Town Board Meetings

It's not that we're not working. We're just working more than writing about it.

Here are some quick notes about the last Town Board meeting.

We agreed to let the Snowmobile club continue using a bit of land recently purchased by the town over which their trail passes.

Tompkins County historian Carol Kammen showed us an attractive "Destination Dryden" brochure produced as a part of a county wide project by the Tompkins County Historical Society.

We agreed to provide a cell phone for Recreation Coordinator, Jen Dube.

We discussed options for the Tuttle property recently purchased by the Town. The property, adjacent to the new town hall site was acquired, primarily, to provide extra room for the parking lot. In addition to the acreage, the property includes an old house and barn and our original intention was to clean it up and put it back on the market. Our application for a state grant to restore the house was unsuccessful. Since we found that the house is in worse condition than we expected, it has been suggested that the house be demolished and the property divided into two lots for sale. I haven't seen the inside of the house yet, but I'm always inclined to try to save old house. Furthermore, we've been told the barn is an English style, historically significant and rare in this area. So, there is now some consideration of restoring the barn and using it for historical displays.

There were the usual reports from Highway Superintendent, Jack Bush; Town Lawyer, Mahlon Perkins; County Representative, Martha Robertson; Zoning Officer, Henry Slater; and Environmental Planner, Dan Kwasnowski. Keep an eye on the Town website. At the moment Town Clerk, Bambi Hollenbeck, is hip deep in tax payments. As soon as she catches up, the minutes will show up on the website.

But I was disappointed that three of the topic listed for discussion (County Resilution for Non-interference of New Emergency Communications System, Recreation Partnership Resolution and the Beautification grant) never came up. The only item in the discussion section of the agenda (other than the Tuttle property) that was raised was the continuation of Fire Department OSHA grant reimbursement. And that was raised only long enough to refer it to the newly formed Emergency Services Committee (that's Dave and me.)

So, join us, if you can for a special meeting January 25 at 7:00 in the Town Hall for discussion of formation of a special commission to coordinate review and updating of the zoning ordinance.

The next regularly scheduled Town Board meeting is February 8 at 7:00 at the Town Hall.

Organizational Meeting: Official Minutes

Here are the official minutes (draft, unapproved) of the January 3rd Organizational Meeting.
www.davidmakar.com/agendas/Jan_03_2007_Minutes.doc
www.davidmakar.com/agendas/Jan_03_2007_Minutes.pdf

The Organizational Meeting - Committees

Truck Check on Thursday night at the Varna Volunteer Fire Company

I'd like to continue with my own reporting on the Wednesday, January 3rd Town of Dryden organizational meeting that I started discussing here. Beyond discussions of the resolutions we also spent some time reviewing and modifying the existing committees.
The assignments:
Appointment and committee assignments for 2007 by the Supervisor as follows:
Bookkeeper to Supervisor-------------------------------Dawn Bogdan
Deputy Supervisor-----------------------------------------Cl Stephen Stelick, Jr.
Town Hall & General Fund Bills Committee--------COMBINED TO NEW FINANCE COM.
Highway & Hwy Fund Bills Committee---------------COMBINED TO NEW FINANCE COM.
FINANCE COMMITTEE: Cl Mary Ann Sumner, Supv Steven Trumbull
Highway & Public Works Committee------------------Adhoc committee, Cl Stelick, Cl Sumner
Assessment Review Committee-----------------------Cl Stelick, Cl Sumner
Insurance Committee------------------------------------Cl Sumner, Cl Marty Christofferson
Representatives to Planning Board--------------------Cl Sumner
Representatives to Zoning Board of Appeals---------Cl Christofferson
Representatives to IAWTF-------------------------------Cl Dave Makar
Representatives to Fire Depts & Emergency Services-----Cl Sumner, Cl Makar
Representative to Recreation & Youth Services Comm---RENAMED to include Community Centers: Cl Stelick, Cl Makar
Community Block Grant Review Comm--------------COMBINED with GRANTS COM.
Rep to MPO Policy Comm---------------------------------Supv Trubull
Human Resources Committee--------------------------Dawn Bogdan, Cl Christofferson, Cl Sumner
Town

Hall

BuildingCommittee--------------------------Cl Stelick & Cl Christofferson
Representative to Conservation Board-----------------Cl Sumner
Representative to
Cayuga LakeWatershed IO-------Dan Kwasnowski
Liason Officer to Bolton Point (SCLIWC)----------------Supv Trumbull & Steve Lipinski
Grants Committee-------------------------------------------Cl Stelick, Cl Makar
Telecommunications, Cable TV & Internet Committee---RENAMED "Technology": Cl Christofferson, CL Makar
If you are keeping score at home:
Cl Christofferson: Technology; Insurance; Town Hall Building; Human Resources; Zoning Board of Appeals
Cl Makar: Recreation/Youth Services/Community Centers; Grants; Technology; Emergency Services; IAWTF
Cl Sumner: Finance; Human Resources; Emergency Services; Conservation Board; Assessment Review; HWY/Public Works, Planning Board
Cl Stelick: Recreation/Youth Services/Community Centers; Grants; Town Hall Building; Assessment Review; HWY/Public Works
Supv Trumbull: Finance; MPO; ITCTC; Liason to Bolton Point
I was fortunate to be accepted to every committee I wanted to get to work on. The platform from the campaign included improving cell phone coverage and broadband internet access - both of which may be covered by the technology committee. I also want to support the community centers which the Recreation/Youth Services/Community Centers will be working with. In addition I was hoping to be involved in economic development which the grants committee will be responsible for. Finally, for my interested in the fire companies as well as the emergency plan discussed with the Varna Community Center the Emergency Services committee looks like a good fit.
I have a lot to learn, a lot of people I'm interested in meeting with and hopefully a lot will get accomplished. I'm excited and hopeful going forward with this process.
Cross posted at DavidMakar.com and Dryden is Home

The Organizational Meeting - Resolutions

Wednesday night the 2007 Dryden Town Board met for the annual Organizational Meeting. The meeting's purpose is to officially approve of the operation of the town of Dryden (TOD) and to assign members of the town board to committees and as representatives to other boards.

In the next hour and forty minutes we passed 27 of 28 resolutions and redefined a few committees.Resolutions passed included:
RESOLUTION #1 - APPROVE BUDGET MODIFICATIONS
RESOLUTION #2 – RULES OF PROCEDURE
RESOLUTION #3 – MILEAGE
RESOLUTION #4 – DESIGNATE OFFICIAL DEPOSITORIES
RESOLUTION #5 - AUTHORIZE SIGNATURES ON ACCOUNTS
RESOLUTION #6 - OFFICIAL ADVERTISING
RESOLUTION #7 - ADVANCE PAYMENT OF UTILITIES
RESOLUTION #8 - PETTY CASH
RESOLUTION #9 - APPOINTMENTS
RESOLVED, that this Town Board appoint the following:
· Town Supervisor as Service Officer and Fire Warden
· Town Supervisor has the power and duties of administration and supervision of the Town of
Dryden
on Special Assessment Fund functions to be performed on behalf of the Town Board.
· Town Supervisor is authorized to pay Fire & Ambulance Contracts
· Town Supervisor has the power and duties of administration and supervision of the Town of
Dryden
on Special Improvement District functions to be performed on behalf of the Town Board.
· Bambi L. Hollenbeck as Receiver of Taxes and Assessments
· Bambi L. Hollenbeck as licensor for Games of Chance and Bingo.
· Henry Slater as Subdivision Control Officer and Multiple Residence Inspector.
· ________________ as Bingo Inspector ($150 annual salary)
· Patricia Millard as Secretary for Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Board
· Barbara Caldwell as Planning Board Chair ($400 annual salary)
· Oers Kelemen as ZBA Chair ($400 annual salary)
· _________________, Historian, ($400 annual salary)
RESOLUTION #10 - APPOINT TOWN ENGINEER
RESOLUTION #11 - ANNUAL SALARIES FOR TOWN OFFICERS
Town Supervisor $16,224
Council (4) $5,682
Town Clerk $24,813
Highway Superintendent $56,809
Town Justice (2) $16,863
RESOLUTION #12 - 2007 ANNUAL SALARIES
RESOLUTION #13 - CONTRACTS
RESOLVED, that this Town Board contract with the following:
Mahlon Perkins as the Attorney for the Town at an annual contract amount of $27,600 (paid monthly) to do regular agreed upon Town business, with other business and reimbursable business at the rate of $180 per hour, when signed contract received.
Randall Marcus – Attorney for Zoning Board of Appeals – paid monthly at a rate of $210-225/hr
S.P.C.A. - $18,751.78, paid monthly.
Gadabout at a rate of $6,500 – when funds are available, when signed contract received
T.C. Seniors - $3,600 – when funds are available, when signed contract received
Dryden Seniors - $500 – when funds are available, when signed contract received
Southworth Library - $11,500 – when funds are available, when signed contract received
Learning Web – $1,100 - when funds are available, when signed contract received
Women’s Opportunity of Tompkins Center - $500 – when funds are available, when signed contract received
Dryden Historical Society - $1,100 – when funds are available, when signed contract received
RESOLUTION #14 - APPOINT BUDGET OFFICERS
RESOLUTION #15 - APPOINT PLANNING BOARD MEMBER
RESOLUTION #16 - APPOINT ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEMBER
RESOLUTION #17 - APPOINT RECREATION COMMISSION MEMBER - not passed on 1/3/07
RESOLUTION #18 - APPOINT CONSERVATION BOARD MEMBERS
RESOLUTION #19 - APPOINT RECREATION PARTNERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE
RESOLUTION #20 - APPOINT YOUTH COMMISSION MEMBER
RESOLUTION #21 - VOUCHER/INVOICE SUBMISSION DEADLINES
RESOLUTION #22 - MANDATORY JUSTICE SCHOOLING
RESOLUTION #23 - INVESTMENT POLICIES/GUIDELINES FOR TOWN OF DRYDEN
RESOLUTION #24 - TOWN OF DRYDEN FAIR HOUSING OFFICER
RESOLUTION #25 - TOWN BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE
RESOLUTION #26 - VEHICLE BENEFIT
RESOLUTION #27 - REQUEST EXTENSION TO FILE ANNUAL REPORT
RESOLUTION #28 - APPROVE ABSTRACT #13
What parts of this do you have questions about? I will do my best to explain what is what (as it was explained to me).
Specific Notes on Resolutions:
Resolution #3 - Mileage: The IRS/Federal Government has different rates for cars than motorcycles. Town employees that report mileage on personal vehicles should specify if the miles are for an automobile or motorcylcle so they can be paid the legally correct amount. The cost to the town for this is minimal as discussion came up that there is just one town employee that might use a personal motorcycle for town business travel. To be fair and legal this will need to be distinguished and reviewed.
Resolution #9 - Appointments: The Town Supervisor as the "Service Officer and Fire Warden" -- as of the meeting time noone knew what the service officer did. Steve Trumbull was planning to ask the town attorney. The "Special Assessment Fund" was also unknown. Mary Ann Sumner agreed to look it up. The "Special Improvement District" includes water and sewer (as well as lighting I'm guessing). The Bingo Inspector's position is open and there was some discussion as to filling it. The town's Historian position is available and the tentative thought was to increase the annual salary from $400 to $1000 as the county recommends.
Resolution #13 - Contracts: "Learning Web" has been contacted and there has been no year end report furnished in the recent past. All other contracts have been authorized. Once "Learning Web" makes contact with the town board their contract will be signed and money will be dispersed. Do you know what Learning Web is and are you involved at all? Here is their website: http://www.learning-web.org/ I can't seem to find out what they are doing for the people of Dryden. I am hopeful we will get some details.
Resolution #26 - Vehicle Benefit: There was some discussion over the benefit add on to income tax. If your vehicle benefit in one year is $10,000 then you will need to pay taxes on that vehicle benefit. Obviously we have to follow IRS rules on this and it is primarily up to the employee gaining the benefit to take care of this. Dawn will need to look to see if they need to pay.
Resolution #28 - Approve Abstract #13: The town spends a lot of money each month as does any business. At the beginning of each meeting a stack of reciepts about two phone books high is available for review by the board and then the vote on the abstract is the final resolution of the evening. While the town board members are reviewing the abstract they are unable to listen to everything else that is going on with their undivided attention. A finance committee that reviewed the abstract ahead of the meeting may make more sense, but more of that in the next post.

Cross posted at DavidMakar.com and Dryden is Home

Town Board Meeting

Councilperson Stelick was well prepared to run the Board meeting in the absence of Supervisor Trumbull. The meeting opened with a statement from Peter Schug appealing to the Board to consider extending the current repayment schedule for Cayuga Press's economic development loan as he prepares to move the business to the Empire Zone in Cortland County. Schug expects to be moving in January and the Board plans to reach a decision about the loan by then.

Several Beam Hill residents spoke about the conflict surrounding creation of a motocross bike track in the neighborhood. One group is proud of creating a safe recreation area for teenagers interested in motorbike racing while another group is concerned about the noise and dirt coming from the track. The groups have begun talking about limiting the times kids use the track and Councilperson Stelick recommended that they contact Community Dispute Resolution Center if they are unable to reach agreement among themselves.

County Legislator, Martha Robertson, announced upcoming meetings regarding the County budget. In order to meet the legislature's goal of a zero tax rate increase, "The Tentative Budget eliminates or severely reduces funding for agencies and programs including the Recreation Partnership, Rural Libraries, Cooperative Extension, the Tompkins County Public Library, Lifelong, the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance and the Human Services Coalition, as well as the County's Departments of Social Services, Personnel and Administration." Dryden residents are encouraged to read about the County budget and attend planned meetings if they have concerns about planned budget cuts. A public information meeting will be held Thursday, September 21 at 7:00 PM at GIAC. The public hearing will be November 14 with the final vote on the budget planned for November 21.

Dave Putnam reported that property owners in the proposed Pinckney Road water district have been contacted and two responses have been received - one for and one against formation of the district.

Recreation Coordinator, Jennifer Dube, reports that the agreement with the Village of Dryden for the Skate Park is ready. Dube also distributed results of the Recreational Needs Assessment conducted by a recreation class at SUNY Cortland. I expect to write more about this in the near future. I hope the report can be made available on the town website.

The Board approved a $2,000 payment to the Varna Community Association to fund recreation programming and agreed to endorse the association's search for funding for a generator to enhance the ability to provide emergency services at the Varna Community Center.

Zoning Officer, Henry Slater, reports that we have an opportunity to apply for funding from Restore NY to finance improvements to the Tuttle property adjacent to the new town hall site and recently purchased by the town.

The Renewable Energy Law proposal was accepted by the Board. That is, it was accepted as a proposal. Some objection to the proposal was voiced because the proposed law, intended to promote small scale residential and commercial use of renewable energy conversion systems, severely limits development of large scale production of electricity from wind energy. A public hearing was scheduled for October 5. Following the close of the public hearing the board may vote on the proposal.

August Town Board Meeting

Several issues were discussed in depth last night while some others were glossed over.

The Public Hearing on the development of a Dollar General store on North Street remains open pending further information on the lighting plan, traffic plan and more.

The Varna Community Association, taking the initiative on emergency planning, asked the Town to fund a generator which would enable them to provide shelter and meals in the event of a power outage presuming the outage does not affect the natural gas supply. The sense of the Board was that we cannot fund this project at this time, but we need to work on a town-wide emergency plan.

Jessica Houle asked for Town support for the OURS program helping youth in the Congers Trailer Park neighborhood. Environmental Planner, Dan Kwasnowski, agreed to meet with her to help develop a grant concept.

Highway superintendent, Jack Bush, has postponed replacing a grader 'til next year and will be replacing a sand/salt spreader and acquiring a 6' rotary mower. Jack estimates the cost of expanding the parking area at the Finger Lakes Land Trust's Ellis Hollow Creek Road property to be $2,500 in materials and $3,500 in labor. Etna Community Association thanks the Dryden crew for mowing the playground and asks for help repairing the post office parking lot. Jack will try to help with the request to lower the speed limit on Baker Hill Road later in the summer when summer road repairs near completion.

The big news from the Engineering Department is that bids for the new town hall have been received and opened. The total of low bids for construction, HVAC, electric and plumbing total by $31,132 (1% of the $2,965,000 authorized for the project.) Architect, Tony Egner, submitted a list of items totaling $108,450 which might be altered to bring the cost of the project down to the authorized amount. Egner, the low bidders and the Board town hall committee will meet to review the proposals. Following this meeting, the Town Board will call a special meeting to approve resolutions to issue contracts for construction of the new town hall.

Town Engineers have completed plans for Pinckney Road sewer and water districts. Property owners will be asked if, in view of the high cost, there is interest in continuing. Engineers also recommend purchase of a small building to house new radio telemetry equipment provided by Bolton Point, saving the town $190 a month in current phone service required for telemetry.

From the Recreation Department: action on the skateboard park will be delayed 'til the town attorney drafts the necessary agreement with the village. Fall sports schedules are available. Recreation coordinator, Jennifer Dube, on behalf of Varna Community Association, requested funding to replace mildewed carpet in the Community Center and replace old folding tables. After lengthy discussion of the community center budget line added to the 2006 budget the board concluded that the intent was to provide seed money to pursue grant funding for a larger capital project. We agreed to release enough money from that line for each community center to request up to $2,000 to fund recreational programs for residents. In this way, although the town cannot invest in privately owned facilities, some of Varna's program costs can be funded enabling the community association to afford to replace the carpet.

Code enforcement Officer, Henry Slater, submitted a request from New York Atlantic-Inland Safety Inspections to exempt one of their inspectors from new town regulations governing qualifications of electrical inspectors.

Environmental Planner, Dan Kwasnowski, introduced a proposal to begin work on updating town zoning regulations in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Board last year.

The final draft of the proposed Renewable Energy Law was distributed to Board Members. Since this draft was not available until 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting, no action is proposed at this time. Board members may comment and revisions may be made until the interim Board meeting expected to be scheduled before the end of August. At that time, if the Board agrees, the law will be introduced and a public hearing scheduled for September.

Glenn Wolford presented a proposal from the NYSDEC to acquire a 33 acre parcel of land near Irish Settlement Road. The parcel is landlocked and would make a valuable addition to the Yellow Barn Forest and would remain on the tax rolls (as does other Yellow Barn Forest land) and the Board endorses the proposal.

Councilman Tier said he'd like to talk to Etna Fire Chief, Tom Lobdell, before discussing the Etna Fire Department Contract.

Cayuga Press's HUD loan and Emergency Services coordinator were not discussed and will presumable appear on future agendas. Someday I'm going to look at items that continue to show up on the agenda month after month with little or no progress.

July Town Board Meeting

It was a full agenda. And I missed seeing Simon in the audience. I think this is the first regularly scheduled meeting I've been at that Simon wasn't at.

The public hearing for Clifford Smith Electric & Realty's Dollar Store project was kept open 'til next month. They've decided to subdivide the property (that open field just north of A-1). Their overall plan includes another retail tenant, or perhaps office space. But the Department of Transportation won't review the plan with that part open-ended. Subdivision will allow them to proceed with plans for Dollar General while they continue seeking a tenant for the remaining portion. Presumably next month's hearing will include the Environmental Quality Review necessary for them to move forward with plans for Dollar General. Several concerns remain including traffic at the North Street intersection, the general appearance and landscaping of the site, and the Village of Dryden moratorium on sewer construction. This subdivision will not include the wetland portion of the property.

Tracy Kurtz presented the Dryden Youth Commission 2005 Annual Report. She also related efforts the Youth Commission is making with the middle school, the high school, police agencies and the Youth Bureau to identify youth needs in the Town of Dryden. Tracy also said that Jessica Houle will be nominated for a Youth of the Year award for her amazing work with young people from Conger's Trailer Park.

Raul Aguirre, from Finger Lakes Land Trust, presented information regarding a property left to them by Louise Park Dabes. The 50+ acre property, between Route 366 and Mount Pleasant Road does not meet Land Trust criteria for property they want to hold, but does include an important viewshed. As such, the Land Trust recommends that the Town accept the property with a deed restriction guaranteeing that it will remain undeveloped and be used for non-motorized recreation and education. The Board is generally supportive of the idea and will consider what will be needed to accept and administer the property. In exchange, the Land Trust would like help building a small parking lot for access to the Ellis Hollow Nature Preserve.

Duane Testut presented a petition from Baker Hill Road residents requesting a lower speed limit. Attached to the petition is a series of dramatic photos demonstrating limited visibility at the crest of a steep part of Baker Hill. Highway Superintendent, Jack Bush, will work with Duane to put together information necessary to increase the likelihood that a reduced speed limit will be approved by the state DOT.

Mike Lane recommended that the Board form a study commission similar to the one active in the 1980s to explore the feasibility of forming a regional waste water treatment district to include the Village of Dryden and the Village of Freeville both of which are facing huge problems upgrading their waste water treatment facilities. The projected $5 million cost of replacing the Village of Dryden facility would present a huge tax burden if financed by Village residents alone. One town sewer district, which includes the high school and TC3, discharges into the Village plant and development in that area is being stalled by the Village's sewer construction moratorium. Since state and federal funding for sewer construction is virtually non-existent (in contract to 87% funding that was available in the 1980s) a regional approach may make the project affordable and may enhance the prospect of getting outside funding. It's also possible that Tompkins County would participate because of the need to dispose of leachate from the Caswell Road landfill.

Highway Superintendent, Jack Bush, shared photos of the spillway at Virgil Dam following recent rain. The spillway is doing a good job accommodating flood waters and no doubt relieving problems downstream properties have had in the past. Jack also talked about construction and landscaping plans for the existing Town Hall site in conjunction with construction of the new Town Hall. Jack is eager to proceed with construction of the sewer extension across the existing parking lot east of the Town Hall so that will be complete and employees will have access to that parking lot while landscaping plans south and west of the town hall are put in place. Two possible designs for the sewer extension have been included in bid drawings for the new town hall, but the final design has not been determined. Jack anticipates that Highway Department and Recreation Department offices will move to the existing building when other town departments move to the new site next year.

Recreation Coordinator, Jennifer Dube, presented the recently issued Newsletter, which announced summer recreation programs, Concert in the Park artists and the newly revised recreation department website. Jennifer requested approval for a third part-time temporary assistant position, within the existing budget, to help cover afternoon hours when the two current assistants are not available.

Town Attorney, Mahlon Perkins, asked for approval of resolutions approving the Code Enforcement agreement with the Village of Dryden and the purchase of the Tuttle property adjacent to the new town hall site.

Environmental Planner, Dan Kwasnowski, asked the Board to approve a contract with Barton and Loguidice to proceed with engineering plans for rehabilitation of the railroad bridge near Springhouse Road. If you haven't seen the Barton and Loguidice Trail Study Report, you should ask Dan to lend you a copy. Over the years that the Town has been considering the project, the cost has risen to more than $700,000 (not including town overhead and the purchase of property). But the B&L report shows what an attractive asset the trail will be.

Sadly absent from Dan's report is the Renewable Energy Ordinance. Work on the grant proposal for the trail and other projects prevented Dan from drafting the ordinance. He assures us this will mean only a one month delay. The draft will be finished this month in time for the town attorney and the appropriate Board committee (me and Steve T) to review prior to the August Board meeting.

Town Clerk, Bambi Hollenbeck, asked for approval of the appointment of Patricia Millard as Deputy Town Clerk, filling the vacancy soon to exist due to the retirement of Nita Baldwin.

So, it was after 10:00 when we got to the "Goals and objectives that the Board wants the Fire Departments to accomplish." The discussion was lengthy and covered tiered response, Town planning for emergency coverage, plans for a new County dispatch system, and more. But I didn't actually hear any "goals and objectives" except that the fire chiefs should meet and work something out. Hasn't that already been tried?

I'm out of time here, and I want to write more about Fire Departments later. Also to consider Steve T's request that the Board consider changing the length of the term of supervisor. While this is an important question, in order to put it on the ballot this year, a decision would have to be made in August. Marty's impulsiveness aside, I don't think we've ever decided anything that fast except permission for Cayuga Press to move out of Dryden.

Stretch Breaks

Wegman's used to announce periodically, "Wegman's employees, time for a stretch break." It must have been at least once an hour, 'cause I heard it every time I was there. And, sure enough, the clerks would stretch their arms, arch their backs and touch their toes. Last night's Town Board meeting was four hours, with nary a single stretch break.

The perfectly reasonable agenda was derailed almost immediately by Ellis Hollow residents questions and discussion of the feasibility study for water and sewer service on Ellis Hollow Road. That's fine. But then we slid effortlessly into a presentation by insurance agent John Bailey on the relative benefits of commercial insurance vs collective municipal insurance. We should have seen this coming and had it on the agenda. But we didn't. The Insurance Committee (of which I'm a member) had met with Bailey and the NYMIR representative earlier in the month and had agreed to recommend the NYMIR policy if the price was competitive. I wonder how long this discussion would have gone on if we hadn't been prepared to make that recommendation.

There was one brief citizen comment urging timely action on the Renewable Energy Law under consideration. So it was 8:40 before we got to the "County Communications Tower Project" agenda under "Citizen Privilege." I don't know why it was listed there. "Citizen Privilege" is supposed to be three minute comments from the public. This was a thirty minute presentation (a very good presentation) regarding the construction of new towers and improvements to existing towers to support the new county-wide emergency communication system.

Reports from eight town departments followed. So, it was 10:45 before we went into executive session to consider a pending litigation issue and possible real estate transaction. My point, and I do have one, is that we need to take better advantage of our extensive committee system to research and present information to make best use of the four hours of the monthly meeting.

April Town Board Meeting

It was a page and a half long agenda - 50% longer than last month (current agenda will remain posted 'til the May agenda goes up about May 4th). I guess I should be glad we finished around midnight. The Ithaca Journal managed to cover a few topics from the meeting with, as Simon at Living in Dryden points out, the most misleading headline I can imagine:

"Dryden considers solar panels, ice skating rink, sewer district"

Yes, solar panels were discussed, but the larger issue in the draft Renewable Energy Ordinance is residential wind energy. Yes, the ice skating park was mentioned, but the emphasis in the Recreation Department report was on the skateboard park. Yes, the Town/Village agreement over the Cortland Road Sewer Contract was listed on the agenda, but the Engineering department introduced an extensive discussion over a proposal for an Ellis Hollow Road water and sewer district and to a lesser degree, a Pinckney Road district.

I have trouble picking out one or two items I think the public may be interested in. Unlike a grumpy commenter here a few weeks ago, I think all the items are important and interesting in their own ways. I guess that's why I'm on the Board and the commenter isn't. So, I'm going to try to describe two or three items every few days 'til I've mentioned them all or 'til the May meeting, whichever comes first.

The Etna Fire Department doesn't have its own website, so the best source for information is Living in Dryden. For two years the town has been dealing with the Etna department's recruiting challenges and sketchy response rate. The Dryden, Freeville and Varna departments have developed a support system to cover while Etna tries to develop recruiting and training programs. But the 2006 contract, budgeted at around $111,000, will depend on some benchmarks in recruiting, training and response rates.

Earlier this month, Supervisor Trumbull sent Etna Chief Lobdell statistics from Dispatch and questions regarding their current membership, training, equipment and budget. Dispatch records show that of 143 calls Etna was unable to respond to 55 of them. Chief Lobdell has not responded to the questions and no one from the department came to the Board meeting. So, although Etna can't receive any payment from the town 'til the contract is settled, discussion has been postponed 'til the May meeting.

Highway Department Superintendent, Jack Bush, submitted a list of roadwork planned for this season and estimated maximum expenditures for each area. Much of the work ( like Scenic Way, Scout Lane, Annee Lane, Oakbrook Drive, Snyder Hill Road and Ellis Hollow Creek Road) is part of Jack's long-range planning and some (like Knollwood Drive, Mineah Road and Hunt Hill) results from drainage and erosion problems. Lansing shares Scofield Road with Dryden and has agreed to do the necessary work and split the cost with Dryden. Jack has negotiated a similar agreement with Town of Ithaca for Sapsucker Woods Road. The total of all the maximum estimates is $459,000. But Jack's asking for, and the Board is approving, a total of $136,000. So I assume each project will cost much less than the maximum estimates and the estimates are only useful as a rough yardstick for what proportion of the total is attributable to each.

Town Board March meeting

Two questions about water and sewer districts were asked at the start of the March 9th meeting. An Ellis Hollow Road resident asked: if the cost per household of the a water and sewer district for Ellis Hollow Road exceeds the NYS Comptroller's guideline, will the town seek residents opinions about proceeding with the formation of the district. Although exact costs are not yet available, it seems likely that the cost will exceed the Comptrollers guidelines and the sense of the Board is that residents opinions will be sought regarding how to proceed. A Lower Creek Road resident asked if the new Pinckney Road water and sewer district covers the area indicated in the Comprehensive Plan. It does not. It only covers the commercial area along Route 13 near Pickney Road.

Highway superintendent, Jack Bush, asked for, and the Board approved, an amendment to the January resolution authorizing purchase of equipment. The cost of a ten wheel dump truck with snowplow, estimated in January to be less than $135,000, is now expected to cost up to $165,000. Additionally, the purchase of a single axle dump truck with snow plow, up to $70,000 was authorized. I believe this replaces the pick-up truck with plow ($25,000) in the January resolution. By delaying replacement of the grader, the higher cost of the snowplow equipment is well within budget.

Mike Hattery reports that the Public Safety Committee of the County Board is looking at improving the sheriff's road patrol and the jail board out costs. Martha Robertson reports that the Community Justice Alternatives to Incarceration Advisory Board (CJATIAB - can you believe that's an acronym?) is studying why the jail population is so high at this time. Martha also reports that there are 75 applicants for deputy administrator in Steve Whicher's office. Irene Stein is retiring and the County is looking for a new director of the Office of Aging. Finally, the county is examining allocation of funding for Beautification available through the room tax. It is expected that each town will receive $4,000 - $5,000 this year or next, targeted to beautification projects around gateways to the county.

Andy Scriabba, Town Engineer, reported on the proposed Pickney Road water and sewer district and preliminary results of the Ellis Hollow water and sewer district study. Scriabba reiterated the need for a masterplan for the new town hall site. (See Environmental Planner's plan described below)

Jennifer Dube, Recreation Coordinator, submitted fundraising guidelines and reported that parents and coaches have agreed to authorize the Recreation Coordinator to supervise funds raised by the Friends of Dryden Youth Football and Cheerleading and the Co-ed Softball Fun League.

Town Attorney, Mahlon Perkins, reports that the proposed telecommunications tower ordinance has been reviewed and is ready to be submitted to a public hearing. A hearing has been scheduled for the next Town Board meeting, April 13.

Henry Slater, Zoning Officer, reported on a proposed ordinance to specify qualifications of electrical inspectors. The proposed ordinance has received strong support from the NY Board of Fire Underwriters. A public hearing has been scheduled for the next Town Board meeting, April 13.

Environmental Planner, Dan Kwasnowski, submitted a proposal for a process to solicit public input for a plan for use of the land surrounding the new Town Hall site. The plan calls for the formation of a Town Parkland Advisory Board which will host community workshops in April and May to develop a draft map and plan. The draft plan would be available for further review and revision through June when a final map will be prepared for presentation to the Town Board in September.

There was discussion of improved recruitment and training in the Etna Fire Department. In light of difficulty recruiting volunteers in all fire departments, there was discussion, but no action, regarding a possible tax break or fuel allowance for volunteers.

After discussion of all items on the printed agenda, the Board went into Executive Session to discuss a real estate transaction.

Town Board Meeting

When the margins have to be stretched to fit the agenda onto one page, I think maybe I should grab an afternoon nap to prepare for a long meeting. But, in fact, this packed agenda was covered in a little more than three hours. Here are some details.

Highway Department: superintendent Bush has ordered speed limit signs for roads where lowered speed limits have been approved, including Caswell, Wood, Sheldon, Neimi, Etna and Hanshaw. Who knew that buying and installing each sign costs $130? A request has been submitted for lowered speed limits on Bone Plain, Upper Creek, Ellis Hollow Creek, Game Farm, Kirk and Livermore Roads.

County Briefing: Martha Robertson, now on the Planning, Development and Environmental Quality committee as well as Heath and Human Services, Public Safety and Industrial Development, talked about the Tompkins County density policy, three-year assessment and the Tioga County Intermunicipal Council of Governments. Mike Hattery added comments regarding Route 13 corridor management and a move to enable taxpayers to research assessments in town halls in addition to the County Clerk's office in downtown Ithaca.

Engineering: Andy Sciarabba reported on plans for the proposed Pinckney Road water and sewer districts (which, incidentally include only about the first half mile of Pinckney Road) and raised questions regarding planning infrastructure for the new town hall prior to planning for the use of the remaining property.

Recreation: Jen Dube reported on Travel Basketball, Youth Wrestling, Ice Skating, Lacrosse and the upcoming Ellis Hollow Winterfest (February 25). A request to reallocate some Recreation Department funds was postponed 'til March pending clarification.

Attorney: Mahlon Perkins reported on the ongoing discussion with the Village regarding the Village providing security for Town Court in exchange for Zoning Enforcement services from the Town.

Zoning Officer: While there was no discussion of the Town property land use, next month Environmental Planner Dan Kwasnowski will present a timeline for public input and decision making. Plans for the new Town Hall are still expected to go up for bid at the end of March so that construction can begin in July. With so many design elements up in the air, cost estimates are still based very roughly on square footage. The estimate, $1.6 million in 2002, is not $2.3 million, partly because of rising costs and partly because of increased square footage. There's a great deal of work to do regarding LEED certification and NYSERDA funding. (Have I spelled those acronyms right?)

Environmental Planner: The lengthy stormwater presentation is postponed 'til next month. Dan will soon be finished with Debbie Gross's Ellis Hollow well survey and will report on it next month. The county planning department and TCAT are cooperating on a route 13 corridor study.

Town Clerk: The new dog licensing procedure is working, mostly. Bambi Hollenbeck has spoken to the new SPCA director. All dogs licensed at the SPCA will now go through Dryden, not the towns where the new dog owners live. The new SPCA director has been invited to next month's meeting.

Town Board Meeting

The Board was in good humor tonight and still able to zip through dozens of agenda items in about two and a half hours.

• Dan Tier was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Mike Hattery's resignation.
• A special use permit was issued to Missty Leonard for her planned hair salon "Highlight Your Life" at 2215 Dryden Road.
• Mike Hattery reports that he'll be on the County Board Health and Human Services committee and the Public Safety committee.
• Zoning Officer, Henry Slater, submitted a photo of the telecommunication tower recently completed by Crown Castle Atlantic at 1395 Dryden Road.
• Henry also presented proposals for a Pinckney Road Water and Sewer District. He reports that now that this proposal is done, work on the Ellis Hollow proposal is proceeding well.
• Resolutions were accepted allowing the Freeville Fire Department to buy fuel from the town and authorizing the Highway Superintendent to share equipment with other municipalities.

Okay. I'm bored. There's lots more but most of it wasn't all that exciting the first time through. [ed. It's a mistake to report on the meeting so soon after the meeting itself.]

We did see drawings of the planned Town Hall. Mike Lane expressed concern that options for future growth are limited. Marty Christofferson said (I told him I'm writing this down) "There's lots of space for a long time."

Town Board Organizational meeting

Yesterday I sat on the dais at the Dryden Town Board for the first time. At Living in Dryden, you can see Simon's unflattering picture of the swearing in. The organization meeting is structured around a fairly boring list of rubber stamp resolutions authorizing, for example, the Ithaca Journal as the "official" newspaper for legal notices, the names of the people who can sign checks, $100 petty cash for the Town Clerk and reimbursement for Justices attending training.

Among the more significant actions taken is the modification to the resolution contracting Mahlon Perkins as the attorney for the Town which will require a written contract specifying what responsibilities are included in "regular agreed upon Town business" for $2,215 per month. By default this will define other "reimbursable business" paid at $180 per hour.

The District 10 polling place has been changed from the Dryden Baptist Church, which is apparently too far from District 10, to the "Reach Out for Christ Church." Makes me glad I don't live in that district. But I plan to visit the polling place to see how I would feel having to go there to vote.

The Investment Policies and Guidelines were adopted without any change from last year. But I pointed out the reporting requirement in paragraph 6(c and d). (See last years Resolution #26.)

c. Within sixty days of the end of each of the first three quarters of the fiscal year, the Supervisor shall prepare and submit to the Town Board a quarterly investment report, which indicates the new investments, the inventory of existing investments and such other matters as the Supervisor deems appropriate.

d. Within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year, the Supervisor shall prepare and submit to the Town Board an annual investment report; recommendations for change in these investment guidelines; the results of the annual independent audit, the investment income record; and such other matters as the Supervisor deems appropriate.

To the best of my knowledge there has been no such reporting in recent years. In fact, no one can seem to remember when the last independent annual audit occurred. Supervisor Trumbull agreed to undertake the required reporting. We discussed asking the bookkeeper for a monthly budget report. There was no mention of an independent audit, but when I spoke to Dawn after the meeting, she indicated that now that she's cleaned up much of the sloppy record keeping left by the former bookkeeper, she would welcome an independent audit although it demands a great deal of time.

I pointed out that the "Fair Housing Plan" which has been adopted year after year is fairly meaningless. (See last year's Resolution #30) The resolution states that as a result of grants received in 1995 and 1998, "the Town must 'take actions to affirmatively further fair housing.' " The resolution goes on to cite some informative details from the 2000 census, but the only affirmative action defined is for the Code Enforcement Officer to "maintain a dialogue" with several local agencies. The resolution states, year after year, that "the Town has not undertaken a formal study of fair housing problems." We agreed to postpone adoption of the plan until the next regularly scheduled meeting. In the meantime, we'll consult with Henry regarding fair housing problems. We will consider undertaking a study of fair housing issues and consult with Thoma Development regarding possible funding for such a study.

Finally, committee assignments were discussed. Some assignments will depend on the appointment, at the next scheduled meeting, of a councilperson to fill the current vacancy. Meanwhile, I have agreed to serve on the following committees: Highway and Highway Fund Bills committee, Highway and Public Works Committee, Assessment Review Committee, Community Block Grant review committee, Representative to the Planning Committee and Representative to the Conservation Committee.

In addition, we discussed the formation of a new committee to look in to issues surrounding cable, internet and wireless phone access technology. That committee will include Marty Christofferson and myself.