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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptember 2024 NewsletterTOWN OF ITHACA NEWSLETTER September 2024 Fall Brush and Leaf Collection 2024 Brush Collection begins Monday, October 21st and will continue throughout the Town until finished. All yard waste must be at the roadside by 7 a.m. on the first day of collection. There will be no second collection and no callbacks. The intention of the Town’s roadside collection service is for residents of the Town of Ithaca outside the Village of Cayuga Heights to put a reasonable amount of yard waste (as is generated during a normal year) out at the roadside for pickup by the Town’s crews. Clearing of building lots and hedgerows is beyond a normal amount of material. Roadside collection crews reserve the right to not pick up excessively large volumes of brush and improperly piled materials. Brush you collect before the first day of the pickup needs to remain out of the rights-of-way until a couple of days before the pickup; this will assure your safety and that of your neighbors. Errant brush piles can wreak havoc on the storm water systems and can create a hazard for walkers and cyclists. You may drop your own yard waste and leaves off at the Public Works Facility at 114 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. year-round. If you have questions, call (607) 273-1656 between 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. or send an email to publicworks@townithacany.gov WHAT TO DO • Pile brush in neat bundles parallel to the roadway along road shoulder or at end of driveway if no shoulder exists. • Put out limbs no larger than 8 inches in diameter (it is not necessary to cut limbs into small pieces). • Limit brush piles to the size of a pickup load (approximately 2’ H x 4’ W x 8’ L in size). WHAT NOT TO DO • Do not tie bundles of brush • Do not place any materials in a ditch • Do not put out metal, rocks, glass, roots, stumps, or lumber scraps • Do not put brush out until a few days before collection Leaf Collection Begins on Monday, November 4th at 7 a.m. and will continue throughout the week until finished. Leaves should be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the first day of collection. Leaves may be raked to the shoulder of the road or bagged in biodegradable paper leaf bags (30-gallon bags are available at many stores in the area). Other debris such as pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, grass clippings, etc., cannot be vacuumed and should be placed in bags. Please fill the bags and place them on the road shoulder, folding over the openings of the bags to close. Do not staple or tape openings. No plastic bags will be picked up. The Town’s crews will go around the entire Town once with the leaf vacuum. For the rest of the month of November, the crews will begin picking up paper-bagged leaves each Monday, which could extend through early week to encompass the entire Town. Please note that we may send out leaf crews earlier than November 4th to test our equipment and to pick up paper-bagged leaves before they get wet. WHAT’S NEW? About Our Town - Check out our website where the newest video showcasing West Hill is up. Produced with drone footage taken by Ben Coakley and narrated by Deputy Town Supervisor Rich DePaolo. The South Hill video was posted last year, and East Hill video is in the works. Speaking of West Hill… The first meeting for the charrette on Conifer's West Hill Traditional Neighborhood Development design was held last month. A charrette is a collaborative design process that includes public participation to create a concept for a master zoning and development plan (“regulating plan”) for this area. A regulating plan will show the location of new zoning districts, streets and sidewalks, parks and trails, and other neighborhood features. If the Town Board adopts the regulating plan, new development in the underlying area must follow it and that vision will shape how the area north of the existing Linderman Creek Apartments will grow in the coming years. Visit https://townithacany.gov/new-neighborhood-code to learn more about TND, and the Town’s planning regulations that guide its design. Stay informed - including opportunities for you to get involved and share your ideas, by visiting Upcoming & Current Projects on our webpage where project documents will be posted, and developer's project-specific website link is for easy access. Contact C.J. Randall, Director of Planning, for more information at cjrandall@townithacany.gov. Board Vacancies - The Town continues recruitment for Zoning Board of Appeals members. You must live in the Town and meetings are held on Tuesdays, beginning at 6p.m. here at Town Hall. This is a quasi-legislative board responsible for hearing requests for variances and other actions in accordance with the Town Code. FINANCE FACTS... Water and Sewer bills were sent out last week. They are due by September 30th with no penalty. On October 1st a 10% penalty will be added. Payments will be accepted through October 18th; at which time any outstanding balances will be sent to Tompkins County Finance to be added to the property’s tax bill. Online Payments link and don’t forget about our ACH Option link. School Tax Bills will be out the first week of October and due by October 31st. The Town is not involved in any processing or accepting payments (payments are made to any Tompkins Trust Company Bank), but we do have a LINK on our website where you can look up your bill if you do not receive it. CODES CORNER… As you look to fall and think about projects, it may be a good idea to check if a project requires a building permit from the Town or other considerations such as location on the property and setbacks. This is a list of projects that require a building permit (not an exhaustive list): • New/Replacement Roof • New / Replacement heating system • New/Replacement Hot Water Heater • New/Replacement Electrical Service • Electrical System Alterations or additions • Upgraded Electrical Service • New/Replacement Pool • New/Replacement Spa • New/Replacement Hot Tub • New/Replacement Fences (in certain cases) • Addition to a Building • New/Replacement Deck • Accessory Dwelling Units • Solar Array • Reconstruction of a building • New Buildings (including garages, sheds, barns, residential buildings, commercial buildings, etc.) • New/Replacement Solid Fuel Burning Appliances (wood/coal/pellet stoves or fireplaces) • Installation/Alterations of a sprinkler system, fire alarm system, or other life safety system • Interior Alteration/remodeling of a Building • Demolition of a Building • Exterior lighting projects • New/Replacement Dock • New/Replacement Electrical Vehicle Chargers • Whole house window or siding replacement All permit applications can be found Here. We welcome any questions; call 607-273-1783, email us at codes@townithacany.gov, or stop in at 215 North Tioga Street. Thank you, Marty Moseley Director of Code Enforcement September is National Preparedness Month TC Emergency Response, Whole Health and the Ithaca Airport Host the 2024 Airport Day and Preparedness & Safety Fair Saturday, September 14th, 7am – 1 pm The day starts with the Runway 5K and East Hill Flying Club’s Pancake Breakfast. There will be demonstrations focusing on emergency preparedness & response, health & safety, and more; a vehicle extrication exercise, proper use of a fire extinguisher, and hands-on CPR. Local law enforcement, fire departments, EMS responders, health providers and the National Weather Service will help you learn how to prepare for a variety of emergency situations. NYS Citizens Preparedness Corps Free Training - 10am - Disaster Preparedness Kit Registration The Red Cross Blood Drive - 10am – 2pm, Schedule to donate. Before an Emergency Happens Fire Emergency Access/Health Needs What else can you do to be prepared? SIREN is a great way to get notifications specific to your area as they come in. Sign up HERE. Along with emergency information, you can also sign up for community alerts from the town such as holiday closings, brush and leaf pick-ups and more. What do we do? The Town participates in the SIREN notification system. Our Disaster Emergency Plan designates the Public Works Facility as our Command Center. We have generators that will keep our operations going during a crisis, which in turn lets us keep you informed, respond efficiently, and work towards getting back to normal as quickly as possible. Other types of emergencies you can prepare for: School is back in session. Situations involving drugs, bullying, or feeling overwhelmed are their own kind of emergency. Educate yourself and them; learn how to talk to your kids about the dangers of drugs; know what to look for, be prepared. HOW TO HELP SOMEONE IN A CRISIS/SUICIDE PREVENTION Some of the following steps can help: • Never hesitate to reach out and ask, “Are you OK? Reach out, check in, and show you care. This is the best form of suicide prevention. • The average person thinking about suicide often feels trapped and alone. When someone reaches out, it reduces that person’s sense of isolation. • Be direct about suicide, and do not beat around the bush. Do not be afraid to ask if the person is thinking about suicide. It is a myth that this will put the idea in their head. • Continually assess the risk as it presents itself, as suicidal feelings are not always an emergency. Someone may confide in you that they are thinking about suicide; don’t let yourself panic. Not everyone who expresses these feelings needs to be rushed to the hospital. • If you feel an immediate crisis, ask direct questions like “Are you thinking of killing yourself in the next day or so?” or “How strong are those urges?” • If it is a crisis situation, stick around. Intense emotions that cause a person to act impulsively tend to resolve within 24 to 48 hours. Be there for them, offer social support or medical help. They should not be alone in a time of crisis. • Ask if they have the means of harming themselves at hand and work with them to remove them. • Listen to them, offer hope and help, and find tools and support to help them. The best approach is to listen to what they say and not judge. Do not try to tell them what to do, but instead offer hope and support. The County is mailing a large postcard-style pamphlet to every household listing information about services they provide to support the community. As the Town Clerk, I get many calls - Who does this, and Where can I find that? and this looks to be a very handy resource. Our website also has a lot of information and a robust directory under New Residents Guide, including other municipal offices and contact information. Consumer Protection Forum Hosted by Assemblymember Anna Kelles Friday, September 13th Cinemapolis, 9am – 12pm Registration Encouraged (but not required) Kim Maercklein, Consumer Education Community Liaison, NYS DOH will give a presentation followed by a Q&A Session for attendees. Town Supported Agencies’ News & Events Here is a link to their monthly Newsletter. A lot of opportunities for our youth. Tompkins County Public Library Sit, Stay, Read – Mondays, 3 to 4pm - all ages - Thaler/Howell Programming Room Maker Mondays - Mondays, 4 to 6pm - tweens and teens - Maker Space LEGO Build Night for Families - Tuesdays, 5:30 - 6:30pm - Thaler/Howell Programming Room LGBTQIA+ Youth Group – Wednesdays, 4 to 6:30pm - tweens and teens – Digital Lab Story & Craft Thursdays, 3:30 to 4:30 pm - Thaler/Howell Programming Room Ages 8 to 108 Board Game Club Thursdays, 5 to 7pm - Thaler/Howell Programming Room (9/26) Office of the Aging, City of Ithaca and Downtown Ithaca Alliance Want to hear from you about your Retail, Entertainment and Personal Service needs to be better informed about what matters to you. Please consider taking this brief Survey. Lifelong Events PRI/Museum of Earth New Exhibit The Blaschka models from the Cornell University collection are on display. \ In the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, Bohemian glassmaker Leopold Blaschka and, later, his son Rudolf Blaschka created and sold an amazing series of glass marine invertebrate models. In a time before SCUBA or underwater photography, these models allowed people to see what marine invertebrates looked like when they were alive, rather than what they looked like when preserved. Explore our online exhibit now to begin learning about these beautiful glass models.