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Home My WebLink About2023-04-13TB 4-13-23 Page 1 of 4 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING April 13, 2023 Zoom Hybrid Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl Loren Sparling, Cl Leonardo Vargas-Mendez, Cl Christina Dravis Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Rick Young, Highway/DPW Superintendent Other Town Staff: Cassie Byrnes, Secretary to Supervisor Amanda Anderson, Bookkeeper Chris O’Connor, Fire Coordinator Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 6:09 p.m. Abstract Approval RESOLUTION #75 (2023) – APPROVE ABSTRACT #4 Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves Abstract #4, as audited, general vouchers #262 through #374 ($982,031.79) and TA vouchers #72 through #75 ($5,772.85) totaling $987,804.64. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Fire Coordinator Chris O’Connor recently emailed board members a snapshot of his recent activities. When asked whether he was receiving any resistance from fire companies, he responded that change comes hard and getting used to doing things a new way can be difficult for some. He has been working to come up with a uniform budget request for m so that board members are looking at the same format for all budget requests. He understands that General Municipal Law has set a lower limit by which departments need to be audited. It may mean three town departments will now need to provide audits. That will be an additional cost to the departments. Amanda Anderson has volunteered to help them in advance by doing a desk audit to prepare for an audit. C O’Connor would like to see the departments start investing in the people actually doing the calls. Leadership needs to consider recruiting and retaining members. There should be some budget emphasis on the people and consideration should be given to cancer prevention measures. The Town Board should consider best practices for department TB 4-13-23 Page 2 of 4 members and carcinogenic threats. There are some grants available to assist in those efforts, but they likely won’t fund the entire thing. Cl Lamb said a set of best practices from the board could possibly be included in the contract, such as a second set of protective equipment, exhaust ventilation, and what the board would expect if a department had a surplus of budget funds. C O’Connor noted another issue he is working on is that two rescue squads in the town have the worst response rates in the county. He is trying to get coverage for them when necessary. Cl Lamb said a subcommittee of TCCOG has been looking at rural ambulance service; based on a study by Cornell students, interaction with county and state legislators and advocacy by the TCCOG group, the county created a new position for EMS coordinating. There is a steering committee that he serves on with Chris O’Connor. He believes it may result in improved rescue services across the county. Discussion/Action Items Establish Standard Work Day and Reporting – A resolution establishing a standard work day for Christina Dravis is necessary. Resolution #76 (2023) - Establish Standard Work Day and Reporting Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that the Town of Dryden hereby establishes the following as standard work days for elected officials and will report the following days worked to the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System based on the record of activities maintain ed and submitted by these officials to the clerk of this body: Title Name Standard work day (hrs/day) Current term begins/ends Participates in employer's time keeping system Y/N Record of Activities Results Town Council Person Christina Dravis 6 1/1/2023 to 12/31/2023 N 3.37 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Dravis Abstain Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Authorize Rail Trail Grant Application – The Rail Trail Task Force would like to apply for a Tompkins County Municipal Parks and Trails Grant. RESOLUTION #77 (2023) – AUTHORIZE THE DRYDEN RAIL TRAIL TASK FORCE TO APPLY FOR A TOMPKINS COUNTY MUNICIPAL PARKS AND TRAILS GRANT TB 4-13-23 Page 3 of 4 Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the July 2022 Dryden 2045 Comprehensive Plan and the 2011 Recreation Master Plan both identified a need for increased outdoor leisure and recreational space; and WHEREAS, in the Spring of 2016 the Town Board appointed a Rail Trail Task Force made up of volunteer community members and authorized it to take deliberate steps to develop a Dryden Rail Trail in the historic Lehigh Valley Railroad corridor; and WHEREAS, the Task Force has made significant progress advancing the trail project to date, including obtaining easements covering 38 land parcels along its 10.5-mile length, and WHEREAS, the Task Force has obtained a $182,000 matching fund grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), and WHEREAS, the Task Force has obtained two $15,000 Triad Foundation Grants, and WHEREAS, the Task Force has obtained a $50,000 Tompkins County Tourism Capital Grant, and WHEREAS, the Town of Dryden has obtained a $1.5M NYSDOT Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant, a $345,000 NYS Multi-Modal Grant, and a $700,000 U.S. Senate Appropriation for construction of a Route 13 crossing, and WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Legislature, in adopting the 2023 budget allocated funding for a Municipal Parks and Trails grant opportunity, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Dryden authorizes the Dryden Rail Trail Task Force to apply for a Tompkins County Municipal Parks and Trails grant, n ot to exceed $5,000, towards the cost of trail surfacing between Hallwoods Road and Pinckney Road and installation of an adjacent vegetative hedge for screening at Hanson Aggregates LLC. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Supv Leifer announced that the trail crossing at Game Farm Road opened today. There will be a grand opening celebration on May 20. North Street Development Ad Hoc Committee – Supv Leifer said the board should come up with a general framework of what this committee will do and how many people are on it. The purpose would be to try to implement the plan that Design Connect came up with. There should be participation from the Village of Dryden. Cl Lamb said the Planning Board has a framework in mind and suggested that someone from TC3 be involved. Craig Anderson has agreed to serve from our Planning Board, as has Chris Morrissey. Ray Burger would be involved. Cl Vargas-Mendez said Mike Murphy, Village Mayor and a member of the affordable housing committee, would like to be involved. Adding a representative from TC3 would bring the number of members to 9 or 10. Their charge would be to look through the plan and try to methodically implement the components. Cl Sparling noted that recreation was a component TB 4-13-23 Page 4 of 4 of the plan and asked whether recreation would be represented. Cl Lamb said a board member would be responsible for relaying input from DRYC. The Rec Director would be consulted on matters of recreation, and others may be invited to the meetings as necessary. Conservation Board Alternate – An application has been received from someone interested in serving as a Conservation Board alternate. RESOLUTION #78 (2023) – APPOINT CONSERVATION BOARD ALTERNATE - MCKEE Cl Lamb offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby appoints Kate McKee to serve as alternate on the Conservation Board for a term to expire December 31, 2023. 2nd Cl Vargas-Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Supv Leifer said he has told the county that the town wants the recovery money previously applied for. They are looking at applications that were unfunded and there is now funding available since Second Wind will not be pursuing the project they applied for. He will be providing updated information to the consultant with a copy to county folks. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L. Avery Town Clerk