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HE'S A GREAT GUY. WE TALKED TO HIM SINCE MY OFFICE ALL THE TIME. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO CALL
[Call to Order]
[a. 2024-1044 – AIRPORT RE: APPROVAL OF TASK ORDER #29 TO A MASTER AGREEMENT FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY, THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION, AND C & S ENGINEERS, INC. ]
AIRPORT TO ORDER. WE GOT TWO DOCKETS UP TONIGHT. FIRST ONE UP IS 2024, 1044. AND THAT IS THE APPROVAL OF TASK ORDER 29 TO MASTER AGREEMENT FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION AND CNS ENGINEERS. YEAH, THIS IS THE OF THE MITIGATION OF THE BIRD ISSUE THAT WE HAVE AT GRIFFITH'S. THIS COVERS EVERYTHING FROM THE DESIGN OF THE AREAS IN WHICH WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN AT GRIFFITH'S, ALONG WITH OFF PARCEL OFF FACILITY PARCELS THAT THEY HAVE TO NEGOTIATE WITH LANDOWNERS AND TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE. SO IF WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE TRIANGLE PROJECT, QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. SO I GOT A QUESTION ON THAT. THE AUTHORIZATION OF SERVICES FOR 328,000. IS THAT ABOUT OTHER THINGS ASIDE AND APART FROM UPLAND SANDPIPER. IS THAT ALL RIGHT? IT'S ALL IN. RELATED TO THE SANDPIPER MITIGATION. SO IT IS WORK ON BOTH THE AIR THE CURRENT AIRPORT PARCELS AS WELL AS THE PARCELS THAT ARE DESIGNATED FOR THE MITIGATION AREAS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY, YOU KNOW, AT AND AROUND THE OLD AIRPORT. SO THIS IS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE WORK IS GOING TO BE DONE OFF OF THE AIRPORT OVER, YOU KNOW, CIDER ROAD AREA. IT REQUIRES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CLEARING, GRADING AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO DESIGN AND GROUND WORK TO MAKE THOSE PARCELS SUITABLE. AND. BEST LANDS. SO THE ENTIRE PORTION HERE IS FOR THE SANDPIPER MITIGATION, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES ALL THE PERMITTING PROCESSES AS WELL. OKAY. BECAUSE I WHEN I SAW SANDPIPER I KNOW IT'S IMPUTED TO BE A RARE BIRD OR POSSIBLY CHALLENGED BY YOU KNOW, IT'S SURVIVAL. YEAH. THAT SAID, WHEN I GOOGLED CORNELL LAB AND LOOKED UP THE HABITAT FOR THE SANDPIPER IN THE WINTER, I GUESS IT FLIES TO SOUTH AMERICA. AND IT LIKES PRAIRIE, CROPLAND, PASTURELAND, MOUNTAINS, MEADOWS, DRY TUNDRA, SIMILAR GRASSLANDS. BUT IT ALSO BREEDS. WHERE DOES IT BREED? NOT AT A PLACE LIKE THE TRIANGLE. IT BREEDS NEAR THE EDGE OF FRESH WATER IN A VARIETY OF SETTINGS, INCLUDING LAKES, PONDS, RIVERS, STREAMS, AND OR OPEN WOODED COUNTRY. BUT IT'S BASICALLY A SHORELINE BIRD, AND THE REASON IT HAS THE BEAK THAT IT HAS IS SO IT CAN GET INSECTS AND SAND AND MUD. SO I HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING IF A BIRD HAS TO FLY TO SOUTH AMERICA, WHY IT CAN'T JUST FLY OVER THE TRIANGLE WHERE THERE'S PLANES COMING IN AND JUST FIND A DIFFERENT HABITAT SOMEWHERE IN THIS EARTH THAT HAS AN EQUATOR OF 25,000, YOU KNOW, MILES. SO I JUST HAVE A HARD TIME WHY THE TAXPAYERS HAVE TO SPEND THIS KIND OF MONEY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHEN IT MIGHT BE A NON-ISSUE. AND I'M SURE CNS WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THE MONEY. AND I DON'T WANT TO BE A LEGISLATOR WHO VOTES AGAINST IT IF IT'S GOT SERIOUS IMPACT, BUT I DON'T SEE WHERE IT HAS SERIOUS IMPACT. SO THE ISSUE THAT WE HAVE IS THAT THE THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF THE TRIANGLE THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE BBC AS A BREEDING GROUND FOR THE UPLAND SANDPIPER. AND WHEN YOU DISTURB A HABITAT, YOU HAVE TO MITIGATE 1 TO 1. SO FOR EVERY ACRE YOU DISTURB, YOU NEED TO PRESERVE AN ACRE ELSEWHERE OF SUITABLE LAND. WHEN YOU ARE DISTURBING WHAT THEY DEEM TO BE A BREEDING GROUND, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO MITIGATE BY THE DEC ON A 3 TO 1 RATIO. CORRECT? SO FOR EVERY ACRE THAT YOU DISTURB, YOU NEED TO PRESERVE THREE ACRES. THE DDC HAS DETERMINED IT'S BEEN MAPPED THIS WAY FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THEY DO A BIRD SURVEY BIRD SURVEY, BUT THEY DO ONE EVERY TEN YEARS. AND SO OR AT LEAST THE TWO PRIOR. AND I STOPPED LOOKING AFTER THAT. THE TEXAS TRIANGLE BREAKFAST AIRFIELD AND SOME SURROUNDING AREAS HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS A BREEDING GROUND FOR THE SANDPIPER. SO WE ESSENTIALLY HAVE TWO OPTIONS.ONE WAS TO COMPLY WITH THE DEC IN ORDER TO GET THE PERMITS TO RELEASE. THE FAA WILL NOT RELEASE THE TRIANGLE FOR DEVELOPMENT UNTIL WE HAVE DEC SIGN OFF, AND THE DEC WON'T SIGN OFF UNTIL WE HAVE A MITIGATION PLAN 3 TO 1. OUR OTHER OPTION WAS TO DO A STUDY TO TRY TO
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CHALLENGE THE DETERMINATION THAT THAT IS EITHER A HABITAT OR A BREEDING GROUND, AND THAT STUDY.CAN BE AS QUICK AS ONE VISIT WHERE THEY SEE A BIRD AND THEY SAY, SEE, WE TOLD YOU IT WAS A HABITAT OR A BREEDING GROUND. AND THEY KNOW THE PARTICULAR TIMES THAT THEY TEND TO BREED.
SO THEY BASICALLY GO OUT AND LOOK AND SEE IF THEY SEE A BIRD. AND IF YOU DON'T SEE IT ON THE FIRST TIME, YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO OBSERVE ON A PARTICULAR SCHEDULE FOR THREE FULL YEARS.
SO IF FOR SO WE COULD GO THREE YEARS WITHOUT THEM SEEING A BIRD, AND IT WOULD TAKE THREE YEARS FOR THEM TO SAY, OKAY, FINE, IT'S NOT A HABITAT AND IT'S NOT A BREEDING GROUND. AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE NO FURTHER OBLIGATION TO MITIGATE. SO WE MADE A DETERMINATION ABOUT A YEAR AGO THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF TIME, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT NEW YORK AWARD TO TRY TO DO THIS STUDY, WHERE WE WERE POTENTIALLY GOING TO BE IN A HOLDING PATTERN FOR UP TO THREE YEARS. THANKS, AMANDA. YOU MADE YOUR POINT. I JUST GOT TO ASK IN CLOSING, BECAUSE I WILL VOTE FOR THIS BASED ON WHAT YOU SHARED WITH US. BUT ED LIVES UP THERE. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SANDPIPER UP THERE? NO. THANK YOU. THIS IS AN ODD QUESTION, BUT IS THIS SOMETHING WE PUT OUT TO BID? BECAUSE THE 328,000. I'M SURE THAT'S PROBABLY WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS COST. BUT IF I WERE TO GO TO MY LOCAL BAR IN REMSEN STINGERS GRILL AND TELL THE BOYS AT THE BAR TONIGHT THAT WE'RE PAYING 328,000 TO GET RID OF SOME BIRDS, I THINK THEY PROBABLY WOULD WANT TO BID ON THIS BEING A WISE GUY, BUT 320 I'M WONDERING, IS THAT SOMETHING? OR IS ONLY SEEING NASA IS QUALIFIED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE SO. CNS IS DESIGNATED AS OUR AIRPORT MASTER PLANNER. THIS IS PART OF OUR AIRPORT MASTER PLAN. SO THAT IS FULLY UTILIZED FOR THIS. AND JUST IF WE'RE NOT JUST GETTING RID OF BIRDS, THEY HAVE TO ENGINEER AND DESIGN TAKING LAND THAT CAN BE TURNED INTO GRASSLAND, WHICH IS MORE COMPLEX THAN IT JUST BEING A FIELD THAT'S MOWED AND HAS TO BE GRADED IN A PARTICULAR WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DRAINAGE IS GOING TO BE IN A PARTICULAR TO A PARTICULAR STANDARD SO THAT IT DOESN'T RETAIN MOISTURE AND BECOME A WETLAND. SO IT SEEMS RELATIVELY SIMPLE THAT WE'RE JUST GOING TO SAY THE BIRDS CAN GO OVER THERE, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY MUCH MORE COMPLEX BECAUSE WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE THE NUMBER OF ACRES WHICH WE NEED, LIKE 198, I THINK. IS THE NUMBER CORRECT. WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE 198 ACRES. THAT IS ALREADY PURE GRASSLAND. THAT IS SUITABLE WHERE WE COULD JUST SAY WE'RE GOING TO PUT A CONSERVATION EASEMENT ON THAT.
IT DOESN'T EXIST IN THE COUNTY. WE LOOKED THERE'S ALSO RULES THAT THEY HAVE THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF ACRES OF CONTIGUOUS. SO YOU CAN'T LIKE POSTAGE STAMP IT ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND SO THIS BECAME REALLY OUR BEST OPTION. WE OWN THE WE OWN THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS LAND. AND IT IS EITHER SMALL PORTIONS OF IT ARE ALREADY SUITABLE GRASSLAND, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF IT HAS TO BE CLEARED. GRADED DRAINAGE AND THINGS LIKE THAT DONE TO MAKE IT SUITABLE. AND AGAIN, THIS ALSO INCLUDES PAYMENT FOR DOING HANDLING ALL THE DEC PERMITTING PROCESS ON THIS HORSE AS WELL, WHICH IS A COMPLEX AND EXPENSIVE ENDEAVOR. AND SINCE GEORGE ISN'T HERE, WE CAN SAY HE WAS RIGHT. MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE MOVED THE FENCE ON THE OLD AIRPORT. SO THIS, THIS, THIS MONEY INCLUDES NOT HAVING TO BUY ADDITIONAL LAND, BUT PREPARING LAND THAT THE COUNTY OWNS FOR. OKAY. THANK YOU. WE MET IN OUR CONFERENCE ROOM A YEAR AGO. PROBABLY 16 OR 17 PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, A LOT OF DC PEOPLE. AND WE HAVE COUNTY PROPERTY, EVEN THE GREAT. AS AMANDA SAID, SOME OF THE LAND THAT WE HAD WAS TOO STEEP. NOW THEY DON'T LIVE ON HILLS. IT'S GOT TO BE FLAT. SO THIS IS STUMPING REMOVAL OF TREES, RESTORING THE AREA DOWN TO GRASS. AND THEN THERE'LL BE A MAINTENANCE, THERE'LL BE MAINTENANCE TO SANDPIPER LANGUAGE SAYING. I DID ASK IF. PACK THEM UP AND PACK THEIR LITTLE SUITCASES AND. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. SEEING NONE WE'LL CALL A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR. AYE. PASSES. NEXT ONE UP IS 2024
[b. 2024-1045 – AIRPORT RE: APPROVAL OF TASK ORDER #30 TO A MASTER AGREEMENT FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY, THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION, AND C & S ENGINEERS, INC. ]
1045. AND THAT IS APPROVAL OF A TASK ORDER NUMBER 30 TO A MASTER AGREEMENT FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION AND CNS ENGINEERS. I'LL NEED AMANDA ON THIS AS WELL. THIS IS THE SEEKER PROGRAM FOR THE TRIANGLE PROJECT TO KEEP MOVING WITH THE TRIANGLE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. SO, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TO ANY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH SEEKER. AND CNS IS HANDLING THAT PROCESS FOR US AS[00:10:10]
WELL. IT IS A KIND OF MIRRORS. THEY'VE HANDLED THE FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESSES. NEPA, CNS HAS TAKEN OVER. WE ARE WE'RE AT THE POINT IN TIME THAT WE NEED TO START THE SEEKER PROCESS. SO THIS TASK ORDER TASKS THEM WITH COMPLETING SEEKER FOR US AS WELL. A LOT OF THE FRONT END WORK IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, DIAGRAMS AND, YOU KNOW, DIGGING IN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE ALREADY DONE AS PART OF THE NEPA PROCESS, WHICH DRIVES THE COST DOWN ON SEEKER FOR US, BECAUSE IT IS NOW JUST KIND OF TAKING US THROUGH THE BACK END PART OF THE CHURCH. QUESTION. SO WHEN WE GO BACK TO THE LAST RESOLUTION OR DOCUMENT HERE, IT SAYS THAT MITIGATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROPOSED AIRPORT PARK PROJECT, KNOWN AS THE TRIANGLE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH INCLUDES THE UPLAND SANDPIPER. WHY DO WE HAVE TO PAY SEPARATE DONE. SEEKER IS A SEPARATE PROCESS. SO BUT BUT IT SAYS IN HERE THAT ALL THAT THAT 328,000 IS SUPPOSED TO DO ALL THAT THE 328,000 DEALS JUST WITH THE UPLAND SANDPIPER MITIGATION PORTION. THE UPLAND SANDPIPER MITIGATION IS BEING REQUIRED AS A PART OF THE NEPA PROCESS TO HAVE THE FULL TRIANGLE RELEASED. IT WOULD ULTIMATELY BE REQUIRED UNDER SEEKER AS WELL. PART OF OUR SEEKER APPLICATION. AND AN ASSESSMENT FORM RIGHT NOW IS THAT WE BASICALLY ALREADY BEGUN THE STEPS OF MITIGATION MITIGATION PROCESS. SO THIS IS PAYMENT FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES, PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS, PREPARATION OF SEEKER FORMS, PUBLIC MEETINGS AND FINALIZING SEEKER DECLARATIONS WITH THE STATE TO FINALIZE AND GET APPROVAL UNDER THE UNDER THE SEEKER RULES, WHICH ARE STATE RULES. THANK YOU FOR THE EXPLANATION. OTHER QUESTIONS.ALWAYS DO I GET IT? THAT'S WHY SHE DOES IT. IT'S SMOKE AND MIRRORS. NO I DIDN'T. ALL RIGHT.
SEEING NONE. WE'LL CALL THE VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? PASSES. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. MOVE! YEAH. THERE YOU
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.