By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Neighbors from the Seneca Estates development flocked to the Lysander Town Board meeting June 21 to express their disapproval of a proposal to ban livestock — particularly chickens — from certain residential zones in the town.

The issue appears to stem from the Seneca Gardens Homeowners Association’s attempt to stop a handful of their residents from keeping chickens.

Supervisor Joe Saraceni announced at the head of the public hearing that the board would not be voting on the issue that night. During the work session preceding the meeting, the board and town attorney Tony Rivizzigno said they wanted to clarify the proposed law, which was drafted by Planning Board Chair Jack Corey.

Corey, who sits on the board of the Seneca Gardens Homeowners Association, told the Post-Standard that he suggested the town amend the code as a private citizen and not in his capacity as planning board chair.

Seneca Estates resident Nicole Enck said her children asked her about raising chickens a few years ago. She said she researched the HOA’s rules and the town code and found nothing prohibiting chickens. With their immediate neighbors’ blessing, the Encks began raising  a small brood of four hens.

Earlier this year, the HOA sent the Encks a letter that said they were no longer allowed to keep their chickens.

“This current issue with chickens in residential communities is not about the town of Lysander, but about the [homeowners] association of Seneca Estates,” Enck said. “We were never approached by anyone on the board other than a letter stating that we have to get rid of them.”

Enck said the chickens are a part of the family and are a way to teach her three children about caring for animals.

“They are not a nuisance. They do not smell. They do not make a noise,” Enck said. “This issue is not a town issue. Do not make it one.”

Enck’s young daughter, Elizabeth Enck, also addressed the town board in defense of Nippy, Bubba, Fluffy Pants and George, who each lay an egg daily.

“I would not call our chickens a nuisance. I would call them a responsibility,” Elizabeth said.

John Brunetti was the lone speaker in favor of the ban. Brunetti is also a Seneca Gardens HOA board member. He urged the board to consider what is best not just for one development but for the entire town.

“You have taken this under consideration because you have a concern about the entire town of Lysander and whether or not its zoning regulations are in accord with those of other towns who have taken similar action to this,” Brunetti said. “The residents of such places as Baldwin Hill, Giddings Crest, Whispering Oaks, River Mist and a host of other developments are depending upon you to do whatever you believe to be the correct and right thing as elected officials.”

Several of the Encks’ neighbors came to their defense. Carole Kline, who lives next door, noted that much of the town is still farmland and said the Encks are teaching their children where their food comes from.

“What is so wrong with children raising a few chickens in a beautiful coop?” Kline said. “The Encks are helping their children develop into responsible adults that understand and appreciate the hard work our farming neighbors do so that we can all enjoy the bounties of food we have.”

Kline said the chickens are not disruptive and they eat ticks, which could carry Lyme disease. She added that the HOA has not said what sparked the concern about the chickens and she suggested the issue was driven by someone with a personal agenda.

The Encks are not the only Seneca Estates residents who raise chickens. Matt Dolph said his family acquired a few of their own hens after consulting with the Encks and doing some research on their own. Dolph said raising chickens is a way to “get back to our roots.”

“We decided that raising a few backyard chickens would be beneficial to our family for a number of reasons, but more importantly [to] give some responsibility and instill values in our daughters,” he said.

Dolph countered a few of the common arguments against chickens in residential areas. He said hens cluck at an average of 60 decibels, while the average dog’s bark is 90 decibels. A 40-pound dog, he added, generates more waste than a brood of 10 chickens.

“There is not a noticeable smell as long as the coop is cared for appropriately,” Dolph said.

Dolph said his trail camera has snapped photos of a few stray cats, but the chickens have not attracted unwanted, predatory wildlife.

“No foxes, raccoons, coyotes, possums, fishers, martins, otters, river cats, Sasquatches or any other predators have come near the coop,” he said.

Gail Tosh, a Lysander resident who is running for State Assembly, said she does not live in Seneca Estates but she does raise chickens.

“What I’m hearing here is a lot of hardworking families trying to play by the rules,” she said. “Now they’re being told they can’t pursue their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”

Tosh echoed other speakers’ comments that the issue would be best addressed on the HOA level and is not a town issue.

“How long before we start changing agricultural districts just because we want to?” she said. “We live in an agricultural town.”