SPCMA
Minutes of Annual Meeting
July 21, 2019
Sandy Creek Town Hall


Meeting called to order 10 AM

Roll call of Officers: President X_Cathy Goodnough
Vice Pres._X_ Tom Crosby
  Secretary _X_Bonnie ReidTreasurer____ Bonnie Reid
Board Members __X_Dave Catania
_____Roger Morrison
__X_ Margaret Kastler
_____Mike Brennan
_____Harold Golden
___X Pete Backus
_____Ralph Leber


Do we have a Quorum? Yes
 
First and foremost, thank you for your interest in the Sandy Pond Channel and the Barrier Dunes and taking the time to be here today. We need people to take an active interest in the Pond area. SPCMA was formed 16 years ago to maintain safe passage into Lake Ontario. We have overcome many hurdles with Permits & sand placements and have now reach a point where are efforts are paying off, in terms of saving the dunes. As many of you know the high water experienced around the pond has been linked to the Plan 2014 which regulates the water flowing from Lake Ontario to the Moses Saunders Dam. This new plan took over 16 years to be made and cost over 20 million dollars. The IJC is the International Joint Commission that has 3 members from Canada and 3 members from the American side. As of yesterday the IJC will be adding 2 more members, 1 each from both sides, they will choose someone that lives along the lake shore. This is a treaty between America and Canada. The Plan 2014 trigger levels are set very high and they need to be changed. From the Historical Records of flooding March 1973 water level was 246.49 with 87 million dollars of damage – In April 1993 water levels were 246.9 with untold amount of damages. In 1997 water levels did not reach Plan 2014 triggers, and $ 20 Million dollar in damage to Niagara County alone.  
  The IJC denies any blame for the high water levels, but as many of you know that have lived around the water -2 floods like we have had 2 in the 3 years this plan has been in effect is part of the reason. Yes we have had massive amounts of rain and our winds have been bad this year, But the trigger level need to be changed. There is a petition to suspend the Plan 2014 from Senator Patty Ritchies office and can be found on her website: www.ritchie.nysenator.gov
Once the Senator receives a certain amount of signatures, this petition will go to the Congressman and then eventually to the President. The IJC board members have been very public that this flooding is not the Plan 2014’s fault, but also have said they would review the plan trigger levels. Lake Ontario normally is at 246’.  
Tom Hart and Ron Fisher Jr. did their own monitoring of water levels in the Pond and the height went to 249.58. 

After the high water event and destruction of the Barrier Dunes of 2017,this lead to the start of the North Pond Resiliency Group. This group is made up of The Nature’s Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife, private land owners, Town of Sandy Creek officials, Tom Hart, Geofrey Steadman & Business owners. It has gained attention of the Town of Sandy Creek. The NPR group has researched and received grant money for 320,000.00 to rebuild the barrier dunes.  
. There are 3 main breaches in the North barrier dunes, things are lined up to start dredging the shoal between the island and the channel and place the spoils in GEO tub as soon as the water goes down.
 They have hired Q & E engineering firm, and this method will have the sand dewatered and then the bags can be split and the spoils graded up. The few areas of concern are where there are no dunes to place the bags at the base of the dune.
  The Town of Sandy Creek is also putting in for an additional $ 250,000-300,000.00 from the R.E.D.I. program which is from Governor Cuomo’s office to build resiliency to possible high water in the future.
The Town is also requesting funding for a septic removal system for the pond area. We do not have any particular details of how this will be set up yet. The State and Oswego County Emergency management team would like this project to be done to help future water quality on the pond, also if peoples land are low and are subject to flooding, a septic removal system will be advantageous to them. Then people can rebuild with more confidence that their water and septic will not be inundated with a high water event.
  We do not want our people that live here or recreate to Sandy Pond to leave.  

Our area has received a lot of attention over the last few weeks. We have had Congressman Anthony Brindesi, NYS Senator Patty Ritchie, Oswego County Department of Tourism, David Turner, Judith Levan U.S. Department of Commerce, Edward Gilson, Oswego County Legislature, David Bimber DEC, Holly Granat Department of State Office of Planning, Development and Community Infrastucture, Kevin LaMontagne Operaton Oswego County, Dale Currier, Oswego Count Emergency Management team.Julie Sweet, D.O.S., Jane Nicholson and Shawn Gagnon, Consultants for the R.E.D.I. Program NYS, Oswego County Legislator Margaret Kastler. As well as the Town of Sandy Creek officials visiting the Barrier dunes. 
They have seen the need to rebuild what has been destroyed by high water events of 2017 and 2019.

The NPR group also has requested $ 500,000.00 for the South dune restoration project. It is not finalized that these funds received will all go to the South side, as the North side is in dire straits. . The channel has always wanted to move north and this year is no different. The north spit consists of a few bushes and that is all.

David Klein has received permission from the private land owners involved on the North Barrier Dune to allow NPR to place sand back in the best locations. See maps. This working group is committed to the longevity of the channel and the beaches. Our hope is we can remove sand to allow a more natural flow of water, improving the channel and the water quality in the pond. From the NPR study the entire shoreline has moved back around 1000’. The information on the NPR can be found on the Town of Sandy Creek’s website.


This dredge process will be put out to bid by contractors. Brian Wallis is interested in using SPCMA dredge and the piping that is already out at site. This would keep the cost of dredging down so that more sand can be removed. Open Discussion as to allowing Brian Wallis to use SPCMA dredge and stipulations. Group discussion as to the benefits of having a operator ready to go, as to a huge company having to wait until we can get on their schedule.Write out timeline, Discussion to put out to bid other contractor’s will have the same options as Brian Wallis, Any problems will be Brian’s responsibility. This is still an open discussion. The majority of group did not have a problem leasing equipment to BDS Construction. Motion made by Pete Backus, 2nd Tom Crosby. All in favor, motion passed.

We dredged last year and contracted BDS Construction (Brian Wallis). We spent a total of $ 53,931.00 and he was out there 8/29 through 9/20. We removed approximately 11,940 cubic yards of sand and placed it back on the dunes, and it was graded up. We received the $ 20,000.00 from the Town of Sandy Creek from the budget 2018.

The entrance to the channel is marked on the South side this year, by NYS Parks and Recreation, navigational department. They marked it June 12th. There are 2 sets of sunken buoys on the north side entrance. They have been contacted to come and pull them.
 The north side also has an entrance to the channel, but is not marked. 
There is still a State of Emergency issued from the Governor’s office. The NYS Park Police are patrolling- it is 5 mph within a 1000’ of shoreline. This is issued until at least today; if the order is lifted we will post on the Sandy Pond Channel Facebook page and the website. The office was contacted Monday 7/22/2019 and still have not heard if the 5 mph is lifted for the pond yet.

The Channel association is planning a dredge operation this fall to pull back the south side and place the spoils back on the beach. We did a major dredge project in 2013 that Senator Patty Ritchie received grant money for of over $ 75,000.00. This project saved the south side of the barrier dunes due to the high water event of 2019. Total dredge cost that year was $ 94,531.25. The dredging can only begin after the piping plover leaves the south side. It is a federally endangered species. There are nesting plovers now on the south side of the channel. The roped off area is off limits to foot traffic and pets.

The membership letter that went out in July went out to Water District 1 & 3 hoping to catch as many people on the pond to at least sign the Petition to suspend the Plan 2014. We realize adding the NPR project was a little confusing. The end goal is the same. The sand removed from the channel and shoal will help keep the channel open. To date the NPR has collected $ 1,525.00. This money for the NPR will be used to help with the match of 15% that will be required for the Grant money from the R.E.D.I program. When donations were received with the NPR and there was a membership level circled, and they were a member of SPCMA previously, the donation was tagged SPCMA. 

.
Membership Status20032004 20052006 2007
641407 217 43 171

2008 2009 20102011 2012
  152 90 159 82 182

  2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
157 69 102 49 89
2018- 102 2019 _62 to date

Membership in Attendance: Kristen Westley, Roger Bardeen, David Bogart, Jeannine Fraser, John Fraser, Susan Hoke, Richard Hoke, Gary Palmeter, Betsy Morse, Ruth Siver, Patti King, Joan Bardeen, Jim Jerome, Marge Roberts, Chris Keevil.


The piping stored on the North side of the channel was taken off the dune 7/2018. Unfortunately it is now 40’ away from where we left it and underwater. We need to remove all the piping this fall. Mr. Hornebeck has not had a problem with the storage of the floats or the piping, but his land is being eroded fast. We have 3 floats that still need to be picked up from Lindsey Creek, they floated away on June 3rd the worst day of the flooding on the pond. These floats were pretty far back on Mr. Hornebeck’s property. We also have 1 float at Dave Youman’s at the end of Greene Point.
We could possibly have the equipment moved after the dredge project if Brian Wallis uses our equipment.

We previously had voted to hold on to the IMS 4010 dredge one more year.
In the fall of 2018 Rolf Wagoner borrowed 12 pipe clamps and male couplers, he offered to buy them, but we have not had a meeting, he will return our equipment as soon as we call. We have $ 84,070.00 invested in the piping and dredge itself. Previously voted to sell the dredge for $70,000.00 or best Offer, the new owners will be responsible for removing the piping at the beach and hauling all equipment away.


The Association now has $ 31,231.99 plus $ 3,975.00 to be processed

The Town of Sandy Creek has $20,000.00, set aside in the budget. We will need to use this money this year or lose it. We originally requested $ 40,000.00 (letter attached)  
SPCMA had signed a matching grant for the NPR program, which we met the requirements of expensing $ 30,000.00 in 2018. This grant match coincided with Nature’s Conservancy, and the Town of Sandy Creek for a total of 425,000.00 for the NPR Project. SPCMA did not pay an extra $ 30,000.00. The exact amount of cubic yards to be removed by the NPR group has not been set yet.  


The Association has been aided by the Town of Sandy Creek for many years now and we have reached out to the Town of Ellisburg again for the 3rd request for funding as they have many residence on the north end of Sandy Pond that utilize the channel. Review the letter sent to the Town of Ellisburg.  

We need for the Owners of Brennan’s Bay and Taco Bob’s to attend a board meeting for the Town of Ellisburg, to help receive funding and to show the importance of the 2 businesses that are in their Township rely on tourism and patrons. We requested that the Town of Sandy Creek sign a resolution to repeal the Plan 2014 and they have done so. We also requested the Town of Ellisburg do the same. We are awaiting a response from them.

Treasurer’s report: read by Cathy Goodnough. Motion made by 
Tom Crosby to accept treasurers report as read, 2nd by Pete Backus. All in favor, motion passed.

2018 P & L Statements
Corporate taxes are here for your review: also corporate book and checkbook are open for any inspection.
Our taxes have once again been done by Small Business Services at no charge. Thank you to Tom Baxter for continuing to support us.


Estimated Expenses for next year:
  
1.Mass Mail out
2.Post Office box renewal
3.Liability Insurance, D & O, Physical Insurance
4.Homestead website renewal paid by Greene Point Marina from 11/11/2016 to 11/11/2018 of $264.00 –the next renewal date will be 11/7/2020. 

Fundraisers; Can pick up at Greene Point Total collected since 2003 $12,126.55- that’s 242,531.00 CANS. Guiles and Son’s Redemption Center takes care of all the cans. This can drive has really picked up since our letter went out to the Membership. 
Thank you for all your donations. 
.
Permit Status: 

Town of Sandy Creek Contract not done this year- this is only done when we contract with them for dredging.

DEC Permits approved through May 21, 2023 with a minimal of 30 day advanced notice.

Corp of Engineers Status: 5 year permit received good through 4/23/2021  

DOS- Stipulations-GPS readings and tabular forms submitted to the DOS. Roger Morrison will be doing GPS readings this year.

NYS Parks- permit will be filed with location of sand placement


Election\ Re-election of Officers: 

President: Cathleen Goodnough
Vice Pres: Tom Crosby
Secretary: Bonnie Reid
Treasurer: Bonnie Reid

Board of Directors:Margaret Kastler, Mike Brennan, Pete Backus, Bonnie Reid, Roger Morrison, Harold Golden and Dave Catania, Ralph Leber.

Motion made by Tom Crosby to reelect officers and board members as read. 2nd Bonnie Reid, all in favor. Motion passed.


Appoint Sergeant of Arms by President: New President to appoint. Tom Crosby is the preceding Sergeant of Arms –President appoints Tom Crosby

Appoint Parliamentarian: New President to appoint Parliamentarian. Tom Crosby is the preceding Parliamentarian –President appoints Tom Crosby

Thank you all for your interest in our channel. We have a wonderful area to enjoy and share with other visitors –Let’s work to keep our dunes intact and the channel where it is now. Please pass along any information shared today to anyone and everyone. Especially the petition on Senator Ritchie’s website. Our main goal is to try and reach everyone on the Pond. 

President will entertain a motion to adjourn.

Motion made to adjourn meeting by Tom Crosby ,2nd Bonnie Reid, all in favor. Motion passed 
Meeting adjourned at 11:20