You can tell that the biggest part of Eds heart is with Conservation issues. Environmental Science was his field. He even wrote an Earth Science Text book for high schools. The best part of this report is at the end where he speaks to the CB about being removed due to his support of the wrong candidate. He says it best when he says he only reported what happened at the meetings and that the Conservation Board had nothing to do with his reports. And remember that Ed Evans has earned a say because he is the one and only person who has attended every town board meeting of every description since as far back as we can remember. No one else in all of Hamlin can come close to that. BUT anyway, here is his report. In case you missed the January 27 meeting of the Hamlin Conservation Board, here’s what happened. Roll call consisted of the reading of only four names this week because the Town Board had fired me. I sat in the audience which had now grown to four people plus the TB liaison. The minutes of the last meeting were approved and the reports assigned to the Board members were begun. The scheduled Planning Board and Zoning Board reports were abbreviated versions of what you read on this site over the past 4 weeks. The Fish Advisory Board report (which is held in the Monroe County Morgue, by the way) highlighted plans to install a fish cleaning station in Charlotte and the ordering of the many thousands of fish which will become part of this year’s pen rearing project in Sandy Creek. The County Environmental Management Committee report mentioned that most of their meeting centered on plans to dredge the Genesee River (which you can read in the newspaper). The C Board Chairman apologized for the omission of the Town Board Report (2 of them) and the State Park report because of the TB’s removal of “Ed Evans” from the CB. “Unless Ed wants to contribute anyway,” the Chairman added. I did give a report of the TB January 2nd Organizational meeting and the regular meeting on January 13 from my new seat in the audience. I also informed the CB that I had “communicated with the Park Manager this morning” and also had a State Park report. In it, I mentioned the Park’s concern over the future of the lake front sewer project in light of all the changes on the TB and the Conservation Board and mentioned some of the new projects the Park had on the books (e.g. they are trying to build an ice skating rink in a parking lot). There was a short question and answer period brought on by the Park Report which led to the declaration that there would be no Earth Day in the Park this year! The demise of the event had begun with the Hamlin TB’s concern over the Town buying trees that ended up in the Park’s tree nursery (even though the Park offered them back to the Town after raising them for 4 years). Instead, the statewide “I Love My Park Day” would be emphasized by the Park again this year and center around improvement projects at the CCC/POW camp site and future Farmhouse Museum. One of the CB members asked me to check with the Park about “Free Fishing Day.” He wanted to get his hands on the kid’s fishing poles ahead of time to put new line, hooks and sinkers on them. After my unscheduled but much appreciated reports, two of the Conservation Board members expressed their shock at my being dismissed from the CB. They said a lot of nice things and I assured them that I wouldn’t be backing out of any of the projects I have been involved in over the years. I did mention that it would be a little more difficult for me because I didn’t have a position with the Town (the title “Volunteer” doesn’t quite cut it in some government offices) but I would be calling on the CB to help me “get my foot in the door” when necessary. After sharing my monthly collection of newspaper articles about environmental issues and giving the CB an update on progress made at the CCC/POW site (a German citizen has emailed an idea that begins with the Park inviting former POWs to visit the site on Moscow Road), I read a statement and asked that it be included in the official minutes of the meeting. That statement follows: “ I just want to say that I would rather have stepped down from my C Board position because of health, age, or a change of residence rather than by being thrown off because I supported the wrong candidates in the last election. I only reported what I saw happening and never intended the business of the Conservation Board to become involved. If it was the wish of two former Conservation Board members, Craig Goodrich and Jason Baxter, to hurt me, they have succeeded. I have lost elections before but this was worse. The irony is that I was instrumental in getting both of them on the Conservation Board that they used as a springboard to the Town Board. If you remember correctly, both of them were connected with issues when they applied for the position that convinced some of the interviewers that they should not be on the Conservation Board. I spoke strongly in favor of them, suggesting that the negative issues tied to them might actually work in favor of their holding a place on the Conservation Board. I even wrote a flowery letter of recommendation that helped Jason get the nod from the Republican Committee to run for the Town Board. Someone, please, keep reminding the Town Board of the importance of the LWRP and the Conservation Board’s obligation to keep it functioning. And remember, the CCC camp project is part of the Town’s LWRP obligation. The Town’s actual involvement is long overdue.” With no further comments, the meeting was adjourned.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:23:19 +0000
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