Skaley remembered as a Varna community advocate

James Edward (Jim) Skaley is remembered as an activist in a variety of ways, including for the environment, the planning process within the county and, especially, his home community of Varna.

“He was always advocating for his home community of Varna,” said Town of Dryden Planning Director Ray Burger. “He brought a lot of positive changes to Varna.”

Skaley passed away on Christmas Eve at the age of 79, following his battle with a “short, but devastating illness,” according to his obituary.

“Jim’s thoughtful, kind, and loyal presence will be deeply missed,” the obituary stated.

Born and raised in Washburn, North Dakota, Skaley earned a degree in biology at the University of North Dakota. He completed a tour of duty in the Air Force in Southeast Asia prior to receiving his Ph.D. in natural resources from Cornell University.

Skaley was a water resource planner for Tompkins County for 10 years, until his retirement in 1998. He started the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network and the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance (FLLOWPA) and was a long-time treasurer for the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca.

Skaley was also a Dryden town board member for two years (2020-2022) and a member of the town’s planning board. He resigned from the town board via a letter on Dec. 2 last year due to his declining health, which made it difficult for him to attend town board meetings.

“Jim was almost synonymous with the Varna community,” said former county legislator Martha Robertson, noting Skaley’s involvement in the Varna Community Association, his work on the 2012 Varna Plan and his advocacy for infrastructure improvements in the hamlet.

“Jim was a true public servant, deeply committed to working for a better world,” Robertson added.

Town Deputy Supervisor Dan Lamb, who knew Skaley for two decades, first met him when he worked for the late, former congressman Maurice Hinchey during his years in office.

Lamb was especially impressed by Skaley’s strong background in planning.

“I knew him as a very thoughtful and compassionate person before I got involved in Dryden politics,” Lamb said, remembering Skaley’s advocacy for the environment and world peace. “Once I got to know him through Dryden, I became more impressed with his knowledge of the local community, land-use and planning.”

Skaley’s legacy will endure in Varna and the Dryden area, including through the ongoing Varna sewer and water project that he anchored.

The project, which is slated to cost about $4.8 million, locked in a $3.063 million no-interest loan, $1.25 million from a Community Development Block Grant and roughly $500,000 in contributions from the consolidated sewer district fund.

“He went out and found various funding sources [for the project]. He was acting like a project manager,” Burger said, noting that the project could be completed in the next year or so.

Skaley noted in the past that the hamlet’s sewer and water systems are over 60 years old and have faced numerous main breaks and repairs.

“[The project] wouldn’t have happened without him. He wanted to see this done,” Lamb said, noting that the project was one of the main reasons he joined the town board. “He saw a reason to be on this board and to advance those projects forward for water and sewer [improvements] in Varna. We are really grateful for that.”

A driving force in the creation of the town’s Workforce and Affordable Housing Committee, Skaley was adamant in creating a “more equitable housing market,” including for lower-income individuals, according to a release on his passing.

“He always exhibited a calm determination,” Burger said. “I’m really going to miss that, and I’ll sorely miss him.”

Skaley’s obituary noted that a memorial service celebrating his life and legacy will be held in the spring.

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Meetings for the month of February

The Dryden Town Board’s February meetings include its abstract and agenda meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 9, and its business meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 16. Individuals can meet either virtually or in person at the Town Hall at 93 E. Main St.

The Village of Dryden Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 on the second floor of Village Hall at 16 South St.

The Village of Freeville Board of Trustees is slated to meet at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Village Hall on 5 Factory St.

Dryden Ambulance offers free CPR classes

Dryden Ambulance is offering free hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes on Jan. 26, Feb. 23 and March 30.

Each class will begin at 6 p.m. and will take place in the large meeting room of the Dryden Fire Station on 26 North St. in the village of Dryden.

To register for the CPR classes, email Drydencprclass@dryden.org. Those interested are asked to email their preferred date and the number of participants registering.