Archive: Around Town

Pet of the WeekHi there my name is Shaggy! I am a male terrier mix. I am about seven or eight years old, so I won’t want to be around any youngsters. I was found as a stray and I am a very sweet dog. Please come and visit me at the SPCA.

Visit the SPCA Web Page



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Area Girl Scouts descended on The RINK Sunday for a skating outing.  The event attracted a big croud of scouts.

In 1987 Steve Colt became the Town of Lansing Recreation Director.  In parts one and two of our in-depth interview he talked about what brought him to the position, and about how the recreation department has grown.  But one of Lansing's strong points is its parks, so in this final installment that is what we talked about.

Lansing has four parks: the beautiful and constantly used Myers Park, the sleepier Ludlowville Park, the ball fields, including Christopher Field, near the Town Hall, and a smaller ball field near the Highway Department.  Recently a 25 year lease was signed with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for the Town to manage Salt Point, a jut of land on Cayuga Lake just north of Myers Park.  As this area is developed it will also be part of Colt's bailiwick.

Pet of the WeekHi my name is Marsha. I am a female white cat. Also I am very beautiful. Please come on over and visit me at the SPCA!

Visit the SPCA Web Page



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Mark S. LewisMy last article focused on looking back on 2006, especially in terms of accomplishments and setbacks. Looking forward to 2007, we see a number of important initiatives that will require our attention. Some of these include the following:

Capital Project Information: On February 6 between the hours of 7am and 9pm, district voters will consider two propositions seeking authorization for the Lansing Central School District Board of Education to move forward with a renovation/expansion project designed to upgrade all three schools and the bus garage and expand the high school. Much work will be completed during the first month of the year in an effort to get information to the public regarding any and all aspects of that initiative.

How we deal with anger will depend upon many factors. Ultimately, it boils down to one person, you. Most of us did not grow up in perfect family environments. No one is perfect, and no family is perfect. If you are caught in the midst of the anger cycle, then it is up to you to try to break free of its grip.

Anger is a signal that things are not going our way. It is a response to a thought, feeling, or action that demands immediate attention. Hoping it will go away or merely ignoring its presence will lead to physical, psychological, and spiritual decay for ourselves and those around us. Fortunately, there is a way to break out of the anger cycle.

Steve ColtWhen you pass the Lansing Ball Fields in the summer months they are filled with active children and parents playing baseball, T-ball, football, and soccer, among other sports.  But this is just the tip of the iceberg.  The Lansing Recreation Department also offers art and drama, enormously successful karate and skiing programs, as well as programs for adults like swimming, yoga and cardio step class.

With offerings as diverse as this you would think that Recreation Director Steve Colt has an enormous staff and unlimited budget.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Like a magician pulling doves and rabbits out of his hat, Colt works with parents and others in the community to come up with these diverse programs that cater to just about any interest Lansing residents might have.  Funded partly by the Town, partly by United Way money provided by the Lansing Community Council, and partly by program fees, Lansing's recreation program is something any large community would be proud to have.

The ceremony has become familiar in Lansing, but its very familiarity makes it exceptional.  Nationwide only four in 100 boy scouts make it to Eagle rank.  With 18 boys currently in Troop 48, the number of Eagles in Lansing this year is number you would expect of a troop of 125.  On Saturday Jonathan Howe attained that status, making him the fifth Lansing boy to become an Eagle Scout in 2006.  Friends, family and fellow scouts, came out to the Lansing Community Center to celebrate his achievement.  The other four from his class, Frank Massi, David J. Jones, Hunter Preston, and Mark Bailey were all present as well.

The Village of Lansing celebrated it 32^nd Birthday last Tuesday.  The Village was formed after the four lane Route 13 was constructed, making the area as much connected to Ithaca as it was to its rural roots.  Disagreements about zoning between newcomers who settled there and long-time residents led to a split when the Village incorporated in 1974.  Village Trustees celebrated after their regular meeting on Monday with chocolate cake.

For more on Village of Lansing history, try 'Lansing at the Crossroads: A Partisan History of the Village of Lansing, New York' by Rita Smidt.



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Village of Lansing Frank Moore brought a draft of a resolution to ask Tompkins County to put in a program place to control the deer population at Monday's regular Trustee meeting.  The resolution supports a similar one drafted by the Village of Cayuga Heights, but highlighted some key differences.  "It seems to me that the Council of Governments that (Cayuga Heights) emphasized in their resolution is not appropriate," he said.  "It should be the County (legislature)."

Moore suggested conducting a study to quantify the damage deer cause to crops, gardens, wooded areas, and automobiles.  "When you talk about culling you have trouble with people who think in terms of animal rights," he said.  The only counter to that is to emphasize the economic seriousness and public safety seriousness of the issue.  Now we rely only on anecdotal things and just a few facts, such as 30 deer per year are killed on the Village's highways.  But we don't know those things."

On Monday, December 18th, The Lansing Drop In had a special guest. Santa Claus AKA Marty Christopher stopped by to wish 24 children a Merry Christmas. Each child had an opportunity to sit with Santa, receive an early Christmas gift, and put in any last minute requests.

Since the Federal government abandoned the 25 square miles that formed the Seneca Army Depot near Romulus, New York, a few years ago, several entities have been trying to find ways to utilize this land area. Industrial Parks with huge wads of money seem to dominate the top of the list.

There is, however, a herd of white deer inside the perimeter fence that should be preserved. One group, Seneca White Deer, Inc, P.O. Box 226 Waterloo, New York 13165, has been trying to have a rather large area set aside as a natural preserve where the white deer can be nourished and protected. A nature center containing a herd of snow-white deer would attract tourists from across the nation, as well as foreign visitors, to Central New York.