The Upper Susquehanna Coalition is seeking a state grant for urban reforestation of several parcels, including two city-owned properties in Oneonta.
On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Common Council’s Finance and Human Resources Committee decided to move to a vote of the full council a resolution supporting commitment to the project managers to access the city parcels to implement its reforestation practices.
According to a committee review of the proposal, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the first round of Community Reforestation grants that would fund reforestation within urban areas.
The two city-owned parcels being proposed for reforestation are located on the east side of East Street in the town of Oneonta, within the city’s Lower Reservoir watershed and are considered within an urban area as defined by the Community Reforestation program.
“There are vacant parcels — sort of brushy area, not a wooded area — areas that we’d like to reforest,” City Administrator Greg Mattice said Thursday. “In this case, we own these two properties, and we would be authorizing them to go on there and plant new trees.”
Through the program, up to 50 acres of vacant land could be planted with 100 to 500 bare-root trees per acre. Species selection would be determined through discussions with DEC and the project partners, including the coalition and Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The coalition would coordinate with the SWCD to handle planting and initial maintenance for three to five years, requiring minimal city involvement such as lawn mowing to prevent vegetation competition. The city would benefit from improved watershed health and runoff control.
The city recently completed another tree-planting project, the Planting Trees after Ash Loss Program, which consisted of planting 45 street trees in disadvantaged areas or the potential environmental justice areas — including 44 in River Street neighborhoods and one in Neahwa Park — and 12 apple trees at the Swart-Wilcox House Museum to recreate a historic orchard.
Take-home vehicles
In other business, the committee discussed a proposed revised take-home vehicle use policy for authorized city employees: the police chief, fire chief and transportation director.
Current policy allows five department heads to use vehicles for emergency and time-sensitive incidents, with specific criteria for incidental personal use.
In December, Fire Chief Brian Knapp requested changes to his compensation, which brought the current take-home vehicle use policy to the forefront of council discussion. Members have raised concerns about accountability, public perception and potential misuse, such as family members using the vehicles.
Proposals discussed Thursday included GPS tracking and monitoring systems to ensure proper use. GPS tracking may be considered for all fleet vehicles for better oversight and insurance purposes. The discussion also covered fuel management, with vehicles refueled at city gas stations and mileage tracked.
The committee decided to move the proposed policy changes to a discussion of the full council.