Cumberland Conservation Collaborative – General Meeting

 

Meeting Notes – February 1, 2016 – Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau, Carlisle

 

Rick Rovegno welcomed the group.  Attendees introduced themselves and provided overviews of their organization’s current projects.

 

Around the Room:

 

• Herb Weigl – LeTort Regional Authority:  Working on planning project for LeTort Trail focused on accessibility, parking, and handicapped support. Project currently in a delay status pending Central PA Conservancy acquisition of land at the SMTWP end of the trail.

 

• Tomas Au – Clean Air Board: Ongoing school flag program - flags at schools are raised to show current air quality. Two upcoming events: this Thursday, February 4 at 7 pm. Dickinson College, Althouse Hall, Room 106, 45 N. College St., Carlisle and a conference on reconciling quality of life and development on April 26, 1 to 4 pm, at the Widener University Commonwealth Law School.

 

• Gil Freedman – Conodoguinet Watershed Association:  Working with other watershed associations on stormwater management events.  Will have a joint event with Hampden TWP in the spring.

 

• Susan Richards – Capital RC&D:  Nothing to report at this time.

 

• Bill Schneider – Member at large:  Nothing to report at this time.

 

• Tom Allison – Silver Spring TWP MS4 Coordinator:  First meeting - nothing to report at this time.

 

• Ben Mummert – Central PA Conservancy: Expecting grant regarding watershed purchase.

 

• Stephanie Williams – Cumberland County Planning Department: DCNR announced CCRT was awarded a $200k+ grant to continue pushing eastward with another mile of trail from Centerville Rd. to Mt. Rock Rd. and the Big Spring School District campus with a safe trail crossing at Mt. Rock Rd.   The Cumberland County Commissioners have approved $400k for 2016 farm preservation, which will allow us to leverage another $1.2 million in state funding.

 

• Katie Hess – South Mountain Partnership: We are now the regional (including Cumberland County) representative to the Chesapeake Bay Trust with the first meeting coming in a few weeks.  The goal is a regional approach and greater momentum with respect to bay issues.  Please contact Katie for more information.

 

• Mark Spicka – Big Spring Watershed Association: Working with ALLARM to monitor Big Spring for nitrogen.  Have fall/spring cleanups planned.  Priority is to get silt (now 8 feet deep) out of the millpond – looking for a grant and matching funds to get this done.

 

December 17 CCC presentation to the Cumberland County Planning   Commission - Rick:  After the commission was briefed on the CCC, Mr. R.J. Fisher stated that a database dealing with wetland mitigation projects would be a valuable resource to developers seeking projects where they have an obligation to perform water quality/erosion mitigation when their work impacts streams, erosion, wetlands, etc.  Sometimes this can’t be done at the work site and alternative, equivalent mitigation must be performed – subject to DEP and Corps of Engineers approval.  A challenge for the developer is finding such projects to propose as alternatives. Such a database would also be valuable to watershed authorities – and municipalities – in that it could potentially expedite funding for needed work.

 

Discussion:

 

The group affirmed the desirability of the proposed action and the need to identify specific proposals, points of contact, project descriptions, cost estimates, and many other data items for each potential mitigation project.  CCC will have to work closely with the Corps of Engineers, Dept. of Environmental Protection, appropriate municipalities, and other stakeholders to identify what is needed.

 

CCC would host the database but actual implementation choices will have to be a joint municipality, developer, and WSA decision within the parameters established by DEP and Corps of Engineers (and probably others). 

 

Mariner East Pipeline – Gil Freedman:  Background information on the Mariner East 2 pipeline, due to be completed across Cumberland County in 2016, and a letter sent by Gil to Secretary, DEP (attached) was presented to the group with the request that a similar letter be sent from CCC. 

 

Discussion:  

 

The group agreed to support Gil and that Rick would draft a letter – to be sent to attendees for comment/approval – with the same sentiment.

 

Next meeting:  The next CCC meeting will be at 6 pm on Monday, March 21, 2016 in the CVVB.

 

2/1/2016 Attendees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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