HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-07-25 PAB Final Minutes1
PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Old Jail Conference Room, 125 E. Court Street, Ithaca NY 14850
FINAL MEETING MINUTES
Members Attending:
Guests: None
Call to Order: Vice chair Rod Howe called the meeting to order at 9:05 am.
Agenda Review/Changes: While there were no alterations to the agenda in terms of content, the order of
discussion was adjusted slightly from the original schedule.
Draft Minutes Approval: No quorum was present so the Board could not approve the draft minutes from the
May 23rd meeting. Approval of the May and July minutes will be placed on the August meeting agenda.
Introduction of New Staff (Andrea Aguirre) – Katie Borgella
Katie Borgella introduced TCPSD newcomer Andrea Aguirre to the Board. An energy specialist with a doctorate
in geothermal energy from Cornell, Andrea heads up the Business YES program and is a senior planner.
Update: Business YES Program– Andrea Aguirre
At TCDPS, Andrea primarily focuses on developing the new Business YES program, which seeks to help business
owners better understand the energy consumption in their buildings and gain awareness of possible energy
efficiency measures and renewable energy systems to consider with renovations and new construction. TCDPS
put out an RFQ for consultants and will most likely contract with two firms to help build bones of the program.
The consultants will train Andrea on how to communicate most effectively with companies (“speak their
language”). Later, these experts will analyze the data Andrea collects and come up with possible solutions for
the action plan.
TCDPS 2019 Budget Presentation – Katie Borgella
The County Administrator has not yet reviewed the Department’s 2019 budget request so details could shift
moving forward. Katie gave an overview of the budget, sticking to key points, including no changes to current
staffing levels. TCDPS anticipates receiving a FEMA grant to update its multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation
Name Representation Name Representation
Martha Armstrong P Econ. Development Kathy Schlather E Human Services
Joe Bowes P Housing Rob Steuteville A Built Environment Design
Sue Cosentini E Business Andy Zepp A Land Preservation/Public Land Management
Fernando de Aragón P Transportation
David Herrick E Facilities/Infrastructure Others Present
Rod Howe P Historical/Cultural Resources Andrea Aguirre P Senior Planner/Energy Specialist
David Kay P Local Planning (urban) Katie Borgella P Commissioner
Anna Kelles P PDEQ Darby Kiley P Associate Planner
Susan Mann P Energy Kristin McCarthy P Administrative Assistant
Gay Nicholson E At-Large Megan McDonald P Deputy Commissioner
Marcus Riehl E Natural Environment
Monika Roth E Agriculture
Leslie Schill P Education
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Plan. The $250,000 Clean Energy Community grant is being rolled out, with 50 percent earmarked for the
Energy Navigator (now called Business YES) program and the other half going to the Green Fleet program. The
proposed 2019 budget includes several OTRs: an all-new fully electric vehicle to replace the TCDPS hybrid
Prius; a new plotter; and the second year of a three-year commitment by the Legislature to fund the Business
YES program. Administration would like the County’s Southern Tier 8 Membership put into the TCDPS budget,
and a proposed change to the Department’s fee structure would grant municipalities several free hours of GIS
consulting and paper maps up to $500 in value per year. Similar services would be offered to nonprofits up to
$100 in value per year. Additional monies are not being requested for Conservation Reserve Fund.
Municipal Outreach Discussion – Katie Borgella
TCDPS aims to increase collaboration between the County and the villages and towns that comprise it in 2019.
As part of that process, the Department wants to hear about local community concerns and better understand
the challenges facing municipalities. Katie shared some of the ideas she and her staff have brainstormed for
improving municipal outreach, and members provided feedback.
Presentation: Draft Guide to NYS General Municipal Law 239 – Katie Borgella
Katie provided a brief overview of the draft GML 239 guide’s contents, breaking it down by section. The goal of
the guide is to make the entire GML 239 process more transparent and accessible for local municipalities and
to emphasize that the County is there to work with them as a partner. Municipal staff have reviewed the
guide, and Katie will incorporate feedback from PAB and TCCOG when finalizing it. TCDPS plans to distribute
the guide to municipalities in the fall and offer to speak with their boards. Members should email Katie any
further thoughts.
Member Announcements
Ithaca is hosting the annual conference of the New York Upstate chapter of the American Planning Association
(Oct. 3-5). Staff will circulate more information as it becomes available.
The Community and Regional Development Institute at Cornell will hold its annual Community Development
Institute October 11-12th. The theme this year is “Flood Risk and Community Resiliency.”
TCDPS submitted two ideas for presentations at the New York Upstate APA Conference, one on the Strategic
Tourism Planning Board and another on the Community Housing Development Fund.
Two events in the series “Development in Tompkins County: Past, Present and Future” will be held September
20th and 27th. The event on the 20th will focus more on vision and big-picture planning, while the latter will
explore the bones of how projects take shape from a planning and financing perspective.
An integrated mobility services consultant Anna met a Smart Cities conference is interested in coming to Ithaca
to do a workshop. She will keep group apprised. Another member shared that Tom Knipe suggested inviting
this person to present at the Upstate APA annual meeting in October.
Tompkins County received a federal technical assistance grant to integrate mobile services for its
transportation systems – e.g. TCAT, Ithaca Car Share, Lime Bike.
The Ithaca bus depot (W. State Street terminal) will be shutting its doors. Buses will be rerouted to the Green
Street spot in the interim, and Green Street Pharmacy may start selling bus tickets.
Adjournment: Vice chair Rod Howe declared the meeting adjourned at 10:32 am.