Meeting Minutes

July 26, 2005
Meeting called to order at 7:05 PM by Art Beveridge and the group was led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

June meeting minutes were accepted as amended. Traci Watson will make the amended changes and Mike Malicki will post to the MCWC website.

There was not a treasurer’s report at this meeting. Mike Malicki stopped to get the files, but Jen Chilcote was not available.

Old Business:
At this time, there aren’t any new grants or updates. Jen Demchak has not heard from Growing Greener.

There is nothing going on with the watershed tour/scavenger hunt. “This horse isn’t dead yet” said Art Beveridge.

There isn’t any new news on the Blue Pipe Discharge topic. Jen Demchak has asked Mario to keep her up to date. We had previously asked that a member of MCWC be involved in all future meetings and representation, but Jen Demchak has not heard anything at this time. Jen Demchak will ask again.

Mike Malicki gave an update on the informational sign. It will be erected some time in August after we direct Saupp Signs where to put it. Mike Malicki will have the bill sent. Jen Demchak brought up that there was not a logo for the Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant Program so it was decided no logo but we will put funded by Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant Program.

There are no plans regarding the trash clean-up and nothing has been heard from the Morris Township secretary. It was discussed about the dumping in the area where MCWC picked up before (the road above 970) – that trash was dumped right by the discharge where we sample. Jen Demchak added that it looked like industrial type garbage; fencing, posts, or something to the like. She said that every time she goes to that location it looks like new pickup loads of stuff have been dumped. Ann Donovan mentioned that there is a new enforcement officer so she has offered to call.

Art said we need to make a presence somehow at the Upper West Branch Triathlon and Watershed Festival on September 17. Art will be on vacation that weekend. Jen Demchak said that she will have to be there that weekend and would be happy to take the board and the table and spend the day when she’s not educating. Kevin, the intern, will help Jen Demchak.

New Business:
Jen Demchak provided an update on the Trout Run project. We sampled over the weekend of July 23rd and everything was dry as we expected, but that’s why she wanted to do it so she could see what dries up in these dry periods. Additional stream samples were also pulled to see what else was going on. We will sample once more in either September or October 2005. Jen Demchak also discussed that the restoration plan was really moving forward; she has the sites all prioritized. The biggest focus right now is re-mining in the watershed and Jen Demchak is working with John Foreman, an engineer from Altoona. There are 2 areas, one is along 970 where the trash dump is, Cowfer has the rights and he was doing some re-mining plans of his own but Jen Demchak and John Foreman will be meeting with him in a couple of weeks to give him their view on building one huge passive treatment system when Cowfer is done so that would then clean out from Spike Island down. The second area is our study tributary – all of that needs re-mined (Gearhart). John Foreman is going to do a re-mining plan for that and present it to both Cowfer and River Hill. Jen Demchak will let the group know when that meeting is because it might be good to have further representation from the group. Art said he would like to be there for that meeting. Jen Demchak also discussed that we should really do public workshops to inform what we want to do and why as soon as that plan is done.

Art Beveridge and Mike Malicki gave a great report on the Tullytown Landfill tour that they went on July 21, sponsored by the Centre County Solid Waste Authority. They noted the lakes from old quarried areas – in the middle of these quarried areas is where the landfill is and around the quarried lakes are a couple of towns, residential living - and that there are campgrounds, camping areas, picnic areas; anything that you might want to do along a nice lake, and this is right next to the landfill. They discussed at length how this landfill “works” and came away from this experience with a good and very different view on what landfills are generally perceived as and said that it was definitely worth the trip.

The group discussed current events related to Resource Recovery. Sean Bartlett did compose and send a letter to them regarding private roads versus the interchange.

Art had a brainstorm and discussed this with Michelle earlier, he would like to have in our monthly meetings some kind of a lesson on acid mine drainage to educate people who don’t know all the basics. We could talk about how it’s treated, etc. and maybe get it on our website and people could read the month’s “lesson” and past “lessons”. It could be about current issues that would spark people’s interest. It was also discussed that we have guest speakers come in. We discussed advertising with flyers in stores, the Philipsburg Journal, The Progress, the radio station.

Meeting was adjourned as the thunder and lightening started – 8:30 PM.