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Home My WebLink AboutMay 2024 NewsletterTOWN OF ITHACA MAY 2024 NEWSLETTER The wonderful Spirit of Tompkins County banners will be coming down from the Buffalo Street side of Ithaca’s Town Hall the week of May 20th. Come by to take one last look on Friday, May 17th between noon and 1:00. Spirit of Tompkins books will be available to purchase in the Town Hall lobby on Friday for $12 (cash, check or venmo accepted) More about the project and a link to purchase books: Spirit of Tompkins Chemists for Outreach and Graduate Inclusion Volunteer Group From Joe Talbut, Parks Manager “They did a fantastic job!” On behalf of the town and all the trail users, thank you very much! What a great way to observe Earth Day. The History Center “A SPORTING CHANCE: ON AND OFF THE FIELD” The Exhibit explores the stories of local athletes, teams and the community that has cheered them on. The exhibit runs through December 2024, with some pieces here at Town Hall in the lobby showcases and the main attractions at the History Center on the Commons. Come in and look around, learn about our local sports history and what it means to be an athlete in Tompkins County. https://thehistorycenter.net/sporting-chance Town’s Conservation Board Hosting an Invasive Species Education Event Thursday, June 6th @ 5:30 p.m. NYS Annual Invasive Species Awareness Week – June 3rd – 9th The Conservation Board invites you to join them on Thursday, June 6th at 5:30pm at the Shirley Raffensperger gazebo on the East Ithaca Nature Preserve (Map) for a brief introduction of invasive species followed by a walk around the preserve where they will show you how to find invasives, focusing on Ten Nasty Invaders: honeysuckle, privet, buckthorn, multiflora rose, oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, autumn olive, Japanese barberry, swallowwort, and parsnip. Once you know how to identify them, they will teach you some tools and strategies used to manage them. This event is sponsored by the Finger Lakes PRISM. To learn more about what you can do to stop the spread of invasives species in New York State: http://fingerlakesinvasives.org/ The Town Board supports the National Building Safety Month – May 2024, promoting and appreciating the efforts by building professionals of all trades and oversight who create safe and sustainable structures. The buildings that are built in accordance with the New York State Codes create a safe and sustainable building environment that all individuals can live and work in. Codes Corner Dear Friends, As we head into warmer weather, signs, like dandelions, seem to pop up everywhere, especially on the roadsides and intersections. The Town has a Sign Law that prohibits off-premises signs such as these in the rights-of-way and intersections throughout the town. You can have a sign, they just need to meet the requirements of our law, such as – freestanding signs are allowed in your yard, not to exceed 16 sqft in total area and no one sign larger than 6’ feet in height. The sign(s) must be out of the road ROW and at least 15’ feet from the side yard property lines. Art murals all need a permit. You can look at the requirements for those here: Town of Ithaca Art Mural Law and apply for one here: permit application link As always, please remember to check and replace the batteries in all carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and be careful with any outdoor burning, even in your backyard fire pits. If you have questions, please feel free to contact our office at 607-273- 1783, email us at codes@townithacany.gov, or stop into the office at 215 North Tioga Street. We welcome any questions you may have on any projects that you are thinking about. Thank you, Marty Moseley Director of Code Enforcement Ithaca Community Recovery, Teenage Initiative TST BOCES and Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services is launching a new support group, Breaking Free: Teens Unite. There are no forms, no cost, and no obstacles to attending in person or via Zoom. This is a safe space for the teens of our communities to anonymously gather safely, seek guidance, and receive support – free from any real or perceived threat of punitive measures. Each meeting will include a professional from CARS and a board-approved representative from Ithaca Community Recovery. Meetings are every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 4:30 pm, with in-person attendance at Ithaca Community Recovery (518 W Seneca St) on the top floor or contact them for Zoom link information. Detailed flyer Here Community Programs TC Whole Health & SNAP-Ed Free Walking Club every Friday in May from 10am-11am, at Ithaca Children's Garden. Take a short walk, get some tips on tick bite prevention, and sample a healthy recipe. All ages welcome, no cost to participate and no registration required. Please contact CCE's Kris Moore - kam444@cornell.edu or call: 607-272-2292 x 132 Cooking and Healthy Eating Classes - Thursday evenings in May CCE Tompkins Teaching Kitchen SNAP-Ed Nutritionist Kris - kam444@cornell.edu. Each week will focus on different topics to simplify nutritious eating. Over the five classes, you will get hands-on, in-depth cooking instructions and recipes for: • 5/16: Veggie Stir-Fry • 5/23: Learn how to how to properly measure ingredients and incorporate whole grains into your diet. Banana Oat Pancakes with Any Berry Sauce • 5/31: Learn how to choose healthy protein options and safe food handling. Salmon Cakes w/ Mango Cucumber Salsa AN INVITATION FROM PLAY IT AGAIN SENIOR ACTING TROUPE OF LIFELONG Four performances in Ithaca during the month of May, consisting of 7 or 8 readings of original stories on the theme of “Challenges.” Each solo reading supported and enlivened by bits of dialogue, snippets of songs, and gestures by the troupe. The cast ranges in age from 71 to 87 and they have a storehouse of wisdom, pathos, and humor to share. Our first performance is part of the Spring Writes Festival, under the auspices of the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County. Our readers: Jean Senegas, Emily Rhoads Johnson, Carol Reynolds, Deirdre Silverman, Brenda Kuhn, Paula Twomey, Mark Silverman, and Patricia Frazier. Our director: Susan Kaplan. Performances are: Thursday, May 16 at 2 pm at Lifelong of Ithaca (refreshments provided by Dolce Delights) Thursday, May 23 at 2 pm at Longview, in their auditorium Over the course of two weeks, we'll visit and work at ten different sites to learn how volunteering benefits the community. For more information, email abbey@learning-web.org or call (607)-275-0122. Tompkins County Public Library Youth Services Event Calendar Special programs: Tween Book Club: Measuring Up Thursday May 23 from 4 to 4:45pm in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room Monthly Robot Racing Challenge Saturday May 18 from 2 to 3pm in the Makerspace Ongoing programs: Maker Mondays for tweens and teens ages 12-18 every Monday from 4 to 6pm in the Maker Space LEGO Build Night for Families every Tuesday from 5:30 - 6:30pm in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room LGBTQIA+ Youth Group every Wednesday from 4 to 6:30pm in our Digital Lab Spring Baby & Toddler Storytime every Friday from 10:30 to 11am in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room Family Storytime every Saturday from 11 to 11:30 am in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room Do you have questions about children's or teens programming, collections, or services? Email Youth Services Department Head Kat Savage at ksavage@tcpl.org Family Playgroup at CCE Tompkins For caregivers and children ages 1 - 4 years old Free six weeks series, May 16th - June 20th Thursday mornings from 9:30 - 11:30 Baby Doll Circle Time, Story Time, Free Play, Songs & Movement, Prep a Healthy Snack, Nutrition Q&A...and each family will receive a free gift! Register here: Playgroup Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau Welcomes Ithaca Youth Bureau Director Gregg Houck The Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau (FIYB) and the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB) invite the community to welcome Gregg Houck, the IYB’s new Director, on Thursday, May 23rd from 4:00-6:00 pm, at the Stewart Park Large Pavilion. Light refreshments will be served, with remarks planned for 5:00 pm. RSVP by May 20 here Greg is a Candor native who has degrees from Tompkins Cortland Community College and the State University of New York at Cortland. Most recently he served as the Senior Director of Community Impact at United Way of Tompkins County, and he has held leadership positions with the YMCA in Ithaca, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. The IYB’s mission is to offer participants from all backgrounds, walks of life, identities, abilities and lived experiences a broad range of recreation and youth development services, supports, and opportunities to enable them to thrive. With the increase in the needs of our youths and the impacts of reduced funding due to limited government budgets, the Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau was established to support the IYB. Learn more about FIYB and how donations and volunteers make a difference at friendsiyb.org or email us at friendsiyb@gmail.com.