Archive: News

County Legislature HighlightsRecognizing Challenges, Chair Expresses Optimism in Annual State of County Message

In the Annual State of the County message, Legislature Chair Martha Robertson notes that, while there is no doubt that Tompkins County face challenges in the year ahead, the Legislature and stakeholders throughout the county can and will meet those challenges through ingenuity, initiative, and collaboration. 

Reflecting on a recent conversation with past Legislature Chair Stuart Stein, Robertson observes that past “problems” tackled by the Legislature became solutions now taken for granted, prompting the realization that “as slowly as government sometimes seems to move, we can make things happen when we have a goal and work toward it together.”

This year’s ridership record is “an incredible feat,” because in 2008 TCAT also enjoyed record increases in ridership, likely a result of higher fuel prices and a 50-cent fare promotion that year, said TCAT General Manager Joe Turcotte.

In 2009, rides increased 1%, or more than 34,000 rides even though fuel prices dropped and without any special discount promotions.

Passenger totals for Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport (ITH) were up again in December, bringing the airport’s total passenger boardings for 2009 to the highest level in nearly two decades, and the third highest level in the airport’s history.

ITH's December enplaned passengers totaled 9,743, up 17.3% compared to December 2008, bringing the yearly total to 109,259. That total is the highest enplaned passenger total since 1990 (114,154).  In 1988, the airport had recorded 111,244 passengers.  Those were the only years that passenger totals exceeded last year’s total.

The Lansing Town Hall was filled almost to capacity with residents who got a chance to share their vision for a town center.  Representatives of Holt Architects and Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects, which the Town has hired to work with the Town Center Committee, chaired the meeting.  After a short presentation the floor was open to suggestions from residents.

"We hope to be able to develop, over time, a plan of consensus," said architect David Taube.  "This first meeting is very important.  It is about us presenting our observations, and throwing back to you what you have already done over the last ten years, which has been considerable.  Then we want to hear from everybody what they think a town center is all about."

The tone was decidedly bleak Monday as Lansing Superintendent of Schools Stephen Grimm reported to the Board Of Education (BOE) on several negative impacts on upcoming school budgets.  Between reductions in state aid, the upcoming end of federal stimulus dollars, and the prospect of a significant and unexpected drop in revenue from AES Cayuga, Grimm had little positive to report.

"I've been getting so much information that's so negative all the time that it's almost to the point that I just want to say tell me what the number is and we'll start planning for it.  Instead of the rhetoric over and over, every single day.  It's a lesson in politics.  Unfortunately I think we're going to be the beaten-up victims at the end of it.  All the schools across New York State will be."

Village of Lansing Trustees are considering adding a Planned Development Area (PDA) provision to their zoning.  The law would allow the Trustees to approve developments of five acres or more that go outside the boundaries of current zoning.  Projects would be subject to review by the Trustees and the Planning Board, which would be empowered to require strict conditions on a special use project.  In a meeting last week they considered a Planning Board recommendation to create the new law.

"It's dynamic zoning for a parcel that is more than five acres," said Deputy Mayor Larry Fresinski.  "The boards would have to agree that whatever the proposal is should move forward.  That's pretty creative legislation, because you're not allowed to have dynamic zoning.  You're supposed to have zoning in place and if somebody comes in and argues that they don't like it then it can go to a court and they decide whether you change your zoning laws for a particular situation."

On Tuesday Haiti was hit with a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the center of which was ony 15 miles west-southwest of Port Au Prince.  The city was devastated, and some are estimating 100,000 Haitians may have died in the quake, which could be felt as far away as Tampa, Florida.  The earthquake has continued there measuring over 5 on Wednesday and 4.8 as of noon yesterday (Thursday, 1/14).

Reenie Baker Sandsted gave a talk at the Lansing Community Library Wednesday to tell people about the mission that has been involved with building a school in Benique, Haiti, and has been trying to plant trees to prevent erosion that threatens the school.  She was scheduled to go to Haiti with a group next Wednesday, but now the trip is almost certainly cancelled.

"I'm pretty sure we will not be going.  The situation in Port Au Prince is absolutely devastating," she said.  "We have not been able to contact any of our friends in Port Au Prince."

As recommended by the County’s Advisory Board on Indigent Representation, County Administrator Joe Mareane has appointed long-time Ithaca attorney Wesley McDermott as Interim Supervising Attorney of the County’s Assigned Counsel Program.

The appointment, which has also been approved by the Tompkins County Bar Association and the New York State Office of Court Administration, is subject to confirmation by the Tompkins County Legislature.  The Legislature’s Public Safety Committee today recommended confirmation.  The confirmation vote is expected at the Legislature’s next meeting January 19.

With Village of Lansing properties being stripped bare by grazing deer, Trustees have struggled with making their deer population control program effective.  Trustee Lynn Leopold reported on this year's hunt at Monday's regular meeting at the Village of Lansing Office.  Controlled hunts sanctioned by the Village using New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Deer Assistance Program (DMAP) tags yielded 33 deer on three properties.  Another 30 or so deer are killed in automobile accidents each year.  But Leopold says that may not be enough to save the Village's forested lands.

"It's not about tulips, folks," Leopold told the board.  "It's about forest reproduction and a whole lot of other things."

Martha Robertson Elected Legislature Chair

The Legislature has elected Martha Robertson (D) to lead the Legislature during 2010.  The position of Chair is filled each year by a majority vote of the 15 members of the Legislature.  The chair is responsible for overseeing all Legislative functions.

At the Legislature’s 2010 organizational meeting, Robertson was nominated for chair by Legislator Nathan Shinagawa, who praised Robertson as someone who is “dependable, articulate, energetic, focused,” and who always follows through.  Legislator Carol Chock, who seconded the nomination, praised Robertson’s “exemplary” leadership on committees and in pursuing other vital initiatives. 

Tompkins County concerns about natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale were aired, as federal, state and local legislators, representing districts across New York State gathered on the steps of New York City Hall today, joining environmentalists to express concern about the State’s proposed regulatory document issued by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Speakers maintained the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS) is seriously inadequate and called for a complete study of gas drilling’s cumulative impacts on water, air, and land.

Seneca Falls- New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio admonished the United States Post Office today for their failure to deliver more than 60,000 New York State Pension checks on time.

The pension checks, which had been issued by the New York State Comptroller’s Office, were given to the Post Office for delivery on December 30th.  The Post Office has since acknowledged that many of the checks were lost or misplaced.