Archive: News

Albany, NY – Local residents and elected leaders in Dryden, N.Y. are celebrating victory today in a closely watched case over local fracking bans. A state appeals court ruled in favor of the towns of Dryden and Middlefield, affirming lower court decisions upholding the towns’ right to ban oil and gas development activities -- including the controversial technique of fracking -- within town limits. The legal battle first began in 2011, and industry is widely expected to seek review of the ruling by New York’s high court (the Court of Appeals).

“I’m proud to represent the Town of Dryden and I’m especially proud today,” said Town Supervisor Mary Ann Sumner. “We stood up for what we knew was right.  And we won. The people who live here and know the town best should be the ones deciding how our land is used, not some executive in a corporate office park thousands of miles away.”

Ludlowville is a bowl in the topography of Lansing that catches water and floods homes and properties.  In 2008 the Tompkins County Planning Department initialed a Ludlowville Stormwater Control Project that planners hoped would reduce or stop flooding in the hamlet.  Senior Planner Scott Doyle held meetings in 2008 and 2009 to get input from residents with an eye toward implementing solutions in 2012.  Doyle and Barton & Loguidice engineer David Hanny was back in Lansing Monday to present a plan they say will keep Ludlowville dry.

"This has been a very long development project," Doyle said.  "There have been delays with state and federal funding, but I think we're closer to a point where we can get some of the work done."

Cornell University has proposed a 1.9 megawatt solar panel project on about seven acres of land the university owns on Snyder Road in Lansing.  Town Planner Jonathan Kanter says the project will use about 6000 solar panels.

"The project is intended to provide electricity to the Cornell Campus," Kanter says.  "It is particularly to substitute energy needed for the lake source cooling plant.  Apparently there is quite a lot of energy needed to run that plant.  It will produce cheaper, cleaner energy to run that and other parts of the Cornell campus."

Development and municipal services were at the top of the agenda in the first joint meeting of the Town and Village of Lansing boards since 2006.  The Lansing Town Board and Village of Lansing Trustees met Monday to talk about what the two municipalities can do to increase services and reduce costs.  Aligning zoning in the area where the southern part of the Town meets the northern end of the Village was also discussed.

Town sewer plans were discussed, largely because existing town sewer districts transmit effluent via village infrastructure to the Cayuga Heights Sewer Plant.  Even if the new town sewer plant is passed by the voters, some town sewage will continue to go to the Cayuga Heights plant, which has indicated an interest to town officials in handling more.  Town Planner Jonathan Kanter said that developments currently being planned include a solar array north of the Ithaca-Tompkins Regional Airport, Village Circle and Village Solars projects in the Warren Road sewer district, and Cayuga Farms, a large townhouse project planned for a parcel south of Asbury Road.

Last month an osprey nesting platform was installed by the lake shore on Salt Point.  NYSEG Forester Paul Paradine predicted that if osprey actually decided to nest it was likely they would settle there within two weeks to a month.  This week -- one month and four days later -- a pair of osprey moved in.

"There were 4 birds in the area, lots of intense chases," avid Lansing bird watcher John Greenly said Tuesday.  "This is clearly very desirable Osprey real estate.  Today it appears that one pair has taken possession."

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Tompkins County District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson announced Tuesday that she will run for a third term as District Attorney this November.

“I have spent the past few months weighing the options,” said Wilkinson, “and I wanted to get out in front of what has become an avalanche of rumor. It’s true that many kind people have encouraged me to run for County Judge, and I am profoundly humbled and gratified by their request. Serving on the bench in the county where I have spent my entire career would be a privilege and an honor.

The Lansing Community Library’s (LCL) 2014 budget will be increased by $15,000 and three new Trustees will join the Board in May for three-year terms, based on the outcome of the April 23rd, 2013 vote.

The tax levy increase was approved 128 to 90. New Trustees include Tania Lawrence, who served as appointed Trustee in 2012-2013 to fill a Board vacancy, Elizabeth (“Liz”) Miller, and Andra Benson, re-elected with 75 votes as a write-in candidate.

Rep. Tom Reed met with the Hydrilla Task Force in Ithaca Friday to learn more about education and eradication efforts in response to the highly invasive aquatic weed in the Cayuga Inlet.

“Hydrilla represents a serious threat to ecosystems, recreation and the entire local economy,” Reed said. “It is imperative we do everything we can to address this issue now so that we can prevent the further spread of hydrilla and protect the area.”

Following a letter Rep. Tom Reed and fellow Members of Congress sent to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Administrator John Pistole, the Administration announced this week it will halt its policy allowing knives on planes.

“Prohibiting dangerous items on planes like knives is a common sense safety measure,” Reed said. “The TSA’s announcement this week it will halt its proposed policy is a win for public safety. If a policy places our citizens’ safety at risk, it is a policy that must be addressed.”

State Senator Mike Nozzolio and Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb Thursday announced that Cornell University has received the contract for $4.7 million in New York State funding for the reconstruction of over 21,000 square feet of greenhouse and research facilities at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

“We thank Nozzolio and Assemblyman Kolb for their continued efforts on behalf of our local farmers and the residents of the Finger Lakes.  Innovations pioneered in these reconstructed, state-of-the-art greenhouses will translate into tangible products that have a positive economic impact on New York’s hardworking farmers and put our region at the forefront of agricultural research and development,” said New York State Experiment Station Director Tom Burr.

More than 150 people came to Lansing Middle School to learn about the sewer Tuesday.  This was the first major information session in a series of events planned to present the facts on the $10.8 million project.  Town and school officials, sewer committee members, and the town attorney and engineer gave a presentation, followed by two hours of questions in an attempt to get all the facts to the public and assuage concerns based on rumors.

Miller began by reading an excerpt from a sewer committee report from an earlier project in 1995.  The report noted that Lansing has been aware of the need for sewer since the 1960s.  At least four projects have been proposed for the Town since that time.

Courthouse Renamed in Honor of Governor Daniel Tompkins
The Legislature approved the permanent renaming of the Old Tompkins County Courthouse as the Governor Daniel D. Tompkins Building, in honor of Governor Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York State from 1807-1817.  (The vote was 13-1, with Legislator Leslyn McBean-Clairborne voting no and Legislator Brian Robison excused.)  Tompkins County was formed in 1817 by the New York State Legislature, named in honor of Governor Tompkins, who left the governorship that year to become Vice President of the United States.

The historic Tompkins Building, built in 1854 to replace the wooden courthouse erected on its site at the time the county was founded, is the oldest Gothic Revival courthouse in New York State and will become the home of the Tompkins County Legislature later this year.  It has been known as the Old Courthouse since 1931.