Brookwood Launch Relocation Questioned by OLT Neighbors

By DARLA M. YOUNGS
COOPERSTOWN

No change in use, no change in capacity, no road, no lights, no structures.

When asked about concerns expressed by Brookwood Point Conservation Area neighbors, Otsego Land Trust Executive Director Gregory Farmer was adamant that relocation of the existing paddling launch to the northern end of the property does not constitute a change in OLT’s original master plan.

“This is exactly what has been discussed since we acquired the Brookwood Point property,” Farmer said in a telephone interview on Friday, May 3. “The only difference is the boardwalk, which requires a Special Permit from the town in order to protect the wetlands in that area.”

According to Farmer, the original master plan for the 22-acre parcel along Otsego Lake was developed in 2011 and approved in 2015, at which time OLT received a Special Permit to operate Brookwood Point as a recreational facility with no further conditions from the Town of Otsego. The northern location was the preferred spot for the paddling launch, but could not be completed then because the existing pedestrian bridges were in complete disrepair, Farmer explained.

“As there was no access then to the northern side of the property, we went with the natural launch at the southern end. We are now ready to complete that part of the project,” Farmer said.

In the intervening years, Farmer continued, it has become clear that the southern launch is too close to docks owned by the Otsego Sailing Club, whose property abuts Brookwood to the north.

Farmer said there have been numerous close calls between paddlers and sailboats, as both types of vessels provide limited operator control.

“We want to get out of the Otsego Sailing Club’s way and have a safer, more accessible launch site as per the original design and intent,” he said.

“We are working with Otsego Area Rowing to provide a safer and more accessible launch by moving it farther away from the Otsego Sailing Club docks,” Farmer stated in an e-mail. “The north side plan does not include any lights, roads or structures. We have applied to the Town of Otsego for a Special Permit to install a low boardwalk over the wetlands within 100 feet of the lakeshore. It will be reviewed by the Town of Otsego Planning Board on May 7 and by the Zoning Board of Appeals on May 21.”

There is nothing new in the proposal with regard to the paddling launch. Only the boardwalk crossing over the wetlands is new, Farmer reiterated.

According to the Town of Otsego ZBA minutes, on March 19, the Town of Otsego ZBA determined “that the variances needed would be a 35-foot variance on the east (rear or Lake side), and variance from Land Use Law 4.04, which prohibits new construction within 100 feet of Otsego Lake. John Dewey moved to deem the application complete, contingent on the application fee being paid by April 2, and to schedule a public hearing for April 16 with the same contingency. Chairman Crowell seconded the motion and it was approved, 5-0.”

At the public hearing on April 16, ZBA members heard comments both for and against the Brookwood project.

“Acting Chairman John Dewey opened the Otsego Land Trust (OLT) public hearing at 7:00 PM, and noted that the Town does not have jurisdiction over construction on Otsego Lake, only on the land surrounding it,” the minutes read. “He asked if anyone from the public had comments or questions about the application. Steve Talevi, sole Trustee of the Serendipity Trust, spoke at length, reading from a four-page April 16 letter (filed) he had distributed to the members. He claimed he had not received a hearing notice, thus that this was an unlawful hearing. Talevi said that his mother [Vera Talevi] shares a driveway with the OLT, and they are concerned about a potential increase in traffic. He said that the situation is self-created and the proposed construction will have adverse impacts on the environment. Talevi listed 19 conditions he wanted the Board to impose on the granting of any variances.”

Speaking in support of the project were: Craig Williams, a youth rower who has used the OLT property for the past seven years; Isabel Dudek, also a long-time user of the property; [Cameron] Chardoul; Diane [Moseman], who praised the project’s handicap-accessibility; and Brent Baysinger, who uses the OLT property for kayak sales and rentals in the summer months with the land trust’s permission.

Acting Chairman Dewey also read aloud an April 15 e-mail from Serena Black-Martin, 6056 State Highway 80, which expressed concerns about the size of the proposed floating dock.

According to the minutes, ZBA Clerk Bill Deane “noted that a hearing notice addressed to Frank Maloney was returned to sender as ‘attempted – not known.’ Deane also said that hearing notices, including one to Serendipity Trust at the address of record, were mailed on March 26, and no others were returned to the Town. The hearing was also advertised in the Daily Star, and Talevi was present at the March 19 meeting, when it was scheduled. With no further speakers or correspondence, Dewey closed the hearing.”

Steve Talevi said in an e-mail on Tuesday, May 7 that he and his mother, Vera, are concerned that the continued expansion and commercialization of the OLT property will encourage more use of the single lane unimproved driveway which Vera shares with OLT.

“Indeed, with no restrictions whatsoever, the property has gone from single-family residential use by Bob and Harry Cook to a multi-faceted commercial use which includes boat storage, boat rental, boat launching, and boat landing,” Talevi wrote. “All of these uses encourage vehicular traffic that was not present before OLT owned the property. Conditions have been presented to OLT to minimize the impact of its use of the property, but OLT is not interested in trying to fit into its neighborhood; it wishes only to use its property as it pleases without regard to my mother and others in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, that use is to the detriment of my mother.”

Farmer reported in an e-mail on Monday, May 6 that he had walked the Brookwood property that morning with concerned neighbors Michelle Eastman, Amanda Mahoney and Serena Black-Martin, along with OLT Vice Chair Richard O’Keefe and Lang Keith of Otsego Area Rowing.

“The discussion this morning was tense,” said Farmer, who has admitted to being puzzled by push-back against project details that improve safety and accessibility for free public use and enjoyment of the property.

Brookwood Point Conservation Area is 22 acres on Otsego Lake, located at 6000 State Highway 80, just north of the Village of Cooperstown. The property includes a creek, wetlands, formal gardens, fields and woodlands. OLT acquired Brookwood Point in 2011 through a merger with the Cook Foundation for the Preservation and Beautification of Cooperstown and Otsego Lake, Inc.

Under the Cook Foundation, Brookwood Point was open to the public. OLT agreed to merge with the Cook Foundation and acquired the responsibility of stewarding Brookwood Point with a sound plan for conservation and with the intention of keeping it open for public enjoyment. Brookwood Point is an essential site for public universally accessible canoe/kayak use on Otsego Lake and for starting a canoe/kayak journey down the Susquehanna River via the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

According to Farmer, OLT worked with a Citizen Advisory Committee in 2011 and 2012 to develop a management plan for the Brookwood Point Conservation Area. In the final report (May 2012), the Citizen Advisory Committee endorsed a strong statement:

“The highest priority for the site’s reuse is to maintain public access, primarily to create low impact public uses that include walking/hiking trails, non-motorized boat access, use of the formal gardens and other leisure activities that would not interfere with conservation goals.”

The results of the Town of Otsego Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, May 7 were not available at press time.

Meanwhile, “no paving, no excavation, no development,” Farmer said.