Dutchess County/Putnam County AT Management Committee
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Announcement & Agenda for 161st Meeting
Monday, March 5, 2001  7:00 PM East Fishkill Library
NOTE LOCATION! Back to usual meeting site!
Weather Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2001, same time & location

0. FYI and FYA items will circulate

1. Review and approval of minutes of the 160th meeting, January 22, 2001.

2. Meeting Centerpiece: Nuclear Lake and Structures with NPS! (see Note 2)

3. Other business, short updates, etc.:

A. Acquisitions and Survey, if any.

B. DOT project update (Jim Haggett)

C. Bulletin Board inventory and review

D. Cell tower issues (see Note 3)

E. Fiberlux expansion update

F. Outside project assistance plans (see Note 4)

G. Special Use Permit request(s) (see Note 5)

H. YRDC plans for 2001 (Grant Approved, see Note 6)

I. Other items?

4. Reports (please keep them short! - or skip if nothing new to report!)

A. Area Supervisors Summaries - Jane Geisler, Frank Dogil, Mike Arthur, Jim Haggett, Walt Daniels

B. Other reports

5. Other communications & announcements as time remains

6. Adjourn (shoot for 9:30 PM)

Information, Comments, & Notes

1. All Committee members, please attend this meeting; or please call the Chairman (Ron Rosen: 845/454-4936 (be persistent) or 454-1721 (leave a message if not in) if you CANNOT attend. NOTE THAT WE ARE BACK TO OUR USUAL LOCATION, THE EAST FISHKILL LIBRARY!

2. Representatives of the AT Park Office (including probably Pam Underhill and Pete Irvine, and possibly others, as well as ATC staffers) are scheduled to join us for this meeting to discuss two issues: The Future of the Nuclear Lake site, and Retained Structures (including the caretaker’s house at Nuclear Lake in particular). Although we have made specific recommendations to ATC and NPS strongly recommending retaining an onsite caretaker at Nuclear Lake, Pam wants to hear our arguments and determine the depth of our commitment to this recommendation. Be prepared to take the long view and participate in an open and forthright discussion!

3. As reported at the last meeting, a cell tower was proposed by VoiceStream at the Eastbound Interstate 84 Rest Area as a 185' tower between the AT and the Restroom Building, near the middle of the 84 Overlook view to the Catskills! On February 15^th, Jim Haggett and George Muller met with two representatives of VoiceStream. One was a Community/Government Relations person, the other a real estate specialist. Neither one was well versed in the technical issues concerning alternatives to the planned tower, but the Real Estate person seemed interested in mitigating negative impacts. Jim will discuss his observations of the meeting/site visit, and help us decide how best to proceed. The situation is complicated by the fact that the site is managed by the NY State Thruway Authority, which is

4. We need to make final plans for the likely upcoming projects (1) Mitzvah Day, scheduled for April 29^th and (2) the School Group from Mt. Kisco tentatively(?) scheduled to work with Jane Geisler and others near Deuel Hollow Brook (see the minutes of the last meeting for background). ALSO, we have been contacted by an Eagle Scout candidate who would like a project—he may be at this meeting. If so, we will probably put him on the agenda at the beginning before we delve into the Nuclear Lake discussion.

5. Bill McTigue (W. Dover Road Oak Caretaker) has requested permission to use the tree site for his wedding this summer. I have tentatively given him our OK, after checking with Bob Gray and determining that such uses are not unusual for NPS lands and are often granted. If anyone has a concern, please contact Ron Rosen ASAP (don’t wait for the meeting), although we may “for the record” endorse this use at the meeting barring major objections. NPS has a $50 non-refundable fee for a Special Use Permit application, which would be required.  There is a (very small) chance that a non-profit organization may want to use the road to the Nuclear Lake dam for their fund-raising walk. If their other alternatives fall through, they would like a walk site that is handicap-accessible (this killed the AT itself as an option), and I suggested the road to the dam would be marginally possible. This too would need a SUP from the NPS to proceed; does anyone have any concerns? Bob Gray said he would look favorably on this request based on other similar events that have received NPS permits in the past. Porta-Potties would be required, and parking and sign-in site would need to be arranged with Dutchess County near Old Route 55. It is unlikely this request will proceed, but we should either endorse or oppose the idea in case it becomes a formal request.

6. The YRDC Public Lands Corps grant was approved for 2001. Any discussion concerning the implementation of this grant should be brought to this meeting.

FYA items:

• Hike Leaders wanted for ATC 2001 Biennial , July 14-20, 2001.

• NPS/AT Recognition program: any 25 and/or 50 year volunteers to nominate? [Due 4/15/2001]

FYI items:

• ATC Contract for Brown, Baker, Depot Hill, and RPH Garage ready for signing by Colbert Construction of Holmes!

• NPS Press Release concerning Hosner Mountain incursion settlement

• Poughkeepsie Journal article on Hosner Mountain Incursion settlement (2/13/01 page 1B)

• Letter to Beekman Supervisor McKee nominating Gerry Richardson as Beekman Town Rep. To DPATMC.

• Letter to Fiberlux/Tredegar requesting annual inspections of the plant by DPATMC.

• Letter from Bob Gray to Rosas (Monte Rosa lodge in East Fishkill) concerning posting and/or hunting on NPS lands.

• Pam Underhill letter announcing Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Saddleback Acquisition settlement.

• Neil Zimmerman’s draft description of a backpack on the AT from Route 52 to Route 22.

• Draft minutes of Mid-Atlantic ATC meeting, October 21, 2000