Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAC-04/08/2026 Carol Brown,Chairperson Town Hall,53095 Route 25 Lauren Standish,SecretaryP.O.Box 1179 Southold,New York 11971-0959 Fax(631)765-1823 Telephone(631)765-1889 CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL TOWN OF SOUTHOLD MINUTES Wed., April 8, 2026 4:30 PM Conference Room and Zoom Online Platform A meeting of the Southold Town Conservation Advisory Council was held on Wed., April 8, 2026 in the Town Hall Conference Room and via Zoom. Present were: Carol Brown, Chairperson Maggie Merrill, Member Inga Van Eysden, Member - Nancy May, Member—Via Zoom Barbara Friedman, Member Alexa Annunziata, Member Brian Mealy, Town Board Liaison AI Krupski, Jr., Supervisor (brief announcement) Lauren Standish, Secretary Absent: Burke Liburt, Member Eric Sepenoski, Board of Trustees Liaison Trevor Fitzgerald, Student Member Phoebe Faint, Student Member Guest: Anne Murray, NFEC CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Carol Brown called the meeting to order at 4:30pm. ANNOUNCEMENTS Supervisor Krupski shared information on how to participate and measure precipitation as part of the NY CoCoRaHS Network. The members will consider volunteering and share the pamphlet with others who might be interested. 2 GUEST SPEAKERS Brody Eggert, Jenna Schwartzman, Chef Noah, and Alexa Annunziata shared a presentation on the Skip the Stuff Campaign, joined by Chef Noah, owner of Noah's Restaurant, and member of the Surfrider Foundation. This group was advocating for implementing a Skip the Stuff policy in Southold Town, which would require restaurants to reduce single-use plastic waste and pollution. The Skip the Stuff initiative encourages restaurants to reduce plastic waste by providing accessories only upon request, offering environmental and economic advantages. East Hampton and Sag Harbor have already adopted similar policies. They've requested consideration in passing a local code requiring all Southold Town restaurants to provide take-out accessories by request only. Councilman Mealy requested a model code for review and will investigate how the villages are doing this. There was also a concern with enforcement and fines. Inga will assist in drafting code based on what other towns have done. Moved by Barbara Friedman, seconded by Maggie Merrill, it was RESOLVED to Support the Skip the Stuff Campaign. Vote of Council: Ayes: All Motion Carried The goal,of the CAC is to have model legislation drafted by the summer. They will start by sharing this campaign at the Environmental Expo, prepare something for the Greenport BID, and ask YETI to assist with outreach. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Maggie Merrill, seconded by Alexa Annunziata, to Approve the Minutes of March 11, 2026. REPORTS Board of Trustees Meeting —Wed., March 18tn Nancy May attended the Board of Trustees and provided the following report: • 545 Glen Court, Cutchogue — Denied • 1540 Smith Dr., Southold — Denied • 1780 Great Peconic Bay Blvd., Laurel —Tabled • 480 No. Riley Ave., Mattituck—Tabled • 1460 The Strand —Tabled • 1090 1 st Street, New Suffolk—Tabled • 9450 Main Bayview Rd., Southold — Denied • 1925 North Sea Dr., Southold —Approved Youth Environmental Council Update —The students were not present at the meeting to provide an update. Alexa Annunziata attended their last meeting and they discussed 3 trail maintenance. She also noted that the students participated in the Southold Volunteer Day at Southold High School. CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES PROGRAM-UPDATES Moved by Inga Van Eysden, seconded by Barbara Friedman to draft a CSC pledge letter and send to the'Town Board. Vote of Council: Ayes: All Motion Carried NEW AND CONTINUED DISCUSSIONS/UPDATES - Resident Guide —The draft has been shared with the Town Board, the Town Attorney and the Water Advisory Committee for their review. Once finalized, it will be distributed to the public at the Environmental Expo. - Environmental Expo. - The CAC members will prepare the Youth Environmental Council for the expo. Supervisor Krupski will work with Gwynn on a radio ad. Maggie will follow-up with Gwynn. Flyers were given to YETI for distribution, shared on Instagram, and sent to Peconic Landing and the civics. The Repair Cafe is still in need of volunteers. The CAC members will arrive early and help with the set-up, and Maggie will check with Nick Krupski on the status of the compost bin orders. Alexa offered to post the flyer through the Baykeeper .. - Town Hall Native Garden — Carol will meet with Erick Haas regarding the next steps and will send an e-mail asking for member availability to pick up the materials for the planting day scheduled for May 6tn Anne Murray, NFEC updated the CAC on the Litter Critter w/Brian Mealy sharing the concerns of the Town Board. Anne will focus on Greenport since the Town Board is not supporting the request at this time. The members discussed the idea of hosting a joint meeting with Water Advisory Committee. They agreed to host a meeting in the Fall. The next meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council is scheduled for Wed., May 6, 2026 at 4:30PM in the Conference Room. There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 PM. 4 Respectfully submitted by, c4atA -M � q4VAh Lauren M. Standish, Secretary Conservation Advisory Council