Archive: News

The Legislature voted 10-4 (with Legislators Glenn Morey, Shawna Black, Amanda Champion and Henry Granison voting no) in favor of a resolution committing to financial terms between the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County in support of a community conference center. The center would be part of the Green Street Garage redevelopment project in downtown Ithaca.

In supporting the project, the Legislature agreed to commit 4% of the county's hotel room occupancy tax revenues each year until 2050, or until such time the space is no longer used as a conference center. Housing and Economic Development Committee Chair Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca) recognized the current COVID-19 crisis will create a financial strain, but she urged her colleagues to look toward the future.

County Administrator Jason Molino signed an Executive Order on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 requiring all licensed childcare centers in Tompkins County to close Wednesday, March 18 to April 13, 2020. The order applies to childcare centers... and NOT facilities. This decision was made in collaboration with the Tompkins County Health Department, Child Development Council, Human Services Coalition, and other community partners.

This action was taken to promote social distancing of individuals and protect those who are at higher risk in our community. Those at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 include older adults, those who are immune-compromised, or have a chronic medical condition, especially heart or lung disease, and diabetes.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday that -- effective immediately -- the state will temporarily halt the collection of medical and student debt owed to the State of New York and referred to the Office of the Attorney General for collection, for at least a 30-day period, in response to growing financial impairments resulting from the spread of 2019 novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. Countless New Yorkers have been impacted — directly or indirectly — by the spread of COVID-19, forcing them to forgo income and business. In an effort to support these workers and families and ease their financial burdens, the OAG will halt the collection of medical and student debt owed to the State of New York and referred to the OAG for collection from March 16, 2020 through April 15, 2020. After this 30-day period, the OAG will reassess the needs of state residents for a possible extension. Additionally, the OAG will accept applications for suspension of all other types of debt owed to the State of New York and referred to the OAG for collection.

"As the financial impact of this emerging crisis grows, we are doing everything we can to support the thousands of New Yorkers that are suffering due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," Cuomo said. "This new action to temporarily suspend the collection of debt owed to the state will help mitigate the adverse financial impact of the outbreak on individuals, families, communities and businesses in New York State, as we continue to do everything we can to slow the spread of the virus."

Last Saturday the first case in Tompkins County of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) was confirmed in a member of the Ithaca College community.  Since that time the number of confirmed cases county-wide has risen to 6.  224 test results are pending, and of the 146 tested, 49 came have come back back negative according to a Wednesday update by the Tompkins County Health Department.  By yesterday (Thursday) evening 293 people in the County are in quarantine, and 57 have been released from quarantine.  State-wide as of Wednesday there were 2,382 confirmed cases, There have been no deaths from COVID-19 in Tompkins County.

“We want to reinforce the importance of social distancing, stay home or at least 6 feet away from others. We need everyone’s help to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa said.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Wednesday that the USNS Comfort will be deployed to New York Harbor and is expected to arrive in April. The 1,000-bed hospital ship has 12 fully-equipped operating rooms and will significantly increase New York's hospital surge capacity. The Governor is meeting with leadership of the Army Corp of Engineers today to discuss ways to increase hospital capacity in New York.

The Governor also announced he will issue an executive order directing non-essential businesses to implement work-from-home policies effective Friday, March 20. Businesses that rely on in-office personnel must decrease their in-office workforce by 50 percent. The executive order exempts essential service industries, including shipping, media, warehousing, grocery and food production, pharmacies, healthcare providers, utilities, banks and related financial institutions, and other industries critical to the supply chain.

Tompkins County is temporarily reducing its onsite workforce in compliance with an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.  On March 16 Cuomo ordered local governments to pare down workforces as the COVID-19 situation evolves.  This allows non-essential personnel to work from home or take leave.  These measures will reduce, temporarily, the County’s onsite workforce by 60%. Despite these reductions, the County is committed to maintaining critical services to the community and its residents.

“As we face the challenges of COVID-19, Tompkins County is committed to maintaining essential services for the community while, at the same time, maintaining the health and safety of the workforce.”  said Tompkins County Administrator Jason Molino.  This reduction in the County’s workforce reporting for onsite work is a precautionary measure to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo opened the state's first drive-through COVID-19 mobile testing center last Friday in New Rochelle. In partnership with Northwell and BioReference, the mobile testing center, which serves all parts of Westchester County, will test up to 200 people today, growing to up to 500 people per day in the coming days.  The mobile testing center is prioritizing tests for individuals that are part of the highest risk population.

"The single most important thing we can do to combat and contain the novel coronavirus is test for it, and while the federal government was caught flatfooted in the midst of this crisis, New York has stepped up to fill in the gaps and ramp up testing capacity," Cuomo said. "We're partnering with Northwell and BioReference to run the state's first drive-through testing facility and ensure the highest-risk population gets the tests they need to help us contain and combat this pandemic - in an efficient, safe, smart way. As we run our own test and test more people, the number of people that we find with the virus is going to keep going up, but New Yorkers should continue to remain calm and remember that the more positive tests we find, the more we can limit the virus and reduce its spread."

The inevitable drop in ridership due to increasing numbers of people staying home to protect themselves from the spread of the coronavirus is prompting TCAT to reduce service, TCAT General Manager Scot Vanderpool announced today.  The tentative start date for soon-to-be announced revisions is Sunday, March 22. They will remain in effect through the remainder of TCAT's winter-spring service period ending Saturday, May 23.

With increasing number of people told to avoid face-to-face contact and work and learn remotely, demand for transit will most certainly decline.

The main discussion at the March Lansing Town Board meeting Wednesday was what the Town should do to keep the public informed and safe during the coronavirus crisis.  The agenda was based on an email Councilman Joe Wetmore and Councilwoman Bronwyn Losey sent to their fellow board members earlier in the day outlining several short and long term initiatives, including several additions to the Town Web site, and posters and flyers to publicize measures that should be taken to protect townspeople from the virus.

"We want to have something that's hits you right in the face is you understand how important this is help you to, to be informed the best that we can," Councilwoman Andra Benson said. "If it's done well so it's easy for people to understand where to go, and if they want to know more, I think it's a very good idea."

Lansing School Superintendent Chris Pettograsso updated the Board of Education Monday on measures the district is taking to deal with the COVID-19 coronavirus.  There are no cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins County at present, but Pettograsso said that the administration is doing everything possible to prepare.  She said the administration has been in close contact with the Tompkins County Department of Health, other school districts, and that she has been sharing information on the disease via a series of emails to district residents.

"Superintendents have been sharing information all weekend," she said. "I've been sending out just communications, all pretty generic at this point about how to be safe and how to protect yourself. The biggest thing that we're trying to share with our community is that if there's anybody that's known to have the virus to be open and up front and share with us. "

3/14/2020 Update: The Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) was notified by the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) of a positive case of COVID-19 analyzed at the NYS DOH Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany, NY. The sample has been sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation. The individual has been in isolation since the samples were collected for testing. TCHD public health nurses have begun a contact investigation to determine if there were any additional exposures.

The Tompkins County Health Department conference room was packed Monday for a news conference on how county health officials are dealing with the threat of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.  Tompkins County Administrator Jason Molino, Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa, and Cayuga Health System CEO Dr. Martin Stallone detailed the current situation and how they coordinating the county administration, Health Department, and health care providers to address it.  The gist of their message was, 'Don't Panic, Stay informed, Take Precautions, Act As a Community to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in our community'.

"It's important to acknowledge that this is an evolving situation and there are currently no cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins County and the risk remains low," Molino said. "Risk is determined in the manner in which we respond to an incident and our goal is to be prepared to minimize the risk to our community."

Senator Pam Helming has been named as the ranking member of the Cultural Affairs, Tourism and Parks and Recreation Committee. Additionally, she will continue to serve as the ranking member on the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee and the Commission on Rural Resources.

“It is an honor to be named as the ranking member on the Committee for Cultural Affairs, Tourism and Parks and Recreation. The Finger Lakes region, comprised of beautiful lakes, environment, wineries, and craft breweries, is one of the top visited destinations, drawing visitors from across the country. I look forward to my new role on this committee as tourism plays such an important role in helping our economy grow. Coupled with my rankership on the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business committee, I will work to strengthen our communities and grow our economy across the entire state,” Helming said.