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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-08-15TB 8-15-19 Page 1 of 8 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING August 15, 2019 Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl Linda Lavine, Cl Kathrin Servoss, Cl Alice Green Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Other Town Staff: Ray Burger, Director of Planning Khandi Sokoni, Town Attorney Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Board members and audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance. TOWN CLERK RESOLUTION #122 (2019) – APPROVE MINUTES Cl Green offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves the meeting minutes of July 11 and 18, 2019, as submitted. 2nd Supv Leifer Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Abstained HOUSING CONDITIONS STUDY R Burger said in 2017 the Town received a grant for the completion of a housing conditions survey. This is a precursor step for further grant funding. The town contracted with Thoma Development for the study and Rich Cunningham is presenting those results tonight. R Cunningham – This grant is federal money through the Department of Housing & Urban Development that is given to the state to hand out to municipalities. The goal of the study was to look at 1, 2, and 3 family homes in the town (outside the villages). We completed approximately 3,000 exterior inspections. We do a drive-by and assess properties from the exterior from the public right-of-way and collect information (on attached sheet). The goal is to determine conditions overall in the community. They put the data in a system and it is linked to existing GIS in order to map it. They did not look at mobile home parks because there is limited funding opportunities with more stringent rules for mobile homes in parks. They did assess mobile homes on individual sites. The full report (on the town website) was given to R Burger in paper and digital format, as well as the data base information. TB 8-15-19 Page 2 of 8 Of the 3,260 properties, 91% were single units, 6.1% were 2 units, and a little less than half a percent were 3 units. Of those single units, 62% were standard and 38% were considered substandard. That is typical or a little better than average communities in upstate New York. Of those, 765 were moderately substandard, 452 were severe and 10 were considered dilapidated. They looked at 73 mobile homes that were outside of mobile home parks and almost 92% were substandard. Thoma Development has been asked by the Village of Dryden to do a housing grant application for them and their substandard rate is 48%. A large percent of the town’s housing stock is single family homes. When looking at where to address issues and concerns, that is probably the place to look. Over 2,900 of those looked at were single family homes. Multi-family properties tend to be more substandard. Mobile homes are harder to deal with due to the limited available funding sources. 15% of housing units are mobile homes. The grant application looks at overall needs in the housing stock. Community Development & Block Grant “CDBG” is the most commonly used program. If you are going to renovate a mobile home, it must be on property owned (not in a park) and less than ten years old. Programs would rather use money to replace the mobile home rather than repair. M Robertson said the county looked at it a few years ago to see if there was a way for residents of the park to buy the park, then they would have different opportunities. A mobile home cooperative is looked at like a multi-family unit. R Cunningham said this is the first step and the results will be used to apply for future funding opportunities for repair of the homes that have been identified. M Robertson said the County did put together some money to help municipalities to apply for grants and asked R Burger to contact Megan McDonald for more information and data. R Cunningham – As part of an application you have to show that you have an existing waiting list of eligible people that want assistance. This targets specific properties. The next step would be to do an income survey and then compare that survey to see if they meet the income requirements and have a house that is substandard. CITIZENS PRIVILEGE Shirley Lyon – Mineah Road. My concern right now is about short-term rentals. Mineah Road had a home that was long-term rental and is now short-term. At any one time there may be 6 or 7 cars there. She is concerned with an absentee owner. It fractures a neighborhood when you have these short-term rentals. We have had noise at night, there is more traffic on the road. It is a residential neighborhood, and this has impacted neighbor psychology. They see tenants bringing in coolers, not supporting local business and restaurants. The zoning office is not sure how to handle short-term rentals. This is impacting affordable housing and she understands affordable housing is an issue. Long-term rentals are being turned into short-term rentals. She did research and Warren County came down on them because of the impact in the residential neighborhoods. The one near her has 3 bedrooms and the ad says they will rent to up to ten people. This has an impact on septic systems and wells. They are flying below the zoning. The town’s zoning law says if an activity is not specifically permitted it is prohibited. TB 8-15-19 Page 3 of 8 Cl Lamb said the Town of Ithaca is considering a limit of days and Cayuga Heights has passed a limit. M Robertson encouraged the town to take this on. Supv Leifer suggested the Town Board ask the Planning Board to look into this and see what Cayuga Heights and the Town of Ithaca have done and determine how it is impacting the residents. S Lyon noted that rental property only allows a maximum of 4 unrelated people. Janice Bretscher, 293 Ellis Hollow Creek Road, said she wants to advertise the NY State Citizens Emergency Preparedness training that is coming to Dryden on September 17th at 7:00 pm at Neptune Hose Company. It has been organized by the Safety & Preparedness Committee in collaboration with Neptune Hose and is open to everyone. She encouraged everyone to attend this training and learn how to prepare for natural or a manmade disaster. Will learn • how to develop an emergency plan, • how to stay safe until help can arrive, • what resources we should have on hand; and, • how to recover as quickly as possible after the disaster situation. Preregistration is required and each family will receive an emergency preparedness starter kit. All the town of Dryden fire departments will be at the program and have information about their departments, and people will be able to sign up for the SWIFT911 notification system. AWARD CONTRACT – GEORGE RD BRIDGE Cl Servoss- Provided a draft resolution and advised that if the resolution is passed or denied a letter of notice to proceed will be sent to Silverline Construction. We received bids on July 2nd and Silverline Construction was the low bidder, went through the review, and passed with flying colors and their bid is almost $100,000 less than the next lowest bidder. RESOLUTION #123 (2019) – AWARD OF CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR SOUTH GEORGE ROAD BRIDGE OVER VIRGIL CREEK RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT Cl Servoss offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, construction bids were received on July 2, 2019 for the South George Road Bridge over Virgil Creek Reconstruction Project (PIN 3756.42), and WHEREAS, Barton & Loguidice, consultants for the Town of Dryden, has reviewed the proposals received and made recommendations to award the contract to the apparent low bidder, Silverline Construction, Inc., and WHEREAS, New York State Department of Transportation authorized the recommended award on July 26, 2019, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Town Board for the Town of Dryden hereby awards the construction contract for the South George Road Bridge over Virgil Creek Reconstruction Project (PIN 3756.42) to Silverline Construction, Inc. of Burdett, New York, for an amount not to exceed $976,699, and be it further, RESOLVED, That the Supervisor of the Town of Dryden, or designee, be hereby authorized to enter into said contract upon review and consultation with the Town Attorney. 2nd Supv Leifer TB 8-15-19 Page 4 of 8 Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE The Planning Board has reviewed the responses to the Request for Proposal, interviewed the top three firms, and made a recommendation . RESOLUTION #124 (2019) – SELECTION OF CONSULTANT TO RECOMMEND UPDATES TO THE TOWN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the Town Board requested that the Planning Board manage the process of updating the Town Comprehensive Plan via Resolution 84 adopted 4 -18-19 and requested that they engage the services of a planning consultant, and WHEREAS, a Request For Proposal (RFP) for a comprehensive plan update was issued on 5 -31- 19 with a deadline of 7-1-19, and WHEREAS, six proposals were received and evaluated by the Planning Board, and WHEREAS, the Planning Board met to interview the top three selected firms: Bergman n, MRB Group (MRB), and Environmental Design and Research (EDR), and WHEREAS, in a meeting on 7-31-19 the Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend EDR as the first choice and MRB as the second choice of firms to hire to help the Town in updating the comprehensive plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board selects Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C. to perform the work of developing proposed updates to the Town Comprehe nsive Plan according to the terms set out in the RFP and the consultant’s proposal, and authorizes the Town Supervisor to execute a contract with Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C for an amount not to exceed $93,850.00, and that said contract be in a form approved by the Attorney for the Town; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the contract shall require the Consultant to prepare a proposal for updating the Comprehensive Plan, and complete a nd deliver the proposed update to the Town Board no later than June 30, 2021. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Lamb would like to thank the Planning Board for running a good process and he believes the correct firm was chosen. They are based out of Syracuse and their expertise is TB 8-15-19 Page 5 of 8 strong on zoning and planning overall. Cl Green was impressed with EDR’s approach to community building and communication. They have wonderful expertise to conduct public meetings with diverse opinions. Cl Green appreciates the choice the Planning Board made and all the work that went into reviewing the applicants. ETNA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT FUNDING REQUEST Etna Fire Department has requested that the town release the funds that were held for them five or six years ago because they are purchasing new air packs. Supv Leifer had requested a comparison of last year’s call response percentage to this year to be able to confirm a response improvement. What was submitted is not in a form that enables the Town Board to determine the progress. What Etna proposes to purchase is not compatible with other departments. Supv Leifer has requested dispatch and B Ackroyd help determine the call percentage and any improvement. The request is tabled until next month as there are no members of Etna Fire Department here to answer any questions. SOUTH HILL REC WAY NYSEG has prepared a license agreement for the town to sign for the portion of the trail that goes through Dryden. General Municipal Law requires a public hearing on the matter. That will be scheduled for the September 19th business meeting. BUDGET MEETING SCHEDULE Town Law provides that the supervisor submit a tentative budget to the town clerk September 30th. Supv Leifer would like department heads to submit their budget requests to him by September 5th. He would like to get the tentative budget to the clerk by September 25. The budget workshops for the board will be held on September 11th at 5:30 p.m., September 18th at 6:00 p.m., and if another is necessary, on September 23rd at 5:30 p.m. The money we get from the county may be higher next year for the sales tax offset. Supv Leifer will get a figure from county finance. There should also be pilot money next year. At the last budget meeting we will plan the October meetings. BUSINESS LOAN FUND Cl Lamb presented a flyer for the Dryden Business Loan Program and asked that comments be sent to him so he can make any additions or corrections. We can put them at the front desk and distribute them around town. C1 Lamb has worked with Rich Cunningham on this and when businesses get ready to apply, they will work with R. Cunningham to complete the application. The applications will then go to our loan review board and the ultimate decision is the Town Board’s. HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT RESOLUTION #125 (2019) – APPOINTMENT OF CHRISTOPHER CLAUSON AS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Supv Leifer offered the following resolution as asked for its adoption: RESOLVED that this Town Board hereby appoints Christopher Clauson, from the certified list of candidates through Tompkins County Civil Service, to the permanent position of Assistant Superintendent of Public Works as of July 18, 2019. 2nd Cl Lamb TB 8-15-19 Page 6 of 8 Roll Call Vote Cl Lavine Yes Cl Green Yes Cl Servoss Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Supv Leifer extended thanks to R Young for the fast problem resolution with the Fall Creek bridge work and the detours and excessive speed on Mill Street in Freeville. R Young stated he has received several comments regarding the speed bumps that were installed on Mill Street and Palmear Road. Some people are very happy with them and others are not. R Young advised they have had their NYS Department of Labor reinspection today and all violations were corrected, and they have a clean bill of health. They have been doing a lot of storm clean up lately. Cl Lamb questioned the detour, as he has received some complaints from residents. It is his understanding that the project will be completed in the winter. R Young does not have a more exact date for completion. He has talked with the sheriff’s department because of complaints of larger trucks using Ed Hill Road and the weight limit is 5 ton. This needs to be enforced by the sheriff’s department. Local deliveries are allowed even with the weight limit and TCAT has permission to travel it. The Department of Transportation wants people to detour to Groton via McLean. PLANNING DEPARTMENT The monthly update has been presented (attached). The solar project off Ferguson Road is breaking ground and probably will come on line this year. The 2150 Dryden Road site has initiated the NYSEG process but probably won’t get into major construction until next year. Supv Leifer asked if the shared services group had contacted R Burger regarding the proposal for shared code enforcement services for fire and health and safety inspections. R Burger stated he has not been contacted recently, he did provide his comments early on. COUNTY BRIEFING Martha Robertson asked R Burger if he knew when the solar arrays on the west side of town were finished and when they expect to get hooked up. R Burger advised they are doing minor demobilizations and the arrays are functioning, but the holdup is the final negotiations with Cornell & NYSEG for the easement and hookup. M Robertson reported that the Borg Warner room at the library was packed for the PSC NYSEG rate hearing. There were a lot of compelling comments. The theme was how can we get onto renewable energy when NYSEG inhibits the progress. The new TC3 daycare center is full and has a waiting list. They will be opening on September 5th. Game Farm Road – There have been conversations about an agreement between the town and county for the trail crossing there and we should be hearing from the county soon. There will be a legal agreement whereby the town accepts liability for the crossing because county highway would rather have an under-the-road crossing. TB 8-15-19 Page 7 of 8 The Community Housing Development Fund is a partnership with the City, County and Cornell that supports affordable housing. There are four units in Dryden, 3 by Habitat for Humanity on Slaterville Road near the town line, and one housing trust home on Crystal Drive that have all been supported by the housing fund. The fund would be happy to welcome other partners if the town is interested in supporting affordable housing. There is a financial contribution required to become a member and to evaluate projects and support affordable housing projects in the county. They have built about 500 housing units in the last 10 years that are permanently affordable to incomes that are 80% median income or less. They have about 15 applications coming in and if all went forward they would need to have about 2.5 million dollars in awards to make, but only have 1.2M in their fund. If Dryden is interested in this, they would be able to put together a package. It is a good way to leverage money. The state sees this as a unique program and when they see local money committed to a project, grant applications get more support. It is the most flexible money there is. The three partners design the program. They have done rehab, pre-development costs, ownership as well as rental, and we can do infill. ADVISORY BOARD UPDATES Planning Board – They have a charge to look at and get a baseline estimate of how many short-term rental units are operating in Dryden and determine whether some sort of restrictions should be put in place. J Kiefer asked for this in writing. Supv Leifer or Cl Lamb will send an email. The Mill Creek Subdivision preliminary plat was approved. Conservation Board – No meeting in July. DRYC – Cl Green reported the group is looking at evaluating programs for middle schoolers for 2020. The Project Lead program was quite successful and served approximately 30 students. The representative from Cooperative Extension said there is a need for summer programming that continues the work that Cooperative Extension does with young people in mobile home parks during the school year. DRYC is exploring the possibilities and hoping for recommendations for 2020. The requested budget from Cooperative Extension is a minimal increase over last year. DRYC will likely recommend the Town Board grant the request. M Conger will ask for an increase in the amount allocated for summer camp. They want to hire another counsellor next summer and increase the number of campers allowed. Cl Green visited the summer camp and it operated in a very good way for the kids that attended. The town can be proud of that camp. Ag Advisory Committee – C Schutt reported that Monika Roth from Cooperative Extension was at the meeting and they discussed the 8-year ag district update. The committee reviewed the map and gave a lot of good information about who works what land. That was just a first step and M Roth will come to the Planning Board at some point. It was a good meeting. Supv Leifer reported that Steve Winkley from NY Rural Water will likely also visit the Planning Board, Conservation Board and Ag Advisory committee at some point. The well data collected will be useful for the comp plan update. Rail Trail Task Force – There was no meeting this month. Cl Green said there will be five easements ready for a public hearing in September. R Burger will do the public notice. Cl Servoss said she attended the kick-off meeting for the Route 13 corridor traffic study. The Rail Trail Task Force will be considered a stakeholder and information will be sent to Bob TB 8-15-19 Page 8 of 8 Beck. Mike Lane is concerned that any pedestrian bridge over Route 13 should be wide enough to accommodate widening of Route 13. Safety & Preparedness Committee – Janice Bretscher reported that the CERT training is scheduled. They are limiting the class to 12 individuals, and there are 3 spots open. They plan to offer training again in the spring and then one or two times a year based on interest. They are concerned with how to handle finances and where to get help with bookkeeping and tax preparation. They will talk to other non-profits and get advice. They have applied for a Rotary community grant. Comments from board include: Dominion may be a good source for a grant, and the NYS Attorney General website has information regarding non-profit organizations. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:04 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L Avery Town Clerk