Archive: News

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Wednesday a memorandum of understanding has been signed by New York power agencies and partners to conduct a study of successful offshore wind transmission models - with a specific focus on largescale European projects - to determine how key learnings can guide the state's procurements of offshore wind generation. The findings of the study will help guide New York's offshore wind development, marking another major step toward the Governor's goal to reach 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind in waters off the Atlantic Coast by 2030.

"New York continues to be a national leader in the development of our robust offshore wind industry, aiming to make wind energy as accessible and affordable as possible for all New Yorkers," Cuomo said. "As we strive to meet aggressive energy goals, we are committed to developing a clean energy economy that will attract investment and create thousands of jobs by 2030."

From the developer's point of view their proposed 109-unit Lansing Village Cottages project would bring an idyllic collection of pocket neighborhoods arranged around ample shared green space, fulfilling a need for increased housing for seniors, aligning with the Village of Lansing comprehensive plan, creating benefits for the Village, and helping to meet county goals for new housing.  From neighboring property-owners on Millcroft Way, the project is a gross violation of zoning and a covenant they were required to abide by when building their homes there, not to mention a threat to their property values.  Both sides had their say Monday after Steven and David Beer, of Beer Properties, LLC returned to present their case for the third time.

"I think there's enough concern on all sides that one of the things we have to do as a village is 'due diligence'," said Mayor Donald Hartill. "That means more than one set of eyes to look at it.  I'm very sensitive to that because we've had a number of Article 78s charging that we didn't follow proper procedures.  So my proposal is that the Planning Board look carefully at this from a planning point of view, and come back with a recommendation to the Board of Trustees."

Election workers' endurance at North Lansing Fire Station #4 was challenged during the June 26th federal primaries earlier this summer when the water system stopped working.  Fire Commissioners said that the aging North Lansing Water System has been unreliable to the point where, despite the difficulties of drilling a well in the area that delivers usable water, they want their own well.  Fire Commissioner Robert Wagner said that the project could cost as much as $25,000 depending on how successful the project is.

"If you've got to have it, you've got to have it," Wagner said. "You can't just say we're going to spend this much and if we don't have it, that's it.  It is up and running but we don't want to trust the North Lansing Water System.  I think we ought to get moving on it because we're going to be into September by the time he drills it and we get someone to hook it up and doing the landscaping."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday that $8.4 million in state and federal funding to improve and expand services for vulnerable adults at risk of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation. Developed by the state Office of Victim Services and state Office for the Aging, the Elder Abuse Interventions and Enhanced Multidisciplinary Teams Initiative is the first of its kind in the nation. The initiative will fund and support 23 existing multidisciplinary teams currently targeting elder abuse and establish additional teams with the goal of serving every county in the state by the fall of 2020.

"New York remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting one of our most vulnerable populations and to holding those responsible accountable for their actions," Cuomo said. "By expanding upon existing efforts to ensure we are able to serve every county in the state, we can prevent harm to vulnerable adults, reduce risk of exploitation, and save lives."

New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) revised their assessment of the need for a compressor project that would boost natural gas delivery reliability in Lansing.  The project had been deemed especially important because the Lansing schools had twice suffered natural gas pressure below the level NYSEG had determined was safe, threatening the school district's ability to heat its buildings in the dead of winter.  The compressors were part of a larger plan to encourage developers to use alternative energy sources such as heat pumps, and to impose a moratorium on new gas customers in the Town and Village of Lansing.  NYSEG's revised minimum pressure evaluation also changes their contention that pressure at the schools was too low, lowering the minimum below the actual low pressure the school campus experienced in January.

"I hope what we're not seeing here is NYSEG trying to walk away from its responsibilities," Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler (Lansing) said Tuesday. "The Public Service Commission asks for two things in it's recent order for a Non-Pipeline Alternative Request for Proposal.  Boost the pressure and end the moratorium.  What we need now is for NYSEG to do what the order says.  I don't see a viable option to accomplish that other than increasing the amount of gas.  I'll be interested to see NYSEG's plan for that, and it shouldn't take another five years."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo directed the Department of Financial Services Monday to reject efforts by health insurance companies to gain windfall profits off of the Trump administration's decision to repeal the individual mandate under the Affordable Care Act.

Under Cuomo's leadership, New York was one of the first states in the nation to implement its own health insurance exchange following the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Since then, New York has cut the number of uninsured rate to 5 percent, and premiums in the individual market have dropped more than 50 percent. Today the state has a robust market, with New Yorkers in every county having a choice of coverage. Cuomo vows to not allow President Trump to undo that progress made in New York.

Washington, DC -- Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23) and Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-7) introduced bipartisan legislation to allow people on Medicare to go to their family doctors for diabetic eye disease testing.

"I care about those struggling with diabetes, and want to ensure they have quick and efficient access to care," Reed said. "There is no fair reason for diabetics on Medicare to wait to see a specialist for a simple test their family doctor has the ability to conduct."

The Tompkins County Sheriff's Office launched a speed enforcement blitz for Tompkins County Wednesday as part of Speed Awareness Week, a statewide enforcement campaign organized by the NYS Governor's Traffic Safety Committee; which began August 1st and run to the 7th. The intensified enforcement effort against speeding drivers underscores the severity of the problem, both locally and across the nation.

"Speeding translates to death on our roadways. It greatly reduces a driver's ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object, or an unexpected curve. Speeding drivers put themselves, their passengers and other drivers at tremendous risk," said Sheriff Ken Lansing.

Washington, DC - Today, members of the House Problem Solvers Caucus introduced a package of changes to the House Rules to make Congress work for the American people. The proposed rule changes reward openness and transparency, encourage a willingness to reach across the aisle, create debate on divisive issues, and empower lawmakers to find real solutions concerning our nation's most pressing matters.

"We've seen time and again how our common sense solutions get jammed up in a system built to empower the voices of a few extremists," said Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). "Instead of letting obstructionists create roadblocks to bipartisan consensus, the American people deserve action on everything from infrastructure to immigration.

The Village of Lansing Planning Board met Tuesday to determine whether work on the Lansing Meadows project has met their deadline and conditions.  The 20-unit mall senior housing project is part of an agreement that allowed the construction of the BJ's Wholesale Club building in 2012.  After many proposed designs and false starts, a clearly frustrated planning board approved a new design in April.  But friction between developer Eric Goetzmann and planning board members over deviations from the original proposal let to mistrust, prompting planning board members to require start and completion dates as conditions of the project's special permit.

"Today is July 31st.  It's very much like June 6th -- it's D-Day for Mr. Goetzmann," said Planning Board Chairman Mario Tomei. "This is when he would have had to complete all of those conditions.  So things have been pushed around and moved around.  He made a 'baby step' here.  It doesn't say how much has to be started.  It just says it has to be commenced."

The Town of Lansing adopted an ambitious plan to make improvements to Myers Park last month.  Last Friday Town Planning Consultant Michael Long met a deadline to submit applications for two potential grants that will, if obtained, pay for materials for stabilization and improvement of essential elements such as retaining walls and bathrooms. 

"For this application I picked two of the most likely grants," Long said. "One is the New York State Department Of State's Waterfront Revitalization Program (WRP), which is the one we looked for last year.  That is a 75% matching grant.  The other project that is applicable here is the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, which is the parks project, so basically parks within the state of New York.  The EPF grant is a 50%-50% matching grant."

Washington, DC - Congressman Tom Reed (NY-23) hammered Governor Andrew Cuomo Wednesday for his decision to pardon and restore voting rights to more than 24 thousand felons – including 77 sex offenders deemed too dangerous to release back into society.

"We will call out extreme and radical policies when we see them," Tom said. "We should hold these convicted and dangerous people fully accountable for their acts. To allow sex offenders into our schools with children is downright dangerous."