Archive: News

With respect to your editorial, I don't necessarily disagree with any of your points about the advantages of having the 5th grade classes in the elementary school. But every parent that I have spoken with about this is outraged by the process -- the unilateral decisison making, the lack of communication to parents, etc. I am disappointed that your editorial did not even address this aspect of the issue.

From: Debbie Jordan

Over 100 parents, teachers, students and staff showed up at Monday's Board of Education (BOE) meeting to tell the board they were not happy with the proposed move of the 5th grade from Lansing Middle School to the Elementary School.  Before the meeting started, however, the decision had been made to put the move on hold, possibly permanently.  

School Superintendent Mark Lewis had continued to explore what would have to happen to make the move, including meeting with the 5th grade team that day.  "They were very candid," he said.  "They outlined all of the different changes and plans and strategies and tasks and action plans that would have to be developed by June 30 in order for this to be achieved.  Even then it wasn't sure that it would work."

This is not the first time the fifth grade has moved back to the elementary building from the middle school building. They moved in the 80's because of crowding in the middle school, I think. I worked very well then, and I was sorry to see them moved up to the middle school again. They really belong in the elementary school building where they can be the top dog instead of the under dog. As a teacher of fourth grade at the time the fifth grade moved back, I speak with real knowledge of the situation.

From: Louise Bement

The Town Board meeting was dominated by water last Wednesday, with reports on several potential water district extensions, flooding and water main breaks.  The big news was the final word on the Algerine and Lansing Station Road Water District Extension referendum.  It is officially set for Monday, April 3 between 6am and 9pm at Lansing Town Hall.

Town Attorney Guy Krogh explained that he has made sense of regulations that are hard to understand and not written in any one place.  Rules governing referendums are different from those that regulate elections in which people run for office.  Krogh has had to untangle a spaghetti bowl's worth of rules governing everything from the thickness and ink used to make ballots to allowed voting locations.  Originally it was hoped the referendum could be held at Lansing Fire Station 3, not far from the affected neighborhood, but State regulations do not allow it.

The Town Council took another step toward enacting a local sex offender law in Lansing at their monthly meeting last Wednesday.  Councilman Bud Shattuck proposed creating a local law last month, asking Town Attorney Guy Krogh to research the best way Lansing could enact such a law.

Shattuck began by reading a letter from Park Commissioner Steve Colt, who said, "I am hoping you will move your idea forward to make a law.  I want to go on record supporting your idea of restricting known sex offenders from our Town parks, Myers, Ludlowville, the Town complex ball fields, as well as the school properties if you are able to include them.  It's a great suggestion that is totally in the best interest of our kids."

The Village of Lansing Trustees voted to set the election time and place and compensation for election officials in their regular meeting Monday night.  Trustees Frank Moore and John O'Neill will be running for their third and second terms, respectively.  At this point both are running uncontested, though other candidates could emerge before the March 24th filing deadline.  The election will be held at the Oakcrest Road firehouse on April 25th from noon to 9pm.  Election official compensation was set at $65 for the day.

Trustee Lynn Leopold expressed concern that the new voting machines mandated by the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 will not be ready, or worse will be available too late for adequate election official training.  Tompkins County Republican Election Official Elizabeth W. Cree agrees.  "The Board Of Elections  has been preparing all types of plans as far as voter education," she says.  "We wanted a good six months before we actually used the machines."

Village of Lansing Trustees discussed the latest wrinkle in the continuing sewer saga last Monday at their regular meeting.  With Mayor Don Hartill and John O'Neill absent, Deputy Mayor Larry Fresinski and Lynn Leopold heard a detailed report from Frank Moore, who sits on the Town's Sewer Committee as the Village representative.  

Two weeks ago Town Councilman Bud Shattuck, who chairs the Sewer Committee, announced the Town would go ahead with engineering to build the trunk line from the Town to the Cayuga Heights treatment plant along Cayuga Heights Road.  "If something dramatic changes to make 34 affordable some of the engineering can be changed to that route," he said.  Shattuck has said that the choice of a route depends entirely upon the cost.

"It was an epiphany!  It was an epiphany!" 

Lansing School Superintendent is talking about the decision made this week to move the 5th Grade into the Elementary School starting next school year.  Lewis sent a letter to parents yesterday explaining the reasons behind the move.  "The decision to implement this change is rooted in research supporting the contention that fifth grade students are more characteristically aligned with their fourth grade counterparts than they are with grades six through eight students who are experiencing some of the most rapid intellectual, emotional, social and physical changes in their lives."

In the original plan the District office would be located in the South end of the Elementary School (right), with a separate entrance, taking four rooms, two and two across the hall from each other.

The move also solves the logistical dilemma of relocating the District office.  Originally slated to go into the Elementary School, it will now take over the space vacated by the fifth grade in the Middle School.  Lewis says in his letter, "I emphasize that the benefit for students serves as the primary basis for this change."

Lansing Central School District Board of Education accepting letters of interest for the four-year term as district representative to the TST BOCES Board of Education. The deadline for submission is March 20, 2006. Please send letters of interest to Jodie Rusaw, District Clerk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Lansing Central School District Office, 264 Ridge Road, Lansing, NY 14882.

I am writing to raise public awareness on some issues involving the Town of Lansing sewer project. It appears that the current plan to process wastewater from the Town of Lansing at the Village of Cayuga Heights facility is far more costly than an alternative plan to build a small local plant on the Lake. The engineering firm, T. G. Miller, estimated (1998) the cost difference to be $6 million. It arises from the need for large, long distance transmission piping and associated pumping facilities to bring sewage from Lansing to Cayuga Heights.

No one would support a plan that would negatively impact water quality in Cayuga Lake, however, I cannot think of any rational reason to proceed with the current plan. The regional and local plant options both call for the release of treated wastewater into Cayuga Lake. A new, local plant could purify effluent to the same quality level as achieved at the Cayuga Heights plant and would, by discharging to a deeper part of the Lake, be environmentally preferable.

School Superintendent Mark Lewis outlined how the Lansing Board of Education (BOE) can reincarnate the Capital Project in their regular meeting Monday night.  After conferring with the design team he worked out a plan that could bring the project to a vote in December of this year.  Representatives of the design team were present to answer questions and get a sense of how the BOE wants the project to proceed.

"It was a very enlightening process that the school and community went through in January and February," Lewis told the Board.  "As a result of that we've learned a lot about what the community's expectations are of the school regarding participation in projects of such magnitude."  He said that the new plan is a manifestation of what they learned from community members who participated in the Ad Hoc Facilities group before the BOE withdrew their original proposal last month.

While continuing distrust between the Town and Village of Lansing was palpable, the sewer committee moved forward with their plan to bring a trunk line along Cayuga Heights Road from the Town to the Cayuga Heights treatment plant.  Town Engineer Dave Herrick presented an amended schedule that sets key dates for the project.  

The door is not closed on the Village's stated preference that the trunk line be built along East Shore Drive (Route 34), but as time passes it will become more difficult to switch.  "At this point we're going down Cayuga Heights Road," said Sewer Committee Chairman Bud Shattuck.  "If something dramatic changes to make 34 affordable some of the engineering can be changed to that route."