Owner of Round Lake parcel addresses resident concerns

During the Aug. 10 town board meeting, the Town of Monroe held a special question-and-answer session with Joel Mann, the owner of a highly-discussed parcel of land on Round Lake. Mann was invited to explain current activities on the property in response to numerous resident concerns of tree cutting and digging.

Mann has owned the property on 21 Front Street for eight years, and said there are no current plans to turn the property into any sort of development.

“I can tell you for sure, there are no development plans as we speak,” said Mann. “We fenced the property, we cleaned it up, there were no tree cuttings there, and I can prove that.”

Mann has added fences, a re-graveled driveway, cameras and electrical hardware to the property, causing some residents to be concerned about the activity on the lot. According to Mann, a sewer line present on the property had hydraulic capacity issues, which resulted in the county adding raised manholes several years ago to accommodate for the flow of sewage. Mann stated that several agencies have visited the property, and that he would be willing to talk with neighbors and show others the property as well.

Residents raise concerns about possible development

Monroe Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson read off some submitted questions from an online forum before the residents present asked their own questions. When asked about a timeline and exploratory phase in regards to development, Mann stated that he did not have a timeline for any projects.

When asked about conservation constraints in regards to any potential development, he mentioned that there are wetlands close to the shore of the lake that are protected. When asked about the tree cutting and development that the residents have seen, Mann said that they have only cut dead and fallen trees to “clean up” the area, which does not require a permit. In order to keep it a safe space for recreational purposes, culverts were added to the property’s previously mentioned sewer line as “regular property maintenance.” Mann stated that no work is being done in restricted or protected land.

Richardson then asked if any future project on Mann’s section of Round Lake would remain fully subject to standard local property taxes and municipal tax rules, and stated that the resident who asked that question was concerned that the use of the land for certain municipal or religious purposes would take it off the tax rules. Mann said he could not commit to anything.

Councilmember Mary Bingham asked what sewer district the parcel was a part of, which Mann answered as Sewer District One. Councilmember Bethany Stephens said she had seen the videos of trenching and large pipes and asked Mann to explain what that was and why it was done. Mann responded that it was replacing the pipes from the county, and that there are five pipes total with two having been updated by him.

Residents call for transparency

Multiple residents brought up the concern about the lack of a call to 811, a service that prevents inadvertent sewer, electrical or water damage on digging projects. Mann said he spoke to the county about digging and that, to his knowledge he was not in violation of the Department of Environmental Conservation for trenching near a wetland. Richardson said she and the board would review why a call wasn’t made to 811.

Mann denied claims of late-night construction taking place on the property, but asked residents to take pictures and send them timestamps of any projects occurring after dark.

Residents also brought up concerns of the lack of permitting and transparency issues regarding the potential future plans for this property. Richardson emphasized that any plans would need to go through multiple processes in front of multiple boards, and that the public would be aware of any potential plans.

Mann did not directly address resident concerns about the impact of potential runoff from development on the lake water and on local wildlife. He also responded to questions about his knowledge of how many protected wetlands are on the property, saying he believed it to be between five to six acres.

Supervisor emphasizes town’s role in property management

Richardson concluded the session by stating that the board has procedures and regulations when it comes to planning, but they cannot stop a property owner from doing work on their own land.

“We’re going to be lawfully overseeing what happens to the property...We, as a town, it is our job to oversee planning, it is literally our main function, to regulate land use and be land use stewards. We cannot bar or select who owns a property, who builds on a property or what comes up on it,” said Richardson.