May 9, 2011 Environmental Commission Meeting

May 9, 2011

HARDING TOWNSHIP ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION REGULARLY
SCHEDULED MEETING
 MINUTES•    CALL TO ORDER
This regularly-scheduled meeting of the Harding Township Environmental Commission was called to order at 7:34 pm by K. Meister, Chairman. The following statement was read: "This regularly-scheduled meeting of the Harding Township Environmental Commission is held in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act. Adequate notice was given in announcements sent to the Observer Tribune, the Morris County Daily Record, filed with the Township Deputy Clerk and posted on various bulletin boards."
MEMBERS PRESENT: N. Platt, R. Clew, P. Saulnier, K. Meister, H. Symonds, J. Morgan, and D. Hinds
ALSO PRESENT: Ellie Weiner (Thumbnail liaison)
MEMBERS ABSENT with excuse: J. Kovacs ALSO ABSENT: W. Settle
•    REORGANIZATION ACTION
1) K. Meister welcomed two new members to the Commission: James Morgan and Richard Clew. He also stated that Ted Cotton had informed him that he intended to resign as a member of the EC; however, to date, this has not been confirmed in writing. David Dietz has resigned from the EC, but has requested to remain on the Planning Board, which the Township Committee approved. Peter Saulnier was named by the Township Committee as the EC liaison to the Planning Board.
•    REVIEW OF MINUTES OF LAST MEETING - The minutes of the meeting of April 4, 2011 were approved as amended. (Comments re Lighting Ordinance)
•    LIAISON REPORTS
Planning Board - P. Saulnier, stated that the main issue before the Planning Board now is the subdivision of the Fawn Hill property. The owners presented a conforming plan at last month's Planning Board (PB) meeting. Therefore, there will need to be another site visit. The PB wants the EC to weigh in on the new subdivision plans regarding easements, bridle paths and general comments regarding the impact of the subdivisions on the environment. If approved, the 6-car garage and one dwelling in the courtyard will be taken down. The tree buffer on Spring Valley Road is a major concern. If the tree buffer on Spring Valley Road is made a conservation easement, any downed trees would have to be replaced. N. Platt stated that this is a very important point for the EC. In order to maintain the streetscape, the old growth forest (mostly white pines) should be maintained. A discussion followed regarding subdivision and lot size averaging. If the proposed plan is confirmed, the EC will comment on the tree buffer and a bridle path on the north side of the property, discourage a new road at the north of the property to protect old growth forest, and applaud the decision to save the old barn. Mr. Saulnier agreed to present a draft of the EC comments at the next EC meeting.
Deer Fencing and Ostentatious Gates to Properties
The PB will look to the EC for comments on deer fencing and on property entrances which are not in keeping with the rural character of Harding Twp. The EC will endeavor to obtain Ordinances from neighboring towns on the subject and take up the matter at its June meeting.
Board of Adjustment- A major subject is the Garage on the Lohuis Property.Their plan is to use a smaller version of the Frelinghuysen design. As suggested, they have now excluded the cupola, but want to expand the upper dormers to provide storage in the upstairs. The owners will submit a new plan encompassing these changes. The EC hopes to ensure that the buffer of hardwood trees remains, so that the new building cannot be seen from the road. Mr. Symonds will present a draft of the EC comments on the case at the next meeting of the Commission.
CPAC - No report. HOST - No report. Shade Tree - No report
Bridle Path - No report
E. PROJECTS:
Easement Stewardship - K. Meister reported on a meeting held on the subject on April 7 with representatives of the Harding Land Trust and HOST. The minutes of that meeting provide a blueprint for the Easement Stewardship of the township, with the first action step being the establishment of a data base on existing easements. The consensus at the meeting was that professional help should be contracted to carry out this task, and that K. Meister and T. Bologna would collaborate to identify such help and solicit proposals.
Accordingly, K. Meister and T. Bologna met on May 9 with Harriet Honigfeld, who had been recommended as a well-qualified land use consultant and who had done work for the township in this area. She is prepared to assist us and will submit a proposal for the establishment and maintenance of an easement data base. If the proposal is acceptable, K. Meister will request permission from the Township Committee to engage her and do so without waiting for the next EC meeting.
With regard to monitoring the easements, the consensus of the April 7 meeting was that, because of their number, it will not be possible to inspect all the easements regularly. Nevertheless, critical easements should be inspected annually, and it must be determined whether these inspections should be carried out by professionals or by volunteers. A final decision on this subject can be made once the data base on the easements is established.
Second Clean-up Day - R. Clew reported that the May 9th clean-up day was not well attended, due to bad weather, lack of advertising and the school break for Easter. The possibility of organizing a second clean-up day before the end of May was discussed but dismissed, unless it is possible to obtain the assistance of the Sheriff's office under the SLAP program. Mr. Clew will explore this.
A decision was made though, to organize a clean-up day for the fall, namely on October 1, with a rain date of October 8.The Commission will adopt the following measures to assure better attendance: Running articles in the local press and in the Thumbnail, invitations to members of the various committees of the township, getting the collaboration of the Harding Elementary School and involvement of local youth groups such as the boy scouts and the youth groups of the churches.
K. Meister stated the clean-up activity will serve the added purpose of highlighting some of the contributions to the community by the Environmental Commission. Mr. Clew will continue to coordinate this effort. EC members are encouraged to inform him of the areas most in need of clean-up.
Energy Efficiency Analysis - Street illumination - H. Symonds surveyed the number and location of light poles in the township, identifying those working and those not working, and came to the conclusion that the township is probably being over-billed for street lights. He will arrange to have JCP&L do an audit of which lights actually are working and which are not, and prepare an EC recommendation to the Township Committee that the lighting be shut off, except in key shopping areas. He believes the township can thus save as much as $10,000 per year in electricity costs.
- Installation of new HVAC equipment  in the Municipal Buildin. The question was raised whether environmental considerations were heeded upon the installation of new HVAC equipment in the Municipal Building. N. Platt stated that some $54,000 was spent last year on a new air conditioning system and boiler and that the new system, which is computer controlled, is proving to be much more efficient than the old system. The proper environmental considerations have been taken into account.
2010 Annual Report of the Commission- K. Meister will present a draft at the next meeting.
Lighting Ordinance - The Planning Board is looking to the EC for an updated lighting ordinance, to clarify the existing ordinance, adding new provisions such as the use of shielded light sources, and to make enforcing it easier. N. Platt reported that new applicants are already being asked to voluntarily honor the shielded light source requirement. James Morgan will head this project and a draft of the revised lighting ordinance will be presented at the next meeting of the EC..

It was also reported that the Church of Christ the King is not adhering to the agreements reached on outdoor lighting upon approval of their building variance.. N. Platt will get the relevant information from P. Fox, and the church will be asked to get into compliance, if there are indeed violations of the agreements reached.
Water Management on Environmentally Sensitive Lots - The Planning Board is looking to the EC for guidance on water management in the development of environmentally-constrained lots. The issue is the retention of buffers to prevent future encroachment. To assure that the needs of the Planning Board are met, K. Meister suggested that the PB draft a statement of what they need and present this to the EC for comment and eventual approval. Mr. Saulnier will take up this matter with the PB.
•    NEW BUSINESS
Annual dues to ANJEC - the Commission agreed to renew its membership in ANJEC for the year 2011 and to ask the township administration to remit the annual dues of $280 to ANJEC.
Installation of Solar Panels on Light Posts - Mr. Clew referred to an article in the New York Times stating that JCP&L is putting solar panels on its light poles This is to help meet the requirement that they generate a certain percentage of their energy from alternative sources. Mr. Clew wondered if the EC should be checking on Best Practices with regard to the size of the panels. N. Platt informed that there is already a limit set as to the size of the panels.
•    Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Commission is slated for Monday, June 6, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the conference room on the second floor of the Municipal Building.
Meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Reynolds, Secretary for Environmental Commission