Springwater Party Line: Trio of public hearings slated next week at Town Hall

Katherine writes

We are happy to report that Pat Martindale is doing well after her surgery and is back home. We have prayers in for Jim Van Scooter Sr. as he is having eye surgery and for his wife, Betty Van Scooter, to continue to heal well after her chest surgery, and for many others who have challenges of every kind this week.

The Springwater Parks and Recreation Group hiked the gorgeous snow-covered area of Wolf Gull on Livingston, Ontario and Steuben counties bordering the southeast corner of our town Sunday. We had 19 hikers with four of them joining us for the hike for the first time. The sun was shining and the snow was piled several inches on every needle and branch of the many hemlocks along the path. We also saw a wetlands area with a park bench strategically located to enjoy the spectacular view. Concolor or white fir and native balsam were pointed out along the way, as well as a phone mounted on a tree and 8 mile an hour signage. We thank the landowners in the area for permission to hike this beautiful trail and also our hike leader for this area, Rick Henchen. The total hike was around two hours and two to four miles in length over relatively flat terrain save for a nice hill climb to see what was over-the-hill, a view of four hilltops. The after hike social was at the Atlanta Mountain View Inn where most everyone congregated.

The next hike will be in Canandaigua, the farthest distance from Springwater to date, and Deena Munsell is organizing the hike and suggesting the place for the after hike get together. For details, log into www.townofspringwaterny.org and click on Calendars and details for the week’s hike, usually posted by Friday evening of the week prior or call Ellen Foltz on her cell at 585-750-6288.

The Springwater Parks and Trails Plan meeting will be at the Springwater Town Hall 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 21. Your ideas and comments are sought, so please feel free to attend and bring your family and friends. You can pick up a copy of the plan at the Town Hall or online at townofspringwaterny.org.

If you have a woodlot, you may be interested in the Forest Owners Association. Several Springwater residents are active members of the Western Finger Lakes Chapter, including Dean Faklis who will be the speaker at the next event. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m., Faklis will discuss “Woodland Trails & Structures: Creating Your Legacy” at the United Church of Christ, 8758 Main St., Honeoye. For more information, visit www.nyfoa.org.

Judy writes

As a child, I lived quite near the San Andreas fault in California and the angry movement of the tectonic plates below the surface of the earth often caused buildings to shake, roads to cave in and major upheaval in the overpopulated areas. More than 40 years ago, I came to New York and never realized western New York had its own fault line in Attica. Through the years, I have spent some time learning about the geophysical aspects of our earth, and lately I have spent considerable time reviewing those notes.

The upcoming Springwater Town Council meeting on Jan. 23 is an opportunity for people to come together and speak at a public hearing on the town passing a moratorium for hydraulic fracturing of the shale that holds precious natural gas in the Southern Tier. While many believe that this is an opportunity for people to go to work and revenue to start flowing into New York, many others are opposed to hydro-fracking because not enough is known about the process.

Earthquakes along the Clarendon-Linden Fault Line in western New York and southern Ontario, Canada, have been documented since Oct. 23, 1857. While not frequent and rarely ever causing major damage, these earthquakes are a gentle reminder that we do not know everything going on beneath our feet. The process of injecting large quantities of water and chemicals below the surface of the earth to break up the shale and release the precious gas has not been studied enough to know if the process can trigger such force that it causes vibrations to the tectonic plate. What is known is that some of the chemicals used in the process are poisonous to people and are not completely extracted from the drilling site. Fracturing the shale causes these chemicals to pour into crevices and hydro-fracking opponents fear that will spoil the water systems we depend on for our daily lives and livelihoods.

Many of us know that most of Springwater’s soil is very granitic in nature. It is not too difficult to find granite stones when digging in the fields or trying to put flowers in flower beds. Several years ago an accidental spillage of farm fertilizer into Limekiln Creek polluted the water and killed off the fish and aquatic life. It took years before fish were found again in Limekiln Creek and the children could enjoy a lazy summer day fishing along the creek.

A moratorium is not an outright ban. It is an adjournment of 12-18 months to further research the process and make a more informed decision. It allows the town council and residents to expand their knowledge and talk to the experts.

Two other public hearings are also scheduled for that same evening. One to determine if the town should purchase a generator which will be used to prevent any power outages at the sewer plant from impacting the water system, the other on the new sewer law. All of these issues are important matters that require public input, please plan on attending and come prepared to address the board with your comments and concerns.

Nineteen people came out last Thursday for the Gala Committee meeting. It was a good exchange of ideas and plans are definitely moving forward to have another successful event. The GALA Committee will hold its next meeting on Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. at the Springwater Legion Hall. We hope you will join us.

 Have a great week!