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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-08 August Danby NewsletterAugust 2026 Town of Danby, New York 1 Danby Town News Community Events The first and only semiquincentennial West Danby Picnic hosted by the West Danby Community Association is scheduled for Saturday August 15, at 4:30 PM. Find out more on page 5! The next community potluck hosted by the Danby Resilience Committee will be on 4-7pm Saturday August 15th at Dotson Park-- everyone is invited! More information on page 5! Cindy Ceracche is organizing a summer shoe drive to support Twin Tiers Honor Flights, an organization for veterans to be celebrated with a flight to Washington D.C. Information on how to donate and the organization is on page 5! Town Hall Accessibility and Crosswalk Project Update The Town Board has approved a bid package for the Town Hall crosswalk and accessible entryway projects. Sealed bids must be submitted before 1pm on August 12th. There will be a meeting held August 12th at 1pm for the opening of the bids. Bids will be considered at the Town Board meeting on August 18th. Plans and the full bid package are available on the Town website. Questions? Read more about this project on page 3 or email mdillon@danby.ny.gov for more information. Jennings Pond News The Jennings Pond Swim Season is off to a great start! Over 40 people have been swimming so far this season. Come join the fun! Swimming is open from Wednesday to Sunday noon to 6pm. NYSDOT Open House- Date TBD! The NYS Department of Transportation will be holding an Open House at Town Hall to review plans for the replacement of the bridge at the intersection of East/West Miller Road and 96B. Keep an eye on the Town’s calendar page or call the Clerk’s office for the date and time. August 2026 Town of Danby, New York 2 Notes from the Town Supervisor Joel Gagno n Special Events Law – Not Yet The Town Board had a lot of constructive comments that helped shape the Special Events Law before it was formally proposed, but that input was dwarfed by the response elicited by the public hearing on July 7. Between written comments read aloud from those who couldn’t be there in person and comments by those in attendance, almost 2 ½ hours of sharing took place. Many spoke passionately about the value of musical events to the community. It was apparent that quite a few of those commentors believed that the proposed law was aimed at reducing or even curtailing such events, a persistent misunderstanding despite everything that has been written and said to make it clear that the law is aimed at making possible that which is not currently allowed by our zoning law. Others understood the intent but were critical of the content for a variety of reasons. Compliant sound levels are unreasonably low, the trigger levels for needing a permit are too low or too high or based on wrong criteria, the law would have the unintended result of legalizing commercial events below the trigger all over town, it unfairly singles out large commercial events by requiring a permit just because they charge admission fees, just to name a few. So, now what? We agreed to individually assemble lists of changes that we think should be considered and pass them on to Board member Mark Pruce. Mark was charged with compiling them into a list for the Board to review at the next meeting on July 21. If we can agree on what to change before trying again, the changes will be made and the result scheduled for another public hearing. To allow ample time for public review in advance, the earliest hearing date would be in September. In the meantime, large events remain illegal except when conducted to support sales by an agricultural business. Moves to Become a Pro-Housing Community In 2025 the Town Board sent a letter of intent to the state saying that we were going to apply to be listed as a pro-housing community. We have yet to submit that application, but we are getting close. One step in the direction is to pass a pro-housing community pledge. A resolution to do so was passed at the July 21 meeting. It states that we will take a number of steps to make more housing available in the town: 1. Streamlining permitting for multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing. 2. Adopting policies that affirmatively further fair housing. 3. Incorporating regional housing needs into planning decisions. 4. Increasing development capacity for residential uses. 5. Enacting policies that encourage a broad range of housing development, including multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing. I expect the completed application to be submitted shortly after Planner Greg Hutnik returns from leave in August. Also, in support of housing affordability, I am chairing a committee of the Tompkins County Council of Governments (a representative body of county municipalities that looks for ways to improve government cooperatively) that is focused on things that could be done county- wide to make housing less expensive. The housing issue is national in scope, so our efforts need to be supported at a state and national level. The action there is encouraging, and we can magnify it with local initiatives. August 2026 Town of Danby, New York 3 Bid Solicitation for Town Hall Accessibility Enhancements Engineered plans are now complete for the 96B crosswalk and re-do of the north main entrance to the town hall. The Town Board is likely to have approved going out to bid for these by the time you read this. Bids need to be submitted by August 12 if they are to be considered. What we expect to get from this bidding process are real numbers for the cost and timing of construction. If the numbers look reasonable, a contractor could be chosen as soon as the August 18th Board meeting. Local contractors are encouraged to submit proposals – we would like to support a local business if we can. Water District System Evaluation Hunt Engineers and Architects were hired to analyze the condition of the water district infrastructure in West Danby. They produced a preliminary engineering report which pointed to inadequacies that should be dealt with and suggested multiple options for doing so. The Committee is still unsure about the remaining service life of the asbestos-cement water mains. Knowing how much time we have until that becomes a pressing need is of great importance, so a more in-depth evaluation is being pursued to add to what is in the preliminary engineering report. For both phase 1 (recommendations for replacement) and phase 2 (implementation of replacements), the Committee is exploring potential grant support. Community Forum Update Mark Pruce Our first community forum was a great success, thanks to everyone who came out. After a short activity collecting topics from everyone, we settled into a discussion on a few themes that emerged. First, we discussed the state of Jennings Pond and how we might improve the experience of residents and visitors. We will be talking to Mary Kozak and the NYS park entity that manages the park about the possibility of some volunteer work parties. Then we broadened the conversation and discussed parks in general, including Dotson Park. One resident raised the idea that Danby could use a basketball court and/or baseball field. I love that idea and it goes nicely with Zach Larkins' work on the skate park: getting kids outside, active and social is more important than ever. Next, we talked briefly about the challenges of public transportation in Danby, while acknowledging that this is largely a county issue. We discussed the new TCAT pilot program eRide Ithaca, which is on-demand and affordable — this could be a good fit for Danby (although it is now limited to West Hill). Lastly, we talked about small businesses in Danby and what the town can do to support small business growth. We didn't have time to get too in-depth, although the idea was raised that the town website could include a 'local business directory.' Blake, town clerk who also manages the website, seems open to exploring the rules around this idea and what we can and cannot do on a municipal website. This brought us to the end of the forum: we easily filled 90 minutes and had more to discuss. Other topics that came up but were not discussed: housing, conservation, sidewalks, and the desire for more regular social gatherings to grow and strengthen our community. I'd love to turn this first forum into a regular occurrence: stay tuned for the next forum in September and a regular cadence after that. August 2026 Town of Danby, New York 4 From the Town Historian- Danby, 1776 M.A. Barr Stand just outside Danby Town Hall, maybe next to the Soldiers’ Monument. Face east toward 96b. Now imagine it is summer 1776. What would you see? Straight ahead to the east you would see dense forest, with thick leafy canopy so only dots of sunlight reach the ground. There is no road. Through the trees you might just make out grassland in the distance and rolling, tree- covered hills beyond. You might see or hear turkeys, beavers, brown bears deer, a bobcat and more. Through the growth overhead you might just glimpse a flock of pigeons, 100 or 200 strong. Or hundreds of geese or swans headed toward Cayuga Lake. Turn 180 degrees and face west. Here again you see forest. You can hear the pleasant gurgle of a creek flowing north to the lake. Cross the creek, and a little way beyond you will see a footpath winding through the trees roughly following the line of the creek. Follow the path south and you come to a clearing beside a pond with a few temporary shelters and fields of crops nearby; a seasonal camp or village made by some of the Gayogoho:no, indigenous peoples of the Cayuga Lake region. In 1776, this was a tranquil scene with people working their crops of maize, beans and squash and scouting the forest for game. (In the future the pond would be dammed to make Jennings Pond). Following a lesser footpath westward you would come to another Gayogoho:no settlement of several cabins or small wood/log homes in the area of what is now West Danby, a more permanent home base. Though white men –Europeans – were in the Ithaca area, this area we know as Danby was still remote. European visitors were very rare in the small Gayogoho:no settlements here. Just three years later change came with the Sullivan Military Campaign of 1779, then came settlers, the Industrial Revolution and more until 250 years later we see the Danby of today. From the Town Clerk Blake Savoy [Microphone tapping] Is this thing on? I’ve been having a very Danby summer. Spent time in the garden, walked to Jennings Pond to swim, and had a handful of excellent conversations over here at Town Hall. Sometimes you can’t surpass your own work, and I think I did a right-on job with the fishing article last time SO…If you’re planning on fishing over at our very own Jennings Pond (or anywhere in the state, for that matter), be sure to come by and get your fishing license. We have the 2026 Fishing Regulations booklets as well. Highly worth the read before you hit the waters! With summer in full swing, we’ve had some stray dog pickups here and there. As a reminder, dogs over 4 months of age must be licensed. Town and State law. Come on down to Town Hall 11am-4pm Mon.-Fri. to make sure Fido’s license is up-to-date or give us a call at 607-277-4788, option 2 for the clerk! Usual musings aside, I wanted to take a moment to say a big thank you to all those who have ever attended a Board meeting. One of the sticky note suggestions from the Community Forum was “Stop holding meetings at dinner time!” which I thoroughly appreciated. We had snacks there, which I hope appeased those in attendance! There was also the public hearing on July 7th-- an incredible show of faces and voices, of passion and civility. I may just be the guy writing the minutes, but big thanks to you, Danby, for coming out and giving me something to write about! August 2026 Town of Danby, New York 5 West Danby Picnic West Danby Community Association The first and only semiquincentennial West Danby Picnic is scheduled for Saturday August 15, at 4:30 PM. At the pavilion at the intersection of Brown and Short Rds. Rain or shine, we have shelter... and local stringband music to boot! This is a dish-to-pass event (seltzer and other cold drinks provided), so bring your best main course, side, salad, or dessert to share. (Tod S. has already agreed to bring his famous pulled pork.) Also, bring a chair and your own table setting if you can. Oh, and bring your badminton skills to the field as you may find some worthy opponents! We'll simultaneously be honoring the service of Laura Shawley, long-time bookkeeper for the Town, so please let's give her a proper sendoff in her retirement! She's been at this for some 19 years, and in a town as small as ours it will come as no surprise that she has had to put on many hats as the need arose. As dedicated and effective a public servant as you'll ever find, hers will be hard shoes to fill. Summer Shoe Drive Cindy Ceracche Once again, I will be collecting gently worn, used or new shoes to raise money for the Twin Tiers Honor Flight. This organization escorts our honored veterans to Washington DC. The next mission is scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2026. The shoes are collected and picked up by our fundraising partner, Funds2orgs. The shoes are weighed and the organization sends TTHF a check. You can drop off shoes at 338 Gunderman Road, 1.7 miles from Danby Fire Station. The collection container will be there until Labor Day weekend. If you know a veteran who would like to take a "trip of a lifetime", or if you would like to be a "guardian" or other volunteer, go to the website and fill out an application. www.twintiershonorflight.org or call 1-800-683- 5403. For any questions about the shoes, call or text Cindy Ceracche 607-339-9269. Thank you for your support! Community Potluck Danby Resilience Committee (continued from front page) We'd like to host a continuation of the "Community Conversation" started by Mark Pruce in July, to talk further about everyone's vision for the future of Danby. We also want to share some interesting "lessons learned" from a municipal representatives conversation hosted by Cooperative Extension, such as how the Caroline/Brooktondale community responded to the damaging storm a few years ago. They have set up a system to network neighbors together during emergencies, making sure elders are connected with someone. Could we do something similar in Danby? What else do we need in place to better take care of each other? The conversation will be from 4-5pm, then we'll have a potluck from 5-7pm. Bring your own place settings, there are a few picnic tables but extra chairs or picnic blankets are encouraged. A dish to pass is NOT required to attend, showing up and sharing your ideas is important to us. Our last potluck included strawberry shortcake, delicious cheese cake, and so much more. What will this one hold? We hope to see you there! August 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 Danby Library News Cindy Parlett Meet the author! Susan Elia MacNeal is an American author best known for her historical mystery and espionage thriller that follows an American-British woman, Maggie Hope, who starts as a typist for Winston Churchill and evolves into a spy during World War II. There are 11 books in the series and we have all of them. Happy Reading!! 1-Mr. Churchill"s Secretary 2-Princess Elizabeth's Spy 3-His Majesty's Hope 4-The Prime Minister's Secret Agent 5-Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante 6-The Queen's Accomplice 7-The Paris Spy 8-The Prisoner in the Castle 9-The King's Justice 10-The Hollywood Spy 11-The Last Hope The Danby Community Library is open when Town Hall is open, unless the meeting room is reserved. A book drop is available to the left of the main doors to Town Hall. Meeting room use requests can be directed to the Town Clerk. August 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 8/4 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 864 5365 2513 920558 WDWD Wed 8/5 5:00pm In person West Danby Fire station CAC* Tue 8/11 7:00pm 1-929-205-6099 835 4940 5296 879507 FD Tue 8/11 6:30pm In person Danby Fire Station DYC Thur 8/13 7:30pm Online- kshanks@tompkins-co.org Town Board* Tues 8/18 6:00pm 1-929-205-6099 833 9755 8154 114604 PB* Wed 8/19 7:00pm 1-646-876-9923 822 5277 6582 BZA* Tue TBD 7:00pm TBD 817 1432 4705 398041 FD Tue 8/25 6:30pm In person at the Danby Fire Station See the Danby calendar (https://danby.ny.gov/event/) 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 August 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 Town Historian Mary Ann Barr mbarr@danby.ny.gov Accounting Questions Clerk Office clerkoffice@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 August 2026 Town of Danby, New York 9