LAND USE PLANNING WORKSHOP TO BE HELD ON APRIL 22, 2019 AT JCC FROM 6:30-8:30PM
THE JULES CENTER AMPHITHEATER, ROOM 6-002
COSPONSORED BY JEFFERSON COUNTY PLANNING AND TUG HILL COMMISSION

From the applicant’s first sketch on the back of a napkin to the final approved project, the complete land development review process including SEQR will be explained in detail.
Helpful checklists, forms, and outlines will be provided. Planning boards, zoning boards of appeal, code enforcement officers, and all those interested in learning more about the review of proposals for development are invited to attend in order to better understand the project review process.

The workshop speaker will be Phil Street, Planning Director for the Tug Hill Commission. Phil has been with the commission for over 40 years and Planning Director for over 20. He works with many of the Tug Hill region’s towns and villages on land use laws and comprehensive plans.

The latest issue of Headwaters is now available on the Tug Hill Commission’s website, http://www.tughill.org/publications/headwaters/.

This year’s annual report highlights the commission’s 45th anniversary and new book, the local leaders survey, complete streets, Super COG, the passing of Arnie Talgo, training opportunities, and updates from all five councils of governments.

This new book by Norah Machia provides a comprehensive description of the Tug Hill Commission and its efforts to help local governments with a variety of issues, including natural resource conservation and economic development. It offers the reader a glimpse into the work done by the commission’s leaders, staff and volunteers to build strong relationships with the people of the Tug Hill region, resulting in a successful partnership that has spanned decades.

The author also brings to life the stories of Tug Hill residents who have worked diligently to protect and develop their lands, allowing others to enjoy the richness and diversity of this 2,100-square-mile rural region in Northern New York.

Numerous back roads were traveled to seek out the people that make this part of New York State so unique, including farmers, maple syrup producers, and loggers. The author also shares the stories of life-long residents who have, among many other things, survived years of harsh winters on the Tug Hill plateau, home to the heaviest snowfall in the eastern United States.

The book is available for purchase from Amazon, Kinney Drugs, and the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust’s website.

The August 2018 issue of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s bimonthly magazine, Conservationist, includes a story by Tug Hill Commission Executive Director Katie Malinowski about Tug Hill.  Featuring community-led conservation in the East Branch of Fish Creek and Salmon River watersheds, the article also describes the Tug Hill region and the work of the commission.   The commission, created by New York State legislation in 1972 with the first meeting held in April of 1973, is unique in its grassroots approach that uses collaboration and consensus-building to achieve shared goals.

For more information about Conservationist, see https://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/conservationist.html.

The article can also be read here.

The town of West Turin prevailed in a lawsuit brought by a landowner aggrieved by the town’s minimum maintenance road law.  In the matter of Jerry Weikel v. Town of West Turin and Richard Failing decided by the Appellate Division Fourth Department on June 29th, the appeals court found that the plaintiff’s challenge to the law was untimely, and was brought well after the expiration of the statute of limitations.  The matter does not, however, settle the general validity of the minimum maintenance road concept and this was not addressed by the appeals court.  The decision can be viewed at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad4/Clerk/Decisions/2018/06-29-18/PDF/0644.pdf

The plaintiff had purchased property along the Bower Road in the Town of West Turin, obtained a certificate of occupancy for a seasonal dwelling 2008, and then requested the town to plow the road in 2014.  The town had refused to plow the road, citing their minimum maintenance road law adopted in 1997 which designated the road maintenance regime as unplowed.

As the appeals court did not address the fundamental substance of the town’s minimum maintenance law, State legislative authority to enact such laws is still being sought.  There are ten Tug Hill towns with minimum maintenance roads, and seven others have been awaiting adoption pending this decision.  There are about 158 miles of minimum maintenance roads designated on Tug Hill, with 50 miles bordering State land on one side and 33 miles bordering State land on both sides.  Bordering State land makes road upgrades for plowing problematic, especially in forest preserve counties such as Lewis and Oneida.  It is estimated that the average cost of such upgrades and necessary maintenance equipment to make such roads plowable would be about $100,000 per mile.

The commission’s annual newsletter and annual report, Headwaters, has been released. This year’s publication highlights new commission members, a large land conservation project in the Salmon River Watershed, activity in our Councils of Governments, and much more. You can also find it on our website at www.tughill.org/publications/headwaters/.

The commission recently updated its GIS Resources for Local Governments technical paper, to provide updated information on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for municipal officials. The paper has information about map viewers, considerations about staffing, data and applications, and links to other resources.

The paper is available for download at http://www.tughill.org/publications/technical-issue-papers/, or hard copies can be request by calling the commission office toll-free at 888-785-2380.

As part of a continual review of the commission’s technical and issue papers, commission staff recently revamped a 2003 issue paper titled “Winter Logging, Winter Recreation and Town Roads.” The new paper, “Town Roads and Tug Hill’s Working Landscape,” acknowledges that roads under town jurisdiction constitute much of the transportation infrastructure on Tug Hill, particularly the more remote and forested areas. Besides providing access for residents and businesses, town roads also provide critical access to logging operations, farming operations, and recreational areas. Towns work hard to manage these roads for the variety of uses they serve, and it can be complicated to juggle the requirements of multiple uses. The paper provides some guidance to frequently asked questions regarding the multiple use of town roads. The paper is available at http://www.tughill.org/publications/technical-issue-papers/.

The Tug Hill Commission board met Monday, December 11 and set the 2018 meeting schedule, located here.