Although residents have appealed to town officials to help prevent a large pig farm from opening in Montezuma, the town's planning board told them this week that there's not much that can be done at this point, largely because nothing has been formally proposed.

On Tuesday, Dan Randolph and some members of his group of residents, known as Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Montezuma, presented the planning board with information he thought would be helpful: how the permitted process works for a CAFO and what permits have to be applied for before an ordinance can be written.

While Randolph intends to stop Richard Snyder from building an operation with as many as 2,000 swine to protect the environment as well as the health and safety of Montezuma residents, he said his organization has a broader purpose that could be applied to others in the area concerned about the environmental impact of corporate farming.

While there are 28 state-registered CAFOs in Cayuga County, most of them dairy, planning board chairman Joseph Verdi said nobody on the board really knew how many there were in the Montezuma area. Verdi also said that, depending on the kind of animal being raised, numbers vary to qualify a farm as a CAFO.

Verdi said the planning board was in the midst of writing a subdivision code. It was also writing a comprehensive plan to suggest laws that might govern the direction of the community at large.

Montezuma is zoned 90 percent agricultural/residential, according to Verdi, with a small commercial area, small industrial area, and open land for the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge.

Verdi characterized the pig farming concerns of some residents as “a lot of stir up over nothing. We haven't seen any documentation to consider.”

Snyder, the man rumored to be considering raising pigs, doesn't even own the property, a vacant dairy farm near the intersection of East Loop and Denman roads, zoned agricultural.

“There's nothing to say yes or no to,” Verdi said.

Some residents presented the board with paperwork to consider, related to CAFOs, and Verdi said the planning board would be collecting data from the state over the next six months to add to its comprehensive plan.

“We draw up drafts and the town board votes on it. They file with the state and the state reviews the plan,” Verdi said.

Farming falls under New York state regulations, with the planning and zoning boards issuing building permits.

“Future planning includes encouraging types and size of farms as well as collecting state guidelines,” Verdi said.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net