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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-06-20 TB 6-20-19 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING June 20, 2019 Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl Linda Lavine, Cl Kathrin Servoss, Cl Alice Green Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Other Town Staff: Ray Burger, Director of Planning Khandi Sokoni, Town Attorney Ryan McHugh, Secretary to the Supervisor Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Board members and audience recited the pledge of allegiance. RESOLUTION #104 (2019) -APPROVE MINUTES Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves the meeting minutes of May 9 and May 16, 2019. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes VERIZON SPECIAL USE PERMIT 2180 DRYDEN ROAD Ray Burger explained that this is a special use permit application for a telecommunications tower at 2150 Dryden Road. There was an approval in 2017 that has lapsed. Verizon is seeking reapproval of that. The introduction is tonight, and a hearing can be set for July 11. Jared Lusk of Nixon Peabody explained that Verizon still intends to build the tower that was approved in 2017. Verizon is in the process of upgrading sites in upstate New York. The company to construct it has been chosen. They recognize the other development approved on this site. The board should understand that as part of the solar approval there were some trees on the Verizon site that are targeted for removal. He has reviewed the solar construction plans online and the area most sensitive is immediately to the east of project site. Pursuant to the solar plan there is a series of 14' & 16'red maples and junipers to be planted along the property line of the closest neighbor. They recognize the dynamics of the scheduled removal and are willing to discuss some mitigation measures. You wouldn't be able to hide the 165' tower, but there could be mitigation. The Verizon project has changed slightly. Twelve antennas were previously approved, and the number will now be reduced to 6. It will be much narrower at the top of the tower and that helps the overall viewshed. Verizon respects the situation, understands the concern, and Page 1 of 8 TB 6-20-19 is willing to have an open dialogue. There is still a need to resolve network challenges for a network that residents rely on for their everyday lives. Again, the only change from the original application is the number of antennas and that the willow trees will be removed. It is hard to disguise a 165'tower. Trees along the eastern property edge and along Route 13 are somewhat mitigating. J Lusk said they did not submit a fee with application. They are asking for what is essentially an amendment to a previous approval and they are not certain the town can justify a $5,000 fee. He suggested that perhaps $1,000 was more appropriate. R Burger said the town's telecommunications law does contain a provision for the board to modify the terms of the permit process. The board can decide on the fee matter at its July 11 meeting. CITIZENS PRIVILEGE David Weinstein-read the attached statement. Joe Osmeloski, 2180 Dryden Road, with respect to mitigation he asked whether the board had seen the screening around the solar farm that has been constructed on Game Farm and Dodge Roads. The trees are very short with weeds growing around them. The weeds are robbing important elements from the trees. Someone should take care of the trees, so they can grow properly. He received a notice that the solar offer for Dryden residents has been extended to June 30. It is probably due to skepticism or the convoluted nature of the program. You don't save 10% on your bill. If you buy enough credits to cover your bill you save 10%. But if you can only buy credits to cover half of your bill, you're saving 5%. How many credits can you buy? What is a credit worth? He suggested that the board have someone come in and explain for the public how the program works. Jim Skaley, 940 Dryden Road, presented an email from Robert Thorne to Jason Leifer and Martha Robertson expressing concern about development in Varna. He said it is interesting to note that people outside the hamlet of Varna are paying attention to what is going on in the Varna area. Mr. Thorne travels through Varna on a regular basis and has been observing what goes on in Varna for several years. He doesn't think it is acceptable for the community. He is saying we need better planning, to look at how to make things work appropriately compared to what is happening in other areas. Varna is a gateway to the city of Ithaca essentially. J Skaley has corresponded with R Thorne about this and his feeling is there ought to be more shared planning with the city and the county. J Skaley has talked with INHS and they are particularly interested in doing something in the Varna area if they have the opportunity to do so. Laurie Snyder, 36 Freese Road, said the sight lines from Freese Road entering 366 are horrible. She drives an SUV so is higher than other vehicles, but with the weeds that have grown up, the recently erected sign for The Cottages, you can't see the traffic coming from the FH Fox Road. The most dangerous part of Freese Road is that intersection and it needs to be addressed soon. She read a letter from herself, Kim Klein & Chris Carrol (attached). Craig Schutt, 69 Schutt Road, said the proposed Climate Resiliency Improvement Plan hasn't gone out to be vetted very well because the Conservation Board hasn't seen it yet. It says coastal flooding is one of the most important problems in Dryden. It talks about dangerous things and then says that Dryden has done it already. It is full of things that make Page 2 of 8 TB 6-20-19 no sense. It needs some more work. It talks about climate resiliency, yet we let the solar farm cut down big old trees that protect the stream, protect the stream bank and keep the water cool because they happen to be in the way. You need trees for climate resiliency and streams need protection. Cl Green said she agrees it needs more work. Supv Leifer read an email received from Chris Kimball (attached). LED Streetlights- Cl Green said the town has received a proposal from the New York State Power Authority and one from NYSEG. The deadline to join a consortium of municipalities that is forming in Tompkins County is June 30. She had a conversation with energy manager Terry Carroll and advised him that because we just received the proposal from NYPA, we haven't had time to compare the two. He advised that if we are within a couple of weeks we may still be able to take advantage of the consortium. She proposed that we request the person from NYPA come and explain the ramifications of going with the NYPA plan. T Carroll (who is assisting in comparing the pros and cons) is available to attend the 7/11 agenda meeting if we can get a NYPA rep here. He will help the town do a comparison and make a decision. There is still a chance, potentially, to be a part of the consortium that will lower costs for procurement and maintenance. Cl Green said municipalities have asked NYSEG for a new spreadsheet of comparisons of going with NYSEG and suggested that we also request that. She will contact NYSEG and will invite the NYPA rep to the July 11 meeting. TAP agreement/Rail Trail Project Agreement -Atty Sokoni and Ray Burger have been emailing about this. It will be a July or August action. They need to dial in the scope of the project before they can proceed to authorizing signature of the grant. There is a potential question about land acquisition, but they will know more about that by July 2. The committee will have an update on July 11. Etna Fire Funding request- Supv Leifer said in 2015 the board set aside an amount from Etna's requests and put it in a contingency line. Those funds were then rolled into in the fire district fund balance. Etna now has a $20,000 request for some equipment. Supv Leifer is going to ask for Etna's actual call response to determine whether there has been an increase in performance. The board can decide about their request in July after he has received that information. Climate Smart- Cl Green explained the Climate Smart Community Task Force is working to accumulate action steps for bronze status as a climate smart community. The application deadline is July 6. Once points are accumulated we will be more eligible for funding under the consolidated funding application to DEC for a particular action step we would like help with. The task force has chosen to apply for up to 50% of the cost for our consultant for the comprehensive plan. The Natural Resources Inventory and the Climate Resiliency Improvement Plan are draft documents prepared by an employee of Cooperative Extension who has been providing free consulting work. Additional consultation is needed from the Conservation Board and Planning Board to make the language more local specific. The town will get some points toward the climate community status just for having done this work with the consultant to create the document. Both documents will need some changes before we are ready to adopt them. The Climate Resiliency Improvement Plan is a result of work of our consultant sitting with Ray Burger and reviewing documents the town has in place that address climate resiliency. They will continue to refine those documents. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory has been done for municipal buildings and our fleet here. The DEC wants to encourage municipalities to look at buildings and operations and do as much as we can internally and to ask folks in the community to examine their energy use. That document will be posted on the town website. It involves looking at utility bills, the Page 3 of 8 TB 6-20-19 heat pumps, geothermal system, solar system and looking at the pattern of our bills over a period of six years. The results will be posted along with town documents. All the documents are presented as drafts for further study and consideration. Climate Smart Task Force meets again at 10:00 a.m. on Monday in the conference room to review the steps taken in last six months and assess where we are in relation to the deadline to submit action steps for the bronze status. There will be an update in July. Cl Green has shared a proposed resolution on a recycling policy. These are steps the town is already taking, but points will be gained by adopting this resolution. RESOLUTION #105 (2019) - SETTING A RECYCLING POLICY FOR TOWN OF DRYDEN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS Cl Green offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS the Town of Dryden is working towards bronze certification as a Climate Smart Community, and WHEREAS increasing the rate of recycling reduces energy use and makes efficient use of limited resources, and people are more likely to recycle when it is easy and convenient, and WHEREAS placing recycling bins next to all trash receptacles makes recycling easier, provides a visual reminder to recycle items when possible, and reminds employees that they work for a government that is committed to the goals of the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Dryden establishes a policy requiring placement of a labeled recycling bin wherever there is a trash bin, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Town will implement that policy by providing recycling bins in all common areas in local government buildings (such as kitchens and copy rooms) and at every employee's desk. 2nd Cl Servoss Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes HIGHWAY/DPW SUPERINTENDENT Supv Leifer said the Highway Superintendent is not able to be at the meeting because of road issues due to the weather. The county has sent a proposed Snow and Ice Agreement covering the period October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2022. It is essentially the same agreement that we are working under. Cl Green said as liaison to the Highway Department she has spoken with Rick Young about how that contract is working. It has worked very well this year. RESOLUTION #106 (2019) -APPROVE SNOW & ICE AGREEMENT Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: Page 4 of 8 TB 6-20-19 RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves the Snow & Ice Agreement between the Town of Dryden and County of Tompkins for the period October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2022 and authorizes the Town Supervisor and Highway Superintendent to execute the same on behalf of the Town of Dryden. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes PLANNING DEPARTMENT R Burger has submitted the department's monthly update (attached). A medical office is proposed for 2141 Dryden Road. It has gone through site plan approval at the Planning Board level. The sign at the entrance of the facility will need to be placed in the DOT right of way (over 100'wide at that point). Because of that it becomes an off- premises sign and needs a special use permit. A public hearing will be set for July 18. Ithaca Area Waste Water Treatment Plant- R Burger said instigated by Cornell's North Campus project of putting in 2000 bedrooms, there needs to be an upgrade to the pipe leading to the treatment facility. There is one small section that is constricting the whole delivery system at the Thurston Avenue interceptor. That is also where all the Dryden waste goes through, so the upgrade will benefit Dryden and future development in our sewer districts. The pipes going in are expected to be there for 100 years. It is in negotiation and it looks like Cornell will pick up the major project cost for the interceptor upgrade. It opens capacity for Cornell, Dryden, Cayuga Heights and others. Business Loan Fund-Cl Lamb announced the Dryden Business Loan Fund is up and running. This is a soft roll out. Forms and guidelines are available now on the town website. We are working with Thoma Development as our consultant/advisor on the program. Any fees that Thoma requires will come from the fund monies. The goals and objectives of the program can be reviewed on the web. Because it is HUD money, we must adhere to guidelines about creating jobs for low- and middle-income people. Other goals and objectives of the program are to increase taxable value of property; identify and provide assistance for projects that present growth potential in terms of future employment; provide essential services or businesses lacking in the neighborhood or community; leverage private funds; develop local interests to the greatest extent possible by encouraging the use of local contractors and/or suppliers/vendors etc. wherever applicable and/or appropriate; develop opportunities in the Town's central business district that will increase foot traffic; and assist the development of microenterprises (those businesses with five or fewer employees). The program will loan up to $100,000 for businesses in the town. It is a good distinction for the town to have this program. There will be a bigger roll out when we get further in to the program. There will be a press release and announcement in July. Cl Lamb is under the impression that TCAD has $55,000 of the town's funds that would be returned to the town for this program. M Robertson said she understands that those funds have been offered by TCAD to Emmie's Organics in their move to Royal Road. RECREATION DEPARTMENT Page 5 of 8 TB 6-20-19 Board members have the monthly report (attached). Summer camp is full, and positions are staffed. $4,000 was received from United Way and $1,000 from the Dryden Community Council in grants for the summer camp. The music series line ups at Ellis Hollow and Dryden have been announced. The new storage building is in place. Shelving for it was purchased with funding from the competitive Tompkins County Youth Services Pitch Program. This is an efficient way to store recreation equipment. Cl Green said this was accomplished in a relatively short period of time due to the terrific work of Marty Conger and a lot of volunteer work as well. COUNTY BRIEFING Martha Robertson announced there will be a public hearing on July 1 here at Town Hall on Emmy's Organics. Their business has grown, and they are planning to move to the old F & T Distributing building on Royal Road. The County has been working with the city of Ithaca on a possible shared law enforcement building for the Sheriffs Department and Ithaca Police Department. The public safety committee voted this afternoon to move forward on further study and looking at sites. The County is pretty sure they want to keep the jail with the road patrol civil division. At the same time, they are looking at the facilities in the current jail and what it would take to renovate it for better program space, better medical facility, better bed spaces and such. They will determine the real price tag of redoing the existing building and be able to compare that to the price of a new building. The Incremental Development Alliance is coming back to Ithaca on June 26 from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. They plan to work with and mentor smaller builders who might be interested in this type of infill development. Interested individuals should call Tompkins County Planning. The legislature has appointed J.R. Clairborne to be the County's first Director of Veterans Services. His office will be in the Office for the Aging Building on West State Street. The county has approved the contract for construction of the customs facility at the airport. They also approved the consultant for the Route 13 corridor study. Six proposals were submitted and Barton & Loguidice was chosen. They will be looking at safety and critical issues to spotlight for NYS DOT from the Village of Dryden to Warren Road. ADVISORY BOARD UPDATES Planning Board- Cl Lamb reported at the last meeting there was follow up discussion on a wind ordinance, particularly for residential wind power. Rich Cunningham of Thoma Consultants gave a briefing on the housing conditions survey that they conducted. He will ask them to present at a town board meeting. They also did site plan review for the proposed medical building at 2141 Dryden Road. Conservation Board-At their last meeting there was discussion about deer management and conservation easement monitoring. B Beck said a few members will be visiting two sites of conservation easements to the town to perform an inspection and complete the forms they have developed. Recreation &Youth Commission- Cl Servoss reported that the 5K held on the day of the rail trail opening earned about $330 for the Dryden PTA. Project LEAD this year for youth employment education will be run by the OURS program manager. Diane Pamel and others are planning a winter celebration for the first Saturday in December that will tie in with the Page 6 of 8 TB 6-20-19 village tree lighting ceremony. August 17 there will be an event at Montgomery Park made possible by a small grant from Cornell Cooperative Extension for community engagement. Cl Green said Project LEAD is a pre-employment program sponsored by the town and they are actively recruiting 12-15-year olds to work at various sites around the town. There will be a skill building component and an action component of the program. One of the sites will be the rail trail and another will be our summer camp program. These are great opportunities for middle schoolers. Cl Servoss added the children also learn skills like interviewing, how to respond to direction and working together as a team building skill. Ag Committee-At the last meeting they went over the residential development design guidelines and how it concerns ag land. That will also be part of their July agenda. Supv Leifer cannot attend their July 10 meeting and asked that someone else cover that for him. Rail Trail Task Force - Cl Green said they were contacted by the Family Reading Partnership to do a story walk installation along the trail in the Jim Schug section on a pilot basis. It would be an installation of 30 stands beginning close to the Agway end of trail. Each stand will contain a portion of a children's story book (geared to preschoolers). They'd like to see the public response and then determine whether to continue. Safety & Preparedness Committee -Janet Bretscher reported they held a community meeting on June 10 and shared information on the upgrades that Dominion is doing at the Borger Station. Christina Dravis has done the work to establish them as a not-for-profit 501(3)(c) and they just found out they have been granted that status. Katie Quinn-Jacobs has just learned that the county is looking at preparedness programs for the elderly and disabled. This committee is working with and watching them and will be doing something similar in the future. Other Updates/Discussion TCCOG-They have talked about the LED streetlights. There was a presentation about EMS maps for ambulance services. County-wide there is an issue with ambulance coverage. Response time is an issue. Dryden Ambulance has a staff, but other services don't. There is talk of restarting the energy task force. There is some talk about consolidating code enforcement across the county because some towns have part-time code enforcement officers. The Town of Dryden may not be interested in that. Some builders feel there is inconsistent enforcement. Supv Leifer updated TCCOG members about Dryden's municipal broadband survey. The online survey has been available for a while and mailings are going out this week. After the TCCOG meetings there is a shared services meeting. They are looking at a couple of initiatives. One is infiltration and inflow studies. The town of Ithaca has completed their study. TG Miller has started ours. We need to address infrastructure needs in Varna (repair or replace) whether there is new development or not. They are also looking at Cayuga Lake watershed, GIS sharing, interpretation/translation services for the courts, discussing a backup dispatch with Cortland County, and expanding the health care consortium. There will be another meeting next week at 5:00 p.m. Panel meetings and public hearings may be held on July 25. The entire plan needs to be passed by the County Legislature by September 30 and submitted to the State by October 30. ITCTC- Cl Servoss announced that ITCTC on Tuesday passed 2020-2024 TIP. On that plan is Route 366 from the Ithaca city line to Route 13, scheduled for mill and overlay asphalt and installation of a sidewalk in the hamlet of Varna in order to improve safety and rideability Page 7 of 8 TB 6-20-19 of this highway segment. Funds are committed for construction in 2021 to 2022 for a total of 5.1 million dollars. Sidewalks are slated for one side of the road from Forest Home Drive to Freese Road. Water/Sewer District Consolidation-Atty Sokoni explained that with the consolidation the public hearing happens after the board adopts agreements. The financial piece needs to be added to the agreements and the engineers may need to confirm a few things. The debt and assets of all districts need to be appended to the agreements. If the agreements were adopted at the July meeting, the hearings could be scheduled thereafter. There was discussion about the definition of a unit for purposes of water and/or sewer billing because of a question from Bolton Point. Supv Leifer will work with Bambi Avery, Jennifer Case and Sherri Crispell on how units play into a consumption rate. Bike Rack at Town Hall-The board has previously discussed having a bike rack at town hall. RESOLUTION #107 (2019) - PROCURE & INSTALL BIKE RACK AT TOWN HALL Cl Green offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby directs the Department of Public Works to procure and install a bike rack at town hall by the end of July 2019. 2nd Cl Servoss Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes The board congratulated Bambi Avery on being elected 181 Vice President of the New York State Town Clerks Association. Supv Leifer announced he will be out of town next month and Deputy Supervisor Dan Lamb will chair the July meetings. There being no further business, on motion made, seconded and unanimously carried the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L. Avery Town Clerk Page 8 of 8 Dear Town Board members You may be tired of hearing me point out the incompetence of the B&L Consultants with regard to the Freese Road project, but this latest one takes the cake. I have an 8-page criticism of the Findings Document you approved last week that I am sending to SHPO and to the Federal Highway Administration pointing out all the errors of fact, misleading statements, etc. This starts with the fact that B&L based their entire document on the wrong Purpose and Needs statement. This Findings document needs to be retracted immediately. However, what I mostly want to talk about is a different fallacy that the BridgeNY funding is saving the taxpayers a lot of money. This idea is wrong because BridgeNY is a grant that is capped at paying 95%of estimated costs whereas the regular Transportation Improvement Fund has a track record of paying 80%of actual costs because of flexibility in that fund over the past 5 years. Accompanying this letter is a chart explaining this, but let me just illustrate using George Road bridge. The town is receiving$963,000 from Fed. funds as a grant. Since B&L made yet another egregious error and only last August underestimated the cost by 36%, the cost will be $1.4 million, with the difference of$437,000 having to be made up by local taxpayers. If the project had been done through the TIP, only$280,000 would be paid by local taxpayers, and local taxpayers would have saved over$150,000. If B&L made a similar 36% underestimate for the Freese Road bridge, the local taxpayers could be on the hook for an additional $700,000 with the chosen alternative. So let's stop hearing that the BridgeNY funding is saving local taxpayers money. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it no longer does. These fund deficits are yet another in a long list of reasons that rehabilitating the current Freese Road bridge, which is much cheaper, is a much better option than your chosen alternative. TABLE 1:COST TO TOWN OF USING BRIDGENY FUNDS Amount of County Amount Dryden Bridge NY funding contribution would have to Cost to Dryden for Federal funds shortfall local of S%of y from TIP sources will have pay after the George Rd. to a original Bridge county pay NY contributes 5% USING BRIDGE NY FUNDS(95%Federal funds of original estimated cast) Original George Rd $ 1,013,250 $ 962,587 $ 50,663 $ 50,663 $ bridge cost estimate Revised B&L George Rd cost estimate-August $ 1,028,160 $ 962,587 $ 65,573 $ 50,663 $ 14,910 2018 Revised B&L George Rd bridge cost estimate,3- $ 1,400,000 $ 962,587 $ 437,413 $ 50,663 $ 386,750 2019 USING TIP FUNDS(80%Federal funds of'ariglnal estimated cast) Amount of TIP reimbursement if project valued at if $ 1,400,000 $ 1,120,000 $ 280,000 $ 50,663 $ 229,337 mil(80%of$1,400,000) THEREFORE,by taking BridgeNY funds instead of TIP funds,the County and Dryden will have to pay$157,000 more than they would have thru the TIP. The Town of Dryden may have to pay most or all of this additional cost. TABLE 2:COST TO TOWN OF USING BRIDGENY FUNDS ASSUMING GREATER COUNTY SHARE County Amount Dryden Bridge NY funding Amount of contribution if would have to Cost to Dryden for Federal funds shortfall local willing to pay pay after the from TIP sources will have count George Rd. SO%of y to pay shortfall contributes 50% of shortfall. USING BRIDGE IVY FUNDS(9S%Federal funds of original estimated cost) Revised B&L George Rd bridge cost estimate,3 $ 1,400,000 $ 962,587 $ 437,413 $ 218,707 $ 218,706 2019 USING TIP FUNDS(80%Federal funds of original Wmated cast) Amount of TIP reimbursement if project valued at$1.4 $ 1,400,000 $ 1,120,000 $ 280,000 $ 140,000 $ 140,000 million THEREFORE,even if the County picks up 50%of the shortfall,using BridgeNY funds costs Dryden$78,700 more than if the TIP had been used. From: Robert Thome<Robert.Thome@mitegen.com> To:jleifer<jleifer@dryden.ny.us>; mrobertson<mrobertson@tompkins-co.org> Cc: Henry Granison<hgranison@tompkins-co.org>;jeskaley<jeskaley@aol.com>; Donna Fleming <dflem in g@cityofithaca.org> Subject: Concerns about Varna Development Patterns Date: Fri,Jun 14,2019 4:37 pm Dear Jason and Martha, As a 30 year resident of Tompkins County,I'm very concerned about the recent/current/planned development along Rt.366 in Varna. I believe that Varna has tremendous potential as a community for Cornell employees and others. Cornell is expanding its undergraduate enrollment. Its graduate and professional student enrollments are growing. Overall employment at Cornell is going to grow,and this will increase demand for nearby housing. There are many reasons to believe that the anemic growth that Tompkins County has seen in the last 30 years is finally ending,and that we are going to enter a period of much more robust growth. Varna is as close to the central Cornell campus as are the Northeast neighborhoods of Ithaca-and is a much easier drive. It is close to East Hill Plaza,which is certain to undergo major redevelopment and commercial/residential expansion in the next decade. It will be linked to Ithaca by the East Ithaca-Dryden rail trail. In that context,the developments that have recently been constructed in Varna or are planned for there don't make much sense. They are backward looking,not forward looking. Most of the recent construction is haphazard in its planning/layout, cheaply constructed,and unattractive. It is aimed at the bottom of the rental market. With Varna's location, it should be home to much more mixed and much more attractive development. We have seen a lot of affordable housing constructed in Ithaca in the last several years,and all of it is vastly better in design and execution than what has gone up in Varna. Varna could become a very nice bedroom community for Cornell employees,but the pattern of development there so far in no way supports a community feel. I ask that those responsible for Varna's planning and development take a giant step back,and come up with a comprehensive plan for that community that will serve the needs of Tompkins County as it grows over the next 20 years. I have mostly been impressed with development in the City of Ithaca in the last decade,and have mostly been unimpressed with development that has occurred outside of it. It appears that the smaller communities outside Ithaca simply don't have the staff in their planning offices to execute the kind of planning that their communities deserve. The result,when driving out of the City and into those communities,is mostly jarring and depressing. Could Varna be absorbed into the City? Or else could there be much more sharing of planning and development resources at the County level?If Varna is any indication,it is clear that the communities outside Ithaca are not up to the task of managing their own development. Finally,as someone who drives on Freese Road most days to my company,and who cycles on it in the evenings,I see no good reason to construct a 2-1ane bridge across Fall Creek there. I have never encountered a situation where an extra lane would have made any meaningful difference in travel time or safety. The bottleneck is the steep,winding road that descends to the bridge,not the bridge itself. Adding another lane would almost certainly encourage speeding around the curve and onto the bridge,and make travel less,not more,safe. The current bridge should be left as is,or else replaced with a single-lane bridge like the one in Forest Home-unless there is a plan to dramatically straighten Freese Rd.and reduce its grade north of the bridge. What is so different between Freese and Forest Home that could justify a two-lane bridge in one case and a one lane bridge in the other? Thank you for your time and consideration. Best wishes, Robert Thorne 205 Ridgedale Rd. Ithaca (Chairman&CTO,MiTeGen,LLC,and Prof.at Cornell). �.0 e I t e Je, �'1�.e Ta c� ►� o a r c� L 's C © y�r t r) t c 1 e t hI-ersvc-�op Y4Lov v- eese U ft's — G u,r VA '02 t k f ► vi -os ro v►, Kees e 1� -it o-3y 3 c4J eds r Lk a vL it h S 1 n r I k e e s l a t h y\ 0- I (k 5 h o k l � h �5 iv` TEf 5ec '�oK • La- LLri� cS n � ��� 3b F(ecse 6/19/2019 Word ® Word Laurie Snyder p DOCLImPIYKUment'l - Save Simplified Ribbon Laurie Snyder File Home Insert Layout References Review View Open in Word Q Tell me Helvetica Neue 9.5 A' A B I U A Ap QfiS -st c1 o In ct- f o es LL) Y) e vj i C 417-4V1s 20 June 2019 To: Dryden Town Board From: Laurie Snyder, Kim Klein and Chris Kimball Re: Freese Road bridge rehabilitation We still strongly oppose the two lane bridge option because it would allow large truck traffic on Freese Road. This truck traffic will put residents, hikers, and motorists at risk because the two lane bridge would allow faster traffic. The geography of Freese Road, especially the hill and curve on the north side of bridge is dangerous already. Adding large trucks will increase danger for homeowners,travelers, hikers, and bicyclists. Please assess the one lane bridge option for cost benefits,safety,and in consideration of the wishes of the community of Varna. All the homeowners on Freese Road are opposed to the two lane bridge. R Sincerely 4 Laurie Snyder,36 Freese Road Kim Klein, 14 Freese Road i Chris Kimball, 97Freese Road i I i i , Page 1 of 1 140 words English (U.S.) 100% Give Feedback to Microsoft https://micaoffice365-my.sharepoint.com/personal/isnyder_mica_edu/_layouts/15/doc.aspx?sourcedoc=tb6fabbeb-0325-4838-b86f-aed5lb87bcd4l&action=edit 1/1 Bambi Avery From: Chris Kimball <cckimball@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday,June 20, 2019 10:14 AM To: Bambi Avery Subject. Freese Rd Bridge To: Town Board Members I am writing this letter to request that members of the Town Board consider as vitally important the one-lane bridge option for Freese Rd. My family has lived near the top of Freese Rd since 1979. We have a unique perspective at this location regarding the speed and vol.ume of vehicles that crisscross this former country road, now more like a small boulevard. I would ask the members of the Board to please come and stand in my driveway for just a few minutes to observe these vehicles, but especially the speed at which they are traveling. Cars increase their speed coming up Freese Rd as they approach our house and continue this speed up to Hanshaw Rd. Coming down Freese Rd from Hanshaw, the speed is just downright scary. Putting a 2-lane bridge in place will only increase the speed and traffic on what is universally agreed to be already a dangerous road. We vehemently and ardently oppose this 2 lane option, as it will definitely increase accidents and potentially involve fatalities. Please, please think and act with responsibility and, yes, duty, to protect the lives and safety of all those who travel this once peaceful road. Peoples' lives are in your hands. Thank you for listening and responding Chris and Mike Kimball Memorandum Date: June 5, 2019 To: Town Board From: Ray Burger, Planning Director Subject: Planning Department Update Application materials and other documents for some of the items below can be found at: http•//dryden.ny.us/departments/planning-department/permit-review-links/ Cell Tower at 2150 Dryden Road: Verizon has applied for a Special Use Permit to erect a tower at 2150 Dryden Road. This application is for the same site that they previously obtained a permit for but that permit lapsed. A public hearing should be held at the July Town Board meeting to consider this application. Route 13 Corridor Study: This County funded project is intended to provide strategic guidance for future projects that will help protect the functionality of the roadway while ensuring the safety of its users. Barton and Loguidice have been selected to conduct that study which is expected to take 18 months. Mill Creek Subdivision: A 40-lot subdivision is proposed on a 900-acre parcel that straddles Caswell Road. As part of the proposal a 23 acre tract along the Fall Creek corridor and a 3 %acre tract along Wood Road will be conveyed to the Town. A public hearing will be held by the Planning Board on June 27 to consider the Preliminary Plat. Bluebird Subdivision at 430 Lake Road. This subdivision was approved in 2017 with 3 curb cuts provided for the 6 lots along Dryden Lake. The idea was to have shared driveways. The Planning Board will hold a public hearing at their June 27 meeting and consider amending this plat to allow for 5 curb cuts. Medical offices at 2141 Dryden Road: On May 23 the Planning Board approved the site plan for a 3600 square foot medical office on this vacant lot just west of Scottie's and across from the cemetery on Route 13. Due to the wide DOT right-of-way at that point the sign at the driveway entrance will need to be placed on DOT land and will require a Special Use Permit from the Town. A public hearing should be scheduled for the July Town Board meeting to consider this. Housing Conditions Survey: This town wide survey was completed by Thoma Development Consultants and paid for by a CDBG grant. Results were presented at the May 23 Planning Board meeting. Comprehensive Plan Update: A Request for Proposals has been released seeking a consultant to update the Town Comprehensive Plan. The RFP can be found on the Town's website. The submission deadline for proposals is July 1. 1 (over4) Planning Department activity for TOWN -May 2019 Building permits: 21 3 single family homes Zoning permits: * 9 Special Use Permit Reviews: * 2 Site Plan Reviews: * 2 Variance reviews: * 0 New businesses: * 0 Fire safety inspections: 8 Building inspections: 23 Certificates of Occupancy/Compliance: 8 Subdivisions: * 3 Violation notices: * 0 Complaints: * 0 Fire calls: * 1 Training hours: 9 Planning Department activity for VILLAGE -May 2019 Building permits: * 1 Zoning permits: * 2 Special Use Permit reviews: * 1 Site Plan Reviews: * 0 Variance reviews: * 0 New businesses: * 1 Fire safety inspections: 3 Building inspections: 5 Certificates of Occupancy/Compliance: 0 Subdivisions: * 1 Violation notices: * 4 Complaints: * 3 Fire calls: * 1 2 Recreation Department Report April 2019 Recreation Office: • Summer/Fall guide has been distributed to the community and schools. • Summer camps and programs are open for registration • All 6-week Summer camp staff positions have been filled • The Dryden Community Summer camp at DES is full for all 6 weeks. • Storage building has been completed. Shelving units are in place as well. • Dairy Day 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament was cancelled due to low enrollment.A free throw contest was facilitated to take its place. • Received $4000.00 from United Way and $1,000.00 from Dryden Community Council in grant money for Dryden Summer Camp. Lacrosse • Dryden Recreation Youth Lacrosse season came to an end 6/7 with a picnic for players and family. • ULA season started 6/14 • Dryden home games are being held at TC3. Track • 53 children registered. • 12 children participated in the Junior Olympics held in Ithaca. • The track season has ended. Music on the Hill Line Up: • July 10`h:A fine Line • July 171h:The Tarps • July 241h: Fire Creek • July 31": Diamond Rays • August 71h: Chasing Neon • August 14`h: Mathews Family Tradition Music in the Hollow Line Up: • June 15`h:The Smoking Loons • July 91h:Terrapin Station • July 161h:The Notorious Stringbusters • July 23rd: Fall Creek Brass Band • July 301h: Gravel Gerty&The Scratch Out Squad • August 6th:The Common Railers • August 13th:The Small Kings Summer Programs • Archery Camp(7/9-7/13) • Aladdin Dance Camp (8/5-8/9) • Impact Basketball (7/30-8/2) (7/23-7/26) • Soccer Clinic(8/5-8/9) • Dryden Community Summer Camp at DES(7/9-8/17) FULL • Girls Summer League Basketball • Tai Chi (Montgomery Park) -Marty Conger