Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-06-15TB 6-15-23 Page 1 of 13 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING June 15, 2023 Zoom Hybrid Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl Leonardo Vargas- Mendez, Cl Christina Dravis, Cl Spring Buck Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Other Town Staff: Amanda Anderson, Bookkeeper Ray Burger, Planning Director Chris O’Connor, Fire Coordinator Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Board members and guests recited the pledge of allegiance. TOWN CLERK RESOLUTION #108 (2023) – 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 11 and May 18, 2023. 2nd Cl Vargas-Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes PUBLIC HEARINGS 2 PROPOSED LOCAL LAWS – TO ESTABLISH A BILLBOARD OVERLAY DISTRICT AND TO AMEND CHAPTER 270 OF THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF DRYDEN REGARDING BILLBOARDS Supv Leifer opened the public hearings simultaneously at 6:09 p.m. Ray Burger explained that one local law will establish a 300’ wide corridor in two sections of town near the industrial zones of about a mile long each. The other local law establishes regulations for billboards, including distances from residences, intersections, and from other billboards, and for the first time providing for electronic billboards. There is a SEQR component and proposed resolution for tonight declaring the town’s intent to declare for lead agency. Rick Steele, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Park Outdoor Advertising, said they were happy to see the town was considering language that would permit electronic billboards. They met with R Burger a few weeks ago and talked about the specifics of the language. They respect any decision that will be made by the board, and tonight they have provided suggestions for that language (attached). He reviewed those. The first two bullets are housekeeping in nature, and R Steele said the second isn’t really valid after he received some clarification on the width of the overlay district. The TB 6-15-23 Page 2 of 13 billboards that they have in place would be considered legal non-conforming, and means they are grandfathered in and they cannot make any changes to them. They were in place at the time of the Highway Beautification Act. They can maintain them, but they cannot be rebuilt. With respect to Section J (Electronic Images and Messages) they suggest “Billboard operator will make every effort to sign copy lines 12”+ minimum. There are instances where legal/fine print is required, i.e: political, alcohol, NYS Department of Health etc. Therefore, Billboard operator will make every effort to use minimum font size of 12”.” There are instances where there is mandatory language required, similar to the fine print in magazine ads. That font could be 4-5” and is part of the legalese of the specific language. Alcohol and political ads are good examples of that (“Drink Responsibly” or “Paid for By”). Political ads are not a big category for billboard advertising, particularly for Park Outdoor. Political ads are very divisive with a lot of back and forth, so they prefer television. Park has a longstanding policy that they are not an editorial medium, so they refuse a lot of political advertisement, and they have the right to do that. They do have a fair number of alcohol advertisements on static billboards and they can’t predict whether that will go up or down with an electronic billboard. They h ave done a lot of Covid-related advertisements. The town’s draft law calls for the display on an electronic billboard to change no more frequently than once every thirty seconds. R Steele said if that remains in the law, they will not build digital billboards. The industry standard is 8 seconds. They have 42 billboards across the state and every one of them is 8 seconds. They don’t go below that number and it helps with the economics of it. These billboards are very expensive to build, so they have to have that volume. Other operators also use 8 seconds. Park Outdoor is suggesting a new section (4-B-B) called Cap and Replace. Often when towns are looking at billboard inventory, they will consider permitting electronic billboards to be constructed and part of it is a trade. In order for the amount of billboard inventory in the community not to grow, they will regulate with what is called cap and replace language. They don’t want to give up inventory, but they also understand the town has motivations. With respect to location and spacing, Park Outdoor is suggesting a lesser minimum distance than stated in the proposed local law. R Steele said the typical spacing is 500’ from static billboards and 2,500 feet (line of sight) from digital billboards. With respect to brightness, R Steele said they are suggesting the standard used by the industry from the Lighting Research Center, which is not more than 5,000 candles per square meter during the daytime and 280 candles per square meter during nighttime. The electronic billboards adjust the brightness themselves and will adjust accordingly. Cl Buck has reviewed several studies with respect to the brightness of electronic billboards. It seems that you don’t notice a difference in readability as long as it is between 30 and 75. Is there is something better than the standard, to save energy or be more reasonable for the local community. She would like to meet the dark sky requirements and suggested we start with a lower level then increase it if necessary. R Steele said it would be a concern for them to find out it is not effective and then have to try to revise the language in the law. It is a quarter million-dollar investment for them and he would be concerned that the panel would be limited by varying from the standard. Cl Lamb stated the town’s Planning Board recommended we follow the dark sky initiative and we understand it is vastly different than what the industry standard is. The dark sky initiative would be a 7th of what Park is proposing. This is new technology to our community and people are not used to seeing this sort of thing. Perhaps we don’t go all the TB 6-15-23 Page 3 of 13 way to 40, which is what this area is in our zoning. Maybe we could do the city level dark sky initiative recommendation. We could ease this in. Maybe not go all the way to 40, but perhaps city level which would be about 140. We could do it for 6 months and then revisit it. Cl Buck said she wants to see this be successful. We have an engaged community a nd this will be near an area where there may be some sensitivity on the topic. She is bringing it up to be supportive, not be difficult. R Steele asked that the board give them a month to talk with their digital billboard manufacturer about this and see what experience they have if this level was adjusted, if it has. They are reluctant to make this kind of investment and not have it be effective. They have a lot of research and have provided them with the information shared with the town. Cl Buck said she would share the information she has found. Cl Lamb is not against the technology, but said it will be a big change for our community members and he would like to reduce the shock impact of this technology. Cl Dravis asked, with the cap and replace method, who decides which static billboard will be surrendered. R Steele said typically it is the billboard operator’s choice. They don’t have a lot of billboards here. Cl Lamb said the town would probably not be able to accommodate that suggesti on and the town is hoping to reduce the overall number of billboards by allowing this into the community and reducing the number of legacy billboards. One billboard will have to go to accommodate the rail trail bridge. Park Outdoor was not aware of this and R Steele said typically there is just compensation for those. It is a law of the state. The billboard belongs to Park Outdoor and is a valuable asset to them. They pay a landowner annually for that as well. It would be like closing a store for them. Cl Lamb responded that the town is suggesting moving that billboard to a different location, probably the other side of the road where nothing is right now, and making it digital. He agreed that the ultimate goal of allowing electronic billboards is reducing the number of legacy billboards. R Steele said they could have an electronic billboard near 84 Lumber , subject to approval, not have to take anything down, because it is outside of the distance requirements. If the town’s end game is to move or relocate that billboard near the trail, they should have a discussion. They could have two digital billboards along Route 13. But the way the law is written now, it would require them to take down 4 panels. NYS DOT measures them linearly along the same side of the road and that would exempt the billboard by the trail. They don’t want to take down four billboards in order to build the digital. Cl Lamb said he believes the town can move toward an agreement with 8 second ads and regarding the size of the text, and would like to see Park Outdoor make a go od faith effort on less candelas. R Steele will gather more information with respect to the illumination. Supv Leifer asked for public comment. Bob Beck said he appreciates the careful thinking on this matter. Clearly t he billboard by the trail must be moved. He doesn’t understand all the details being discussed tonight, but appreciates the town’s efforts on this and coming up with a solution that is good for the trail , the community and the company. He would like to see it come to a friendly solution that everyone is happy with. Because there needs to be more information gathering and discussion, the public hearings were left open at 6:55 and will be continued on August 10, 2023. TB 6-15-23 Page 4 of 13 ANNOUNCEMENTS NYSEG has requested a 62% rate increase. Board members were provided with the following press release: For Immediate Release: June 14, 2023 Contact: Irene Weiser, 607-435-3010, Fossil Free Tompkins Jessica Azulay, 917-697-4472, Alliance for the Green Economy Outrageous 62% Increase Proposed for NYSEG Electric Customers Governor Hochul's Department of Public Service Co -signs Proposed Hikes Released Today NYSEG and the Department of Public Service have agreed to a compounded rate hike of 62% for NYSEG electric customers over the next three years. The deal also includes increases of 19% for NYSEG Gas, 37% for RG&E electric and 34% for RG&E gas over the same timeframe. The deal also includes an increase in profits for utility investors with a return on equity of 9.2%, up fr om the current 8.8%. When NYSEG and RG&E initially proposed double digit rate increases last May, Governor Hochul called them outrageous and unacceptable and asked her Department of Public Service (DPS) to scrutinize every number and word of this proposal. But the Governor also vetoed a bill in December that would have enabled funding for nonprofits that intervene in rate cases to advocate on behalf of utility customers. Today's settlement pro posing massive rate hikes shows how needed intervenor funding is in New York. The Senate has passed the bill again this legislative session and the Assembly is scheduled to vote on it next week. For over a year, the Governor's agency and the utilities have been haggling over what the rate hike should be, while consumer advocates called for the entire proposal to be dismissed because it lacked the required justifications and the companies were under investigation for a rash of billing errors. "After a year of negotiations it's hard to see any benefit to the utility customers. The proposed rate hikes are unaffordable to the point of being unconscionable. Meanwhile, billing problems still exist, the companies have not committed to reduce their customers' fossil fuel use or greenhouse gas emissions, and they have not made any specific plans to address, nor detailed how their proposal impacts disadvantaged communi ties as required by our State's climate law", said Irene Weiser, coordinator of Fossil Free Tompkins. "It is outrageous that the Governor's regulators co-signed this pathetic proposal to raise rates this high instead of siding with consumer advocates to se nd the utility back to file a proper and reasonable proposal." "During the COVID epidemic, the Companies gave nearly a billion dollars to their shareholders, and sent over a million disconnect notices to their customers during a time that the State had h alted any disconnections. Now they're seeking $769 million in rate hikes. Where is the justice for ratepayers, many of whom are struggling under the weight of the pandemic and inflation?" said Kristen Van Hooreweghe, Director of Collaborative Action at t he Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. "Governor Hochul and Assembly Speaker Heastie could have blunted these rate hikes by following the State Senate's lead and passing the NY HEAT Act, which saves money by avoiding gas su bsidies in rate cases and protects low and moderate income households from energy bill increases like this", said Jessica Azulay, Executive Director of Alliance for a Green Economy. "Instead, they punted for another year, leaving New Yorkers on the hook for exorbitant rate hikes. The Governor must now answer for these rate hikes that her own agency is proposing and commit to support NY HEAT as soon as possible." TB 6-15-23 Page 5 of 13 Over a dozen County Boards of Legislators across the state and 34 State elected officials have appealed to Governor Hochul to deny the rate increases until the billing problems are fixed and the Companies submit a proper, detailed rate request. The plan will be reviewed by the Public Service Commission and they are expected to render a decision on whether to approve the rate increases later in the summer. Marie McRae said this has been in process for almost a year. There are community interveners who are allowed to make comments on the case as it moves along. Volunteers from the community have put in thousands of hours on this. The PSC has said they could accept certain terms, and it isn’t what NYSEG wanted but has said they will accept it. The PSC is still open for public comment and that comment should go to the Governor’s office, to the PSC and to legislative representatives. 62% is an unacceptable rate hike. Cl Lamb said a hearing is scheduled for July 17 and the public is encouraged to comment. HIGHWAY/DPW DEPARTMENT No report. PLANNING DEPARTMENT The Planning Department monthly report is posted on the website and most items are coming up on the agenda this month or next. R Burger announced that the department has advertised for a planner. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS Town Hall Closure – Last week the board discussed closing the town hall on July 3. With July 4 falling on a Tuesday, this would give employees a four -day weekend. RESOLUTION #109 (2023) – TOWN HALL CLOSURE FOR JULY 3, 2023 Cl Dravis offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: Whereas, when reviewing the holiday schedule for 2023, it was noted that the Town Hall is scheduled to be open Monday, July 3, closed Tuesday July 4 for the holiday, and then open the rest of the week. Whereas, due to the holiday on Tuesday, it is expected that there will be very little Town business transacted on Monday, July 3. RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves closing Town Hall on July 3, 2023; and treating this date as a 2023 holiday, thus compensating staff the number of holiday hours that are typical for each town hall employee. 2nd Cl Buck Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes TB 6-15-23 Page 6 of 13 Recognize Neptune Hose Co. #1 for their Recruiting Efforts – The board heard the Fire Coordinator’s report last week and recommendation that the department be recognized for recruiting new members. Chris O’Connor read the proposed resolution. RESOLUTION #110 (2023) – RECOGNIZING NEPTUNE HOSE CO. #1 OF DRYDEN FOR THEIR WORK IN RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS IN 2023 Supervisor Jason Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the Dryden Fire Department, also known as Neptune Hose Co. #1 of Dryden, was founded in 1877, and thus is the oldest fire company protecting the citizens of the Town of Dryden; and WHEREAS, in recent years, the number of active members of the Dryden Fire Department has dropped, for a variety of reasons; and WHEREAS, a new leadership team was elected by the members of the fire department, taking office in January of 2023; and WHEREAS, this new leadership team identified as a top priority, the urgent need to both recruit new members and to bring back experienced former members to the department; and WHEREAS, the Fire Chief, the Board of Directors, and the President of the fire company, all agreed that the Dryden Fire Department needed to bring in and train new members; and WHEREAS, the current leadership team chose Vice President Amanda Brayton and Captain Keith Hopkins as the heads of a new Recruitment and Retention Committee; and WHEREAS, those two individuals, with the complete support of the elected leaders of the department, and with the able assistance of many members of the Dryden Fire Department, utilized many tried and true, as well as some novel approaches to recruiting ne w members; and WHEREAS, they have successfully added seven members to their membership rolls since January 1, 2023, thereby bucking the nationwide trend of declining volunteerism; and WHEREAS, everyone involved is determined to continue their efforts and their successes; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, the Town of Dryden wishes to recognize and thank the individuals named above, along with the many members of the Dryden Fire Department, for their hard work in recruiting new members. 2nd Cl Vargas Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes The Town has received a supplemental agreement from NYSDOT regarding the Route 13 pedestrian bridge contract. The board set a public hearing for 6:05 p.m. on July 20 to hear TB 6-15-23 Page 7 of 13 comments on the matter, approve the contract and authorize the Supervisor to execute the agreement. In connection with that, there will be an acquisition of property that requires a public hearing. RESOLUTION #111 (2023) - SCHEDULING A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROVIDING RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO THE PUBLIC Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the 2005 Town of Dryden Comprehensive Plan and the 2011 Recreation Master Plan both identified a need for increased outdoor leisure and recreational sp ace; and WHEREAS, the Town has for several years engaged in a series of property and easement acquisitions in furtherance of the creation of a recreational trail (the “Trail”) for non -vehicular use by the public within an abandoned railroad property; and WHEREAS, the Trail, in order to provide safe passage over New York State Route 13, requires the construction of a bridge over said state route; and WHEREAS, the Town has identified the need for an additional acquisition of property to construct said bridge, said property being fee title to a portion of property from 17 Hall Woods Road, LLC, known as 17 Hall Woods Road, Tax Map No. 52.00 -01-4.32, and an easement from Cornell University over a portion of property without an address, Tax Map No. 53.00 -01-16; and WHEREAS, §247(3) of the General Municipal Law provides that the acquisition of interests or rights in real property, including by easement, for the preservation of open spaces is a public purpose and that such acquisition requires a public hearing subject to due notice; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that a public hearing will be held by the Town Board of the Town of Dryden on July 20, 2023, at 6:10 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard, with respect to the aforementioned properties’ acquisition; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to cause public notice of said hearing to be given as provided by law. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes 1847 Hanshaw Road – Special Use Permit Amendment – In 2020 the board approved a special use permit for a contractor yard and the owner would now like to construct a second building. The public hearing was set for 6:30 p.m. on July 20, 2023. CDBG Funding for Housing Rehabilitation – R Burger said that working with Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, the town intends to apply for Community Development Block Grant funding (up to $500,000) for home rehabilitation in the town. There are three proposed resolutions for action tonight. TB 6-15-23 Page 8 of 13 RESOLUTION #112 (2023) – AUTHORIZING THE SUPERVISOR TO APPLY FOR AND RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THE PROGRAM YEAR 2023 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the U.S. Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-383), as amended, provides for the development of viable urban communities by providing decent housing and suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income; and WHEREAS, said Act authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the New York State Office of Community Renewal to make grants to units of general local government to help finance Community Development Programs under Section 103 (a)(1) of Title I; and WHEREAS, under said legislation, eligible applicants in the case of municipalities, are required to authorize an official representative to file the application and to provide the Secretary with certain assurance of compliance with applicable laws and regulations under T itle I of said Acts; and WHEREAS, it is desirable to conduct and hold a public hearing pursuant to the HUD Act to obtain the views of the citizens on Community Development needs, to establish priorities, and subsequently to develop the application, progr ams and any amendments or revisions thereto; and NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED, by the Members of the Town Board: That the Town Clerk is hereby authorized to publish a Notice of Public Hearing to be held on July 20, 2023 at 6:40 p.m. at the Town Hall to provide an opportunity for the Town to: a. Provide the citizens of the Town with adequate information concerning the amount of funds available for proposed community development activities, the range of activities that may be undertaken and other important program requirements. b. Provide citizens adequate opportunity to participate in the development of the application, any revisions, changes or amendments to the application, prior to the submittal. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Supervisor is hereby authorized to execute and file an application of up to $500,000 on behalf of the Town of Dryden with the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal for a community development grant to address community development need in the 2023 round of funding for Dryden Homeowner Rehabilitation; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Supervisor is hereby authorized and designated as the representative and to act as such in connection with the application to provide additional information as may be required including all understandings and assurances contained in the application; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Supervisor is hereby authorized and directed to execute any contract and/or agreement with the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal in connection with the Application and his designee is further authorized to request and expend funds from the U.S. Government pursuant to said contract and/or agreement; and; TB 6-15-23 Page 9 of 13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, to the extent all or any actions hereby authorized have been executed and/or performed by the Supervisor, all are hereby ratified and confirmed and this Resolution takes effect immediately. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes RESOLUTION #113 (2023) - TO DECLARE INTENT FOR LEAD AGENCY AND CLASSIFY PROJECT AS TYPE II ACTION Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, Town of Dryden is seeking to submit an application with New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal for up to $500,000 to assist in Homeownership Rehabilitation; and WHEREAS, pursuant to 6 NYCRR 617.6 the Town Board seeks to be established as Lead Agency as part of undertaking a coordinated review of this action with any Involved and Interested Agencies; and WHEREAS. the Town Board considers the proposed Project to be a Type II Action, pursuant to the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) 6 NYCRR Part 617.5, and WHEREAS, the Town Board has prepared the draft SEQRA Classification in accordance with SEQRA, and seeks to circulate a Notice of Intent to be Lead Agency (Notice), by mail and email, to all Involved and Interested Agencies, who shall be given 30 days to deliver any comments in response to this Notice that such other Involved or Interested entity may have regarding the Town Board taking on the Lead Agency role; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Dryden classifies the project as a Type II Action pursuant to standards in the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it is the intention of the Town Board of the Town of Dryden to declare itself as Lead Agency for SEQRA Coordinated Review of this Action; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Dryden hereby directs the coordination of intent for Lead Agency designation with all Involved Agencies for the Project through the service of a notice of intent, indicating that the Town Board of the Town of Dryden seeks to be designated as Lead Agency for this Action. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes RESOLUTION #114 (2023)- TO DESIGNATE CERTIFYING OFFICER FOR CDBG TB 6-15-23 Page 10 of 13 Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the Town of Dryden (hereinafter “Town”) will apply for and anticipates being awarded funds through the PY2023 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as administered by the State of New York Office of Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR) for a Homeownership Rehabilitation project; and WHEREAS, the Town Board (hereinafter “Town Board”) as the anticipated recipient of th e grant award, is required to designate a Certifying Officer for the purpose of signing required documents pertaining to the anticipated grant; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board does hereby designates Mr. Ray Burger, Director of Planning, as the Town’s Certifying Officer for the purpose of signing required documents pertaining to CDBG Homeownership Rehabilitation application and any award and as manager for any online application system. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Supervisor is hereby authorized and designated as the representative and to act as such in connection with the application to provide additional information as may be required including all understandings and assurances contained in the application; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Supervisor is hereby authorized and directed to execute any contract and/or agreement with the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal in connection with the Application and his designee is further authorized to request and expend funds from the U.S. Government pursuant to said contract and/or agreement; and; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, to the extent all or any actions hereby authorized have been executed and/or performed by the Supervisor, all are hereby ratified and confirmed and this Resolution take effect immediately. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Safety & Preparedness Committee – Cl Dravis said this committee perhaps was set up to address the air quality issues in Ellis Hollow. They made a lot of good accomplishments and started a CERT team, but since then there has been a lack of interest. They have struggled to find enough members. She suggested, after talking with one of the members that was interested in the CERT team, something more akin to disaster preparedness for the town and suggested dissolving the Safety & Preparedness Committee. RESOLUTION #115 (2023) – DISSOLVING THE TOWN OF DRYDEN SAFETY & DISASTER PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE Cl Dravis offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the Town of Dryden created the Safety and Disaster Preparedness Committee in 2018 in response to community members’ concerns over the Borger Station in Ellis Hollow: and TB 6-15-23 Page 11 of 13 WHEREAS, as a result of the Committee’s efforts, the Borger Station made improvements that benefited air quality in Ellis Hollow; and WHEREAS, the Committee also created a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) that began offering disaster preparedness training to the community; and WHEREAS, upon the resignation of the five original members the Committee has had difficulty recruiting and retaining members; and WHEREAS, the Committee has been without a Chairperson since September, 2022; and WHEREAS, safety and preparedness initiatives can be transferred to the CERT program; now, therefore be it Resolved, that the Town of Dryden recognizes the value and the accomplishments of all community members who have served on the Safety and Disaster Preparedness Committee since 2018 and thanks them for volunteering; and be it further Resolved, the Town of Dryden hereby dissolves the Safety and Disaster Preparedness Committee. 2nd Cl Vargas-Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes ADVISORY BOARD UPDATES Ag Advisory Committee – Did not meet. Recreation & Youth Commission – Supv Leifer has asked them to lead the effort to get the roughed out ball fields taken care of. They will work with Marty Conger to come up with a plan and work with the Highway Superintendent to have something that can be used this fall and then develop a full plan for the back portion of the property. The committee was happy to have that assignment. Broadband Committee – Last week the marketing and installation coordinator were approved and they are getting started. The focus for the town is to get more customers. Hunt will focus on the buildout. Everyone will work together on getting more funding. We should see good progress by the end of July. There was a request from Gleamon Technology to do a payment outside the abstract for their first couple of weeks. They started working on Monday and want to put a voucher in on the 24th. The board would need a special meeting to approve this payment and that was set for June 27th at 2:00 p.m. They will then get on the cycle for monthly approval and payment. There will be another funding cycle opening next month for the ReConnect funding in the state. According to Empire State Development, the town should have an advantage with this shovel-ready project. Safety & Preparedness Committee – The next NYS Citizen Preparedness Training will take place on July 12th at 6 p.m. at the Varna Community Center. Promotion has already TB 6-15-23 Page 12 of 13 begun, but will increase with printed flyers and announcements via various email lists. It’s been difficult recruiting and retaining members for the committee so it may be best to dissolve the committee and have the Town’s CERT program assume all safety and disaster preparedness activities. Planning will begin to have the next 7 -week (21 hours) CERT training course in September or October. Climate Smart / Clean Energy Communities Task Force - The task force has a new CCE Climate Smart consultant, Jerry Sheng. Purchase of 100% renewables resulted in a 16% reduction in GHG emissions from municipal buildings during the contract year. Approval of this high impact action will pave the way to apply for the $70,000 grant to complete building upgrades to the DPW building. A kick-off meeting for the heat pump installation grant with NYSERDA occurred on June 1st. Work is beginning on the Dryden Climate Change and Resiliency Plan (CCARP). There was a nice article in Tompkins Weekly about the committee’s activities. Conservation Board – The board discussed ditch maintenance by the town DPW this year. They worked with R Young last year and identified some pilot areas for alternative maintenance, instead of just digging deep. There will be an update how that is going or if Rick is going to do that this year. That may also give us an opportunity to recognize that good work later in the year. There was a significant beaver dam along the Jim Schug trail with a number of downstream pools. It was removed and there was concern regarding the downstream pools because if there was a dry spell it would affect the fish and birds in the area. No DEC permit was issued and they are trying to understand how that happened and how the board could help with that in the future. The Conservation Board is growing little oak trees and when they are strong enough, they will be looking for places to plant in the community. Planning Board – They spent a lot of time talking about the proposed billboard law, and asked the Town Board to consider the dark skies initiative and monument style base. Cl Lamb said monument style is more appropriate for onsite billboards and a less prominent structure underneath the billboard is more appropriate. They also discussed the ball fields project and there is a lot of interest in that. There are questions about the property and what portion is wetland and what isn’t and whether we have an accurate survey. There is a property line survey and R Burger will investigate getting the wetland inventoried and mapped for the parcel. Workforce & Affordable Housing – The committee discussed the importance of considering mobile home park regulations in the zoning re-write. R Burger said affordable housing was mentioned in the charge to the Planning Board so it is implied, but mobile home parks were not specifically mentioned. RESOLUTION #116 (2023) – CLARIFY CHARGE TO PLANNING BOARD IN RESOLUTION #73 (2023) Cl Vargas-Mendez offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby urges the Planning Board to review the current Mobile Home Park and Mobile Home regulations as part of the upcoming Zoning Law rewrite. 2nd Cl Dravis Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes TB 6-15-23 Page 13 of 13 Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes CITIZENS PRIVILEGE Bob Beck reported that the Finger Lakes Runners Club has contracted for a port-a- potty on the rail trail and placed it at the Village Barn in Freeville. It will be there through November 1. It is a generous contribution. He has spoken with the Village Trustees and they are happy with the arrangement. A $10,000 grant has been received from the TRIAD Foundation for the trail. Chuck Geisler thanked Cl Vargas-Mendez and Ray Burger for clarifying the resolution to the Planning Board to include mobile home parks. Perhaps one in six households in the town is a mobile home unit, so it is a significant part of our housing stock. It is good to see the interest that is currently being devoted to town zoning will no w include mobile home parks. Cl Dravis said she would need to get the checking account that the Safety & Preparedness Committee had, and noted their not-for-profit status has expired. She asked if the CERT group would need a town liaison. Supv Leifer said they could have a town liaison, but they are their own entity, they are not in the town budge t and the town holds no funds for them. The board will discuss this further next month. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L. Avery Town Clerk