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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB 2024-07-18 attTB 7-18-24
D R A F T
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TOWN OF DRYDEN
TOWN BOARD MEETING
July 18, 2024
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
Rick Young, Highway/DPW Superintendent
Other Town Staff: Ray Burger, Director of Planning
*Cassie Byrnes, Secretary to the Supervisor
Chris O’Connor, Fire Coordinator
*David Makar, Dryden Fiber Executive Director
*Indicates attendance via Zoom
Supv Leifer called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Board members and guests recited
the pledge of allegiance.
TOWN CLERK
RESOLUTION #123 (2024) – APPROVE MINUTES
Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption:
RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves the meeting minutes of June 13 and
June 20, 2024.
2nd Cl Buck
Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes
Cl Buck Yes
Cl Dravis Yes
Cl Lamb Yes
Supv Leifer Yes
PRESENTATION BY COMMUNITY SCIENCE INSTITUTE
WATER QUALITY MONITORING
Grascen Shidemantle, Executive Director of the Community Science Institute, gave a
presentation on the work the Institute does in the Cayuga Lake Watershed and the stream
monitoring that is done in the Town of Dryden (slides attached). They have been monitoring
the waters of Fall Creek and Virgil Creek for over twenty years. Their efforts produce
regulatory-quality stream and lake water data that help inform water resource management
decisions and keep the public informed on the state of their local water resources. There is a
wealth of information on their website for the data they have collected from all sites they
monitor in the watershed.
As a NYSDOL-ELAP certified lab, CSI also offers a water-testing service, for a fee, for
private wells, municipal water systems, beach water and more.
TB 7-18-24
D R A F T
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Outreach and education about water includes the Journey of Water summer youth
program, the publication of an Annual Bulletin, and free learning materials on their website.
Cl Buck asked if they did any monitoring or testing of wetlands. G Shidemantle said
they don’t currently but may be moving in that direction.
Cl Lamb asked if there were any trends in the town of Dryden that the Board should be
aware of. G Shidemantle said the headwaters of Six Mile Creek and Cascadilla Creek in
Dryden are healthy sites. There are two sites outside of the town, Champlin Road and Tillotson
Road, that occasionally have very high phosphorus and E. coli levels; the Soil & Water
Conservation District is doing some work in that area to resolve the issue.
What does a rural farming town need to know about its impact on harmful algae
blooms? Those blooms are caused by a multitude of things happening at once, one being
global climate change. Weather conditions and zebra mussels in the lake are also factors. In
addition, nutrients cause the growth of cyanobacteria, so it’s important to keep that out of the
lake and its feeder streams. Soil & Water can collaborate with farmers to find solutions for
them, assist with grants, and find ways to help them.
The Board acknowledged that setbacks for projects near streams are important.
HIGHWAY/DPW DEPARTMENT
Highway Superintendent Rick Young said they have done a lot of paving and are putting
shoulders on.
He is requesting approval to purchase winter equipment for two of the trucks. The one
ton dually is in and needs a box, sander, and plows. The new Chevy pickup will need a plow.
The total expense will not exceed $62,000.
RESOLUTION #124 (2024) – AUTHORIZE EQUIPMENT PURCHASE
Cl Buck offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption:
RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby authorizes the purchase of winter equipment
as described by the Highway Superintendent for the 2024 Chevy 3500 and 2024 Chevrolet
2500 at a cost not to exceed $62,000, using funds from DA5130.2.
2nd Supv Leifer
Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes
Cl Buck Yes
Cl Dravis Yes
Cl Lamb Yes
Supv Leifer Yes
Mowing has been completed on the dam. Some of the bank couldn’t be done because it
is deteriorating, and they were told not to. They may need to hydroseed after the inspection.
They have done a lot of tree cleanup. On the rail trail they have been painting and staining
bridges, mowing, and clearing trees.
There was a recent incident on Dutcher Road when police were in pursuit of a vehicle
that refused to stop and was travelling through town at a high speed. There was a crew paving
when the vehicle came down the closed road where paving was occurring. The driver of the
roller was able to move the equipment into the path of the vehicle to protect the workers. The
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D R A F T
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vehicle crashed and the driver escaped on foot. Police were later able to apprehend him. R
Young asked the Board to recognize the driver, Mike Dimorier, in some way and thank him.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
R Burger reported the department’s monthly update is on the website. The ISO rating
for the building safety program (last updated in 2016) has been lowered from 4 to 3 (townwide),
which will help insurance rates for homeowners.
The half million-dollar CDBG grant that was received for home rehabilitation has
received its first five applications. INHS, who is administering the grant, expects that they may
be able to assist more than a dozen homes. We have forms on the website and in the Town
Hall lobby.
The Safe Streets for All Program is doing public outreach meetings at the Ithaca
Farmers Market, Trumansburg Farmers Market, and Newfield Old Home Days. There will be
an online meeting on July 24th at 6:00 p.m. The information is on our website and posted in
the lobby.
With respect to the sidewalk grant for the North Street area, there will be a meeting with
the Village to decide the exact scope. About half of the sidewalks are in the town, so about two
million dollars’ worth of work in the Town would require about a $400,000 match. This would
be in the vicinity and in service of the Ezra Village project and we should budget for it in next
year’s budget.
FIRE COORDINATOR
Chris O’Connor has sent emails to board members and copied the board on others, and
asked if there were any questions. There were none.
DRYDEN FIBER
David Makar shared the latest Dryden Fiber report (attached) and reviewed the
executive summary on page two. There was a lot of media coverage following the press event
on Monday, June 24, resulting in a lot of new leads for broadband service. The kickoff meeting
with the ConnectAll office and the town of Caroline was July 8. They talked about the timeline,
implementation, milestones, and such. The project must be completed by December 31, 2026.
There will be a meeting every Tuesday with the state to make sure we are on track to meet that
deadline.
Construction is continuing with a massive expansion focusing on the villages. As of
July 1, there was the potential to serve 425 parcels, or 554 households. By the end of August,
we should be at over 1,000 parcels. As of July 1, there were 54 paying customers and 64
inbound requests for service (mostly from people that can get service within the next few
weeks). D Makar expects to be at over 100 customers by the end of summer.
Media coverage through July 10 was reviewed. It is estimated that news of Dryden
Fiber reached over 1,000,000 people.
D Makar reported that a capacity building grant has been applied for through the
ConnectAll office to help support capacity initiatives. The Town applied for the maximum
amount, $150,000 over two years, which will help pay for administration, finance, billing,
marketing, and executive work. We should know in 30 days. The Town of Caroline also
applied. Cl Lamb thanked him for his efforts in getting the grant together and submitted.
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D R A F T
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D Makar would like some help with marketing because of the increased activity and
managing the MIP grant. He has a proposal from a local resource, Kyle Jenson of Koil Kreative.
The expense would not exceed $1,500 per month for marketing support and will focus on social
media, email marketing and a few other components. He will track hours on an as needed
basis and bill at an established hourly rate, not to exceed $1,500 per month. This service
provider is local and less expensive than others in the area.
RESOLUTION #125 (2024) – APPROVE CONTRACT WITH KOIL KREATIVE
Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption:
RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves a marketing agreement with Koil
Kreative for services not to exceed the sum of $1,500 per month, to commence on August 1,
2024, and the Town Supervisor is authorized to execute the same, subject to approval by the
Town Attorney.
2nd Cl Lamb
Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes
Cl Buck Yes
Cl Dravis Yes
Cl Lamb Yes
Supv Leifer Yes
DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS
5-9 Freese Road INHS Project – This project needs a special use permit for one
building that is proposed to be 11,000 square feet. The Board set the public hearing for
August 15, 2024, at 6:05 p.m.
Proposed Moratorium on Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining Operations and Data
Processing Centers – The Zoning Board of Appeals has scheduled a public hearing on August
6 for an interpretation of a denied zoning permit. The applicant applied for a permit for a
hosting service provider (crypto mining) business at 2186 Dryden Road, which is in a mixed-
use commercial zoning district. It was denied because this is not a permitted use in the
allowable use groups chart under our code.
Supv Leifer said North Tonawanda put a moratorium in place for these types of
activities just this week. He asked the town attorney to prepare a local law for a moratorium
and the Board would have to hold a special meeting to adopt it prior to the ZBA’s hearing.
The ZBA at its hearing will be asked to make a determination on whether this is an
allowable use. They could overrule the Planning Director’s decision or table it for further
research.
Comments during discussion:
• These activities use a lot of power. Can the grid support it?
• The proposed location is in a mixed-use commercial zoning district, but also close to
two houses.
• Is it a fire hazard?
• Would the amount of energy used affect people in the town?
• There are a lot of unknowns.
• The Town is in the process of amending the zoning.
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• This is a use that hasn’t come up before.
• Heat, noise, power consumption, and safety are concerns.
• Would it affect climate goals?
• We know the size of the building, but not a lot of particulars in the proposal.
• The law is kind of broad.
• The Town is in the technology corridor, and this could theoretically come up again.
• We don’t know the impacts of such a business.
• Any acceptable level of this industry could be determined in the next 18 months.
• It makes sense to learn about it.
• The local law does contain a hardship use variance.
It was decided that timing was critical, and the Board introduced the attached local law
and scheduled a special meeting.
RESOLUTION #126 (2024) - INTRODUCING A PROPOSED LOCAL LAW
Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption:
WHEREAS, a local law entitled “A LOCAL LAW AFFECTING A MORATORIUM ON
COMMERCIAL CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING OPERATIONS AND DATA PROCESSING CENTERS”
was introduced at this meeting; and
WHEREAS, the Town Board desires to hold a public hearing with respect to the adoption
of said Local Law.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that a public hearing will be held by the Town
Board of the Town of Dryden with respect to the adoption of the aforesaid Local Law on July 31,
2024, at 5:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter may be heard; and it is 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
ADVISORY BOARD UPDATES
Affordable & Workforce Housing Committee – Last week it was mentioned that they
would engage Cornell Cooperative Extension regarding a weatherization endeavor. They have
ended up scaling down to a simple agreement that will involve weatherization of ten mobile
homes. They will do five in Hillside Acres and five non-park units. Selection of the homes will
be done by a team comprised of two people from Hillside Acres Park who are also members of
the Varna Community Association Board, someone from Cooperative Extension, and Chuck
Geisler. This will be a quicker way to accomplish some positive movement and help the
Committee better understand what needs to be done. They will likely start in September and
will have more information by the end of the year. Once they expand the program, publicity
will be important, but in the meantime, they will improve ten units.
The Committee has learned that the potential for the TC3 dormitories will not happen
soon, so they will be focusing their attention on perhaps another study of developing housing
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D R A F T
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in the NYSEG building and will be applying for county funding for that study. Cl Lamb
suggested they contact NYSEG and see if they were interested prior to applying for funding.
Conservation Board – There was no meeting last month.
Climate Smart Communities Task Force – The contractor has begun preliminary
work on the DPW building. He is doing the envelope sealing and window replacement and will
also replace an older door. A heat pump contractor has been contacted to review his year-old
bid and to get the project on schedule.
The Town of Dryden Bronze Recertification was announced publicly on June 27 and the
Task Force is planning on silver certification within a year.
They hope to vote on the Climate Change & Resilience Plan at their September meeting
and then forward it to the Town Board for acceptance.
They are discussing options for best use of the $185,000 in grant money they have been
awarded. One possibility is doing energy upgrade studies at some or all of the four fire
stations.
Planning Board – They talked about the INHS development at Freese Rd and will hold a
public hearing for site plan review next Thursday night. The Morris Road solar project is
moving along and then it will come to the Town Board.
Rail Trail Task Force – A retreat was facilitated by acting chair Alice Green. The
purpose was to try and unpack everything that Bob Beck had been doing and disburse those
responsibilities among the volunteers. There will be active subcommittees established for
easements, grant maintenance, trail issues, and liaisons. They will have a new membership
structure and Cl Lamb will be bringing a resolution to the Town Board for that. There was
recognition that this is a major project that is volunteer driven with help from Town staff.
Ag Advisory Committee – The proposed horse manure composting project came up at
the Ag meeting because Craig Anderson came to present some of the discussion that happened
at the Planning Board and whether this qualifies for protection by Ag & Markets. According to
Ag & Markets if it were a facility for a single farm, it would be exempt from zoning, but a
processing facility that manure is transported to does not.
The Committee will want to be involved in the zoning rewrite because they feel some
things were not addressed in the last rewrite, and they want to bring it in line with Ag &
Markets.
Broadband Committee – The Board has heard Dave Makar’s report. Dryden is
becoming widely known for its fiber project.
Recreation & Youth Commission - They have had inquiries about the RFP and may
need to extend the deadline. Some interested firms have said they have people on vacation and
wouldn’t be able to meet the deadline. It will be discussed at their next meeting.
CITIZENS PRIVILEGE
None.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:46 p.m.
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D R A F T
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Respectfully submitted,
Bambi L. Avery
Town Clerk
Grascen Shidemantle, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Town of Dryden
7/18/24, 6 PM
Using Community Science
to Monitor Water Quality
in the Cayuga Lake
Watershed
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Volunteer Monitoring Partnerships
CSI recruits, trains,
and coordinates
over 250
volunteers
1. Synoptic Stream and Lake
Monitoring
3. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)
Monitoring
2. Biomonitoring
4. Red Flag Monitoring
Four Monitoring
Partnerships
Purpose: Produce regulatory-quality stream and
lake water chemistry data that can inform water
resource management decisions as well as keep
the public informed on the state of their local
water resources.
Monitor streams and lakes for:
-Nutrients
-Sediment
-Bacteria
-Salt
-pH, conductivity,
temperature, etc.
Synoptic Stream and Lake Monitoring Partnership
David has been
monitoring water
quality on Fall Creek
with us since 2002!
Volunteers collect
samples from their
designated stream 3-4
times each year
Samples are analyzed in
CSI’s state-certified water
testing laboratory
Town of Dryden Water Quality Data – Synoptic Stream Chemistry
CSI’s synoptic stream volunteers
monitor the following streams in
the Town of Dryden:
1.Fall Creek
2.Virgil Creek
3.Cascadilla Creek (tributary of
Cayuga Inlet)
4.Six Mile Creek
These volunteers sample 14
locations in the Town of Dryden
The Fall Creek
watershed has the
largest drainage area
of any of the Cayuga
Lake tributaries
(129 mi2)
CSI’s Public Database – Streams and Lakes Chemistry
www.database.communityscience.org
Our database houses
over 85,000
regulatory-quality
measurements of
water quality!
Purpose: Determine the ecological
and long term health of streams while
educating community members about
local aquatic biodiversity
Biological Monitoring Results – Database coming soon!
Collect and identify samples of benthic
macroinvertebrates (BMI) to calculate:
-Total Family Richness
-EPT Richness
-Ephemeroptera = mayflies, Plecoptera =
stoneflies, Trichoptera = caddisflies
-Family Biotic Index
-Percent Model Affinity
-Biological Assessment Profile
Biomonitoring Partnership
Volunteers collect
samples in the field
then sort and
identify organisms
in the lab
Town of Dryden Water Quality Data - Biomonitoring
CSI’s biomonitoring volunteers
monitor the following streams in
the Town of Dryden:
1.Fall Creek
2.Virgil Creek
3.Cascadilla Creek (tributary of
Cayuga Inlet)
4.Six Mile Creek
Our German Cross Road
site on Six Mile Creek has
been monitored every year
since the start of our
biomonitoring program in
2011!
2021 Biomonitoring Results
This site’s Biological Assessment
Profile (BAP) tends to fluctuate
between “non-impacted” and
“slightly impacted”.
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Fee-for-Service Water Testing
Residents
- Home sales
- Routine testing
- Health/taste/quality concerns Local Businesses
- Farms
- Restaurants
- Breweries
- Wineries
- Mobile Home Parks
- Apartment Buildings
Government Agencies
- Tompkins County Health Dept.
- NY State Parks
- NYSDEC
We test water from private wells, municipal water systems,
swimming beaches, effluents, and more!
In 2023, CSI’s lab
tested more than
2,500 drinking
water samples!
We serve:
NYSDOH-ELAP #11790
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Outreach and Education
Free Learning MaterialsJourney of Water Summer Youth
Education Program Annual Water Bulletin Newsletter
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Questions?
info@communityscience.org
(607) 257-6606
www.communityscience.org@communityscienceinstitute
Join our email list for monthly
updates
Follow us on social media Stay in touch and learn more
DRYDEN FIBER
MID-MONTH REPORT
JULY 2024
TOWN OF DRYDEN BOARD MEETING
JULY 18th, 2024
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
▪We had a big press event on Monday, June 24 with many dignitaries and guests. This created a lot
of media coverage and many inbound leads via the website.
▪We had a project kick -off with NY State CAO on Monday, July 8 to talk about the timelines,
milestones, payment schedules, communications, and cadence of accountability meetings. We will
be meeting with NY State CAO weekly for the next few months as we ramp up.
▪The grant runs through December 31, 2026 and we are working on implementation
▪Construction Updates:
o Massive Expansion coming in the next 30 -60 days: Village of Dryden; Village of Freeville; this will double
the number of homes with access to Dryden Fiber
▪We are now able to serve 425 parcels
o We are now able to serve 554 households (apartments; mobile homes)
▪We have 54 paying customers (+9 in June);We had 65 in-bound requests in June; 24 in July MTD
▪We have 9 customers in the installation queue for this month (July 2024)
▪We estimate 70 total customers by August 1, 2024
▪Dave is estimating 100 customers by the "end of summer" (9/21/24)
▪Policy Committee met twice:Focus on Property Owner agreement questions
Media Coverage
▪June 21st, Cortland Standard,"Dryden Fiber wins $9 million grant to grow "
▪June 24th, Cortland Standard, "Dryden leaders pass thanks all around for $9 million grant "
▪June 24th,WENY News,"Town of Dryden & Town of Caroline Receive $8.9M Grant for
Broadband Access"
▪June 25th, IthacaVoice.org, "Dryden-owned internet service to use $9M in state funding to
expand coverage to Caroline"
▪June 26th,WXHC.com, "Dryden Internet Provider Wins $8.9 Million Grant For Improved Internet "
▪June 26th, Cortland Standard on Facebook
▪July 2nd, WSKG, "Dryden Fiber to expand throughout town, nearby Caroline after
‘unprecedented’ grant"
▪July 3rd, Cortland Standard, "$9M grant fuels Dryden Fiber expansion plans"
▪July 3rd, Tompkins Weekly, "Dryden awarded close to $9 million for Dryden Fiber project "
▪July 10th,WBNG, "Dryden Fiber Network’, municipality-owned internet expanding to Town of
Caroline"
▪July 10th,Ithaca.com, "Dryden Fiber Receives $8.9 Million Grant "
Media Coverage
Media Outlet Dates Reach
Cortland Standard June 21st; June 24th, July 3rd Cortland County pop: 46,146
Cortland Standard (Facebook) June 26th 5.9K likes; 7.2K followers
WENY News June 24th Chemung County pop: 84,148
IthacaVoice.org June 25th 450,000+ Monthly Site Views
80,000+ Unique Monthly Site
Visitors
WXHC.com June 26th Cortland County pop:46,146
WSKG July 2nd 13 stations /21 counties and
330,000 households
Tompkins Weekly July 3rd Readership 100K+ and 34,110
total impressions per month
WBNG July 10th Binghamton County pop:197K
Ithaca.com / Ithaca Times July 10th 100,000+ per month
TOTAL June 21st -July 10th 1,017,000+impressions
Project Highlights
Project Name:Dryden Fiber Expansion
for Towns of Dryden and Caroline
Applicant and Partner(s):Town of
Dryden dba, Dryden Fiber and Town of
Caroline
Construction Miles (Fiber): 124.6
Total Locations Served:2,674
ConnectALL Grant Amount:$ 8,995,979.00
Local Contribution:$ 906,321.00
Total Project Investment: $9,902,300.00
Appendix A
Team Reports
Team Reports
▪Customer Base – Amanda, Town of Dryden Bookkeeper
▪Construction Permitting Updates – Hunt Engineering
▪Construction Implementation Updates – Hunt,Syracuse Utilities,Lightspeed
▪Installations – Clarity Connect, Netegrity, Gleamon
▪Sales Operations – Gleamon
▪Finance – Amanda,Town of Dryden Bookkeeper
▪Customer Service - Netegrity
▪Marketing – Exec. Dir. Dave Makar
Customer Base
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
Speed Number of
subscriptions
Billed Monthly
Revenue
Net Change
from Prior
Month
Average
Monthly
Revenue
Residential
- Silver ($45)400 Mbps 40 $1,800 +8
- Gold ($75)700 Mbps 4 $300 No Change
- Platinum ($90)1 Gbps 3 $270 +1
47 $2,370 $50.23
Commercial
- Silver ($75)400 Mbps 5 $345 No Change
- Gold ($150)700 Mbps 1 $150 No Change
- Platinum ($250)1 Gbps 1 $250 No Change
7 $745 $106.43
Total 54 $3,115
Construction Permitting Updates
As of July 1st, 2024
▪NYDOT: Total Permits: 21
o 19 Issued Permits (+1 for this month)
o 2 Permits under review awaiting approval
o 0 Permits pending either drawings or survey
▪Utility Pole Permits
Application Name Status ECD Location
DRY001 Attached Complete Freeville (V)
DRY002 Attached Complete Dryden (V)
DRY003 Attached Complete Dryden (V)
DRY004 EMR in construction 7/20/2024 Etna Area
DRY005 EMR in construction 7/25/2024 Caswell Rd.
DRY006 Design Submitted to Joint Owner 11/30/2024 Bone Plain Rd.
DRY007 Waiting on EMR Package 10/30/2024 SR 38 North
DRY008 Design Submitted to Joint Owner 11/30/2024 Peruville Rd
DRY009 Waiting on EMR Package 10/30/2024 Fall Creek &Ed Hill Rd
DRY010 EMR in construction 8/14/2024 North Rd &SR 13 North
DRY011 Design Submitted to Joint Owner 11/30/2024 Gulf Hill, Sweetland &Bradshaw Rd
DRY012 Awaiting NYSEG approval of Non-Billable EMR 9/30/2024 SR 366,Dryden Rd &Turkey Hill Rd
▪Parcels began becoming serviceable in the Village of Dryden and Freeville in the month of June resulting in
weekly additions to the serviceable parcels list.
▪Underground was completed on SR 366 in the Village of Freeville.
Underground work continues at Applewood,Wellsley,& Tannery Circle.The underground work will
continue on Penny Lane/Logan's Run,Greystone Dr,Hilton, Goodrich, Scenic Way, Chelsey Cir, Bear
Cir. and Hanford Dr.
▪July projections include the completion of the majority of the Villages of Dryden, Freeville, Johnson Rd and
the Empire Overlash.
Construction Implementation Updates
As of July 1st, 2024
Coverage Parcels Households
New (June 2024)+131 +138
Total w/ coverage 423 608 (est.)
Total 5,839 6,036
Coverage %7.25% (+2.25%)10.07% (+2.3%)
New Fiber Aerial Underground
New (June 2024)+0 miles +1.5 miles
Total 0 miles 1.5 miles
Construction Update
Route Name Status ECD Application#Notes
Village Buildout
South Backbone Starts 7/14 8/1/2024 DRY002 MR Complete, Strand complete,
Cabling this week.
Village of Freeville (Empire Overlash Inc.)Starts 4/8 8/1/2024 DRY001 60% Live, finishing Rt 366.
Village of Dryden Aerial Starts 5/6 7/14/2024 DRY002,003 25% Live, Splicing Continues
Village of Dryden Underground*Starts 6/1 9/1/2024 Underground Applewood and Wellsley complete. .
Phase 2 Expansion
Lower Creek Rd Bids received and awarded.8/14/2024 DRY004 HRS is scheduled for electrical MR
construction in July.
Tompkins County Recovery Fund Bids received and awarded.9/1/2024 DRY005, 006 HRS projects electrical MR
construction in July/August.
West Dryden Rd Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
10/31/2024 DRY007 App in process.
Rt. 38 North Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
11/31/2024 DRY007 Bidding
Peruville Rd Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
11/31/2024 DRY008 App in process.
Fall Creek Rd/ Ed Hill Rd/Telco Design 12/31/2024 DRY009 App in process.
West Mallory Rd/ Morris Rd Telco Design 12/31/2024 DRY009 App in process.
North Rd/ Dutcher Rd Telco Design 9/31/2024 DRY010 Bidding
Gulf Hill Rd./ Sweetland Rd Telco Design 12/31/2024 DRY011 App in process.
Rt. 366 (Freeville to Rt. 13)Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
10/31/2024 DRY012 HRS projects electrical MR
construction in July/August.
Installations
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
▪June Install Summary
o Number of installations completed this month:9
o Number of installations pending (as of June 30th):9
o Installation blockers / questions:1
Finance – Capital Project
As of June 30, 2024
Balance Sheet as of 6/30/2024 2024 Year to
Date
Total Project to
Date Project Budget
Assets
- Cash 1,238,669.98 Inflows 119,758.92 1,505,686.05
- Due from Grants 624,614.00 Expenses
- Acct Receivable 197,309.19 Professional Fees 306,567.39 764,578.21
Total Assets 2,060,593.17 Incidental Const. Exp 2,949.27 69,240.37
Equipment Purchases 59,213.51 1,940,598.94
Liabilities and Equity Subcontractor Costs 216,685.95 2,639,272.22
- Bond Anticipation
Note
5,840,000.00 Pole and Permit Cost 330,315.90 901,282.30
Equity -3,779,406.83 Interest Payment 146,840.97 168,641.73
Total 2,060,593.17 Total Expenses 1,062,573.00 6,483,613.77 14,535,281.00
Budget Remaining 8,051,667.23 56.4%
Finance -Operations
As of June 30, 2024
June 2024 Year to Date
Residential 1,985.00 9,469.50
Balances as of 6/30/24 Commercial 700.00 4,760.00
Accounts Receivable 0.00 Misc Fees 95.00 885.00
Accounts Payable 14,660.91 Total Revenue 2,760.00 15,114.50
Expenses
Parcels Serviceable 5/31 292 Credit Card Fees 181.60 843.65
+ New Parcels added in June 133 Billing Program -2,320.92
Total Parcels available 6/30 425 Utilites 6,079.67 49,781.96
*does not include MUDs Subscriptions 8,405.39 47,371.17
Total Addressed Served by 6/30 54 Insurance 303.28 303.28
Total Expenses 14,970.15 100,620.98
Profit/Deficit -12,210.15 -85,506.48
Sales Operations
As of July 1, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
▪Multi-Use Development – Sent documents to the owner of the Congers Mobile home
park. We have the signed return.74 possibilities and 3 have made request already
▪Renters – Ryan and Tracy met with owner of 1062 Dryden Rd and came up with a
plan to get service to this complex.Owner will sign off asap.We also have 15 signups
that we are waiting for landlord approval
▪Commercial Sales - 34 possibilities and all have been contacted.
▪Prospects-We have 9 new installs and 9 pending. Also 12 potentials that are not
responsive but we are still trying to reach out to them.
▪Had conversation with Dryden School District and George Junior.Both
are interested but have already made commitments to current providers
▪Made contact with owners of new apartment complex that is under
construction on Dryden Rd.They are making arangements to have our service
Customer Service
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
Helpdesk Call Report June 2024
•Bandwidth Complaint (Speed Concerns)
•3
•Billing Related Call
•12
•Downed Drop (Damaged Service Line)
•0
•Email (Calls related to email difficulties)
•0
•No Connectivity
•6
•ONT / Power Cycle (Calls related to the
ONT where unplugging or rebooting
equipment was necessary)
•0
•Other / Unrelated (Calls looking for
unrelated departments or information)
•37
•Outage
•4
•Install Orders / Create Service
•11
•Router Issue
•0
•PC / Laptop Issue
•2
•Sporadic Connection
•1
•Streaming Related Issue
•0
•User Error / Education
•3
•Wireless
•0
Sum: 79
Note:
Install Orders denote an
incoming install scheduling
request – not a completed install
One caller can generate
numerous tickets for a single
issue (i.e. calls in 5x for same
problem)
Marketing
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
8/10 9/8 10/5 11/2 12/1 1/1/24 2/1/24 3/1/24 4/1/24 5/1/24 6/1/24 7/2/24
Under Contract 8 22 26 32 28 28 29
(+3, -2)
32
(+3)
37
(+5)
40
(+3)
44
(+6,-2)
54
(+10)
Requests (since
1/1/23)
150 174
(+11)
230
(+21)
252
(clean-
up)
274
(+9)
298
(+24)
332
(+13)
363
(+31)
389
(+26)
409
(+20)
429
(+20)
494
(+65)
Available 30 38 41 43 44**44 56 TBD TBD 75 87 110
(+23)
Not Available 120 136 189 209 226 250 276 TBD TBD 340~342 384
Serviceable Live 76.7
%
76.3%80.5%83.7%72%63.6%51.8%TBD TBD 40/70 51%
(44/87)
49%
54/110
Website Visits 8/25-9/7 9/22-10/4 10/21-11/2 11/17-
11/30
12/1-
12/31
1/1-1/31 2/1-
2/29
3/1-
3/31
4/1-
4/30
5/1-5/31 6/1-
6/30
Users N/A 226 193 161 140 320 484 392 403 368 516 820
New Users N/A 211 170 137 115 288 424 346 353 315 471 755
Sessions N/A 324 271 515 194 448 673 617 706 601 739 1221
Engagement (secs.)N/A 0m 46s 1m 09s 1m 10s 42s 1m 7s 1m 6s 1m
30s
1m 6s 53 s 58 s 1m 14
s
Marketing
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
▪June was a heavy Public Relations month
o 11 media hits (through 7/11/24)
▪Social Media postings
o Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor
▪Postcard outreach:"Construction / Coming Soon", "Now Available", "Business
Class" (coming soon)
▪Next up:
o Signs in the new neighborhoods (Spring Run, Dryden Village,Village of Freeville),
refreshed design
o Email Marketing
o Swag (Hats, Truck Magnets, stickers)
1
TOWN OF DRYDEN
LOCAL LAW NO. ___ FOR THE YEAR 2024
A LOCAL LAW AFFECTING A MORATORIUM ON COMMERCIAL
CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING OPERATIONS AND DATA PROCESSING CENTERS
Be it enacted by the Town Board of the Town of Dryden as follows:
Section 1. Enactment and Title
The Town Board of the Town of Dryden does hereby enact a moratorium on Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operations and Data Processing Centers in the Town of Dryden. This
Local Law shall impose a moratorium on applications or proceedings, or the issuance of approvals
or permits for Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining operations and Data Processing Centers within
the Town.
Section 2. Authority and Purpose
This Local Law is enacted pursuant to the authority and provisions of Section 10 of the Municipal
Home Rule Law of the State of New York, and all other powers and authority vested in the Town
Board of the Town of Dryden to regulate and control land use and to protect the health, safety and
welfare of its residents.
It is the purpose of this Local Law to provide the Town of Dryden time to address through planning
and legislation, the promotion of the protection, order, conduct, safety health and well-being of the
residents of the Town which are presented as heightened risks associated with commercial
cryptocurrency mining operations and Data Processing Centers. Further, it is the purpose of this
Local Law to facilitate the adoption of land use and zoning regulations and laws to protect and
enhance the Town's natural, historic, cultural and electrical resources.
Section 3. Definitions
"Cryptocurrency" is defined herein as a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used
to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating
independently of a central bank.
"Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining" is defined herein as the commercial process by which
cryptocurrency transactions are verified and added to the public ledger, known as the block chain,
and also the means through which new units of cryptocurrencies are released, through the use of
Data Processing Centers employing data processing equipment.
"Data Processing Center" is defined herein as a facility housing multiple banks of computers within
a building, modular facilities containing processors in multiple storage-like containers, server
clusters commonly known as “Data Processing Centers” and other operations related to
cryptocurrency mining, blockchain authenticating, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) processing,
2
general data computing, processing and storage, and other large-scale electronic-based centers of
the like.
Section 4. Scope of Controls
During the effective period of this local law:
A. The Code Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector, Review Board, or Zoning Board of
Appeals shall not accept an application for a Data Processing Center or Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operation.
B. The Code Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector, Review Board, or Zoning Board of
Appeals shall not grant any permit for a Data Processing Center or Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operation.
Section 5. No Consideration of New Applications
No applications for either Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining operations or Data Processing
Centers, or for related approvals for a site plan, special use permit, building permit, or any other
permit shall be approved by any board, officer, employee or agent of the Town of Dryden while
the moratorium imposed by this Local Law is in effect. Nothing in this Local Law shall be
construed such as to result in any default approval for any application heard or considered during
the moratorium imposed by this Local Law. This moratorium shall apply to all such applications,
whether pending or received prior to the effective date of this law.
Section 6. Term
The moratorium imposed by this Local Law shall be in effect for a period of eighteen (18) months
from the effective date of this Local Law unless terminated earlier by the Town Board of the Town
of Dryden. During the period of the moratorium, the Town Board of the Town of Dryden shall
endeavor to amend the local zoning code and related laws to address and regulate Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operations and Data Processing Centers.
Section 7. Location
The moratorium imposed by this local law shall apply to the territorial limits of the Town of
Dryden.
Section 8. Penalties.
A. Compliance Orders. The Code Enforcement Officer is authorized to order, in writing, the
remedying of any condition or activity found to exist in violation of this Local Law. If the
condition or activity is not remedied after the issuance of a compliance order, then an
appearance ticket may be issued as provided hereinafter.
B. Appearance Tickets. The Code Enforcement Officer is authorized to issue appearance
tickets for any violation of this Local Law. Any person who violates any provision of this
3
Local Law shall be deemed guilty of a violation and, upon conviction thereof, shall be
subject to a fine of not more than $250 or to imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or
both such fine and imprisonment. Each week’s continued violation shall constitute a
separate, additional violation.
C. Civil Penalty. In addition to those penalties prescribed herein, any person who violates
any provision of this Local Law shall be liable to a civil penalty of not more than $2,500
for each day or part thereof during which such violation continues. The civil penalties
provided by this section shall be recoverable in a civil action instituted in the name of the
Town of Dryden.
D. Injunctive Relief. An action or proceeding may be instituted in the name of the Town of
Dryden, in a court of competent jurisdiction, to prevent, restrain, enjoin, correct, or abate
any violation of, or to enforce, any provision of this Local Law. No action or proceeding
described in this subdivision shall be commenced without the appropriate authorization
from the Town Board of the Town of Dryden.
E. Remedies Not Exclusive. No remedy or penalty specified in this section shall be the
exclusive remedy or penalty available to address any violation of this Local Law. Any
remedy or penalty specified in this section and/or any other remedy or penalty provided by
law, may be pursued at any time, whether prior to, simultaneously with, or after the pursuit
of any other remedy or penalty specified in this section. In addition to the above-provided
remedies, the Town Board may also seek reimbursement to the Town for costs incurred by
the Town in identifying and remedying each violation, including but not limited to,
reasonable attorney's fees.
Section 9. Grandfathering of Legal, Pre-Existing Non-Conforming Use
Notwithstanding any provision hereof to the contrary, any Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining
operations or Data Processing Centers in the Town of Dryden that have been duly approved as of
the effective date of this Local Law, which are being operated in accordance with all applicable
laws and regulations and in compliance with all valid permits required to be issued by all federal,
state and local regulating agencies, shall be considered a pre-existing, non-conforming use and
shall be allowed to continue, subject, however, to the provisions of this Section.
Any expansion of a lawful, pre-existing nonconforming use shall not be grandfathered under this
Section, and instead shall in all respects be prohibited as contemplated by this Local Law.
“Grandfathered” and lawful pre-existing uses neither have nor possess any right to expand such
non-conforming use, whether above or below ground, and no such right shall be deemed,
construed, or implied to exist.
Section 10. Hardship Use Variance
The Town Board of the Town of Dryden is hereby authorized to accept and review (after public
notice and hearing and in accordance with the requirements of law and of this Local Law) requests
for a hardship use variance from application of the provisions of this Local Law by any person
aggrieved hereby.
4
No such use variance shall be granted without a showing by the applicant that applicable
regulations and restrictions have caused unnecessary hardship. In order to prove such unnecessary
hardship the applicant shall demonstrate that for each and every permitted use under the zoning
regulations for the particular district where the property is located: (i) the applicant cannot realize
a reasonable return, provided that lack of return is substantial as demonstrated by competent
financial evidence; (ii) that the alleged hardship relating to the property in question is unique, and
does not apply to a substantial portion of the district or neighborhood; (iii) that the requested use
variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood; and (iv) that the
alleged hardship has not been self-created.
In the event a hardship use variance from the provisions of this Local Law is granted to the
applicant, the applicant shall be required to comply with all provisions of the Town of Dryden’s
then applicable land use laws and other laws and regulations. The Town Board of the Town of
Dryden, in the granting of a hardship use variance, shall grant the minimum variance that it shall
deem necessary and adequate to address the unnecessary hardship proved by the applicant, and at
the same time preserve and protect the character of the neighborhood and the health, safety and
welfare of the community.
Section 11. Severability
If any word, phrase, sentence, part, section, subsection, or other portion of this Local Law, or the
application thereof to any person or to any circumstance, is adjudged or declared invalid or
unenforceable by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction, then, and in such event, such
judgment or declaration shall be confined in its interpretation and operation only to the provision
of this Local Law that is directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment or declaration
is rendered, and such judgment or declaration of invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect or
impair the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Local Law or the application hereof
to any other persons or circumstances. If necessary as to such person or circumstances, such invalid
or unenforceable provision shall be and be deemed severed herefrom, and the Town Board of the
Town of Dryden hereby declares that it would have enacted this Local Law, or the remainder
thereof, even if, as to particular provisions and persons or circumstances, a portion hereof is
severed or declared invalid or unenforceable.
Section 12. Superseding Intent and Effect
It is the specific intent of the Town Board that this Local Law shall supersede any inconsistent
provisions of Sections 267, 267-a, 267-b, 274-a, 274-b and 276 of the Town Law of the State of
New York, as well as all other inconsistent provisions of local ordinances, local laws, or local
resolutions or policies of the Town of Dryden, including but not limited to provisions of the
aforementioned state and local laws, ordinances, resolutions or policies that require the approval,
or affect a default approval of land use applications within certain statutory time periods.
Section 13. General Provisions
A. The Code Enforcement Officer is hereby designated as the enforcement officer for
purposes of interpreting and enforcing this Local Law.
5
B. The section and other headings and titles to clauses and phrases in this Local Law are for
convenience only, and shall not be used or construed to limit or define the scope or
application of the clauses and phrases so following such headings or titles. Each section
of this Local Law, whether in the nature of a preamble or otherwise, is a material part of
this Local Law.
Section 11. Effective Date
This Local Law shall take effect immediately upon filing with the New York Department of State
in accordance with Section 27 of the Municipal Home Rule Law.
Grascen Shidemantle, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Town of Dryden
7/18/24, 6 PM
Using Community Science
to Monitor Water Quality
in the Cayuga Lake
Watershed
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Volunteer Monitoring Partnerships
CSI recruits, trains,
and coordinates
over 250
volunteers
1. Synoptic Stream and Lake
Monitoring
3. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)
Monitoring
2. Biomonitoring
4. Red Flag Monitoring
Four Monitoring
Partnerships
Purpose: Produce regulatory-quality stream and
lake water chemistry data that can inform water
resource management decisions as well as keep
the public informed on the state of their local
water resources.
Monitor streams and lakes for:
-Nutrients
-Sediment
-Bacteria
-Salt
-pH, conductivity,
temperature, etc.
Synoptic Stream and Lake Monitoring Partnership
David has been
monitoring water
quality on Fall Creek
with us since 2002!
Volunteers collect
samples from their
designated stream 3-4
times each year
Samples are analyzed in
CSI’s state-certified water
testing laboratory
Town of Dryden Water Quality Data – Synoptic Stream Chemistry
CSI’s synoptic stream volunteers
monitor the following streams in
the Town of Dryden:
1.Fall Creek
2.Virgil Creek
3.Cascadilla Creek (tributary of
Cayuga Inlet)
4.Six Mile Creek
These volunteers sample 14
locations in the Town of Dryden
The Fall Creek
watershed has the
largest drainage area
of any of the Cayuga
Lake tributaries
(129 mi2)
CSI’s Public Database – Streams and Lakes Chemistry
www.database.communityscience.org
Our database houses
over 85,000
regulatory-quality
measurements of
water quality!
Purpose: Determine the ecological
and long term health of streams while
educating community members about
local aquatic biodiversity
Biological Monitoring Results – Database coming soon!
Collect and identify samples of benthic
macroinvertebrates (BMI) to calculate:
-Total Family Richness
-EPT Richness
-Ephemeroptera = mayflies, Plecoptera =
stoneflies, Trichoptera = caddisflies
-Family Biotic Index
-Percent Model Affinity
-Biological Assessment Profile
Biomonitoring Partnership
Volunteers collect
samples in the field
then sort and
identify organisms
in the lab
Town of Dryden Water Quality Data - Biomonitoring
CSI’s biomonitoring volunteers
monitor the following streams in
the Town of Dryden:
1.Fall Creek
2.Virgil Creek
3.Cascadilla Creek (tributary of
Cayuga Inlet)
4.Six Mile Creek
Our German Cross Road
site on Six Mile Creek has
been monitored every year
since the start of our
biomonitoring program in
2011!
2021 Biomonitoring Results
This site’s Biological Assessment
Profile (BAP) tends to fluctuate
between “non-impacted” and
“slightly impacted”.
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Fee-for-Service Water Testing
Residents
- Home sales
- Routine testing
- Health/taste/quality concerns Local Businesses
- Farms
- Restaurants
- Breweries
- Wineries
- Mobile Home Parks
- Apartment Buildings
Government Agencies
- Tompkins County Health Dept.
- NY State Parks
- NYSDEC
We test water from private wells, municipal water systems,
swimming beaches, effluents, and more!
In 2023, CSI’s lab
tested more than
2,500 drinking
water samples!
We serve:
NYSDOH-ELAP #11790
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Outreach and Education
Free Learning MaterialsJourney of Water Summer Youth
Education Program Annual Water Bulletin Newsletter
Community Science Institute
To foster and support environmental monitoring in partnership with community-based volunteer groups
in order to better understand our shared natural resources and how to manage them for long-term
sustainability and protection.
CSI's Mission
Volunteer
Water
Monitoring
Partnerships
CSI is a 501(c)3 non-profit and NYSDOH-ELAP certified water testing lab
Fee-for-
Service Water
Testing
Outreach and
Education
CSI offers three types of programming:
Questions?
info@communityscience.org
(607) 257-6606
www.communityscience.org@communityscienceinstitute
Join our email list for monthly
updates
Follow us on social media Stay in touch and learn more
DRYDEN FIBER
MID-MONTH REPORT
JULY 2024
TOWN OF DRYDEN BOARD MEETING
JULY 18th, 2024
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
▪We had a big press event on Monday, June 24 with many dignitaries and guests. This created a lot
of media coverage and many inbound leads via the website.
▪We had a project kick -off with NY State CAO on Monday, July 8 to talk about the timelines,
milestones, payment schedules, communications, and cadence of accountability meetings. We will
be meeting with NY State CAO weekly for the next few months as we ramp up.
▪The grant runs through December 31, 2026 and we are working on implementation
▪Construction Updates:
o Massive Expansion coming in the next 30 -60 days: Village of Dryden; Village of Freeville; this will double
the number of homes with access to Dryden Fiber
▪We are now able to serve 425 parcels
o We are now able to serve 554 households (apartments; mobile homes)
▪We have 54 paying customers (+9 in June);We had 65 in-bound requests in June; 24 in July MTD
▪We have 9 customers in the installation queue for this month (July 2024)
▪We estimate 70 total customers by August 1, 2024
▪Dave is estimating 100 customers by the "end of summer" (9/21/24)
▪Policy Committee met twice:Focus on Property Owner agreement questions
Media Coverage
▪June 21st, Cortland Standard,"Dryden Fiber wins $9 million grant to grow "
▪June 24th, Cortland Standard, "Dryden leaders pass thanks all around for $9 million grant "
▪June 24th,WENY News,"Town of Dryden & Town of Caroline Receive $8.9M Grant for
Broadband Access"
▪June 25th, IthacaVoice.org, "Dryden-owned internet service to use $9M in state funding to
expand coverage to Caroline"
▪June 26th,WXHC.com, "Dryden Internet Provider Wins $8.9 Million Grant For Improved Internet "
▪June 26th, Cortland Standard on Facebook
▪July 2nd, WSKG, "Dryden Fiber to expand throughout town, nearby Caroline after
‘unprecedented’ grant"
▪July 3rd, Cortland Standard, "$9M grant fuels Dryden Fiber expansion plans"
▪July 3rd, Tompkins Weekly, "Dryden awarded close to $9 million for Dryden Fiber project "
▪July 10th,WBNG, "Dryden Fiber Network’, municipality-owned internet expanding to Town of
Caroline"
▪July 10th,Ithaca.com, "Dryden Fiber Receives $8.9 Million Grant "
Media Coverage
Media Outlet Dates Reach
Cortland Standard June 21st; June 24th, July 3rd Cortland County pop: 46,146
Cortland Standard (Facebook) June 26th 5.9K likes; 7.2K followers
WENY News June 24th Chemung County pop: 84,148
IthacaVoice.org June 25th 450,000+ Monthly Site Views
80,000+ Unique Monthly Site
Visitors
WXHC.com June 26th Cortland County pop:46,146
WSKG July 2nd 13 stations /21 counties and
330,000 households
Tompkins Weekly July 3rd Readership 100K+ and 34,110
total impressions per month
WBNG July 10th Binghamton County pop:197K
Ithaca.com / Ithaca Times July 10th 100,000+ per month
TOTAL June 21st -July 10th 1,017,000+impressions
Project Highlights
Project Name:Dryden Fiber Expansion
for Towns of Dryden and Caroline
Applicant and Partner(s):Town of
Dryden dba, Dryden Fiber and Town of
Caroline
Construction Miles (Fiber): 124.6
Total Locations Served:2,674
ConnectALL Grant Amount:$ 8,995,979.00
Local Contribution:$ 906,321.00
Total Project Investment: $9,902,300.00
Appendix A
Team Reports
Team Reports
▪Customer Base – Amanda, Town of Dryden Bookkeeper
▪Construction Permitting Updates – Hunt Engineering
▪Construction Implementation Updates – Hunt,Syracuse Utilities,Lightspeed
▪Installations – Clarity Connect, Netegrity, Gleamon
▪Sales Operations – Gleamon
▪Finance – Amanda,Town of Dryden Bookkeeper
▪Customer Service - Netegrity
▪Marketing – Exec. Dir. Dave Makar
Customer Base
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
Speed Number of
subscriptions
Billed Monthly
Revenue
Net Change
from Prior
Month
Average
Monthly
Revenue
Residential
- Silver ($45)400 Mbps 40 $1,800 +8
- Gold ($75)700 Mbps 4 $300 No Change
- Platinum ($90)1 Gbps 3 $270 +1
47 $2,370 $50.23
Commercial
- Silver ($75)400 Mbps 5 $345 No Change
- Gold ($150)700 Mbps 1 $150 No Change
- Platinum ($250)1 Gbps 1 $250 No Change
7 $745 $106.43
Total 54 $3,115
Construction Permitting Updates
As of July 1st, 2024
▪NYDOT: Total Permits: 21
o 19 Issued Permits (+1 for this month)
o 2 Permits under review awaiting approval
o 0 Permits pending either drawings or survey
▪Utility Pole Permits
Application Name Status ECD Location
DRY001 Attached Complete Freeville (V)
DRY002 Attached Complete Dryden (V)
DRY003 Attached Complete Dryden (V)
DRY004 EMR in construction 7/20/2024 Etna Area
DRY005 EMR in construction 7/25/2024 Caswell Rd.
DRY006 Design Submitted to Joint Owner 11/30/2024 Bone Plain Rd.
DRY007 Waiting on EMR Package 10/30/2024 SR 38 North
DRY008 Design Submitted to Joint Owner 11/30/2024 Peruville Rd
DRY009 Waiting on EMR Package 10/30/2024 Fall Creek &Ed Hill Rd
DRY010 EMR in construction 8/14/2024 North Rd &SR 13 North
DRY011 Design Submitted to Joint Owner 11/30/2024 Gulf Hill, Sweetland &Bradshaw Rd
DRY012 Awaiting NYSEG approval of Non-Billable EMR 9/30/2024 SR 366,Dryden Rd &Turkey Hill Rd
▪Parcels began becoming serviceable in the Village of Dryden and Freeville in the month of June resulting in
weekly additions to the serviceable parcels list.
▪Underground was completed on SR 366 in the Village of Freeville.
Underground work continues at Applewood,Wellsley,& Tannery Circle.The underground work will
continue on Penny Lane/Logan's Run,Greystone Dr,Hilton, Goodrich, Scenic Way, Chelsey Cir, Bear
Cir. and Hanford Dr.
▪July projections include the completion of the majority of the Villages of Dryden, Freeville, Johnson Rd and
the Empire Overlash.
Construction Implementation Updates
As of July 1st, 2024
Coverage Parcels Households
New (June 2024)+131 +138
Total w/ coverage 423 608 (est.)
Total 5,839 6,036
Coverage %7.25% (+2.25%)10.07% (+2.3%)
New Fiber Aerial Underground
New (June 2024)+0 miles +1.5 miles
Total 0 miles 1.5 miles
Construction Update
Route Name Status ECD Application#Notes
Village Buildout
South Backbone Starts 7/14 8/1/2024 DRY002 MR Complete, Strand complete,
Cabling this week.
Village of Freeville (Empire Overlash Inc.)Starts 4/8 8/1/2024 DRY001 60% Live, finishing Rt 366.
Village of Dryden Aerial Starts 5/6 7/14/2024 DRY002,003 25% Live, Splicing Continues
Village of Dryden Underground*Starts 6/1 9/1/2024 Underground Applewood and Wellsley complete. .
Phase 2 Expansion
Lower Creek Rd Bids received and awarded.8/14/2024 DRY004 HRS is scheduled for electrical MR
construction in July.
Tompkins County Recovery Fund Bids received and awarded.9/1/2024 DRY005, 006 HRS projects electrical MR
construction in July/August.
West Dryden Rd Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
10/31/2024 DRY007 App in process.
Rt. 38 North Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
11/31/2024 DRY007 Bidding
Peruville Rd Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
11/31/2024 DRY008 App in process.
Fall Creek Rd/ Ed Hill Rd/Telco Design 12/31/2024 DRY009 App in process.
West Mallory Rd/ Morris Rd Telco Design 12/31/2024 DRY009 App in process.
North Rd/ Dutcher Rd Telco Design 9/31/2024 DRY010 Bidding
Gulf Hill Rd./ Sweetland Rd Telco Design 12/31/2024 DRY011 App in process.
Rt. 366 (Freeville to Rt. 13)Pending NYSEG Approval of make ready
costs.
10/31/2024 DRY012 HRS projects electrical MR
construction in July/August.
Installations
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
▪June Install Summary
o Number of installations completed this month:9
o Number of installations pending (as of June 30th):9
o Installation blockers / questions:1
Finance – Capital Project
As of June 30, 2024
Balance Sheet as of 6/30/2024 2024 Year to
Date
Total Project to
Date Project Budget
Assets
- Cash 1,238,669.98 Inflows 119,758.92 1,505,686.05
- Due from Grants 624,614.00 Expenses
- Acct Receivable 197,309.19 Professional Fees 306,567.39 764,578.21
Total Assets 2,060,593.17 Incidental Const. Exp 2,949.27 69,240.37
Equipment Purchases 59,213.51 1,940,598.94
Liabilities and Equity Subcontractor Costs 216,685.95 2,639,272.22
- Bond Anticipation
Note
5,840,000.00 Pole and Permit Cost 330,315.90 901,282.30
Equity -3,779,406.83 Interest Payment 146,840.97 168,641.73
Total 2,060,593.17 Total Expenses 1,062,573.00 6,483,613.77 14,535,281.00
Budget Remaining 8,051,667.23 56.4%
Finance -Operations
As of June 30, 2024
June 2024 Year to Date
Residential 1,985.00 9,469.50
Balances as of 6/30/24 Commercial 700.00 4,760.00
Accounts Receivable 0.00 Misc Fees 95.00 885.00
Accounts Payable 14,660.91 Total Revenue 2,760.00 15,114.50
Expenses
Parcels Serviceable 5/31 292 Credit Card Fees 181.60 843.65
+ New Parcels added in June 133 Billing Program -2,320.92
Total Parcels available 6/30 425 Utilites 6,079.67 49,781.96
*does not include MUDs Subscriptions 8,405.39 47,371.17
Total Addressed Served by 6/30 54 Insurance 303.28 303.28
Total Expenses 14,970.15 100,620.98
Profit/Deficit -12,210.15 -85,506.48
Sales Operations
As of July 1, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
▪Multi-Use Development – Sent documents to the owner of the Congers Mobile home
park. We have the signed return.74 possibilities and 3 have made request already
▪Renters – Ryan and Tracy met with owner of 1062 Dryden Rd and came up with a
plan to get service to this complex.Owner will sign off asap.We also have 15 signups
that we are waiting for landlord approval
▪Commercial Sales - 34 possibilities and all have been contacted.
▪Prospects-We have 9 new installs and 9 pending. Also 12 potentials that are not
responsive but we are still trying to reach out to them.
▪Had conversation with Dryden School District and George Junior.Both
are interested but have already made commitments to current providers
▪Made contact with owners of new apartment complex that is under
construction on Dryden Rd.They are making arangements to have our service
Customer Service
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
Helpdesk Call Report June 2024
•Bandwidth Complaint (Speed Concerns)
•3
•Billing Related Call
•12
•Downed Drop (Damaged Service Line)
•0
•Email (Calls related to email difficulties)
•0
•No Connectivity
•6
•ONT / Power Cycle (Calls related to the
ONT where unplugging or rebooting
equipment was necessary)
•0
•Other / Unrelated (Calls looking for
unrelated departments or information)
•37
•Outage
•4
•Install Orders / Create Service
•11
•Router Issue
•0
•PC / Laptop Issue
•2
•Sporadic Connection
•1
•Streaming Related Issue
•0
•User Error / Education
•3
•Wireless
•0
Sum: 79
Note:
Install Orders denote an
incoming install scheduling
request – not a completed install
One caller can generate
numerous tickets for a single
issue (i.e. calls in 5x for same
problem)
Marketing
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
8/10 9/8 10/5 11/2 12/1 1/1/24 2/1/24 3/1/24 4/1/24 5/1/24 6/1/24 7/2/24
Under Contract 8 22 26 32 28 28 29
(+3, -2)
32
(+3)
37
(+5)
40
(+3)
44
(+6,-2)
54
(+10)
Requests (since
1/1/23)
150 174
(+11)
230
(+21)
252
(clean-
up)
274
(+9)
298
(+24)
332
(+13)
363
(+31)
389
(+26)
409
(+20)
429
(+20)
494
(+65)
Available 30 38 41 43 44**44 56 TBD TBD 75 87 110
(+23)
Not Available 120 136 189 209 226 250 276 TBD TBD 340~342 384
Serviceable Live 76.7
%
76.3%80.5%83.7%72%63.6%51.8%TBD TBD 40/70 51%
(44/87)
49%
54/110
Website Visits 8/25-9/7 9/22-10/4 10/21-11/2 11/17-
11/30
12/1-
12/31
1/1-1/31 2/1-
2/29
3/1-
3/31
4/1-
4/30
5/1-5/31 6/1-
6/30
Users N/A 226 193 161 140 320 484 392 403 368 516 820
New Users N/A 211 170 137 115 288 424 346 353 315 471 755
Sessions N/A 324 271 515 194 448 673 617 706 601 739 1221
Engagement (secs.)N/A 0m 46s 1m 09s 1m 10s 42s 1m 7s 1m 6s 1m
30s
1m 6s 53 s 58 s 1m 14
s
Marketing
As of July 1st, 2024 (billing date is 1st of month)
▪June was a heavy Public Relations month
o 11 media hits (through 7/11/24)
▪Social Media postings
o Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor
▪Postcard outreach:"Construction / Coming Soon", "Now Available", "Business
Class" (coming soon)
▪Next up:
o Signs in the new neighborhoods (Spring Run, Dryden Village,Village of Freeville),
refreshed design
o Email Marketing
o Swag (Hats, Truck Magnets, stickers)
1
TOWN OF DRYDEN
LOCAL LAW NO. ___ FOR THE YEAR 2024
A LOCAL LAW AFFECTING A MORATORIUM ON COMMERCIAL
CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING OPERATIONS AND DATA PROCESSING CENTERS
Be it enacted by the Town Board of the Town of Dryden as follows:
Section 1. Enactment and Title
The Town Board of the Town of Dryden does hereby enact a moratorium on Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operations and Data Processing Centers in the Town of Dryden. This
Local Law shall impose a moratorium on applications or proceedings, or the issuance of approvals
or permits for Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining operations and Data Processing Centers within
the Town.
Section 2. Authority and Purpose
This Local Law is enacted pursuant to the authority and provisions of Section 10 of the Municipal
Home Rule Law of the State of New York, and all other powers and authority vested in the Town
Board of the Town of Dryden to regulate and control land use and to protect the health, safety and
welfare of its residents.
It is the purpose of this Local Law to provide the Town of Dryden time to address through planning
and legislation, the promotion of the protection, order, conduct, safety health and well-being of the
residents of the Town which are presented as heightened risks associated with commercial
cryptocurrency mining operations and Data Processing Centers. Further, it is the purpose of this
Local Law to facilitate the adoption of land use and zoning regulations and laws to protect and
enhance the Town's natural, historic, cultural and electrical resources.
Section 3. Definitions
"Cryptocurrency" is defined herein as a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used
to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating
independently of a central bank.
"Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining" is defined herein as the commercial process by which
cryptocurrency transactions are verified and added to the public ledger, known as the block chain,
and also the means through which new units of cryptocurrencies are released, through the use of
Data Processing Centers employing data processing equipment.
"Data Processing Center" is defined herein as a facility housing multiple banks of computers within
a building, modular facilities containing processors in multiple storage-like containers, server
clusters commonly known as “Data Processing Centers” and other operations related to
cryptocurrency mining, blockchain authenticating, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) processing,
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general data computing, processing and storage, and other large-scale electronic-based centers of
the like.
Section 4. Scope of Controls
During the effective period of this local law:
A. The Code Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector, Review Board, or Zoning Board of
Appeals shall not accept an application for a Data Processing Center or Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operation.
B. The Code Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector, Review Board, or Zoning Board of
Appeals shall not grant any permit for a Data Processing Center or Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operation.
Section 5. No Consideration of New Applications
No applications for either Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining operations or Data Processing
Centers, or for related approvals for a site plan, special use permit, building permit, or any other
permit shall be approved by any board, officer, employee or agent of the Town of Dryden while
the moratorium imposed by this Local Law is in effect. Nothing in this Local Law shall be
construed such as to result in any default approval for any application heard or considered during
the moratorium imposed by this Local Law. This moratorium shall apply to all such applications,
whether pending or received prior to the effective date of this law.
Section 6. Term
The moratorium imposed by this Local Law shall be in effect for a period of eighteen (18) months
from the effective date of this Local Law unless terminated earlier by the Town Board of the Town
of Dryden. During the period of the moratorium, the Town Board of the Town of Dryden shall
endeavor to amend the local zoning code and related laws to address and regulate Commercial
Cryptocurrency Mining operations and Data Processing Centers.
Section 7. Location
The moratorium imposed by this local law shall apply to the territorial limits of the Town of
Dryden.
Section 8. Penalties.
A. Compliance Orders. The Code Enforcement Officer is authorized to order, in writing, the
remedying of any condition or activity found to exist in violation of this Local Law. If the
condition or activity is not remedied after the issuance of a compliance order, then an
appearance ticket may be issued as provided hereinafter.
B. Appearance Tickets. The Code Enforcement Officer is authorized to issue appearance
tickets for any violation of this Local Law. Any person who violates any provision of this
3
Local Law shall be deemed guilty of a violation and, upon conviction thereof, shall be
subject to a fine of not more than $250 or to imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or
both such fine and imprisonment. Each week’s continued violation shall constitute a
separate, additional violation.
C. Civil Penalty. In addition to those penalties prescribed herein, any person who violates
any provision of this Local Law shall be liable to a civil penalty of not more than $2,500
for each day or part thereof during which such violation continues. The civil penalties
provided by this section shall be recoverable in a civil action instituted in the name of the
Town of Dryden.
D. Injunctive Relief. An action or proceeding may be instituted in the name of the Town of
Dryden, in a court of competent jurisdiction, to prevent, restrain, enjoin, correct, or abate
any violation of, or to enforce, any provision of this Local Law. No action or proceeding
described in this subdivision shall be commenced without the appropriate authorization
from the Town Board of the Town of Dryden.
E. Remedies Not Exclusive. No remedy or penalty specified in this section shall be the
exclusive remedy or penalty available to address any violation of this Local Law. Any
remedy or penalty specified in this section and/or any other remedy or penalty provided by
law, may be pursued at any time, whether prior to, simultaneously with, or after the pursuit
of any other remedy or penalty specified in this section. In addition to the above-provided
remedies, the Town Board may also seek reimbursement to the Town for costs incurred by
the Town in identifying and remedying each violation, including but not limited to,
reasonable attorney's fees.
Section 9. Grandfathering of Legal, Pre-Existing Non-Conforming Use
Notwithstanding any provision hereof to the contrary, any Commercial Cryptocurrency Mining
operations or Data Processing Centers in the Town of Dryden that have been duly approved as of
the effective date of this Local Law, which are being operated in accordance with all applicable
laws and regulations and in compliance with all valid permits required to be issued by all federal,
state and local regulating agencies, shall be considered a pre-existing, non-conforming use and
shall be allowed to continue, subject, however, to the provisions of this Section.
Any expansion of a lawful, pre-existing nonconforming use shall not be grandfathered under this
Section, and instead shall in all respects be prohibited as contemplated by this Local Law.
“Grandfathered” and lawful pre-existing uses neither have nor possess any right to expand such
non-conforming use, whether above or below ground, and no such right shall be deemed,
construed, or implied to exist.
Section 10. Hardship Use Variance
The Town Board of the Town of Dryden is hereby authorized to accept and review (after public
notice and hearing and in accordance with the requirements of law and of this Local Law) requests
for a hardship use variance from application of the provisions of this Local Law by any person
aggrieved hereby.
4
No such use variance shall be granted without a showing by the applicant that applicable
regulations and restrictions have caused unnecessary hardship. In order to prove such unnecessary
hardship the applicant shall demonstrate that for each and every permitted use under the zoning
regulations for the particular district where the property is located: (i) the applicant cannot realize
a reasonable return, provided that lack of return is substantial as demonstrated by competent
financial evidence; (ii) that the alleged hardship relating to the property in question is unique, and
does not apply to a substantial portion of the district or neighborhood; (iii) that the requested use
variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood; and (iv) that the
alleged hardship has not been self-created.
In the event a hardship use variance from the provisions of this Local Law is granted to the
applicant, the applicant shall be required to comply with all provisions of the Town of Dryden’s
then applicable land use laws and other laws and regulations. The Town Board of the Town of
Dryden, in the granting of a hardship use variance, shall grant the minimum variance that it shall
deem necessary and adequate to address the unnecessary hardship proved by the applicant, and at
the same time preserve and protect the character of the neighborhood and the health, safety and
welfare of the community.
Section 11. Severability
If any word, phrase, sentence, part, section, subsection, or other portion of this Local Law, or the
application thereof to any person or to any circumstance, is adjudged or declared invalid or
unenforceable by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction, then, and in such event, such
judgment or declaration shall be confined in its interpretation and operation only to the provision
of this Local Law that is directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment or declaration
is rendered, and such judgment or declaration of invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect or
impair the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Local Law or the application hereof
to any other persons or circumstances. If necessary as to such person or circumstances, such invalid
or unenforceable provision shall be and be deemed severed herefrom, and the Town Board of the
Town of Dryden hereby declares that it would have enacted this Local Law, or the remainder
thereof, even if, as to particular provisions and persons or circumstances, a portion hereof is
severed or declared invalid or unenforceable.
Section 12. Superseding Intent and Effect
It is the specific intent of the Town Board that this Local Law shall supersede any inconsistent
provisions of Sections 267, 267-a, 267-b, 274-a, 274-b and 276 of the Town Law of the State of
New York, as well as all other inconsistent provisions of local ordinances, local laws, or local
resolutions or policies of the Town of Dryden, including but not limited to provisions of the
aforementioned state and local laws, ordinances, resolutions or policies that require the approval,
or affect a default approval of land use applications within certain statutory time periods.
Section 13. General Provisions
A. The Code Enforcement Officer is hereby designated as the enforcement officer for
purposes of interpreting and enforcing this Local Law.
5
B. The section and other headings and titles to clauses and phrases in this Local Law are for
convenience only, and shall not be used or construed to limit or define the scope or
application of the clauses and phrases so following such headings or titles. Each section
of this Local Law, whether in the nature of a preamble or otherwise, is a material part of
this Local Law.
Section 11. Effective Date
This Local Law shall take effect immediately upon filing with the New York Department of State
in accordance with Section 27 of the Municipal Home Rule Law.