckio

Others: Jeff Baker, Tim Cox, Jason Merwin, Gemma Young, Jessica Fiedler, Michelle Yost, Nick Carbone, Robert Drake, John Wimbush, Joan Lawrence Bauer, DEP Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush, DOH Bureau of Water Supply Protection Chief Patrick Palmer, DOH Engineer Mike Maloney

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

2. February 16, 2025, Meeting Minutes Approval: Motion to approve the minutes made by Bud Gladstone and seconded by Steve Walker.  Motion carried.   

3. Ric began the meeting by welcoming DEP Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush.  Ric shared that this will be Mr. Rush’s last meeting with CWT in his role with DEP as he is retiring in June 2026.  Ric thanked Mr. Rush for all his efforts that helped to build a strong relationship between DEP and CWT.  Mr. Rush thanked CWT for the role we have played in bringing together the City and the Catskills Watershed.  He shared that he was fortunate and honored to be a big part of this work and wished the CWT well in its future endeavors.   Ric stated that Mr. Rush has left “shoes” that will be hard to fill.  He reminded members that we are dealing with new members at DEP, and it would behoove us all to remember the partnerships CWT and Mr. Rush have established and strive to continue moving forward in a positive way focusing on our common goals. 

4. 2027 FAD Revisions Process & Timelines:  Ric introduced Patrick Palmer from the DOH Bureau of Water Supply Protection.  Ric shared that Mr. Palmer is leading the discussions on the FAD revisions and in the spirit of cooperation Mr. Palmer asked to meet with CWT to review the FAD process and timelines and respond to any questions members may have.

Mr. Palmer began his discussion by reviewing DOH information on the filtration avoidance systems, including the specific criteria these systems must meet.  He then proceeded to explain the various components within the current FAD that must be addressed during the revision discussions.  He did share that they will be reviewing the Compliance Assessment Report which contains information on the City felt they did over the past 5 years.  Mr. Palmer reviewed the schedule (as depicted below) with everyone, sharing that meetings will occur with CWC, EPA, Delaware County, East of the Hudson representatives, DEC, and DEP as they progress through the schedule.  Mr. Rush shared that the NYCDEP White Paper report on the Future of Filtration Avoidance was scheduled to be released within the week and assured CWC and CWT that a copy will be provided.   David Edinger asked if DOH sees anything other than land acquisition issues coming up in the FAD review.  Mr. Palmer stated that they will be looking at the side agreement to determine what should be in the FAD.  He also said that there are new water quality challenges that will be addressed in the FAD but reminded everyone that it is too early in the process to state what else may be included.   Ric thanked Mr. Palmer for attending the meeting.  He shared that we appreciate Mr. Palmer taking the time to share this information on the FAD revision process and look forward to continued collaborations with him and DOH.  Jeff also thanked Mr. Palmer, sharing that he has been great to work with, always being helpful and honest.   Jason echoed these sentiments, sharing that Mr. Palmer has been an outstanding resource to CWC. 

FAD REVISION SCHEDULE:

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5. Update of Side Agreement Implementation & Status of Amended City CE to State: Jeff reported that the amended conservation easements included with the Side Agreement are being held up by DEC due to the environmental groups’ complaint that they were not included in the signing.  The environmental groups filed a complaint, protesting the side agreements and calling for the Watershed Protection and Partnership Council to convene to review.  Jeff reported that he learned that Riverkeeper filed Article 78 lawsuit against the City, challenging the City signed the Side Agreement without complying with SEQRA.

Jeff shared that there has not been any movement on the conservation easements and the protest by Riverkeeper may continue to cause delays.  DEC will start the process soon to amend the Water Permit and that should address some of Riverkeepers’ concerns.  Jeff asked members to let him know if any of their towns have projects held up because of the conservation easements not moving forward. 

Jeff also provided additional information on the FAD revisions and the wetland regulations.  Regarding the FAD revisions, he stated that we want to be involved as much as possible.  He shared that we need to start identifying where we can eliminate excess regulations and excess time with the process, including the processes for the storm water and septic programs. He also shared that an Albany court annulled the new wetland regulations because DEC did not comply with SEQRA during the promulgation.  Anyone with a wetlands permit pending or anyone questioning where the wetlands are or if they have them on their land are currently in limbo until this is resolved. 

Will Outsen asked if the schedule for the side agreement rollouts is on hold.  Both Ric and Jeff indicated that we are moving with the action items as identified and scheduled. 

6. CWC Report: Jason reported that DEP will be attending the CWC May 6 meeting to present their 2026-2030 Bureau of Water Supply (BWS) Strategic Plan.  DEP wants to also provide this presentation to CWT and WAC and asked if they could be invited to the CWC meeting.  Ric and Jeff agreed on behalf of CWC that this would be feasible and members would attend the May 6 CWC meeting, if available.  Jason said that he would provide the full schedule of the CWC meeting in the event any members wanted to observe how a full day of committee reports, discussions, and decisions occur with the CWC Board.   Ric re-iterated that attending the CWC meeting would be a valuable experience for our board members and that understanding the DEP BWS Strategic Plan is important to CWT. 

Jason continued with the CWC report by sharing that they are putting together the final list of land swaps parcels for the City.  He also shared that the City is working on the future storm water contracts, but the septic acceptance and I & I contracts are still moving slowly in the process. On closing, he reminded everyone that the CWC Annual meeting will be on July 14, 2026, at 11:00 pm at the CWC Headquarters.

7. Warrants and Treasurer’s Report: Bud reported that as of March 31, 2026,
the checking account was $9,208.57,
the savings account was $66,581.85 and
the CD was $54,450.86.  
Steve Walker made the motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, seconded by David Edinger. Report accepted. 

Bud presented Warrant #124 in the amount of $2,942.75 for payment of the February and March legal and administrative support fees. 
Greg Vurkio made the motion to pay Warrant #124, seconded by Glen Faulkner. Motion carried.

8. Other – Membership Dues Committee Report: Ric prefaced the membership committee report by sharing how we got to this point of reviewing the membership dues and where we will go from here.  He then turned the floor over to the committee: David Kuikle, David Edinger and Will Outsen.  David K. explained to members that the committee spent the past months reviewing all the available data, including census data, to derive at their recommendations.  He then turned the floor over to David Edinger.  David E. explained that after reviewing all the data, they worked through several different models to develop the most equitable method for determining the membership dues per county, town, and village.  He shared that they kept the tiers the same as in past years, but lowered the rates, bringing down the total amount of membership dues collected by $10,000.  David further shared that many towns/villages’ membership dues were reduced by approximately $200 and the county membership dues remained the same at $2,250.   Ric thanked the committee for all the work on the membership dues and shared that the new rates will go into effect in 2027.  He asked for a motion to accept the report.  Motion was made by Steve Walker, seconded by Will Outsen.  Motion carried.  Jeff will draft a resolution on the revised membership dues and their effective date.  The 2025 membership dues letter will be issued this year and will explain the changes to future membership dues.

9.Adjourn: Motion to adjourn made by Greg Vurkio, seconded by Glen Faulkner. Motion carried.
The meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm.