Paul Szmal: Geneva Town Supervisor Mark Vannuti is here. I think we're all breathing a little bit easier this morning.
Guest: We are it's much better
Paul Szmal: All right. Let's get to some of the stuff that was on the agenda for the most recent town board meeting We've talked about this process over the last couple of visits that we've had with the amendment to the zoning law there was the The public hearing for that and And the final step in the process after the public hearing was to adopt and apply the resolution
Guest: Yes, so we did we had the public hearing actually nobody spoke about the law there was one question by someone who was there and then just asking what it was about and then we went through the environmental review and then Unanimously passed the law which basically It's just cleaning up we have an overlay It's called the Lakeview overlay district on the west side of route 14 in the south end of the town where you have a nice View of Seneca Lake and it's been basically the overlay district allows tourism kind of activities restaurants wineries breweries lodging facility of certain size and we didn't have a Definition of lodging facility So we cleaned that up by creating one and it does in the overlay district You can have a lodging facility of 14 rooms or fewer because we don't want like a holiday in towering over it
Paul Szmal: But right we wouldn't mind a smaller type of thing for you know that caters to tourists
Guest: Yeah, yeah like a boutique hotel right and be that sort of thing.
Paul Szmal: Okay. There was also another procedural Resolution that covered health insurance for town employees
Guest: Yes, we're we've been looking at this. It's called the Tompkins greater Tompkins County Consortium and they have quite a few Municipal it's just for municipalities the city of Geneva joined it. I think two years ago Last year the soil and water conservation district of Ontario County joined and I'm on that board which piqued my interest and We looked into it and we can save about $70,000 if we change to the consortium versus the plan that we have now and we can get the same coverage So we took the first step a town board resolution now will apply It's a basically run by the municipalities. We get a seat on the board. They even have a Committee of Union people to look at it from that aspect So it's it looks really good and we're gonna move in that direction. It would take effect in 27
Paul Szmal: This is just one step in the process how many more steps before that's actually it
Guest: Well, we have to we have to apply and we and that's due by the end of this month actually by August 1st So we fill out an application tells them, you know, how many employees we have things like that They take it to their board if their board approves it there's another step in October or November where we'll get final approval and Then, you know be ready for the 27 year
Paul Szmal: We're with Geneva Town Supervisor Mark Venuti here on Evel FLX morning on Finger Lakes News Radio now this is kind of an interesting story here because the the town hall parking lot needs a repaving and There was some unexpected revenue that came about to help make this project possible
Guest: Yeah, so when we did the budget for 27, which is actually approved in the fall you know the only put in there the normal sort of like Striping and and What do you call it when you just spray the the tar on there?
Paul Szmal: Oh the sealer
Guest: the sealer, but it's in much worse shape We looked walked around and it really needs a complete milling and paving which is going to cost sixty some $1,000 so it wasn't in the budget But we from the county has finally released our cannabis share of the cannabis tax. So we have a Cannabis dispensary in the town of Geneva and we get a certain percentage of the tax revenue It goes to the county and the county has to give it to the to the towns or you know There's I think several the town of Geneva the city of Geneva Victor Canada whether they have dispensary. So it gets right up and There we have it It was not in the budget because in the fall we hadn't received it and didn't know when we were gonna So we've got the money to basically do the paving. They're using the cannabis tax
Paul Szmal: Yeah, so that turned out to be a happy story.
Guest: It is absolutely
Paul Szmal: There was also a movement on the creation of a town of Geneva Sewer district along New York State Route 14. I think we've talked about this a little bit before
Guest: Yeah, so this is the next step We're working with the town of Phelps. They want a sewer there. They run out, you know, we go to we go a little bit past where the foreign supports is And it turns in the town of Phelps They want to go all the way to the freeway exit because they could put a hotel there and with sewer
Paul Szmal: Yeah, and then beyond so we're they've been at they've been successful in getting grants And they're gonna apply for another one in order to have the application We have to have an intermunicipal agreement that shows we're working together and we are and so we passed the intermunicipal Agreement between the town of Geneva and the town of Phelps. So this grant application can be filed and defer Yeah people that benefit have to pay so the more grants we get the easier that's gonna be Yeah, I remember there used to be that hotel right behind the 7-eleven there at the corner of 318 and 14
Guest: Yeah, yeah, that's right And then they've got somebody that says they're gonna build another one if we can put sewer up.
Paul Szmal: Ah, okay So that's an important step in the process. What's the follow-up on that moving forward now?
Guest: Well, the Garin application will go in there's quite a bit already But if we get it, that's great if we don't get it We'll probably still proceed because it's been cost out already and this will be a couple of years basically So well, you know, it would go to full design at the end of this year. We'd get into 27 Maybe start it in 27 Finish it in 27 or 28
Paul Szmal: now speaking of asking for grants or assistance the next resolution that came up revolves around the fact that the town of Geneva is a Climate smart community and there's some grant money available to that regard.
Guest: That's right we had a climate smart coordinator part-time for a while, but that position went away and We can go for a grant now to get a part-time person that will help the transfer station work with our Sustainability committee and the city's Green Committee to keep moving in the direction, you know, there is grant money there That's going to help with these things So we might as well get our share and that's what this position will help us do
Paul Szmal: one of the things that was presented at the town board meeting to was from the folks at SUNY Stony Brook Waste Data and Analysis Center. They put together a report basically talking about Recycling efforts reducing waste the report was good, but there's still room for improvement
Guest: Yes, you know they they came on a morning when our transfer station was open and took Trash put it on a big tarp and took recycling put it on a tarp and then sorted it out to tell us what are people doing and It's the good news and the bad news is that almost 50% of the trash is organic matter Which means it doesn't have to go there Which means with some education and giving people some outlets for it We can people can reduce their trash by almost 50% and we do take food waste at the town We you know We have different way ways that you can have a backyard composter if you don't like that You can bring your food waste there, but people are still putting it in the trash and that's what causes the smell That's what causes the methane
Paul Szmal: At the at the landfill
Guest: Yeah, so those kinds of things it shows us where we can make improvements
Paul Szmal: now related to that. There was a Item here. There's a company called W to e Americas. They do waste energy facilities that turn trash sewage sludge and to a Fuel that can be used to generate electricity
Guest: Yes, I went to a meeting a couple of weeks ago and it's this is one of these things where it's almost too good to Be true because they they it's not really an incinerator, you know we had this incinerator proposal several years ago over near Romulus that was I Opposed and many people did because it was going to be this massive thing Bringing in trash from all over the place kind of like a big landfill and burn it. Well, this uses a different method It's called controlled pyrolysis.
Paul Szmal: I'm glad you look it up and not me Well, I looked it up and it's it's legit, right and it's used in Europe a lot There is heat but the the residue is like 2% ash, which is clean It even breaks down PFAS, which most Processes do not gets rid of it and they will take almost anything like trash sludge Hazardous waste Medical waste and they they want to they like to site near a big user So they're looked at Geneva because of the glass plant, which is a huge energy user. So they're gonna they would take the trash and Turn it into energy and feed the gas plant or other big users or the grid So it's early in the stage. These people were coming around telling us what they do. We've got a vet it They need to they want to be in a place that where there's Transportation like rail which we have in other places, too. So we're looking at it I know, you know people are gonna be worried. Oh, we don't want to start importing a lot of trash So the first thing I asked him was how much do you need and they said it's about two hundred thousand tons Now Ontario County generates about a hundred and ten thousand So it's not much more we could easily get it from close by so we wouldn't be importing from all over the place
Guest: Yeah There could kind of be one of those municipal agreements like we're talking about for the sewer There could be one of those with adjoining communities for the trash exactly And so we would solve our trash problem and help an energy problem. So it's worth looking at
Paul Szmal: Yeah, and I take it they'll be more on that down the road as we investigate it further
Guest: Yes, there'll be there's gonna be follow-up meetings. We're a long way off from actually doing that
Paul Szmal: All right, as always we appreciate it mark next town board meeting, sir
Guest: August 11th second Tuesday of the month and we you can come at 530 We are there to hang around and talk a little or the official start is 6.
Paul Szmal: Okay. Always appreciate seeing you, sir
Guest: Thank you very much.
Paul Szmal: Thank you Paul
