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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05 Danby Town NewsletterMay 2026 Town of Danby, New York 1 Danby Town News Plant Exchange The 34th annual Plant Exchange will take place on Saturday May 23, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00, outside the Danby Fire Station on route 96B. This free event is an opportunity to swap, donate, and try new perennials, houseplants, seeds, annual seedlings, and anything else garden-related. It is not necessary to bring a plant in order to get a plant, nor is it necessary to stay the whole time. It's much better to divide plants in advance so they don't suffer in the heat on the day of the Plant Exchange. Label what you bring if you can. Try to make sure there are no earthworms in what you bring. There is an invasive non-beneficial earthworm in our area that we don’t want to spread. For more information, contact Dan Klein, danbydan@hotmail.com Fish Fry with the Danby Fire Company a Join us at the Danby Fire Department (1790 Danby Road) for a delicious lunch/dinner from Doug's Fish Fry on Tuesday, May 19th from 11AM to 6PM! A portion of the proceeds will support the Danby Volunteer Fire Company. Don't miss out on baked goods, t-shirts, and drinks from DVFC too. Memorial Day Celebration- Monday, May 25th at Town Hall Join us in honoring service members for Memorial Day. Events begin at 11am with Civil War era music, food, and relics. At 1pm, there will be a dedication ceremony by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War for Danby’s new memorial plaque. The day will end at 3pm with playing TAPS across America. West Danby Cemetery Association’s Annual Meeting The annual meeting of the West Danby Cemetery Association will be held on Saturday, May 9th at 10am at the West Danby Fire Hall at 47 Sylvan Lane. All are welcome. Want more information? Please contact Sandra Fish at 607-592-5923. May 2026 Town of Danby, New York 2 Notes from the Town Supervisor Joel Gagno n As I write this month’s comments, I am still assessing the impacts of the 20-degree night we had on April 20. Not exceptionally cold for the time of year, but the unusually warm weather leading up to it had the spring progression nearly 3 weeks ahead of normal. Many tree fruits were already in bloom and vulnerable. We shall see what remains of the crop potential in a few more days. Special Event Law Progress Board member Mark Pruce has been leading the Board’s review and modification of the draft Special Events Law. We are looking to enact the Special Events Law to enable these mass gatherings throughout the town. Public feedback has prompted adjustments to the “trigger level” for these large-scale events. The trigger we are currently considering would require a permit for outdoor events drawing more than 50 vehicles if the property is an acre or less and 100 vehicles if the property is bigger than an acre. To be considered a special event, the gathering has to have at least one additional feature besides vehicular traffic. Among them are charging a fee or being likely to produce sound levels greater than 70 decibels during the day or 55 at night. The total number of special event days is proposed to be limited to 6 a year. This is still a work in progress. Mark will bring the draft back to the next Board meeting on May 5 with additional revisions. You can watch the progress and offer comments by checking the website for the latest version. More on Succession Planning for Bookkeeper As I mentioned in an earlier article, my long- time bookkeeper Laura Shawley (she was Ric Dietrich’s bookkeeper before me and has served the town for 19 years) wants to retire. I have tried to look at the town’s staffing needs in planning for her replacement. Laura took on many tasks over the years, to the point that she had a hard time getting them all done in a timely manner. A couple of years ago she agreed to accept help, and Julia Hughes was hired. She has been a wonderful addition. I proposed to the Town Board that there is enough work to make the bookkeeper and assistant to the supervisor into a full-time position. There was Board support for that, but never a vote. I offered the position to my neighbor and tenant (who had worked for me in the fall helping with harvest and processing chores), based on her experience and character. I never anticipated that hiring my tenant could be seen to be a conflict of interest for me (because whether working for me or someone else, what is owed to me contractually under the lease is unaffected by the source of income). Others did see a conflict, so I asked the County Board of Ethics for their opinion. They opined that I do have a conflict since the money she makes as my employee could be used to repay her indebtedness. Honest disagreement! The upshot is that the position was advertised and Ted Jones, who was bookkeeper prior to Laura and supremely qualified to assume the job, was hired – but only for part of the job. He is recently retired and wants to limit his work to basic bookkeeping. Julia Hughes, who had indicated a willingness to take on more work, has been hired to do some of what remained – but only part of it. She too is retired and only wants a part-time job. We are currently advertising for someone to take on the remaining tasks (which could be broadly classified as “Assistant to the Supervisor”) for around 10 hours/week. If you May 2026 Town of Danby, New York 3 might be interested in that position, it will be posted on the county’s personnel page by the time you read this. A hiring committee, which does not include me, will be handling the interview and selection process. Skate Park Plans Board member Zach Larkins has been leading the effort to create a skate park. Initial plans to reuse an old equipment shed on the former highway department site on Bald Hill Road were abandoned when the cost to reuse the building proved prohibitively expensive. With or without that building, though, there is a lot of enthusiasm for the idea and the Board is supportive. Once untied from the building, the location was revisited. Should it be elsewhere on the Bald Hill site or somewhere else entirely? Some of us thought the Danby Community Park location across the street from the town hall would be a good place for it, but the Board of Directors of DCAP told us that a concrete skate park is incompatible with their vision of a natural park – especially if located near the entrance. That brought us back to the Bald Hill property. Concerns were raised about its appropriateness, though. One was that the highway department still wanted to use the property. Keith Shipman, Highway Superintendent, responded that he is happy to relinquish any use by his department to help enable the skate park. Another concern was the possibility of contamination from the years of highway use. Zach did extensive digging into old records and found that tanks installed in 1954 had been removed and that an environmental assessment commissioned by Danby Community Council when they considered the site for a community center had found the area suitable for public park use. With those issues addressed, the Board agreed in April to consider making the property an official park and a resolution to do so will come back to the Board in May. On a parallel track, a working group, with the help of landscape architect Jamie Vanucchi (who serves on the Planning Board) created a site plan for a park in that location. More on that in Planner Greg Hutnik’s report. 2024 CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Closing Public Hearing Look for this to be scheduled for a May meeting – likely the May 19 meeting. It presents an opportunity to look back on what was accomplished using the grant funds and how well. Public comments welcome. Planning Board Vacancy Planning Board member Scott Davis submitted his resignation to the Town Board. The Board hopes to fill the vacancy promptly. The Board has set an application deadline of May 15. Applicants will be interviewed at the May 19 meeting, with the hope that the appointment can be made at the same meeting. The application form can be found on the website. If that is inaccessible for you, an application can also be had from the Town Clerk’s office. For information about what the Planning Board does, check the website or give Planner Greg Hutnik a call. Zoning Amendments and Data Center/Cryptocurrency Mining Bans We finally passed the Zoning amendment package at the April 7 meeting. Included was language to define data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations, explicitly excluding them from the list of permitted uses in all zones. That makes it crystal clear that Danby doesn’t want them and they are not allowed. See the excellent writeup in the April 15 Tompkins Weekly by Jaime Cone Hughes for more. May 2026 Town of Danby, New York 4 Notes from the Planner’s Desk Greg Hutnik Planning Board On April 15, the planning board reviewed three development applications – one minor subdivision and two site plans – and scheduled public hearings for all three to be held on May 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM at the Danby Town Hall. A minor subdivision of the 124-acre property at 400 Gunderman Road is proposed so that approximately 41 acres of land will be owned by the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the remainder will stay with the current property owner. The land to be owned by the FLLT includes portions of the Lick Brook headwaters, ensuring indefinite protection of this vital ecosystem. A site plan for a new dwelling unit on Deputron Hollow Road (Tax Parcel ID 12.-1- 13.4) was reviewed. Not only does the Rural 1 zone district require site plan approval for a new dwelling unit, but the property is in the Habitat Corridor Overlay zone district, requiring site plan approval for any new impervious surface (e.g. buildings). The property has a protected perennial stream running through it, including a regulated 100-foot riparian buffer that prohibits any development. Given these environmental constraints, the proposal is to site a modest 800 square foot home closer to the road and outside of the riparian buffer. The property is currently littered with abandoned buildings and trash, thus the proposal also includes a thorough clean-up of the property. The applicant will need to secure septic system approval from the County Health Department before site plan approval can be granted. Lastly, and excitingly, a site plan for a new public park at 15 Bald Hill Road was submitted by the Town of Danby. While the Town does not need site plan approval for its own facilities, the Town Board elected to have it reviewed by the Planning Board. The proposal includes skate park features, an area for a future playground, picnic areas, and parking. (The Town was recently awarded $2500 from the Tompkins County Beautification Program to fund the installation of picnic tables, a concrete pad for the tables, and a barbeque grill.) The property is bordered by Buttermilk Creek flowing from Jennings Pond, and with this there is a riparian buffer that requires impervious surface within 50 feet of the stream to be kept as minimal as possible. The impervious surface shown within 50 feet of the stream, mostly the access drive and the concrete pad for picnic tables, is minimal, and the plan shows water retention features to help alleviate stormwater impacts. There will not be any lighting, ensuring that the park is only available in the daylight hours. The Planning Board also reviewed the proposed Special Events Law. While the Planning Board does not have any authority over the review and approval of special events permits, the issue inherently touches on how land is used. The review of the law was mostly a question-and-answer session. The main suggestion that came out of the Planning Board’s review was to require notification and/or a public hearing for each proposed special event permit application. Board of Zoning Appeals On March 24, the Board of Zoning Appeals granted an area variance to the property at 430 Troy Road to allow a ground mounted solar energy system to be sited 28 feet to the side property line where 50 feet is typically required. On April 28, the BZA reviewed the Special Events Law. As this newsletter article is being submitted before the April 28 meeting, I cannot report on what their comments will be until the following newsletter edition, or at a May Town Board meeting. May 2026 Town of Danby, New York 5 Conservation Advisory Council Margaret Corbit The Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) met on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 pm. After approving the minutes, we reviewed a sample customized Easement Monitoring Form and discussed exactly how and why each easement deserves its own customized form. Easements range widely. They can be donated on agricultural land to ensure its future availability for farming or forestry. At the other end of the scale, they can be placed on properties that offer critical habitat for rare species. So, a monitor in the first case might be checking that access roads are clear and that drainage hasn’t been compromised. But monitoring a highly protected area might involve looking for expanded trails, evidence of camping, or clearing. In either case, any new or changes in existing structures is important. We ask each person responsible for a Conservation Easement to maintain its folder online. This means developing a summary document that describes the important features of the property and any issues regarding its maintenance, as well as a history of ownership. Each year the monitor can review the previous year’s report and use it as a baseline for their inspection and report. CAC members are taking turns presenting these documents to the group for input. We continue to seek help in developing and monitoring Conservation Easements and decided to participate in the Danby Resilience Fair on May 2. We will have a map to share with visitors that shows the locations of lands that are already protected in the Town of Danby. It’s impressive! The map will also be on display in the meeting room of the Town Hall if you would like to stop and see it. Our next meeting is on May 12 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. Danby Youth Programs Jorin Clougherty Rural Youth Services provides free programming to Danby residents in 4th- 8th grade. To view program descriptions and sign up, visit: https://bit.ly/danbyrys Programs will run May 5th– June 17th. Questions? Contact Program Manager Jorin Clougherty at jc3842@cornell.edu Dotson Days (4th&5th grade) Tuesdays, 2:30-5:30pm Farm to Table (4th&5th grade) Fridays, 2:30pm-5:30pm Boynton D&D (6th-8th grade) Wednesdays, 3:30pm-6:00pm Danby Art Club (6th-8th grade) Thursdays, 4:30pm-6:30pm Summer Programs To ensure equitable participation for all youth, enrollment will be managed through a waitlist system rather than first-come, first- served registration. Families will be notified by Monday, May 18 regarding which programs their youth have been placed in. We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to provide fair access to these opportunities for all participants. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! May 2026 Town of Danby, New York 6 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 Tosspots (Open Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting) Wed 7pm – virtual Please note that there is a new Zoom link for this meeting! Danby Library News Cindy Parlett Meet the author-David Baldacci is an American novelist. Educated as an attorney he writes suspense novels and legal thrillers. He has several series featuring different main characters. Here are a few of the series characters: Sean King and Michelle Maxwell-two former Secret Service agents turned Private Investigators working together on national threats, dangerous killers and dark secrets The Camel Club-4 friends working together to uncover conspiracies within Washington, DC. John Puller-US Army veteran and CID military investigator Will Robie-a highly skilled hitman Amos Decker-police detective turned FBI consultant Atlee Pine-FBI agent searching for her abducted sister. If you like conspiracy theories and legal thrillers these books fit the bill. Browse through the 19 David Baldacci books we have in our library and find one for you! Interested in donating to the Danby Community Library? Reach out to the librarians during their open hours or email library@danby.ny.gov! New additions include the “QBQ!” series, written by John G. Miller, son of Jimmy and Mary Miller, who grew up in Danby. John's dad served as Cornell's wrestling coach for 25 years and as a local pastor for 40. May 2026 Town of Danby, New York 7 Monthly Meeting Schedule At-A-Glance Group Day Date Time Call-in by Phone Meeting ID Town Board* Tues 5/5 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 864 5365 2513 920558 WDWD Wed 5/6 5:00pm In person West Danby Fire station CAC* Tue 5/12 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 835 4940 5296 879507 FD Tue 5/12 6:30pm In person Danby Fire Station DYC Thur 5/14 7:30pm Online- kshanks@tompkins-co.org Town Board* Tues 5/19 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 833 9755 8154 114604 PB* Wed 5/20 7:00pm 1-646-876-9923 822 5277 6582 BZA* Tue TBD 7:00pm TBD 817 1432 4705 398041 FD Tue 5/26 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 May 2026 Town of Danby, New York 8 Town Officials Town Supervisor Joel Gagnon supervisor@danby.ny.gov Town Board Meets 1st Tues and 3rd Tues Leslie Connors Mariah Dillon Zachary Larkins Mark Pruce townboard@danby.ny.gov Town Clerk Deputy Town Clerk Hours: Mon–Fri 11am–4pm Blake Savoy Cindy Katz clerkoffice@danby.ny.gov 607-277-4788 opt. 2 Highway Superintendent Deputy Highway Superintendent Hours: Mon–Thu 6am–4:30pm Keith Shipman highway@danby.ny.gov Jack Shawley 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 planner@danby.ny.gov Code Enforcement Hours: Mon-Fri by appointment Steve Cortright code@danby.ny.gov Documents/ Historian Mary Ann Barr mbarr@danby.ny.gov Bookkeeper Laura Shawley lshawley@danby.ny.gov Danby, New York From: 1830 Danby Road Ithaca, NY 14850 PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No.428 Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 607-277-4788 https://danby.ny.gov Welcome to the Danby Town News! Questions? Email us at townnews@danby.ny.gov