Mary Menapace spoke to the Skaneateles Town Board during its meeting Dec. 16 to provide an update about information the hydrofracking committee has gathered.
Menapace said the small group is holding a series of open meetings where residents can learn more about the procedure and what can be done to protect landowners and the environment.
“There [are] a lot of counties down south … and a lot of towns gathering information,” Menapace said.
Primarily the committee is trying to figure out what can be done to protect residents from various dangers associated with hydrofracking. Menapace said the committee is sifting through the information it has and will distill what they have collected.
Menapace said they are also asking the town to extend the hydrofracking moratorium for an additional six months.
At the state level, a moratorium was recently passed only to then be vetoed by Gov. David Paterson. Menapace said an executive order, from Paterson, is directing the Department of Environmental Conservation to look at the environmental impact statement and also open the matter to public comment.
“We need to be concerned, we need to push it as far as we can to get protection,” Menapace said.
Protection would come in the form of laws regulating use of roads, lighting, noise and water sources. Essentially, there are still a lot of issues the committee is looking into, Menapace said.
Supervisor Terri Roney said “distilling” the information they collect would be very helpful as it is overwhelming.
In other board news:
The board accepted a general liability insurance bid from Eastern Shore Insurance in the amount of $48,758.01 and is eligible for a rebate through the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal upon renewal in the amount of $3,141.25. The total cost would be $45,616.76, making Eastern Shore the lowest bidder.
The town also received bids from Delmonico Insurance Agency ($52,772) and Adams & Sons, Inc. ($47,373).
Roney said the recommendation was to stay with the town’s current provider, Eastern Shore, because of the municipality’s long-standing relationship with the company and the rebate being offered.
Budget officer Bridgett Winkelman said she believes the town can fine-tune the policy it has.
“They’ve been very good to work with,” she said.
The county health department is reviewing the town’s plan to decommission open reservoirs in the town and go with the village’s closed system, Roney said.
“The reservoirs really service the one district to the north,” Roney said. “Hopefully the Department of Health will get back to us quickly.”
The board held a public hearing on Introductory Local Law 2010-G regarding the board’s rules of procedure. Following no public comment, Councilor Nancy Murray proposed one amendment and the board unanimously approved the law.
The board will hold its annual organizational meeting at 10 a.m. Dec. 28 at Town Hall.
