HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Feb 2026 NewsletterFebruary 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Danby Town News
Meeting Date Changes
The Town Board and Planning Board
meeting dates have changed. The
Town Board will meet on the first and
third Tuesday of the month. The
Planning Board will meet on the third
Wednesday of the month. Please note
that there are new Zoom links and
passcodes for these meetings. The
updated information can be found on
page 9, as well as on the Town’s
website (danby.ny.gov) on the
“Calendar” tab.
Public Hearing
A public hearing regarding the Zoning
Amendments local law will be held at
the Town Board meeting on February
3rd at 6pm. A copy of the local law is
available in the Clerk’s office, as well
as on our website. Please contact the
Town Planner, Greg Hutnik, for more
information.
Pancake Breakfast with the
Danby Fire Company
Winter may be cold, but the pancakes are hot!
Drive-thru or stop in for a plate of pancakes, French
toast, sausage, scrambled eggs, and homefries all
for $12. Join us Sunday, February 15th 8am-11am!
Cash, card, check, Venmo, and Apple Pay are
accepted.
We’ll be doing this on the third Sunday of the
month from October 2025 through March 2026 at
the Danby Volunteer Fire Company, 1780 Danby
Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850. Proceeds to benefit the
Danby Volunteer Fire Company. Fundraising
targets include improvements to our equipment for
managing breathing problems and to our rope
rescue equipment. What better way to relax after
Valentine’s Day!
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Notes from the Town Supervisor Joel Gagnon
The new year is definitely off to a running start.
Here are some of the items that you might find
interesting:
Town Receives $700,000 Community
Development Block Grant
We were recently told that we were awarded
another grant from the Office of Community
Renewal for housing rehabilitation. This is our
fourth CDBG award and the third for single
family housing. Each time we have gotten one
of these we have identified more households in
need than there are funds to assist. There is a
waiting list left over from the last round and
Town Planner Greg Hutnik is happy to add
others to it (Planner@danby.ny.gov or 607-
592-0417). It takes several months to go from
award to implementation. We need to hire a
program administrator and doing so is a
competitive process. It takes a while, so plenty
of time to get into the queue.
Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
Working Group Created
Compact development, whether in our existing
hamlets or in clustered housing elsewhere in
the town, is essential to the future of affordable
housing in Danby as elsewhere in the county
(and country, for that matter). We have an
opportunity to add sewers in Central Danby
and in West Danby to help with that, provided
we can figure out a way to do it that makes
economic sense. A sewer committee was
created last fall to look at the preliminary
engineering report created by Hunt Engineers
to critically examine whether the
recommendations are the best path forward.
The mandate for that group has now been
broadened by resolution of the Town Board to
create a working group to explore and develop
both legal framework and practical
implementation measures. The enabling
resolution also provides for a floating additional
membership that is open to anyone who wants
to join the group. Anyone can become a voting
member; They can come and go as suits their
interest and availability, so long as they
regularly attend two of three consecutive
meetings. The meetings will all be publicly
noticed and a record kept, making it easy to be
informed about what is being explored by the
group. The meetings can be attended via
videoconference, with the link appearing with
the calendar on the town’s website. Mark
Pruce is the chair. To participate, just show up!
Engineering Firm Selected to Work with
Water District
The West Danby Water District Advisory
Committee recently completed a review of the
engineering firms that responded to a request
for proposals to assess system condition and
identify recommended upgrades. The firm
chosen is Hunt Engineers. The Town Board
authorized execution of an agreement with
Hunt that will identify in greater detail the scope
of the work to be undertaken. That agreement
is being finalized as I write this and will enable
the work to be done this spring. The hope is to
have a list of options for which funding could
be sought in this year’s grant cycle. Tight but,
hopefully, doable.
Finger Lakes Land Trust to Expand
Lindsey-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve
With funding from a DEC Water Quality
Improvement Program Grant, the FLLT is
poised to acquire a 76-acre property that will
expand the preserve to the southeast. The
area to be added is east of the railroad tracks
and north of Walding Lane. It abuts the state
forest on the east boundary. A condition of the
acquisition is the municipality not object. The
Town Board considered whether to object or
support and unanimously opted to actively
support acquisition.
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Committee Created to Follow up with
Comptroller’s Office Auditors
As mentioned in last month’s DTN, the auditors
who conducted a follow-up audit of the town in
2025 issued a report that faulted the town for
not implementing any of the 14 items in our
action plan. That plan was the product of the
first audit, conducted in 2021 and 2022. The
follow-up audit did not give the town any credit
for measures we took to implement that action
plan and alleged violations of policy. The Town
Board created a committee to respond to the
auditors consisting of the town’s bookkeeper,
Laura Shawley, Town Board member Leslie
Connors, and me as Town Supervisor. We
have met and roughed out a response and will
meet again to build a case before requesting to
meet with the auditors. While we will not claim
that we have completed everything that we set
out to do (more changes are in process), we
will contest the mischaracterization of our work
and press them for clarity as to what we should
have done differently when we thought we
were responsive.
Skate Park Update
Zach Larkins and Mark Pruce, now both
members of the Town Board, reported on their
efforts to create a skate park. The initial idea of
a covered skate park using a former equipment
shed as the enclosure has proven to be
unreasonably expensive to implement. This
disappointing conclusion was reached when
the engineering specifications for upgrading
the existing structure would cost more to
implement than it would to build from scratch.
We will instead take the building down and
salvage what we can for reuse. Once this
decision was made, the location of the skate
park, which the Town Board still supports
strongly, was up for reconsideration. It could be
elsewhere on the Bald Hill Road property, in
which case an overall site plan is needed to
choose the best location for it. There is also the
possibility that it could be located somewhere
else entirely. Zach is checking those
possibilities out.
Accessibility Improvements
Last year the Town Board decided to pursue
two projects to improve accessibility to the
town hall and the other side of 96B. The State
DOT agreed to put in a crosswalk, provided
that we install the approaches to their
specifications. We now have a set of
engineered plans for those approaches that we
can seek bids to execute. The same
engineering firm that drafted those plans is
contracted to work with our facilities committee
to develop engineered plans to redo the
parking lot entrance to the town hall. We have
a sketch of what we want, which would locate
the access ramp adjacent to the main building
so that it terminates at the parking site where
the defunct charging station is located. The
charging station will move across the parking
lot (hopefully this spring) and in its place will be
a van-accessible handicapped parking spot.
There are other details to work out, which is
the next stage. It would make sense to
undertake all the accessibility projects at the
same time, including relocating the charging
station. We shall see if it works out that way.
Town to be Fiscal Sponsor for Danby Food
and Drink Concert Series Grant Application
The Community Arts Partnership has a grant
program to help support performance art. To
apply, private enterprises need a sponsoring
organization – either a not-for-profit or a
municipal sponsor. Kartik Sribarra asked the
Town Board if the board would be willing to
sponsor his application for grant support for his
summer concert series. We did. Should the
application be successful, the town, as the
fiscal sponsor, would be the actual recipient of
the grant and be responsible for administering
it. In a simple case like this one that would
mean little more than a pass through of the
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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funds to Kartik, something the Board was
willing to do for a modest administrative fee to
cover our expense in doing so.
Zoning Changes Public Hearing
We had this scheduled for January 19, not
noticing that it was a national holiday. That
date was cancelled and the hearing has been
rescheduled to the February 3 TB meeting.
Since we rescheduled, it gave the Board time
to take another look at what we wanted to
change. We added a couple more things. See
the Planner’s report for more on the whole
package.
That’s all for this month!
Notes from the Planner’s Desk Greg Hutnik
Proposed Zoning Code Amendments to the
Hamlet Zoning Districts
As noted in the Supervisor’s report, a public
hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3
at 6:00 PM at the Danby Town Hall to hear
comments on the proposed zoning code
amendments that have been drafted and
discussed at the last few Town Board
meetings. The complete draft local law with the
amendments is available to access from the
front page of the town’s website
(danby.ny.gov). The amendments only impact
the Hamlet Neighborhood and Hamlet Center
zoning districts. They include (1) eliminating
the maximum front setback of 20 feet, (2)
allowing additional land uses on properties that
front onto Danby Road (specifically, retail,
personal services, repair shops, and cottage
industries up to 3,000 sq ft, restaurants, and
religious institutions), (3) relocating all the
Building Form requirements for new buildings
to the Design Guidelines, and (4) exempting
the re-use of existing buildings from meeting
vehicle parking standards that require parking
to be located to the side or rear of the building.
Planning Board and Board of Zoning
Appeals
It has a been a quiet few months for both
development review boards – no applications
have been submitted for review recently. This
will surely change eventually. Planning Board
now meets on the third Wednesday of every
month, and the BZA still meets on the fourth
Tuesday of every month.
Notes from the Town Clerk Blake Savoy
Hello Danby!
To give a nice, neat introduction, my name is
Blake and I’m your new town clerk. You may
have seen me if you came in person to pay
your property taxes, either at the window or
behind the desk. I’ve been working in the
clerk’s office for about a year and a half, but
there are many new things about being the
Town Clerk to me. I’m currently writing this
from the NY Association of Town’s Newly
Elected Officials Training—learning something
new every day! Now, onto the routine stuff.
Property Taxes
Property tax season is still underway in the
clerk’s office! We’ve moved into the 1% penalty
period, so please make sure that you verify the
amount on the bill before mailing or bringing it!
We’re open Monday through Friday, 11am-
4pm and have a 24hr drop box located just
outside of Town Hall. Any questions? Give us a
call at 607-277-4788 (menu option 2), email us
at clerkoffice@danby.ny.gov, or check out our
website: https://danby.ny.gov/ova_sev/prop-
tax/.
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Tompkins County Legislature News Irene Weiser
Hello Caroline and Danby Neighbors!
For those who don't know me, I'm Irene
Weiser, your new county legislator (replacing
Dan Klein). You can learn more about me at
my campaign website (voteireneweiser.com). I
will be sending monthly updates about what's
been happening at the County legislature.
Here's my first installment.
At our first Legislature meeting on January 6,
after electing Chair Shawna Black and Vice
Chair Deborah Dawson, we took up a
resolution supporting local nurses in their effort
to unionize. The chamber was filled with
nurses and community members, and their
testimony was heartfelt and powerful. Nurses
are organizing to improve working conditions—
conditions that directly affect patient care. I
was proud that the Legislature’s very first
action of the year was to unanimously stand
with them. I am hopeful that their efforts to
unionize will succeed.
I’ve just received my committee assignments; I
will be chairing the Planning, Energy, and
Environment Committee, and serving on the
Budget Capital and Personnel; Public Safety;
and Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
committees. These assignments are a strong
fit with my experience and the issues I care
most deeply about.
FYI - the County Legislature building is located
at 121 E. Court Street, and we meet the first
and third Tues of each month, starting at
5:30pm. You can watch Legislature meetings
anytime on the County’s YouTube
channel https://bit.ly/tc-leg-video. And you can
sign up for summaries of a variety of meetings
here https://bit.ly/tc-leg-updates. Meanwhile,
you can always reach me
at iweiser@tompkins-co.org.
I look forward to working with/for all of you.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to let me
know your thoughts!
From the Town Historian Mary Ann Barr
Phillis Wheatley. I never heard of her until the
USPO announced the new stamp issued this
past month in her honor. She was born c. 1753
in Africa, brought to America as a slave and
died, a free person, in 1784. Importantly, she
was the first African American to publish a
book. Phillis’ story got me to thinking about the
earliest African Americans in Danby. I did
some digging and this is what I found.
The 1820 Danby census list shows 6 slaves
and 6 free Black people. However, the number
of slaves in Danby is somewhat nebulous since
at one point the number was 8–10. And there
is no indication whether they were free Black
people or slaves. Elsie Brooks, lived in Danby
in 1811. She was emancipated in 1827. One
slave went by the name of Black Ann.
One woman we do know was Lement Duplex
(AKA Dupliss), wife of Prince Duplex. Prince
came from Connecticut. “Lement Duplex was
most likely — almost certainly — the first free
African American woman to settle on land that
became part of Tompkins County, though she
arrived in 1811[,] six years before the county
was created,” (article by Carol Kammen, Ithaca
Journal Feb. 5, 2016.) There is a headstone for
Lement in the Danby Rural Cemetery.
Aside from the Duplexes, little is known about
early Black people in Danby, or elsewhere for
that matter. Some brief stories get handed
down in families, but their personal stories
constitute an unfortunate hole in our history.
Perhaps more writings like Phillis Wheatley’s
will be found and we can learn more.
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Danby Youth Commission Patty VanDeBogart
Tompkins County Youth Community Café
(With Pizza!)
Danby Town Hall
February 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM
The Danby Youth Commission invites you to
join us for a Community Café focused on the
needs of youth in Danby—and on what the
county should prioritize in the next round of
funding for the Tompkins County Youth
Services Department.
This Community Café is a guided, small-
group conversation where we’ll come together
to share ideas, experiences, and perspectives.
We’re looking to lift up youth and community
voices, identify what’s working well and where
challenges exist, and gather insights that help
shape countywide priorities and funding
decisions.
This isn’t just a meeting for the sake of
meeting. The conversation will directly inform
how resources are allocated and how youth
services are supported across the county.
Bring your family, connect with neighbors,
and be part of a meaningful discussion about
our youth and their futures. Pizza will be
provided, and your voice truly matters.
RSVP appreciated, but not required, to
pvandebogartstc@gmail.com. Let us know
how many people to expect so we have
enough pizza for everyone. We look forward to
seeing you there!
Danby Youth Programs Jorin Clougherty
Rural Youth Services provides free
programming to Danby residents in 4th-
8th grade. To sign up,
visit https://bit.ly/danbyrys
More programs coming in March!
Questions? Contact Program Manager Jorin
Clougherty at jc3842@cornell.edu
Special Event- RYS Winter Olympics
Wednesday, February 18th, 9am-4pm
(4th-8th grade)
The Winter Olympics are back! Join friends
from around the county for a day of winter fun
and friendly competition. The RYS Winter
Olympics will be a day spent with exciting
outdoor and indoor sports and games, with
emphasis on team building, cooperation, and
fun. Sledding or skiing are possible if there is
snow as well!
Lunch and snacks are provided.
Dress for the weather! All youth in
attendance will need to bring their outdoor
snow gear, including snow pants, gloves,
boots, hats, and coats.
Ongoing Youth Programs
Dungeons & Dragons / Magic the Gathering
(6-8th grade)
Wednesdays, 3:30 – 6:00pm
Join this afterschool club to play TTRPGs
and board games. Join a campaign or start
your own! New players are always welcome –
no experience required!
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Danby Seniors Pat Phelps
The next meeting of the Danby Seniors will be
Thursday, February 5, 2026, at the Danby
Community Church at 12:00pm. Please bring a
generous dish to share and a serving spoon.
Please put your name on all your serving
dishes. Also, bring your own table service.
Coffee and lemonade will be provided.
Entertainment following this meeting will be
Jilissa Vellake, vocalist. She will begin her
performance at about 1:15pm in the Sanctuary.
From the West Danby Fire Department
West Danby Fire Department: Winter Safety &
Community News
As winter weather settles in, the West Danby
Fire Department would like to share a few
seasonal safety reminders with the community.
With increased use of heating equipment,
please remember to check that smoke and
carbon monoxide alarms are working properly,
keep space heaters at least three feet from
anything that can burn, and have chimneys
and heating systems inspected as needed.
These simple steps can help prevent winter-
related emergencies.
Winter conditions can also make emergency
access more difficult. We ask residents to help
by keeping driveways and walkways clear of
snow and ice and ensuring house numbers are
visible from the road.
We would also like to recognize our 2026
Officers:
Chief: Robert McCray | 1st Assistant
Chief: Ken VanEtten | 2nd Assistant
Chief: Scott Wendt | 3rd Assistant
Chief: Samantha VanEtten | Lieutenant / EMS
Director: Shawn Wendt
Staff Officers include John
VanEtten (President), Howard VanEtten (Vice
President), Laura Barton (Secretary), Shawn
Wendt (Treasurer), and Marrell
Cortright (Deputy Secretary/Treasurer).
The department is always looking for new
volunteers. Anyone interested in firefighting,
EMS, or support roles can
email wdchief@danbyfiredistrict.org, message
us on Facebook, or attend a meeting on
the second Monday of each month at 7 PM at
the fire station.
Thank you for your continued support, and we
wish everyone a safe and warm winter season.
Danby Fire District Notice of Regular Meetings
Please take notice that the Danby Fire District of the Town of Danby, Tompkins County, New
York, will hold its regular meetings on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month at 6:30
P.M. Meetings will be held at the Danby Fire Station, 1780 Danby Road, Town of Danby. All
meetings of the Danby Fire District are open to the public.
This notice is being given in accordance with the provisions of Section 104 of the Public Officers
Law of the State of New York.
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Danby Community Groups
Danby Community Library
Contact: Cindy Parlett
library@danby.ny.gov
Open Tue 1-3pm,
Thu & 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 And
Park (DCAP)
Website: dotsonpark.org
dotsonpark@gmail.com
Thu 12/7 at 7pm
Danby Rural Cemetery
Contact: Sharon Boda
Sharonboda@gmail.com
West Danby Community
Association (WDCA)
Contact: Pat Curran
pc21@cornell.edu
Danby Seniors
Contact: Pat Phelps
patriciaphelps2.0@
gmail.com
Luncheons: 1st Thur at noon
Danby Tosspot
(Open Alcoholics
Anonymous Meeting)
Wed 7pm - virtual
Danby Library News Cindy Parlett
Meet one of the authors in our library:
James Grant, best known by his pen name Lee Child is a British author who writes thriller novels and
is best known for his Jack Reacher novel series.
Jack Reacher is a former military police Major wandering the U.S. taking odd jobs and becoming
involved in mysteries. Maybe you’ve seen the movies or the Netflix series and liked them. Here’s your
chance to get more of Jack Reacher and his escapades. We have 22 books by Lee Child to choose
from. Plenty to keep you busy!
Interested in getting the Danby
Town News in your inbox?
You’re not alone! This newsletter is a
critical part of keeping Danby informed
about local government matters, and
getting an email can be more
convenient! Keep your eyes out for a
survey, possibly as early as next
month’s issue!
The newsletter is also available
online at danby.ny.gov/current-town-
newsletter. If you’d like to opt-out from
physical mailings, please email
townnews@danby.ny.gov along with
your address.
February 2026 Town of Danby, New York
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Monthly Meeting Schedule At-A-Glance
Group Day Date Time Call-in by Phone Meeting ID
Town Board* Tues 2/3 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 864 5365 2513 920558
WDWD Wed 2/4 5:00pm In person West Danby Fire station
CAC* Tue 2/10 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 835 4940 5296 879507
FD Tue 2/10 6:30pm In person Danby Fire Station
DYC Thur 2/12 7:30pm Online- kshanks@tompkins-co.org
Town Board* Tues 2/17 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 833 9755 8154 114604
PB* Wed 2/18 7:00pm 1-646-876-9923 822 5277 6582
BZA* Tue TBD 7:00pm TBD 817 1432 4705 398041
FD Tue 2/24 6:30pm 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: Kelly Maher
planningboard@danby.ny.gov
Meets: 3rd Wednesday at 7pm
Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA)
Chair: Earl Hicks
bza@danby.ny.gov
Meets: 4th Tuesday, as needed
Conservation Advisory Council (CAC)
Co-Chairs: Anne Klingensmith
Jonathan Zisk
cac@danby.ny.gov
Meets: 2nd Tuesday at 7pm
Danby Youth Commission (DYC)
Contact: Patty Van de Bogart
pvandebogartftc@gmail.com
Meets: 2nd Thursday at 7:30pm
Fire District (FD)
Secretary: Sharon Gaden,
secretary@danbyfiredistrict.org
danby.ny.gov/depts/danby-fire-district
Meets: 2nd & 4th Tuesdays at 6:30pm
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