Newsline

N ews line

VOL.XLII / NO. 21 / January 12, 2022 Serving 47,125 readers weekly

Mayor Svante Myrick resigns as mayor

Mayor Svante Myrick has resigned from his position. He has accepted a position as executive director for People for the American Way and will begin in February. The Feb. 2 Common Council meeting will be his last, and Alderperson Laura Lewis will take over as acting mayor. Alderperson Ducson Nguyen will be the alternate acting mayor. Voters will choose a new mayor in the November election.

Myrick, the city’s longest serving mayor, was emotional and called the role an honor of a lifetime, but wants to continue his work at a national level.

“The American democratic experiment is the reason that someone like me — born into homelessness, and raised by a single mother — was able to come to Cornell in the first place,” he said. “The American dream is also what allowed me to grow up and serve the city I love. But I am alarmed at the state of our democracy. I believe my service can make a difference in the national conversation on voting and elections, and I want to protect that American dream for people of all backgrounds.”

According to People for the American Way’s website, the organization is a “progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity.”

Myrick said he was proud of what he accomplished in his decade as mayor, specifically citing improving the city’s finances, improving infrastructure and the push for more affordable housing in the city. He added that he will continue to live in Ithaca.

The announcement came at the start of the first Common Council meeting of the year, just after finishing swearing in the newest alderpersons. While he has one council meeting left, council members took the opportunity to thank him for his service and congratulate him on the opportunity.

Myrick’s full statement is available to view on his Facebook page.

While acting mayor, Lewis will retain her vote on council as a representative of the fifth ward. In normal circumstances, the mayor only votes if a tiebreaker is needed, but city attorney Ari Lavine confirmed she would still have normal voting power with the acting mayor title.

Lewis was elected to council in 2017 and will assume office on Feb. 7. Originally from Buffalo, Lewis completed her undergraduate studies in sociology at SUNY Binghamton and her masters in counseling and student personnel at SUNY Albany. She worked in student services at Ithaca College and for many years in the ILR School at Cornell University.

While working, Lewis volunteered on the board of directors of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), she served as chair of the 5th Ward Democratic Committee, as chair of the City Democratic Committee, as a member of the Tompkins County Democratic Committee where she participated in numerous campaigns and Get Out The Vote efforts, and she was on the planning committee for the Ithaca Women’s March in 2017.

In 2017, she decided to run for Common Council representing the 5th Ward where she has been an advocate for more affordable housing in the city. Recently, she has served on the Ithaca Eviction/ Displacement Defense Project alongside other city partners. She successfully presented legislation and a budget request to Common Council in 2021 for a Right to Counsel program to provide legal representation to tenants in eviction court.

Lewis and her husband Kevin Murphy have lived in Fall Creek for 40 years. They have two grown sons, both of whom attended Ithaca City schools and Ithaca College. -Tanner Harding

Svante Myrick then and now (Facebook)

T a k e N o t e

▶ Booster clinic - The Tompkins County Health Department is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine booster clinic Saturday, Jan. 15 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The clinic is at The Shops at Ithaca Mall Vaccination Site (40 Catherwood Dr. Ithaca), and the Moderna booster will be distributed to anyone 18 years and older who received the Moderna or Pfizer initial vaccine series at least five months ago, or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago. It is approved to mix and match all COVID-19 vaccines. The registration link is available on Health Department’s website (www.tompkinscountyny.gov/ health). Bring your photo ID and vaccination card, and expect to wait 15 minutes for observation following your injection. The COVID-19 vaccine is free of charge. Free transportation is also available to vaccination clinics. Present proof of your vaccination appointment to ride any TCAT bus free of charge. Alternative transportation arrangements can be arranged by calling 2-1-1 during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

FEATURES

5G Update�����������������������������������������8

Ithaca tries to balance environmental/health concerns with the need for better cell service. Sports.........................................................10 Big impact ��������������������������������������11 The Mini Print Exhibition proves you can make a big statement in small space Newsline ..................................................3-5 Opinion ........................................................6 Letters ........................................................7

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

Film .............................................................13 Dining ........................................................15 Classifieds ...............................................18

ON THE WEB

Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000

Tanner H arding , M anaging E ditor , x1224 E ditor @ i thacatim E s . com J aime Cone , E ditor , x1232 s outh r E port E r @ flcn . org C asey m ar T in , Staff P hotogra P h E r p hotograph E r @ i thacatim E s . com C H ris i ber T, C al E ndar E ditor , x1217 a rts @ i thacatim E s . com a ndrew s ullivan , S P ort S E ditor , x1227 s ports @ flcn . org sT eve l awren C e , S P ort S Colu M ni S t st E v E s ports d ud E @ gmail . com m ars H all H opkins , P rodu C tion d ir EC tor /d ES ign E r , x1216 p roduction @ i thacatim E s . com

s H aron d avis , d i S tribution front @i tha C ati MES . Co M

J im b ilinski , P ubli S h E r , x1210 jbilinski @ i thacatim E s . com l arry H o CH berger , a SS o C iat E P ubli S h E r , x1214 larry@ i thacatim E s . com F reelancers : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Dave Sit, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2021, BY NEWSKI INC. All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. The Ithaca Times is available free of charge from various locations around Ithaca. Additional copies may be purchased from the Ithaca Times offices for $1. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $89 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972-1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973-1978), combined in 1978. F ounder G ood Times G aze TT e : Tom Newton

INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER

By Casey Martin

WHAT’S ONE APP ON YOUR PHONE THAT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

“Spotify…PREMIUM!” -Carlos B.

“The Camera!”

-Maegan R.

“Gotta be the calendar app…I wouldn’t remember anything without it!” -Kelsey B.

“Youtube.”

-Wiktor C.

“DuoLingo! I’m learning how to speak Italian with it!” -Viktorlja C.

Development RaNic Golf Course planning on-site hotel, townhouses

Ra-Nic LLC plans to upgrade its golf course and clubhouse and build a three-story hotel, cabanas, and single-family townhouses with one to two bedrooms on its property at 189 Pleasant Grove Road in Ithaca.

The hotel will be “something quaint, a boutique that fits into the village, nothing modern,” said Sean Whittaker, co-owner of the RaNic Golf Course with his wife, Jennifer.

The couple purchased the former Ithaca Country Club last year and want to turn the site into a retreat for golfers, catering to Cornell students’ parents and tourists visiting the Finger Lakes.

The hotel, which is slated to have 24-32 rooms, some with balconies, would sit where the pool house currently exists, and nearby there would be nine cabanas equipped with bedrooms and kitchenettes. Additionally, about 30 townhouses — both one- and two-story units — would be built and offered for sale. Most construction would occur within the village of Cayuga Heights, though several townhouses where the tennis courts currently exist would be within the town of Ithaca.

A zoning change to accommodate increased density is likely required from both municipalities, but as of last week neither had received a formal submission. Whittaker hopes all approvals will be secured in time for construction to begin this fall and be completed by fall 2023.

New York State’s Environmental Quality Review Act requires the entire project to be analyzed comprehensively by both municipalities.

“The actual site plan reviews and rezoning however will be handled by each municipality separately,” said Susan Ritter, director of planning for the town of Ithaca, in an email.

Cayuga Heights and Ithaca learned about Ra-Nic’s plans at public Zoom meetings held Nov. 17 and Dec. 16 respectively.

“This sounds great. I like the idea of investing in the infrastructure that’s already there rather than completely starting from scratch with an entirely different vision,” Rich DePaolo, chair of the town of Ithaca’s Planning Committee said. “I think It’s a great way to start. My only initial concern is, in the back of my head, there is a little voice saying, well if we do try to accommodate this via a PDZ, [we don’t want to] pave the way through that process for an outcome that we might not want on the property, an unintended consequence.”

PDZ stands for planned development zone and allows for “a degree of flexibility in conventional land use and design regulations which will encourage development in an imaginative and innovative way…” according to Title XXI of the Ithaca Town Code. Article 8 in the Cayuga Heights code uses a similar definition.

If the Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees agrees to the creation of a PDZ, the Village Planning Board would review the site plan. Any approval or changes to the plan made by the Village Planning Board, would be subject to vote by the Board of Trustees, said Planning Board Chair Fred Cowett.

During the Dec. 16 presentation, architect Noah Demarest displayed golf course maps showing lots for seven homes on Pleasant Grove and Warren Roads, and at the southern end of Blackstone Avenue. In an email, Ritter said no zoning change is necessary for singlefamily homes to be constructed on the properties in the Town of Ithaca, but approval from the Town Planning Board would be required to subdivide the lots from the golf course parcel.

“They are all potential sites but no, [we have] no plans to construct on them,” said Whittaker in an email.

Ithaca resident Jennifer Minner hopes the golf course is maintained sustainably without chemical treatment. An associate professor in Cornell’s Department of City and Regional Planning, she supports improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure connecting Corners Community in Cayuga Heights with Cornell and surrounding neighborhoods.

Over the last several months Ra-Nic, in consultation with an arborist, cut down about 100 trees from the golf course, including ash trees threatened by emerald ash borer, dead pines, and others deemed historic and scenic by neighbors objecting to their removal.

“I am also really hoping that the more trees can be preserved in development plans and in an immediate sense. In particular, I am concerned by word on the street that the beautiful ‘whomping willows’ of the golf course will be cut down very soon. These trees add value through their beauty and ecological value,” said Minner.

County Leg Shawna Black named Legislature chair, new members sworn in

Anew chairperson and vice chair were decided at the first meeting of the Tompkins County Legislature of the new year. Also at the meeting, five new legislators were sworn in for the first time.

Early in the Jan. 4 meeting, Legislator Shawna Black was unanimously elected chairwoman of the Tompkins County Legislature following nominations by legislators Anne Koreman and Mike Sigler. Koreman praised Black’s prior leadership of a senior living facility and her skill in chairing the Health and Human Services committee for the last four years.

“Shawna is even-handed and understands how to balance the needs of staff and residents with policy,” Koreman said when making her nomination. “She is not afraid to say, ‘I don’t know,’ rather than take on a task under false pretenses of knowledge or ability.”

Sigler seconded the nomination.

“She’s able to balance the needs of constituents with also the needs of the greater county, which is a large area and a lot of competing views and a lot of competing needs,” he said. “She’s able to listen to those views, and pick out the parts that she might agree with and adopt the best path forward regardless of where it comes from, and that’s a rare gift.”

Black has served in the legislature since her election in 2017, and for the past two years also served as vice chair under her predecessor Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, who did not run for re-election last year. She is the first openly LGBTQ+ person to chair the Tompkins County Legislature.

In her acceptance speech, Black touched on the continuing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while calling for the legislature to continue to be a leader in the state for pandemic response, alternatives to incarceration, shared services, and more. She also expressed her gratitude for county workers and stated that a salary study will take place for county employees in this next year to further invest in them, and thanked her wife and children.

Black also encouraged her colleagues to have “crisp comments” so that the meetings are concise and efficient.

As her first action as chairwoman, Black directed the nomination and election for the vice chair of the legislature, where Legislator Deborah Dawson was elected in a unanimous vote.

“I just promise to do the best I can,” Dawson said after her election. “I will probably still tell you exactly what I think, but don’t take it personally, and I’m looking forward to working as part of the team and playing Robin to Shawna’s Batman.”

Both Black and Dawson are beginning their second terms in the legislature, and following their elections have said they would be working as a team to

-Lori Sonken

COVID Kruppa clarifies quarantine guidance, talks omicron at COVID Town Hall

While the omicron variant is taking over as the predominant strain of COVID-19 in Tompkins County, Public Health Director Frank Kruppa said the hospitalization rates are mostly due to carry over from the wave of the delta variant. As of Jan. 10, there are 16 people hospitalized, a number higher than the usual range of eight to 10, but half of the peak of last winter.

Case numbers in the county have fluctuated dramatically over the course of the past six weeks, hovering at around 200 at the end of November and jumping to 2,000 by Dec. 18. As noted by Kruppa, with the departure of the college students around that time, cases dropped back down to around 1,000 at the end of December.

At a COVID Town Hall meeting on Jan. 6, Kruppa said over the past few weeks about 70% of people with COVID discharged from the emergency room had the omicron variant, while 75% of the people admitted had the delta variant.

“So the severity that we see reflected in our hospitalization numbers are the delta variant,” Kruppa said. “As omicron becomes more predominant, we’ll see hospitalizations decline even as case numbers continue to grow.”

Kruppa anticipates higher case numbers due to the fact the omicron variant seems to be significantly more transmissible than other variants. He said at this point, the potential for exposure is significantly higher.

“It’s everywhere,” Kruppa said. “COVID is out there, and you can get exposed in most any place you go in public.”

He also cleared up some confusion about quarantine and isolation times, as there have been changes with CDC recommendations recently. Tompkins County has adopted the New York State Department of Health guidance, which Kruppa said means most people will be in isolation or quarantine for five days. If you test positive or have symptoms, you must stay home for five days from the onset of symptoms or from receiving a positive test. If you are ill and still have symptoms after five days, you must remain in isolation for the full 10 days. Kruppa said it’s also recommended that immunocompromised folks who test positive should also expect to stay in isolation for 10 days, since a weakened immune system means they could be shedding the virus for longer.

If you are fully vaccinated with a booster shot, exposed to the virus and not displaying any symptoms, you will not need to quarantine. If you’ve been fully vaccinated, are eligible for the booster but have not received it, and have been exposed to the virus, you will need to quarantine.

Kruppa explained that the omicron data so far is showing people are mostly infectious in the two days prior to showing symptoms and the three days post onset, hence the change to a five day isolation period.

“It’s not everyone, but what we are doing is having to weigh the public health intervention mechanisms against the impact of those interventions,” Kruppa said.

He noted that in March 2020 when the pandemic first took foot in the United States, everything shut down because there was no information on the virus and no ways to fight it.

“We didn’t have tools like vaccines and antivirals, so it was necessary to take significant public health measures to stop spread. And our community did that,” he said. “Now we have omicron and we know more about it. It’s less severe but more transmissible. We’re not eliminating requirements, but when you measure the impacts of longer quarantines, there’s a significant impact on the ability to operate as a community.”

After the five-day mark, Kruppa said you should still wear a well-fitting mask with a nose piece and two layers of cloth when around others.

Because of the rise in cases, there have been some delays in getting test results back. Kruppa said with shorter isolation times there is going to be a shift to a self-responsibility model, as the Health Department likely won’t be able to get a hold of everyone in a timely manner.

“If you test positive or have symptoms and don’t get tested, you should act as if you’re positive and isolate yourself for the five days,” he said. “Our community has proven they will do what’s important and what’s necessary to protect each other.”

Kruppa suggests getting a PCR test if you’re symptomatic, as they’re still the “gold standard,” and more likely to detect the disease early and at lower levels in your body compared to other tests. As far as self-tests, Kruppa said he doesn’t know what the federal distribution plans are yet, but that Tompkins County received some from the state in December. He said they were turned over to BOCES for distribution. The Health Department also received another 4,600 self-tests last week and distributed them to local municipalities to pick up and distribute to individual communities.

“We asked them to focus on people without means to purchase a test, so they’re going to do some targeted work,” Kruppa said. “It’s 4,600 tests, it’s not a lot when there are 100,000+ in our community. They will go quickly.”

If you do get a self-test and test positive, there is a form on the Health Department’s website (tompkinscountyny. gov/health) to fill out, and you will receive an automated email back with information about what steps to take.

Kruppa also addressed the Test to Stay program, a tool being used in school districts throughout the country to keep kids in school. If a student is a close contact with a case and is asymptomatic, they can continue to go to school by testing negative in a series of rapid tests throughout the quarantine period. This is currently not being used in Tompkins County.

“The challenge is that it’s very labor intensive and tests are in short supply,” he said. “It’s a significant logistical lift with minimal value for keeping folks in school, particularly with the change to a five-day quarantine.”

Moving forward, Kruppa said he hopes the focus will be able to shift back to vaccines and making sure first and second doses, as well as boosters, are readily available in the community through healthcare providers and pharmacies.

As for what the future holds, Kruppa said he wishes he had a crystal ball, and that he’s not sure if people will need more boosters.

“We have to see how the vaccine works against the evolution of the disease,” he said. “The flu vaccine we ask people to get every year. COVID could be that. Or the booster could provide long-term protection. We don’t know and won’t until there’s time to research and learn.”

He said despite the uncertainty, for now vaccines are keeping people out of the hospital. And there’s an antiviral from Pfizer that should be hitting the market relatively soon that could mitigate symptoms. So overall, Kruppa is feeling hopeful.

“I think this is the first time in two years that I feel comfortable saying that in this year, we’re going to feel normal again,” he said. “I don’t know when that’s going to happen, but we’re heading toward that. Folks should feel good about that.”

Health Dep. Director, Frank Kruppa and Dep. County Administrator, Amie Hendrix

-Tanner Harding

Ups Cornell men’s hockey swept #5 North Dakota last weekend, a much-needed bounce back after dropping back-to-back games to Arizona State University the weekend prior. Downs Multiple shows at the State Theatre have been postponed due to COVID concerns. If you have any tickets for upcoming events, keep an eye on the State’s website: stateofithaca. org.

HEARD&SEEN

Heard Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne announced that he will be running for re-election in the November election. Visit www. osborne4sheriff.com for more. Seen Ithaca Farmers Market’s winter market kicked off Jan. 8 at Triphammer Marketplace. It’ll run every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. through March 26.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK What is your biggest hope for 2022?

26.7% World Peace

50.0% Herd Immunity

10.0% Blue Wave 13.3% Serenity Now

Next Week’s QuestioN: Have you given up on your resolution yet?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.