Mortelaro site-plan review paused after fire marshal questions pond adequacy
June 25, 2026 | Victor, Ontario County, New York
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The planning board on June 24 reviewed a site plan for a single-family home on an 88.506-acre parcel submitted by Ellium Acres LLC and represented by Thornton Engineering, but the board declined to act until the fire marshal’s comments about water-supply adequacy are resolved.
Lehi Thornton told the board the project team resubmitted drawings on June 17 showing a second pond close to the proposed house and a dry hydrant arrangement sized to exceed the fire-suppression storage the fire marshal indicated would be required. Thornton said the fire marshal indicated a rural standard (cited in the hearing as “NFPA 11 42”) that led him to request approximately 120,000 gallons of stored fire-suppression water; Thornton said the design provides substantially more than that and that the site includes an existing irrigation pond of roughly 850,000 gallons.
Thornton acknowledged an error in the drawings’ detail callouts and said "I acknowledge that I screwed up" in relation to a standard detail; he described that as an easy swap but said the more significant issue is convincing the fire marshal the ponds will retain water year-round and supply sufficient volume for firefighting. Board members and staff said the town frequently asks for engineer-supplied proof that a proposed pond will hold water across seasons and suggested the applicant obtain a letter from a fire-protection (or fire-suppression) engineer to demonstrate compliance with the applicable standard.
The board also discussed Department of Health (DOH) backlog on wastewater-system review; members said conditional approvals tied to DOH or CFO sign-off have been used in the past, but emphasized that the fire marshal’s unresolved comments could affect grading and site layout. The board and applicant agreed to continue coordination, including providing requested engineering reports, and to return when the fire-marshal and DOH items are resolved.
No motion to approve the Mortelaro site plan was taken; the project remains under review pending a fire-protection engineer’s confirmation and any DOH feedback required for septic/wastewater.
Lehi Thornton told the board the project team resubmitted drawings on June 17 showing a second pond close to the proposed house and a dry hydrant arrangement sized to exceed the fire-suppression storage the fire marshal indicated would be required. Thornton said the fire marshal indicated a rural standard (cited in the hearing as “NFPA 11 42”) that led him to request approximately 120,000 gallons of stored fire-suppression water; Thornton said the design provides substantially more than that and that the site includes an existing irrigation pond of roughly 850,000 gallons.
Thornton acknowledged an error in the drawings’ detail callouts and said "I acknowledge that I screwed up" in relation to a standard detail; he described that as an easy swap but said the more significant issue is convincing the fire marshal the ponds will retain water year-round and supply sufficient volume for firefighting. Board members and staff said the town frequently asks for engineer-supplied proof that a proposed pond will hold water across seasons and suggested the applicant obtain a letter from a fire-protection (or fire-suppression) engineer to demonstrate compliance with the applicable standard.
The board also discussed Department of Health (DOH) backlog on wastewater-system review; members said conditional approvals tied to DOH or CFO sign-off have been used in the past, but emphasized that the fire marshal’s unresolved comments could affect grading and site layout. The board and applicant agreed to continue coordination, including providing requested engineering reports, and to return when the fire-marshal and DOH items are resolved.
No motion to approve the Mortelaro site plan was taken; the project remains under review pending a fire-protection engineer’s confirmation and any DOH feedback required for septic/wastewater.
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