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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-11-17TB 11-17-16 Page 1 of 7 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING November 17, 2016 Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl Linda Lavine Cl Deborah Cipolla-Dennis, Cl Kathrin Servoss Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Rick Young, Highway/DPW Superintendent Other Town Staff: Ray Burger, Director of Planning Jack Davison, Recreation Assistant Susan Brock, Town Attorney Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 7:07 p.m. and board members and audience participated in the pledge of allegiance. TOWN CLERK RESOLUTION #182 (2016) – APPROVE MINUTES Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves the meeting minutes of October 13 and October 20, 2016. 2nd Cl Cipolla-Dennis Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes CITIZENS PRIVILEGE Chuck Geisler said the Planning, Development and Energy Quality group met in Albany this week. The meeting was closed to the public and he was hoping the board might have an update. That group of people is probably going to make key decisions regarding the West Dryden pipeline. Some residents of Dryden had been advised by a NYSEG representative that alternatives were being considered and he is curious whether those are on the table or if the pipeline is still the chief initiative. If the pipeline is still being considered, he’d like to know the space that would be consumed by the construction of the pipeline. He has heard anywhere from six to eight feet along West Dryden Road to as much as thirty or forty feet. He’d like just a general update on whether alternatives are being considered, and if not and it is going to be a pipeline, how much land will be consumed. Cl Cipolla-Dennis said there was a meeting on November 9 in Albany with the PSC and the task force from that group. She was not allowed to attend, so can’t give an update. She has left a message for Dave Bovee asking about the meeting. Martha Robertson may have been there and may be able to give an update. Cl Cipolla-Dennis said she knows they were considering alternatives, but doesn’t know how many. She has been getting information second hand because they have not been transparent. She’d also like to have that information. TB 11-17-16 Page 2 of 7 Cl Cipolla-Dennis said she understands the alternatives would be to the pipeline entirely. According to Dave Bovee, they may consider peak shaving, because the pipeline is mostly needed for peak times when the pressure drops in the system and that would be for 15 to 20 days out of the year. Alternatives she’s heard mentioned include peak shaving, converting people from natural gas furnaces to air sourced heat pumps (providing incentives to do that), and installing inline pressure boosters to raise pressure where it was low. She doesn’t know the results of those evaluations. Cl Leifer said on Monday he and Ray Burger met with Distributive Sun and it turns out one of their engineers works with LaBella, who is involved with the pipeline. He said they may be actually looking for a different route if they are still going to do a pipeline, but that has not been officially conveyed to us. Cl Cipolla-Dennis said the board will be happy to share information if they hear anything. They believe the more information that is out there, the better it is for the public. Supv Leifer announced that the Verizon hearing will not be held because there is still no report from SHPO. Clarity Connect’s application is still incomplete so that hearing cannot be held. RECREATION DEPARTMENT Jack Davison reported that basketball skills and drills has started with 25 participants and more to come. Travel basketball (six teams) starts the week after Thanksgiving, as well as wrestling skills and drills, a second session of karate, and mens basketball. In the next few months wrestling season will start. The Father-Daughter Dance will move from the Varna Community Center to the Dryden fire hall because they have grown and need m ore space than is available at the VCA. They are adding a Family Rec session on Sundays with Pickle ball. That will include volleyball and basketball and is open to all ages. They are planning a youth basketball scrimmage tournament this year again (January 7 and 8). They had 50 teams (grades 4, 5, and 6) from nine different schools participate last year and Bailey Place will again sponsor that tournament. They also hope to bring back a wrestling tournament and will work with the league to determine a date. The last one was held in 2012. There are shirts that can be used in connection with that. In the spring they will again do youth lacrosse and travel youth lacrosse, track and field, co-ed softball, the Easter egg hunt and a red cross course that J Davison has taught for the past two years. Youth cheerleading took 2nd place in their competition at South Seneca. They have been working on organizing the storage area and organized, inventoried and labeled football, lacrosse and basketball equipment. This will help with loss prevention. They still need to inventory soccer, softball and cheerleading equipment and uniforms. H elmet reconditioning needs to be done this year (done every two years). It is less expensive than buying helmets each year. Cost is estimated at $980 to $1100. Helmets have a shelf life of about ten years. TC3 donated a lot of lacrosse helmets last year, but many are too large for the kids in the town program. If the lacrosse program continues to grow, more helmets will be needed. Cl Lavine asked about programs for seniors. The town did a senior fit class for a while but participation dwindled. J Davison said the Lifelong is doing that type of class at the VFW currently. He will add their information to the catalog. Lifelong has expressed interest in coordinating with the Rec Department for some senior programs and he will be investigating that opportunity. Cl Lavine asked about requiring a deposit for equipment. J Davison said parents will be asked to sign for equipment and they will be charged for that equipment if it is not returned. TB 11-17-16 Page 3 of 7 Cl Lavine suggested asking wrestlers from the Cornell team to help with our program and J Davison will look into that. Cl Lavine asked why we would continue to s upport football if it’s that dangerous. J Davison said it is one of the biggest programs. The coaches, parents and kids love football and it is a community builder for that time of year. All coaches go through a Hea ds Up training course to learn and reinforce safe tackling. Everything that can be done is being done to make sure our kids are safe. There would likely be a big community uprising if you tried to pull football away. Cl Cipolla-Dennis said she grew up in Texas and knows football and knows how important it is, but it has been shown that over a lifetime it can be dangerous. She’s not saying we should abolish football, but as we look at this, we should consider things we can do to make it safer. She appreciates all the training that goes on. But there are other sports that can be just as exciting. K Servoss announced that the OURS program now has a new program manager, Alexandra Hartley, who began working November 16. Cl Lavine suggested, given limited resources and staff time, that we not do field trips this year. J Davis said three have been advertised and already have enrollments. If there aren’t a sufficient number of children, they won’t hold the trip. Cl Lamb asked about the winter program that was online. J Davison explained that printed booklets were distributed at the Dryden elementary and middle schools and Dewitt middle school and around the community in places that people frequent. Cl Lamb said the adult soccer program is under-subscribed right now and asked if it was mentioned in the program. J Davison said as he understood it the adult soccer program has been self- sustaining and operates under our insurance, but kind of does its own advertising. If they want, he can advertise the program. Men’s basketball operates in the same way and has about 30 on Sunday evenings at the middle school now. Cl Lamb will let J Davison know if they want him to do anything. J Davison thanked the board for the opportunity to work full time. HIGHWAY/DPW DEPARTMENT R Young explained that he is asking for a change in his request for a truck purchase, because they had determined that the price they had been quoted was for the same truck that had been ordered under the Oneida County bid for another municipality, not what the Town of Dryden needs. He had asked for a quote for a truck that would accommodate the weight of the plow, wing, wheels, etc. The new quote also has additional safety features. What was quoted was a smaller version of what he needs. RESOLUTION #183 (2016) – RESCIND RESOLUTION #178 AND AUTHORIZE PURCHASE OF TRUCK Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby rescinds Resolution #178 passed on November 10, 2016, and it is further RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby authorizes the purchase of a 2017 International 4400 cab and chassis off the Oneida County Bid – Contract #1827, for $122,717.00 to be paid from accounts DA5130.2 and A1490.2. TB 11-17-16 Page 4 of 7 2nd Cl Cipolla-Dennis Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes PLANNING DEPARTMENT Ray Burger has provided the board with a monthly report (attached). The proposed South Hill Rec Way extension will cross the southwest corner of town. An open house will be held at the Coddington Center on November 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. for the public to see some preliminary ideas and give feedback on issues and concerns they have. The Dryden Lake Golf Course is up for sale. They are proposing six large lots for single family homes and will be coming before the Planning Board in the next few months for subdivision approval. R burger noted higher than average building activity for this time of year. He said there are four different companies interested in putting large solar in our community. Distributed Sun will be present at the public hearing on the solar law and give a presentation of their preliminary application. They are looking at seven different 2 mega -watt projects in Dryden. Solar law – Atty Brock has made some edits and those will be provided to the County. The public hearing is scheduled for December 15 and will be held, but the board doesn’t expect to pass it until January. Two public hearings need to be held for the comp plan updates and the board will do that December 8 and December 15. R Burger announced that the ZBA Chair is stepping down and will not serve next year. Mike Ward has been serving as alternate and is willing to be a full member. COUNTY BRIEFING Mike Lane speaking as a trustee of the Southworth Library was surprised to hear of the decrease in the amount of funding the town gave them this year. It is hurtful because it comes on top of new requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act which has had a severe impact on them. It changed the threshold for a salaried employee as opposed to an hourly employee. Their Director has always been a salaried employee. Their directors have been wonderful and given not only the time recommended, but a lot of extra time. They c an’t let that happen anymore and are struggling with coming up with additional money. It basically doubled the amount that has to be paid in order to qualify as an exempt employee . If they had realized they would have this severe cut, they would have had someone here to talk with the board. A lot of not-for-profits have been hit by that FLSA and the public may see a cut in services. The County adopted its budget this week. They exceeded the tax cap by .7% but have a reduced rate due to new construction. They will be doing some financial incentive at the airport to bolster the work being done to support the airlines. A new jet bridge will be purchased because in February all prop jets will be gone from American Airlines and later in TB 11-17-16 Page 5 of 7 the summer from United. The County has worked hard through the Air Services Board to make the case that Tompkins County Airport is a vital connection and has enough business travelers that it makes sense for the airlines to be here. The evidence is that American Airlines will not be in Binghamton or Elmira anymore. They believe airlines are focusing on Cornell, Tompkins County and our high tech industries. M Lane said he recently attended a presentation in honor of h ealth care care givers; people who work in nursing homes, home workers, those who work in assisted living. It takes a special person and can be a wonderful career. There is a shortage of care givers and we need more folks in that profession. Martha Robertson reminded everyone of the Housing Summit being held November 30 and December 1. November 30 at Ithaca High auditorium is open to everyone. They will be talking about the local situation. December 1 is full (250 people) and there is a waiting list. This won’t be the last thing they do, and she is h oping to carry the energy and concern forward. She is on the committee looking at a jail study about the population and community and considering what else they can do to keep the jail population down and reduce it further so they can avoid having to build more cells. They have chosen Center for Governmental Research (CGR) as their consultant of Rochester. This is the same firm chosen for the potential shared services study with the City of Ithaca and other law enforcement. They m et this afternoon about the population study and will be meeting in the next weeks with as many people as possible. Last Wednesday, November 9, she was part of a group that went to Albany to meet with the PSC, Mark Lynch, NYSEG CEO, and other top level staff from NYSEG. The PSC is responding to the Energy and Economic Development Task Force’s request that the PSC consider a REV for gas to try and reduce demand to avoid building infrastructure. They came to Ithaca in July and now they’ve met in Albany with NYSEG. They are now working on an MOU to outline what they have agreed on. The County’s task force is kind of done. It was a temporary group. They need to find a mechanism that works for the community to be engaged. Interestingly, NYSEG is already mandated to work with a community to do an energy smart community demonstration project for electrical use and they chose us. That project will involve about 12,000 homes getting smart meters for electricity. It is almost the same area that is constrained with respect to natural gas, so there is a reason to put those two together. The energy smart community effort is developing an advisory board. The county has asked for an inclusive advisory board that works on both sides of the energy equation. At the moment though, we don’t have a task force anymore. A lot is in the mix, and everybody understands that this needs to become a public process, and that people are informed and engaged. That is their goal too. NYSEG knows that they need the community to be engaged to reduce energy use. They can’t just impose stuff on us. We need to be involved. She c an’t say more than that, but we are in a position where they are listening to us. Cl Cipolla-Dennis said before the meeting, Dave Bovee said some of the alternatives they were looking at had to do with peak demand because the pipeline is really needed for that purpose around 15 to 20 days a year. She has been t rying to confirm what is true, conjecture, rumor and that sort of thing. Is there any way to get actual information about what this pipeline is for and what problem it is intended to solve, and what alternatives were discussed at this meeting? M Robertson said she was surprised that Mr Bovee said as much as he did. T hey didn’t know that much. NYSEG understands they have to do a much better job of communicating what their problems and needs are, what the legal and moral demands are for keeping people informed, and that is clearly an initiative. They have hired additional people to work on the TB 11-17-16 Page 6 of 7 Energy Smart Community and apparently their job is communicating. M Robertson had a meeting with a few of them about the Energy Smart Community and the focus was how to reach out so people know what is going on. Cl Cipolla-Dennis would like representation for the town of Dryden in the new group that will be formed. She said we have a role and want to be helpful and are interested in trying to work for a solution that works for everyone. It is difficult for the board to answer questions from constituents. M Robertson agrees that this board and the Lansing board need to be engaged with these groups. She said we’ve taught them (NYSEG) a lot and have learned a lot, too. Be patient. They are working on this. She hopes there will be more information available in the next few weeks. ADVISORY BOARD UPDATES Planning board – The Planning Board met at the same time as this board last week and worked on the solar law and comp plan changes. They are also looking at a highway infrastructure law to basically put regulations and best practices in place for any infrastructure or public utilities that impact town roads. They have been working on amending zoning and subdivision laws to allow for cluster subdivisions and there will be a hearing in December. Conservation Board – Cl Servoss said they are still working on the Natural Resources Conservation Plan. Tasks have been delegated but not completed. DRYC – Cl Servoss reported they had a meeting regarding the recreation director position and are forming a task force. They need to determine who on the town board will be on the search committee. Cl Lavine agreed to serve and either Cl Lamb or Cl Servoss will also serve. A number of community members will be asked to serve, such as someone who has coached for many years and a parent of participants. They are meeting on the 30th at the Ellis Hollow Community Center and will shore up the process of the search committee. Ag Committee – Supv Leifer said they have reviewed the draft ag plan and should release it to the board soon. They are recommending several zoning changes. The final plan will come out later next year. They want to ask for an extension on the grant and he expects it will be finished by the end of summer. Rail Trail Task Force – Cl Lamb reported they met last night. Seven of the 32 easements have been secured for the phase one section. They expect a decision on the grant application in late December or early January. There will be a 20% match for the town and the group intends to organize plans to raise the funds to help offset the cost to taxpayers. It would be great to have people giving easements present at the public hear ing. There is clearly great momentum right now. The group wants to borrow the smart practices used in Black Diamond and Cayuga Water Front Trails. Possibilities for fundraising (races, etc) are endless. NEW BUSINESS Approval/Acceptance of trail easements - The board scheduled a public hearing for the easements for December 15 at 8:00 p.m. Advisory board recruitment – Several people whose terms are expiring on the boards have submitted applications for reappointment. The clerks office is sending a press release and putting an ad in The Shopper. Appointments will be made at the organizational meeting in January. TB 11-17-16 Page 7 of 7 Budget Mod – The board previously approved a contract with BMI for music licensing and now needs to move $221 from rec admin contractual to community music RESOLUTION #184 (2016) – APPROVE BUDGET MODIFICATION Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves the following budget modification: From Acct To Acct A7020.401 Rec Admin contractual A7989.402 Community music $ 222.00 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis said she is concerned that the expiration of the moratorium is not for off and while they are making progress, there is still a lot to do in the zoning law. We may need an extension. Atty Brock said it is a simple matter to extend the moratorium by another local law. The board will need to decide what period it wants for the extension. There being no further business, on motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L. Avery Town Clerk