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For years Mayor Donald Hartill has been trying to get the Shops at Ithaca Mall to dedicate Graham Road West, the northern-most mall entry road, to the Village of Lansing.  The road has never been particularly well kept by the mall, and since the mall was sold it has deteriorated to the point where cones have been put out to keep drivers from the worst of the potholes.  After several attempts to get a response from the new owners, it seemed like a hopeless quest.  But Hartill delivered surprising news Monday at the Board of Trustees Meeting.

"Thanks to (Village Clerk Jodi Dake), when they asked for tax documents from the Village, she emailed, 'Oh by the way, we're interested..'.  A guy then responded directly to me with the name of a person who can actually make a decision.  I emailed that person saying we'd very much like to have Graham Road down to the ring road.  Two days later he responded, 'Why don't you take it all the way down to BJ's?'"

In 2017 Hartill said he was very close to obtaining the road.  But the sale of the mall to out of town owners halted the negotiation.  Hartill complained the new owners had not been responsive, and the local mall representatives don't have authority to decide on the fate of the road.  This new communication from mall officials may mean that the issue can be finally settled.  If the road dedication goes through it will be a major win for Hartill, who prides himself on banning pot holes from his village.  Once the Village owns a road it takes responsibility for paving, plowing, and maintenance.

"I asked (Highway Superintendent John Courtney) whether that would be sensible," Hartill told the Village Trustees. " John said go for it!  Our engineer is now getting all the survey information we need to make the transfer."


Hartill said that in addition to repaving the road a sidewalks will be added so there will be continuous sidewalks from Triphammer Road all the way to BJ's Wholesale Club.

"It will also mean taking over the sidewalk on the north side, which I've had a lot of complaints about because rocks keep falling down," Hartill said. "So we'll fix that. There will be a sidewalk on the south side to accommodate the pediatrician's office.  There will be a crosswalk and signs to the sidewalk on the north side."

He added that additional stop signs will make the crossing and the road safer.

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