Archive: News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) successfully amended legislation, passed today by the U.S. House of Representatives, requiring the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to examine the feasibility of contracting with the public and private sectors to make images and video of missions to space more accessible to the public.

“Our nation’s scientific discovery presents a valuable opportunity to engage public and private sectors in advancing NASA’s mission for the 21st century,” said Arcuri, who successfully offered an amendment to foster NASA’s connection with the local science and technology community. “Upstate New York is fast becoming a science and technology hub. This amendment is a prime opportunity for NASA to work together with colleges and universities, private research facilities, and small and large high-tech businesses to better educate the public about space.”

Diesel fuel was as high as $5.15 per gallon at the pump in Ithaca on Monday. Lansing gas stations were charging $4.29 for regular gas.  In Lansing that could mean that road maintenance will be cut back 20% or more this year.  Even though municipalities don't have to pay fuel tax, prices have been rising much faster than predicted. "It's a guessing game," says Highway Superintendent Jack French.  "It's tough.  We only budgeted $2.65 for diesel fuel this year and we're already at $3.87.  It's a crap shoot, you just don't know.  And gas is the same way.  We had budgeted $2.70 and now we're paying $3.24."

Lansing has almost 95 miles of town roads, which Highway Department workers maintain in the summer.  In the winter they plow county and Village of Lansing roads as well as town roads.  The Town owns eight 10-wheel dump trucks, three single-axle dump trucks that are all used for hauling and plowing, as well as four pickup trucks, some graders and loaders, an excavator, and a roadside mower.  So fuel is needed for just about everything the department does, plus the cost of blacktop, gravel, salt and sand are all going up.

Review of a comprehensive lake monitoring program by the County’s Planning, Development and Environmental Quality Committee, which had been scheduled for Monday, has been delayed.

Committee Chair Martha Robertson pulled the item from the committee agenda, to permit all committee members to participate in discussion of the proposal, developed through a first-time partnership involving the County’s Water Resources Council and Cornell University staff and faculty.

You wouldn't ordinarily hear the Village of Lansing Planning Board debating freedom of religion.  But due to an omission in current Village zoning law they did just that in anticipation of an expected request for the Vineyard Church to rent the former Bishop's Hardware Store space in the Small Mall.  The mall is in a high traffic commercial zone of the village, and while the law for that zone allows various kinds of public assembly by special permit, religious assembly is not one of them. 

"Our high traffic commercial zoning does not allow for churches in commercial areas," said Planning Board Chairman Ned Hickey.  "It allows it in medium density areas, but not in high traffic commercial areas.  So we're kind of between a rock and a hard place here.  How do we approve a church, or how do we not approve a church and get stuck violating Federal laws."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 6003) today, authorizing funding for Amtrak and improving and expanding passenger rail service nationwide, including amendments sponsored by U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) to directly address New York State's rail infrastructure needs.

"With gas prices increasing daily and local families struggling to afford sky-rocketing commuter costs, rail expansion and improvement must be a top priority," said Arcuri, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. "Improving our rail infrastructure and service must be part of our long-term transportation strategy to effectively decrease our nation's reliance on finite fossil fuels, help local families with transportation costs and foster economic development where we need it most. Developing our rail system is a critical part of a long-term energy fix."

Continuing his strong support for youth athletics as a means to help students succeed and live safe, healthy lives, State Senator Michael F. Nozzolio today announced he has successfully secured a $15,000 state investment for physical fitness programs at Lansing High School.

On Friday, 05/30/08, the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office participated in the statewide "Buckle Up New York" campaign.

The effort was funded through money awarded to the Sheriff's Office by the State of New York Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.  The goal of the campaign is to increase seat belt usage in an effort to reduce serious injury or death from traffic crashes.  As of November, 2007, the New York State Sheriff's Association reported that our State's seatbelt usage rate has dropped to 84%.

Lansing Superintendent of Schools Stephen Grimm announced Monday that plans are going ahead to move the district office into the elementary school.  Grimm says that moving the office will pay for itself in energy savings.  "The idea is that it almost pays for itself in the first year, and we recoup that every year," he said.  "So moving into the elementary school is a good idea.  Not to mention all of the other pieces.  The Lansing Star has a great article on it from a couple of years back about the health hazards associated with it.  It's just good for people."  (Click here for the article.)

Moving the district office has been on at least three superintendents' slates for at least the last nine years.  But with other priorities and failed capital projects, the move was put on hold time after time.  Various plans failed to come to fruition.  In 2006 Architects have estimated that putting a building on the old restaurant site below the middle school would cost $1.1 million dollars.  A plan to move the offices to the high school was included in the capital project that was voted down a few years ago.  At that time moving to the elementary school was nixed, in part because of security concerns.

Legislature Stands By Award Process for Some Tourism Program Contracts
For its second meeting in a row, the Legislature considered, but failed to change the way in which the County awards some tourism grants, which are funded by county room tax dollars. 

Two weeks ago, a proposal which would have delegated to the County’s Strategic Tourism Planning Board (STPB) and County Administration the authority to award some single-year tourism contracts and grants failed by a vote of 5-7, with three legislators absent.  Tonight, after considerable discussion, a revised measure also failed, by a vote of 7-8. Legislators Mike Sigler, Greg Stevenson, Mike Hattery, Kathy Luz Herrera, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Frank Proto and Tyke Randall, and Chair Mike Koplinka-Loehr voting no.

Sheriff Peter Meskill announced the implementation of the Cold Case Playing Card program in the TOmpkins County Jail this week.  The program is a project of the Center For Hope, operated by Doug and Mary Lyall, of Ballston Spa, NY.  Their daughter Suzanne has been missing for over ten years.  She was a student at SUNY at Albany, and the Lyalls have dedicated themselves to helping other families face the crisis of a missing person.

Irene Stein announced Monday that she will be casting her vote for Senator Hillary Clinton when she votes as a superdelegate at the national Democratic Convention in August.  "I will cast my vote for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention," she said.

Stein's decision is in line with the popular vote in the New York primary.  However Tompkins County was the only county in the state to choose Barak Obama.  "Like all of us, I have been deeply impressed by the quality of our candidates this year," Stein said.  "Like all of us, I will work my heart out for whomever is the nominee."