Archive: News

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Lansing Board of Education (BOE) voted Monday to appoint the firm of Castallo & Silky as consultants to help the district hire a new Superintendent of Schools.  "We're ready to go ahead with those folks and have them advise us through the process," said BOE President Tom Keane.  "We talked to them about trying to go as quickly as we can.  I think they are interested in helping us go quickly as well."

The school board is faced with hiring an interim superintendent while they search for a new superintendent, business administrator, and director of curriculum, the three top administrative positions in the district.  But board members could not agree on a job description for the director of curriculum position.  Part of the problem was that former Director of Curriculum Deb Pichette did so much above and beyond her job description, notably managing and restructuring the district's technology department, that board members are at a loss as to how all the things she did will be covered.

(Left to right) School board members Bonita Lindberg, President Tom Keane, Glenn Swanson, Sandi Dhimitri, David Dittman

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to the provisions of Section 6-108 of the New York State Election Law, that a Democratic Caucus will be held on August 8, 2007. at 7:30 p.m., at the Lansing Community Center, 29 Auburn Road, in the Town of Lansing, County of Tompkins,State of New York. The purpose of this caucus is for making nominations of candidates for public office in the Town of Lansing for the election to be held on November 6, 2007. All duly enrolled members of the Democratic Party in the Town of Lansing are eligible
to participate and vote.

Gregory Lawrence, Chairman
Henry Sheldon, Secretary


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Lansing's School District lost another top administrator when Business Administrator Larry Lawrence resigned last week.  He was the third to resign after Superintendent Mark Lewis turned in his resignation in May, and Director of Curriculum Deborah Pichette followed suit in June.

Legislature Backs IDA Bonds for Cayuga Medical Center
The Legislature, by unanimous vote, approved issuance of up to $5.5 million in tax-exempt county Industrial Development Agency Civic Facility Revenue Bonds to benefit Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca.  The approval authorizes the IDA to act as a conduit for the medical center to finance the purchase of up to $5.5 million in  medical equipment for the facility, enabling the medical center to receive a tax-free rate, as a non-profit organization, with no liability for the County.  The purpose of the Legislature

The Lansing Board Of Education (BOE) was hit with another financial surprise last week when they learned that the district's child care program has built up a $74,082.13 deficit over the past three years.  Lansing runs after school programs in the elementary and middle schools that served 147 students this year.  That amounts to 27% of the elementary school population and 8% of the students in the middle school.  "This program hasn't been paying for itself," explained Business Administrator Larry Lawrence.  "The losses are essentially based on the low staff turnover and the wages those people are now earning, $3 more per hour than they were.  And a slightly lower enrollment."

With Lansing's sewer project on what looks like permanent hold, the Lansing Town Board is still hoping to bring sewer to the Warren Road Business Park on Dutch Mill Road, north of the airport.  Tompkins County Area Development's (TCAD) Heather Filiberto, Noel Desch in behalf of the Lansing Sewer Committee and Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, and Transonic Systems Chief Operating Officer Bruce Kilmartin all addressed the board in support of a small sewer district along Warren Road.  "We're looking at a $1 million building expansion over the next few years," Kilmartin told the board.  "It's going to be really tough to do that without a sewer system."

Tuesday morning the house on 30 Peruville Road pulled up its roots and headed to its new home.  The two bedroom stick built house was removed without incident, and by mid-morning was traveling to it's new location at 450 Ridge Road.  "The house here is just so misplaced," says John Dietershagen, who owns the lot with Leo Mahool.  "10,000 cars a day go by this corner and we couldn't get people who wanted to stay in this fish bowl."

Tompkins County

Legislature Authorizes Reallocation of Unspent Funds
By a vote of 9 to 2, the Legislature authorized 17 county departments to use surplus funds from 2006 to support current year expenses. (Legislators Dooley Kiefer and Pam Mackesey voted no; Legislators Dick Booth, Kathy Luz Herrera, Tyke Randall and Nathan Shinagawa were absent).) County Finance Director David Squires has certified $1.3 million in unspent appropriations and excess revenues and, pursuant to county fiscal policy, departments requested $1.1 million of that amount be rolled over to support department needs this year.

Mackesey said her opposition stems from structural concerns regarding how the rollover process is administered, that the process does not provide legislators adequate opportunity to review all requests and consider the County Administrator

Village Mayor Donald Hartill updated Village Trustees on sewer negotiations with the Town of Lansing Monday, telling Trustees that Town and Village attorneys had met to discuss the ownership issue, one that must be resolved before the parties sign the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) .  "We're waiting for our legal counsel to decide whether joint ownership is possible.  Once that is settled the financial side is agreed to," Hartill said.  "I'm quite insistent that we have some ownership."

As the Town attempts to get its ducks in a row before a September sewer vote, one of the key elements that officials say must be in place is a signed MOU between the Town and Village of Lansing.  This MOU would address a portion of the trunk sewer line that would go through the Village to join the Town sewers with the Cayuga Heights treatment plant.  Part of the MOU has to do with how much the Village will pay, but the other issue it addresses is ownership of the part that goes through the Village and who will say when repairs and maintenance must be effected.

Last week a new swimming pool law went into effect in the Town of Lansing.  In response to multiple cases of people building a pool, but not completing electrical inspections or fence construction, the law sets a time limit on completing the whole project.  "The problem is that once the structure is in the ground and filled with water you're pretty darned sure that people are using it," says Town Attorney Guy Krogh.  Under the old system they can just keep applying for permit after permit, thus avoiding having to build fences and things that help protect children in the neighborhood."

The law says that building permits for swimming pools will last three months, and can only be renewed three times.  The pool must be completed within 12 months of the issuance of the first permit, which means that the pool, electrical work, fencing and any other part of the project required by a law passed in 2006 must be pass inspection to satisfy the requirements for the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.  "If someone completely fails to do everything that's required, the Town can force them to remove the pool or fill it in, it provides for inspection and enforcement powers and sets criminal penalties for violations," Krogh says.