Archive: News

The Lansing Town Board was taken to task Wednesday for not officially weighing in on natural gas drilling before a December 31 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) deadline.  Ludlowville resident and businesswoman Stephanie Levy asked board members why they had not passed a resolution to be an 'interested agency' which would have been the first step in having a voice in the ongoing state-wide hydro-fracking debate.

Town Supervisor Scott Pinney told her that other issues and the town attorney's advice that it was not necessary for the Town to pass such a resolution at that time was the reason it was not done.  But Levy said that it would have been easy to pass a boilerplate resolution, even in the short time between the issue being presented to the board at their December 16th meeting and the DEC deadline.

"There was a template provided," she said.  "It was a one page resolution passed by other towns.  It would have taken less time to do that than to brew a pot of coffee.  (Lansing Town Attorney) Guy Krogh had already reviewed it with other towns."

After years of top administrators part of the fallout has been no long term planning in the Lansing Central School District.  While some superintendents initiated long term plans, they weren't at Lansing long enough to enforce them.  Superintendent Stephen Grimm took the helm on January 2, 2008, and with signs that he will be staying has initiated a new planning process.  To that end Dr. Diane Reed of PLC Associates presented an outline for developing a new strategic plan that will include administrators, teachers, students, and the community in developing a plan over the course of this year.

"The end product of the whole process will be a plan that gets certified, so to speak, by the board, and thereby, the community," Grimm says.  "The goal of the whole process is to create a strategic plan."

The Legislature’s budget committee was reminded today that New York State’s delays in state aid to county programs are having an effect on County finances.

Finance Director David Squires told the Budget, Capital and Finance Committee that the County’s General Fund cash balance for November stands at a little more than $15 million, down by more than $4 million from a year ago, a difference that he attributes largely to the current delay in state aid payments.  Squires said that the State’s inconsistency in making payments makes it difficult to measure the impact of what has occurred and to plan for cash flow.  By his best estimate,  Mr. Squires projects that the General Fund cash balance could stand at just over $8 million at year’s end.

Legislature Takes Firm Stand on Natural Gas Drilling

The Legislature, made the County’s concerns official about the issue of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale.  The vote was unanimous, as the Legislature approved its comments to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) regarding the agency’s proposed program to regulate natural gas drilling in the shale underlying Tompkins County and surrounding regions of New York State. 

The measure cites many concerns—which include proposed regulation that is too lax; disregard of cumulative impacts; and potential harm to the area’s water supply, air quality, land use, and highway infrastructure.  The Legislature concludes that the regulatory document in its present form is insufficient and urges that the entire process be reevaluated and that no drilling be permitted using the hydraulic fracturing technique until an adequate environmental review is completed.  Such review would include findings of a soon-to-begin study by the federal Environmental Protection Agency regarding the risks to water posed by “hydro-fracking.”

When Governor Patterson announced Sunday that he would be delaying $750 million in payments to local governments alarm bells went off from Manhattan to Niagara Falls.  Lansing Central School District Business Administrator Mary June King told Board Of Education (BOE) members that she received notice Monday that 10% of the aid that the State promised for December will be withheld.  School board member Richard Thayler, an attorney and former prosecutor, said that Patterson's plan is illegal, and urged the board to fight back.

"If, in fact, we do not have the money that the State committed to, they are looking to the taxpayers of the Lansing School District to make up the difference," Thayler said.  "I think that is illegal.  I don't think the Governor has the right or power to do so.  Both the Assembly and the Senate have disagreed with the Governor."

In November William Burin ran unopposed for a fifth term as one of the two Lansing Town Justices.  On Wednesday Supervisor Scott Pinney announced that Burin has resigned, and the Town Board would need to appoint someone to fill his upcoming four-year term.  Burin, a lifelong Lansing resident  was an Ithaca policeman for 25 years, and a Lansing Town Justice for 16 years.  Pinney says that Burin sent a letter of resignation last week for 'personal and health' reasons.  The Board accepted his resignation, and appointed David Banfield to the court.

"A number of people have approached the Town Board over the past year or two that were very interested (being a Town Justice)," Pinney said.  "We are fortunate to have many very qualified candidates."

The Lansing Town Board passed a No Smoking law Wednesday in a 5-0 vote.  The law forbids smoking anywhere on the Town Hall campus, including the Town Hall itself, library, Community center, historical buildings, ballfields, and parking lot, as well as at the highway department and the ballfields at that location.

"Basically it's a health issue for our employees," says Deputy Supervisor Connie Wilcox.  "Second hand smoke is really bad.  A lot of other towns are looking at doing this, and the city.  We feel it's a health issue and it's a good thing."

Tompkins County sold over $20 million in one-year bond anticipation notes today to support its construction program for an unprecedented note rate cost of only 0.34%, a result that Finance Director David Squires characterizes as “extraordinary” and a reflection of the County’s strong financial reputation.

Most of the $20.4 million issue represents renewal and refinancing of prior construction debt, with $3.2 million in new money for highway purposes under the County’s five-year highway program.  $1.8 million will be reimbursed by federal money, related to the Warren Road reconstruction project.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri (NY-24) joined Major General Carla Hawley-Bowland, Commanding General, Northern Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to tour the Charles T. Sitrin Health Care Center in New Hartford Tuesday, in response to Arcuri’s request that the Army take a first-hand look at the vast capabilities and services in mental and physical rehabilitation available to returning servicemen and women, and veterans at Sitrin.

“Today’s visit by Major General Hawley-Bowland and her staff allowed us to showcase the great opportunities that allow our men and women in uniform to receive the best medical care possible,” Arcuri said. “Sitrin offers some of the most innovative and state-of-the-art care in the country and today’s visit highlighted that for our nation’s key military decision makers. I am glad that we were able to show the Major General and her staff that Upstate New York is on the cutting edge of providing quality care for our veterans.”

Dennis MogilDennis H. Mogil , of Warren Real Estate, has been awarded the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) Green Designation, the only green real estate professional designation recognized by NAR.

Mogil achieved this prestigious designation after completing 18 hours of course work designed specifically for REALTORS®.  The courses were created in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of industry experts from across the country; ensuring designees gain comprehensive knowledge of green homes and buildings and issues of sustainability in relation to real estate.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri (NY-24) announced Thursday that he has successfully secured $50,000 for the Tompkins County 211 Call Center to remain operational and continue providing vital services for local residents at no cost.

“The 211 Call Center has been widely successful in connecting Tompkins County residents with the critical services they need in an efficient and effective way,” Arcuri said.  “Ensuring that the 211 Call Center remains operational is absolutely necessary as more and more local residents turn to the call center to meet their needs.”

The Village of Lansing will have a new office building within the next two years.  Mayor Donald Hartill says that with the 500,000 gallon water tank being taken out of commission this week, the way is finally cleared to demolish it and put new Village offices on the site.

"The goal is to move all of our staff into a common building," he says.  "We will not have a new meeting room.  We will continue to use the current meeting room.  Some fraction of the current building will become storage and document storage."