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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-15 Town Board Minutes Board Members Present:Joel Gagnon, Town Supervisor Leslie Connors Katharine Hunter Patricia Woodworth Paul Hansen Town Staff:Laura Shawley, Bookkeeper Mariah Dillon, Town Clerk Greg Hutnik, Planner Other Attendees:Ronda Roaring Garr y Huddle Ted Crane Dan Klein Theresa Klinger 1.Public Hearings 1.1. Public Hearing on Trail Easement for South Hill Trail Extension Public Hearing Opened at 6:03 All those who submitted written comments or spoke at the hearing: In favor Against Other Brendan Wyly Julie Tenney Ronda Roaring Mark Witmer Greg Nelson Kartik Sribarra Paul Vidovich Mary Ann Barr Supervisor Gagnon spoke at length about the Memorandum of Understanding among the four municipalities (Caroline, Danby, Dr yden and Ithaca) and the formula for funding maintenance for the trail. The four towns are purchasing a trail easement for the entire distance to the Tioga County line(it will be owned collectively) and will split maintenance costs according to the agreed upon formula. Woodworth repeated the concern Tenney noted during the public hearing regarding the importance of protecting neighboring properties along the trail. Gagnon responded that a group from Cornell called Design Connect has been hired to conduct an evaluation to look at the bank sections and impacts to adjoining landowners. They will be making Mary Ann Barr 2021   T he Town of Danby  1830 Danby Road  Ithaca, NY 14850  Town Board Meeting and Public Hearing  Meeting Held on Monday, April 15, 2024 at 6:00PM recommendations that will be part of the implementation plan. Their final report is due on May 2nd. Public Hearing Closed at 6:24 1.2.Public Hearing on Free Standing Sign Zoning Amendment Proposal Public Hearing Opened at 6:25 All those who submitted written comments or spoke at the hearing: In favor Against Other Kartik Sribarra Zach Larkins Ronda Roaring Greg Nelson Ted Crane Supervisor Gagnon mentioned that current signage in the Town would be grandfathered, and that this amendment would only apply to future signs. Public Hearing Closed at 6:36 2.Board Meeting called to Order 6:36 3.Additions/Deletions to Agenda 3.1. Authorize Signing of Agreement with Danby Fire District for Shared Use of the Emergency Generator at the West Danby Fire Hall by the Water District. 3.2. Changing Monday Night meeting so that Fire Dept Personnel can attend. 4.Privilege of the Floor Greg Nelson – Confusion over dates and times of meetings in the newsletter. Needs a bit more editorial attention in the future. Ted Crane – Announced that a Spring Roadside cleanup will be this Saturday morning at 10:30 AM. Crane strongly supports leaving the meetings on Mondays. He would also be in favor of returning to a 7:00 start time. Zach Larkins – Started building the boardwalk at Dotson Park – needs help moving wood on Saturday morning, about 9:00 AM. 5.Correspondence 5.1.South Hill Trail Input 5.2.Trail Easement and MOU Letter 6.Announcements Crane announced that the Community Council would be holding an Earth Day Danby Road Clean-up on Saturday, April 20 (rain date Sunday, April 21) at Dotson Park. Crane also mentioned that this effort is part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. Larkins announced a work party (volunteers welcome) to assist with moving lumber to build a boardwalk, on Saturday, April 20 at 9:00 AM at Dotson Park. Discussion ensued regarding the importance of annual and/or semi-annual trash pick-ups, the dangers of picking up garbage from the roads and highways, and the minimum age of teens assisting 2 with picking up trash. (There is no minimum age to pick up trash.) Theresa Klinger mentioned a home on Miller Rd with an excess amount of trash. Gagnon replied that the property on MIller Rd is on the Towns radar, and several options for getting the residents to clean it up have been undertaken. 7.Reports & Presentations 7.1.County Legislature Representative Dan Klein Klein expressed his being in favor of the South Hill Trail Project. He announced the 32nd annual plant exchange will be happening Saturday, May 18, from 1:00 to 3:00, at the Danby fire hall pavilion. He mentioned there are two big projects that have made significant progress this month. The first is the rapid Medical Response Program launched on April 2, 2024. This is the project where we have three vehicles stationed around Tompkins County that are staffed with an emergency medical technician and they respond to calls. This program was designed to get there quickly, especially in the rural areas and stabilize situations and conduct triage, etcetera. He also mentioned that quite a bit of time was spent tr ying to get a cost sharing-agreement in place with the towns, including Danby. Klein said that at this point it looks like the county is just paying for the whole thing. “The other big project is broadband! Tompkins County is awarding the project to Point Broadband to reach all the un-served addresses in Tompkins County with broadband internet. What it doesn't reach is the towns of Caroline and Dr yden because they have decided to have a municipally-owned broadband system. The county is going to pay $100,000 to do a preliminary engineering study and we believe this will put us in an even better position to receive grant money. There's a chance we'll get that $100,000 back or maybe not. There is another grant that New York State announced just last week aimed right at counties like ourselves. It's aimed at counties that have already put out a request for proposal for internet service provider and have already completed that process, which is us! So we're going to be applying for that. The deadline for that grant is just a couple of weeks away and we're supposed to hear about it by the beginning of the summer. So if that comes through, things are going to move really fast. If that doesn't come through, then we're just going to be in line for the regular granting process, which we're told is going to open up in the fall. Either way, we believe we're in an excellent position to get approved to get funding and to finally start this project of reaching every un-served address.” Klein explained that the broadband project could take up to a year. He also mentioned that the County hired a firm to look at where fiber went, and where it didn’t. Klein went on: “There was a not-for-profit organization called the Southern Tier network, and they have strung hundreds of miles of fiber in the surrounding counties. They applied for a different New York State grant to do some build out in Danby and Caroline. And I never actually found out where in those towns they would be going if they are successful, but they expect to hear about their grant by the end of this month. So there may be some quicker movement, for at least part of Danby.” Klein further mentioned that there is a report on the County’s Planning website that may contain a map of broadband in the county. 3 7.2.Highway Department L Shawley reported that the Highway department acquired about $1,800 for items that were put in the auction. She mentioned that Highway Superintendent Shipman was finalizing the plan of road work for the summer months. Huddle asked about a plan to have a paved road from Danby to West Danby. L Shawley replied that the Highway Department has attempted to secure funding for paving more roads and will not give up tr ying to get funding for such measures. 7.3.Planner Greg Hutnik “Two cases are up for review. One is the site plan review for a single family home in the Rural 1 zoning district that's at 956 Steam Mill Road. The other is for 18 East Miller road - it's a subdivision in The Hamlet neighborhood zoning district. The property owner has a duplex on the property and is adding a third unit, which is allowed by right, but he's going through a subdivision to subdivide the land, and then he's also coming back for a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals at next Tuesday's meeting for an increase in the front maximum setback. The neighbors are all supporting him having a larger front setback for the property. There is 2024 funding available from the Tompkins County Parks and Trails Grant. It's due at the end of this month. I actually wasn't going to submit an application because there's currently an open application for Dotson Park, and it’s typically hard to get a grant if you already have an open grant. But the town's paying almost $8,000 for the easement and maybe coming out of ARPA money. We could apply for up to $5,000 from the county. All I would need right now is either a motion from the town board for me to apply for that money, or a support letter from the supervisor. I think it's a great way of not having to spend $8,000 of ARPA money, and being able to get $5,000 reimbursed back from the county.” Resolution 117 of 2024 to Approve That Planner Hutnik Apply for a $5,000 Grant from Tompkins County to Put Towards the Purchase of the Trail Easement Moved By Hansen Seconded by Connors Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 117 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 Hutnik clarified that he would be applying for a reimbursement grant for the Trail Easement. Hutnik went on to say that there is an update on the Town Sign Amendment, and asked that the Board hold off on acting on that amendment because the County GML 239 Review Committee has not yet responded. Hutnik called them, and they are swamped, so the Town will need to wait for that 4 before the Town Board acts. That will give Hutnik time to compile and consider comments from the public hearing and then put the Town Sign Amendment on the agenda for the first meeting in May. Hutnik: There are two open CDBG grants that the town is working on. The funds for the Homeowner Rehab Program have been committed, so that grant will be wrapping up shortly. Connors suggested that the Town reapply for this grant annually, as there is a need for single family homeowner rehab grants. Hutnik mentioned that keeping the grants available would be a great benefit for the town. Hutnik: It does take significant staff time to apply for the grant. David West (previous planner), got County money ($10,000) to hire a consultant to apply for the grant. That funding from the county is available right now. The application process is open until all the money is runs out. Hutnik hasn't moved forward with that yet because there are two open CDBG projects and the state grant administrator was a concerned about our capacity to be managing three open grants. It was agreed that having the grant available is beneficial to the town. Gagnon asked if a county grant to assist in writing the grant application could be applied for. Hutnik responded that he will apply for the county grant to get assistance in writing grants. The multifamily housing grant contract was signed by the Super visor last Friday. It's a small pot of money so it's probably only going to help out a couple of people's properties. The Planner is continuing to provide staff support for the South Hill trail extension project. He has joined the Safe Streets for All initiative in Tompkins County. He’s looking at identifying hotspots in areas of Danby that have frequent safety incidents. He’s continuing to collaborate with Ithaca's Drinking Water Source Protection Plan Management Team, because part of Danby is in their watershed and we want to understand the impacts of large scale solar. They're working with a consultant to understand how land use changes with large scale solar and how that might impact water quality. Hutnik attended the Childcare Issues and Innovations Conference last week, learning of the overall demand for child care. There may be an opportunity at the local level to work on some zoning amendments allowing child care in certain places where it might not otherwise be allowed. Hutnik attended a housing summit that reaffirmed that we're in the middle of a housing crisis. People need affordable places to live and Hutnik is working to understand from a local perspective how the town might be able to help combat that. Hutnik attended erosion and sediment control training last week and earned a 3 year certification. Hutnik mentioned that there is State money available for grants to assist towns with writing a comprehensive plan. These grant applications are due at the end of July. It might be something to consider to get money from the state to help Danby have a robust comprehensive plan. Especially as it relates to things like smart growth and energy savings in town. That money would be used to hire an energy consultant to make a more actionable comprehensive plan. 5 8.Resolution 118 of 2024 to Approve Meeting Minutes of April 1, 2024 Moved By Connors Seconded by Woodworth Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 118 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 9.Warrants Abstract 07 of 2024 9.1.Resolution 119 of 2024 to Approve General Fund Vouchers 99-125 for $21,623.66 Moved By Connors Seconded by Woodworth Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 119 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 9.2.Resolution 120 of 2024 to Approve Highway Fund Vouchers 49 - 67 for $45,608.86 Moved By Connors Seconded by Gagnon Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 120 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 10.Business 10.1. Apply to Become a Pro-Housing Community? Gagnon mentioned that New York State is encouraging towns to become Pro-Housing Communities. Hutnik said the process is straightforward, starting with a letter of intent from an authorized official,then submitting a resolution by the governing body. Besides that resolution, Hutnik would take care of adding the zoning map file, the zoning code summary and the housing and building E permit information from the prior five years. ven though Danby only only issued 11 building permits for houses last year, that meets the requirements. Becoming a pro-housing community doesn't do anything other than being certified, but it would prioritize the Town's would application for grants in 6 the future. Resolution 121 of 2024 to Authorize Gagnon and Hutnik to Write a Letter of Intent so that Danby can become a Pro-Housing Community Moved By Hansen Seconded by Woodworth Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 121 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 10.2. Resolution 122 of 2024 to Authorize Supervisor Gagnon to Award Mowing Contract after Getting References and/or Validating Liability Insurance. Discussion ensued about liability insurance. The board definitely wants someone with liability insurance. Connors stated that she thought its important to have references from new applicants, and that they be checked. Gagnon will seek out references for Ross Price and make sure all those bidding have insurance. Moved By Gagnon Seconded by Connors Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 122 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 10.3. Resolution to Approve the Resolution to Authorize the Trail Easement and MOU be signed by Supervisor Gagnon Discussion ensued regarding the Trail Easement and Memorandum of Understanding. It was determined that more information was needed, specifically concerning the cost of trail maintenance, the potential increased cost of liability insurance, and clarifying to whom reports of damage or injury would be submitted. It was agreed that a special meeting would be held to decide the matter once the additional information had been acquired. Motion Withdrawn 10.4. Business Free-Standing Sign Zoning Amendment Postponing until the next meeting This subject will be postponed for now, to be brought up at a subsequent meeting once the response from the County has been received. 10.5. Special Event Local Law Finalize and Schedule Public Hearing Discussion ensued regarding the wording of the law, the number of vehicles, duration and timing of 7 events. The result was to return the draft to its form preceding the last round of changes. Resolution 123 of 2024 to extend the meeting until 9:00 PM Moved By Gagnon Seconded by Connors Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 123 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 Hutnik will make the agreed upon revisions, and then work with Krogh to finalize the wording and make necessary changes to the proposed law. Board members made it clear that they did not want the attorney to alter the scope of the law substantively. 10.6 Should All Businesses Allowed on Corner Lots be Allowed Anywhere in the Hamlet Neighborhood Zones? Discussion/Finalizing of Proposed Zoning Change and Possible Declaration of Lead Agency in SEQR Review Resolution 124 of 2024 to extend the meeting until 9:10 PM Moved By Gagnon Seconded by Connors Roll Call: Connors Yes Hansen Yes Hunter Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 124 of 2024 passed on April 15, 2024 Discussion ensued – Hutnik will look at the specifics of the properties under consideration, crunch the numbers and come back with a well-defined proposal. 11.Discussion of Next Meeting Agenda 11.1.Danby Fire District for Shared Use of the Emergency Generator at the West Danby Fire Hall by the Water District. 11.2.CAC Request for Update on Seeking Modification of State Authorizing Legislation Enabling Tax Abatement for Conservation Easement Properties 12.Adjourn 9:05 8