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Home My WebLink About2021-11 NewsletterTown of Ithaca November Newsletter Our Town Hall entrance was shining green November 6th through the 11th for “Operation Green Light” in honor and support of the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform transitioning from active service to civilian life. Studies indicate Veterans experience a high level of stress, especially during their first year after military service. Thank you to our Veterans! A little Halloween fun – Any ideas for a theme for next year? Town Holiday Schedule Town Offices will be closed: Thursday, November 25th and Friday November 26th All Day Wednesday, December 15th for Safety and Records Management Training Noon Thursday, December 23rd through Monday, December 27th (Public Works open the 27th) Noon December 30th through Friday, December 31st Short Term Rental Legislation Drafted- Public Hearing Set Legislation regarding Short Term Rentals (STR), commonly referred to as Air B&B’s, is set for a public hearing on December 13th at the regular Town Board meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. via ZOOM (ID 98910958241) and on our YouTube Link for your convenience. The draft legislation will be posted under Public Hearings and under Documents – Meeting Agendas – Town Board – 2021-12-08 no later than December 2nd. This legislation has been in the committee stage for over 4 years and the proposal includes implementation of a permitting process for both hosted and unhosted STR rentals as well as limits on the number of days allowed for each and addresses particular zones within the Town. Comments can also be sent to the Town Clerk at townclerk@town.ithaca.ny.us. South Hill Charrette The Town was excited to work with a great group of consultants and stakeholders to conduct a charrette of the South Hill King Rd E & W area and vision. This process is part of the New Neighborhood Code planning concept and will help provide a framework for future growth in that area. The presentation is available on the Town’s YouTubeLive channel, and extensive additional information is available http://www.town.ithaca.ny.us/southhill Closing out our Bicentennial and wrapping up our portion of the Spirit of Tompkins project We are still looking for and encouraging Town of Ithaca residents to sign up on the Spirit of Tompkins website to be photographed in a place in the Town that holds special meaning for them. Please consider doing this as we close out the Town’s bicentennial year. Invite folks to go to www.spiritoftompkins.org to see all the current portraits. SUSTAINABILITY CORNER Thanksgiving and Holiday Tips Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, delicious food, and great company. But the holiday also has a big impact on the planet. Here are a few tips to reduce the impact of your celebrations this holiday season. Go Big on Veggies and Sides: Eating less meat is one of the most impactful choices you can make to help reduce climate change and conserve natural habitats. Reduce your food waste: A third of food in America is wasted and Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to reduce that waste. Check out the tips in the resources below. Compost food waste: You can compost all your food waste, even bones, for free at 14 drop spots around Tompkins County. If you are hosting a Thanksgiving meal, be sure to clearly mark your bins for recycling and composting; you can download signs here. Here are a few more resources. Happy Thanksgiving! Five Quick Tips for a Greener Thanksgiving from Salt Lake City’s Department of Sustainability 16 Ideas for a More Sustainable Thanksgiving and Black Friday from Columbia Climate School 5 Ways to Have a Sustainable Thanksgiving from World Resources Institute Clean Heating Campaign Wrap-up Thank you to all the Town residents who took part in our Campaign for Clean Heating this summer. The program resulted in the installation of eight air source heat pump systems, one ground source heat pump and one heat pump water heater. This will enable the Town to receive a $5,000 grant from NYSERDA to implement a clean energy project. You can still receive free guidance and discounts to upgrade your home or small business; visit www.heatsmarttompkins.org for details. Stay tuned for our next campaign, which will focus on community solar! PUBLIC WORKS CORNER The Town’s leaf vacuuming event is almost complete. For the rest of the month of November, the crews will be picking up paper-bagged leaves each Monday, which could extend through the week to encompass the entire Town. Leaves should be bagged in biodegradable paper leaf bags (30-gallon bags are available at many stores in the area). Please fill bags and place on road shoulder, folding over openings of bags to close—do not staple or tape. No plastic bags will be picked up. For questions, please call 607-273-1656, 6:30 - 3:00 p.m, Monday through Friday or e-mail us at publicworks@town.ithaca.ny.us. IT’S COMING …. SNOW A major issue during snow removal operations are trash and recycling bins being placed in the rights-of-way (ROW) during and immediately after snow events. Road crews work hard to clear our roads as quickly as possible and follow up after the event. Please help them by delaying putting trash and/or recycling bins out during and directly after snow events, and if you must, please put them in your driveway, not the ROW, and in far enough not to hamper road clearing efforts. These containers become a real hazard for our drivers when they blow into the street or are pushed into the culverts by snow clearing operations. PLEASE think ahead and when at all possible, park off the roads to allow our crews the space and safety to clear the roads. This protects us, and your car. If your car is inhibiting snow removal, it may be towed at your expense. These plows pick up snow and move snow; parking on the street and any damage that could occur from that moving snow is your liability. Why risk it?! Work with your neighbors, share driveways for a day, decide on one side of the street to park when it is necessary. We want to get the roads clear for safe travel; please help us help you. Thank you in advance! Town Crews Board Vacancies – We still need YOU Please visit our website at www.town.ithaca.ny.us for an application or email me at contact the townclerk@town.ithaca.ny.us. Conservation Board – For more information and current activities, please visit www.town.ithaca.ny.us/conservation-board or join any upcoming meeting. Contact Michael Smith, Senior Planner, at 607-273-1747 or msmith@town.ithaca.ny.us with any questions. The Planning Board – For more information please visit www.town.ithaca.ny.us/planning- board. Zoning Board of Appeals – For more information please visit www.town.ithaca.ny.us/zoning- board-of-appeals. Ethics Board – No Town Residency requirement, Tompkins County residents are encouraged to apply. Fun things to do…. We are going to attempt to let you know what is going on around town, but it will never be an all-inclusive list. But, when we see something in one of our neighboring towns, we thought we would try and let you know. The Trumansburg WinterFest is back! The 25th Annual Trumansburg WinterFest is Saturday December 4th from 2-5pm and full of free family fun. A visit from Santa and free Horse and Carriage rides, music of Winter Wonder-Band, free games for kids and free beverages and snacks. Gather for the Spirit of Tompkins Photo at 3:00pm, visit the local shops and restaurants. Join the fun as we light the tree in downtown Village of Trumansburg.