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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-03 NewsletterTown of Ithaca March 2018 SPRING FORWARD – Daylight Savings Time Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Sunday, March 11th is SPRING forward where we set our clocks ahead one hour and more importantly, we use this day as a reminder to check and replace the batteries in our smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. This is extremely important to the health and safety of your family; yes, they may still work, but when will they quit? And how will you know? Better to replace all detectors with new batteries so you know for sure they are good to go. Please be safe and help protect the life of your family and our first responders. *************************************************** Meter Leak Detection with Bolton Point AMI Meters Water Supplier for the Town of Ithaca Bolton Point recently installed a new Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system. The new AMI meters allow for increased meter reading accuracy, timely meter readings and an alert system for spikes in usage. The usage alert system is in place to help Bolton Point provide increased customer support. Continuous water usage must occur for 24 hours before an alert is sent from the water meter to Bolton Point. While Bolton Point is not staffed to act as a monitoring system for every metered account or to address every alert as soon as it occurs, staff does investigate alerts and customers are then notified of high usage and the POTENTIAL leaks when possible. Alert notifications do not happen within hours, but usually within days of a potential leak alert. Before these meters were installed, it may have been weeks or even months before an increase in usage due to a leak was detected. For example, before the new AMI meters, if a person is away and a pipe burst, Bolton Point would have no way of knowing and neither would the customer until the next scheduled quarterly reading. With the AMI meters, Bolton Point will receive an alert from the AMI system after 24 hrs of increased use and investigate as time allows to inform the owner in an attempt to address the problem. Of course, this all depends on the information you, the customer, have given Bolton Point. If staff cannot reach you, they cannot get permission to address the problem. Bolton Point cannot turn the water off because they do not know how each customer uses water at their property (heating equipment, home healthcare equipment, etc.). Turning the water off without contacting the property owner could cause significant damage to the property’s interior systems or equipment. The Town of Ithaca purchases water from Bolton Point. Water and Sewer bills are based upon water consumption, whether or not that water actually goes into the sewer system. TAKE AWAY –  Update your contact information with Bolton Point at their website – www.boltonpoint.org or by phone 607-277-0660. If they do not have an accurate phone number or email address, they cannot inform you of a usage alert.  Bolton Point is not a monitoring company, but they will help when they are able. ******************************************************* NEW LOCAL LAW OPERATING PERMIT FOR SINGLE FAMILY AND TWO-FAMILY RESIDENCES The Town enacted a local law establishing a Residential Rental Property Operating Permit Program Owner Occupancy Requirements and other provisions associated with Accessory Dwelling Units. This affects owners of residential rental property by expanding the town’s current operating permit program to include rented single family homes, accessory dwelling (apartments) and duplexes. The law also establishes an owner-occupancy requirement for newly constructed accessory dwelling units or ADU’s. There is a link on the Town’s website to the application form with further details and the timelines for complying with the local law. Questions can be directed to Bruce Bates, Code Enforcement or Paulette Rosa, Town Clerk. ******************************************************* 2018 SPRING BRUSH AND LEAF PICKUP BEGINNING MONDAY, APRIL 16TH The Town of Ithaca Public Works Department will be picking up yard waste (brush, leaves, pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, and grass clippings) starting Monday, April 16th, and will and continue throughout the Town that week until finished. All yard waste must be at the roadside by 7 a.m. on the first day of collection. THERE WILL BE NO SECOND COLLECTION AND NO CALL BACKS. The intention of the Town’s roadside collection service is for Town residents outside the Village of Cayuga Heights and the City of Ithaca to put a reasonable amount of yard waste (as is generated during a normal year) out at the roadside for pick up by the Town’s crews. Clearing of building lots and hedgerows is beyond a normal amount of material. Roadside collection crews reserve the right to not pick up excessively large volumes of brush and improperly piled materials. Our crews do not use leaf vacuum machines for spring leaf pick up; no loose piles will be picked up. Also, no plastic bags will be picked up. Brush you collect before the first day of the pickup needs to remain out of the rights-of-way until a couple of days before the pick up; this will assure your safety and that of your neighbors. Errant brush piles can wreak havoc on the storm water systems and can create a hazard for walkers and cyclists. You may also drop your yard waste off at the Public Works Facility, 106 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. year round. Please first sign in at the office. WHAT TO DO  Bag leaves, garden and other yard waste in biodegradable paper bags. Fill bags and place on road shoulder. Fold over openings of bags to close – do not staple or tape. 30-gallon bags are available at Agway, Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Wegman’s along with other stores in the area.  Brush should be placed in neat piles going with the flow of traffic so that the chipping trucks can feed the cut ends first. ******************************************************* Vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Ethics Board Have you ever wanted to give back to the community you live in, but weren’t sure how to get involved? The Town has one ZBA Alternate Member and one Ethics Board Member vacant seats. The Zoning Board of Appeals consists of 5 regular and 2 alternate members who are appointed by the Town Board. The Zoning Board is a quasi-judicial board that is charged with ensuring that the zoning ordinances are complied with or that variances and/or special approvals are granted when certain criteria are met. Zoning Board meetings are held at 6 pm on the second Tuesday of the month. Some knowledge of the application of municipal law or other rules and regulations is helpful but not required. The Zoning Board of Appeals, or ZBA does have a residency requirement for members to live in the Town of Ithaca and members receive a small stipend. Members are appointed by the Town Board with alternate membership appointments having a 1 year term; a great way to try it out. The Ethics Board meets once a year to review disclosure statements submitted by elected and appointed town officials as well as to render advisory opinions on any matter of ethical conduct of Town officials and employees, on its own initiative or at the written request of any Town Board, official, employee, or private citizen. The Ethics Board residency requirement is Tompkins County. Please contact Paulette Rosa, Town Clerk at 273-1721 or via email at townclerk@town.ithaca.ny.us or visit our website at www.town.ithaca.ny.us for an application.