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February 03, 2010
Input Welcomed for Upcoming RRA Hearing
Guest Column
The County Account by Legislator Michael N. Kelsey
On Thursday, February 11, the County Legislature will convene a special meeting to hear from the managers and directors of the Resource Recovery Agency. The RRA has been the subject of much scrutiny in recent times and has had its management policies called into question by the Poughkeepsie Journal as well as other sources. The State Comptroller is near complete with an internal audit that is not expected to be favorable to the RRA. To exacerbate the situation, Dutchess County is on the hook to subsidize the RRA to the tune of $6.3 million this June with money the County does not have and for which the County did not budget.
January 28, 2010
Trees cut at Dutchess County Airport
Environment
Tree cutting at the Dutchess County Airport started last week and, for what? Is this the kind of project we want our tax dollars to support?
The Poughkeepsie Journal article below, published last month, reports on costs vs. use:
Dutchess County Airport saw its last scheduled commuter flight on August 12, 2001, when a CommutAir 19-seat turbo-prop plane took off for Burlington, Vt., and did not return.
A vernal pool assessment will help guide land use decision making in the Town of Washington so that development can be designed to keep these special wetland habitats intact.
Roger Akeley
Commissioner of Dutchess County's Department of Planning and Development
December 30, 2009
Suburban Sprawl at the Gateway to Millbrook
Local Development
A proposal to build 252 townhouses by Rt. 44 at the gateway to Millbrook is presently under review by the Pleasant Valley Planning Board.
Our reprint of The Millbrook Independent's “News Analysis of Taconic Homes in Pleasant Valley” has the details.
December 10, 2009
What Do We Most Want For Our Future
Town Comprehensive Plan
Comprehensive Plan Survey Results Ranked by Priorities
The Survey Results
Using the survey data supplied by River Street Planning & Development, the town’s hired consultants, which the Town of Washington posted on the town website, Millbrook Matters has compiled a complete list of the priorities based on how the residents answered the Comprehensive Plan Survey, arranging them from the most preferred to the least preferred items that the Town should work on for the future.
The results: Protecting and preserving the Environment, Open Space, and Agriculture dominated the top of the list of what most people felt were important. Housing issues were at the bottom, with eight out of the nine housing priorities questions ranking at or in the lowest quartile. The exception was support for helping seniors to remain in the homes, which was slightly above the mid point level in approval rating.
December 10, 2009
An Update on the Citizen Scientist Vernal Pool Study in the Town of Washington
Wetlands Ordinance
On Wednesday, December 2, at the Farm & Home Center on Rt 44, Dr. Michael Klemens, research conservationist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (CIES) and director of the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance (MCA), and Neil Curri, Sr. GIS Resource Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County (CCEDC), presented the results to date of a survey of vernal pools in the Town of Washington.
HELP SAVE A FROG! STOP FOR A TURTLE!
Frogs and other small woodland creatures are an important part of the unique natural environment that makes our town what it is – a healthy ecosystem where a rich variety of species support each other.
According to Judy Sullivan of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, every spring large numbers of amphibians and other small creatures are crushed as they cross our roads to reach their breeding sites.
The greatest number of road crossings occurs between the end of March and mid-May. On these first damp, rainy nights of spring, when the nighttime temperature inches above 40 degrees, frogs feel the urge to get to the safety of their breeding grounds to ensure the next generation.
Although most of the crossings have already occurred, there are still some stragglers. Frogs can be found engaging in apparently suicidal leaps before cars on rainy nights from spring to fall.
Turtles are also waking up and smelling the future. By June they’ll be moving from pond to suitable egg-laying sites. Since it takes these creatures years to reach breeding age, the loss of even one is a blow to a population.
Most of the crossings are in areas where there is a woodland on one side and a wetland on the other. If people were aware that they were driving through such a location, they could reduce their speed and exercise greater care on nights when weather conditions are conducive to migration.
Volunteers from several groups (the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the Dutchess County Cornell Cooperative Extension, Millbrook Matters, and the Town of Washington Conservation Advisory Committee) are working on a project to put together a list of critical areas in our town and to raise public awareness. Any interested individuals or organizations who would like to join are welcome.
The community can help. If you are aware of a particular spot where crossings occur, please let us know. By next spring we can have frog crossing signs posted in the town and a volunteer safety patrol out to ensure safe crossing for the frogs and turtles. Information about crossing locations or questions can be sent to info@millbrookmatters.org or (845 677-0721)