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Home My WebLink About2022-10October 2022 Town of Danby, New York Danby Town News Town Board Meeting Change The first Town Board meeting in October will be Monday, 10/3 at 6pm (not Tuesday 10/4). Public Hearing October 3 Override the tax cap for the 2023 budget. Town Board Opening Sarah Schnable has resigned from the Town Board. The town thanks her for her excellent service to the town. The town board will appoint a new member. If you are interested in serving, please fill out the application form on the town website (danby.ny.gov) by November 17. Or request an application from theTown Clerk at the Town Hall. Planning Board Opening The Planning Board has an opening. If you are interested in serving on this board, please fill out an application on the town website (danby.ny.gov) by November 17. (Or request an application from the Town Clerk.) You can also find information about the activities of the Planning Board on the town website. Fire Company Dinner, 10/1 The Danby Volunteer Fire Company and West Danby Fire and Rescue will host a spaghetti dinner at the DVFC Station (1780 Danby Rd) on October 1st, from 5pm to 7pm. Check our Facebook page (fb.com/DanbyVolunteerFireCompany) and website (danbyfiredept.org) for a menu, prices, and further details. 1 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York 2 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York From the Town Supervisor, Joel Gagnon Ravencache Easement Tyler Stein, Brittany Legaly, and their 3 children were all present for the formal signing of their conservation easement September 15 at the town hall. I was pleased to sign on the town’s behalf accepting the donation of the development rights to their 24-acre property on Heisey Road. Brittany is a Conservation Advisory Council member and did most of the work drafting their easement. Their property adjoins and partly includes the Eastman Hill Unique Natural Area and also borders NYS forest land. Brittany did an extraordinary job documenting the features of the site. The family has spotted the rare coal skink and northern goshawk on the property. Their diverse habitat (their easement features all 4 possible zones within an easement) supports a rich assortment of plants and animals. Protecting it buffers the adjoining state forest and preserves an important part of a distinctive viewshed. There are several other easements working their way toward completion. The voluntary relinquishing of the right to develop properties complements and extends the limits to development in the more rural parts of Danby that are in our Zoning Law. We are fortunate to have landowners willing to help preserve the rural character of the town in this way. Cannabis Sales and Consumption Sites The Town Board took a close look at whether and how to regulate both sales specifically and additionally and consumption of cannabis in the town. We effectively decided to allow them both by not opting out last year. We concluded that the commercial design guidelines, coupled with zoning regulations that govern both location and size of retail businesses, largely address any concerns that we might otherwise have had. They will be limited to the hamlet zones. One additional constraint will probably be to require filtering of exhaust ventilation to minimize odor. David West is working up the minor modification to ourZoning aw to tweak it appropriately. Live and In Person Board Meetings Return Those of you longing for the return of town hall meetings will be pleased to learn that Governor Hochul recently ended the emergency declaration precipitated by the COVID pandemic. Our ability to meet entirely remotely via videoconferencing was enabled by an associated executive order that has now ended. We had a brief period last summer when COVID looked like it was winding down and we met in person for a couple of months before a resurgence of the virus led to a reinstatement of the executive order. I think that is less likely this year, given that we now have better treatment options for those who get infected and that the current versions of the virus are less virulent (although more contagious!). We will be continuing the video-conference component of board meetings so anyone who wishes to can attend that way. Any who attend in person will still be required to wear a mask. The policy is reviewed at every board meeting, so our precautions have been gradually tapering. Your cooperation is appreciated. Transitions We are transitioning from summer to fall and from preliminary steps to full swing budget season. The board will be meeting rather frequently for the next month or so to go from tentative to preliminary budget. You are welcome to attend any of these meetings (check the website calendar for dates and times). Look for the formal public hearing in early November. 3 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York 4 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York Notes From The Planning Office David West Hello Danbyites, The leaves outside my Town Hall window are starting to change and that has me thinking about the season, what has been accomplished this year and what remains to be done to prepare for winter and the new year. Grant Season - 'tis the season of grant applications. The Danby Planning office has submitted a grant seeking $500,000 for low- moderate income homeowner renovations and energy improvements through the CDBG program. It was an extremely complex program that I was glad to have the assistance of Thoma Development to put together (with grant writing funding provided by Tompkins County). We also participated in the submission of a grant to participate in a Safe Streets 4 All program together with the City of Ithaca and most of the other municipalities in Tompkins County. This grant would fund a comprehensive look at road safety and open the door to a variety of federal funding sources once we have a safety plan in place. By the time you are reading this we will have also submitted another grant to Tompkins County seeking $10,000 to work with a grant writer again in 2023 to continue implementing the Town's comprehensive plan and focusing on improving the Town's hamlet areas. Solar farm - The Norbut Solar Farm, above Bald Hill Rd. is about to begin clearing and initial access drive construction this fall, assuming everything goes to plan, with solar installation starting in the winter/spring depending on weather. This project is expected to take one year to be completed and will produce around 12-13 megawatts of solar energy when operational. Marijuana business rules - The town board has been discussing rules for the marijuana businesses that would be allowed by state law and how they should be included in the Town's zoning. I expect conversation to be ongoing in October with the possibility of a public hearing and zoning amendment. Conservation Easements - as mentioned in the Supervisor's column, there are several significant easements in the works that would further protect some of Danby's rural and natural areas. The planning office will be playing a larger roll than usual in a larger easement to help the process go as smoothly and quickly as possible with the CAC playing a major part as usual. Planning Board Resignation Elana Maragni has resigned from the Planning Board. The town wishes to thank her for the valuable service she provided on this committee. Clean Energy Grant The town is eligible for a $5000 grant from the Clean Energy Community Grant Fund. The town board voted to request funds to conduct an energy efficiency audit for the town hall and to use the remaining funds to implement the recommendations that result from the audit. 5 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York 6 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York Tompkins County Legislature News Dan Klein The County is in the midst of its 2023 budget review. At this moment, it looks like we will once again be able to have a tax rate decrease. One of the measurements we use as we look at the impacts of the budget is the effect on the tax bill of a median-priced home in Tompkins County. The median-priced home in Tompkins County is now valued at $225,000. The budget will not be finalized until mid- November. The County has again contracted with a consultant to try to move the broadband internet rollout process ahead. The first step is a survey they are putting out, which can be accessed at tompkinsbroadband.com. There you can take an internet speed test, and then go on to the 27-question survey. I am optimistic that this process will eventually lead us to good broadband coverage, but I believe it will take several years. Conservation Advisory Council (CAC)Margaret Corbit The Danby Conservation Advisory Council met virtually on Tuesday, September 13. We celebrate the completion of the Ravencache easement which was officially signed and registered on September 15. Much of the meeting was spent working on record keeping. We discussed improvements to the CAC pages on the Town website and received several updates. All existing Conservation Easement documents are now available through the Tompkins County Shared Services Electronic Records Repository: https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/tsserr. We discussed progress on the GIS (geographic information system) map for the Town and have begun considering the subtleties of how to present the details. The Planner is now waiting for input from a variety of easement programs not part of our program. Easement monitoring is ongoing and most of the reports have been submitted and filed. The next season begins this month. The Timber Harvest ordinance is also nearing a final draft that will be sent to the Town for review. Join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, October 11. 7 Signing of the Ravencache easement October 2022 Town of Danby, New York West Danby Water District Tod Sukontarak The Water District will be flushing hydrants on Monday and Tuesday October 17 and 18. The hydrants north of the Fire Station will be done on Monday starting at 9 am and completed by 3 pm. The hydrants south of the station will be flushed on Tuesday starting at 9am and completed by 3pm. On October 12 through possibly the 14th, Seth Loht and Candace Balmer from RCAP Solutions will be helping us map all the curb box valve locations in the District as well as other appurtenances. The Water District Committee met with Laura Shawley and Joel Gagnon on Wed September 15 to work on the District budget. This is the first year of our new rate structure and we found that it still needs work. There will have been another budget meeting scheduled for Thurs September 22 convened since printing of this newsletter. Danby Seniors Trip to Penn's Peak Wednesday, November 30, 2022 An Elvis Christmas Show with Ryan Pelton The bus will pick up at the Danby Church at 9:00 am so plan to arrive by 8:45 am. There are no stops along the way so bring your own snack. The destination is approximately 150 miles away. Lunch is at 12:00 noon It is served family style and includes a plated salad, rolls, pot roast, an additional meat, potatoes, vegetables, salad, dessert and beverage. Concert begins at 1:00 p.m. The bus will return to Danby Church at approximately 5:30 p.m. Cost for members is $60 per person inclusive (bus, luncheon, concert, driver tip). Non-members cost is $65. (If you wish to join the Danby Seniors, membership is $5 per year.) Make your check payable to: Danby Seniors. Final Payment is due FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022. Send Check to: Pat Phelps, 17 Woodlane Road, Ithaca, NY If you have any questions, please contact Pat Phelps: Patriciaphelps2.0@gmail.com Cell-607-227-6478 8 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York 9 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York Youth Programs Heidi Doggett (hd289@cornell.edu) Haunted Snacks and Spooky Stuff Boynton Middle School 3:30pm-5:30pm Mondays 10/3, 10/17, 10/24 Stewart Park or Dotson Park (TBA) Monday 10/10 9:00am-1:00pm Do you ever think to yourself, "Man, my food just doesn't look creepy enough?" Stop by and learn how to make meals weirder, plus useful Halloween skills like monster makeup and other special effects. Bring your questions and ideas! When the weather permits, activities will take place outdoors. On October 10 there is no school so we will have an extended morning/afternoon session, location TBA depending on the weather. Halloween Costume Workshop South Hill Elementary School 2:00pm-5:30pm Tuesdays 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25 Come work on your Halloween costume! Youth will sketch their design, make a work plan, and then create their costume by upcycling clothing, cardboard, and found items. For a special project, youth can create a wand, staff, or crown using molded resin gems. They can also learn some Halloween makeup basics (no blood). Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: the Gathering, and Board Games KICKOFF DAY Brooktondale Community Center Wednesday October 5, 9:00 am-4:00 pm Join us at the Brooktondale Community Center to roll your character for the after-school D&D program at Boynton, plan a campaign, or just have fun playing games. This extra-long session is open to everyone, even if you will not be playing D&D with us this fall. If you will be joining the D&D program, this session will give you a boost so you can start playing ASAP. Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: the Gathering, and Board Games Boynton Middle School 3:30pm-5:30pm Wednesdays 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/6, *NO PROGRAM 11/23*, 11/30 Join us for D&D, bring your Magic cards, or choose from a rotating selection of board games. We'll also have time to play Gaga ball, basketball, and other outdoor games. Snack and Explore Danby Town Hall/Dotson Park 2:20pm-5:30pm Thursdays 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3 We'll be making no-cook snacks and exploring nature. Snack ingredients won't necessarily be easy to find... I don't know who would do something like hide our apples in the woods or stick our marshmallows in a tree, but it's going to take some wilderness skills to get them back! 10 WOW!!! That's a big s'more October 2022 Town of Danby, New York Gaia Circle (for grades 6-8) Ithaca Children's Garden 4:00pm-6:00pm Fridays 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, *NO PROGRAM 10/21*, 10/28, 11/4, *NO PROGRAM 11/11*, 11/18 Gaia Circle is a program run in partnership with several Tompkins County organizations. Check out their description below or head to https://www.ithacachildrensgarden.org/portfolio/gaia-circle/ for more information. "Gaia Circle is for middle school aged girls of all kinds: those who love their girl selves, those who are uncomfortable with girlness, or those for whom girlness has never felt right; those who haven’t thought much about what it means to be a girl, and those who feel no gender limits at all. In addition to encouraging curiosity, respect, and gratitude for the natural world around us, Gaia Circle encourages the same attitude of exploration, respect, and care as we learn about ourselves with each other.” This session of Gaia Circle will include fall favorites such as pumpkin carving, celebrations of fall, and planting bulbs. Youth may choose to contribute to the Scarecrow Jubilee, a long-running fall festival. They’ll have time to connect with friends in the garden over warm tea, snacks, meditation/mindfulness/yoga, and more great activities planned by staff and by youth. Pre-registration is open for Danby’s fall youth programs! Check out the link for registration forms and updates on the program list. https://pub.cce.cornell.edu/event_registration/main/events_landing.cfm?event=DanbyFall_22_250 Halloween Fun Plans are in the works for a Halloween event like Trunk or Treat with some additions. Details will be available soon on the town web site: danby.ny.gov and on the youth facebook site. Heidi Doggert, the youth program coordinator, will be informed of the details as well. Youth Commission Reminder: If you are interested in and willing to serve on the youth commission, please fill out the application form on the town website: danby.ny.gov. Our youth clearly enjoy the programs - including this summer's Cooking program. 11 YUM!!!! October 2022 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 Federated Church Contact: Joan Barber Open: 3rd Thur 4-6 pm Danby Community Parks Association (DCPA) Website: dotsonpark.org dotsonpark@gmail.com Danby Seniors Contact: Judy Cuyle gnatcat87@ yahoo,com Luncheons: 1st Thur at noon Danby Community Council President: Pamela Goddard Website: danbycc.org Meeting: 1st Thur 7pm West Danby Community Association (WDCA) Contact: Pat Curran pc21@cornell.edu Danby Food Scraps Pickup: Sat 9am - noon, behind Town Hall Danby Library News Mystery books selection from TCPL has arrived. The Friends of the Library Sale starts the weekend of October 8 and we will be adding to our collections. A number of DVD’s were taken, but none of the cards were signed, so we aren’t sure who may have borrowed them. The missing DVD's are: DISTRICT 9, ZERO DARK THIRTY, GET OUT, DUNKIRK, SKYFALL 007, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT, LAST VEGAS, HACKSAW RIDGE Please return if you have them so others may enjoy the movies as well. Town News Thanks I wish to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who has been helping to create the Danby Town News. The town has a responsibility to communicate with its residents by providing information about town activities. For many years, the town provided funds to a non-governmental entity for this purpose. But the town has now taken on that responsibility directly. The cost to the town is the same. There are many residents who help. Town departments and boards have been conscientious about providing information about their activities. Volunteers help put address labels and the post office-required tabs on the printed copies. Several help with content and structure. The town clerk created an attractive template and helps with the town software. I have taken over-all responsibility and I am very thankful for all the help. Pat Woodworth 12 October 2022 Town of Danby, New York 13 October 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* Mon 10/3 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 980 8515 9868 754633 WDWD Wed 10/5 5:00pm in person - West Danby fire station CAC* Tue /11 10 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 972 1566 0090 423584 FD Tue 10/11 7:00pm In person at the Danby Fire Station YC Thurs 10/13 7:00pm In person at the town hall PB* Tue /18 10 7:00pm 1-646-876-9923 958 0817 5336 245871 Town Board* Wed /19 10 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 971 0723 2988 535713 BZA* Tue /25 10 7:00pm TBD FD Tue 10/25 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 Committee (CAC) Chair: Clare Fewtrell cac@danby.ny.gov Meets: 2nd Tuesday at 7pm Youth Commission (YC) Contact: Katharine Hunter, hkhunter@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.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 14 October 2022 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 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 15 From: 1830 Danby Road Ithaca, NY 14850 PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No.428 Ithaca, NY 14850 Danby, New York Phone: +1-607-277-4788 https://danby.ny.gov Welcome to the Danby Town News! 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