Dryden Town Board makes adjustment to billboard overlay district law

The Dryden Town Board made an adjustment to its billboard overlay district.

At its meeting on Dec. 14, the town board unanimously approved a local zoning law to amend the billboard overlay district, which will now be 25 feet wider on each side.

“The issue is that Route 13 doesn’t stay in the middle right-of-way, so it curves from one side to the other,” said Deputy Town Supervisor Dan Lamb. “We didn’t look at every angle of this and put the law out. It’s a technical fix.”

Lamb noted that the adjustment was made from the initial billboard overlay district law that was approved this past summer. It allowed billboards at 150 feet from the centerline of Route 13 to about the town’s western border to slightly east of Pinckney Road.

The extension of the billboard overlay district takes place on the tax parcels 52.-1-4.31 and 52.-1-4.6 in the town. The portions are within 175 feet of the centerline of Route 13, which is now part of the new billboard overlay district.

“I think this is one of our less controversial moves,” Lamb said of the amendment.

According to documents, the original district was 300 feet wide, which allowed a strip of land on each side of Route 13 to locate billboards. In the stretch of road, however, the right-of-way is 200 feet wide and the road was not constructed in the center of the right-of-way.

Short environmental assessment documents stated that this resulted in “an insufficient strip of land for locating billboards. This amendment makes the district 325 feet wide at this point. The environmental resources that may be affected by a billboard law will be evaluated at the time an application is made to construct one.”

When the town board proposed the local law amendment prior to its December meeting, the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability reviewed the potential change and provided support through a letter.

“We have determined the proposed action will have no significant county-wide or inter-community impact,” wrote Katherine Borgella, the Tompkins County commissioner of planning and sustainability, in the letter.

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

In brief:

‘Paws to Read’ scheduled for Jan. 13

Southworth Library, located at 24 W. Main St. in the village, is inviting people to its “Paws to Read” event on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 10:30 a.m.

The event welcomes those interested in reading with dogs from Cornell Canine Companions. To register, go to southworthlibrary.org.

Dryden Town Historical Society announces hours for this year

With the new year approaching, the Dryden Town Historical Society (DTHS) at 14 North St. in the village has announced its hours for the first few months of 2024.

From this month to March, DTHS will be open the first and third Saturdays of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those dates include Jan. 6 and 19, Feb. 3 and 17 and March 2 and 16.

DTHS’s normal Saturday schedule, which is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., will resume in April.

For further information, contact DTHS at 607-844-9209 or email at drydennyhistory@gmail.com.

Yoga for Life held every Wednesday in Freeville

Village of Freeville resident Michelle Dardia is hosting a Yoga for Life session every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Freeville United Methodist Church at 37 Main St.

The drop-in fee for the session is $10. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Some experience is helpful but not required, as the sessions are committed to being accessible.

Variations and modifications are offered, and extra mats and blocks will be available at each session. 

For information or questions, contact Dardia at dollysdaughter@hotmail.com or 607-279-4785.

Village of Freeville provides information on spring election

With the spring election in a few months, the village of Freeville recently announced that the following offices and terms are designated to be filled:

• Trustees: two-year terms for two seats apiece
• Mayor: two-year term

The village spring election is scheduled for March 19. Independent nominating forms are available at freevilleny.org and at the village hall at 5 Factory St. during regular business hours.

The first day was on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Completed petitions must be submitted to the village clerk between Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. The number of signatures collected must be at least 5% (16 signatures) of registered voters. 

For more information, go to freevilleny.org or contact the village at 607-844-8301.

Book club to meet Jan. 18

Books & Brew, a genre-based book club, is scheduled to meet Thursday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Hopshire Farm & Brewery in the village of Freeville.

The theme for the month of January is frosty books. The club encourages members to choose a book in a wintry or snowy place. For suggestions, books will be on display at Southworth Library in the village.

For more information, contact the library at 607-844-4782.