Town of Penfield forms new open space committee | News

The Town of Penfield's 2010 Comprehensive Plan calls for continued commitment to open space preservation, and in support of this recommendation, the Penfield Town Board has formed a new 2012 Open Space Committee to review and update the 2006 Open Space Plan.

The committee is charged to review the town's existing open space inventory and identify new properties for consideration for open space designation.

The original open space index was established in the 1970s and has been updated throughout the decades, most recently in 2006. Since 2001, with the adoption of the town's Open Space Plan, approximately 1,200 acres have been preserved in the town of Penfield, most of which is farmland.

Notable examples of open space preservation designated for public use are Rothfuss Park (active recreation) and Sherwood Fields (passive recreation). The 2012 committee is reviewing remaining parcels from the 2006 inventory with specific criteria in mind such as preservation of fragile terrain, connection of trail systems, and preservation of parcels with environmental significance.

The committee invites Penfield property owners to nominate their own parcels for consideration of open space preservation. Parcels must be at least five acres with attributes like environmentally sensitive features, proximity to other open spaces, the potential for active or passive recreation, and preservation of plant or wildlife species.

"Penfield continues to be noted for providing a balance of residential, business and open space growth across the town," said Supervisor Tony LaFountain. "This great community started generations ago on a strong agricultural and open space foundation, and the goal is to preserve that for many generations to come."

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Courtesy www.PenfieldPost.com