HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-06-20TB 6-20-19
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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
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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 w ith 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
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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
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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 easi er, 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:
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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 m onthly update (attached).
A medical office is proposed for 2141 Dryden Road. It has gone throug h 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 l ooks 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 pri vate 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 Rober tson said she understands that those funds
have been offered by TCAD to Emmie’s Organics in their move to Royal Road.
RECREATION DEPARTMENT
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Board members have the monthly report (attached). S ummer 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 Sheriff’s 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 S aturday in December that will tie in with the
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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
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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 1st 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