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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlan Appendix B11 Community Services Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐118 B.11 Community services  B.11.1 Fire protection and emergency services  The Town of Ithaca contracts with the City of Ithaca Fire Department (IFD) and the Village of Cayuga Heights Volunteer Fire Department (CHFD) for fire protection and emergency rescue services. The Cayuga Heights Fire Department serves Northeast Ithaca and the Forest Home neighborhood. The IFD serves the rest of the Town. The CHFD is an all-volunteer department that depends on community members to provide 24-hour fire protection, emergency medical assistance, and some rescue services. As of 2011 there were 50 members serving in the department, not including additional volunteers providing non-emergency support functions. The CHFD also offers community educational programs, most notably regular CPR classes, in their fire house at 194 Pleasant Grove Road.68 CHFD fire protection to the Town is provided under a contract that was renewed in 2007. Fire protection cost is divided based on the ratio of Town property values in the service area to village property values. In 2011 the Town’s share amounted to 36.3% of costs (about $172,300 for operation costs). The same ratio is allied to capital purchases. Operational expenses that solely benefit the Village (i.e. fire inspections or flushing mains in the Village) are not included in these calculations. CHFD answered 517 calls in 2009; 169 of these (32%) were in the Town outside of the Village and 54 of the calls being outside of their normal service area. The number of calls has increased 81% since 1989, when total calls reported in the 1993 Plan was 285.69 The IFD is largely staffed by career fire fighters and emergency response personnel. As of 2011 the IFD had 67 uniformed staff. IFD has four fire stations; two in the City, one in the South Hill area, and one in the West Hill area. The minimum staffing level for the department on duty at any one time is 11; eight fire fighters and three officers. In addition to basic firefighting, the IFD services include fire prevention, rescue, hazardous material control, and public education. It also provides emergency medical services for serious accidents and life threatening emergencies. The number of alarms answered by the IFD has steadily increased over the decades. In 1990 the total number of calls answered was 3,362, which by 2010 had increased to 4,874. Calls originating from the Town also steadily increased; 563 reported in 1990, 776 in 2000, and 1,206 in 2010. Percentage of total calls to the IFD originating from the Town of Ithaca varies from year to year and has averaged around 20% over the last two decades, fluctuating between 16% to 25%, with percentages since 2005 being above 20%.70 68 Cayuga Heights Fire Department website, http://www.chfd.net/about.php, accessed 8 August 2011.  69 Cayuga Heights Fire Department records.  70 City of Ithaca Fire Department data  IFD West Hill Station on Trumansburg Road.    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐119 Community services | Town  of Ithaca Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐120 The Town and City of Ithaca last renewed and revised their fire contract in 2010 to provide for fire protection and emergency medical services until 2014. In return, the Town pays for approximately 37% of operating expenditures and capital items over $25,000. It also stipulates that the Board of Commissioners must have two Town representatives. The Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response oversees the County-wide emergency dispatch and communications systems that allows residents to dial 911 to receive emergency medical, fire, police, or other emergency help from any phone in Tompkins County. Ambulance service is provided by a commercial provider; in the area of the Town of Ithaca, Bangs Ambulance is the provider. B.11.2 Police  Police protection for the Town is provided primarily by the Tompkins County Sheriff Department, although the New York State Police also patrol the Town. The Village of Cayuga Heights has its own police force, as do both Cornell University and Ithaca College. All police forces in the County have mutual assistance policies for large or special emergencies. The Tompkins County Sheriff, headquartered on Warren Road in Lansing, has three to five deputies on patrol at any given time, and 26 deputies total. The department also has seven sergeant deputies and five criminal investigators. The Tompkins County Jail is also located on Warren Road with an overall inmate capacity of 74 beds.71 The County is split up into four zones. The zone that includes the Town of Ithaca has at least one officer on patrol at any given time. There are 20 uniformed NY State Troopers for road patrol and four investigators. The Village of Cayuga Heights Police Department has six full-time and seven part-time officers with at least one on duty at any given time.72 B.11.3 Town  government facilities  Ithaca Town Hall is located at 215 North Tioga Street in the City of Ithaca. Town Hall moved to its present location in 2000 after determining that its Seneca Street location, one block away, had become grossly inadequate to meet its needs. Built in 1910, the building is formerly the main Ithaca Post Office, and is considered one of the finest local examples of Beaux Arts Classicism, an architectural style highly favored for public buildings designed at the turn of the 20th century. The building is listed on both the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places and as part of the DeWitt Park Historic District in the City of Ithaca. Following significant renovations and rehabilitation of the former post office, with care to maintain its historical character, the structure now provides approximately 13,000 square feet of usable space for Town office activities (18,000 square feet total). It contains offices, a board/court room, meeting rooms, and storage space. All Town functions outside of Public Works and Engineering occupy offices within this spacious building. While having changed location over the years, the Ithaca Town Hall has been located within the City of Ithaca for over 45 years, providing a central and convenient location for residents. Prior to its Seneca Street office location, now the site of the Hilton Hotel, Town Hall was located in the City of Ithaca City Hall annex from 1964 until 1975. The Town Public Works Facility is located on Seven Mile Drive and houses equipment, vehicles, operations, and administrative offices for the department. Built in 1976, the 10,900 square foot facility was renovated and expanded by 16,000 square feet in 2003 to accommodate the needs of the department and to provide storage and protection of equipment and vehicles. The addition included a wash bay, mechanics shop, office space, and a staff break room and 71 2009 Annual Report, Tompkins  County Sheriff’s Office   72 Tompkins  County Sheriff Department, communications with multiple staff, August 2011.      Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐121 meeting space. With the steady growth of the Town has come a steady increase in the amount and type of work being done by the Public Works Department. Part of the growth has put a strain on the current facility to appropriately store material and equipment. The Public Works 2010 Master Plan called for upgrades to the facility, some of which have since been completed, including a new salt storage shed, new wash bay, and additions to the annex building. B.11.4 Schools  Most Town residents attending public schools are served by the Ithaca City School District, which includes eight elementary schools (grades K-5), two middle schools (grades 6-8), one high school, and two alternative middle/high schools (grades 6-12 for Lehman Alternative Community School and grades 9-12 at New Roots Charter School). Four of the public schools are located within the Town: two elementary schools (Northeast and Cayuga Heights) and both middle schools (Boynton and DeWitt). About 5,500 students are enrolled in the 12 schools. An additional public education resource is Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), which offers special and vocational education and other shared services designed to meet the needs of member districts. BOCES began in 1949 and in 1970 opened its campus on Warren Road in the Town of Ithaca. As of the 2010-2011 school year there were 477 school-age students and 527 adult students attending programs. BOCES has approximately 286 staff members. Several private and parochial schools service students in the area. The Ithaca Waldorf School is in the Town of Dryden (early childhood through 7th grade); the Elizabeth A. Clune Montessori School is in the Town of Ithaca (ages 3-14); and Immaculate Conception School is in the City of Ithaca. Other schools  The Community School of Music and Art (CSMA) in Ithaca is a private nonprofit organization that has served the community for over 50 years. It provides instruction in the visual arts, music, dance, theatre, and languages for students of all ages and backgrounds. CSMA enrolls about1700 students annually. B.11.5 Library  Library services are provided by the Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL). TCPL serves the residents of Tompkins County and is the Central Library for the Finger Lakes Library System, serving libraries and users in Tompkins, Tioga, Cortland, Seneca and Cayuga counties. In 2000, TCPL moved into the former Woolworth store on Green Street in downtown Ithaca. The move allowed the Library to double in size and attract thousands of new users. As of 2011, TCPL had over 47,000 registered borrowers and an annual circulation of 835,000 items.73 TCPL offers a circulating collection of 263,000 items including books, paperbacks, magazines, videos, DVDs, music CDs, and recorded books. An extensive interlibrary loan service provides patrons with items that are not owned by TCPL. Reference and information services are available in person, by phone or by e-mail. Access to comprehensive databases, the library's catalog, and the extensive resources on the Internet is available through free public workstations. Specialized services include microfilm scanners and Rosetta Stone, a language software program for learning English and Spanish. Public programming for all ages includes author readings, story time, art shows, music, cultural celebrations, and an annual Community Read in collaboration with Cornell University. 73 Tompkins  County Public Library, http://www.tcpl.org/libinfo/about‐history.php, accessed  8 August 2011.  Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐122 Funding for TCPL continues to be a challenge, and staffing and hours of operation have declined from their peak in 2001. County support for the library has declined in recent years; fundraising campaigns have been conducted and alternative funding mechanisms explored. B.11.6 Solid waste management  The Town of Ithaca is not directly responsible for solid waste management. Waste is handled countywide by the Tompkins County Solid Waste Management Division, and garbage collection is provided by private haulers. The Cayuga Heights Department of Public Works collects garbage within the Village of Cayuga Heights. The solid waste program is funded largely by transfer station tipping fees, which are reflected in trash tags and an annual user fee collected through property taxes. The annual fee pays for closing and maintaining old landfills, curbside recycling collection, the Household Hazardous Waste and Reuse programs, capital costs of the Recycling and Solid Waste Center, and administration costs. Solid waste handled by the County is exported to Seneca Meadows landfill in Waterloo. As outlined in Tompkins County’s Solid Waste Management Plan (1995), a major focus of the Solid Waste Management Division is diverting materials from the landfill through waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting. The Division has established an extensive countywide recycling program; curbside collection is offered every other week, and residents may also bring recyclables to the Recycling and Solid Waste Center (160 Commercial Avenue in the City of Ithaca). This facility underwent a $2.5 million upgrade through the summer and fall of 2011, enabling Tompkins County to reach its goal of diverting 75% of waste by 2016 and 80% by 2030.74 Tompkins County residents are required by law to recycle newspaper, glass bottles and jars, metal food and beverage cans, and corrugated cardboard. Beyond their direct programs and services, the Solid Waste Management Division encourages reuse, home composting, and green purchasing by providing extensive information and resources on their website for County residents, businesses, and schools. It also sponsors the Compost Education Program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. In 2005, approximately 2,200 tons of food waste and 3,000 tons of yard waste were diverted from landfills through home composting in Tompkins County. 75 B.11.7 Public health facilities  The primary health care facility in the area is the Cayuga Medical Center (CMC) and its satellite facility, the Convenient Care Center at Ithaca. CMC is located on West Hill, off NYS Route 96 (Trumansburg Road) in the Town of Ithaca. It is a 204-bed facility with more than 200 affiliated physicians and over 1,200 total health care professionals. The CMC is a not-for-profit, acute care medical center with many state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment services. Over the past decade the facility has undergone significant renovations and expansions, increasing approximately 100,000 square feet76 to improve and increase services. The Convenient Care Center at Ithaca facility is located off Warren Road in the Village of Lansing. This facility provides a variety of medical and emergency services in a location that is convenient to population-growth areas in the eastern portion of Ithaca and Lansing. The facility is staffed by full-time physicians, registered nurses, and support personnel who offer medical care on a walk-in basis. They also provide outpatient surgical care, radiology imaging services, laboratory services, physical therapy, and the Veterans Primary Care Clinic. 74 News Details: Partners Break Ground for Recycling and Solid Waste  Center Upgrade. 3 June 2011. Tompkins  County website.  http://www.tompkins‐co.org/detail.aspx?ContentID=1705, accessed 21 July 2011.  75 Tompkins  County Solid Waste Management Division, 2006. http://www.recycletompkins.org., accessed 21 July 2011.  76 Town  of Ithaca Planning Department records.