HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.06 Newsletter t JUNE 2020
��� a TOWN of LANSING__ _ -
'74,
GQ �� "Home of Industry.Apiculture and Scenic Beauty"
Y2 ‘ Iti
t
s. p 1 BOX 1$r
',
�10 Lansint-N 146E2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
From the Desk of the Town Supervisor 1
A Note from Director of Planning 2
A Note from the Code Enforcement Office 3
From the Desk of Town Clerk's Office 4
History of Boats and Boating on Cayuga Lake 5
the Town Supervisor
Town Clerk continued 6
Hello Lansing:
One of my favorite videos that I have been watching recently is the British Drama Series Downton
Abbey. This historical drama follows the lives of the Crawley family and the Grantham family as they
confront and adjust to the changes of the modern world. In one of the more dramatic scenes Edith (the
middle child of the three Grantham daughters) has just been stood up at the altar. The potential wedding
turns into a embarrassing disaster and Edith is understandably devastated. Her mother Cora attempts to
console her and states "We are being tested. When we are tested, we become stronger".
My fellow Lansing residents, our town is being tested. When the town is being tested does it become
stronger? In my opinion, we do and we are right now. Our employees at the town are working nonstop to
the constant and sometimes daily adjustments and procedures that are mandated due to the Coronavirus
Pandemic. Whether it is 50% essential employees allowed to work at the town, to the increased protocols
issued for public health measures, to the adjustments for interacting with the public or the financial
concerns produced by the uncertainty of our local economy, action plans are discussed and implemented.
Positive relationships between departments are critical to be able to confront these challenges. Our
department heads by using their excellent leadership skills have been proactive in developing measures to
protect the general public.
Our code officer (Lynn Day) suggested installing transaction windows similar to the court clerk's
office uses for the Park and Rec dept., the Planning and Code office and the Town Supervisor's office. He
along with Scott Weaver (a highway department employee) lead the project and the installation was a
complete success. Well done gentlemen!
Our Highway Superintendent (Cricket Purcell) was proactive with completing tasks scheduled for the
latter months of the year in March due to the mild weather. When the pandemic occurred his list of projects
did not become a concern when the end date of returning to work continued to be pushed back with no
apparent final date in sight. When the weather turned threatening in the following months of April and even
May, he and his staff were prepared to address those concerns.
The Park and Rec Department Director (Pat Tyrrell) and his staff(Jenna, Owen, Frank and recently
Tyler) have continuously adjusted and readjusted the services allowed or disallowed (unfortunately) for our
residents based on periodic challenges in allowed uses by the Tompkins Health Department or the
Governor. Camping allowed or not, day camps allowed or not, pavilion use allowed or not, swimming
allowed or not and the list goes on. The phone calls and inquires continued to increase and the answers
were accurate, respectful and professional.
Continued on Page 2
We're on the Web! Visit us at: www.Lansingtown.com
Page2
Continued from Page 1
Our planner (C.J.Randall), our code officer (Lynn Day) and our information aide (Sue Munson)
continued to provide services to our residents while the building remained closed.
Our town clerk (Debbie Munson) and deputy town clerk (Jesse Hall) continued to provide service to
our residents while either being in the office or at home while the town hall was closed.
Our bookkeeper (Charmagne Rumgay) and information aide (Pat Poch) continued to work from the
office while the town hall was closed.
The locations may have been different,the protocol for public interaction may have been different,
the process for holding meetings (whether for specific boards or committees) may have been different, but
the results were still the same. Professional service, respectful interaction and value to our Lansing
residents was achieved.
To the citizens of Lansing, your town employees ASSESS, ADAPT and ACT to continue to move
forward and produce positive results for the benefit of our residents of Lansing.
Thank you, Ed LaVigne, Lansing Town Supervisor
A Note from Director of Planning, C.J. Randall
Greetings from the Town of Lansing Code Enforcement & Planning Office! Clerk Sue Munson,
Code Enforcement Officer Lynn Day, and Director of Planning C.J. Randall invite you to call or email with
questions or concerns about maps, housing (including building code, building permits, subdivisions, and
other land development), transportation, natural resources, agriculture, economic development,
tourism, and utilities including stormwater management. We are limiting in-person meetings during
phased reopening but we are accepting inquiries and applications via phone and email.
Planning & Code is ever mindful of opportunities to reduce expenses while providing a high level
of service to the Town and public, and we continue to do so in the time of COVID-19. I am pleased to
report that we have minimized disruptions to operations by holding public meetings via
videoconference, even with some of our workforce still operating from home! We invite you to view
your local government at work on the Town of Lansing's YouTube Channel, where you can watch the
Town Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Conservation Advisory Council carry on
important work despite social distancing.
Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Sandsted to the Code & Planning team! Jen has lived in
Lansing for about 16 years, having moved here after graduating from SUNY Oswego in 2003 with a
bachelors in Business Administration. Jen worked for the Lansing Town Court for 6 years and made the
decision to move to the Code and Planning Office when current Clerk Sue Munson announced her
retirement. Congratulations on your retirement, Sue!!
Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can be of service. Our office hours are Monday-
Thursday 7:30am -4:00pm, Fridays 7:30am - noon; we can be reached at 607-533-7054 and
tolcodes@lansingtown.com.
We're on the Web! Visit us at: www.Lansingtown.com
Page 3
Summer Swimming Pool Safety Tips
With summer comes one of the most popular outdoor activities, enjoying a day at the pool swimming
with family and friends. But with swimming pools also comes the responsibility of keeping everyone safe,
particularly children, as over 350 children ages 0-14 drown in American backyard pools each year.
Following these tips will help keep your swimming pool safe:
• Every pool requires a building permit.
• A pool definition- As any structure, basin, chamber or tank which is intended for swimming, diving,
recreational bathing or wading and which contains, is designed to contain, or is capable of
containing water more than 24 inches deep at any point. This includes in-ground, above ground
and on-grounds pools, indoor pools, hot tubs, spas, and wading pools, portable/ storable blow-up
pools.
• Always watch children when they're in or around a pool. Avoid distraction.
• Teach children basic swimming pool safety and have them wear approved life jackets / personal
floatation devices (PFD).
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapment.
• Maintain secure fencing (if required- no less than 48 inches in height) and a locked entrance with
self-closing and self-latching gates in required locations.
• If your house serves as a part of the barrier around the pool, install door alarms and window
guards on doors or windows in the house wall barrier.
• Install pool alarms which are required by the building code, in case someone enters the pool area
or falls into the pool while its unattended.
• For pools with decks, check and maintain the hand and guardrails. Look for loose boards and nails
sticking out.
• Be sure to have all pool electric inspected by a qualified electrical agency (if you contact us we can
supply you with a list of qualified agencies) and keep all electrical devices away from pools and wet
surfaces.
• Keep life -saving equipment near the pool (phone, floatation device/s, rescue pole, etc)
• If you have any questions about your pool being safe or swimming pool building code
requirements contact your Code Enforcement Officer for assistance at 607-533-7054.
Have a fun and safe summer.
From the Code Enforcement / Planning Department.
We're on the Web! Visit us at: www.Lansingtown.com
Page 4
Town Clerk's Office
_ •._ 607-533-4142
Deborah K. Munson
TQN t;LD Town Clerk
a�1
Jessie Hall
Deputy Town Clerk
Monday-Thursday- 7:30am -4pm
Friday- 7:30am - Noon
The Town Clerk's Office is open with required safety precautions (masks required).
Please limit the number of people that you bring with you and continue to use alternate ways to contact us.
Phone: 607-533-4142, Fax 607-533-4943 Email: townclerk@lansingtown.com
Mail: PO Box 186, Lansing, NY 14882 24 Hour Drop Box: Town Hall Foyer, 29 Auburn Rd
DOG LICENSES
The Town Clerk's Office licenses dogs for both the Town and Village of Lansing.
All dogs over the age of 4 months must be licensed. You can download a license
41, form here - https://www.lansingtown.com/town-departments/town-clerks-
+ office/clerk-dog-licensing-control
The following items are required to license a dog(s).
PLEASE o Valid rabies certificate
LICENSE o Veterinarian's certificate stating dog is spayed or neutered
mEr
o Payment
• Cash, check or credit card (small convenience fee applies)
• Make check payable to Lansing Town Clerk
o Fee for licensing a spayed/neutered dog - $15.00
o Fee for licensing an unspayed/unneutered dog - $25.00
You may license your dog by mail, in person, or use the 24-hour drop box located in the Town Hall
Foyer, 29 Auburn Road, Lansing. By mail — send to PO Box 186, Lansing, NY 14882. Any questions, please call
our office at 607-533-4142. You can check the Tompkins County Health Departments Website for upcoming
rabies clinics— https://tompkinscountyny.gov/health/eh/rabies#clinics
FISHING LICENSES
The Town Clerk's Office sells New York State fishing licenses. Minors under the age of 16 may fish
without a license. All others must be licensed.
• We accept cash, check or credit card (small convenience fee applies)
• NYS resident must provide a valid NYS driver's license or other proof of residency to purchase fishing
license
• General Fishing Licenses Fees
o One-year (ages 16-69) NYS Resident $25, Non-Resident $50
Continued on page 6
We're on the Web! Visit us at: www.Lansingtown.com
Page 5
The History of Boats and Boating on Cayuga Lake
From a talk given by Lansing Town Historian Louise Bement
Our lake has had boats on it since the early settlers used it as a highway when roads were difficult or non-
existent. And before that the Native Indians used it as a highway as well.
From the 1750's until the 1920's there were very few private pleasure boats on the lake. Small boats would be
used by fishermen, and the big side wheelers were on the lake for commerce and passengers.
When Andrew Myers came to Salmon Creek in 1791 he built boats called Bateaux which could carry six to
eight tons of weight. He loaded his boats with potash and took them down the lake,the rivers and canals to the
Hudson River.The early canals were not much more than shallow ditches, but these boats were built especially to
travel on them. Also in 1791 a Mr. Lightfoot brought a boatload of goods to Ithaca, built a shanty along the inlet for his
sales office, and proceeded to trade or barter for other items. At that time it was possible to go to Schenectady and
back by water with only twenty-three miles of portage. He was in business in Ithaca for about twelve years without any
competition.
In Union Springs a man named Philip Yawger opened a quarry and set up a plaster mill which soon became the
largest in the country. He built a large fleet of boats to carry the plaster to Ithaca. During the War of 1812 Mr. Yawger
began making large heavy Durham boats after the government had taken over fifty of his lightweight boats and
transported them overland to Sackett's Harbor to use to carry troops to Canada.
In 1819 Oliver Phelps, David Woodcock,James Pumpelly,Joseph Benjamin, Lewis Tooker, Charles W. Connor,
and Charles Humphrey formed a company to build a steamboat to run from one end of Cayuga Lake to the other.
Oliver Phelps of Ludlowville was designated as the agent for building the boat. Plans called for a boat of eighty feet
long with side-wheels,which made it have a beam of thirty feet and a capacity of 120 tons. A boiler and steam engine
were ordered from the shops of Robert Fulton in Jersey City. (Robert Fulton had built the first steam powered boat in
1807.)The boat, named the "Enterprise,was launched in Ithaca June 1, 1820 and after eight hours of travel it tied up at
Cayuga at the north end of the lake. It ran as a boat for passengers (fare one dollar each way) until 1827 when it was
retired to work as a towboat until 1831.
During the fall of 1824 a Mr. Annersley hired Phelps and Goodwin to build a triple planked boat which he
called the Telemachus. Its maiden voyage was May 8, 1825 and it proved to be a faster boat than the Enterprise. In
1829 the DeWitt Clinton was built,followed by the Simeon DeWitt and the Forrest City in 1840. By the mid 1850's the
Kate Morgan,the Sheldrake,the Aurora, and the T.D. Wilcox were plying the lake with passengers. Then in the 1860's
we see the INO and the Frontenac.
Alice Bristol tells in her History of Ludlowville book what it was like to be a child living during this time.
"At one time it was quite the custom in Ludlowville to charter a boat for the all-day annual Sunday School picnic at one
of the shore pleasure grounds. As soon as the gang plank was in place there was a wild scramble of children trying to
get on board and find a place on the upper deck at the outside railing. Then the engine began to throb, the great
wheels to turn, and the paddles to churn the water to foam as the boat backed out into deep water and headed down
the lake. (This boat departed from the dock at Ladoga.)
"These first passenger boats awakened a lively interest in the people who lived in the farms along their course. At the
first far-away sound of the slow rhythmic, booming 'pound-pound' of the great iron arms, which above the deck, rose
and fell like a child's teeter-totter, someone would call, 'the boat's coming'. Mother would leave her housework and
the children their play to run to the front yard with the spy-glass while Father in the field stopped his horses to watch
the T.D. Wilcox pass on her morning trip from Ithaca to Cayuga bridge, and if she crossed over to Trumansburg from
Norton's (where the Rock Salt Mine is today) so much the better. At intervals,too,there were the strings of canal
boats—sometimes six or eight or more—tied one behind the other and towed by a discarded passenger boat".
(Almost all the passenger steamboats were turned into barge haulers as they became old and out-of-date.)
The Frontenac was the last big steamer on the lake and it is best remembered for the way it burned at Dills Cove in
1907. The waves were high and the wind was blowing a gale that day,July 27, 1907,when the Frontenac caught fire
and sank. A Rochester newspaper estimated the height of the waves at six feet due to "a fifty mile gale from the
northwest with the waves as high as ever seen on the lake." Eight people died and if were not for the efforts of men
such as Jim Murphy (a passenger on the boat) more would have died. The ladies died because their layers of petticoats
prevented their feet from touching the ground, although Captain Brown had brought the boat as close inshore as
possible. Their dresses made them tip over and they could not get their balance again.
We're on the Web/ Visit us at: www.Lansingtown.com
Page 6
Town Clerk continued...
Continued from page 4
o One-year (ages 70+) NYS Resident $5, Non-Resident $50
O 7-day NYS Resident $12, Non-Resident $28
o 1-day NYS Resident $5, Non-Resident $10
Let's Get Married!
Many questions may arise during the matrimonial process. If you are going to purchase a marriage license,
here is some helpful information.
Q: Is there a minimum age to apply for a marriage license?
If both applicants are 18 years of age or older, no consents are required. If either applicant is under 18 years
of age, please call for information.
Q:Where may we apply for a marriage license?
In person,from ANY Town or City Clerk's office in New York State.
Q: How long do we have to wait to get married once our license is issued?
There is a 24-hour waiting period from the time the license is issued.
Q: How long is the license valid?
The license is valid for 60 calendar days, beginning the day after it's issued. (The marriage date must fall within
the 60 days.)
Q: What documents do both applicants need to bring?
Each applicant must bring photo identification, birth certificate and provide their social security number.
Q: When do we decide on changing our surnames?
Each applicant needs to make this decision when they purchase their marriage license. Please contact Town
Clerk's Office for Surname Options.
Q: How much does a marriage license cost?
The cost of the marriage license is$40.00 (cash, check or credit card-small convenience fee applies).
Q: Is this the first marriage for both applicants?
The Clerks' Office needs to see divorce decrees for all previous marriages or annulments. If a marriage ended
by death, we must see a death certificate.
To speed the licensing process, we have generated an online form that may be printed, filled out by both
applicants ahead of time, and brought in. This form may be found on our website:
http://www.Iansingtown.com/departments/clerk/marriage-licenses. If you have any questions, please call the
Lansing Town Clerk's Office at (607) 533-4142.
If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically, please email
Charmagne at crumgay@lansingtown.com.
Town of Lansing Town Board Meetings:
Office Hours: 3rd Wednesday of the Month at 6:30 pm
PO Box 186, 29 Auburn Rd Monday-Thursday
Lansing, NY 14882 Planning Board Meetings:
7:30 am - 4:00 pm 2nd & 4th Monday of the Month at 6:30 pm
Phone: (607) 533 8896 Friday
Fax: (607) 533-3507 ZBA Meetings:
7:30 am - 12:00 pm 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 6:30 pm
E-Mail: crumgay@lansingtown.com
We're on the Web! Visit us at: www.Lansingtown.com