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  #721  
Old Posted Jun 17, 2007, 12:19 AM
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^^ Yeah Vis, that Utne stuff is quite entertaining.

And I think the Greek Peak resort jobs may not be the ho-tech, high paying variety, but I'm sure Cortland county will welcome the taxes generated by the customers.
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  #722  
Old Posted Jun 18, 2007, 2:44 PM
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A bit of a reach for news here, but it does bring another Interstate closer to Ithaca.



Horseheads awaits opening of I-86
By Jeff Murray
Gannett News Service

HORSEHEADS — Three years, nearly $60 million and lots of headaches after the first foot of earth was moved, the Route 17 Horseheads overpass is one month away from completion.

When the work is finally done, Route 17 traffic can pass over Horseheads nonstop, which in turn will enable interstate designation to extend deeper into Chemung County.

For beleaguered Horseheads businesses that have suffered through the confusing maze of traffic delays, detours and disruptions, the end can't come soon enough.

“It's been rough. We've been getting lots of complaints. Customers have been stuck in traffic,” said Sandy Kubler, assistant manager of Tractor Supply Co. in Grand Central Plaza. “It's making it hard for employees. They've got to leave very early to get to work. I'm hoping once it's done it will get a lot better.”
The Horseheads overpass goes over three at-grade intersections in the village and will remove one of the last remaining bottlenecks along state Route 17, which will also be known as Interstate 86. The project is expected to improve traffic flow and safety, and help spur economic development in the area.

Several businesses along Route 17 in Horseheads that lost customers when the overpass project started went out of business, but many of those empty buildings should soon spring back to life, said Horseheads Mayor Patricia Gross.

“The former Montana Bread, we know that will be Rico's Pizza. There's an Express Mart coming into where HEP Sales and the car wash were,” Gross said of Grand Central Avenue near Route 17.

“People have looked at the Agway property. I'm not sure where that stands now. So I think once the project is finished, you'll see more people looking at those sites.”

Gross is also pleased with the job the state Department of Transportation and contractor Lane Construction have done in making the overpass aesthetically pleasing.

Nevertheless, not everyone is happy with the look of the new structure.

“It took away our view. It looks like we're in prison now,” said Guy Ruggiero, manager of Giuseppe's Pizzeria in Grand Central Plaza. “We see a big wall.”

One lane of the westbound side of the new overpass opened to traffic recently, meaning westbound vehicles can now pass through Horseheads without stopping.

The other side is still closed, meaning long delays remain through Horseheads — for now — for eastbound vehicles.

“Eastbound is still a couple of weeks away. We've still got to complete the concrete barrier along the eastbound side on the righthand side,” said project manager Ron Majesky. “We're definitely in the stretch run. I'd love to get traffic up on it.”

The official completion date is still July 17, Majesky said.

Owners and managers of many nearby businesses that have struggled to cope for the past three years are hopeful that completion of the overpass will make life easier for them.

“Because of this construction, it's really hard for our business,” said Nima Maisuria, manager of the Motel 6 on the south side of Route 17. “Because of the wall, there might be some customers who have come and lost us. It's really hard. They are really confused. After everything is done, it should be good, we hope, for our business.”

John Overacker, owner of Convenient Food Mart at 2104 Grand Central Ave., said his regular customers have found ways to keep coming, despite the construction.

Overacker hopes the completion of the overpass opens the door for some new patrons.

“I don't really know what's going to happen until it does, but I feel we'll be getting more people from across the highway that we didn't get before, because they didn't want to come across all that truck traffic,” Overacker said. “I think it's something that needed to be done, and it's about time they did it.”

With completion of the Horseheads project, Interstate 86 can extend to the Elmira Water Street exit, said Ted Bennett, chairman of the I-86 Coalition.

But Bennett is more concerned about the fate of the last Route 17 project in Chemung County — the Elmira-to-Chemung access control project.

“We are behind on that section. The funding is there. DOT is ready to start acquiring property, designing and putting out for bid. But we've been held up by federal agencies,” Bennett said. “We haven't been able to get a record of decision because they haven't been able to satisfy whatever the Federal Highway Administration and Corps of Engineers wanted. Everything seems to be going along now but we have lost a couple of years at least.”

There will probably be some sort of formal dedication ceremony to mark the completion of the Horseheads overpass, Majesky said.

That's fine, but it's just as important to keep pressing ahead with the next phase, Bennett said.

“(Horseheads) is probably one of the single most important projects west of Broome County. And I'm not making light of that but again, I hope because we've done this important project that we aren't going to let up on the rest of it,” he said. “As far as I'm concerned, the next ribboncutting ought to be when it's all the way to Orange County.”


jmurray@stargazette.com
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  #723  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2007, 4:32 PM
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http://ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage


ITHACA — With municipal approvals in hand, Cornell University is waiting for a building permit to get started on its new Pleasant Grove Road day care center.

To be used by university employees and students, the new building will take Cornell's day care capacity from 32 students to 158. It will also add toddlers and infants to its enrollment, along with the preschool students it currently serves.

Cornell views this project as an important development as it prepares for the retirement of up to 600 faculty members over the next 10 years or so. Presumably the new hires for those positions will be younger than those they're replacing and have younger families, increasing the need for day care. Lynette Chappell-Williams, director of the office of work force diversity, equity and life quality at Cornell, said the university is behind its counterparts in terms of day care options and needs to expand them to remain competitive.

For Tompkins County the development is a welcome addition to day care options since there is an on-going shortage of day care providers, particularly for infants.

Many of the details of the operation, like cost and how enrollment will be determined, have yet to be addressed because it's early in the development process. Chappell-Williams said a committee of faculty, students and staff was formed to look into such questions.

In the meantime, groundbreaking is scheduled for September with an opening date in September of 2008.

When it opens, the facility will have three wings for the three age groups and observation rooms in each wing. The observation rooms will allow for the continuation of human development studies that have been an integral part of the day care center.

The facility will implement some green building features such as a partially planted roof to reduce runoff and implementing energy efficiency measures. Construction of new parking spaces was limited to about 25 spots, including drop-off spaces, by having employees park in the adjacent A Lot.
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  #724  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2007, 11:29 PM
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^ Good find Vis.

btw, here's an aerial view(orange spot) of the site:

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  #725  
Old Posted Jun 24, 2007, 1:03 AM
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Interesting...this is from the Syracuse P-S...

Global shipping starts in Ithaca
Saturday, June 23, 2007
By Rebecca James Staff writer

If you'd like to get nine grand for a toy boat, it helps to advertise to a wide audience.

Sellers in Ithaca made more than $1.2 million selling 8,800 items internationally on eBay during the first three months of this year. That made the college town the top U.S. city in international sales for that period on the online auction site.

"It's very rare to sell that many items internationally," said Sara Schoenborn, speaking for eBay. "Ithaca had very unique items, and that probably appealed to a much broader audience."

The items included a toy boat about 100 years old that sold for $9,350.
"The reason to sell on eBay is that you can get a great deal more money for something that is rare in a collectible field," said Adam Perl, owner of Pastimes Antiques in Ithaca. "It can sometimes bring outstanding prices."
Sellers choose whether to list items internationally. However, eBay warns users to be aware of scams. Selling internationally also means filling out customs forms and dealing with international shipping and foreign currencies.
EBay identified eight U.S. communities that were most active in certain buying and selling habits, in conjunction with its annual conference last week.
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  #726  
Old Posted Jun 24, 2007, 2:25 AM
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^ That's rather surprising news. Thanks Vis.



This sounds like a good idea to me:

Board calls for sidewalk expansion on Aurora St.
By Jennie Daley
Journal Staff

ITHACA — The sidewalks along the 100 block of North Aurora Street will be expanded and improved if the Board of Public Works' recommendation is heeded.

The board voted 5-1 on Wednesday to approve the $130,000 project for several upgrades. The motion will be considered by Common Council, who will have to create a capital project for the work if it is to go forward.


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Included in the project would be expanded sidewalks along about two-thirds of the block, the structural work required for eventual street light installations and improvements to the street trees. The expansion will allow larger outdoor seating areas for the approximately half-dozen restaurants along the block that offer it. Business owners pressed for the change after stricter enforcement of their outdoor seating areas was implemented this season.

At the meeting it became clear that, while the work could cost $130,000, the city may be responsible for only part of that sum. A portion of the cost could be billed to adjacent property owners if the Uniform Sidewalk Improvement policy is implemented.
The citywide policy charges adjacent property owners for work to sidewalks done by city crews.

Also, a portion of the work may already be accounted for by the budget covering water-main work under way on the block.

Jill Tripp was the sole board member to oppose the project, saying she thought it was too broad, too costly and considered too quickly.

On the other side of the argument, board member Ray Schlather saw this undertaking as an opportunity to address aging infrastructure while gaining amenities with minimal disruption since the street is already torn up. The sidewalk work is expected to add two weeks to the construction work along the block.

In other business, the board approved signage at the Seneca Street garage to address motorcycle, moped and bicycle parking, and it authorized the demolition of asbestos-laden city property on Inlet Island. The Inlet Island land, which is across from Castaways, will be reconfigured with paid parking.

The end of the meeting was reserved for discussion on the city water source decision, which had stalled in large part because of internal miscommunications. Already a drawn-out process, there was notable frustration among board members that work by consultant O'Brien & Gere had stopped. An informal survey of board members clarified that they wished to continue with the consultant and go forward with the $608,000 they authorized in April for further work.

The money will allow the consultants to begin work on the Environmental Impact Systems for the two options under consideration, either rebuilding the plant on Water Street that relies on Six Mile Creek as a source or joining the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission, known as Bolton Point. Bolton Point uses water from Cayuga Lake and is governed by the five member municipalities.

The consultants' work will overlap with the 45-day public comment period for the scoping documents, which set forth the parameters to be considered in the Environmental Impact Statement. The plan is to have several public events during the public comment period to discuss various aspects of the project, beginning with a public information meeting from 5-7 p.m. July 9.


jdaley@ithacajournal.com




Originally published June 21, 2007
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  #727  
Old Posted Jun 24, 2007, 11:30 PM
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So, let's review what's on this month's agenda for the Ithaca City Planning Board.

-Ithaca Shopping Center, the old 1950s era strip mall currently being renovated, is seeking permission to construct an outparcel restaurant/coffee shop, as well as new landscape changes.

-A cold storage building (5700 sq. ft) on the 500 block of First Street. Nothing special here.

-A new two-storey office/storage building to replace a home on the 800 block of Taber Street (footprint of 2000 sq. ft). This is near the "octopus".

-Sketch plans for the Cayuga Waterfront Trail phase III, a maitenence facility for the ICSD, and most notably this month, a "proposed multiple dwelling" at 131 Oak Street. This is worth looking into because it's in the Collegetown neighborhood, and has the potential to be a fairly large development by Ithaca standards.
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  #728  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2007, 9:40 PM
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http://ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.d...706250318/1002

More discussion about Carrowmoor- one thing worth noting is that it's a "green" project. It's less notable when you realise that this is Ithaca, where there are solar panels on the county library.

http://ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.d...706250323/1002

I'll copy this one out, it's really quite interesting.

County endorses affordable housing assessment
By Tim Ashmore
Journal Staff

ITHACA — Last week, the Tompkins County Legislature threw its support behind an assessment that calls for 4,000 new non-student housing units over the next 10 years.

Now, the county is asking that the City of Ithaca and surrounding towns help address the issue.

At its Tuesday meeting, the Legislature approved an endorsement of a Housing Strategy for Tompkins County, 10-4, after the body's economic development plan identified a lack of housing as the biggest issue restraining the local economy.

The housing strategy supports the Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, which recognizes the need to add 4,000 new units. If the strategy was strictly followed, more than half of the new housing units would be made affordable to households that make up to 80 percent of the median household income.

“We hear a lot of complaints that this community has become too expensive to live in and that only a select class can live here,” said the Legislature's Chair Tim Joseph, D-Town of Ithaca. “To the extent that that is true, the thing that makes it true is the cost of housing. We often hear it attributed to taxes ... but I think it is much more real that people can't live here because they can't afford the cost of housing.”

According to the strategy, a fund would be established with contributions through public and private sources to fill funding gaps needed to keep units affordable and assist not-for-profit developers with pre-development expenses.

Legislator Frank Proto, R-Town of Caroline and Danby, raised concerns that this assistance might encourage the growth of more tax-exempt, not-for-profit organizations.

“This county is already overburdened with property that's not taxable,” Proto said. “There's a trust fund in here that will once again inevitably be tax exempt property because of the way it's structured. There's a leg up being given here to the not-for-profit developers who already have a leg up.”

Planning and Public Works Commissioner Ed Marx addressed part of the tax problem after Dick Booth, D-City and Town of Ithaca, asked whether the strategy indicated that the affordable housing units would be tax exempt.

“Most of the units would be taxable, and the document doesn't urge it one way or another,” Marx said.

Also cited in the document was an increased need to support housing issues in Tompkins County because federal and state funding has not kept pace with the need for affordable housing.

Mike Sigler, R-Town of Lansing, raised concerns of some of the prospective goals set in the strategy.

“We're setting up a fund which concerns me because I'm not sure how big it's going to be or who we're going to fund,” Sigler said. “So it sounds like we're subsidizing federal and state funding for their lack of responsibility, and that concerns me because they have much deeper pockets that we do.”

Sigler also addressed how standard market growth would provide a portion of the 4,000 housing units the strategy calls for and that the larger need would be affordable housing.

“What we really need is affordable housing, but nowhere near the 4,000 we're saying we need. I'm looking at the Town of Lansing and we're calling for 1,000 units but I don't see how that's going to happen without water or sewer up there. I don't actually see how we're even going to accomplish this.”

But Marx's presentation of the strategy indicated that even a county endorsement of the document wouldn't translate into a plan of action.

“This (strategy) doesn't bind anybody to anything. It sets some goals we should strive for, it sets some framework for a strategy and the things that are in here in terms of affordability funds and housing trusts, (those) are things that were recommended by the experts in housing,” Marx said.

Aside from the increase in house units of varying affordability, the strategy encourages cluster development in nodal patterns along major highway corridors and cluster areas near employment centers.

One of the emphases in the strategy is creating more housing that college students would not be eligible to qualify for. Booth addressed the fact that Cornell University students often take up many rental spaces in Ithaca.

“I don't think you can really talk about housing strategy unless you come out and say Cornell should provide housing for a larger percentage of students,” Booth said. “This at least says the county shouldn't think about housing for any of their additional students. To change the market in and around the city of Ithaca, the Cornell market has to change.”
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  #729  
Old Posted Jun 26, 2007, 6:19 PM
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^ Good stuff Vis. Carrowmoor would be a great way to jump start the 4,000 unit goal. I think those 4,000 units would be filled if they have plenty of affordable units among them. There's a large bunch of commuters living in neighboring counties because they are priced out of Tompkins.
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  #730  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2007, 1:40 PM
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I guess some folks don't have the patience needed for economic development.



06/27/2007
This Space for Rent
By: M. Tye Wolfe


The Cayuga Green Project, initiated more than five years ago mostly under the aegis of former Mayor Alan Cohen (I) and Council member Dan Cogan (D-5th Ward), seems to be entering its final phase - leasing its massive amounts of office space off Cayuga Street.
To this point though, only one lease in committed [Merrill Lynch], with another known lease to come [the Finger Lakes Wine Center].
In March, Jennifer Kuznir, economic development planner for the city, projected that the ground floor would make $60,000 annually, starting this year, as well as sales tax revenue of $48,000. Also, the intial plans were for most of the space to go to retail ventures. To this point, the wine center, which is a tourism-based project, is as close as the space will come to attracting strict retail tenants [how much sales taxe revenue, then, would be lost].
Thys Van Cort, Ithaca's director of Planning and Development, said these projections remain accurate, but the income is arriving later than anticipated. "The delays are the nature of the beast in any project like this."
Asked how this might affect the budget this year in terms of lost revenue, Van Cort said.
"I wouldn't want to put a number on it."
But Phyllisa DeSarno, Deputy Director for Economic Development, said the reason for the delay in tenants did not stem from lack of interest. Leasers simply could not enter until the final lease agreement was signed earlier this year between the Ithaca Urban Rewewal Agency and Bloomfield Schon Development.
"That lease agreement was needed before tenants could be brought in to the building," she said.
"Their project is so complex and there is so many things that have to be ironed out, it's just really difficult to get a project like this going," said Van Cort.
DeSarno said last week that she and Gary Ferguson of the Ithaca Downtown partnership have been showing the retail space in the Cayuga Garage on a "very regular basis."
"There have been many potential tenants interested in the space and there still are," she wrote in an email.
"Merrill Lynch will be starting construction on nearly 6,000 square feet for their new office there. A letter of intent will be coming forth for approximately 3,000 square feet for The Wine Center."
DeSarno added she is speaking with two other businesses that would be using more than 3,000 square feet of space. "This space has been shown to all sorts of businesses and we expect to have tenants soon," she said.
The rental fee would come between $16-18 per square feet of space. But, she stressed, these fees are just a starting point and can be negotiated to some
degree.
Rental fees for the square-footage under the garage will, generally, be in the high teens with a "triple net lease" - meaning the rent includes a portion of taxes, maintenance, and insurances, based on the portion of square feet the tenant occupies in the building. However, commercial leases can be flexible depending on the amount of space and the amount of build-out for the tenant.
- M. Tye Wolfe
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  #731  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2007, 1:42 PM
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Sorry, double post
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Old Posted Jul 4, 2007, 2:10 AM
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mmm...I smell progress.
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  #733  
Old Posted Jul 5, 2007, 10:38 AM
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^ Thanks for the pic Vis.




Sometimes ground breaking ceremonies in Ithaca are a bit different.


Ritual clears way for monastery
Buddhists bless ground; construction starts this week
By Topher Sanders
Journal Staff

ITHACA — The monks of the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies performed a ritual ground ceremony Wednesday, preparing the way for heavy construction to begin on Ithaca's new monastery.

About 50 people braved the rain Wednesday to witness the ceremony. The 15,000-square-foot monastery is scheduled to be built off Route 96B. It will be able to support 25 to 30 students at a time. Construction is expected to begin this week and to be complete within two years.


“The Tibetan community has been excited about this project for sometime,” said Jeanine Rose Mollica, administrator for the monastery. “And as a Buddhist practitioner it's of particular significance so we can begin building. The permit from the (Town) of Ithaca is of legal significance; this ceremony is of spiritual significance.”

The ceremony is a way for the monastery to ask spiritual permission to build on the property.
“Each place has its own god or goddess, so we pray for them to help us,” said Ngawang Dhondup, assistant administrator of the monastery.

His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama of Tibet is scheduled to visit Ithaca Oct. 9-10, when he will bless the new monastery. The current site of the Namgyal Monastery at 412 N. Aurora St. in Ithaca is the Dali Lama's seat of his personal monastery in North America.

The day selected for the ceremony was no coincidence. An expert from the Tibetan Astrological Institute helped the monastery determine that Wednesday would be the most auspicious day to conduct the ceremony

“Hence why we are standing here in the rain,” Mollica said.

The monks spent about 30 minutes carefully preparing a plot of land so colored sand could be used to depict a Naga, a being with both animal and human attributes that protects the land.

After laying down a foundation of white sand, the monks used bright orange, maroon, blue and green colored sand to depict the Naga.

Witnesses stood transfixed as the monks worked on their creation.

“I'm here because these are people of peace and these are people who are interested in the goodness of the entire world,” said Jeanne Stone, who drove from outside of Rochester to witness the ceremony. “I think how one starts any project is very important, and it's important for all kinds of people to show up here.”

When the sand depiction was completed, the five monks began to chant prayers while one monk periodically chimed a bell.

Witnesses were handed pieces of earth and asked to throw the earth beyond the construction boundaries as part of the ceremony.

When the prayer was over, the sand depiction was mixed into the earth.

The monks were encouraged by the onlookers.

“We hope that this land will be very beneficial for our spiritual practices,” said Tenzin Gephel, a monk with the monastery. “So that's why everybody came here. Maybe they are also saying the prayers, too.”


cbsanders@ithacajournal.com




Originally published July 5, 2007
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  #734  
Old Posted Jul 6, 2007, 10:10 AM
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A rather odd bit of info about Ithaca.




Ithaca leads U.S. with international eBay sales in 2007
By Timothy Cama
Special to The Journal

ITHACA — A three-month study conducted earlier this year by the online marketplace eBay found that eBay sellers in the 14850 ZIP code sold more than 8,800 items totaling more than $1.2 million in the first three months of this year — the most international sales of any U.S. ZIP code, the company recently announced.

The majority of Ithaca's international sales during the period were to Canada, according to Jim Griffith, eBay's dean of education, but sales were also completed to the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, French Polynesia and other nations.

The study, which looked at trends from January through March of 2007, identified only trends, so eBay officials can't really say why Ithaca sellers do so many international sales.

“We have no idea what any of this means,” said Griffith, adding that other organizations may have a use for the data. Griffith couldn't speculate as to why Ithaca received its distinction.
The study used what Griffith described as a “rough per capita” comparison among communities. For example, if a community's sellers were to sell an excessive number of items more than $100,000, the study would put more weight on those sellers than usual. Nonetheless, the results are primarily per capita.

EBay's study, which was made possible by technology known as eBay Marketplace Research, identified eight ZIP codes, including that of Ithaca, with unique, superlative selling behaviors.

Among the study's findings: buyers in the 33674 ZIP code of suburban Tampa, Fla., bought the most dolls during the three-month study, buying more than 2,200 dolls for almost $80,500, according to Griffith.

“It helps us to identify the make-up of certain communities,” Griffith said of the study, adding that he always finds it interesting to uncover these trends.

The most expensive item sold by an Ithaca seller to an international buyer during the study period was a 2005 Crownline 192 BR Runabout Boat, according to a news release from eBay, for $14,100 to a buyer in France.
Originally published July 6, 2007
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Old Posted Jul 6, 2007, 10:17 AM
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I believe this will help downtown (as well as the restaurant owners) in the long run. There is a parking garage in the next block, and another one being rebuilt a block and a half away in the other direction. Parking shouldn't be a big concern.



Council approves Aurora St. sidewalk expansion
Funds for dog park sites' environmental review repurposed
By Jennie Daley
Journal Staff

ITHACA — A sidewalk expansion for the 100 block of North Aurora Street was approved by the City of Ithaca's Common Council on Wednesday while progress on creating a permanent off-leash dog area was slowed.

To move the sidewalk expansion forward, Common Council approved a $130,000 capital project. The construction would remove the majority of parking on the block sometimes referred to as “restaurant row,” and in its place would be larger sidewalks intended to create more room for pedestrians and outdoor dining. The goal is to have the expansion complete before Ithaca College students arrive in August.

Of the total project, $38,000 will be appropriated from the current city project upgrading sewer and water lines in the same block. An additional estimated $13,000 would be charged to property owners on the block as part of the city's Uniform Sidewalk Improvement policy, which holds property owners responsible for sidewalk work done adjacent to their property. On this particular block, Joe Daley owns the majority of buildings.

An Ithaca Downtown Partnership grant would fund $14,000 of the project and is intended to replace lighting fixtures.
City officials are hoping the remaining $74,000 in costs will come down by doing some of the work in-house rather than contracting it out.

While Common Council approved these costs, the potentially high costs of an environmental review for off-leash dog areas led to a repurposing of funds. Originally $5,000 was allocated for the environmental review of three potential off-leash sites, including the current temporary off-leash area adjacent to Allan H. Treman State Marine Park. New estimates are that such a review could cost between $90,000 to $150,000.

“This amount of money is out of the question,” said council member Robin Korherr, D-5th. “This is a county-wide park. There is no question in my mind.”

In light of these concerns, Common Council decided to use the already-allocated $5,000 to employ a neutral party to evaluate use of the temporary area, including numbers of users and where the use is occurring. Some numbers already had been provided but because they were from the Tompkins County Dog Owners Group, or TCDOG, questions about their neutrality had been raised.

The city intends to use the information to inform their decision and is hoping to move forward in asking other municipalities to contribute to the costs of an environmental review since many non-city residents use the off-leash area.

In other business, Common Council approved city participation in a study looking at management of development and traffic along the Route 96 corridor at a cost of $8,000. The study is being led by the Tompkins County Planning Department, which is contributing $25,000. The Town of Ithaca also has been invited to participate if they contribute $8,000.


jdaley@ithacajournal.com




Originally published July 6, 2007
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  #736  
Old Posted Jul 6, 2007, 7:24 PM
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Damn. So much for a denser Lansing.

Lansing tables sewer plan
Journal Staff Reports

Citing costs that have grown too great, the Town of Lansing board voted today to table for the foreseeable future any more work on the proposed sewer system for the town.

A sewer serving most of the lower portion of the town has been under discussion since at least the mid-1990s. Proponents of the sewer say the project is needed for the town board to control development and preserve the rural feeling Lansing has on the north side of town.

Housing and commercial development in much of the town is dictated by the need for septic systems, which can be extra costly because of thin soils and high groundwater. Relying on septic also drives up housing costs and makes it hard to concentrate development in any one spot. Failing or poor-performing septic tanks can also threaten groundwater, including larger creeks and even Cayuga Lake.

A referendum that could lead to establishing a sewer district and building the system was envisioned for September. In December, the town Sewer Committee decided against holding a referendum this past spring, in part to see if costs could be reduced.

Town officials said the sewer could be proposed again, but for now, it’s clear that the estimated $18 million price tag and the resultant costs to homeowners for hooking up and regular service is too great. Annual costs were estimated to be as high as several hundred dollars a year, in addition to initial installation costs. Just last week, on June 28, the town Sewer Committee decided on an initial service area extending from just east of Warren Road to Eastlake Road.

http://ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.d...EWS01/70706006
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Old Posted Jul 7, 2007, 5:08 AM
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My happy meter went off a little bit. I know some people,myself and Ex-Ithacan included, look at a site called city-data.com, which keeps in track of city stats. I like to look at the population stats. Last year, the Ithaca city population was estimated at 29,766. This year it's listed as....*drum roll*.....

29,829 (+1.9% change from 2000)

Heh heh. Made my night.
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Old Posted Jul 7, 2007, 12:14 PM
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^

Great news indeed.


As a follow up to the Lansing sewer issue, here's the rest of the article Vis posted. Sprawl lovers will love this, and density (and possible growth) goes out the window.

Lansing town board tables sewer system
By David Hill
Journal Staff

LANSING — Agreeing that costs have grown too great, the Town of Lansing board voted Friday to no longer consider a sewer system for the town.

A sewer serving most of the lower portion of the town has been under discussion since at least the mid-1990s. Proponents of the sewer said the project is needed for the town board to better control development and preserve the rural feeling Lansing has on the north side of town while helping head off pollution of groundwater and streams from failing septic tanks.

Because of geological conditions such as thin soil and high bedrock, septic tanks in much of the town have to be widely spaced, which has led to relatively large lots and spread-out, often costly development. A sewer system was seen by some in Lansing as a way to stimulate creation of a town center in the southern portion of Lansing. Also, failing or poor-performing septic tanks can threaten groundwater, including larger creeks and even Cayuga Lake.

Town officials said the sewer plan could be resurrected if a new funding source emerges, but for now, it's clear that the estimated price tag of $18 million to $20 million and the resultant costs to homeowners for hooking up and regular service is too great. Annual costs were estimated to be as high as $800 a year to individual properties. In December, the town Sewer Committee decided against holding a referendum this past spring, in part to see if costs could be reduced.
On June 28, the town Sewer Committee decided to seek an initial service area extending from just east of Warren Road to Eastlake Road. But it was becoming clear that extending the area wouldn't lower per-unit costs, Supervisor Steve Farkas said, and board members realized a decision point had come. On Friday morning, the board unanimously adopted a resolution tabling the project.

“The board had to make a decision,” Farkas said. “There was a consensus.”

Farkas noted that engineering work has been done, so that if the town later decides to proceed, the project could conceivably be pursued quickly.

“It'll be up to the community to come forward and say there's a reason for doing it.”

The plan was to connect to the Cayuga Heights sewage treatment plant through a system of transmission and collector lines. The state Department of Environmental Conservation indicated that it would not permit a new treatment plant discharging into Cayuga Lake, so the town had discussed connecting to Cayuga Heights or the city of Ithaca's treatment plants.

Initial cost estimates were $11 million, Farkas said. He blamed inflation for about 75 percent of the cost increase, noting that materials and fuel costs have gone up substantially. Also contributing were rising costs of borrowing money as the relatively strong national economy has driven up demand for credit.

Lansing will continue to develop, Farkas said, adding that a couple of hundred housing units are proposed before the town planning office. But because the county health department requires that houses with septic systems in the soil conditions across much of the town be spaced far apart, the lots will be bigger, taking up more land. While that affects mainly the town, Lansing is part of the overall Ithaca-area housing market, and the Tompkins County Legislature last month endorsed a housing strategy seeking 500 to 1,000 new units around the planned town center in South Lansing. Without sewer service to help enable denser development, that may be less likely. Commercial and light-industrial development is also affected.
dwhill@ithacajournal.
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Last edited by Ex-Ithacan; Jul 10, 2007 at 2:35 PM.
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  #739  
Old Posted Jul 8, 2007, 3:55 AM
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I know this is huge, but it is the best pic of my old hood I've seen. Collegetown is the bottom 4/5s of the picture (it starts at the business section across the gorge from Cornell University).



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Old Posted Jul 11, 2007, 2:01 PM
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^That's quite possibly one of the best photos of Collegetown I've ever seen.

Blurb from the Syracuse P-S:
***
Short stuff:

Ö Ithaca's new Regal Cinemas Ithaca Mall Stadium 14 theater has its grand opening thingy on the night of July 19.
***

Yes, the author used the word "thingy" in the article.
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