Soil and water district seeks village help coordinating reforestation grant; raises contamination question on North Avenue site

Heather Gellifford of the Tyogga County Soil and Water Conservation District described a community reforestation grant the district contracted in January and asked the village to assist with outreach and logistics.

Gellifford asked the board to collaborate on a landowner notification letter, help identify a village parcel suitable for a planned groundbreaking (tentatively set for Sept. 22), and coordinate posting information on the village website. She said the grant covers plant stock, soil amendments and mulch for roughly 600 trees across selected parcels and that the project aims to plant in fall 2026, though the schedule could be adjusted.

Gellifford raised a specific concern about the North Avenue art‑park parcel: subsurface compacted gravel and contaminated fill include heavy metals and petroleum‑related contaminants. She said a geotechnical review showed native soils beneath the fill are contaminated and that removing and trucking the contaminated material would be cost‑prohibitive; alternatives discussed included capping with clean topsoil and using shallow‑rooted phyto‑remediation species. Board members cautioned about floodplain/compensatory‑storage rules and recommended consulting the region’s NFIP coordinator (Briana Worly) on options and permitting constraints.

Gellifford offered to provide a written summary to the board and to return for follow‑up; trustees requested an emailed summary and time to review the proposed parcels before committing to event planning.