HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-04April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Danby Town News
Welcome to the Danby Town News
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Danby Youth Commission
The newly formed Danby Youth Commission is
an advisory body responsible for coordinating all
youth programming in Danby with the County
Municipal Youth Services Department.
The commission will meet monthly. Town Board
Member Katharine Hunter was recently
appointed to the Commission with additional
members to be appointed in April, including an
employee of a school, a youth member, a parent,
and three at-large members, at least one from
Danby and one from West Danby.
Operating Guidelines as well as applications to
serve on the commission can be found on the
town website, danby.ny.gov.
Please consider serving our youth by applying to
the Commission. If you have any questions, email
hkhunter@danby.ny.gov.
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
From the Town Supervisor, Joel Gagnon
Spring is in the air as I sit down to write about what
might interest you.
Dollar General Pulls Out
The discovery of more extensive wetlands may
have prompted it, but it isn’t really clear why the
proposal for a Dollar General store just south of
the Danby hamlet was withdrawn. It was being
considered under the old zoning rules since it was
submitted before adopting the new zoning law in
January. Stores as large as this are not allowed in
the hamlet under the new zoning without
discretionary accommodation by the Town Board,
which is not an entitlement. That discretion,
coupled with the need to comply with commercial
design guidelines, will help ensure that future
commercial development is in scale and relates to
the built environment of Danby – both existing
and future.
Gunderman Road Emergency
By the time you read this, Gunderman Road may
already be closed for emergency replacement of
the bridge. The one lane was thought to be safe;
however, after serious additional deterioration of
the abutments due to undermining by stream flow,
an engineer hired to evaluate the condition of the
structure concluded that risk of collapse is real and
constitutes a serious hazard. The Town Board
authorized replacement of the bridge with a
culvert, which will save considerably on the cost.
Fortunately, since we were planning on
replacement in the not-so-distant future, the
Highway Department had already sought DEC
approval for a culvert and been given dimensional
requirements. The culvert was ordered; contract
for the work was approved by the Board at the
March 16 meeting. Keith Shipman, Danby Highway
Superintendent, projects that the replacement can
be accomplished in 3 weeks’ time, once initiated.
Solar Panels in Wetlands
The Town Board asked the Conservation Advisory
Council to look into whether it would be
reasonable to put solar panels in wet areas. A
committee consisting of Margaret Corbit and
Jonathan Zisk, undertook that investigation and
produced a report (danby.ny.gov/docs/solar-
panels-wetlands). The answer to the question?
It depends.
Not all wetlands are of equal value. We have a lot
of poorly drained land in Danby, much of it is
seasonally wet. We also have some very high
quality and richly diverse wetlands. With care (best
practices were identified), solar arrays can be
placed in low quality wet areas. The ecology will be
affected, but not necessarily adversely.
This report will assist the Planning Board when it
conducts its Site Plan Review of proposed solar
farms. The Planning Board has the authority to
modify or waive the requirements of our solar
power regulations, which broadly restrict building
in wetland areas.
Broadband Survey Results
We need wonder no longer. The commissioned
study of where wired internet access is missing in
Danby has been completed. The map of the results
(danby.ny.gov/docs/2022-broadband-study)
reveals several clusters of unserved areas. These
include areas north and south of the hamlet of
West Danby, a lot of Comfort and Bald Hill Road
residences south of Lieb Road, more on Jersey Hill
and the adjacent north end of Comfort before it
turns east, and a large area east of Nelson on East
Miller and Coddington Roads. This information
will be shared with the county and inform the next
step: how do we get service to the unserved?
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Highway Superintendent News
-Keith Shipman
Hello Danby Residents,
Let’s Talk Roads!
As your newly elected Highway Superintendent,
ten weeks in, I would like to take this
opportunity to update the Town on what we
have been working on at the Highway
Department, other than taking care of our
slippery roads.
Safety is a priority, and I have been scheduling
meetings to make sure that we stay current with
the safety training for our highway crew. We
have a great staff who all work very hard at
keeping the roads safe for the public.
I have set my focus on examining the condition
of the town roads to put together a priority list of
road repair. Let’s face it, timing is of the essence
when it comes to our bridges and culverts. The
first critical projects are the Gunderman Road
Bridge, the West Jersey Hill Road Bridge, and
culverts at the intersections of East Miller Road
and Troy Road. We are also looking at the
culverts on Bruce Hill Road and Deputron
Hollow Road. We are working together with
DEC, Fish and Wildlife, Tompkins County Soil
and Water, and Army Corp of Engineers to make
sure that we get this right for the Town’s future.
Things are in process and I will keep the public
informed on these projects.
I want to schedule some paving projects for the
near future, which is a costly process. I currently
do not have the list of what roads to be worked
on this year. One of the most important things
that needs to be considered is preventive
maintenance. Let’s keep our good roads in good
shape and make sure we are addressing the
water problems that can cause a lot of damage
to the surface and road sides. This is also true for
our dirt roads and, when tackling road
reconstruction, it is absolutely essential to get
the right materials for a good recipe from our
stone quarries. I have been vigilant on this
matter and we are gathering the needed
materials. Our dirt roads are being reprofiled to
determine the best plan to get the water off the
road to prevent damage. We are also doing core
samples to examine the base to determine the
proper mix to strengthen the road before
sinking money into surface materials.
I believe my predecessors in the past did what
they could do with the budget that they had. If
we can keep going in the direction of doing
maintenance at even a higher level, and analyze
our road bases in more detail, we will see better
roads in the future. When we do pinpoint the
roads that will be worked on this year, and if
yours is not one of them, please keep in mind
that the work on your road is not off the table. I
am confident with my plan to begin making the
roads compatible with today’s standards.
Please keep in mind that our approximately 70
miles of roads, could take some time.
I enjoy serving the Town of Danby and I want
everyone to feel that I have an open-door policy.
Please call me at 272-9169, or email
highway@danby.ny.gov with any concerns. I
will do my best to give you answers. I look
forward to a good spring and summer season.
Thank you all for your confidence.
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Tompkins County Legislature News
- Dan Klein, danbydan@hotmail.com
Sales Tax
The final sales tax receipt numbers from 2021
are in. It was a record year. Receipts were up
21% from 2020, which was a very low sales tax
year due to the shut down of the local economy.
2021 receipts were up 7% from 2019, which itself
was a record year. It’s hard to say exactly what
accounts for this increase, but the likely
contributors are pent-up demand and high gas
prices. The Town of Danby sees a share of sales
tax receipts.
Assessments
Many Danby residents received their new
assessments, and a lot of people are shocked
and angry. I don’t know if this makes it any
easier for people, but here are a few things to
consider that aren’t immediately obvious in the
assessment notices.
The first thing to understand is that an
assessment increase is not the same as a tax
increase, despite what the notices said. The best
analogy I have is that the total taxes levied
townwide and countywide are a pie, and
assessment just says how big your slice is.
Assessment is an attempt to estimate how much
your house would sell for, and that is the bottom
line: Is this assessment number accurately
reflect how much your house would sell for?
Most people are re-assessed once every three
years. So if you divide the percent increase on
that notice by 3, you will get an average annual
increase. That number will seem much more
“reasonable” to a lot of people. The online real
estate site Zillow reports a 12.4% increase in the
sale price of houses in the 14850 zip code last
year, and predicts a 14.7% increase this year.
Multiply those numbers by 3 and you will see
that the assessments are in line with reality.
There are a few ways to challenge your
assessment. One is to compare your property to
other similar properties that have sold recently.
Another is to let the Assessment Department
know if they have incorrect information about
your property. You can request the Assessment
Department to come visit your property.
Cell Phone Survey
There is a simple, anonymous online cell phone
reception survey that has been developed to get
a better sense of where the cell phone reception
gaps in our county are. It asks 3 questions:
where do you live, who is your cell phone
company, and rate your cell phone reception on
a scale of 1 to 5. This information will help
generate a map showing where the zones of
poor cell phone reception are. I’m not sure yet if
or how we are going to be able to use this
information to address the problem, but I do
know that identifying the problem is the first
step to solving it.
See tompkinscountyny.gov/cell survey, or just
google “Tompkins cell survey”.
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Board of Assessment Review
Bruce Richards and Tom Seaney were appointed on March 16 by the Town Board to the Local Advisory
Board (LAB) of Assessment Review. The Local Board also includes our County Legislator, Dan Klein and
a representative of the County Assessment Department. The Local Board will convene 10 May from
3pm–6pm to review the cases of residents who want to contest their new property assessments. Note
that LAB does not have the authority to modify assessments, but their recommendations may result in a
reconsideration of the assessment by the County Department of Assessment. Grievance Day is 24 May.
Notes From The Planning Office
-David West
Happy Spring Everyone!
March has been a busy month for the Town of
Danby Planning Department.
We've wrapped up the Map Plan and Report for
the Beardsley Lane Stormwater District. The
great news is that we came up with a lower first
year cost than was previously projected. We can
now move forward with forming the district that
will take on the maintenance of the stormwater
facilities that process the stormwater generated
from the Beardsley Lane subdivision properties.
We've also wrapped up the Town's Addendum
to the Tompkins County Hazard Mitigation Plan,
and I hope the Town Board will adopt it early in
April as most other Towns have already signed
on.
Danby’s Addendum has been improved from
what is in that draft and will be on the Town
Board’s April 5 meeting agenda. Adopting the
plan will make Danby eligible to apply for
funding to address issues including flooding at
W. Miller and 96B.
In April the Planning Board will meet on the 19th
and will discuss the Site Plan for a home at 121
Durfee Hill Rd, Subdivision at 108 Marsh Rd, and
a Site Plan for a home at 158 Peter Rd. Meeting
details are always made available at the Town’s
online calendar, with materials posted prior.
As always, the Town Planner is available via
email, by phone at 607-592-0417, and available
in Town Hall by appointment.
Breakfast at the Danby Fire Station
5
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) News
-Margaret Corbit
CAC members (9 local residents appointed by
the Town Board) work on a variety of projects.
The primary activity is developing and
monitoring Conservation Easements through
the Danby Conservation Easement Program.
The CAC recently set up a subcommittee to work
on the proposed Town law providing tax
abatement for Conservation Easement donors.
Their report is in review. We also have prepared
recommendations to the Town Board for the
siting of solar arrays on wetlands, and we are
helping to draft a set of regulations for
harvesting timber.
The CAC Recently has hosted online
educational programs, these include the Danby
Agricultural Education Presentations and talks
on native and invasive plants. Recordings of
these presentations stream on the Danby web
site at https://danby.ny.gov/docs/cac-ag-ed-
series/
We encourage you to join our meetings using
the link posted on the Town Calendar. You will
be welcomed and we would like your input on
issues currently under discussion.
The CAC meets the second Tuesday of the
month. Our meeting will be held (via Zoom) on
Tuesday, April 12, at 7pm. The meetings are
public and the link for each meeting is posted on
the Town Calendar. Please join us. More
information is available online at
danby.ny.gov/cac/.
6
Town Mowing
The Town handles the maintenance of four
cemeteries. They become a Town responsibility
when the organizations that created them no
longer can do so and gives them up. We also
maintain the grounds at Jennings Pond, at the
Water District Property, and at the Town Hall.
Apart from occasional cleanup of fallen trees
and brush removal, this mostly involves
mowing the grass. Two of the cemeteries only
get an annual cleanup, but the rest of the
properties see more regular mowing. If you
would like to make a proposal for some or all of
this work, contact Town Supervisor, Joel
Gagnon, for more information.
Taps Across America
Town Board members Sarah Schnabel and
Katharine Hunter are coordinating TAPS
Across America in Danby this year, with the
playing of taps being the focal point,
augmented perhaps by a veterans salute.
Contact Sarah or Katharine to participate.
Musicians need not be trumpeters, but
obviously one or more trumpeters would be
ideal.
April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Youth Programs
Outdoor Music and Movement (grades 4-5)
South Hill Elementary School
2:00pm-5:00 pm Mondays 4/4, 4/18, 4/25
Youth will experiment with different materials
to make their own musical instruments: a
xylophone of glass jars filled with rainbow
colored water, paper pan pipes, and whatever
they can invent. Then we'll add in movement like
jumping, stretching, dancing, follow-the-leader,
storytelling, spinning and swirling with sticks
and ribbons, or whatever youth would like to try.
At the end of the program, they may put
together a short performance based on their
favorites. That depends on what they want!
Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: the
Gathering, and Board Games (grades 6-8)
Boynton Middle School
3:30pm-6:00pm Tuesdays, 4/5, 4/19, 4/26
Join a D&D campaign, bring your Magic deck, or
choose a board game. We'll have new options
every week, including WizWar, Unstable
Unicorns, Sushi Go, and of course outdoor
games. Maybe you just want to make your own?
Grab a snack and give it a shot.
Primitive Pursuits (grades 4-5)
Dotson Park
2:30 pm-5:30 pm Wednesdays 4/6, 4/20, 4/27
Learn outdoor skills with a Primitive Pursuits
instructor: build fires, cook snacks, make
shelters, learn wilderness survival and spend
time exploring outdoors.
You've Got Options/Choose Your Own
Adventure (grades 6-8)
Boynton Middle School
3:30 pm-6:00pm Thursdays 4/7, 4/21, 4/28
What should we do today? Choose from crafts,
games, and outdoor activities. Maybe a walk to
Stewart Park to cook a snack on the BBQ,
putting together a treasure hunt, learning some
puppetry, binding a book, or making Dan
houses (if you know, you know).
Play-in-a-Day
Dotson Park 8:00am-12:00pm
(grades 4-5) Monday, 4/11
(grades 6-8) Tuesday, 4/12
Bring your ideas! You've got four hours to write
and perform your own play. We'll take a break
to make snacks, of course. You'll have a pile of
odds and ends for making your own costumes
and props. If youth agree to it, we'll record the
result so they can show their friends and
families.
Stewpot Stomp (grades 4-5)
Dotson Park
11:00am-1:00pm, Saturday, 4/30
Make fire, make stew, make gremliny crittery
mischief. On the docket: create weaving
masterpieces between the trees, construct
cookie toadstools, and go Frog Bowling. Then
we’ll stomp around the stew pot before settling
down to eat.
Register Here: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/Danby_spring22_250
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
General Information On Youth Programs:
Please Note - Some programs are inside. For programs that take place outside it is vital that your child
comes prepared with proper clothing for the afternoon. Students not prepared will be sent home on the
bus. Please let Heidi Doggett know if you need help acquiring cold/wet weather clothing.
All programs adhere to CDC and Tompkins County Health Department Guidelines.
Please feel free to contact her with any questions at hd289@cornell.edu or at (925) 240-3572.
Danby Community Groups
Danby Community Library
Contact: Cindy Parlett
library@danby.ny.gov
Open Tue 1-3pm,
Thur & Sat 10am-12pm
Danby Food Scraps Pickup
Behind Town Hall
Sat 9am - noon
Danby Food Pantry
Danby Federated Church
Contact: Joan Barber
Open: 3rd Thur 3-6 pm
Danby Seniors
Contact: Nancy Gould
ngould@yahoo.com
Luncheons: 1st Thur at noon
beginning May 5th
Danby Community Council
President: Pamela Goddard
Website: danbycc.org
Meeting: 1st Thur
West Danby Community
Association (WDCA)
Contact: Pat Curran
pc21@cornell.edu
Danby Library News
Just as a reminder, all of the items in the library are available for viewing by going to the Town of Danby
website. From any page on the website on the menu bar, hover over Departments, then click the Public
Library link to get to danby.ny.gov/depts/library. Instructions to request books are listed. To browse
our selections click on the following link: https://cloud.collectors.com/201255/books.
We have hundreds of books and DVD’s on the shelves. You can request items by sending an email to
library@danby.ny.gov. And, if the Open flag is out, come inside and browse the books in person!
DCC Concert Returns on Zoom on April 3!
The Danby Community Council is sponsoring a concert by Uncle Joe Chicone & Renee Baum on April 3rd
at 3pm. It will be broadcast by Zoom and YouTube.
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Monthly Meeting Schedule At-A-Glance
Group Day Date Time Call-in by Phone Meeting ID Passcode
Town Board Tue 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 980 8515 9868 754633
WDWD Wed 5:00pm 1-929-205-6099 971 0783 2596 002368
CAC Tue 4/12 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 972 1566 0090 423584
FD Tue 4/12 7:00pm In person
PB Tue 4/19 7:00pm 1-646-876-9923 958 0817 5336 245871
Town Board Wed 4/20 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 971 0723 2988 535713
BZA Tue 4/26 7:00pm TBD
FD Tue 4/26 7:00pm In person
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 Committee (CAC)
Chair: Claire Fewtrell
cac@danby.ny.gov
Meets: 2nd Tuesday at 7pm
Youth Commission (new)
Contact: Katharine Hunter,
hkhunter@danby.ny.gov
Meets: TBD
Danby 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.com
West Danby Fire Department (WDFD)
Chief: Scott Wendt,
swendt@danbyfiredistrict.org
westdanbyfire.com
West Danby Water DIstrict (WDWD)
Contact: Scott Wendt,
swendt@danby.ny.gov
Meets: 1st Wednesday at 5pm
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April 2022 Town of Danby, New York
Welcome to the April issue of the
Danby Town News!
Questions? Email us at
townnews@danby.ny.gov
Or share your preferences for the Danby Town
News at
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From:
1830 Danby Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
Town Officials
Town Supervisor Joel Gagnon, x1010
supervisor@danby.ny.gov
Town Board
Meets 1st Tue
and 3rd Wed
Leslie Connors
H Katharine Hunter
Sarah Schnabel
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-Tue
8am-11am
Garry Huddle
Theresa Klinger
Diane Gair
dgair@nycourts.gov
Town Planner
Hours: Mon–Fri
by appointment
David West, 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
Phone: +1-607-277-4788
https://danby.ny.gov
PRST STD
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Permit No. 428
Ithaca, NY 14850