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Home My WebLink About2023-10 NewsletterOctober 2023 Town of Danby, New York Danby Town News Danby Youth Survey OPEN NOW for ages 11 - 19 This Fall the Danby Youth Commission (DYC) is calling all youth between the ages of 11 - 19 to complete a brief survey. The purpose of the survey is to assess the needs of youth in our Town: We'd like to know what youth do in their free time, the challenges they face, and what they want to see happen in our Town. The results will help the Town to better meet the needs of youth by offering programming and services that really matter to them. It is just 9 questions, multiple choice, easy-peasy. Caregivers and parents, PLEASE encourage your youth to complete the survey. The survey is for YOUTH to complete. The more youth voice, the better. You can access the survey online by scanning the QR code or typing in the link below into your web browser: . 1 https://www.surveymon key.com/r/ZM83Z3C Halloween Trick or Treat Trick or treating at the Fire Station will be repeated this year. It is tentaively scheduled for October 31st from 4:30 to 6:30. Confirmation and details will be available soon on the town website: danby.ny.gov and the youth facebook site. Heidi Doggart, the youth program coordinator, will be informed of the details as well October 2023 Town of Danby, New York Notes from the Town Board Budget October is the beginning of the budget season. The month will be very budget-focused and likely include extra meetings. You are welcome to attend meetings and learn more about where and how the Town receives funds and allocates them. Check the website calendar to keep abreast if this is of interest to you. Short-term Rental Working Group Reboot A working group of two town board members and the Town Planner had been working on analyzing the responses from the short-term rental survey. They were to propose changes to our laws to address the peculiar way we treat rental of houses i.e there is no regulation if you rent the entire building, but your home is listed as a tourist home if you live in it and rent out part of it. We are exploring how we can add provisions to make some more rentals legal i.e. tents, outbuildings, cabins, and similar non-residential facilities. Work will continue with Katharine Hunter replacing Steve Weissburg and Greg Hunter, the new town planner, joining Leslie Connors on the group. Noise Law Status At the September 5 meeting the Town Board took a first look at a new version of the many attempts to produce a noise law. This version resulted from a working group specifically containing both proponents and opponents and the input from residents. Some members and residents proved steadfastly opposed to any noise law whatsoever. Others became convinced that some sort of law is needed, given that it is now clear that state law does not apply except in public places and the Sheriff’s Department officers will not act without a local law. This proposal (the third proposal since we started on this issue over 2 years ago) is drafted to be the minimum necessary. The Board decided to send it to the attorney for appraisal and comments. The attorney has been working with another town on this same issue. South Danby Rd. event update As described last month, an event that violated the town’s zoning law was held August 25-27. This was a music festival for hundreds of paid attendees, with multiple bands (scheduled to perform over the course of the weekend including some scheduled after midnight), multiple food and drink vendors, and overnight camping on a 1.6 acre lot on South Danby Rd. An official violation notice was sent prior to the event but it was held anyway. The town is considering different options it can take in response to the zoning violation. Many residents expressed concerns about this event to the town board. Because we are concerned about the safety, security, and well-being of town residents and attendees, we are looking into modifications to our zoning law that would ensure such events could be held in Danby but only with proper sanitation, waste disposal, food safety, traffic, parking, security, and other planning being done by the organizers of the event. 2 Elected or Appointed Officials – a side by side comparison Based on comments from many town residents over several years Elected Appointed Qualifications •No minimum job-related qualifications. •Does not require prior experience. •Any citizen of the US and resident of the town can run if they are 18 years or older. •Town sets minimum qualifications •Could advertise for the position and look at resumes/interview applicants •Applicants will be expected to have experience and to meet predetermined qualifications. •The Town Board decides whether to require town residency. US citizenship is required. •Town board makes final decision about appointment. •Hiring committee can include local residents. •Could hire the most qualified person for the job, regardless of political party. Accountability •Elected officials cannot be disciplined, suspended, terminated, or supervised by the Town Board or Town Supervisor even if the job is not getting done. •The voters elect the official, who is accountable only to the voters •Must take an oath to fulfill duties outlined in state law. •“works” for residents of the town, as do other elected officials. •If necessary, disciplinary action is allowed if employee is not performing his/her duties. •The voters elect the Town Board and Supervisor who select and oversee the appointed employees of the town. •Hours could be determined by the Town Board. •Additional duties beyond those outlined in state law can be assigned with some assurance that they will get done. Could be dismissed or disciplined if he/she didn’t perform. Performance reviews may be done. Compensation •Salaries for elected officials are set by the Town Board and cannot be reduced or withheld during the term of office unless a referendum is held. •Salaries are set by the Town based on duties, qualification and experience. Job Security •Elected for 2-year term. •Difficult to remove from office. •The (2 yr) appointed positions can be either renewable term appointments or Civil Service. Civil Service offers strong job protections. Time Off •No restrictions on amount of time taken for vacation or sick leave. •Employee must adhere to the Personnel Policy for time off. Getting the Position •Have to be willing to engage in a political process, including running a campaign to get elected •Have to be willing to compete with other qualified candidates. 3 October 2023 Town of Danby, New York Tompkins County Legislature News Dan Klein One of the things I often say about government’s involvement in tackling issues is that if it were easy, someone would have done it already. Some issues where this seems most accurate are homelessness, mental health, affordable housing, emergency medical services, and broadband internet. I’m pleased to report that we seem to have a little movement on 2 of these difficult issues. This report is a little preliminary, but hopefully the projects will come to fruition. The County is proposing initiating a pilot (experimental) countywide rapid medical response system. The idea is that there would be 3 vehicles positioned around the county, each staffed with an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). These vehicles would be able to respond quickly to certain kinds of 911 calls, and could provide appropriate medical response. They would not be transporting patients. This project is not intended to replace any services currently being offered. The service would be in effect Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. This would cover times of heavy call volume and times when volunteer EMT’s are not as available to respond. In addition to decreasing response times, this system would reduce the number of calls where an ambulance is dispatched to a situation that ends up not needing an ambulance. This project won’t solve every problem, but it is the most positive development concerning rural emergency medical response that has come along in a long time. The County is seeking grants for the startup costs for the first year. After that, the projected annual operating cost is about $500,000. The County will probably ask the Towns to contribute a little financially to the project in future years, but this is not a precondition for starting up the program. If the Town of Danby were to start its own similar service, the estimated annual operating expense would be $377,000, paid for completely by Danby tax dollars. The Tompkins County Fire and EMS Chiefs Association has unanimously endorsed the program. There will be a public hearing on the proposal on October 3 at 5:30 at the County Legislature meeting. The other long-time, stubborn issue that should be improving in the foreseeable future is broadband internet. This month, the County will be receiving proposals for how to provide broadband access to every unserved address in Tompkins County. That’s over 1,200 addresses, many of which are in Danby. The County will be looking to pay for this one-time broadband buildout with a combination of grant money, County taxpayer money, and funds from the internet service providers. I will continue to report on these projects as they develop. 4 SEEKING MAINTENANCE and REPAIR HELP The Town of Danby is looking for someone interested in building maintenance and repairs for the Town Hall and grounds and more. If interested, please call Town Supervisor Joel Gagnon at: 607-277-4788 October 2023 Town of Danby, New York Conservation Advisory Committee (CAC) Margaret Corbit The Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) met at Town Hall on Tuesday, September 12 at 7 pm. Here are the highlights: During the Privilege of the Floor, Ronda Roaring suggested that CAC host a spring community event on the grounds of one of the easements. CAC discussed guidelines for potential Town tax abatement for easement holder. We also discussed the process that would implement the abatements. Property assessments and tax collection are the responsibility of the County and the Town will have to work with the Assessor’s office to implement the change. We also discussed a draft of guidelines for the Town Board to use as a reference for approving easements and potential tax abatements. We reviewed the status of six potential easements, some in active development. Council members reported on a productive meeting focused on the proposed Timber Harvest Law with a representative of the DEC. His input highlighted areas in the document that will need revision. At the end of the meeting, we turned to talking about Town Newsletter and how we can take advantage of it for outreach. We agreed to draft a letter to the Board urging that they include funding for a town paid position for the website and newsletter. Our next meeting is on October 10 at 7 pm in the Town Hall. Community members are welcome to attend in hybrid fashion or in person and a link for Zoom will be posted on the Calendar. West Danby Water District Todd Sukontarek Hello, Tod Sukontarak here. As of October 1, 2023 I will no longer be working as an operator in the West Danby Water District. I leave confident that operations are in good hands with Scott Wendt as the lead operator and his son Shawn the assistant. They have engaged support with an active advisory committee, bookkeeper and town supervisor. That group deserves a thank you and they are Ben Coakley, advisor chair; Marrell Cortright, advisor committee organizer; Marie Monroe, advisor; Skip Fairchild, advisor; Peter MacDonald, advisor; Marge Seamon, district bookkeeper and Joel Gagnon, town supervisor. Sarah, Toucan and I will be pursuing plans long in the making to see the country by camper. Thank you for your support all these years and best wishes. Happy Trails, alrighty then, mmm hmmm, Tod 5 October 2023 Town of Danby, New York 6 West Danby Water District Scott Wendt October 17th and 18th we will be flushing the water system. There may be some change in color of water but will only be for a short time. Thank you for your patience. November is election month The Town cannot include partisan campaign materials in this publicly-funded newsletter. To help you become more informed about the candidates in this contested race, there will be a candidate forum conducted by the League of Women Voters on October 13. For information about time, location and recording check the League's website. The Danby News will be publishing the six candidates' interviews in the October issue. BARNS, DRAWINGS AND THE LANDSCAPE M.A. Barr There are twenty plus drawings in the exhibit and perhaps twenty more old barns sitting in situ around the town, waiting to have their “portraits” done. An exact count has not yet been done and, of course the barns still standing are only part of the number that studded the landscape even twenty or thirty years ago. Seeing a number of the old structures all together evokes images of what the landscape must have looked like a hundred years ago when trees were cleared and looking out over the hills one would see vast acres of open fields in all directions. Punctuating the scene would be big barns and silos. Changing landscapes are an integral part of history and the old barns are big part of that story of our past. Several people studied drawings of some of Danby’s old barns at the opening of the display on September 9 in Town Hall. How many old barns are there in Danby? When were they built? How long does it take to do one of the pencil drawings? These are just a few of the questions that touched off conversation as people checked out the drawings and noted ones they A big thank you to Mary Ann Barr For sharing the beautiful drawings she made of Danby' s barns October 2023 Town of Danby, New York Youth Programs Heidi Doggett (hd289@cornell.edu) Fall programs began the week of September 17th, but they all still have room and are still open for registration. Danby youth programs are open to youth grades 4-8. You can register for programs at bit.ly/41jUwDO. Feel free to email program educator with questions at hd289@cornell.edu or call at (925)240-3572. Haunted Snacks and Costume Workshop (grades 6-8) Boynton Middle School 3:30-5:30 Mondays 10/2, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30 (grades 4-5) South Hill Elementary School 2:00-5:30 Thursdays 10/5, 10/12, 10/19,10/26 For both grade level s, there is an option for an extended program 10/9 from 9:00am-2:00pm, location TBA Do you have amazing plans for your Halloween costume this year? Are you looking for inspiration? Would you like some help, or just a group to hang out with and have fun while you work? This is the right program for you! We can’t count on making every single piece of the costume at the program, but we’ll be providing some materials and workshopping elements such as cloaks, light-up resin gems, and more as youth interest dictates. We’ll also be making some Halloween-themed snacks. Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: the Gathering, and board games (grades 6-8) Boynton Middle School 3:30-5:30 Wednesdays 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, *NO PROGRAM 11/22*, 11/29, 12/6, 12/13, 12/20 Do you dream of epic quests? Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, you can join this program to hone your D&D/Magic: the Gathering skills, as well as having time to play Gaga ball outside and try out other games (maybe try out a new table top role playing game?) This program runs all the way through December, but it will be broken up into multiple short D&D campaigns where we rotate to give all youth the change to get maximum quality playing time in a small group. Once a campaign begins, new players will need to form their own campaign or wait until the next one begins. We will provide kits to help youth run their own mini one-shots (short campaigns) and experiment with games to level up core playing skills like creativity, teamwork, improvisation, and others as dictated by program participants. Snack Scavengers (grades 4-5) Danby Town Hall/Dotson Park 2:30-5:30 Tuesdays 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24 Snack time, but you have to find it first! Search for ingredients to make simple snacks using written clues, a treasure map, and who knows what else. We’ll try something different every week, and if youth would like to, they can take turns making the snack hunts themselves. 7 Completed Medieval-style feast to celebrate the end of Dungeons and Dragons (Skills Mastery) October 2023 Town of Danby, New York Danby Community Groups Danby Community Library Contact: Cindy Parlett library@danby.ny.gov Open Tue 1-3pm, Thur & Sat 10am-12pm Danby Food Pantry Danby Community Church Contact: Joan Barber Open: 3rd Thur 4-6 pm Danby Food Scraps Pickup every Sat 9am – noon behind Town Hall Danby Community Parks Association (DCPA) Website: dotsonpark.org dotsonpark@gmail.com Danby Rural Cemetery Contact: Sharon Boda Sharonboda@gmail.com Danby Seniors Contact: Pat Phelps patriciaphelps2.0@ gmail,com Luncheons: 1st Thur at noon Danby Community Council President: Pamela Goddard Website: danbycc.org Meeting: 1st Thur 7pm Danby Tosspots (Open Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting) Wed 7pm virtual West Danby Community Association (WDCA) Contact: Pat Curran pc21@cornell.edu Danby Library News Cindy Parlett Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Lion and tigers and bears, oh my! 🎶 Does anyone remember Heffalumps and Woozles? What are your favorite scary Halloween memories? The fall books are on display including Back to School and Halloween. Juvenile and Mystery books on loan from TCPL have arrived. Friends of the Library Fall sale is scheduled and we are planning to add to our collection of books. 8 Danby Seniors Margie VanDeMark The next meeting of the Danby Seniors will be on October 5th, at 12 noon, at the Danby Community Church for a dish to share luncheon. All Danby seniors are welcomed! Then in November it's on the 2nd. On Thursday, December 7 at 12 noon we will be at LaTourelle for our Holiday Luncheon complete with John Simon Music. Sign up with Theresa Klinger at 607-275-6171 or tklinger617@gmail.com. The cost is $25 per person and there will be a cash bar. The Mystery Trip on September 26th happened thanks to the planning of Pat Sawyer and Pat Phelps. October 2023 Town of Danby, New York Monthly Meeting Schedule At-A-Glance Group Day Date Time Call-in by Phone Meeting ID Town Board* Tues 10/3 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 980 8515 9868 754633 WDWD Wed 10/4 5:00pm In person - West Danby fire station CAC* Tue 10/10 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 972 1566 0090 423584 FD Tue 10/10 7:00pm I n person at the Danby Fire Station DYC Thurs 10/5 7:00pm Online - contact jsorrentino@danby.ny.gov PB*Tue 10/17 7:00pm 1-646-876-9923 958 0817 5336 245871 Town Board* Wed 10/18 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 971 0723 2988 535713 BZA* Thurs 10/26 7:00pm TBD FD Tue 10/24 7:00pm In person at the Danby Fire Station See the Danby calendar for the final, most up-to-date details. (Acronyms in the above schedule are identified below.) *These meetings are hybrid (i.e. both online and in-person at the Town Hall) Boards & Committees Planning Board (PB) Chair: Jody Scriber planningboard@danby.ny.gov Meets: 3rd Tuesday at 7pm Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) Chair: Earl Hicks bza@danby.ny.gov Meets: 4th Thursday, as needed Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) Chair: Margaret Corbit cac@danby.ny.gov Meets: 2nd Tuesday at 7pm Danby Youth Commission (DYC) Chair: Jamie Sorrentino jsorrentino@danby.ny.gov Meets: 2nd Thursday at 7pm Fire District (FD) Secretary: Sharon Gaden, secretary@danbyfiredistrict.org danby.ny.gov/depts/danby-fire-district Danby Volunteer Fire Company (DVFC) Chief: John Gaden, jgaden@danbyfiredistrict.org danbyfiredept.org West Danby Fire Department (WDFD) Chief: Robert McCray rmccray@danbyfiredistrict.org westdanbyfire.com West Danby Water DIstrict (WDWD) Contact: Scott Wendt, swendt@danby.ny.gov Meets: 1st Wednesday at 5pm 9 October 2023 Town of Danby, New York Town Officials Main Phone: +1-607-277-4788 Town Supervisor Joel Gagnon, x1010 supervisor@danby.ny.gov Town Board Meets 1st Tue and 3rd Wed Leslie Connors Paul Hansen H Katharine Hunter Pat Woodworth townboard@danby.ny.gov Town Clerk Deputy Town Clerk Hours: Mon–Fri 11am–6pm Janice Adelman Cindy Katz clerkoffice@danby.ny.gov x8001 Highway Superintendent Deputy Highway Superintendent Hours: Mon–Thu 6am–4:30pm Keith Shipman, x8009 highway@danby.ny.gov Jack Shawley, x1012 jshawley@danby.ny.gov Town Justices Court Clerk Hours: Mon-Wed 8am-11am Garry Huddle Theresa Klinger Diane Gair dgair@nycourts.gov Town Planner Hours: Mon–Fri by appointment Greg Hutnik, x1007 planner@danby.ny.gov Code Enforcement Hours: Mon-Fri by appointment Steve Cortright, x1006 code@danby.ny.gov Documents / Historian Mary Ann Barr, x1008 mbarr@danby.ny.gov Bookkeeper Laura Shawley, x1011 lshawley@danby.ny.gov 10 Danby, New York From: 1830 Danby Road Ithaca, NY 14850 PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No.428 Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: +1-607-277-4788 https://danby.ny.gov Welcome to the Danby Town News! Questions? Email us at townnews@danby.ny.gov