Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB 2026-04-28 CB 2026-04-28 1 CONSERVATION BOARD April 28, 2026 Hybrid Present: Anne Clark (co-chair), Jeanne Grace (co-chair), *Steve Bissen, Gian Dodici, *Kate McKee, Nancy Munkenbeck, Craig Schutt Absent: Andrew Miller, Tim Woods, Naomi Cator-Szymanski (alternate) Liaisons: Spring Buck (Town Board) Staff: Loren Sparling (Deputy Town Clerk) “*” denotes attendance via Zoom The meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m. Review and Acceptance of Minutes RESOLUTION #7 (2026) – ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES FROM MARCH 31, 2026 C Schutt offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that the Conservation Board of the Town of Dryden hereby accepts the meeting minutes of March 31, 2026, as written. 2nd J Grace Roll Call Vote A Clark Abstained J Grace Yes S Bissen Yes G Dodici Yes K McKee Yes N Munkenbeck Yes C Schutt Yes Report: Agriculture Advisory Committee C Schutt reported that the Agriculture Advisory Committee met and continued their discussion on the sketch plan for the Trillium Woods development. Report: Climate Action Committee A Clark reported that the Climate Action Committee (CAC) has been drawing up objectives and making task assignments. Their recent Repair Café was successfully held at the Dryden Center for Community. Forty-five (45) items were repaired, nearly doubling the output of their previous event. Repaired items included sewing machines, lamps, various appliances, two music boxes, a laptop, and a birdhouse. Items that could not be repaired (e.g., vacuum cleaner) were given guidance on next steps. Due to high demand and community interest, the CAC intends to hold these events four or five times a year. It was suggested that future advertising highlight specific item categories to help residents identify what to bring. Report: Environmental Management Council (EMC) S Bissen reported that the annual in-person meeting of the EMC is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, at 4:00 p.m. at the Borg Warner East room of the Tompkins County Public CB 2026-04-28 2 Library. All Board members are welcome, as this meeting will serve as a gathering for various conservation boards across the County to share insights and engagement strategies. Report: Town Board S Buck reported that the Town Board meeting on May 21 will focus on a proposed shift to a fire district model. Guests from communities that have already made this transition (possibly including Enfield and a community near Binghamton/Elmira) will present the pros and cons. Such a fire district would be governed by an elected Fire Commission consisting of experts rather than the Town Board. Fire expenses would be removed from the general Town budget and appear as a separate line item on annual tax bills. The Fire Commission would handle reporting, budget planning, administrative work, and inspections, allowing individual departments to focus on active firefighting. State grants were previously available to study the transition to a consolidated district; the Town did not apply but may explore future funding options. The potential benefits of a fire district would include centralized administrative support with specialized expertise in fire management, potential cost savings through bulk purchasing (e.g., software, hoses), and increased bandwidth for community fire education. S Buck was uncertain about transition costs and funding. She perceived the model to be analogous to the structure of a school board, whereby members volunteered their time, but acknowledged that there are varying fire district models. McLean was mentioned as a community that already has a separate fire board. Old Business: High School Representatives Two high school juniors, both active in the Sustainability Club and/or general science programs, have been identified as prospective non-voting youth representatives to the Board. Their bios will be circulated to the Board for review. Formal requests for their appointment are being drafted for consideration by the Town Board. Update: April 23 Planning Board Meeting Regarding 172 Hile School Rd (Trillium Woods) Several Board members attended the Planning Board meeting on March 26 when the sketch plan for the proposed Trillium Woods development was presented. Concerns were raised regarding long driveways and significant soil disturbance that could lead to runoff into the marsh. It was noted that the area has a very high water table, with pockets of very wet soil and vernal ponds, such that the fields are typically used for haying and the soil left undisturbed. This could make certain plots potentially unbuildable without significant fill. N Munkenbeck informed members that old clay drainage tiles exist in the fields, many of which may be crushed or non-functional. A Clark alerted members to a seasonal stream that flows southwest from Trillium Woods and disappears, as well as an outlet pipe that runs into the ditch along Hile School Rd that still has water running from it. Trillium Woods is currently blossoming with red trillium, bloodroot, hepatica, and spring beauties. The developer was asked to redraw plots to ensure that the buffer zones near Trillium Woods are fully protected and not included in the building envelopes. (EMC representatives CB 2026-04-28 3 were strong advocates for this.) The developer has been incredibly responsive to proposed zoning updates and is currently redrawing the sketch plan to attempt to accommodate requests for better land protection and buffers. Reconfigured plots may result in some falling below five acres or a reduced number of plots altogether. As a result, the Planning Board did not vote on the sketch plan at this meeting. Local farmers expressed concerns about potential conflicts between new residents and active farming operations (e.g., manure application, noise, dust, and heavy tractor traffic). The Board discussed the “buyer beware” principle and noted the complexity of these situations, especially given that the head of cattle in the area will nearly triple in size by next year. S Buck voiced her apprehension that Town actions against the development might be perceived as the Town deciding where new residents can and cannot live. Members noted that wetland areas have shifted significantly since prior delineations. A formal re-delineation by engineers will be required before the next phase. The developer is expected to return to the Planning Board with an engineered plan that reflects requested redlines and wetland delineations. After sketch plan approval, engineers will conduct detailed assessments, then a formal public hearing occurs. N Munkenbeck noted this is unusually early community engagement, which is beneficial for all parties. There was discussion about the benefit of building envelopes to protect farmland (given that ag lands have very little protection) and the possibility of clustered housing to preserve open space. Clustered housing may emerge as a preferred outcome if wetland constraints reduce buildable area in lots 16 and 17. S Buck added that Dan Lamb has someone working on a mapping study of overlapping soil types. Subdivision law revisions are also in progress by the Zoning Advisory Group. N Munkenbeck had heard that the Town was considering hiring an inspector to oversee conservation easements. S Buck had raised the concern to the Town Board that zoning laws without enforcement staff are ineffective. To this, Dan Lamb indicated that funding for this position would be built into the 2027 budget. N Munkenbeck suggested researching job descriptions from organizations like the Finger Lakes Land Trust to define this role effectively. J Grace thought that researching various job titles/descriptions within the Civil Service system might be a better option for the Board to pursue, as nonprofit positions do not necessarily align with the structure of municipal government. S Buck plans to meet with Highway Superintendent Rick Young to discuss ditch maintenance near the marsh and what implications the paving of Hile School Rd would have for wetland protection. In particular, there were concerns that paving gravel roads (like Hile School Rd) might incentivize deeper ditches that would negatively impact adjacent wetlands. The Town previously faced fines from the DEC for unauthorized ditching in areas of Freeville that were classified as protected streams. Update: Bob Beck Memorial Bench Installation J Grace reported that the memorial trees are leafing out and are in good health. Coordination with Gwen Beck is ongoing regarding the timing for Bob Beck’s memorial ceremony. Potentially, this will occur in June or July. June 14 was suggested as a symbolic date, as it was the day of Bob’s passing. Town Emails CB 2026-04-28 4 It is now mandatory for Board members to use official Town email addresses for all Board-related correspondence. This is intended to provide legal protection for members’ personal devices and data in the event of Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests. Assistance was offered to members struggling with technical setup. Members who have not yet received their login email should search for a message from Cassie Byrnes that was sent around April 15; the email contains a secure link to retrieve credentials. Tech support is available 9-5 for setup assistance. Several members discussed how to integrate the Town email with existing Gmail or Outlook setups. With all members having accounts, shared document collaboration becomes possible, reducing version-control issues on shared drafts. Old Business: Planning for Co-Meeting with Climate Action Committee on May 19, 2026 A joint meeting with the CAC is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19 in the public assembly room. The goal is to identify overlapping goals and synergize efforts. Possible topics for discussion include community resilience planning (environmental resilience for the Conservation Board, energy resilience for the Climate Action Committee), emergency management response (e.g., cooling centers for heat events, hubs during floods, and intermunicipal support), and joint educational outreach at community events like Dryden Dairy Day or the Ellis Hollow Fair. Per the Board’s charter, the Town is required to seek the Board’s input on certain matters, but this rarely happens in practice. A Clark thought this may be due to confusion over whether the Conservation Board or the Town Board should initiate the request. The Board discussed whether a formal process should be established so any State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process automatically triggers a request for Conservation Board input via the Town Board. C Schutt recalled that former Town Supervisor Mary Ann Sumner had long ago tasked the Conservation Board with providing input on proposed projects in West Dryden and on Yellow Barn Rd. They weighed in on these projects after conducting site visits to assess the landscapes. A Clark suggested that, as a starting point for the joint meeting, each group present its mission and strategic goals. Given its relatively new status, the CAC has already done this. It was suggested that the Conservation Board write out its own mission and strategic goals, with the intent of updating these continuously. Given the time crunch, the Board will revisit its foundational documents individually before the joint meeting. There being no further business, on motion made by A Clark, seconded by N Munkenbeck, the meeting was adjourned at 8:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Loren Sparling Deputy Town Clerk