Archive: News

Tom Reed announced $12.5 million in federal funds, which come as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, to help restore the Great Lakes. "As the 2016 summer season begins, it's important that we do our part to take care of our lakes by taking simple steps to help keep them in great condition. We care about protecting our lakes because they are critically important as a natural resource and to our local economy. Supporting programs like these is just the right thing to do," said Reed.

The funding comes as the House offered its authorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that will allow eight member states, including New York, along with local communities, Native American tribes, conservation organizations, businesses and private industries, to come together to implement a science-based and outcomes-focused plan of action for restoring and protecting the Great Lakes and their watersheds, all while cutting through bureaucracy. Reed supported the bill that would authorize the program last week.

If you are worried about getting to the mall during a major repaving project on Triphammer Road this summer, here is the scoop on what to expect.  Village of Lansing Mayor Donald Hartill says shoppers shouldn't expect too much disruption during the $815,000 project that will use 6020 tons of blacktop along the route within village borders that includes entrances to the Shops at Ithaca Mall, Triphammer Marketplace, the Cayuga Mall and countless businesses.  Hartill says he expects construction will begin around three months from now.

"Realistically it will take two to three weeks," he says.  "So it's not all summer.  What happens first is they'll plane the current surface off by roughly an inch and a half.  The big grinders, those don't fool around.  Then they will do what they have to do with respect to the drainage structures.  Then you repave it.  So it's a very fast process once you get started."

In a letter released Tuesday State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli called on the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration to strengthen safety measures to prevent oil spills and other hazardous accidents on New York's railways and require oil transporters to carry sufficient insurance to cover cleanup costs and other liabilities associated with major rail accidents.

"The potential for oil train accidents demands that we take every measure to avoid loss of life and financial loss," DiNapoli said. "A major accident could impose not only tragic human costs, but loss of local jobs and tax revenues. The state has stepped up inspections, but incidents such as the recent derailment in Ripley, N.Y. demonstrate that the risk of a disaster remains a major concern. Federal regulators must do more to protect the taxpayers and communities of New York."

US Congressman Tom Reed highlighted a new bill designed to help American manufacturers succeed and expand in the United States.

"We care about helping our manufacturers create quality, family-sustaining jobs throughout Western New York, the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes. Our manufacturers face many challenges and obstacles in a global economy. Unfair regulations which penalize them for keeping their businesses in America shouldn't be one of those difficulties. It just isn't right."

The Office of New York State Senator Michael F. Nozzolio announced the Senator has successfully completed open heart surgery, and is on the path to rehabilitation, recuperation and recovery.

Nozzolio's surgery was conducted last week at the Cleveland Clinic to correct heart ailments including the repair and replacement of heart valves, and was lead by thoracic surgeon Doctor A. Marc Gillinov.

The Dryden Town Board, by a unanimous 5-0 vote, called on the Tompkins County Legislature to move toward establishing the Living Wage as the Minimum Wage for all employees working within the county borders .  The vote took place at the Dryden Town Board meeting on Thursday, April 21st.

The Town of Dryden  is the fourth local government body to heed the call of the Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) which has been organizing to mandate the county's Living Wage of $14.34 as the new Minimum Wage. Both the Town and the City of Ithaca as well as the Town of Caroline previously also voted to also endorse a County Living Wage. Together these locales who support this measure comprise approximately 67% of the County's population.

Three candidates will run for the Lansing Board Of Education in the May 17th election.  Christine Iacobucci, currently the school board president, will run for another term.  Aaron Thompson and Susan Tabrizi are also on the ballot.  District residents will also vote on the proposed $28 million budget that day.  the polls will be open at the Lansing teacher Center from 7am through 9pm.

"We'll be reviewing the budget and all the details," Superintendent Chris Pettograsso said Monday.  "We're finalizing the budget bulletin and our goal is to mail them out by the end of next week."

The Democratic Chairpersons of the 54th Senatorial district announced their joint endorsement of Kenan Baldridge in his run to replace Republican Senator Michael Nozzolio.  Baldridge, serving his third term as Rose Supervisor, welcomed the news.

"I am gratified and honored to receive the endorsement of the chairs of the Wayne, Cayuga, Ontario, Seneca, Tompkins and Monroe County Democratic Committees," he said.  "I look forward to working with them in my campaign to promote meaningful ethics reform in Albany. Their support will be of the utmost importance as we move forward to promote this and other critical issues in public education, support for emergency services and job development in the 54th Senate District. "

The Village of Lansing will begin work on a new northside park, planned for the northeast corner of a parcel of land between Northwoods and Dart Drives.  Mayor Donald Hartill says that $50,000 approved earlier this month in the 2016-17 budget will go toward design and initial work this summer, and that more money will be allotted to complete the park next year.  Hartill says the new park will be a 'mirror image' of the southside Dankert Park.

"We want to develop a park very similar to Dankert Park on the South Side of Route 13," said Hartill.  "To have a park in that parcel adjoining Wood Thrush Hollow Road or whatever we're going to call that road.  It would be a similar thing for soccer-kind of activities, jungle gym.  It should be a very nice addition to the Village."

Deborah K. Munson was appointed Lansing Town Clerk Wednesday.  Munson will fill the position for the rest of this year after the retirement of former Clerk Debbie Crandall.  Munson was sworn in by Tompkins County Clerk Maureen Reynolds after the Town Board voted unanimously to appoint her to the position.

Amber L. Volbrecht was appointed Deputy Town Clerk.  She was sworn in by Munson Wednesday.  Amber L. Volbrecht previously worked in the Clerk's office.

Legislature Accepts 'Tompkins County Energy Roadmap' Report
Following up a presentation at its last meeting, the Legislature, by unanimous vote, formally accepted the report entitled Tompkins County Energy Roadmap:  Evaluating Our Energy Resources.

The Roadmap was developed to help guide activities around energy-related decision making and includes an assessment of the potential of various local renewable energy sources to power the community, as well as the role that energy efficiency and demand management can play in reducing energy demand.  The Roadmap puts those assessments into the context of the overall community energy picture today and projected in 2050 to identify scenarios for how both energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions goals can be met.  While the report includes a number of conclusions and recommendations that identify priority actions the County should take to meet 2050 energy needs and emissions goals, which will be considered in this year's update of the Tompkins County Energy Strategy, the Legislature's action accepting (and not adopting) the report does not commit the Legislature to formally endorsing and committing to, the report's recommendations.

The Municipal Courts Task Force, which over the past year has been engaged in a careful and intensive examination of the town and village justice system in Tompkins County, is beginning to move toward recommending structural and operational changes that could be made to sustain and improve efficiencies and the quality of justice provided by the county's municipal courts.

The Task Force early last year was charged by the Tompkins County Council of Governments to assess the potential to improve efficiency and to reduce costs through structural realignments of the justice courts within Tompkins County.  Further, the Task Force was asked not only to ensure that any such realignments did not diminish the quality of justice but also to determine whether specific and cost-effective structural changes likely would improve the overall quality of justice within Tompkins County.