Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Correspondence 2002Ui AnLSl i 1 I • n Catherine Valentino Hi .,Jari 21,2002 Town Supervisor Town Hall 215 N. Tioga St. Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Valentino: It has recently come to our attention that since the town water line now runs along Coddington Road as far as the Coddington Community Center, it is more feasible for those of us who live on Bums Road to get town water. All of us who live on the south end of Bums Road have water problems to some extent. We (the Stauffers) probably have the best water on the road, although the quality has varied from acceptable to fairly vile-tasting. For the past year it has been fairly Kad, although about two weeks ago it suddenly took an unexpected turn for the better. Our household has 6 people, and the quantity of water is adequate for us, but if we have relatives come for holidays we have to be very careful not to run out. We have also had bacteria problems and thus have to chlorinate the water. No doubt you will hear worse stories from other residents, but I can assure you that we would very much like to have town water. Sincerely, Doug & Donna Stauffer 275 Bums Road Ithaca, NY 14850 Town Supervisor Ithaca, ny i485o .Catherine Valentino 215 n. Tioga street 607-273-1721 January 24,2002 President Peggy Williams Ithaca College 300 Job Hall 2 Fountain Place Ithaca, NY 14850 Re: Ithaca College Master Plan Dear President Williams: I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for including the Town of Ithaca in your Master Plein process. We have been impressed with the quality of work completed by Ithaca College officials and Sasaki Associates. We also appreciate the openness and inclusiveness that has been demonstrated in the process of developing the Master Plan. We know how difficult it is to forecast needs into the future, but your Master Plan provides a strong basis to move ahead. It will be a useful document not only for the College, but also for the Town, because it helps us understand the current conditions and overall needs of the College, and outlines reasonable approaches to meet those needs in the foreseeable future. The Town of Ithaca stands ready to work with Ithaca College as a partner in implementing the Master Plan. Thanks for a job well done. Sincerely, Catherine Valentino, Supervisor cc: Town Board Tom Salm, Vice President for Business Affairs ►307-C 160 Crescent Place Ithaca, NY 14850 March 17, 2002 Ithaca Town Board 215 No. TiogaSt Ithaca, NY 14850 Ithaca Common Council 108 East Green St. Ithaca, NY 14850 To the Ithaca Town Board and the Ithaca Common Council: IIB E n w n MAR 1 9 2002 AHEST. ITHACA TOWN CLERK I urge both the Board and the Council to take active steps to educate and encourage people to clean up after their dogs on the public trails of the Town and City, and to review any existing regulations concerning owners' responsibility for their dogs' fecal waste. At 8 am this morning I took a walk on the South Hill Recreation Way from Crescent Place to lacovelli Park and on south to the gate which blocks vehicle traffic on the section toward Bums Rd, perhaps 1 1/2 miles one way. I took along a plastic bag to clean up any litter along the trail on my way back. Starting back from the gate, I noticed several piles of dog waste, so I decided to clean that up as well. It soon became clear that dog waste would constitute the major part of the cleanup. Because, while I also collected 3 snack wr^pers, 2 tissues, 3 cigarette butts, and 1 empty cigar package, the plastic grocery bag was full of dog waste when I finished past the Crescent Place entrance to the trail. Eleven pounds of dog shit! About 50% of the waste along the trail was collected from the gate back to lacovelli Park, perhaps 5% from lacovelli Park down to the Pearsall Street entrance, and the remaining 45% from the Pearsall Street entrance past the Crescent Place entrance to Hudson Street. Some of it was weeks old, most quite recent. Almost all had been deposited on the grass verge; only 2 piles were on the cindered trail. On the upper part of the trail the deposits were heaviest near the entrances from private homes to the trail (i.e., from the gate back to Juniper Street). On the lower part of the trail the deposits were heavy all along the trail from around the Crescent Place entrance out to Hudson Street. Dog waste on the trails is not a dog problem, it's a people problem. Despite the excellent signs at the public entrances to the South Hill Recreation Way, a few people walking their dogs do not take responsibility for collecting their dogs' waste. Even supplying complimentary litter bags at trail entrances, as some Onondaga County parks do, might not address the problem. But the trails of the town and city fill many purposes for both residents and visitors from early morning into the evening each day. Dog waste isn't just litter, it poses a health hazard. I urge constructive action on this unpleasant issue. This afternoon I will leave the cleanup bag with a copy of this letter at the city public works department garage for disposal. ^cerely, , David Ritchie Orig - File Copy - Walker/Valentino/Noteboom flrLLLLO MAY - 6 2002 _■ fTHACATrtwiPWNfclfeflK" May 1,2002 Ithaca, New York Town of Ithaca 401 Harris b Dates Dr. Ithaca, New York Attention: Town Supervisor and Mr Walker: Dear Sir: For years we have requested to have the Town take care of a ditch drainage problem that has been causing a lot of mosquito's and a health problem that needs to be taken care of. This ditch which runs along the east side of Lisa Lane has as much as 4 inches of water in it constantly and is 80' long. This ditch and the culvert needs to be cleaned out so the water can drain. We would appreciate your attention to this problem. Yours truly, Maureen M. Schmitt 215 Texas Lane 257-2633 ci] ty\ i • *• ^cc: Tompkins County Health Department « AUoi nuy. ccc: Attorney ■ r ■ fVi-i qL- C_A—c-oV \ s» \--<- ^.y/2L. S, MS rs TIME WARNER CABLE Via Certified Mail/ Return Receipt Requested May 7, 2002 Ms. Tee-ann Hunter, Clerk Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Hunter: As you know, Time Warner Enteitainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership ("TWE-A/N") has been granted a franchise to operate a cable television system in your community. I am writing as part of our on going efforts to keep you apprised of developments involving TWE-A/N. TWE-A/N is organized as a general partnership. The managing general partner of TWE-A/N is Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. ("TWE"), AOL Time Warner indirectly holds approximately 75% of the ownership of TWE. The remaining interest in TWE, approximately 25%, is held by MediaOne TWE Holdings, Inc. ("MediaOne") an entity indirectly owned by AT&T Corp. ("AT&T"). AT&T's interest in TWE is non-voting and passive. In other words, AT&T has no managerial authority or control over TWE or TWE- A/N. As you may have read, AT&T and Comcast Corporation have announced a transaction whereby their respective cable television holdings (including AT&T's 25% interest in TWE) will be combined under AT&T/Comcast Corporation ("AT&T/Comcast"). While we do not believe this transaction requires any action on your part, we wanted you to be aware of this development. The AT&T/Comcast transaction will have absolutely no impact on our cable system or its operations. TWE-A/N will continue to exist and operate as before. In particular: • The franchise will continue to be held by TWE-A/N. There will be no transfer or assignment of the franchise or the cable system. • There will be no change in the partners of TWE-A/N or the ownership of TWE-A/N itself. • The local management and staff will remain the same. • There will be no change in our commitment to provide our customers with the best in programming choices and customer service at a competitive rate. • This transaction will have no impact on our business policies or practices. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance. We certainly value the fi ne relationship we have with your community. Sincerely, _ . , Thomas P. Doheny General Manager Cc: Ms. Catherine Valentino, Supervisor 50 YEAHs ')/') Ih'sl Slii/f S/ri'rl hlitini. .\) Tv! hOT.JT-. TsT't mv.14.2002 1:42PM SCC ELMIRfi RD NO.40S P.2 I. ^4*^ Ms. Catherine Valentino Town Board 215 Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 To Whom it May Concern, 5/8/02 I am writing this letter to support the town bringing municipal water up Bums Road. My two-year-old daughter attends childcare at Happy Heart located in Sharon Hilker's home. Sharon's private well water is unable to pass the Health Department tests that would allow Sharon to use her water with the children. This is a great concern for us. We send our daughter to Happy Hearts because it is a wonderful, nurturing, and enriching environment for small children. Sharon is a very highly qualified care provider, and we feel extremely fortunate to have been blessed with her in our lives to care for our daughter. Brianna, our daughter, was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive Syndrome at one year old due to extremely poor weiglit gain, Brianna has undergone intensive and invasive testing to ^e out sweral serious health conditions. Fortunately, Brianna has been gaining weight, and is very healthy today. Obviously, her food and water intake is a great concern because of this condition. We would urge the Town Board to consider bringing municipal water up Bums road to Sharon's house. We are on municipal water ourselves, and know that we can trust that it is safe, and healthy. As tax paying citizens, we hope that we can have some smgll say in how our tax dollars are being spent. Thank you for considering our request. Sincerely, Paul and Maria Muscente 20 Saunders Road Ithaca, NY 14850 272-2090 Michelle Benedict-Jones 135 Iradell Road Ithaca, New York 14850 May 14, 2002 Town Clerk Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 f® Dear Town Clerk: I am a resident of the Town of Ithaca and have been asked by my neighbors to inquire as to the possibility of getting municipal water service on Iradell Road. We live on the section of Iradell Road between Trumansburg Road and Sheffield Road. We understand that a pump station will be put on Wolf Lane, and are hopeful that our section of Iradell Road will be included in any new water service the Town of Ithaca is planning. About three years ago, we sent the Town of Ithaca a petition signed by all of our neighbors requesting municipal water service for our neighborhood. That petition should be on file with the Town. This petition was our response to a very dry summer that saw a number of our wells run dry. We are fearful that that situation could happen again. We would appreciate any consideration that you could give to including our section of Iradell Road in any plans for expanded municipal water service with the new pump station on Wolf Lane. Thank you very much for your assistance. Sincerely, Michelle Benedict-J Cornell College of Arts and Sciences Catherine Valentino, Town Board 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY Department of Music Cornell University Lincoln Hall Ithaca, NY 14853-4101 Telephone: 607 255-4097 Fax: 607 254-2877 Web: arts.cornell.edu/miisic % I m May 16,2002 Dear Ms. Valentino, This letter is on behalf of the request of Sharon Hilker and Happy Hearts Daycare to be connected to the municipal water system. Both our daughters, ages two and four, attend Happy Hearts. This truly remarkable place is crucial not only in the lives of our entire family, but is a vital community resource for some dozen families. This is not to mention the outstanding outreach programs, such as the monthly trips to visit the residents of Longview Nursing Home, and other charity events that Sharon involves the children in. Happy Hearts is a crucial part of the social fabric of Ithaca; as an employer, care-giver, and model of service. Sharon's commitment to the children she works with is truly awe-inspiring, not only for the creativity and love she brings to her direction of the daycare, but because of the demands of the job itself. Unfortunately, she has experienced serious difficulties with her water system, thus massively increasing the demands of the job. Although she has found alternative solutions for procuring drinking and bathing water, thus safeguarding the health of her children, this situation is certainly placing unfair demands on her. Given the centrality of this institution in so many lives, and the indispensable service this daycare provides in nurturing so many young people, we believe the Town Board should seriously consider extending water to Happy Hearts. Sharon Hilker's commitment to this community is a long-term one; it seems to us that the community's reciprocal commitment to her, in providing her with water, would make it possible for her to continue this service for many years to come. Sincerely, / David Yearsh Assistant Professor of Music / Annette Richards Associate Professor Music and University Organist 219Trafev lthad4,J^IY|j:'1485 ao .com JIW -4 2001 Supervisor Catherine Valentino Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Supervisor Valentino: As an advocate for persons with disabilities, it has come to may attention that in several areas the town is not in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in regard to reserved parking for individuals with disabilities. I would be glad to point out these areas to you so that this situation can be remedied. 1 am confident that you will want to correct this matter so that all citizens will have access to the goods and services available in our community. Since ADA has been on the books for over a decade, I believe whatever corrections are necessary should be made within a reasonable length of time. I would also like to remind you that Title II of the ADA does not invalidate state or local laws that provide greater or equal protection for the rights of individuals with disabilities. Please advise me by what date town residents with disabilities can expect the Town of Ithaca to be in full compliance with the ADA as far as parking is concerned. With warm weather upon us, this seems like the ideal time to get the job done. I am certain your prompt consideration of this matter will be greatly appreciated by all caring people in our community. Sincerely, ^ John ^ynolds rBI.THISSHEETISINTELEDTODEPICTTHEDIIENSIONALREQUIREMENTSOFTYPICALACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPACES.THESIDEWALK.CURBING.PAVEMENTANDANEELSTOPMATERIALSSNAILBEASSPECIFIEDELSEmIEREINTHECONTRACTSDOCWZNTS.2.MINIMIMNUMBERTOTALSPACESMINIMLNMJEROFINLOTACCESSIBLESPACESIT025IZGTOSO25110753?GTOIOO4101To1505151TO2006201TO3007301To4003401TO5009501TO10002ZOFTOTALEXCEPTION:PARKINGAREASONTHEPREMISESCi,ORIMMEDIATELYAOJACENTTo,MEDICALSERVICESFACILITIESPROVIDINGTREATMENTFORMOBILITYIWAIREDPERSONSANDOTHERSIMILARLOCATIONSMAYREQUIREAGREATERNUMBEROFACCESSIBLEPAaINGSPACESTHANINDICATEDABOVE.REFERTOTHEAPPLICABLEACCESSIBILITYSTANDARD.3.LOCATION-PARKINGSPACESFORUSEBYPERSOAGWIThDISABILITIESSHALLBETIESPACESCLOSESTTOTHENEARESTACCESSIBLEWILOWGGFACILITYENTRANCEONANACCESSIBLEROUTE.9,BEATLEAST2440ITmIWIDEANDSHALLNAVEANPEIPENOICULARTOTHESTALLSTRIPETO5.COMMONACCESSAISLESFOR900PARKING-TWOACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPLSlAYSHAREACOMMONACCESSAISLE.FORACUTEANGLEDPARKING.SUCHASEd’PARKING.ORWHEREONEWAYDRIVEWAYAISLESWDIADPREVENTVANSWITHPASSENGERSIDELIFTSFROMBACKINGINTOACCESSIBLESPACES.ANACCESSIBLEACCESSAISLEMUSTBEPROVIDEDFOREACHACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPACE.6.SIGNING-EACHACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPACESHALLBEMARKEDBYPERMANENTLYINSTALLEDABOVEGROO1OSIGNSWHICHDISPLAYTHEINTERNATIONALSYMBOLOFACCESS.EACHCOMMONACCESSAISLESHALLEUARKEDBYPERMANENTLYINSTALLEDABOVEGROUNDSIGNSINDICATINGTHATPARKINGISNOTPERMITTEDIN(HEAISLE.SIGNSSHALLNOTBLOCKWEACCESSIBLECLEARWIDThOFADJACENTWALKWAYSORBELOCATEDWHERETHEYILAYBEHITPYVEHICLESBEINGPARKED.THEBOTTOMOFSIGNSLOCATEDINWALKWAYAREASShALLBEATLEAST2032mmABOVETHEWALKWAYSURFACE.THEBOTTOMOFSIGNSLOCATEDINNON-WALKWAYARESSHALLBEBETWEEN1525wnAND2134smABOVEWEPARKINGSPACEPAVEMENTSLPFACE.1.SURFACESLOPES-ACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPACESANDACCESSAISLESSHALLBELEVELWITHSURFACESLOPESNOTEXCEEDING1:50INALLDIRECTIONS.8.OVERHEADCLEARANCEVEHICLEACCESSROUTESTO1140FROMACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPACES.INCLJINGINGARAGESANDOPENPARKINGSTRUCTURES.SHALLHAVEAMINIMLPAVERTICALCLEARANCEOF2896mm.SECTiONA-A9.PAVEMENTMARKINGCOLORS-REQUIREDACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPACEANDACCESSSLESTIP!?:GANDDTHqOPTIONALPAVEMENTMARKINGS.SUDIASTHEINTERNATIONALACCESSSYMBOL.SHALLBEPAINTEDWHITEORBLUE.ID.SEETHESTANDARDSHEETIDEWALKCURBRAMPOLTAILrFOROTHERTYPESOFCURBRAMPSTHATMAYBEAPPROPRIATEFORCERTAINSITECONDITIDNLRompMox.Slope1:12SeeNote6BottomOfSgn•NonWwayAreaCurbing.SeeNoteISignOrNaParkingSign6100STALLLAYOUTACCESSIBLEPARKING100mmWideBlueOrWhiteStripesDiagonalStripes45Ang(e,610mnOnCenterDrivewayAi&eSign-CurbingLotSeeNoteIAccessibleRainsSidewc*cSeeNoteIReservedParklngTypicalEachSpaceSeeNote6WheelStopITypicol)CrassSlopesNotToExceed1:50InAllDirectionsInPa-kingSpacesAndAccessAisleBreakawaySupportPa-king’SqnACCESSIBLEPARKINGI:SDInAlDirectionsInParkingSpccosAndAccessAisleN.Y.M.U.T.C.D.51cmNa.P4-6CrossSlopesNotToExceedHSOInAUDirectionsInrtan.,—Smoath.FlushTronsitianN.Y.M.U.T.C.D.SiiNa.P1-2tan.CurbRompSlope1:12OrFlatterSTALLLAYOUTACCESSIBLECurbingPARKINCSECTIONB-BACCESSIBLEPARKINGTYPICAL4.DIMENSIONS-ACCESSIBLEPARKINGSPACESSHALLADJACENTACCESSAISLE2440nunWIDEMEASUREDACCOMMODATEVANSWITHLIFTS.SPACEAISLESIGNINGlO5x460)GDr.NOTE:ALLDIMENSIONSINMILLIMETERSU1LESSOTHERWISENOTEDSTATEOFNEWYOREOEPARTMENTOfTRANSPORTATIONMETRICSTANDARDSHEETDETAILSACCESSIBLEPARKINGFORPERSONSWITHDISABILITIES1996CECHIELENGIFELESICmISSUEDUNDEREL96-019M608-4 Tompkins County BOARD OF REPRESENTATIV Courthouse, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Telephone: (607) 274-5434 Fax: (607) 274-54 w'^'w.toiiipkins-co.org Cathy Valentino Ithaca Town Supervisor 215 N. Tioga St. Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Valentino, June 5, You asked me to describe how the County intended to proceed in relation to towns when siting any new towers that may be necessary for our emergency communications system. The County intends, if at all practicable, to site and construct necessary towers in conformance with local rules and regulations. The County will provide to the appropriate Town agency all the information required under local laws or regulations. It will also provide any other information the town might desire if it is reasonably available. We will work with Town regulatory agencies and attempt to modify plans to conform with either Town standards or desires. Should it be necessary to build a tower that is out of compliance with local standards, we hope that this will be done with the understanding and endorsement of the Town. As Chair of the County Board I remain committed to searching for mutually acceptable solutions to specific problems and issues rather than engaging in struggles over who has the final authority. Sincerely, Tim Joseph Chair, Tompkins County Board of Representatives Recycled paper Catherine Valentino Town of Ithaca Board of Representatives Ithaca, NY June 6, 2002 Dear Catherine Valentino, As the parents of a young child at Happy Hearts Nursery School we are requesting that the Town of Ithaca supply municipal water to the homes on Bums Road. Happy Hearts, owned and operated by Sharon Hilker, provides our family, and currently at least 12 other families, with excellent childcare and learning experiences. As you may know, there are not enough childcare providers in Ithaca so we are fortunate to have discovered Happy Hearts. It has come to our attention that because of the quality of the well water our daughter's teachers must boil water for play activities and/or purchase water for the children to drink — this is an additional chore and expense for an already busy crew of hard working teachers. We ask that you give this your immediate attention. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, & Linda Cimakasky If6^ ^ n JIM 10 2002 tTHACA town CLERK DATE: June 7, 2002 TO: Town of Ithaca Town Board Town of Ithaca Planning Board FROM: Bruce Brittain and Doug Brittain RE: Proposed Revisions to Town Zoning Ordinance We were pleased to see the many positive changes in the proposed Zoning Ordinance. The new Conservation and Lakefront Residentii welcome addition, as is the proposed major increase in the amount of land which is zoned Agricultural. Allowing mixed use (commercial and residential) in Commercial zones, and second dwelling units in accessory buildings in some Residential Zones are also major improvements. The review and approval process has also been revised, clarified and simplified. It is clear that a tremendous amount of thought and hard work has gone into this proposed revision, which is a great improvement over the existing ordinance. We are also pleased that the Town Board is seeking public input early in the process, before the plan is set in stone. And by making copies of the proposed new Ordinance so readily available, both in hardcopy and electronic format, you should receive much more informed feedback from the public. While there is much to be proud of, however, there are still some areas that seem to have been overlooked or avoided. Staff seem justifiably proud that the Zoning Ordinance has been revised to incorporate video stores (a business which had not existed the last time the Ordinance was revised), and that the Agricultural Zone has been increased in size (and right-to-farm provisions added), in order to help farming ~ a declining industry. But what about higher education? Something is wrong when the largest industry in the Town (and County) is not even recognized in the Zoning Ordinance. It is important for the Town to decide what uses would be appropriate in a Campus Zone, and what the boundaries for the zone would be. By not doing so, planning decisions are left to Cornell and Ithaca College, with the Town limited to granting (or denying) Special Permits and Approvals. The lack of a new Campus Zone represents a major lost opportunity in the proposed revised Zoning Ordinance. In addition, it seems inappropriate to simply keep the existing Residential zoning for Cornell-owned land in the vicinity of campus. Although the proposed Zoning Ordinance designates much of the Six Mile and Buttermilk Creek areas as Conservation Zone, there is no similar protection for the undeveloped land adjacent to Fall Creek (including Plantations land) or Cascadilla Creek. Just because the land adjacent to these creeks is owned by Cornell does not mean that it should not be zoned Conservation. Likewise, Cornell-owned land which is currently under cultivation could be zoned Agricultural. A blanket use of Low and Medium Density Residential cannot substitute for a considered use of Campus, Conservation and Agricultural Zones. And, as before, it should be up to the Town to decide what the boundaries of these areas would be, in order to help direct and buffer the future development of the Cornell campus. We understand that the rezoning of Cornell University and Ithaca College lands is a complex issue, and one which might unnecessarily delay the adoption of the rest of the proposed Zoning Ordinance. If you decide to delay that aspect of the new zoning until later, that may be okay, but let's not forget that it's still on the agenda. Another part of the proposed Zoning Ordinance which we would like to see changed is that of parking lot specifications. It would be a major improvement for the Town to require parking lots to include trees, and to recommend the use of porous or discontinuous paving surfaces (such as brick, block, gravel or turf block), rather than black-top. As we recall, Floyd Forman (former Town of Ithaca Planner), indicated that his home town in Massachusetts required one tree for every four parking spaces. Performing a Google search on "parking trees ordinance" turns up some very interesting material, including specific ordinance language. Greenville, SC, requires one tree for every 15 parking spaces and one shrub for every five parking spaces. The City- Parish Planning Commission of Baton Rouge, LA, requires one large or two small trees for every 12 to 25 parking spaces, depending on the size of the lot. Burlington, NC, requires that a minimum of one shade tree shall be provided for every 3,000 square feet of vehicular surface area, and that no parking space shall be more than 50 ft from the trunk of a shade tree or further than 75 feet from two or more shade trees. The Cities of Sunnyvale and Sacramento, CA, both require that trees shall be planted and mmntained throughout surface parking lots to ensure that at least fifty percent of the parking area will be shaded within fifteen years after the establishment of the lot. Durham, NC, requires that vehicle parking areas containing 4 or more parking spaces shall provide a landscaped area, adjacent to and outside of the street right-of-way, equal to 6 square feet for each linear foot of street frontage, with one 2 - 2 V2 inch caliper tree for every 30 linear feet of frontage. Burlington, NC, requires six inches of tree diameter for every 50 linear feet of street frontage. Burlington further states that it shall be the responsibility of property owners to maintain in perpetuity all landscaping required pursuant to its zoning ordinance. (Googling "grass paver" and "turf block" also turns up enough sites to indicate that alternative paving technology is well-established and available.) If the Town of Ithaca were to adopt regulations similar to these, it would do much to beautify the parking lots we already have (which could be grandfathered-in, but brought into compliance when enlarged or rebuilt). It should also help to reduce controversy when new parking is proposed. One of the major concerns residents in the greater Ithaca area seem to have relative to development is the construction of big, ugly, runoff-producing parking lots. If the lots could be made to be more aesthetically pleasing and ecologically friendly, there might be less public outcry when a new one is proposed. Such a requirement of, say, one tree for every four parking spaces (or portion thereof) could be applied uniformly across all zoning categories. Thus, all single family residences would be required to have one tree near the driveway. Multiple residential areas with more parking would be required to have more trees, and large parking lots would have to have many trees. This change should be relatively easy to enact, and would make the Town of Ithaca a more pleasant place to live, to work and to shop. (It should be pointed out that much residential land already has enough trees to satisfy this regulation, and apparently so do some existing parking lots, such as the parking along Tower Road.) Another concern which many residents seem to have relative to development stems from the mass regrading of land, with the resulting destruction of natural land contours. This could be addressed by limiting the amount of regrading to plus or minus a few (4?) feet from the original ground contour (except within the building footprint or during construction). This would preserve the general lay of the land, while still allowing roads, buildings and the like to be developed. In addition to beautifying parking and preserving ground contours, it seems that the Town could be doing more to support "Smart Growth." Smart Growth planning principles call for commercial establishments to be pedestrian-, bicycle- and transit- friendly. This often means locating buildings close to the road, with parking situated in the rear. For example. Bend, Oregon's off-street parking ordinance stipulates that motor vehicle parking areas shall be located and designed so as to facilitate safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle movement to and from public sidewalks, streets, and transit stops. This is achieved not only by locating buildings closer to the street, but also by providing raised or protected walkways through the parking lots, and by connecting on-site pedestrian walkways and bikeways to other existing pedestrian and bicycle facilities. We did not find language of this type in the Commercial section of the proposed Town of Ithaca Zoning Ordinance. We are pleased with the changes which have been incorporated into the proposed new Zoning Ordinance, and we commend you for your considerable efforts to date. The concerns that we have relate to the fact that the Zoning Ordinance hasnT gone far enough, or hasn't been completed, especially in regards to Cornell University. Fifty or 75 years from now. Town residents should be able to look back with satisfaction at how thoughtfully the Town has developed. We need a Zoning Ordinance that will cause this to happen. You have made an admirable start, and we encourage you to continue with this important process. Thank you for your consideration, and best of luck. xc: John Barney Jon Kanter Susan Ritter £^ELS1I3? THE ASSEMBLY STATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY STEVEN SANDERS 63rd District Room 036 Legislative Office Building Albany, New York 12248 (518) 455-5506 FAX (518) 455-4801 e-mail: sandersdassembly.state.ny.us CHAIRMAN Committee on Education COMMITTEES Cities Housing Rules Steering June 10,2002 Ms. Tee-Ann Hunter Town Clerk Town of Ithaca 215 N. fioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Hunter: Thank you for your recent correspondence sent to me, urging my opposition to the creation of the New York State Institute of Cultural Education, and the corresponding proposed funding of said Institute by quadrupling the present five dollars collected by all County Clerks and the Register of the City of New York on all recorded, indexed and entered documents to twenty dollars, effective July 1, 2002. 1 agree with the assertion that the Governor's desire to remove the State Archives, Museum, Library and Public Broadcasting from the Office of Cultural Education in the State Education Department, and replacing it with a public benefit corporation, NYICE, to be directed by political appointees, and funded by fees and foundation grants, sets a dangerous precedent. The Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund was established in 1989 to improve records management and archival administration in New York's local governments. The Fund supports a program of regionally based technical assistance and grants to local governments to improve and enhance the management of their records and information. The current LGRMIF grant application review process is designed to provide "peer review" of application, leading recommendations for grant awards to be made by the Commissioner of Education. By all accounts, it is a well managed program, with a strong record of helping local governments maintain unique local historical records, for the benefit of all New Yorkers. You will be gratified to learn that in the state budget for fiscal year 2002-2003, adopted May 16th, the Assembly Majority rejected the Governor's proposal to alter the current system by removing the LGRMIF from the auspices of SED, although we were unfortunately unsuccessful in preventing the increase in the fee, sought by the Senate and the Governor. Again, thank you for contacting me with your concerns. Sincerely, .c^ Steven Sanders Member of Assembly 201 East 16th Street, New York, New York 10003. (212) 979-9696, FAX (212) 979-0594, TDD (212) 979-2965 Room 2234, 250 Broadway, New York. New York 10007, (212) 312-1484, FAX (212) 312-1479 lAMES L SEWARD SENATOR, 50TH DISTRICT CHAIRMAN INSURANCE COMMITTEE SECRETARY MAjORITV CONFERENCE THE SENATE STATE OF NEW YORK □ ROOM 307 LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING ALBANY. NEW YORK 12247 (518) 455-3131 □ 41 S. MAIN STREET QNEONTA, NEW YORK 13820 (607) 432-5524 COBLESKILL(5l8) 234-8133 CORTLAND (607) 758-9005 HERKIMER (315) 866-1632 ITHACA (6071 272-4806 NORWICH 1607) 336-7309 July 3,2002 Hon. Tee-Ann Hunter Town Clerk 215 N. Tioga St. Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Hunter: Congratulations! I am pleased to infonn you that the State Education Commissioner Richai'd P. Mills has awai'ded the Town of Ithaca a $14,922 inactive records grant. I commend you for your leadership and initiative in applying for this grant and congratulate you on your success. As you know, the New York State Archives administers this grant program in consultation with Hhe Local Government Records Advisory Council. The Council, comprised of local government officials and records experts, reviewed all grants and made recommendations to Commissioner Mills, who made the final decision on grant awards. You will be receiving formal notification of this grant from the New York State Archives shortly. Again, congratulations on your success and please contact my office if I can be of assistance on your project. Sincerely yours, JLS/ecr S L. SEWARD te Senator TOWN OF ITHACA 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 www. town, ithaca. ny.us TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY (Roads, Parks, Trails, Water&Sewer) 273-1656 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PUNNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607) 273-1704 July 3, 2002 The Honorable George Pataki Executive Chamber Albany, NY 12224 Dear Governor Pataki: The Town of Ithaca received record rainfall on May 13,2002. This event followed several days of heavy rain and resulted in flash flooding throughout the Town. Because of steep sloped topography, storm water management in the Town of Ithaca is an ongoing challenge. One of our connector roads, Stone Quarry, is located on one of our steepest slopes and received extensive damage as a result of the storm. It is now officially closed to any through traffic and is extremely unsafe due to a 50 foot drop-off where there was once a shoulder. Our Town Highway Superintendent and Town Engineer estimate the cost of adequately repairing the road to prevent future flood damage at $500,000. For a small community that has an average annual highway repair budget of $90,000, the expenditure of this sum will have a wide-spread detrimental impact on our Town. The Town immediately explored the possibility of FEMA funding for the repair of the road. Unfortunately this repair project does not meet FEMA requirements because it is less than $750,000 and, because of the storm's isolated nature, no emergency was declared by the Govemor. We have explored other funding possibilities with no positive results. To protect the fiscal stability of my community, I am requesting your help in securing funds for the repair of Stone Quarry Road. It is evident from our research that the government has no safety net for communities caught in this unfortunate situation. I understand that elected officials have access to item money that could help us. Beyond our own immediate need, I recommend you look into legislation that could help small communities in similar unfortunate circumstances. From your record of public service, it is evident to us that you are supportive of local communities and willing to address their problems. Your assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Catherine Valentino Town Supervisor €*CEtSl^ THE ASSEMBLY STATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY MARTIN A. LUSTER Assemblyman 125th District CHAIRMAN Committee on Mental Health COMMITTEES Agriculture Energy Health Higher Education Majority Steering MEMBER Joint Legislative Commission on Rural Resources July 3, 2002 inn 6 E 1 W 6 I JUL - 9 2002 ATTEST ITHACA TOWN CLERK Catherine Valentino Town Supervisor, Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Dear Cathy, Thank you for your July 2"^* letter regarding the need for funding the repairs of Stone Quarry Road. I've made some inquiries on behalf of the Town and have been told that there is no minimum fund request for FEMA grants. However, there is a rather intensive review process and, as you may be aware, if the Feds fund the project, they are likely to undertake all management and oversight of the restoration. This, in all likelihood, can lead to a Stone Quarry Road that will barely resemble what has previously existed. As you may be aware, Assembly "member item" funding is generally limited to small grants and, in any event, my allocation for the state fiscal year 2002-03 has long been expended. Similarly, the new "c-cap" program, which might have been able to fund a portion of the Stone Quarry Road project, has also been accounted for. Although I have not yet heard from all sources, my sense is that there are no outstanding transportation grant programs that might provide assistance to the Town. However, I will follow-up on this. I wish the Town well with regard to this project and will keep my eyes and ears open for any source of assistance that might become available. Sincerely, Martini. Luster Member of Assembly 125'^ District MAL:lka □ ALBANY OFFICE: Room 826. Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248, (518) 455-5444 □ DISTRICT OFFICE: 106 East Court Street, Itfiaca, New York 14850, (607) 277-8030 «./ BOLTON POINT \ <(WATER)^ SOUTHERN CATUGA LAKE INTERMUNICIPAL WATER COMMISSION SVSTEM ''"^ACA, ^ MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1 78 Ithaca, N.Y. 14851 SHIPPING ADDRESS: 1402 East Shore Drive Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 COMMISSIONERS: H. MICHAEL NEWMAN Chairperson WALTER R. LYNN Vice Chairperson CATHERINE VALENTINO Treasurer RONALD ANDERSON STEPHEN FARKAS DONALD HARTILL CHRISTOPHER MICHAELS MEG OVERSTROM MARY RUSSELL MARK VARVAYANIS STEPHEN C. LIPINSKI Consutlont PAULTUNLSON General Manager LAWRENCE PARLETT Administration JACK RUECKHEIM Distribution KENNETH BUTLER Production TOWNS OF DRYDEN • ITHACA • LANSING — VILLAGES OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS • LANSING (607) 277-0660—FAX (607) 277-3056—E-MAIL SCLIWC@aoLcom July 9, 2002 Honorable Alan J. Cohen Mayor - City of Ithaca 108 East Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Dear Alan: ol li-UXLI JUL 1 1 2002 ATTEST. ITHACA TOWN CLERK The Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission has asked me, as Chairman of the Commission, to communicate with you regarding the need to either conclude or terminate the discussions regarding inclusion of the City as a member of the Commission. In April 2001, a proposal was submitted to the City for inclusion of the City in the Commission. While there have been sporadic meetings, to this date we have not received a concrete response from the City indicating which provisions of the proposal are acceptable and which, if any, are not. The Commission is at a point where it needs to move forward on a number of projects relating to the water treatment plant and transmission facilities. Some of these projects can proceed independent of whether the City is, or is not, going to be a member of the Commission. Others depend on our expected load in the years ahead and the capacity required to meet that load. In view of the foregoing, the Commission believes we need to set a timetable to bring closure to the matter. Accordingly, if the City is interested in becoming a member participant with the other member municipalities of the Commission, we expect to receive a written, detailed, specific response to the proposed Agreement which the Commission provided to the City well over a year ago. As you know, Cornell University has opted out of becoming a member of the Commission and has also chosen not to lease its facility to the Commission. We recognize that certain changes will have to be made in the proposed Agreement due to Cornelfs withdrawal. That can be accomplished when the next iteration of the Agreement is drafted. However, the Commission will draft no further agreements unless and until the City has provided its written response. If we do not receive the written response by September 1. 2002, we will assume that the City is no longer interested in becoming a member municipality of the Commission and proceed accordingly. Excellence in water quality and customer .service If the City has responded as requested above by September 1, 2002, we would expect to complete the negotiations and reach a tentative agreement no later than December 31, 2002, with ratification and approval by all of the municipal partners to occur no later than March 1, 2003. If the process fails to meet these milestones, it is the Commission's intention to recommend to the current member municipalities that the negotiations be terminated and that the Commission proceed without the City as a member. We look forward to receiving your response by September C. Very truly yours. H. Michael Newman, Chair Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission xc: Commissioners Division of Facilities Services Original in Lake Source Cooling Box Dt-i'<irluk'iil oflllililu-<iiiiii I'elephone: <>07 255 Miiiui;ii'iiicnl \-,w. ()07 23: Wel>: www.iitilitif Curnell Uni\ fr>itv Humplireys Sfivice Building Irli.H'.i, NY I l.s3,1-37()i July 12, 2002 Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca. New York 14850 Attn: Ms. Mary Russell Deputy Supervisor llii JUL 1 5 200Z TGvvr^i Oh* iTi-iACA PLA'Y'-i'i i3, .".C;. r:''^3:^'•.•^:R!NGi Subject; Dear Mary, Lake Source Cooling Data Thanks for your letter of June 12 to Lanny Joyce and the subsequent June 25 letter from Benchmark Environmental Engineering & Science, requesting additional Lake Source Cooling (LSC) data. We would like to resolve any LSC data issues and clear up any questions about its validity. We have provided the Town's consultant with the data that our consultant. Upstate Freshwater Institute (UFI), has reported, which includes significantly more data than called for in the data sharing group (DSG) agreement. The agreement specifically stated that data "accumulated for the DEC water quality monitoring requirement" be provided to the DSG. Cornell has spent significant additional funds to collect this extra data on a voluntary basis for the years immediately surrounding start-up. Data collected by others (City of Ithaca, Village of Cayuga Heights, NYS DEC, etc.) are also being analyzed on a voluntary basis. All of this additional data is not needed to comply with the conditions of the SPDES permit and therefore is not part of the DEC monitoring requirement Nonetheless, we have provided all of these data since 1999 in the form of comprehensive annual reports prepared by UFI. The reports including all of the data taken by UFI, have been available to all via the Lake Source Cooling web site for quite some time. There is one data set unrelated to water quality that has not been reported, namely, the monitoring related to the impact on biological organisms. The preliminary data, which was discussed at a spring 2001 DSG meeting, indicated that the entrainment of mysid shrimp was at the level of 1- 2 organisms per 1000 gallons of water pumped. First year data indicated that this level was approximately 3 shrimp per 1000 gallons. This current level of entrainment is not thought to have a significant effect on the lake's ecosystem. This information has been discussed in draft form with the NYS DEC and will be shared with the DSG once it is final. Collection of this data is ongoing, including testing the effectiveness / need for the light deterrent system at the intake structure. Very preliminary results indicate that the light deterrent system does not seem to have a consistent effect on the entrainment rate. The anticipated completion of this work is fall 2002. Unfortunately, the June 25"' Benchmark letter did not clarify the specific additional information needed that is not already included in the annual reports. In order to resolve this, we have arranged for a meeting between all parties involved on July 18, 2002 from 2:00 - 4:00pm iii room 133 of Humphreys Service Building. It is our hope that we will be able to address all disagreements or misunderstandings about the data at that time. We would be interested in reviewing any reports or other types of information that Benchmark has provided the Town to try and understand their dilemma. If there were any other clarifying documents or information that would be helpful to expedite this process, these would be welcomed. Sincerely, jun Adams Cc: Hal Craft Henry Doney Karen Edelstein John Gutenberger Kate Hackett Nancy Schuler Daniel Winch MAURICE D. HINCHEY 26TH DISTRICT, NEW YORK COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEES; AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. AND RELATED AGENCIES INTERIOR Consre£(£( of tlje ®mteti ^tatcg ^ou&t of Eeprescntatibcs Mlafifjinston, iSC 20515-3226 July 18,2002 The Honorable Catherine Valentino Supervisor, Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga St. Ithaca, New York 14850 Dear Ms. Valentino: Thank you for contacting my office and seeking my help in your efforts to repair Stone Quarry Road in the Town of Ithaca. I am sorry to hear about the extensive damage caused by heavy rains last May and can appreciate the burden this places on the Town's budget. I have looked into ways in which the federal government might assist you but regret to report that, in the absence of a disaster declaration, there is little direct federal funding available. As you correctly point out in your July 2 letter, the Governor made no such declaration following the storms in May. Federal earmarked funding is unlikely because funding is extremely limited this year and because the federal government already provides funding intended for this sort of work through formula grants to the states. As you probably know, getting this project included in the local Transportation Improvement Program, managed by Ithaca's Metropolitan Planning Organization, is necessary in order to receive the federal aid administered by the NYS Department of Transportation. I have taken the liberty of contacting NYS DOT and the Ithaca- Tompkins Transportation Council on your behalf to discuss the importance of repairing Stone Quarry Road. These entities informed my office that this project could receive priority placement on the five-year TIP plan, should you decided to submit an application this Fall. You may contact Ithaca-Tompkins Transpoilalion Council (274.5570) for more information on this process. Thanks again for contacting me about this matter. I enjoyed hearing from you. Sincerely, WASHINGTON OFFICE; 2431 RAVBURN BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20515-3226 (202)225-6335 BINGHAMTON OFFICE: 100A FEDERAL BUILDING BINGHAMTON, NY 13901 (607) 773-2768 KINGSTON OFFICE; 291 WALL STREET KINGSTON, NY 12401 (845) 331-4466 ITHACA OFFICE: 123 S. CAVUGA ST.. SUITE 201 ITHACA, NV 14850 (607)273-1388 MONTICELLO OFFICE: (845)791-7116 s LiJJ-A,!:!M mn-M jljyj -I Maurice D. Hinchey T?f3TTA PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER 07/25/2002 09:08 6072572314 PAGE 01 To: TimMiddlebrook (fax 845-486-0635) From: Bob Nicholas, 107 Updike Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (H) 607-277-5359 or (W) 607-257-0456 25 July 2002 Re: Water Damage Claim Enclosed with this fax are bills for expenses sustained due to the negligence of emplo/ees and/or contractors of the Town of Ithaca. They are itemized as follows: * Remove and replace ceiling, painting of walls/ceiHng, etc $ 1,144.25 * Replacement Futon and deh very fee $ 417.44 * Wood trim (after new caipet was laid) $ 16.01 * Removal/disposal of saturated caipet/underlay, hire of air movers, dehumidifier, etc. (see ServiceMaster invoice) $ 1,008.09 * Lay Carpet, underlay, etc. $ 703.73 * Purchase of paint for bathroom and bedroom $ 78.78 * Repair of water supply pipe to bathroom $ 113.67 Invoice Totals $3,481.97 This figure does not include approximately $ 40 required to run the air movers and dehumidifier for three days, nor does it include approximately $ 60 for damage to var. ous CDs and audio tapes that were ruined. Also not included is the cost of laundering clot^-es, general cleaning, time and gas in running around replacing all these things, loss of the use of the room, loss of leisure time, and general inconvenience and aggravation. During Ihe moving of items from the room, an antique roll-top desk was badly damaged and will require extensive repairs. All this needs to be taken into account when you cut your check to compensate us. Your insurance assessor calculated the damage at almost $ 3,100, which did not include the costs of the futon, the need to replace wallpaper, replacement of CDs/tapes, electricity, etc. Please send a check for the remainder of our claim immediately so that we can settle the remaining costs associated with this incident. bert A oz- -i ^ \ U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Disability Rights Section - NYA 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W. Washington, DC 20530 I 2DRS-02-18 2NY062 204-50-210 July 31, Catherine Valentino Supervisor Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Dear Ms. Valentino: The purpose of this letter is to inform you that we have closed our investigation of the Town of Ithaca for alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). As you know, in an attempt to facilitate informal resolution of this dispute, we referred the dispute to a mediation service. We have been informed that mediation did not fully resolve the dispute. After a careful review of this matter, and in light of our heavy workload and limited resources, we have decided to discontinue this investigation without pursuing it to full resolution. We have informed the complainant of our decision. Our decision should not be construed as a determination that the Town of Ithaca has not violated the ADA. Nor does this determination affect the rights of private citizens, who are entitled under the ADA to bring actions in Federal district court for violations of the ADA. We also maintain the authority to conduct compliance reviews under the ADA, even in the absence of a particular complaint. We may at any time decide to conduct a compliance review or to re-open our investigation. We encourage you to call our toll-free ADA Information Line, 1-800-514-0301 (voice), or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY), if you have any questions about how to comply with the ADA. You may also wish to call your regional ADA Technical Assistance Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. By calling 1-800-949 -4ADA (voice and TTY), you will be connected automatically to the center serving your region. The center can assist you In understanding the ADA and can refer you to local entitles or individuals who may be able to provide further assistance. Sincerely, Sally Conway ^ Accessibility Specialist Disability Rights Section N CLERK archive copy To: Cathy Valentino, Ithaca Town Supervisor Co: Andy Frost, Building and Zoning, Town of Ithaca Ann Barnes, Ithaca High School June Losurdo, Tompkins County Chapter American From: Renwick Heights residents Re: Noise levels during cancer fundraiser Date: July 30, 2002 On the evening of Friday, July 12, and continuing on until Saturday morning, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, sponsored by the Tompkins County chapter, held its annual fundraising event at the Ithaca High School track/football field. The goals of the organization and the 1,400 people who participated as walkers, sponsors, supporters, musicians, and service providers are certainly laudable and we are sure their hard work will benefit those who suffer from cancer. Unfortunately, the residents of the Renwick Heights neighborhood were forced to pay too high a price for this community effort. Despite the good-will gesture of the organizers in canvassing the neighborhood prior to the event, those onsite the night of the relay nonetheless forgot that people live near the track and go to sleep (some even go to work on Saturday morning). Loud music and announcements blared from the loudspeakers all evening and into the night and early morning. Complaints to the sheriffs department were met with a slight dial-down of the volume, but not enough to afford neighbors a night of undisturbed sleep. (The coup de grace was the 5:15 am wake-up call to the walkers, which woke up most of Renwick Heights as well.) The neighbors are well acquainted with cheers and announcements emanating from the stadium: we hear the roars during football games and other athletic events. But those activities cease at an appropriate hour; this one went on and on and on. Perhaps the organizers can look for another venue where the activities will not interfere with the sleep of an entire neighborhood. Alternatively, they can reduce the volume. The sound need only travel 100 yards, the length of a football field;'there is no need for it to be loud enough to disturb residents through closed windows (on a summer night!) a half-mile or more away. Why not invite walkers to '1 oJ (R bring "walk-mans" and then broadcast the music and announcements over a pre-set radio band, as local health clubs do with TV broadcasts in their facilities? Surely with just a little thought, the Cancer Society could find a way to be a good neighbor. In a similar vein, town officials should consider the concerns of the residents; perhaps even ask for their input before awarding a permit for an all-night, noisemaking event at the stadium. At a minimum, the town should grant such permits only with restrictions on the use of the public address system in the post- midnight hours, j J r\ ' ' ii- ^ (A,4 Jb ^ , ' 9.JJA) tM 130 A-""- ^ / ^CnLuidC ll-k. ^,il^^CynCOtck^yj^j^^ jUffyu^ <^3^ fymuuLO^ , (Jc 2-36^^^* yf PnW A AA4a(( £ 1~ A i/v-€,i/Vi-j\iX<_ fLg,( (lLv\''JCi,L f-£ -Ax\jk^iVt^^7 / ^ s/\ P:Ln/u /S^.c^ 1-33 /3^4v.V/c ) i-O I o<b P/^ice^ 1 Dr?ivw Tompkins County Senior Citizens' Council Inc. A private organization in public service 119 West Court Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Telephone: (607) 273-1511 Fax: (607) 272-8060 E-mail: council@tcsenior.org August 1,2002 A1 Carvill, Budget Officer Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 \ Dear Mr. Carvill: We are extremely grateful to the Town of Ithaca for its support of the Senior Citizens' Council. We would request that the Town Board consider continuing its support in 2003 at $8400. In 2001 the number of Town of Ithaca residents participating in Council sponsored programs were as follows: ¨ 225 took part in regular weekly activities at the Senior Center. ¨ 100 (approximately 27% of active volunteers) were Retired and Senior Volunteer Program - RSVP volunteers. They performed 13,942 hours of service (22% of the total hours reported for the year). TTiey served as tax counselors, health insurance counselors, drove Gadabout, worked in libraries and museums, assisted with bloodmobiles, etc. ¨ 250 participated in Senior Citizens' Council unit activities. ¨ 33 took part in walks held on trails in the Town of Ithaca. Town of Ithaca Residents participated in the annual Seniors Walk for Fitness at Stewart Park and/or the Heart Walk at Pyramid Mall. ¨ 45 Town of Ithaca residents received Health Insurance Counseling. ¨ 2,842 Town of Ithaca senior citizen households receive the quarterly newsletter "Senior Circle". The newsletter provides usefiil information on Ton^kins County aging services and programs, as well as helpful tips for keeping fit. ¨ 174 participated in the "Senior Circuit", the Council's life long learning program Town of Ithaca residents also benefit fi-om the annual flu clinics, which are conducted by the County Health Department. The Senior Citizens' Council locates the sites, trains Retired and Senior Volunteer Progi-am — County Health and Wellness Progi'am — Senior Center — Senior Circuit volunteers, to handle the paperwork and oversees the operation of these clinics. In 2001/02 season over 2,496 flu shots were administered at these clinics. Through the Senior Citizens' Council Town of Ithaca residents have access to health insurance counseling, tax counseling, health screening clinics, safe driving courses, discounted bus tickets, photo copying and most importantly a friendly and helpful staff who answer numerous questions and help Senior Citizens access other services they may need. I am enclosing a copy of the agencies 2002 Annual Report. Sincerely, Peg Hopper Executive Director. Enc. George M. Dentes District Attorney ¥ attest fjHACA ins County T ATTORNEY ortli Tioga Street , New York 14850 r" •• :r.; i- t -}-: Telephone (607) 274-5461 ^"^^^ITHACATOVVN Ct Hon. Catherine Valentino 215 N. Tioga St. Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Valentino: August 1, 2002 Re: 2003 County Budget The current County fiscal crisis threatens to greatly increase the Town of Ithaca's legal expenses, and this is the time to express any objections or concerns you may have to your representatives on the County Board. The County's fiscal situation has led the Board of Representatives to ask County departments to aim for a 20% reduction in spending. If that holds, the District Attorney's Office will be forced to layoffs Assistant District Attorneys, reducing our staff of A.D.A.'s from 5.63 to 2.63. These A.D.A.'s are the front-line prosecutors who handle cases in the local criminal courts, including Ithaca Town Court. If the reduction in staff occurs, we will be forced to cut back on our prosecution efforts in the local criminal courts. Specifically, we will cease prosecuting lower level offenses in the local criminal courts, and will turn responsibilityfor those prosecutions over to the municipal attorneys (or such other attorneys as you may designate). We contemplate that the offenses initially turned over to the municipal attorneys would be sub-criminal offenses, including things like Speeding, Disorderly Conduct, Unlawful Possession of Marihuana, and Harassment, but this may be extended to include selected misdemeanor offenses if necessary to relieve case pressures on our remaining staff. In effect, the Town of Ithaca will be forced to hire its own Town Prosecutor similar to the City Prosecutor that exists in the City of Ithaca. Of course, the Town could refuse to take on this burden, but in that event the offenses would go completely unprosecuted. I am not happy about this prospective delegation of prosecution authority and believe it will disserve the public. Municipalities will incur considerable expense to pay attorneys for litigating scores of cases annually. Inconsistent plea bargaining policies are likely to be adopted, leading to unfairness between County residents charged in one municipality versus another. Court clerks, judges, police officers, defense attorneys, and victims will have to deal with the confusion that follows uncertainty about which prosecutor's office is handling a case, and the further confusion that results when a case shifts from one prosecutor's office to another after charges are reduced or upgraded. Recycled paper Hon. Catherine Valentino August 1, 2002 page 2 There is good reason for the Town of Groton and other municipalities in the County to object to this prospective shift in prosecution expense. New York State law provides that prosecution is the District Attorney's responsibility, stating in section 700 of the County Law: It shall be the duty of every District Attomey to conduct all prosecutions for crimes and offenses cognizable by the courts of the County for which he shall have been elected or appointed. Clearly, this State law contemplates that all prosecutions in the local criminal courts are to be handled by the District Attomey, and, therefore, that the expense of those prosecutions is to be borne by the County. But the courts have interpreted section 700 to permit District Attorneys to delegate prosecution authority to others (see, People v Soddano. 86 NY2d 727 [1995]), and that is what we will be forced to do if our staff is decimated in the manner currently being contemplated. I hope that you will consider the adverse impact on the Town of Ithaca from such a change, and that you will write to your representatives on the County Board to make your feelings known. Now is the time to do this. Budget documents are being distributed to County Board members this week, and review of budgets by program committees (including the Public Safety Committee, which reviews our budget) will occur in August. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call.' John Barney, Esq. Hon. Clarence Larkin Hon. Ray Bordoni eorge M. Dentes District Attomey 123 Renwick Drive Ithaca, New York 14850 August 5, 2002 Mr. Fred Noteboom, Highway Superintendent Town of Ithaca Highway Department 107 Seven Mile Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Mr. Noteboom, We want to thank you |or the arrangements you made during the recent repaving of Renwick Drive, both in keeping our access to the street open while the road work was in progress, and in arranging with the workmen to provide handicapped access to the path to our front door. Although before the repaving our quadriplegic son was able to get to the front door when he parked his car in the drive way (he has a robot for his wheelchair), it is now a great deal easier and safer. And I shall now set to learning to use crutches instead of a walker, and hope to be able to drive my car on my own (Fortunately all the controls are with the right leg.) The contractors have done a superb job on repaving the road. From our upstairs windows, we can see the flow of water during a rainstorm, and there must be shallow drainage channels in the tar. The water sheets down Wyckoff Road and Renwick Drive, then splits into three streams each of which flows into the drainage ditch on the far side of the road. It is fascinating to watch! Once again, thank you for your help. > Sincerely, ft O o Rada Dy^dn-Hudson ISWZ Neville Dysbn=Hadson 08/07/02 \VED 14:31 FAX 518 455 3123 SEN. SEWARD 1^001 lAMFS L SEWARD SENATOR, 50TH DISTRICT CHAIRMAN INSURANCE COMMnTKK SECRETARY MAtORlTY CONFERENCE THE SENATE STATE OF NEW YORK ■^OOM ?l)Y l-iC;iSLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING ALBANY, NEW YORK 12247 1715) 455-3111 U -11 5. MAIN SiTREET OnKONTA-NEWYORK 11821 1607} 432-5524 COBI.F.$KILL 15161 234-6113 CORTLAND (6(J'/1 tja-oooS HERKIMER [315) 566-1033 ITHACA (407) 2/3.4806 NORWICH (607) 33S-73i1iJ r\ August 7, 2002 Mr. B. R. Oswald Mobility Management Bureau NYS Department of Transportation Building 4, Room 209 Albany, N.Y. 12232 djtjjXLlIIL^AUG - 7 2002 ATTEST ITHACA TOWN CLERK Re: Town of Ithaca - Technical Assistance in Traffic Engineering & Transportation Planning for Localities Dear Mr. Oswald: I am writing to lend my strong support for the grant application by the Town of Ithaca for their transportation plan under the NYS Technical Assistance in Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning for Localities program. The town has begun the process of preparing a plan which would be added as a component of the Comprehensive Plan. The plan includes a number of off-road pathways for transportation and recreational purposes to address the needs of pede.strian.s and bicyclists, together with the beginning phases of a system of connecting walkways. The Town of Ithaca i.s in a unique geographic and topogr^hic setting which contains Cornell University and Tthaca College. Because of the volume of users firom these two entities alone, the transportation system and road system experience pressures not seen in other nearby central New York communities, thus making pre-planning for such systems a critical high priority. 1 would wholeheartedly endorse their request for funding and would ask that their application be given every consideration. I commend the Town of Ithaca for its progressive planning. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely yours, (J JAMES L. SEWARD, State Senator JLS:Imb O Tompkins County BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES Courthouse, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Telephone: (607) 274-5434 Fax: (607) 274-5430 w>^'w.tompkins-co.org August 6, 2002 D r-11 w H AUG - 8 2002 ATTEST ITHACA TOWN CLERK Hon. Catherine Valentino Town of Ithaca Supervisor 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Valentino: You recently received a letter from the District Attorney suggesting that, because of County Budget problems, the cost of prosecution may be shifted from his office to Town and Village govemments. This is a gross misrepresentation of reality. As Mr. Dentes makes clear in citing section 700 of County Law, it is the duty of the District Attorney to prosecute all crimes and offenses in the County. It remains his duty regardless of the outcome of budget deliberations, and cannot be imposed on anyone else. The District Attorney may delegate prosecution authority, as has been done with the Ithaca City Prosecutor, but only with the agreement of the government to which it is delegated. The County's fiscal situation is indeed very serious and there is a likelihood that many important County functions will be cut back. I expect to see real reductions in both quality and quantity of service provided in many areas of County government. This is regrettable, but probably unavoidable. As a result of budget pressure and spending reductions. County roads in your area may be poorly maintained compared to past practice. This does not mean that Towns and Villages will become responsible for County road maintenance. The level of prosecutorial services may well be reduced, and this is a serious issue, but Towns and Villages are neither required nor expected to take over. It is difficult enough to manage major cutbacks in County programs without false claims about shifting of expenses. I and other Board members welcome your input and would be pleased to hear from you concerning the County services that matter most to you, your constituents, and your municipality. But please don't allow yourselves to be used in a lobbying campaign based on misinformation and scare tactics. Sincerely, Tim Joseph, Chairman Tompkins County Board of Representatives o Recycled paper Mr. Charles Berggren, Supervisor Town of Newfield Town Hall, Newfield, NY 14867 34 Millard Hill Road Newfield, NY 14867 May 14, 2002 Dear Mr. Berggren: This letter pertains to the new and developing Ithaca dump site that adjoins our property in the Town of Newfield. Following are some conditions for road improvement and for dump operations that we would like to have the Town formalize in writing and have in place before dump operations begin: ROAD IMPROVEMENT 1. Blacktop the VanOstrand Road from Rte. 13 to the dump gate. Present truck operations on the dirt road send up clouds of dust when the road is dry. Mud and rocks are now a safety problem at the intersection of Rte. 13, VanOstrand Road, and Millard Hill Road; this condition will worsen with increased truck traffic from the dump, unless the road is paved. 2. Install a continuous guardrail on the south (gorge) side of VanOstrand Road between Rte. 13 and the dump gate for traffic safety, and to prevent further "creep" of the roadway onto our property, through time 3. Weekly removal of trash illegally dumped along the road and at the dump gate; removal to be done by dump operators. 4. If purposeful road-widening occurs, road should be widened equally on both sides of the road, with no additional tree-removal. 5. Construct and maintain ditches and culverts on the north (dump) side of the VanOstrand Road, so that surface-water runoff originating on the dump side of the road stays on that side instead of crossing the road onto our property. DUMP OPERATION 1. Dump entrance gate locked, except during hours of operation. Considering nearby homes, apartments, and state-park campsites, limit dump operation to hours between (more) 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Prohibit the "banging" of dumptruck tailgates intended to clean out the truckbeds. 2. No dumping of combustibles (including wood and trees), hazardous materials, plastics, paper, or materials other than those specified for an "exempt" operation by NYSDEC Solid Waste Regulation 6NYCRR, 1993 (see below). 3. No on-site burning. 4. Erosion controls that work (no sheet-plastic water-erosion barriers). 5. Construction and maintenance of on-site monitoring wells and scheduled professional monitoring to determine whether soil or water contamination is occurring, especially needed here because of highly permeable soils, sands, and gravels. The dump site was pseviously a commercially-operated gravel bed. Private wells and springs serve as the domestic water sources in this area of Newfield, still outside the Newfield town water district. 6. Continuous and unrestricted access to the dump site for compliance-inspection by officials of Town of Newfield and N.Y.Dep't of Parks & Recreation (also an adjoining neighbor of the dump site). 7. No truck storage, truck terminal, or vehicle service area to be constructed on-site. Through discussion with the Office of Solid & Hazardous Materials, DEC, Syracuse, we understand that if this dump is to be operated as an "exempt" operation for construction and demolition waste, ONLY the following recognizable and uncontaminated materials may be dumped: - concrete and concrete products (including steel or fiberglass reinforcement rods that are imbedded in concrete) asphalt pavement brick glass soil rock (NYSDEC Solid Waste Regulation 6NYCRR, Part 360-7.1(b)(1)(i), October 9, 1993). (Their website: www.dec.state.ny.us). If this dump is to be operated under other than "exempt" status, please let us know. Our neighborhood remains opposed to this dump for reasons that are both aesthetic and economic. This dump (more) reduces the values of our properties, leads to loss of tax revenue for the Town, and is thus a loss for all of Newfield. If we can't prevent these losses, let's at least push Ithaca for help in meeting the above conditions aimed at reducing the negative impacts of this development on Newfield. Please let us know if we can be of help in this effort. Sincerely, Glenn S. Caslick cc: Newfield Town Rep, County Bd. of Supervisors Newfield Town Code Enforcement Ofcr. NYSDEC - Solid & Haz. Materials Exec. Dept. -NY State Parks & Rec. Mgr., R.H. Treman State Park Tee Ann Hunter From: Philip M. Syphrit [pms26@cornell.edu] Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2002 12:45 PM To: THunter@town.ithaca.ny.us Subject: my cat was shot Tee-Ann, I was given your name and e-mail address when I called the Town Hall this morning. My wife Katy and I live at 696 Coddington Road. She has lived there for 15 years. On Tuesday morning at about 4 a.m. I let our cat Simon outside, as usual. I left for work about 6:45. Around 7:45 my wife was just sitting down to breakfast when Simon came home. He had been shot in the left front leg. We took him to Companion Animal Hospital at Cornell, where Dr. Erick Trotter told us that Simon had been shot with a 22 caliber hollow-point bullet. The bone in the leg was so badly shattered that the vet removed Simon's leg yesterday afternoon. He will be 3 legged the rest of his life. We notified the sheriff's office, and my wife spoke with officer James Rolfe. He was very kind. We have spoken to all of the neighbors that we know--no one heard anything or seems to know anything about it. Again, they were all very upset and sympathetic. This situation is terrible. We live in a good neighborhood in a good town, and someone shot a firearm, in that neighborhood, with cruel intentions, and has seriously injured our pet. As angry and sad as I am about this, I am thankful it wasn't a person who was shot. Whoever did this must be found. Who knows if this will happen again; who knows if the next person's pet will be killed instead of just maimed; who knows if the next time it will be a person. This situation, this shooting, is terrible, unacceptable, and just plain wrong. I want the entire town board to be aware of this event. I want them to know that I am hurt, sad, and angry. Please give all of the board members a copy of this e-mail. Thank you all for anything you can do to prevent this type of thing from happening again. Phil Syphrit TOWN OF ITHACA 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 www.town.ithaca.ny.us TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY (Roads. Parks, Trails, Water&Sewer) 273-1656 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607) 273-1704 August 15, 2002 Mayor Alan Cohen and Common Council Members 108 East Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Mayor Cohen and Common Council Members: This a reminder that the Town of Ithaca is still awaiting the City's response regarding several outstanding sewer issues and our fire service contract. Some of the sewer partnership issues include the First Street interceptor, our proposal to resolve the sewer partnership joint interceptor funding problem, and the amount of fund balances belonging to each SJS partner. Supervisor Valentino requested at the last SJS meeting that Controller Steve Thayer set a meeting to try to resolve the sewer administrative overhead charges issue and that meeting has been set. The Town of Ithaca Is very interested in resolving these issues in a timely manner. Please contact us regarding them at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, Mary Russell Deputy Supervisor 511® OFFICE OF BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS CITY OF ITHACA 310 WEST GREEN STREET ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850 TEL (607)272-1234 FAX (607) 272-2793 August 22, 2002 Mayor Cohen, On August 13, 2002, We, the Board of Fire Commissioners voted in unanimous rejection of a proposal to implement fees for emergency ems and rescue services performed by the Ithaca Fire Department within the City and Town of Ithaca. Given the very nature of this proposal, the valuable time spent by Chief Wilbur and other members of the Ithaca Fire Department, and to provide a basis for this decision, a written statement is warranted. The proposal was first brought to the Board of Fire Commissioners in July, seeking an attachment of fees for emergency rescue services performed by the Ithaca Fire Department. Similar services are currently provided by Bangs Ambulance, which is a "for profit" agency. Albeit the IFD responds to calls-in-kind, as of this writing the IFD is not a "for profit" agency. Rather, it is a department under the City of Ithaca and primarily funded by taxpayer dollars. Being cognizant of the City's fiscal woes, we indulged this line of thinking, submitted questions and requested follow-up information of Chief Wilbur. As always, the Chief did an exceUent job and the materials were available for the August meeting. In researching this area, it was found that private, for profit agencies and some volunteer-only fire departments attach such fees to their services.Fire Departments whose medical and ambulance services are a separate unit within their department,and usually the only source a community has for the provision of these services, are the ones who must charge for these services. In further exploration, fees of this nature, per the proposal, are unprecedented for fire departments whose majority are paid firefighters and tax payer funded According to the City Attorney's review, there is only an "appearance" of propriety for attaching fees of this nature and content. With an estimated $124,000 in potential revenues generated fi-om these fees, factoring in the uncertainty of insurance coverage, non-payment, collection services, third party billing systems, and undoubtedly a court challenge, the possible revenues will quickly become deficits. The risks far outweigh the questionable gains;the loss of respect and prestige for a fine Department and the ones responsible for a decision of this kind will be enormous. "An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Attirmallve Action Program'Recycled Paper After careful review and discussion, it is our determination that a fee for emergency services is not the appropriate venue with which to generate revenues for the City of Ithaca. Further, to attach revenue generation to a department whose very charge is to protect, save, and assist, is a contradiction at best and certainly ill-advised. Residents have necessary expectations when situations occur. When there is an assault, robbery, or murder, it is expected that Police OflQcers will respond. When a water main breaks, the expectation is the folks from Public Works will take care of it. And, when a home is on fire, car accident victims require extrication, a loved one has a massive heart attack and time is not on their side, the Fire Department will respond. These are not "optional" services used by a few. They are essential services used by all. To think otherwise is nothing more than short-sighted. Should the Mayor's ofiBce, members of Common Council, and the City Ithaca wish to pursue revenues via the Ithaca Fire Department, the appropriate avenue would be through legal channels. It would be prudent and advantageous to pursue increases in restitution judgments upon those found guilty of malicious intent and blatant disregard. Those who decidedly jeopardize their safety and that of their rescuers when proceeding on trails that are closed and find themselves in the gorge; Those who park their cars in clearly marked fire lanes or next to bright orange fire hydrants; And, those who illegally bum items in their backyards leading to out-of-control fires. These are the situations that put our firefighters lives and the lives of our residents at great risk that the community should be compensated for. It is not the "accident" victim, the cardiac patient, nor their families who should be further burdened by a bill from the fire department. This is simply common sense and places value upon a priority department. Respectfully, City of Ithaca-Board of Fire Commissioners: Robert S. Romanowsld-chair (Town of Ithaca) Greg Kirkpatrick-commissioner ( Town of Ithaca) Paul R. Alexander-vice chair (City of Ithaca) ^JanaL. Taylor-commissioner ( City of Ithaca) cc: Common Council Members TIME WARNER CABLE August 27, 2002 Ms. Tee-ann Hunter Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga Street Hunter Jhaca, NY 14850 MG 3 D 2CC' ^rrEsT Dear Ms. Hunter, I am writing as part of our ongoing efforts to keep you apprised of developments involving the ownership of our local system. As you biow, Time Warner Entertainment - Advance/Newhouse Partnership ("TWE-A/N") d/b/a Time Warner Cable has been granted a franchise to operate a cable television system in your community. Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. ("TWE") is the owner of approximately 66% of TWE-A/N and is the managing general partner. As you may have read, AOL Time Warner Inc. ("AOLTW") has recently entered into an agreement with AT&T Corp. to restructure the TWE partnership as illustrated on the accompanying charts (the "Transaction"). As described below, the Transaction will have absolutely no impact on our cable system, its operations or local management. The Transaction may be summarized as follows: • The majority of the AOLTW and AT&T Corp. partnership interests in TWE will be held by an entity controlled by AOLTW to be called Time Warner Cable Inc. ("TWC"). • AOLTW will own stock representing approximately 82% of the equity in TWC and 90% of the voting power. The remaining 18% of the equity will be indirectly owned by AT&T Corp. and, after consummation of the AT&T/Comcast merger, by AT&T Comcast Corporation (collectively, "AT&T"). • TWC, in turn, will own approximately 94% of the equity of TWE as the sole general partner. A subsidiary of AT&T will retain an approximate 5% limited partnership interest and a subsidiary of AOLTW will retain the remaining 1% equity as a limited partnership interest. AOLTW will continue to control TWE and in turn TWE-A/N thi-ough its control of TWC. 50 years jOlMMM 5/9 llr.ll Strri'l It/iaru. \} /4S5(J '/'ri h07.'J7'J.TST5 • It is expected that AT&T will place both its shares of TWC and its residual limited partnership interest in TWE in a trust to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Under the trust arrangement AT&T will have no power to vote its stock in TWC or otherwise influence or participate in the management or operation of TWC, TWE or TWE-A/N. • After the restructuring Time Warner Cable will, subject to market conditions, conduct one or more public offerings whereby AT&T will sell its remaining minority interest in TWC and TWC will sell additional stock to the public up to a combined limit of approximately 35%. AOLTW expects to retain at least 65% of the equity and at least approximately 77% of the voting power, thus continuing to control TWC, TWE and TWE-A/N. I would like to once again assure you that this Transaction will have absolutely no impact on our cable system or its operations. In particular: • There will be no transfer of the Franchise, which will continue to be held by TWE-A/N. • There will be no change in the partners of TWE-A/N. • The local management and staff will remain the same. • There will be no change in control of the franchise or the franchisee from AOLTW. Time Warner Cable will continue to be solely and exclusively responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of the cable television system. • There will be no change in our commitment to provide our customers with the best in programming choices and customer service at a competitive rate. • This transaction will have absolutely no impact on our business policies or practices. • Local management will continue to report to the same executives of Time Warner Cable. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or if 1 can be of any assistance. We certainly value the fine relationship we have with your community. Very truly yours, ^ Thomas P. Doheny General Manager Cc: Ms. Catherine Valentino, Supervisor TWEAN - Before Transaction AOL Time Warner Inc. ("AOLTW") AT&T Corp. 1(0%' MediaOne of Colorado, Inc. 1 )0% MediaOne TWE Holdings, Inc. 72% general partnership and limited partnership interests' 28% limited partnership interest^ Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. ("TWE") Time Warner Entertainment - Advance/N ewhouse Partnership ("TWEAN") 1/ 2/ 3/ 148596.6 Ownership held through intermediate subsidiaries. Includes approximate 2% limited partnership interest held directly by MediaOne of Colorado, Inc. Includes approximate 2% partnership interest held directly by a subsidiary of AOLTW. TWEAN - Contribution of TWE Interests AOL Time Warner Inc. ("AOLTW") 100%' American Television and Communications Corporation ("ATC") 1%LP 82% equity (89% voting)^ AT&T Corp. 100%' MediaOne of Colorado, Inc. 18% equity (11% voting)^ -y Time Warner Cable Inc. (£(k/a MediaOne TWE Holdings) 94% GP Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. ("TWE") 67% GP' I 5%LP' 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 148596.6 Time Warner Entertainment - Advance/Newhouse Partnership ("TWEAN")Ownership held through intermediate subsidiaries, hicludes direct interest held by Warner Communications Inc. Expected to be held in trust pending disposition. Includes approximate 2% partnership interest held directly by a subsidiary of AOLTW. TWEAN — After Transaction Time Warner Entertainment - Advance/Newhouse Partnership ("TWEAN") Public At least 65% equity' (77% voting) Up to 35% equity (23% voting) 100% 94% GP 100% 1%LP Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. 67% GP' AT&T Comcast Corp. American Television and Communications Company MediaOne of Colorado, Inc. AOL Time Warner Inc. ("AOLTW") Time Warner Cable Inc. ^1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ M8596.6 Ownership held through intermediate subsidiaries. AOLTW's percentage interest in Time Warner Cable Lie. includes direct interest held by Warner Communications Inc. (AOLTW owns 100% of Warner Commumcations Inc.) Expected to be held in trust pending disposition. Includes approximate 2% partnership interest held directly by a subsidiary of AOLTW. TOWN OF ITHACA 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 www.town.ithaca.ny.us TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY (Roads, Parks, Trails, Water&Sewer) 273-1656 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607)273-1704 August 28, 2002 Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency 200 East Buffalo Street Suite 102A Ithaca, NY 14850 Ladies and Gentlemen: In response to the public hearing notice regarding the proposed Industrial Development Agency financing for the College Circle Associates, LLC, apartment complex adjoining the Ithaca College playing fields located in the Town of Ithaca, I plan to speak at the September IS*'' public hearing to voice the Town of Ithaca's opposition to this proposed financing. This appears to be an inappropriate use of Industrial Development Agency funds in that the apartments will be a privately-owned residential development, leased to Ithaca College. The IDA financing would not result in a new business locating in the County, nor would it significantly add to the County's job force. The Town believes that this would set a bad precedent for use of IDA financing, and could have negative repercussions on the Town's tax base. In addition, at the time of Town of Ithaca Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals approvals of the College Circle development earlier this year, the developer (Integrated Acquisition and Development) and Ithaca College made no representation that IDA financing would be requested, and, in fact, the developer stated that the College Circle development, although involving Ithaca College programming and being intended for Ithaca College students, would be developed strictly as a private development venture. On behalf of the Town of Ithaca, 1 urge the Industrial Development Agency to deny this request for IDA financing. 1 look forward to presenting the views of the Town of Ithaca in more detail at the September 18*'' public hearing. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Catherine Valentino, Supervisor Town of Ithaca cc: Town Board Members Tompkins County ^ Industrial Development Ay!:,ency Administration provided by ATCAD August 20, 2002 To: The Chief Executive Officers of the Affected Tax Jurisdictions Re: Tompidns County Industrial Development Agency and College Circle Associates, LLC in conjunction with South Hill Land Associates, LLC and Ithaca College, Town of Ithaca, New York Ladies and Gentlemen: Pursuant to General Municipal Law Sections 859-a and 874(4)(b), you are hereby notified that the above-referenced project is seeking property tax exemption according to the enclosed Payment-in-Lieu-of- Tax ("PILOT") schedule. ^ The proposed exemption from real property taxation deviates from the IDA's Uniform Tax Exemption Policy for the following reason: the Company will lease the facility to Ithaca College. Ithaca College, as an educational corporation, has several options of financing the project which would result in the project's being entirely exempt from real estate taxes and sales taxes. The project will result in the construction of new east residential campus with up to 750 beds of student apartment-style housing to be located adjoining the Ithaca College playing fields. The Board will hold a meeting on Thursday, Septeniber 19,^2002 at 1:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the Tompkins Trust Company, 121 E. Seneca Street, IthaciTNewYork, to consider final approval on this project. Prior to taking final action on the proposed deviation, the Agency will review and respond to any correspondence received from any affected tax jurisdiction regarding such proposed deviation. Please respond with written comments within thirty (30) days for timely consideration of the same at the Agency's meeting. The Agency will allow any representative of an affected tax jurisdiction present at the meeting to consider the proposed deviation to address the Agency regarding such proposed deviation. Thank you for your consideration. Very truly yours, TOMPKINS COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY 200 East Buffalo Street, Suite 102A, Ithaca, New York 14850 • phone: (607) 273-0005 • fax: (607) 273-8964 Payments in lieu of taxes ("PILOT" payments) for Ithaca College project (College Circle, LLC and South Hill Land Associates, LLC) • PILOT payment in first year: $235>000.00 • The payments will continue for forty (40) years and will be increased annually at the prorated rate of increase of Town, County and School tax rates. Wlage of Clayuga IHetgffh MARCHAM HALL 836 HANSHAW ROAD ITHACA, N.Y. 14850 August 28,2002 Telephone 607-257-1238 Office Hours ,9 A.M. - 4 PM. Catherine Valentmo, Supervisor Town of Ithaca 215 N-, Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Cathy: The puipose of this brief note is to ask you to serve as a proxy for the ViQage of Cayuga Heights in the continuing franchise discussions with Time-Warner. Inasmuch as the needs of the Town of Ithaca and the Village are similar, I believe asking you to assist us in this regard would greatly facilitate the negotiation process. I sincerely hope that it will be possible for you to assist us in this regard. S™erely, Walter R. Lynn Mayor C: Dave Tyler Maiy Russell mm 5v CITY OF ITHACA 310 West Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850-5497 OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF Telephone: 607/272-1234 Fax: 607/272-2793 H ® SEP 5 2002 ATTEST September 3, 2002 ITHACA TOWN CLERK Catherine Valentino, Supervisor Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga St. Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Cathy: Please accept our appreciation and thanks for the Town of Ithaca's willingness to help us obtain the funds necessary to "rent" a team of horses to pull the Ithaca Fire Department's 1896 Steamer in the New York State Fair Parade held in Syracuse on August 29, 2002. A combined effort of the Town of Ithaca, the Ithaca Veteran Volunteer Firemen's Association, and the Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioners all made this a successful venture. Please pass along our thanks to the Board members, as well as Deputy Supervisor Mary Russell who facilitated our request. Several career and volunteer firefighters participated in marching along side the steamer in the parade - and the best part, they won 1st place In their division - trophy and all! Thank you again. Sincerely, Brian H. Wilbur Fire Chief Robert Romanowski, Chair Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioners "An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification."o Mrs. Catherine Valentino Supervisor Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York, 14850 Dear Cathy, September 7,2002 I am writing to e3q)ress my support for the Town of Ithaca 2002 Bums Road Water System Improvement Project and urge the Ithaca Town Board to approve it without delay. The critical need has been clearly identified by the communications to the Town to date. The matter has become even more urgent due to the extended drought this summer. I know that a number of the property owners have found it necessary to haul water in to fill their wells several times ai*eady this summer. As you know I am aware of the necessary legal procedural steps the Town is required to take before constmction can proceed. At the appropriate time I would hope you would engage our Assemblyman Marty Luster and Senator James Seward to assure prompt consideration of this project by the State Comptroller rather than to let it languish on someone's desk in that office. A clear case can be made that the Town is facing a significant health emergency in this case. Thank you for your assistance on this important project. Very Sincerely, Noel Desch 132 Updike Road AMES L. SEWARD -NATOR. 50TH DISTRICT CHAIRMAN INSURANCE COMMITTEE SECRETARY MAIORITY CONFERENCE THE SENATE STATE OF NEW YORK h'rGCM 307 LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING ALBANY. NEW YORK 12247 (518) 455-3131 □ 418. MAIN STREET ONEONTA, NEW YORK 13820 (607) 432-5524 COBLESKILL (518) 234-8133 CORTLAND (607) 758-9005 HERKIMER (315) 866-1632 ITHACA (607) 272-4806 NORWICH (607) 336-7309 September 12, 2002 Mr. Jon P. Edinger, Regional Director, NYS Department of Transportation 333 East Washington St, Syracuse, N.Y. 13201-1428 Dear Re: Flooding on Stone Quarry Road Town of Ithaca I am enclosing a copy of a letter I have received from Catherine Valentino, the Supervisor for the Town of Ithaca, who is seeking assistance with funding for an emergency situation which has arisen due to flooding, causing a hazardous 50 foot drop-off where there was once a shoulder. As I indicated to Supervisor Valentino in my letter, with the current budget already in place, there are no sources of funding available to me at this time. I would appreciate it if you would contact her to outline any possible emergency funding stream, either state or federal, that might be available to the town for such a problem and ask that you respond to her directly. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Sincerely yours. JLSrlmb cc: Supervisor Valentino MES L. SEWARD, te Senator TOWN OF ITHACA 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 www.town.ithaca.ny.us TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY (Roads, Parks, Trails, Water&Sewer) 273-1656 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607) 273-1704 September 17, 2002 William and Carolyn Mallory 9 Kepner Street Buckhannon, WV 26201 RE: 2002 Real Property Taxes Dear Mr. & Mrs. Mallory: Today I tried reaching you by telephone. Finding no one at home, I attempted to leave both of you a phone message but your answering machine told me "no remaining time for incoming messages." As promised I made several phone calls to the County Finance Director, David Squires, and the County Tax Collector, Helen Beach in an effort to assist you in finding some measure of real property tax relief. With disappointment I have to advise you that the taxes must be paid in full to the County. The County cannot collect a partial payment now since the second installment date of July 1®^ has passed. The balance due as of today which now includes penalties is $10,905.25. Please know, that myself and Cathy Valentino, Town Supervisor tried on your behalf to find some tax relief and even a relaxed tax payment solution. I understand you may have more questions. Should this be the case, please do not hesitate to call me. I will do my best in finding answers for you. Sincerely yours, Alfred F. Carvill Ithaca Town Budget Officer Cc: Ithaca Town Clerk, Tee Ann Hunter Ithaca Town Board Members Ithaca Town Supervisor, Cathy Valentino Ithaca Town Receiver of Taxes, Debbie Kelley October 1, 2002 Ben Curtis, Chairman Tompkins County Cable Commission C/0 Village of Lansing 2405 N. Triphammer Road Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ben: This is to formally notify you that the Town of Ithaca is withdrawing from the Tompkins County Cable Commission regarding the negotiation of a Franchise with Time Warner Cable. We are in the process of negotiating a separate Franchise that will be tailored to the interests of the Town. Thank you for your assistance to date in connection with the attempts to negotiate a Franchise Agreement that would be useable by most of the municipalities in the County. We are sorry that it was not able to be completed satisfactorily. For your information, enclosed is a copy of the resolution of the Town Board withdrawing from the Cable Commission. With best regards. Sincerely yours, Catherine Valentino Supervisor CV:clw Enclosure xc: Tom Dohney, Time Warner Cable New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water, Region 7 615 Erie Boulevard West, Syracuse, New York 13204-2400 Phone:(315)426-7500 • FAX: (315) 426-7459 Website: www.dec.state.ny.us October 3,2002 Cathy Valentino Supervisor, Town of Ithaca 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Enn M. Crotty dommissiorier Subject: Critical Permit Compliance Information Dear Ms. Valentino: I am writing you to insure that you are aware or the upcoming Phase 2 stormwater regulations. These regulations are implemented by DEC through the Federal Clean Water Act. Your municipality has been identified as requiring a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit under the new regulations. One requirement is that you submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to be covered by a General Permit by March 10, 2003. It is important that you understand the permitting process and the requirement for the development and implementation of a Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP). Tompkins County will be hosting a meeting for Highway Officials on October 15, 2002. The new stormwater regulations will be presented. Please encourage you Superintendent to attend. Sincerely, Steven P. Eidt, PE Regional Water Engineer Page 1 of 3 Catherine Valentino From: Sandy Wold [sandy@ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us] Sent: Friday, October 04, 2002 12:26 PM To: Catherine Valentino Subject: Town Role in National issues Dear Catherine, I want to appreciate what you said last night at the town meeting. I understand and respect your desire to not pursue a resolution regarding a national/global issue without piior discussion of how it relates to town issues and that you were elected on a platform based on town issues. I myself came last night without thinking through how to make those connections clear, but I am very interested in participating in that discussion because I know that there are connections. The connections are economic, social, and environmental. In short, I see that the money our national government pours into the military industry deprives our town from meeting the needs of our people in terms of having the resources to invest in the development of green businesses, alternative transportation, and alternative energy. In terms of social issues, I see the connection as our inability to provide all town citizens with adequate mental health care, dental care, disease prevention, and quality of life. By not providing all town citizens with this kind of care, I see this as a violation of human rights. In addition, by allowing this war, we are consenting to our government's bullying and unilateral decision-making process which is counter productive to peace-making. In terms of environmental issues, I see war as destructive of ecosystems (theirs and ours, ours due to weapons testing and global connections) and of bird migration patterns and populations. Please let me know when the town board intends to discuss this important issue as I would like to offer more information on the topic. I would appreciate it if you would forward this email to other town board and staff. Thank you for serving our town, taking time from your dinner hours, and for thoughtfully considering and following through on this topic. It will indeed be a precident for our town and our country if we can gain clarity on the role of a town in terms of national decision- making. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely yours, Sandy Wold, M.S. Science Education 128 Rachel Carson Way 272-3814 »» Date: 4 Oct 2002 11:15:44 -0000 From: "Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org" To: "Sandra Wold" Subject: All Hands on Deck: Iraq Vote Imminent Dear MoveOn Member, This is it. For the last seven months, MoveOn members have been working hard to prevent a unilateral, pre-emptive war on Iraq. We've written over a quarter million emails and 10/11/02 Page 2 of 3 thousands of letters to the editor. We've made well over 40,000 phone calls to the offices of Congresspeople, and we've met with the offices of nearly every Senator in the country. The purpose of all this work has been to impart a single, clear message to our elected representatives: that a war on Iraq, based on the evidence we have now, is a very bad idea. Early next week. Congress will likely vote on a resolution to authorize the use of military force against Iraq. As a result of our pressure, we've won a few small but important concessions. The resolution no longer authorizes the President to use military force anywhere he pleases in the Middle East. It pays homage to the UN and the system of international law, and it requires the President to report back frequently about the status of the conflict, the plan for reconstruction, and the impact of a war on Iraq on the campaign against terrorism. But while the language has softened slightly, the resolution still allows the President to go it alone, without any allies. It permits him to wage war against Iraq indefinitely, and it doesn't require him to work within the dictates of the UN Security Council. If Congress passes this resolution, the President will be able to launch a war against Iraq on a moment's notice. No more authority or Congressional approval is needed. In lobbying calls over the last week, we've heard again and again that Congresspeople are taking this vote very seriously. The sheer volume of calls and letters, some aides have told us, has caused Congresspeople to think twice about rubber-stamping Bush's proposal. Many Senators and Representatives are still on the fence about how to vote; Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) called this the most difficult issue she's ever wrestled with. It is absolutely critical that we keep the pressure on in these last few days. Please call your Senators right now at: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton DC Phone: 202-224-4451 Local Phone: 212-688-6262 Senator Charles E. Schumer DC Phone: 202-224-6542 Local Phone: 212-486-4430 Representative Maurice D. Hinchey DC Phone: 202-225-6335 Local Phone: 607-773-2768 For contact information for other Senators and Representatives, go to: <http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/>http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ Don't worry if you've called before ~ call again. In fact, feel free to call every day until the vote. Let the staffer you speak to know you're a constituent. Then tell the staffer that 10/11/02 Page 3 of 3 you strongly oppose a war on Iraq and you sincerely hope the Senator or Representative will vote against the Bush Resolution. Once you've made your call, please let us know by filling out the form below: Name: Email: Did you get through? — YES NO How many calls did you make? — 12 3 4 (If the form doesn't work, go to <http://www.moveon.org/callmade_iraq.html?id=788- 1323356-4bAK3hxyb9SbyHVPlQzWlw>http://www.moveon.org/callmade_iraq.html? id=788-1323356-4bAK3hxyb9SbyHVPlQzWlw.) Keeping a count helps us lobby Congress more effectively. Please call immediately to stop a war on Iraq. Sincerely, —Eli Pariser International Campaigns Director MoveOn.org October 3, 2002 P.S. For more information, go to our page of links and resources on Iraq at: <http://www.moveon.org/infoiraq.html>http://www.moveon.org/infoiraq.html You can help decide the direction of MoveOn.org by participating in the discussion forum at: <http://www.actionforum.com/forum/index.html? forum_id=223>http://www.actionforum.com/forum/index.html?forum_id=223 This is a message from MoveOn.org. To remove yourself from this list, please visit our subscription management page at: <http://www.moveon.org/subscrip/i.html?id=788-1323356- 4bAK3hxyb9SbyHVPlQzWlw>http://www.moveon.org/subscrip/i.html?id=788- 1323356-4bAK3hxyb9SbyHVPlQzWlw «« PLEASE NOTE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS ABOVE. "We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive." Albert Einstein 10/11/02 >/ BOLTON POINTS SiWATER iviAILING ADDRESS: RO. Box 1 78 Ithaca, N.Y. 14851 SHIPPING ADDRESS: 1402 East Shore Drive Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 www.boltonpoint.org CAYUGA LAKE INTERMUNICIPAL WATER COMMISSION TOWNS OF DRYDEN • ITHACA • LANSING — VILLAGES OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS • LANSING (607) 277-0660—FAX (607) 277-3056—E-MAIL SCLIWC@aol,com October 4, 2002 Honorable Alan J. Cohen Mayor - City of Ithaca 108 East Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850 COMMISSIONERS; H. MICHAEL NEWMAN Chairperson WALTER R. LYNN Vice Chairperson CATHERINE VALENTINO Treasurer RONALD ANDERSON /^PHEN FARKAS uONALD HARTILL CHRISTOPHER MICHAELS MEG OVERSTROM MARY RUSSELL MARK VARVAYANIS STEPHEN C. LIPINSKI Consultant PAUL TUNISON General Manager LAWRENCE PARLETT Administration JACK RUECKHEIM Distribution KENNETH BUTLER Production Dear Mayor Cohen, Thank you for your letter of August 18, 2002. Inclusion of the City as a Commission member was raised at the Commission meeting of September 5, 2002. Following thoughtful and thorough discussion, the Commission has decided to retain its current configuration and terminate further negotiations with the City. While there may have been some modest benefit to the Commission and its customers, the slow pace of negotiations with the City on this matter has been a concern and the potential costs and liabilities could well offset any possible benefit. Many factors were considered: • For twenty-six years the Commission thrived by virtue of members conducting Commission-related business in a reliable, decisive and timely manner. Four years have elapsed since the City approached the Commission for potential help with its water system. The City has yet to take the requisite steps to either conclude or suggest modifications to the proposed agreement, calling into question its ability to make the timely decisions required for proper Commission functioning. Moreover, while the wastewater treatment discussions with municipalities that comprise the Commission are not, and never were "linked" to our water discussions, inability of the City to reach agreement is duly noted. • Members of the Commission are equals. On-going insistence that joining the Commission "should have no worse an effect on its water rate and rate payers as the impact of the city building its own new water treatment plant" is simply not acceptable. The water rate charged to Commission members is based on financial realities in effect each fall when the Commission determines the rate for the coming year. This single rate is uniformly paid by all members. • Fiscally, the Commission is sound, with the capacity to meet member needs for the foreseeable future. The fiscal stability of the City, in contrast, is a subject of concern. Acceptance of the City as a partner could expose members to financial obligations that would benefit only the City. Excellence in water quality and customer service • The decision of Cornell to withdraw from merger negotiations has altered both operational and financial aspects of the proposed collaboration. The Commission has dealt with this new reality by establishing regular and on-going discussions with Cornell, at both the policy and operational levels, to promote effective intersystem cooperation. This model could iso apply to relations with the City. Although the Commission has voted to terminate discussions about City membership, I assure you our Water Emergency Aid agreement of June 1986 remains in full force and effect. Moreover, should the City determine that it wishes to purchase water from the Commission, we are prepared to work toward a mutually agreeable sales agreement. Sincerely, H. Michael Newman, Chair Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission cc. Commissioners City of Ithaca Common Council October 7,2002 Town of Ithaca 126 Seneca St. Ithaca, New York 14850 Att: Fred Noteboom: Dear Sir; Your crew recently finished a project cleaning out the ditch along Lisa Lane which was and had been darning up water. We want you and your crew to know that you all did a great job and we express our gratitude to all. Sincerely, Maureen M. Schmitt^ / . , 215 Texas Lane T Catherine Valentino i-rom: Ann Lynn [alynn@ithaca.edu] Sent: Wednesday, October 09,2002 10:12 AM To: Catherine Valentino; KLKarchPC@aol.com; WBurback@town.ithaca.ny.us; whil @cornell.edu Cc: Lynn, Mike Subject: Time Warner Cable Franchise Dear Town Board, I saw in today's paper that there will be an open town meeting regarding the franchise agreement with Time Warner. I would like the Town to address the issue of programming with Time Warner. As you may or may not know, the Time Warner in Ithaca no longer carries the national broadcast network UPN. Because a Syracuse affiliate of UPN changed its affiliation to the WB (Warner Broadcasting) almost 2 years ago, in Ithaca we now get two WB stations on the cable line-up and no UPN station. (One of the WB stations is blacked out during prime time.) Other areas served by Time Warner of Central New York (Syracuse and Cortland) almost immediated picked up UPN from WSBK in Boston so that their customers would have access to UPN programming. Time Warner of Central New York in Ithaca has chosen not to do this. Because of our geographic location. Time Warner has a virtual monopoly on TV in the Ithaca area (the only other choice is dish). I feel that they should be forced to carry all the national broadcast networks in order to serve the public. Thank you for your consideration, Ann Lynn n Lynn, Ph.D. Asst. Professor of Psychology Ithaca College 607-274-1278 www.ithaca.edu/faculty/alynn 10/15/02 TUE 15:39 FAX 518 457 2716 AG PROTECTION 1^002 STATE OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS George E. Pataki Nathan L Rudgers Commififilonar October 15,2002 Honorable Catherine Valentino, Supervisor Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Supervisor Valentino: Pursuant to Section 305(4} of the Agriculture and Markets Law, the Department of Agricutttire and Markets has completed its review of the Final Notice of intent submitted by the Town of Ithaca, In connection with the advance of pubilc funds for the construction of waterllnes within Tompklns County Agricultural District #1. The Rnal Notice of Intent was sent to the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, the Advisory Council on Agriculture, and the Tompklns County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board for their review of the proposed action. The Commissioner of Environmental Conservation did not Identify to the Department any potential adverse effects and the Tompklns County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board did not submit any comments. The reviewer for the NYS Advisory Council on Agriculture stated the proposed action does not appear to have any material effect on agriculture In the area. Based on all relevant information before me, I have determined that the proposed action would not have an unreasonably adverse effect on the continuing viability of farm enterprises within the district; or state environmental plans, policies and objectives. This determination is due, in part, to the fact that no farms exist along the proposed waterline extension. Please be advised that In order to complete its filing obligations under Section 305(4), the Town must certify to me at least ten days prior to advancing the funds to construct, or constructing, the waterllnes, that it has made an explicit finding that the requirements of Section 305(4) have been met, and that to the maximum extent practicable, adverse agricultural impacts revealed In the Notice of Intent process will be minimized or avoided. The certification shall set forth the reasons In support of the finding, and is more fully set forth in Section 305(4)(g) of the Agriculture and Markets Law. Sincerely. NATHAN L RUDGERS Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets of the State of New York cc; James Bell, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Charles Wide, NO! Reviewer, Region 2 - R. DsMond, Chair, Tompklns County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board File: 02/045-NOI 1 winners Circle ¨ Albany. New York 12235 ¨ Phone: (5 \ 8) 457-4188 ¨ Fax: (518) 457-3087 10/15/02 TUE 15:39 FAX 518 457 2716 AG PROTECTION 1^003 Example Certification Pursuant to Section 305(4) of the Agriculture and Markets Law (AMI) Commissioner Nathan L Rudgers NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets 1 Winners Circle Albany, NY 12235 RE: Water System improvements, West End of Bums Road, Town of Ithaca, Tompkins County Agricultural District No. 1 Dear Commissioner Rudgers: The Town of Ithaca hereby certifies that it has made an explicit finding that the requirements of Section 305(4) have been met and that consistent with social, economic and other essential considerations, to the maximum extent practicable, adverse agricultural impacts revealed in the Notice of Intent process will be minimized or avoided. The finding is supported by information provided in the Preliminary and Final Notices of Intent and the following. The water district was formed to provide needed potable water and fire protection to the residents in the water district. The groundwater that is available to landowners within the project area contains the presence of natural gas and poses a significant health hazard to residents. Since the health and welfare of the residents is dependent upon the availability of public water, no alternative was considered. Furthermore, no farms exist along the proposed waterline extension route. As a result of the above measures, no irreversible or irretrievable commitments of agricultural resources will be made as a result of the proposed action. Sincerely, Catherine Valentino Supervisor, Town of Ithaca STATE OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKE 1 Winners Circle Albany, New York 12235 Division of Agricultural Protection and Development Services 518-457-7076 Fax, 518-457-2716 October 29, 2002 Honorable Catherine Valentino, Supervisor Town of ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Re: Certification - Final Notice of Intent Tompkins County Agricultural District # 1 - Town of ithaca - Construction of Wateriines Dear Supervisor Valentino: I have reviewed the certification submitted by the Town of Ithaca in connection with the advance of public funds for the construction of wateriines in the Town of Ithaca, Tompkins County Agricultural District #1. The certification meets the requirements of Section 305(4)(g). Therefore, the Town has completed its filing obligations under Section 305(4) for the proposed action. Please be advised that the Department will proceed to close its files in this matter. Sincerely, Ph.D. Chief, Agricultural Protection Unit cc: R. DeMond, Chair, Tompkins County AFPB File: 02/045-NOI December 9, 2002 Town Board Meeting Correspondence Folder TRUE, WALSH & MILLER, LLP Attorneys at Law Peter J. Walsh Sally T. True R. James Miller John Moss Hinchcliff Elena Salerno Flash Rosanne Mayer George R. Pfann, Jr. David A. Tyler Hilary T. Eraser Laurie M. Johnston Adam R. Schaye Joanna R. Garrard Carolyn S. Lee The Commons 202 East State Street, Seventh Ithaca, New Yor Of Counsel Fred Weinstein stance E. Cook SteAien Yale-Loehr Roger B. Sovocool ne: j^7) 273-4200 (607) 272-6694 E-mail: dat@twmlaw.com Web: www.twmlaw.com November 8, 2002 Catherine Valentino Supervisor, Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Re: Time Warner Franchise Agreement Dear Cathy: Mayor Lynn and the Board of the Village of Cayuga Heights wanted me to write to thank you for your taking the lead in getting the franchise matter concluded and put to bed. We appreciated your persistence in pursuing the matter to a successful conclusion. Although you and your folks did the lion's share of the work, including arranging the meeting the State Public Service Commission representatives, I enjoyed working with you and with John Barney in our "team effort" to get this thing concluded. Again, many thanks for your hard work and congratulations on a job well done. Very truly yours, David A. Tyler xc: John C. Barney, Esq. Mayor Walter R. Lynn H:\3016\001\valentino-ltr.wpd CORNELL UN I V E R S I T Y Grounds Department 307 East Palm_RQad _ Telephone: (607) 254-1661 Ithaca, NY 14850(< f : FAX: ' 254-1699 ' November 12, 2002 Honorable Catherine Valentino Supervisor/ Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Ms. Valentino, NOV 1 5 2002 town 01- i"i HACA ZONING. tlNGINEERlNG RE: Urgent Caldwell Road Safety Repairs This is to advise you that the neglected roadway conditions on the sharply curved, steeply-sloped portion of Caldwell Road (i.e. approximately 700 foot in length, southward from its intersection with Plantations Road) is a serious community safety problem and needs timely correction. While the drive lane portion of this roadway was repaved approximately three years ago, the roadway shoulder and ditch banks were not brought up to an acceptable safety standard or to Town of Ithaca Road Construction Specifications. A number of locations there lack the required four (4) foot minimum shoulder width adjacent to the drive lanes, have dangerously sharp drop offs of two feet or greater, and greatly exceed the Town's ditch slope and erosion control specifications.i S Sk. While driving to work before dawn last week up this portion of the Caldwell Road hill, I had a near pedestrian-vehicle accident when a jogger rapidly rounded the blind curve at the top of the hill well within the drive lane—as there was no road shoulder nor pedestrian walkway to accommodate the jogger. Only a few days later while driving home from work down this same section of Caldwell Road after darkness at about 6:15 PM on November 5, 2002,1 was forced to make an emergency stop to avoid a one car accident on this same hazardous roadway site. I was among the first to arrive on the scene of this accident. From what I could determine from the shocked and tearful victim, while she was driving slowly down Caldwell hill, her wheels slipped off the shoulderless, drive lane on wet leaves, and she could not stop her car from skidding into the drainage ^ ditch. Upon my inspection, I found that the ditch was so steep and close to the edge of ^ ^ the travel lane that it almost undermined the drive lane pavement. The woman's stranded automobile blocked the roadway, perpendicularly, with its front wheels in the deep ditch just over the edge of drive lane creating a potentially, multi-vehicle pile up, accident ^ situation. ^ <ai» u. The history on this section of Caldwell Road, furnished by the Cornell University Police Department, reveals an unacceptably high rate of reported accidents. Since April 1997, not including the recent vehicular accident of 11-5-02 cited above, our University Police Department has investigated eight (8) accidents there. These data, do not include accidents investigated there by the local sheriffs office or the New York State Police, nor Printed on Recycled Paper the likelihood of many more unreported or minor accidents, including a number involving extrication assistance to motorists in winter by my own departmental staff. Over the last twenty years, I have also, unfortunately, found it operationally necessary to respond, outside our maintenance jurisdiction, to the recurring requests of local police officers to dispatch both Comell emergency snow/ice control vehicles and equipment and barricades (to close-off this section of Caldwell Road) during episodes of winter snow and icing conditions, A properly re-designed road and pedestrian way on Caldwell Road hill, meeting accepted engineering standards, would sharply reduce these avoidable roadway maintenance emergencies. I've spoken with Fred Noteboom, Town Highway Superintendent, and Dan Walker, Town Engineer, so I know they are very familiar with this situation and possible interim remedies. A timely, interim safety improvement to roadway shoulders and drainage ditches might be implemented there by installing drainage pipe covered with rock cobbles to increase shoulder width and eliminate the currently hazardous pavement edge drop off condition. This current condition can cause vehicles to overturn or hang up when they skid off the narrow travel lanes during recurring fall (wet) leaf drop seasons, frequent inclement winter weather, and in low visibility and/or wet pavement driving conditions. In view of my confidence in our shared public safety values and your talented staff, I am hopeful that you will give this serious problem immediate attention and help preclude the unnecessary, probable future loss of property and life on this unacceptable roadway. Please keep me informed on your plan of action, and feel free to contact me, immediately, if I can be of any assistance in resolving this grave concem on a timely basis. Sincerely, Dennis B. Osika Director DBO;dbo Cc: M. Amundsen W. Boice P. Cox H. Doney S. Egan J. Gutenberger F. Noteboom D. Walker W. Wendt Town Supervisor Ithaca, ny i4850 Catherine Valentino 215 n. xioga street 607-273-1721 November 22, 2002 Mr. Alan Cohen, Mayor City of Ithaca 108 East Green Street Ithaca, NY 4850 Dear Mayor Cohen, I am disappointed in your response to the Town of Ithaca's efforts to resolve the outstanding Interceptor shared cost issues. I believe the Town has made it clear that we are not willing to pay your requested amounts. We have outlined to you in a spreadsheet created by Danie| Walker, Director of Engineering for the Town of Ithaca, the reasons why we have offered what we believe to be a fair settlement for the disputed costs. Dan and I would be willing to meet with you and your team after we have received your counterproposal and an explanation of areas of disagreemont. Please respond to each separate disputed item as outlined in Dan's spreadsheet. I will contact Karen, your assistant, to set up a meeting once Dan and I have reviewed your counterproposal and are prepared to discuss a possible agreement. Sincerely, Catherine Valentino Town Supervisor cc: Dan Cogan Bill Gray Mary Russell Mike Hall Dan Walker CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850-5690 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR • ALAN J.COHEN Telephone: 607/274-6501 Fax: 607/274-6526 Ms. Catherine Valentino, Supervisor Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Dear Supervisor Valentino, Thank you for your letter of 10/17/02 regarding the question of cost sharing for interceptors used by both our municipalities. While I am appreciative that you are trying to bring resolution to this long outstanding question, I can not agree with your current proposal. I suggest that we discuss this matter in person to speed up our deliberations. I think that a meeting between you and I and our respective teams should be held in the near future. If you are amenable to this, I will have my assistant Karen set the meeting up. She will call you in the next few days to see if you are interested and if so when you are available. Thank you again for your efforts to move our discussions forward. I look forward to speaking with you soon. cc: Dan Cogan Bill Gray Mary Russell Mike Hall w/attachment Respectfully, g @ II D ' W II NOV 2 1 2002 ATTEST ITHACA TOWN CLERK 'An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Affirmative Action Program'O mm CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850-5690 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR • ALAN J.COHEN Telephone: 607/274-6501 Fax: 607/274-6526 11/25/02 Ms. Catherine Valentino, Supervisor Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Dear Supervisor Valentino, Thank you for your letter of 11/22/02 regarding the question of cost sharing for interceptors used by both our municipalities. You have asked for a counterproposal to your suggestion, but the City of Ithaca does not have one at this time other than our original request. We are ready to sit and discuss this issue and bring resolution to it as soon as possible. There are two issues to discuss and resolve. One is the question of which projects should be co-funded. This is sometliing we need to review again. Dan's spreadsheet is a good start, but more discussion to understand your position is needed. The second issue is of course the overhead charge. That is also something we simply need to come to an understanding about. I am confident we can do so when we sit down to talk and fully understand each other's position. I can not say I fully understand yours at this point, and I do not know if you understand ours. At the least, the city needs a better understanding of your position- Thank you again for your efforts to bring resolution to this matter. I will ask Karen to call you in the hopes of scheduling a meeting in the near future. Respectfully, cc: Dan Cogan BUI Gray Mary Russell Mike Hall "An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Affirmative Action Program' TOWN OF ITHACA 215 NORTH TIOGA STREET, ITHACA, N.Y. 14850 www.town.ithaca.ny.us TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE PHONE (607)273-1721 FAX (607)273-5854 November 25, 2002 Ms. Marsha Georgia Town Clerk Town of Ulysses 10 Elm Street Trumansburg, New York 14886 Dear Marsha: The Town of Ithaca's Town Historian recently resigned effective the end of the year. Before we begin our search for a Town Historian, we wanted to define this person's role as our Town Historian. It would be helpful for us to know if you have a Town Historian and if they receive compensation for their services, the hours of work, what their duties consist of and are your Town's needs being met. The Town has also considered the possibility of a mutual Town Historian between two or more municipalities and would like to know if your Town would be interested in exploring the idea further. If possible, could you please furnish the Town with this information by Friday, December 13, 2002. We are discussing this further at our next Records Management Committee meeting in the middle of December and it would be helpful to have your input for that meeting. Feel free to call in your response if a letter is bothersome. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to give us the requested information. We will share what we find out with all of you. Please call the Town Clerk's office at the number above with any questions or concerns. Sincerely, fdiui idijm Carrie Whitmore Deputy Town Clerk Cc: Tompkins County Clerks . / dy ^77¥. STATE OF NEW YORK UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM EMPIRE STATE PLAZA 4 ESP, SUITE 2001 ALBANY, NEW YORK 12223-1450 (518) 474-3828 JONATHAN LIPPMAN CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE Mr. A1 Carvill Ithaca Tn. Ct, 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Mr. Carvill: November 27, 2002 The State's Justice Courts are of vital inq)ortance to New York's justice system and the community, yet the towns and villages that support them often have limited budgetary resources. For these Courts to remain viable in an increasingly sophisticated age, they need additional assistance and resources. Therefore, during the 1999 session of the Legislature, the Unified Court System sought establishment of an ongoing program of State assistance to the Justice Courts. With the aid of the State Magistrate's Association and many other fnends of the Justice Courts, our efforts were successful, culminating in enactment of chapter 280 of the Laws of 1999. In the years to come, chapter 280 will make it possible for Justice courts to acquire con^uters and other essential electronic equipment, and to maintain a dignified appearance. To fund the provisions of chapter 280 during the 2002-2003 State Fiscal Year, the Legislature included an appropriation of $500,000 in the Judiciary Budget. During this past spring, we invited all interested towns and villages to apply for a grant from these appropriations. We received 432 applications totalling $2.7 million. I am pleased to advise you that the Town of Ithaca has been awarded a grant as described in the enclosed list of item(s) awarded. Thank you for your participation in the Justice Court Assistance Program. I look forward to working with you in the future to help the Justice Courts continue their long tradition of service to the community. Very truly yours. ORI Number: NY054121J CC: Hon. Joseph J. Traficanti, Jr. Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Hon. Anthony V. Cardona Presiding Judge Hon. Judith F. O'Shea District Administrative Judge ITEM AWARDED Computer Software FAX Machine (Med. Volume) NYS Flag Town of Ithaca # SPECIAL COMMENTS: COMPUTER RELATED: NON-COMPUTER RELATED: $397.50 $417.92 $189.00 VALUE AWARDED: Amount of check your Town Supervisor will receive: $1,004.42 Total value of award: SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING AWARD DISBURSEMENTS: Your Town Supervisor should receive a check for the amount of the grant sometime between December 24th - 31st. All grant recipients are reminded that, as required by law, funds received hereunder may not be used for purposes other than the purchase of the item(s) set forth on the list above. Also, as stipulated in the municipal certification accompanying the application for your grant, "any goods and/or services purchased with any Justice Court Assistance Program funds shall be obtained in accordance with acceptable procurement practices established by the governing municipality including, but not limited to, competitive bidding and procurement policies and procedures." December 5, 2002 Carrie Whitmore Deputy Town Clerk Town of Ithaca 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca. NY 14850 Dear Deputy Town Clerk Whitmore, Alice Laue, Town Clerk of Enfield, asked if I would answer your letter dated November 25, 2002 regarding Town Historians. I am glad you are inquiring upon the position of the historian of the towns, villages, and City of Tompkins County. I believe it would be a serious mistake to eliminate any historians' position in our county. Each position is important to that community to help not only to preserve our past but preserve our future. We do this by involving ourselves in record preservation both town and private citizen. We help to give direction to those regarding history of their land, homes, and families. We help to preserve buildings and lands within our communities. We give support to each of our local Historical Societies. We work with groups during historic celebrations within our communities. We work with our local school children on my different historical projects, especially in the 4*^ grade. I personally don't believe any of our local historians would have the time or energy to cover another town/village/city if they are as busy as I am in the history of our community. Our Tompkins County Municipal Historians group has worked hard in keeping the positions of Town Historians full and active. Our group is always ready to help in locating a Historian for any of the Town and Villages of Tompkins County. In answer to your letter, yes, the Town of Enfield has an active Town Historian. No the Town Historian does not receive compensation for their services, nor has any of the previous Town Historians. There is a small budget to pay for paper, folders, etc. The hours of work depends on what is going on at the moment but based on last year's historian report it was an estimated 10 hours a week depending on what was going on, sometimes more. I have enclosed a copy of my annual report from last year to give you an idea of what I do, or at least from that year. The duties of the town historian consist of collecting, preserving and making available materials relating to the history of the community. Attached is a job description which was given to each of the Town Supervisors of towns and villages of Tompkins County from the County Historian, Carol Kammen and Town Historians. ^ December 5, 2002 Page 2 Carrie Whitmore I believe the Town's needs are being met in the Town of Enfield with our Historian's position. I would have to answer no the Town of Enfield is not interested and combining municipalities in the historian's positions. Thank you for your time. .1 r Sue Thompson Enfield Town Historian 487 Enfield Center Road Ithaca. NY 14850 Cc: Alice Laue, Enfield Town Clerk Jean Owens, Enfield Town Supervisor Historians of the Tompkins County n- - TOMPKINS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 401 Harris B. Dates Drive Ithaca, New York 14850-1385 (607) 274-6688 9 December 2002 Paul Tunison Production Manager SCLIWC 1402 East Shore Drive Ithaca, NY 14850 Re: 2002 Water System Inspection Dear Paul: Enclosed is the narrative inspection and Field Compliance Report form completed as part of the recent sanitary survey of the SCLIWC water system. I appreciate Jack Rueckheim and Ken Butler for taking the time to accompany me. Your staffs expertise, high level of care, and response to requests and changing regulations and standards is recognized and appreciated. Your reaction to the short time frame for a new Vulnerability Analysis and revised Emergency Response Plan is but one example. I look forward to reviewing these documents in the next few weeks. Please call me if you wish to discuss this report. Sincerely, John M. Andersson, P.E. Director, Division of Environmental Health Services pc: Stephen Lipinski, Chair, SCLIWC Stephen Farkas, Supervisor, Lansing-T Catherine Valentino, Supervisor, Ithaca-T Mark Varvayanis, Supervisor, Dryden-T Walter Lynn, Mayor, Cayuga Heights-V Donald Hartill, Mayor, Lansing-V Dan Walker, P.E., T-Ithaca John Strepelis, NYSDOH Michael Burke, NYSDOH Steven Kern, Senior Sanitarian a:scliwc02 Recycled paper TOMPKINS COUNT^ OF HEALTH DIVISION OF FN^RO^VDENTAL HEALTH 401 Hams^B. briye Ithaca, New^V!c'rjr4-^504^ ' • (607) 274-6688' REPORT OF 2002 INSPECTION SCLIWC (BOLTON POINT) WATER TREATMENT PLANT Paul Tunison, General Manager Ken Butler, Production Manager Jack Rueckheim, Distribution Manager On October 22,2002, John Andersson. P.E., of the Tompkins County Health Department inspected the Bolton Point Water Treatment Plant with Paul Tunison, Ken Butler and Jack Rueckheim. In addition to the main facility, the raw water pumping station, the new Oakwood Lane pump station and building for the future PRV were inspected. System Description The raw water pump station on the shore of Cayuga Lake pumps water to the treatment facility on East Shore Drive. The sodium hypochlorite system to control zebra mussels began operation in July 1995 and is used when the raw water temperature is above 5OF. At the treatment facility, chlorine, polymers, and alum are added at the rapid mix tank; the water then flows to the flocculation/coagulation tanks, then to the settling tank with tube settlers where sodium hydroxide and starch can be added, followed by rapid sand filters. Liquid chlorine in ton cylinders is used for disinfection through the process. Water is pumped firom the clear well to the Burdick Hill tank, firom where it is further distributed to the member municipalities of the Towns of Ithaca, Lansing, and Dryden and the Villages of Cayuga Heights and Lansing. Backwash water and sedimentation basin sludge are de-watered in drying lagoons and stored on- site, with clear supernatant recycled through the plant. The plant is currently operated midnight - 4 PM Mondays, midnight - 5 PM Tuesday through Friday; 7 AM - 5 PM on Saturday, and 4 AM - 4 PM on Sunday. Water is re-chlorinated at the Cliff Street (Ithaca-T), the Monkey Run (Dryden-T), and the Pine Grove pump stations and the Milliken Road PRV (Lansing-T). It is sometimes added at the Emmons Road storage tank. Violations: No violations are noted. -more- Recycled paper SCLIWC 2002 Ins. p2/2 Deficiencies: 1. The Tmmansburg Road tank overflow is still not adequately constructed or protected. The pipe is considerably too small, does not appear to be screened, and is terminated near the top of the tank. The "Recommended Standards for Waterworks" must be followed. All water storage overflow pipes must be terminated between 12 and 24 inches above the ground surface, screened with 24 mesh, and discharge over a drainage inlet structure or a splash plate. Overflow pipes shall be located so that any discharge is visible, and be of sufficient diameter to permit waste of water in excess of the filling rate. This is more critical than ever as the new Oakwood Lane pump station serving the tank has a higher capacity than the old Cliff Street pump station. 2. The Pesticide/Herbicide analyses (Table 90 of Part 5-1) was completed in September 2001; it was due by June 2001; and Lindane was not analyzedr The next round of sampling4s due this month. Other 1. Hunt Engineers are working on a preliminary design for a new Hungerford Hill tank for the T-lthaca. An extension of the Transmission Main to the Inlet Valley is also planned, which would supply the West Hill area of the T-lthaca with Bolton Point water mstead of City of Ithaca water. Also, the electrical facilities at the raw water pumping station and the plant will also be upgraded. 2. New diesel powered generators have been installed at the raw water and finished pump stations for emergency service. All underground fuel tanks have been eliminated. 3. With the completion of the Oakwood Lane pump station, the Cliff Street station is relegated to emergency use only. 4. Water extensions were completed in the Armstrong Road (T-Lansing) and Cayuga Heights Road (V-Lansing) areas, and a major effort to provide cross-connection control in the Hungerford Road area firom Cornell University facilities was completed. 5. A significant effort is also underway on ERP revisions with a new VA designed to especially address terrorism, due at the end of2002. Water Quality Operating reports are received every month on time. All of the required sampling to date is done and the results are satisfactory. Analyses still due in 2002'are inorganic, nitrate,~POC & VC^ Pesticides/Herbicides, and the more routine microbiological (monthly), THM's and HAAS (quarterly), and turbidity (daily). In addition, the monthly TOC removal rates and related sampling is up to date. a:scliwc02 Barbara B. M. Kone Town of Caroline Historian P O Box 136 Slaterville Springs, N Y 14881-0136 11 December 2002 Attn: Carrie Whitmore Town Clerk's Office TOWN OF ITHACA 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, N Y 14850 Dear Ms. Whitmore, Mr. Don Barber, Town of Caroline Supervisor, asked me to answer your letter to Ms. Kim Case, Town of Caroline Town Clerk, regarding your search for a Town Historian. I have been the Historian for the Town of Caroline for more than 16 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I have worked closely with the Town Board members over the years, and I feel they appreciate my efforts. My duties consist of answering questions regarding local and family history, researching and writing articles for the local newsletter, giving presentations to Senior Citizen, Church, and Youth Groups as well as the 4"^-grade classes at Caroline Elementary School. I feel I have been able to help research and answer questions that past Town Boards have faced, such as flood areas, bridge replacements, fires, etc. My office was very involved with the Town's Bicentennial celebrations in 1994-95. These duties included writing a history of the town, finding photos of historical events, places and important people in the Town's history, researching various subjects for the scheduled events, finding past residents, and organizing events. I have an office and have established regular hours when I am available. There is one person who volunteers part time to assist me in research. I am paid $700 a year (almost $1.00 per hour) for my work. The Town also provides a small budget for the office expenses. I do not feel that any historian who is preserving, studying and disseminating the history of their town can possibly take on the responsibility of doing the same for any other municipality. I think the needs of the Town of Caroline are being met. Sincerely, Barbara B. M. Kone Historian, Town of Caroline Superintendent, Highway Department Town of Ithaca 106 Seven Mile Drive Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Sir: ® d 0 ^ n DEC 1 6 2002 CLERK 1585 Slaterville Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 December 12, 2002 For yoiir information, I wish to point out three incidences of mal-aligned services by your department; ^ 1. In early November, since I piled leaves on a side road (Burns Way), and they were not easily visible,^! called in my location to be helpful. These were never picked up, though friends have intormed me that their leaves were picked up twice on Pine Tree Rd.' Mine are now being plowed onto my side lawn and I would appreciate a response to my recent second 2. Burns Road received a coat of chips and tar this summer, though the need for this could have been well argued as unnecessary. This topping has now been totally plowed off and is presently at the top of this dead end road or clogging the side drainage areas. The large truck with side wings that has been plowing this road has not only removed the surface application from last summer but has gouged into the previous surface to create pockets for further erosion and wear. How will this road be repaired? Is the correct equipment hem^ used on this road for snow removal? 3. This morning at approximately 5:30 am the large truck that was plowing snow became embedded in the ditch as it proceeded down Burns Way to Burns Rd. This has left a large trench plowed into the embankment of my back lawn, which I diligently have maintained as a lawn area. This '"trench" has caused a pool of water to collect and it is also in the immediate area where the sewer line crosses to a pumping station. I would appreciate replacement of my sloped lawn area. When and how will this be fixed? 1 am trying to be rational about these issues but if! have this many concerns in the space 0 two months for some 750 feet of roadway, what must your maintenance records and needs be 1 all the Town loads received such abuse! Needless to say, I hope you will give me some reassurance that things will get better. Gopy:^^therine Valentino Sincerely, (Mrs.) Grace A. Saatman ph: 272-3748; e-mail: gas2@c-omell.edu Town Supervisor Ithaca, ny i485o Catherine Valentino 215 n. Tioga street 607-273-1721 December 18, 2002 Mr. Jim Blizzard 44 East Miller Road Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Jim, On behalf of the Town of Ithaca I would like to thank you for all the work you did to produce the fine video presentation on the Town of Ithaca's proposed new Zoning Ordinance. Your willingness to provide technical assistance made the project possible. Your enthusiasm and patient guidance helped to make the final product reflect well on the Town. Thanks again and best wishes. Sincerely, Catherine Valentino Town Supervisor Xc: Wendy Skinner, Tompkins County Public Information Coordinator TOWN OF ITHACA^ \ Jl/ 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 www.town.ithaca.ny.us TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY (Roads. Parks. Trails. Water&Sewer) 273-1656 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607) 273-1704 December 20,2002 Captain Jackman New York State Police 1850 Dryden Road Freeville, N.Y. 13068 Dear Captain Jackman, This will make a matter of record our telephone conversation this morning in which I explained our plans for additional traffic enforcement in the Town of Ithaca. The enclosed copy of a letter to Sheriff Meskill lays out our plans for the supplementary patrolling. My reason for having contacted you was to seek for similar assistance on state roads in the Town. You asked that we identify areas where supplementary patrolling may be beneficial. In that regard. Sue Ritter, Assistant Planner, will be sending under separate cover maps of accident data in the Town for 1999-2001. She will also contact your office to discuss transmitting electronic versions of the maps in a form most convenient for your use. Based on the accident data, we have been able to identify the following problem areas in the Town: • Route 96 between the hospital and the city line, • Route 13 at Seven Mile Road, • Mecklenberg Road near the city line, and • Route 96B south of the city line. We are then seeking your support with additional traffic patrolling in those locations and others you may recognize as similarly problematic. We note all the locations identified above are at points where the road use changes dramatically, and hence share some similarities with the 'rural collectors' we are asking Sheriff Meskill to provide additional patrols for. The most expeditious way to proceed I expect is for me to telephone once you have had the opportunity to review this request to answer additional questions. Thank you very much for your support in this important endeavor. Regards, Bill Lesser, Chair Town Transportation Committee Cc: T-A Hunter, Town Clerk S. Kitten Ast. Planner TOWN OF ITHACA ioga Street, Ithaca, N.' www.town.ithaca.ny.us ^ X ira-i /, // 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY (Roads, Parks, Trails, Water&Sewer) 273-1656 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607) 273-1704 December 20,2002 Sheriff Peter Meskill 779 Warren Road Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Dear Peter, We at the Town of Ithaca would like to thank you and Randy Haus for meeting with us on November 21®^ for the purpose of discussing supplementary patrolling fo Town roads. We I believe came to a general agreement on how to proceed, which I am summarizing here for the record: 1. The initial focus will be on the Synder Hill/Pine Tree Road/Honess Lane and Park Lane complex. Following that, enforcement will be rotated to Coddington and E. King Roads, and Warren/Hanshaw Roads. Those are * rural collector' routes which become increasingly densely populated closer in, and hence use conflicts seem to arise with commuting traffic. 2. Principal emphasis is to be on safety. Hence, we are seeking reductions in speed and oAer potentially dangerous behavior, including following too close and failure to stop at signs. 3. The purpose of the supplementary patrolling is to change behavior so there is not an intent to be unduly harsh. That is, ticketing will be done at the discretion of the officer present. We still need to decide on whether to begin with warnings or tickets, and on how to announce the program to our residents. 4. The general behavior-changing approach will be to have a month-long initial enforcement period, followed by shift to another area, and then perhaps returning after a one or two week period. 5. Speeds will be measured prior to, during and following the enforcement periods. As an example, the Town will utilize its counters, but it is hoped you can sometimes augment those efforts with the use of your speed-indicating trailer. Tracking vehicle speed will help us (a) measure the success of the program, and (b) decide on when to return to the earlier enforcement areas. We recognize this is an experiment for all parties and need to cooperate closely as we measure and refine our success and objectives. 6. You indicated the constraints your Office operates under to be: • Must plan the patrolling within existing shifts, • Town must determine how aggressive the enforcement should be, and • The Sheriffs Office must retain flexibility to respond to emergencies. We understand and accede to those requirements. 7. The agreement will operate in 90 day blocks. You will provide a monthly report for the Town. Kindly notify me of you require additional detail on our plans at this time. We will be back in touch well prior to the initiation of the program in March or April 2003 to establish the final details. Regards, Bill Lesser, Chair Transportation Committee Cc: T-A Hunter, Town Clerk S. Fitter, Ast. Planner