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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05 Newsletter 2TOWN OF ITHACA NEWSLETTER May 20, 2020 TOWN HALL PHASE 1 RE-OPENING PLAN Beginning Tuesday, May 26th Town Hall will be open to the public 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Water bills will be coming out June 1st and we encourage people to continue using the drop box and mail for payments to reduce traffic while we continue this phased reopening. Public Works Facility remains closed to the public due to construction and the lack of space in the administrative offices to implement health and safety precautions efficiently. Access to brush/leaf/mulch pickup/drop off continues. Town Court remains closed to the public. Town Court falls under the jurisdiction of the New York State Unified Court System. Some administrative work has begun, but significant restrictions remain; hearings and public access have not restarted. You can reach the Court Clerks at pgrant@town.ithaca.ny.us or ssanzi@town.ithaca.ny.us with any questions. Town Hall Health & Safety Precautions Instituted All visitors must: • Wear a mask (we will have some available) • Use hand sanitizer as you enter the building (provided) • Answer three health screening questions with a “no”: 1) Have you had a recent onset of fever, cough, shortness of breath or body aches? 2) Have you been in the same room with a person with COVID-19 in the past 14 days? 3) Have you come in contact with a COVID-19 positive patient in the past 14 days? • Movement through Town Hall service areas will be one-way with entering through the Town Clerk’s door and exiting through the boardroom door. Waiting lines will be marked on the floor and adhere to a 6-foot minimum separation. Staff will sanitize counter surfaces after each transaction and call the next person to the counter. • Staff that can conduct their work remotely are continuing to do so. • All meetings will continue to be held via ZOOM This soft opening will continue for 2 weeks while we assess the efficiency and adherence to the health and safety precautions in place. If all goes well, we will be able to move to the next phase and open normal hours the week of June 8th with the health and safety precautions remaining in place and any additional measures deemed necessary. Masks - If you are having trouble getting a mask, please contact the Town Clerk at 273-1721. Dial 211 and https://tompkinscountyny.gov/health are also helpful for a variety of information CODES DEPARTMENT We encourage people to continue to submit applications via email. The majority of the Codes staff will remain working off-site with one inspector and one administration person in the office. You can continue to contact the department with questions or to schedule inspections by calling 273-1783 option 2 or via email at codes@town.ithaca.ny.us. The message will be forwarded to the appropriate person and someone will respond as soon as possible. New York State REQUIRED Steps to be Completed by Contractors to Re-Open or Continue to Work and Prior to Inspections Summary Guidelines https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ConstructionShortGuidelines.pdf Business Safety Plan Template https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/NYS_BusinessReopeningS afetyPlanTemplate.pdf Read and Affirm Detailed Guidelines https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ConstructionMasterGuidan ce.pdf Affidavit link https://forms.ny.gov/s3/ny-forward-affirmation No inspections will be scheduled until a Business Safety Plan affidavit is received by the Codes Department. Inspections will be conducted in accordance with Town of Ithaca Code Department policy, pursuant to the Governor’s executive orders. Please refer to http://www.town.ithaca.ny.us/code- enforcement for current Code Department processes/policy. Go Solar! "What are photovoltaics?" "How do they work and what incentives and rebate programs are available so I can put them on my house?" "What if my house is too shaded for solar?" “What’s a solar farm?” If you've been asking some of these questions, come find the answers and the options that could work for you. Whether you’re a renter or own your home, or even if you live in an apartment, solar really is available now to everyone! The Town of Ithaca and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County’s (CCE) Energy & Climate Change Team will be presenting two remote conversations covering all your options: Thursday, 6/11 from 3-4:30pm and Monday, 6/15 from 6-7:30pm Available through Zoom and Facebook Live! Free and open to the public. To register or access via Facebook please click on the date for the session you’re interested in (above) or visit the CCE events page: http://ccetompkins.org/events. For more information or alternative access without internet, please contact Guillermo Metz at gm52@cornell.edu.