Archive: News

The Lansing Town Board authorized Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne Wednesday to execute an agreement for a Building and Site Programming - Concept Alternatives Analysis to renovate or replace the half-century-old Town Highway Department building. After an extensive search the Town's evaluation committee recommended Bergmann Architects, Engineers, and Planners, P.C. to do develop the analysis.

"Cricket (Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell) and Mike (Deputy Highway Superintendent Mike Moseley have been doing a marvelous job with duct tape and chewing gum, but that has its limits," said Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne. "And, once again, that building is 51 years. We don't know what life is left in that. I see this as just getting some answers and getting some options."

New York leads the nation in what it pays to the federal government compared to what it gets back from Washington, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. New York taxpayers paid $23.7 billion more in federal taxes than the state received in federal spending in federal fiscal year 2019.  For every tax dollar paid to Washington, the state received $0.91, well below the national average of $1.24. New Jersey is the only state that received less, with a return of $0.82. New Mexico gets the most value at $2.83 per tax dollar paid, followed by Mississippi ($2.50), West Virginia ($2.43), Alabama ($2.17) and Kentucky ($2.05).

“In what has become a familiar and troubling story for the Empire State, New Yorkers send significantly more to Washington than we get back,” DiNapoli said. “At a time when the pandemic has shrunk local and state government revenues, shut down businesses and hurt families across New York, it’s never been more critical that we receive much-needed support from the federal government.”

On November 10th, Monday afternoon, a load of recyclables from the residential drop off area began smoking inside the tip floor area of the Recycling and Solid Waste Center. Casella employees at the facility quickly responded with fire extinguishers and water from an adjacent fire hydrant, keeping the fire contained until the Ithaca Fire Department could take over. The fire was extinguished within an hour, and thankfully no injuries or damage occurred.

The Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management thanked all involved—especially Casella employees and the Ithaca Fire Department—for extinguishing the fire.

The 21st Annual 'Buckle Up New York, Click It or Ticket' enforcement campaign is underway and will run through November 29, 2020. The statewide campaign, supported by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, raises awareness about the importance of wearing seat belts. Throughout the mobilization, state and local law enforcement agencies are using marked and unmarked vehicles, checkpoints, and roving details to patrol for unbelted occupants. Law enforcement is also making sure children are properly restrained. During last year's enforcement campaign, police issued 26,432 tickets for seat belt and child restraint violations.

"Wearing your seat belt isn't only the law, but it's the smartest choice you can make to help prevent a needless tragedy," Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said. "New York has been a national leader on this issue ever since my father helped institute the country's first seat belt law, and while we've made a great deal of progress over the years, we still see instances where they are not being used. There is no debate -- seat belts save lives and we will continue to raise awareness on this undisputable fact to help ensure all those who travel on New York's roadways do so safely."

The Tompkins County Health Department is alerting the public of potential COVID-19 exposures. The Health Department received notification of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 and worked at Texas Roadhouse during the time when they could have infected others. The individual who tested positive is in isolation and any close contacts are in quarantine.  The Health Department also received notification of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 and worked at the Ithaca Walmart during the time when they could have infected others. The individual who tested positive is in isolation and any close contacts are in quarantine.  Additionally potential public exposures may have occurred at the Lansing Target Customer Service Desk, 40 Catherwood Road, Ithaca on Tuesday November 3, 1:45pm – 10:30pm. 

On November 12th the Health Department announced 30 new positive COVID-19 cases, following 19 positive cases announced the previous day and a total of 87 over the previous seven days. The number of active cases in Tompkins County was at 101, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. Following this spike in cases, the Tompkins County Health Department is sharing information on recent clusters and reiterating guidance to help stop the spread.

Cashless tolling went live on the New York State Thruway's ticketed system - more than a month ahead of schedule - during the overnight hours of Friday, November 13, into Saturday, November 14. The historic conversion will take place simultaneously at 58 tolling locations across the Thruway's 450-mile ticketed system. The ticketed system is the final section of the Thruway to be converted to cashless tolling, meeting a goal Governor Cuomo set in his 2018 State of the State address.

The official switch will take place in the overnight hours to limit impact to traffic. At the time cashless tolling goes live, cash will no longer be accepted as a form of payment at toll booths and printed toll tickets will not be handed out. To support this transition, NY E-ZPass has released a new TollsNY mobile app to help drivers manage E-ZPass accounts, find and pay Tolls by Mail invoices, and get important account alerts for tolls accrued at Thruway, MTA, and Port Authority tolling sites.

Aurora, NY -- Turesday morning, Wells College notified the campus community that there was a report of an individual on campus who has tested positive for COVID-19. Effectively immediately, Wells College is going fully remote, from today through Sunday, Nov. 8. All activities on campus – including classes, athletics, extracurriculars and other activities – will suspend in-person participation during that time period.

All students, faculty and staff received instructions about COVID-19 testing occurred Tuesday and Wednesday on campus.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced new guidelines last Saturday allowing out-of-state travelers to New York to 'test out' of the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Travelers from states that are contiguous with New York will continue to be exempt from the travel advisory; however, covered travelers must continue to fill out the Traveler Health Form. Essential workers will continue to be exempt as well. The new protocol is effective Wednesday, November 4.

"We continue to adjust and adapt as we learn more about COVID-19 and receive guidance from New York State. We are fortunate to have testing available in our County. However, I want to be clear that this new testing policy does not apply to those in mandatory quarantine due to close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. These individuals must follow instructions from the Health Department and are monitored for the full 14 days," said Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa "We all need to continue taking the same precautions: wear masks, wash hands, and maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others. With the holidays coming up, I also remind everyone to avoid non-essential travel. The best gift to your family this holiday season is to avoid spreading COVID-19, so please consider staying home."

The Tompkins County Health Department alerted the public last weekend of a potential COVID-19 exposure. The Health Department received notification of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 and worked at the Dryden VFW during the time when they could have infected others. The individual is a resident of another County, and their County of residence Health Department is managing the contact investigation and will notify all close contacts.

Potential public exposures may have occurred at the Dryden VFW, 2272 Dryden Rd, Dryden, NY during the following dates and times:

October 27, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
October 28, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

The New York State Department Of Transportation (DOT) has listed the Salmon Creek Bridge on State Route 34B (behind Lansing Middle School) as 'under construction'.  Residents have dreaded the closing since DOT representatives presented the project in 2017, and the time has finally come.  Lansing Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne said Tuesday that Tompkins County Highway Department's Jeff Smith confirmed that the project is being accelerated and the bridge will be closed November 10th.

The bridge was closed in 2015 when DOT inspectors found problems with the steel beneath the bridge deck during a routine inspection.  Repairs were made at that time, and the bridge project was developed and presented to the public at the Lansing Town Hall in 2017.  The 90 year old bridge is to be completely demolished and replaced.  According to a DOT official the structural deck had exceeded its intended service life of 40 years by a decade.  The new design was to replace the arched bridgewith a design that uses angled girders to distribute the weight load from the deck that will be rated for the maximum legal load for trucks.  A DOT representative said the new design will not have as many welds and is expected to last at least 75 years.

When we think of New York State we generally think of it as a liberal state.  But when I saw Apple News' voting map Wednesday morning our admittedly liberal county was surrounded by a sea of red, with a few other counties dotted in blue around the state.  Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans about 3 to 1 in Tompkins County.  So it was no surprise Wednesday morning to see that Joe Biden was way ahead in Tompkins County's unofficial day-after results, 21,643 to Donald Trump's 8,522.

New York State-wide, on Wednesday after Election Day Biden was leading 3,789,548 to Trump's 2,956,641 (with under 35% of votes reported). That speaks to large populations in New York City, including Bronx, Kings, New York, and Queens Counties, and adjoining Westchester County.  By population New York is a liberal state.  But geographically the opposite is true.

The Lansing Meadows development dominated yet another Village of Lansing meeting, this time a joint meeting between the Board of Trustees and the Planning Board.  Many of the board members have been resistant to requested changes to the Oakcrest Road project because of the nearly decade-long history of changes they say has significantly moved it away from the character of the Planned Development Area (PDA) they originally approved, which includes BJ's Wholesale Club and the Lansing Meadows senior housing development that was approved as a condition of building the large retail store.  But Developer Eric Goetzmann (Arrowhead Ventures, LLC) said the development meets the goals of the Village and Tompkins County, and is attractive and unique.

"The point is you've got an opportunity here,to create senior housing for the seniors housing that people can actually walk to the YMCA, walk to child, restaurant, walk to the grocery store. You can't do that anywhere else," he said.