Archive: News

Lansing kids may get to sleep in before going to school.  A proposal to change the starting times of Lansing schools may give students a few extra minutes of sleep if it is approved. Superintendent Chris Pettograsso says that if the community wants the change the schools will implement it either next school year or the following year.

"It's not a significant change," Pettagrasso says.  "But if it affects people's lives significantly we'll look at it.  The big thing is that this came from the community so we're looking at it.  There's no agenda.  Everyone looks at it from their individual perspective, but we are trying to look at the holistic picture.  We're trying to put all that together to see what is the best solution for everybody."

Citing the need to stop the dramatic increase in the use of heroin and opioid-based illegal drugs, New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio joined Wednesday with his colleagues on the New York State Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction to release a report and legislative recommendations to combat the growing heroin and opioid epidemic.

“The Task Force’s roundtable discussion in Auburn clearly demonstrates that the heroin crisis has become an epidemic that is destroying countless lives and families across our State and Nation. No longer is heroin addiction only found in the inner big cities, but is all too prevalent in our suburbs, small cities and rural areas,” said Nozzolio. “The focus of the Task Force is on providing additional resources for the prevention of drug abuse and the treatment of those addicted, while giving law enforcement officials the tools they need to prosecute criminals who are spreading heroin in our local communities.”

Village of Lansing Trustees voted Monday to adjust its Street Tree Planting Program to include shrubbery when a tree would interfere with Village utilities, and to accept a $20,000 landscaping bid to finish the new Village Hall.  A 4/0 vote expanded a long standing program that provides assistance to property owners in the Village for shade trees, typically to provide a visual buffer between passersby on Village roads and buildings.

"We have a program where we'll supply up to $75 for planting trees on private property," explained Mayor Donald Hartill.  "We've had it for many years to provide some beautification of the village via private property owners.  We're willing to help them with 75% of the cost of the tree up to $75.  There has been a request that instead of a tree some shrubs would be planted.  Well, our law is very specific interms of trees."

A busload of Tompkins County and municipal officials toured FLTG (Finger Lakes Technologies Group) Park in Romulus Wednesday to tour Cold War bunkers in which their records are electronically stored.  In an initiative largely driven by Deputy County Clerk Maureen Reynolds state grants totaling $600,000 funded a project to scan 200 years worth of paper records, reportedly saving the county $5.5 million, a large part of which would have been a new records building.

"Maureen Reynolds and Aurora Valenti had a vision for probably the most dismal area of government, which is records and management," said County Administrator Joe Mareane.  "They had a vision about records management that wasn't about a warehouse of boxes full of paper.  They had a vision of the 21st century where records are stored with electrons.  They had a vision that was different than a three and a half million dollar records center.  That's what we were going to.  They said that doesn't work and we want to try something different.  And they did."

Solar Tompkins is holding tours Saturday at two Lansing homes in a county-wide program to show off solar energy possibilities.  The free event starts at 1 p.m. at 138 Brickyard Rd, which features a 4.1 kW ground-mounted system installed in 2010. The system features high-efficiency panels and a centralized inverter, and the property is also the home of the Take Your Pick Flower Farm.

The tour continues at 3 p.m. at 476 Van Ostrand Rd. The second home has a 9.5 kW roof-mounted system that was also added as a retrofit in 2013. The system features American-made standard efficiency panels on an old renovated 1860’s barn and a centralized inverter.

Legislature Fails To Set 2015 Budget Guidelines
The Legislature has postponed action on setting a property tax levy goal and related spending targets until June 3, when all Legislators are expected to be present.

To avoid delays in the budgeting process, County Administrator Joe Mareane advised the Legislature that he will instruct department heads to begin their work on the 2015 budget using spending targets tied to the County’s estimated property tax cap, which would limit an increase in the County property tax levy to 2.36% above the 2014 level.

Tom Reed voted to advance five bills in the House aimed at combating human trafficking. Reed, a member of the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus, says Congress should be doing everything in its power to protect those who are and could become vulnerable to human trafficking.

“As a father and an uncle, I am sickened by the number of human trafficking victims right here in the United States,” Reed said. “Many of these victims are children, some of the most vulnerable among us, and need us to fight to protect and care for them. These bills take proactive steps to prevent human trafficking, give law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to combat trafficking and protect the rights of victims.”

The County’s Jail Alternatives Task Force invited public comments Monday on additional local alternatives-to-incarceration that the County might employ to reduce the population of the Tompkins County Jail.

The public input requested is part of an in-depth review, as the Task Force examines potential ways to further build upon the existing strong foundation of Alternatives-to-Incarceration in Tompkins County to safely and prudently reduce the jail population.

The Gallery@FOUND will exhibit the works of Mark Reep for the month of June. His show, Dreams in Black and White, will hang in the Gallery from Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 29.

Reep is an artist and writer whose drawings, fiction, and reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in American Art Collector, Endicott Journal, Bluecanvas, Metazen, The Word Riot Anthology, Blue Fifth Review, Fictionaut Selects, and many other publications.

The Lansing Town Board voted against a resolution to hire a full time municipal planner, after 23 people spoke in favor of the resolution.  While a total of 25 people spoke on planning issues, none spoke in opposition to a full time planner.  Despite completing a job search that yielded a strong candidate, the vote was split 2/3 with board Republicans voting no on a resolution to hire the top candidate. 

"I wish to challenge the members of the Town Board who are opposed to hiring a full time planner for Lansing, said Sustainable Tompkins President Gay Nicholson.  "As a resident and taxpayer of 34 years I have been dismayed by the culture of unrestrained sprawl development in our town, which always seems to lead to higher taxes and cost of services, while benefiting only a few landowners and developers."

Lansing School Vote Results: Resolution 1 (Budget) 458 Yes, 190 No; Resolution 2 (Buses) 466 Yes, 155 No; Resolution 3 (Septic System Replacement) 503 Yes,136 No; School Board: Glenn Swanson 486; Tom Robinson 483; Tony Lombardo 465.
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While three incumbent school board members are running unopposed for new terms on the Lansing Board Of Education, voters and students turned out for a 'Meet The Candidates' forum Monday.  This year the event was organized and moderated by the Student Council, with President Lauren Phlegar and Vice President Anna Conti on the panel.  Student council member William Lewis moderated, asking questions from students.


The Student Council has 24 members.  They represent students and provide activities that include the Homecoming Carnival, Brawl for the Ball, Night of Light, a blood drive, and gives two monetary awards at commencement.