HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRYC 2025-01-22Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission (DRYC)
January 22, 2025
HybridPresent:Leslie Debo (chair), David Peck (vice chair), Julie McLean, Will Olson, James Whalley -7:35Absent:Jenelle Carr, Rhonda Kowalski,Ron SzymanskiLiaisons:*Kate Shanks-Booth
(Tompkins County Youth Services)*Athena Steinkraus (Cornell Cooperative Extension – Tompkins County)Staff:Marty Conger (Recreation Director)Allison Kjellander-Cantu (Deputy Town Clerk)*Gina
Cassidy (Planning Department) Guest:Craig Schutt(Town Conservation Board)*Brad Will(Town Planning Board),*John Hickok(CHAProject Principal),Chris Richards (CHAProject Manager & POC),*KatieLindsey
(CHA Designer),7:20“*” Denotes attendance via Zoom
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. and introductions were made.
Reports: Cornell Cooperative Extension Rural Youth Services
A Steinkraus reported that in Dave’s Program earlier this month, DaveHall and 10 high schoolers had a great weekend in Arnott Forest in Newfield. Lansing Youth Services joined them.
They stayed in heated cabins and enjoyed the cold weather with activities. Dave’s schedule for programming this year is already full. A group from Dave's Program will present at the
February meeting to showcase what they have learned and done.
The Dryden OURSinterview is set for February 10th.
The 2025 contractsare signed and are all set for this year.
Tompkins County Workforce Development is working on a new community resource mappingprogram for homeless youth within the community and surrounding areas. This resource map can be found
at https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/All-Departments/Workforce-Development/Community-Resourcesincludingeducational, food, housing, job, and mental healthresources to circulate soon. If
any corrections need to be made,reach out to Tompkins County with those corrections.
Reports: Tompkins County Youth Services
K Shanks-Booth mentioned an email with a link to the short vitality checklist was sent out. This data will be used to look at my composition and leadershipcomparison to last year's performance.
Eventually, this will go before the legislature. So, for the February meeting, she will have the information DRYC members submitted with a year-by-year comparisonof future goals and
how things have gone for the last 2 or 3 years.
Discussionwith CHA, Field Project Behind Town Hall:
J Hickok asked the board about their goals and aspirations for this project.
CHA will have three tangible design concepts written up by February 17thto have something by the DRYC’s February 26th meeting. After the committee agrees on a plan, there will be a public
meeting to introduce the plan to the community. Community will be gathered at that point.
C Richardsaskedwho needsto be updated, like neighbors surrounding the project or other stakeholders.
M Conger,said thereare no youth baseball or softball programs.Currently, there are only threeteams:youth flag football and junior and senior tackle football. All are sharing fields with
the school. One big multi-purpose field is lined. Currently, there areonly youth boys'lacrosse,programs k to 6th grade.
D Peck informed members of CHA that the school has a youth softball league that uses the school fields, while the little league has its own field.
Nothing further to go on with no other land connected to being developed.
Concern was raised about the access road to the Cornelius property. L Debo stated thereneeds clear directionsabout this from the town board and she will reach out about how they want
to proceed with it.
Various other comments are as follows:
Lighting/Power
G Cassidy mentioned business “Dark Sky”implemented guidelines
M Conger only lighting in fall for youth football or a special game, not a fan of youth night football.
Solar renewable energy grants available to help
Parking/Parking lot
Parking to accommodate during soccer season with +/-150 kids which is the busier sports season
Traffic increase withdrop-off and pickup
Audience? Elderly family- consider the parking layout and location of the fields
Can you see and sit without carrying a lot of stuff?
Playgrounds
Inclusive playground for adults and kids with shelter
How many kids, how big
Ground material; woodchips, rubber chips, or solid rubber
Bathrooms
Start with 2 family bathrooms
For every 100 permanent seating benches,there are requirements for the number of toilets needed
Changing stations for children and adults
ADA accessible
Seating
Permanent seating is difficult within this space
No bleachers, benches maybe
Bring your own seating
Fields
Natural or synthetic?Several typesof natural grass and different levels of maintenance
Plant in place or sod?Irrigation
Field maintenance, who will maintain? will need to talk to the HighwaySuperintendent
Permanent goal post?
K Lindsey to get a cost comparison of natural vs synthetic and maintenance cost
Run-off concerns for the wetland. C Schutt- No, CHA has a handle on what it entails
Fencing
Many different options- chained link option would be ideal and to also include the dugout
A home run fence is notneeded
Just the ball field and playground
Possibly have the outfield against tree lines
Building/ Storage Building
One-story building
Centralized
Looking for a typical classroom size is 800 square feet.
Adultclassroom for art, cooking, and writing
50 people max
Community room or buildingstorage.
Gina will investigate the available grants for powering the building and bathrooms, focusing on the climate-smart task force and clean energy funding.
JMcLeanstated the Town has been waiting a long time for this, and wedeserve something nice.We want to show pride in it and want a place where kids want to play. Making it a destinationlocation
that the whole family can enjoy.
Agreement to tie the history of the land with the Town Historian, Loren Sparling.
A Steinkraus introduced the idea of Dave’s Program having a group of kids and teaching them how to identify the native plants around this project site.
The recreationdepartment will need to start budgeting for preventive maintenance and upkeep costs will need to be added to the budget.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Allison Kjellander-Cantu
Deputy Town Clerk