Archive: Around Town

For many Americans, transportation makes up the largest portion of their  personal carbon impact, and passenger vehicles are responsible for around 12% of U.S. carbon emissions. The good news is that carsharing makes a difference in this! Carsharing organizations give their drivers 24/7 self-serve access to vehicles located throughout the city. Trips are paid for by the hour and the mile, allowing people to avoid the fixed costs and hassles of owning a car and pay only for the time that they actually use.

Carshare members tend to drive less (3,700 fewer miles per year according one study) than car owners, in part because they also tend to travel more often by bus, bicycle and foot, and only pay to use a car when they really do need one.  Ithaca Carshare estimates that by carsharing rather than owning cars, its members avoided burning 17,000 gallons of gasoline and emitting 150 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2015!

The Tompkins County Solid Waste Division and Trumansburg-based Cayuga Compost will be implementing changes to the highly-successful food scraps recycling program.

Beginning April 1st, 2016 only food items and paper napkins and paper towels will be accepted, along with compostable bin liners. That means compostable plastics and other food soiled paper – such as all cups and plates – will no longer be collected as part of the food scraps recycling program.

The successful rescue last week of 17 miners at Cargill's Cayuga Salt Mine garnered national attention.  Less prominent was news of how the community and the company supported and protected the mine employees, their families, and their privacy, both during and after the rescue.  Local stores and restaurants provided food during the rescue.  Residents deflected national news reporters from invading the privacy of the miners and their families.  Lansing Rod and Gun Club members decided to offer a free breakfast Sunday morning for the mine employees and the emergency responders who got them out safely.  Club secretary Theresa Armstrong says club members decided to host the free breakfast Thursday evening, which only gave them two days to organize it.

"It's a very frightening thing, when you hear it on the news when you're first waking up.  It's sickening to think that people from our own community, our friends, our family, are trapped in there," says Lansing Road and Gun Club treasurer Theresa Armstrong.  "Everybody wants to pull together as a community to help them.  We wanted to do something to give back to our communities and thank our first responders for getting everybody out of there safely.  We are about our community."

by Sarah Post

Are you looking for a fun-loving, happy as can be puppy? If so, choose me! I'm a Coon Hound mix and absolutely love playing, cuddling with volunteers, and learning new tricks. I'm an exuberant puppy who came in with very few manners, but the trainers at the shelter are teaching me so many fun things! When I get really excited, I start using my mouth to play with you like I would another puppy, so I don't always think about how sharp my puppy teeth are. Because of this, I need to go to a dog-savvy home without children. I play well with other rough and tumble dogs, and would enjoy having a canine playmate at home. After a good play session, I love nothing more than to cuddle in your lap. If I sound like the perfect package, come in and say hello today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Aurora, NY—Wells College President Jonathan Gibralter recently announced the hire of Craig S. Evans, Ed. D., to lead the College's advancement program. Dr. Evans comes to Wells from fundraising directorships at Ithaca College and Syracuse University, as well as the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., where he served as Executive Director. He brings a broad range of experience in individual giving, planned giving, and campaign management.

In making the announcement, President Gibralter noted, "Dr. Evans brings critical expertise to our advancement program. As we build on generations of strong and loyal alumni support, the College will rely on him to prepare us for our next campaign."

A year-long campaign to reduce residential food waste in Tompkins County has culminated in the production of a manual designed to be used as a starting point for other communities around New York State.

The "Save the Food" electronic manual is posted on the Food Waste Prevention page of the Tompkins County Solid Waste Division website. It contains a summary of the Food Waste Prevention Campaign undertaken by the County with assistance from a $15,000 Community Grant from the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYS P2I).

Reliable and affordable transportation services are available in Lansing for older adults. These services can help you get to medical appointments, grocery shopping, friends & family and recreation without a car. Read on to learn about some of these services:

A good first step is to call 2-1-1 for Information about Transportation Services Just dial 211 and ask questions. 2-1-1 connects people in need with services through a local  central telephone information service. Dial 2-1-1 to talk with a local expert who will answer your  questions about transportation and all community services.

On Friday, December 18th, New Roots showcased its unique music and arts curriculum at its annual Winter Performance at the Community School of Music and Arts. Performing ensembles included a steel drum band, African drumming and dance, a rock band, student produced videos, student art exhibit and spoken word performances. "The performance was fantastic. It's because of David Ferreira's vision that it went so well. There were so many smiling faces in the crowd in the afternoon and in the evening shows. Mothers and daughters danced along to the rock band, teachers and students sang to Nirvana in the crowd...it was magical. And the performance provided an ideal venue for my creative writing students to polish their spoken word performances...thank you to everyone, especially David!" says New Roots english teacher, Sue Schwartz.

As part of the Cayuga Nature Center's lodge enhancement project, it is once again undergoing renovations to make the facility more accessible to all visitors. The new enhancements are being made to both the men's and women's public restrooms. The alterations to the restrooms will update the historic plumbing as well as meet ADA requirements and include child changing stations to accommodate the visitors with young children.

The construction on the restrooms began in early November and is expected to continue until late February. The Nature Center Lodge will remain open to the public during these renovations. Lodge hours are Thursday-Sunday from 10am-4pm and as always the trails are open daily from dawn until dusk.

Over a year ago Lansing town officials estimated that a comprehensive plan revision would be completed within a year.  A committee was former and met regularly, making a lot of progress.  The Village of Lansing had begun their update process around the same time, and the Board of Trustees accepted the new plan in December.  But the Town has yet to complete its plan.

Lansing Planning Consultant Michael Long says that two key areas of the plan, real estate  and economic development and  have yet to be addressed.  To do that town officials are still soliciting new members, especially individuals with real estate and development expertise.

by Sarah Post

Hello! My name is Bristol, and I am one pretty lady. Unfortunately, I don’t get along with other dogs including my former house mate, so my owner had to surrender me to the SPCA. I really love humans, especially when they cuddle with me and give me tasty treats. If I went home with children, they would need to be older and very alert. In fact anyone who walks me will need to be alert as I get very excited at the sight of other dogs. I have a lot of love to share, and look forward to a lifetime of friendship in my new furr-ever home!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Everyone loves the movies.  Nobody sticks around to read the credits.  The same is true with live theater.  The actors take the bows, but most audience members have no idea how many people it takes to make a production happen.  At the Lansing schools those people are backed up by another group of generally unseen people -- the Lansing Theatre And Performing Arts Booster Club (LTAPA).  Sure, LTAPA members work on the productions, helping with sets, costumes and lighting.  But they are also the people who keep the Middle School Auditorium up and running, as well as providing support to performing arts in the Lansing schools.

Last year alone LTAPA paid for more than 8,800 worth of materials, musical instrument rentals, stage equipment, scholarships, and an ice machine in the Middle School music wing.  Additionally the group fronted more than $1,200 for lighting gels and a rental backdrop.
Money is raised through concerts and program advertising.  LTAPA President Margaret Shackell says that advertising generates mroe than $1,000 per year that goes to help fund production budgets.