Citizens for South Bristol

08/29/2026

The Citizens for South Bristol “listening tour” has started up again!

Last night we visited our third neighborhood—at the magical Berby Barn on County Rd 33. There we solicited input on all the things this board has done so far to find out what resonated most—and asked what agenda items they would like moving forward next year.

There was a lot of love out there for the work our board has done to support and improve the scenic overlook and the work-in-progress to create protective vernal pools with the FLX Land Trust and OC Soil & Water which will protect our lake from runoff. Also a lot of support for the work the board has done so far with grants and community engagement.

Moving forward, there’s been clear support for investing more in grants, revising our comprehensive plan, and most urgently, banning data centers.

These events, attended by residents of all parties, have been our hallmark for reaching out to folks in every part of our town. We have more coming your way—Bristol Harbour next, and Gulick/Gannett Hill in early October, and more besides!

Interested in coming to one and haven’t received your invite yet? DM us here and we’ll add you to the list!

Also: we’ll be posting our survey online soon—we want to hear from everyone we can!

08/15/2026

On a happier note: we hope that you will come to the Gell Retreat Center of Writers & Books at West Hollow Road for one of their Poetry Potlucks!
Members of the Community Engagement Committee have been working with Writers and Books to bring more cultural events to the Town of South Bristol and the organizers there have responded enthusiastically!

We look forward to more events in the future, but in the meantime hope we’ll see you tomorrow!

08/13/2026

At a special session at Town Hall this afternoon, the Town Supervisor read the following statement identifying Councilperson Meg Fuller’s pattern of bad faith comments and behavior in this board. This week, her actions resulted in the unnecessary late payment of the Town’s bills. Look for more information here soon. While we have committed to conducting a positive campaign in the face of her continued misinformation and half-truths, the attempt to score political points at the expense of town business is unacceptable. Worse, she had the nerve to pretend that she was “unaware” of vouchers being signed by less than three board members when she herself signed dozens of such documents last year.

…………………….

We’re here today to approve the vouchers because this board took one of our members objections at face value on the assumption she was operating in good faith.

While the Town of South Bristol does have a policy which prefers to have the town supervisor sign off on all vouchers with two other board members, this policy has not been rigorously enforced. Nor can it be insofar as town policy cannot supersede state law, which only requires two signatures, neither of which need to be the supervisor.

This was confirmed by a call I made to our lawyer Jeff Graff, and a call Town Clerk Judy Voss made to the NY Association of Towns. Furthermore, the Councilmember who brought this objection had to know this was the case, since she herself had signed off and then voted on dozens of vouchers from last year that did not include the supervisor’s signature.

Over the months of my time here as supervisor, I’ve made every effort to address Meg’s objections and continued challenges on the assumption she was operating in good faith. But this latest tactic to score political points is in bad faith and is a disservice to the town. I hope this is the last we’ll see of this kind of behavior so that the best interests of the town are the focus of our town meetings.

08/13/2026

This riveting discussion from Dan Lamb, Deputy Supervisor of Dryden New York highlighted the importance of getting out in front of the issue of Data Centers before any come to town. Once they seek to enter the community they immediately use strongarm tactics to bludgeon local residents and forestall opposition. While this issue is set to be included in next year’s revision of the Comprehensive Plan, faster action may be warranted.

Dan Lamb spoke on data centers and the finger lakes and what towns can do about it at the last town board meeting—one of the many speakers invited to speak at each meeting. Backlash against data centers is in the news almost daily it seems, and Deputy Supervisor Dan’s town of Dryden was the first to ban data centers in New York. Thank you also to residents who added to the discussion during privilege of the floor, and to all those who attended the meeting.

08/03/2026

Please come to next Monday’s South Bristol Town Hall meeting with an important presentation by visiting Deputy Supervisor Dan Lamb of Dryden. He will be talking about how and why his town was the first in the state to ban Date Centers. Not being content with the current moratorium, but using this time to ask critical questions about these facilities will be important for our town.

DRYDEN, N.Y. — Dryden officials believe they are the first town in the state to ban data centers. The decision, which also bans cryptocurrency mines, comes after a local 18-month […]

07/31/2026

Big win for South Bristol! Hopefully we’ll get one of these grants!

07/31/2026

Yay for our friends at the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association!

Cheers! 🥂

07/30/2026

What a great day for South Bristol!

Is there anything better than to see folks from all sides come together, work for the same goals, and put the town first? C4SB is so proud of this new board and all that they have accomplished!

Way to go team!

Today we want to congratulate the efforts of so many who worked tirelessly this last month on completing two grants, which we just accepted final drafts of and approved in a special meeting here at Town Hall. The many volunteers included town board members, and numerous contributors from our ad hoc committees, under the leadership of our two Co-Chairs of the Grants Working Group: Jennifer Sinsebox, and Alyssa Benjamin Trego (Finance Committee).

If awarded, the two grants would provide generous state support for professional assistance in conducting next year’s planned revision of the Comprehensive Plan, and for the next phase of renovations for our beloved South Bristol Scenic Overlook.

Quoting from the two resolutions we passed:

The Town Board expresses its sincere appreciation for the leadership, initiative, expertise, and collaboration that brought this grant opportunity from initial identification through development of a complete application.

The Town Board specifically recognizes the contributions of Councilmember Meghan Fuller; Jennifer Sinsebox, Finance Committee; and Christopher Bennem, Chair, Community Engagement Committee; and further extends its gratitude to Councilmember Jamie Hall and the members of the Community Engagement Committee for their interest in supporting the Comprehensive Plan project and their enthusiasm for participating in a collaborative, community-focused planning effort should funding be awarded.

In addition: The Town Board specifically recognizes the scenic overlook grants working group derived from the Finance Committee: Councilmember Chris Abraham, Town Board Liaison to the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee; Alyssa Benjamin-Trego, Finance Committee; Christopher Bennem, Community Engagement Committee; Beth Fitch, Co-Chair, Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee; Jeff Liebentritt, Co-Chair, Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee; Jennifer Sinsebox, Finance Committee; and extends its gratitude to the entire Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee for their vision, dedication, and countless volunteer hours devoted to strengthening South Bristol’s parks and preserving one of the Finger Lakes’ most treasured scenic destinations for future generations.

The coordination and collaboration among all involved has been nothing short of stellar, a model of cross-functional teamwork in a high-pressure situation. Critically, it illustrates how far we have come in just a short time, and our commitment to investing in South Bristol’s future by pursuing grants to help us achieve the broader goals of this vital community.

Well done everyone!