October 12, 2022

Food Bank Experiencing Increased Demand

COVID-Related Gov’t Assistance Slows, Need For Private Help Grows

By Matt Dougherty

TheFood Bank of the Southern Tier is seeing an increased demand at least in part due to reduced government funding as the COVID-19 pandemic eases. Individuals and families that are continuing to live with long-COVID symptoms and required isolation-periods that limit employment opportunities are no longer receiving the assistance they need to survive even though their nancial situations haven’t improved.

President of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier Natasha ompson recently said that “by the end of Q2, we saw a 35% increase in 2022 compared to 2021 at the same time period.” ompson continued saying that represents a 14% increase since before the pandemic in 2019.

ompson said “I’ve never seen anything like that, since the 2008 reces-

sion when demand jumped 25% in 2008, compared to 2007, and then another 5%, in 2009. So 35% in a single year, is a little shocking.”

According to Thompson, during the pandemic Tompkins County saw an unprecedented government response in the form of additional financial resources that were distributed to families.

“At the beginning of COVID we had enhanced unemployment benefits where people were getting more than their standard allotments. We had additional SNAP benefits and universal school meals, where every child was able to receive a free meal, regardless of their ability to pay. So people were getting stimulus money and we saw all of these different government supports put into place.”

As a result of this increased support

ompson says that the Food Bank actu-

Thompson says keeping up with increased demand is difficult due to rising costs and a dip in food supply. (Photo: Provided)

ally saw demand decrease in 2021 when compared to demand in 2020 and 2019. However, as the pandemic-era support systems began to disappear in December 2021 ompson says that the Food Bank began to see an increase in demand once again.

According to ompson, “the government subsidies going away and the in ationary pressure on the economy that forced people to pay $5 a gallon for gas. I think all those things taken together led to what we’re seeing now with increased demand.”

Regarding how the Food Bank plans on keeping up with this increase in demand, ompson says, “that is the challenge for us, because as we’re seeing this increased demand, we’re also seeing a relative dip in our food supply.”

According to ompson, “during COVID time, we had a signi cant supply of government commodities. A lot of the farm products that were slated for trade with China, ended up in the Food Bank because of President Trump’s trade wars

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 Affordability, Safety Pull Down Ithaca’s Ranking

A recent analysis of data sponsored by the website WalletHub to nd the best small cities to live in, found that Ithaca ranked in the 86th percentile of 1,300 of America’s small cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000. Ithaca scored very well in three of the four categories, ranking 26th in quality of life, 125th in education and health, and 202nd in economic health. However, Ithaca ranked 901st in terms of safety and 1,248th out of 1,300 in a ordability.

 Watch Out For Zombies — A recent “study” conducted by that source of hard-hitting news, RantCasino.com, found that people in New York State will have a hard time surviving a zombie apocalypse. Basing their “analysis” on the number of cemeteries and burials in states, the data scientists project there could be 12,691,919 potential zombies roaming the Empire State, more than anywhere else. Heading south or west might not help since Pennsylvania and Ohio nished second and third.

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 classi ed. 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 rst 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

UIRING PHOTOGR PHERQ A

By Josh Baldo City Applies For State Grants to Revitalize Buildings

“Restore” Funds Target Vacant Privately-Owned Urban Structures

By Matt Dougherty

Duringa recent meeting of the Ithaca Common Council Acting Mayor Laura Lewis announced that the city would be applying to receive grant funding from the Restore New York Communities Initiative to revitalize properties on South Cayuga Street that are owned by Urban Core LLC and the Chain Works District Building 24 owned by Unchained Properties LLC.

e 2022-23 New York State Budget provides $250 million for the Restore New York’s Communities Initiative. Grant funding will be awarded in two rounds.

e rst round will consist of $100 million with applications due by October 11 and the second round will consist of $150 million with applications due in January 2023.

According to Acting Mayor Lewis, “ e goals of the Restore New York program are to revitalize urban centers, encourage commercial investment, and improve the local housing stock.”

Restore New York funding is available only for projects involving the demolition, deconstruction, rehabilitation and reconstruction of vacant, abandoned, condemned or surplus properties. e program is designed to provide funding to revitalize buildings that are vacant, 50% vacant or condemned. Additionally, buildings typically must be privately owned in order to be eligible for the program.

Municipalities with populations under 40,000 are eligible to submit one project, which may contain multiple related properties not to exceed requests for $2 million in each round of funding.

e city has applied for several rounds of Restore New York funding in the past and been awarded four times out of six. According to Mayor Lewis, “ is round is open for submissions next week.”

Mayor Lewis said, “of the six proposals received, the following projects are highest rated against state and local evaluation criteria: e Cayuga Street Rehabilitation Urban Core LLC and the Chain Works

District Building 24 Unchained Properties LLC.”

e two projects that are listed by the Acting Mayor are the best candidates to receive Restore NY funding because both have signi cant housing opportunities as well as private investment — and they were both advanced in their planning.

e Cayuga Street project is expected to expand the number of housing units by 16 by converting vacant o ce space and upper oors to housing units. Additionally, the Chain Works project estimates over 90 housing units in phase one of their proposed plan.

e Chain Works project has been in the making for nearly a decade and Restore New York grant funding will only partially cover the costs of phase one of the project.

Phase one of the Chain Works project calls for renovations of four buildings on the property. Speci cally, buildings 21 and 24 would be renovated into 179,000 squarefeet of mixed commercial and residential space, and Buildings 33 and 34 would be renovated into 171,000 square-feet of modern industrial/manufacturing space.

YOU HAD TO START YOUR OWN RELIG ION WHAT WOULD IT BE?

“Follow me to the dance oor religion”

Alex C.

“Board games in the nude”

Audrey B.

“Theatre is my religion; turning the next gen into theatre people”

Joey S.

book religion”

Laura C.

“Religion of radical transcendent self-love”

Kate L.

Among Urban Core’s S. Cayuga Street projects is the rehabilitation of the Donovan Building at the corner of Green and Cayuga Streets. (Photo: Google)

The City is looking for a Restore grant to help finally get the first phase of the Chain Works project—the work on Building 24—started. (Photo: Dave Burbank)

Housing Fund Key To Creation Of Affordable Units

Developers Can Either Build Qualifying Units Or Make Payments

By Elijah de Castro

ary point of leverage to in uence the direction that private development takes,” Rand said. “[But] it doesn’t go nearly far enough and the city used to negotiate way harder with private developers than they do now.”

UPS DOWNS&

Ups

To Paris Baguette on the Commons. The place was packed before 8 a.m. on a weekday, the pastries and co ee were good, and the service was ne for a new eatery. Here’s hoping it has a good long run downtown.

Downs

To Not My Dad’s Ice Cream in Trumansburg closing, not just for the season, but for good. There are lots of places to get soft serve, but there was something about this spot that made it special.

HEARD SEEN&

Heard

Loaves & Fishes, which has served 100,000 meals to those in need during the past two and half very di cult years, is looking for volunteers for mornings and afternoons on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and afternoons and evenings on Tuesday and Thursday. Reach out to help at info@loaves.org

Heard

Since

2009, $5.8 million from multiple sources within Tompkins County have been redistributed through what is called the Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF) in the form of funding awards for a ordable housing projects. is has assisted in the construction of 810 new housing units for the people of Tompkins County.

Until recently, the money that went into the CHDF came from three sources: Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca and Cornell University. Each year, Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca would each contribute $100,000, while Cornell would contribute $200,000.

In the 2017 Tompkins County Housing Strategy report, it was acknowledged that funds from the CHDF had been used for housing that did not meet a ordability targets: “...Less than 10% of these units met the a ordability goal,” the report said.

However, in 2020, the CHDF expanded, at least partly in an e ort to make it more e ective at adding a ordable units. Under a new workforce housing policy, developers looking to build a new property are faced with two options: build 20% of the units in their development as a ordable, or contribute $5,000 for each new, nona ordable unit they build.

e policy passed in Dec. 2020 requires the units de ned as a ordable to be 80% or less of area median income (AMI), the

midpoint of a given region’s income distribution. In the Ithaca area, the 80% AMI is $50,240 for a single person, $57,360 for a couple and $71,680 for a household of four.

Much of the funding awards from the CHDF go to Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), a well-known regional non-pro t that aims to expand access to housing for low-income people. Over the years, the CHDF has helped INHS close the gap on 16 projects throughout Tompkins County.

Lynn Traume, director of Real Estate Development at INHS, said that given the lack of su cient funding for a ordable housing coming from the outside of Tompkins County, the CHDF has been a crucial way for the INHS to push projects forward.

“Most communities do not have something at the County level like the CHDF, which pools [ nancial] resources from multiple places—that’s a really unusual thing,” Traume said. “In the context of a total project budget, we always want more. But it de nitely shows strong local support with the City, the County and Cornell all cooperating to advance a ordable housing.”

Genevieve Rand, an organizer for the Ithaca Tenants Union, said the CHDF is an e ective way to ll the void of a ordable housing caused by declines in federal and state public housing dollars. However, Rand said it is not as aggressive as housing action by the City of Ithaca has been previously.

“I think that it is great that cities like Ithaca are willing to use that discretion-

Rand noted that the amount that Cornell has paid into the fund is not proportionate to the amount that the university develops in the area. Additionally, since Cornell is tax-exempt, it pays no taxes on its $2.1 billion in assets. In 2020, it contributed $1,391,527 to the City.

Nels Bohn is the director of community development at the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency. Bohn said that some developers have paid into the CHDF in addition to also building workforce housing at 80% AMI.

“One of the rst projects going through the process is e Ithacan, which is on Green Street and going through construction now,” Bohn said. “ ey elected to do 10% on site [a ordable housing] and 10% through a payment. So, they’ll pay $500,000 into the Community Housing Development Fund and they’ll include in their project 20 a ordable units.”

Bohn said the payments private developers make into the CHDF are not required at the moment of signing an application. is, according to Bohn, is because some developers do not have the funding in their project to donate into the CHDF immediately.

While there is some scattered information that is available on the money that goes into the CHDF, there are no public documents showing all payments into the fund. e Ithaca Times has led a Freedom of Information Law request to receive any documents that contain information on the payments that go into the CHDF.

We hate to mention it, but snow is coming. The County O ce for the Aging is looking to add people to its list of individuals willing to do snow shoveling or plowing for older adults who need help clearing their paths or driveways, particularly in rural areas. This can be on either a paid or volunteer basis. Give them a call at (607) 274-5482.

IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write news@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What should the City do about homeless encampments?

26.1% Build a sanctioned encampment and then enforce the laws.

23.9% Enforce current laws rather than investing in an encampment.

50.0% Don’t criminalize homelessness: instead offer more services.

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What are you most looking forward to about fall?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

Truame feels the CHDF “shows strong local support with the City, the County and Cornell all cooperating to advance affordable housing.” (Photo: Provided)

Rand believes that while CHDF is effective “the city used to negotiate way harder with private developers than they do now.” (Photo: YouTube)

Bohn said that some developers have paid into the CHDF in addition to building workforce housing at 80% AMI. (Photo: Zoom)

FOOD BANK

with China.” She continued saying, “that that policy has been changed under the Biden administration, and that has le us with signi cantly less government commodities.”

ompson says that the Food Bank has also seen a dip in donated food and they’re now dealing with the same things people are seeing at the grocery store—high food prices. “We’re seeing increased prices for purchasing our food. e cost of food for us has increased 12-18% compared to 2021, so we’re spending more money on food.”

As a result, the Food Bank is working on improving partnerships with local farmers through the Nourish New York program and the Healthy Harvest program to help people get access to af-

REVITALIZE BUILDINGS

e timeline of the project remains stuck in limbo as a result of economic uncertainties and local zoning issues resulting from the fact that the project calls for creating both residential and industrial space on the same property. However, when it’s completed the site is expected to o er more than 900 housing units.

If the Chain Works LLC application

fordable healthy food. In the Nourish New York program, farmers, suppliers, and processors are encouraged to share details about their available products, such as produce, meat, eggs, seafood, and dairy products, so food banks across the state can nd New York agricultural food products to purchase and distribute to communities in need. e Healthy Harvest program was launched by the Food Bank to provide locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables to those in need during harvest season.

According to ompson, given the trends and time of year she believes that demand will continue to increase. “we’re coming up on anksgiving, which is our busiest time of year. Last year, our member agencies requested 5,000 turkeys—this year they’re requesting 7,000. So I’m assuming the increasing demand is going to continue.”

for Restore New York grant funding is approved it will only cover the costs of renovating building 24—which would offer an estimated 90 housing units.

It’s unclear if the Chain Works residential units will be market rate or a ordable because the Restore New York program is one of the few State programs that does not require job creation or a ordable housing as a mandate.

However, the Cayuga Street project will be providing all its rental units at a ordable rates.

Reprising Our Prizes

By Stephen Burke

TheIthaca Times comes out each Wednesday, when I’ll normally pick one up, but last week I was away. When I returned ursday, my usual place for getting it had none.

“No delivery this week?” I asked.

“No re-delivery. We’re out. You know, it’s the ‘Best of Ithaca’ issue.”

Ah, yes. e run on the “Best of” issue demonstrates the feature’s perennial popularity.

It happens once a year - and has for 40 years. As the paper proudly proclaims, “ e Best of Ithaca awards remain the gold standard.” e awards are not granted by the Times per se but are earned: designated by a poll of readers.

It’s a free and fair election, without fear or favor. ere’s no editorial or business in uence. e polling is thorough, lasting weeks. It’s the people’s choice.

It is also an exemplar of inclusion.

ere are ve categories (Entertainment, Essentials, Food and Drink, People, and Places) comprising 45 contests. Beyond that are three open questions (Best ing to Do or Place to Go with a Visitor, Best Bargain, Something Every College Student Should Experience Before Graduating) where every response is printed.

Without being too serious, the awards are a telling depiction of the town and a great resource. ey are also great fodder for argument or let us say debate. Acting as instigator and moderator (this is di erent from judge and jury), let us consider some of the most compelling results, both clear and contentious.

Regarding the clear, the most prominent is probably Franco’s as Best Pizza. As the vote report speculates, it might be time to retire this category, as Franco’s has now won ve years running. Personally, as a Brooklyn native with a pronounced pizza jones I love every pizzeria in Ithaca, at least the independent ones, but you can’t argue with success, and here I certainly don’t.

A less obvious but also clear winner is Stewart Park as Best Place for a Party. As these awards are the people’s voice, Stewart Park is the people’s park. It’s right on the lake, but adjacent to town. It’s always been walkable, but now even more pleasantly so, via the Waterfront Trail. It has bus service. It has free parking. As the poll notes say, “with all sorts of recreational features,” it’s “a great place for a family reunion, weekend cookout, or just

an evening out with friends.” A morning or a ernoon, too.

From the clear to the controversial: Best Breakfast, Lincoln Street Diner. Much love to this miniature gem, which has been hidden on the far side of Fall Creek for decades, but there are some prominent newcomers to the breakfast business downtown and on the West End that might give a run for the meal money next time, with considerably more elaborate o erings. Of course, as the poll report notes, Lincoln Street o ers “a classic diner breakfast.” Which way will the electorate go in 2023, familiar or fancy?

Perhaps controversial, too: Best Mural, Airways Maze at the Sciencenter. It’s an amazing maze in a wonderful educational venue. It adorns a big wall inside, but is it a mural rather than an exhibit or installation? Murals have become an increasingly popular art form in the streets these days, and there are many of them in Ithaca (as the poll report notes), but they tend to be political, o en renegade or anarchic. So have a culture clash here? e voting can raise some surprising questions.

e awards can remind us of things we think of too infrequently (Best Hike, Buttermilk State Park) or not at all (Best Running Trail, South Hill Recreation Way: as the poll report notes, “South Hill doesn’t always get its due, but this award is a well-deserved shout out” for a spot with “a special upstate New York charm”).

e grab bag questions provide a long list of one-o answers that can be unexpected for their obscurity (best place to go with a visitor, Human Ecology Fashion Shows) or for their obviousness (Ithaca’s best bargain, “Not rent”). Some are pointed or re ect Ithaca’s occasional town-gown tensions (something every college student should experience, “a service industry position”).

In some of the poll reports the winners are contacted and quoted. A response from Alina Kim, owner of K-House Karaoke Lounge, illustrates the value of the vote.

“We have been hoping for a Best of Ithaca award since we opened in 2014, so this is a huge milestone for us,” Kim said. “We generally only advertise through word of mouth and participation in community events, so this award really tells us that we’ve made it.”

e Best of Ithaca 2022 awards, like all past Ithaca Times issues, are archived and available at the Times’s website, ithaca.com.

record by drawing north of 45,000 fans.

Under The Radar

By Steve Lawrence

Local

college football fans can nd plenty of positives so far this season. Cornell (2-2) and Ithaca College (5-0) are a combined 7-2, and while it’s frustrating that the 2-2 Big Red have fallen short in their Ivy League contests, the team is playing some really good football. I was among those shivering in the stands on Friday night, and if anyone saw me hunkering down, I did so not just because of the cold. I shall circle back around to explain...

While Cornell’s four games have seen some real scoring balance (Cornell has scored 104 points to its opponents’ 126), Ithaca College is rolling over opponents by absurd margins. e Bombers have won by lopsided scores of 51-14, 24-0, 52-3, 31-7 and 56-10 to outscore foes 214-34, and while it is surely a lot more fun to be on the upside of such blowouts, it makes one wonder how the team will respond when faced with a tighter game.

Speaking of (hopefully) tighter games, Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland have done an incredible job turning what was a nice Division III rivalry into a real spectacle. ey maneuvered a deal to have the 2019 Cortaca Jug played at Met Life Stadium, and they smashed a D-3 attendance

In a few weeks, the Jug will be contested in Yankee Stadium, and not only did they pull that o , but the game will also be broadcast on the YES network, said to be “the number one Regional sports network in the nation.” YES broadcasts the Yankees, the Liberty, the Nets and several other high-pro le teams. e Cortaca Jug will kick o at noon on November 12.

According to the Bombers’ website, “A limited number of game tickets remain available for purchase to the general public directly at Ticketmaster and at cortacajug.com. Ithaca College students, faculty, and sta can sign up through Monday, October 10, for same-day roundtrip transportation by bus. Because of the newly announced noon kicko , the busses will leave campus at 6:30 a.m. in order to arrive in time.”

● ● ●

Back to the Cornell game.... While the Big Red hates to drop any Ancient 8 contest, there were a lot of very bright spots. Harvard was the pre-season favorite to win the league title, and Cornell made it a one-score contest. In front of a national television audience (and his family, visiting from California), sophomore quarterback Jameson Wang had a helluva game, accounting for four touchdowns under the Friday Night Lights. Wang threw for 185 yards and a touchdown and picked up 61 yards on the ground, scor-

Cornell’s Jameson Wang had a great game in a losing effort. (Photo: Eldon Lindsay / Cornell Athletics)

ing three touchdowns, to lead the home team’s gritty e ort. Wide receiver omas Glover grabbed eight passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, and the e ort made him the 25th player in school history to go beyond 1,000 yards in the air.

Cornell’s opening scoring drive took up the bulk of the rst quarter and was as good a drive as the team had put together all year. e coaching sta knew that a awless game would be needed to take down Harvard, and the momentum shi ed when Harvard scored on a blocked punt, one of a number of special teams miscues that would prove costly to the Big Red.

At the game, I went a bit under the radar, as I sat with a group of enthusi-

astic Harvard fans and I knew it would be di cult to join them in cheering for the Crimson. Harvard’s #15, defensive back Victor Tademy had his own cheering section, consisting of several aunts, uncles and cousins, but, most importantly, his grandmother—“Bodacious”

Betty Bagnardi, a well-known and beloved Ithacan. While I could not bring myself to actually root for Harvard, I could be happy for Victor and his family, especially given Betty had a very special milestone birthday a couple of days later. I am too much of a gentleman, with too strong a sense of self-preservation to o er up a number. Happy birthday “Bodacious” Betty.

The Talk at

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Outraged At Headline

Iwasoutraged to see the headline in the September 28th issue of the Ithaca Times: “Two at the Center of Ethics Investigation Deny Wrongdoing.” is implies that Karen Yearwood and Eric Rosario, co-leads of the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group, are under investigation for illicit or immoral activities. As far as I know, they are not and have never been accused of any wrongdoing in the ethics investigation being conducted by the Tomkins County Board of Ethics. e investigation has to do with possible undue in uence from outside groups and

is speci cally looking into the in uence of the Center for Policing Equity and paid organizers from the People for the American Way. e article is actually well written and informative, and it becomes clear that Karen Yearwood and Eric Rosario are vouching for no wrongdoing on the part of Center for Policing Equity. e headline itself does not make this clear and implies that these two upstanding citizens are accused of wrongdoing. e headline is libelous and should be retracted with an apology to Karen Yearwood and Eric Rosario. I have known them both for years and cannot think of anyone with more moral ber and integrity. Shame on you, Ithaca Times!

Karen Friedeborn, En eld

Memories Of Vending Applies

Iwas President of the Cornell Pomology Club in 1987. We ran the apple vending machine at that time, and it was located in the lobby of the Plant Science Building. Apples were 25 cents apiece. We made enough money from

that machine to send about 8 of us to Arizona for a week during Spring Break. We toured farms and orchards in Arizona. It was an incredible trip and I still remember a lot from it. At some point, Cornell Dining tried to shut down the apple vending machine. ey said that they had the exclusive right to sell food at Cornell. But we had a letter on le from a former Cornell President stating that this apple vending machine was to be run by the members of our club. I’m glad to see an updated machine still in use across the quad, and that a student club is still the bene ciary of the proceeds.

Dan Klein, Danby

Vote To Create City Manager

Animportant referendum is on the ballot for City of Ithaca voters on November 8 (or by early voting beginning October 29) calling for the appointment of a City Manager. Common Council unanimously passed a resolution in November 2021 promoting this reform. As in our current structure, the Mayor will

still articulate a vision, propose policies, and formally represent the City. With an appointed professional Manager, City residents and taxpayers will bene t from more e cient operations and more reliable services. Because the Mayor will no longer have a Chief of Sta , the change does not entail an increase in cost to City taxpayers. Appointed by former Mayor Myrick, I was on the Task Force that developed this proposal. I talked with six Mayors in New York State who work with City Managers and they all enthusiastically endorse the structure. e majority of cities our size in the USA use this form of government, which was developed over 100 years ago in the progressive era to promote eciency, transparency, and accountability in municipalities. Tompkins County operates very smoothly under a close model, with a professional Administrator and a Legislative Chair whose role is similar to that of a Mayor. Please vote FOR creating a new position of City Manager in the City of Ithaca.

Donna Fleming, Former Alderperson, ird Ward

WEST END PROJECTS CHALLENGED BY HOMELESSNESS

An Ithaca Times Special Report, Part I

By Charley Githler

Whathappens in Ithaca’s West End in the next year can de ne what kind of city Ithaca will be going forward. We pride ourselves on being a community that cares about those in need, and we’re also a city that has been an island of vibrancy and growth in a region that has not been so fortunate. As development has spread from downtown and Collegetown to the West End, it has come up against a part of our community we’ve o en pretended didn’t exist, or chosen to ignore: the homeless and underserved, who have inhabited part of that area for many years. Our desire to be our best selves and care for our neighbors has led to that population growing and changing, and that is now a ecting many of the residents and businesses in the West End, who are experiencing a level of crime and vagrancy that impacts quality of life. How we deal with this subject is perhaps the most important issue Ithaca has faced since the construction of the Commons in 1974. ere has been considerable new development in Ithaca’s West End and Waterfront in the last couple of years, with more in the pipeline. e City’s stated goals of increasing density, encouraging compact mixed-use development and the building of new a ordable housing are visibly becoming a reality. Yet, the West End and the Waterfront have always been somewhat separate from the rest of the city, and there are

issues speci c to that area that may prove to be obstacles to realizing those goals.

e West End, part of the city’s First Ward, is generally the area bounded somewhere west of Washington Park, east of West Hill, probably south of the Hangar eater and north of the Southwest Natural Area behind Home Depot. Contained therein is the Waterfront District,

described as “non-park land between the Flood Control Channel and Route 13 and includes Inlet Island.” In the language of the urban planner, the West End connects the West State/MLK Street corridor to the Waterfront District. It has been home over the years to scores of businesses, industries, railroads, the Erie/Barge Canal, warehouses, hotels, restaurants, middle-class and

working-class homes, desperately-poor squatters, an unhoused population, and the city dump. Historically, it has never been the Ithaca of Cornell University, stately homes, or the wealthy families. e banks and fancy hotels, the Tremans, the McGraws, the Sages, the Newmans—all that has always been on the eastern side of town and up on East Hill.

Residents and those who work with them say the population of the Jungle has gotten younger. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

Discussions about how to best use the Waterfront go back decades, and there have been numerous studies since the 1970s of the development possibilities in the area. Potentially prime real estate, it has long been seen as an underutilized area with the capability of being turned into something of a jewel in Ithaca’s crown. We’ll be exploring the status of development in the West End and Waterfront in Part I of this story and looking at the historical context of the challenges to that development in Part II, next week.

Responsible city planning starts with a Comprehensive Plan, and e City of Ithaca’s most recent Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2015. Essentially a tool for planning, growth and development, it addresses issues related to the compatibility of various uses of land, management of natural resources, preservation of historically signi cant lands and structures, and addressing infrastructure needs. It’s a formal document and was adopted as an o cial policy guide. Some of the overarching themes in Ithaca’s plan are to increase density, create transportation and housing options that will reduce commuter tra c, and encourage compact mixed-use development in the coming years. More speci c to the West End and Waterfront district are the goals of creating dense, walkable, and ecologicallysensitive spaces that have a positive impact on the area while increasing the city’s tax base. Supplemental to the Comprehensive Plan, and created using much the same process, are plans for speci c areas within the city, and there is one for Ithaca’s Waterfront area. Both are available online through the city’s website.

On the one hand, there are “many vacant and underutilized parcels...that provide a high potential for redevelopment,” but the plans also describe signi cant challenges to development in the West End and

Waterfront areas. One of those challenges is the high volume of vehicle tra c. ree busy state roads—Routes 79, 89, and 96 — converge on the west side of the Inlet, and three main city streets—State/MLK, Seneca, and Bu alo—bring tra c from downtown to the east side. ose roads, the busy one-way corridors of Meadow and Fulton Streets and the railroad tracks constitute a formidable physical and psychological barrier, discouraging easy pedestrian or bicycle tra c between the Waterfront and the rest of the city.

ere’s also the threat of oods. at part of the city has always been oodprone, but the recently-unveiled proposed FEMA ood maps reveal that the risk has increased, and rather dramatically, since the last assessment was done in 1981. Updated climatological data and signi cantly more development on the hills have resulted in a considerable expansion of the designated ood zone boundary, which now includes all the West End and Waterfront. (Buildings and parking lots increase the amount of water owing into the streams owing into Ithaca.) It’s a story for another day, but downtown Ithaca was a wetland before it was a city, and we are one catastrophic rain event away from a major ood.

A lot of the West End and Waterfront has an industrial and commercial history, having been the home to extensive rail yards on both sides of the Inlet. It also went through a massive transformation in the 1960s with the creation of the Flood Control Channel. As such, there will need to be investment in the streetscapes, as well as water, sewer and other utility services for the kinds of development that are being contemplated to occur.

Both plans are the results of years of community-wide e ort, involving an impressive list of stakeholders, and are consequently very thorough. ere are goals set

forth, recommendations made, challenges acknowledged, and a vision outlined. What does not appear in either document is any mention of the de facto homeless encampments that extend in a corridor along the railroad tracks from Brindley Street to Southwest Park: the Jungle.

e rst mention of it in local media was in a December 11, 1987, Ithaca Journal article on homelessness that referred repeatedly to “Hobo Jungle.” Clearly, the encampment has been present for a long time, and it’s been the subject of much discussion for years. Numbers are hard to ascertain, and they vary according to weather and other circumstances, but in summer months several dozen, perhaps cresting to as many as eighty, unhoused people live in the Jungle at any one time. It has grown in recent years, and there are at least three distinct areas. Not wanting to be disparaged for “criminalizing homelessness,” the City of Ithaca has most recently practiced a policy of “tacit acceptance,” declining to prosecute vagrancy and trespass laws on City property. ere are strong opinions about the adequacy of that policy. At a recent Common Council meeting, a West End resident from Nate’s Floral Estates cited incidents of public urination and defecation, assaults, home invasions, and an increase in the rat population which they linked to the growth of e Jungle.

Cherry Street business owner Sue Cummings has years of experience in considering the issue of homelessness and the Jungle speci cally, dating back to her two terms on Common Council, and involvement in the Urban Renewal Agency and Neighborhood Housing Services in the 1980s and 1990s. She sees changes in the demographics of Jungle residents, and a dramatic increase in crime. “It’s a di erent set of people,” she said. “ ey’re angrier,

more aggressive. e laissez faire attitude seems to have emboldened people to think that there are no consequences.”

ree weeks ago, on the last morning of summer, Second Wind Cottages’ Homeless Crisis Alleviation Coordinator Deb Wilke, Ithaca Times photographer Josh Baldo and I met at the railroad track crossing on Cecil A. Malone Drive to get a rst-hand look at the Jungle. (For a gallery of Josh Baldo’s photographs of the Jungle visit ithaca.com.) It was comfortably warm, but the ten-day forecast called for rain and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. We headed north from the road and were immediately in a world very di erent from the stores and sidewalks and busy tra c just a few hundred yards away. Pockets of debris tucked into the trees and brush betrayed the existence of individual camps. Mattresses, bicycles, shopping carts, tarps, broken glass and trash of every description littered every camp. ere were burned-out campsites, too. Wilke acted as our guide and ambassador, bringing a backpack full of new socks, and she appeared to know everyone we met. We began in the “old” part of the Jungle, bounded by Brindley Street, Six Mile Creek, the railroad tracks and Cecil A. Malone Drive, and the people we spoke to, all friendly and forthcoming, con rmed what she told us: the Jungle had grown, the new people tended to be younger, there seemed to be more drug use, there were more women than there used to be. ere had been a death in the Jungle two days earlier, and that very clearly weighed on people’s minds. Also, each person we visited seemed to have a story of di culties navigating the labyrinth of social services applications, checklists and appointments. It’s a hard, dangerous life, and most peo-

There is a square mile of third-world squalor within city limits immediately behind our big box stores. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

Mattresses, bicycles, shopping carts, tarps, broken glass and trash of every description litter every camp. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

ple shopping on Elmira Road are unaware of or don’t want to think about the fact that there is a square mile of third-world squalor within city limits immediately behind the big box stores.

e City of Ithaca has struggled to provide a ordable housing for years, in no small part due to the competition for rental units with students from the colleges.

e U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development de nes “a ordable housing” as costing 30% or less of a household’s income, and a household is deemed to be ‘rent-burdened’ if it pays more than that. According to the Comprehensive Plan a high percentage of Ithaca’s renters are rentburdened and so one of the goals is “to create an adequate supply of safe, accessible and a ordable housing available to all residents regardless of their life circumstances or special needs”.

Addressing the problem of a ordable housing in Ithaca has spurred the recent building of hundreds of new units by Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), a nonpro t whose sole purpose is to create a ordable housing, and the largest a ordable housing developer in the area. e city is also trying to incentivize private developers to build a ordable housing with its Community Investment Incentive Tax Incentive Program (CIITAP). e objective is to encourage, through tax abatements, private development with increased density, and rehabilitation and redevelopment of underutilized sites in the city, as long as 20% of the on-site units in the project are a ordable housing. As an alternative to including a ordable housing units, a developer can pay into the County’s A ordable Housing Fund. Of course, these developers are private entities, with an eye on pro tability, and they are generally going to develop such projects on the less expensive parcels within the city, like those in the West End. Arthaus on Cherry Street, West End Heights on West Court Street, and Founders Way on West Bu alo Street are examples of the increase in the supply of a ordable housing units in 2022 alone.

More speci c to the needs of the unhoused population and the issues associated with the Jungle, though, is a proposal made earlier this year, and now the purview of a Working Group comprised of city and county lawmakers, a homeless advocate and an architect: e Ithaca Designated Encampment Site (TIDES). e idea is that the city would partner with other organizations to build kitchen, bathroom and shower facilities as well as 25 individual cabins to provide shelter to up to 50 people. Signi cantly, there would also be 24/7 “on-site

management and support by homeless professionals.” It is distinct from the shelters in that there would be fewer rules and barriers to taking up residence. (An example is that the TIDES program might not have a sobriety requirement.) Construction costs are projected at just over a million dollars, with $600,000 a year in sta ng costs. It is thought that those costs might be o set somewhat by the reduction in the costs already being incurred by social services en-

Jerry Dietz, of CSP Management and one of the original volunteer proponents of TIDES, is concerned about the pace at which the issue is being considered. “Homelessness itself is not a crime,” he said. “It’s the crime and disruption to surrounding businesses and residents as a result of conditions in the Jungle that is the problem, and it’s getting worse. is can’t move at the speed of government; it needs to move at the speed of reality.”

year by one of the area’s largest and most active developers—Visum Development Group. Called “Neighborhood of the Arts,” it envisions a large-scale mixed-use project on 11 acres along Cherry Street, Taber Street and Cecil A. Malone Drive that would include retail space, dining, open spaces, recreational facilities, a professional center and business hub, event center facilities, and a variety of housing across a range of prices from a ordable to market-rate. It’s a project that would take years to unfold, though Visum has exhibited a demonstrable commitment to developing the West End, with mixed-use and residential projects moving forward on Cherry Street and West Bu alo Street.

An energized, walkable, waterfront-oriented West End is a compelling prospect, but the challenges are daunting. Ithaca Arthaus Apartments opened for tenants at the end of last year. Located at 130 Cherry Street on the bank of the Inlet, it is 124 units of a ordable housing, with forty of those units dedicated to tenants aged 1926 who are transitioning out of foster care or homelessness, and some dedicated space for studios and arts-related activities. It’s maybe 400 yards from the edge of the Jungle. Since opening, according to the Ithaca Police Community Dashboard, the Ithaca Police Department has responded to 430 calls at the Arthaus, resulting in 25 arrests. It’s been something of a disaster so far.

Ironworks, a shiny new apartment/retail building on the corner of State/MLK and Plain Streets, is a project that paid into the A ordable Housing Fund. All 130 units are rented at what the market will bear, which apparently starts at $1670/month. e description is appealing: “ground- oor commercial space and state-of-the-art apartments in the vibrant and eclectic West End neighborhood.” It has a tness center, yoga studio, indoor and outdoor lounges, pet facilities, and secure bicycle parking, and there are no available units le . One morning last week on the same block, at the corner of State/MLK and Plain Streets, there was a man sleeping under a piece of cardboard in the doorway of a shuttered tattoo parlor.

tities and emergency response personnel currently dealing with issues in the West End arising from the Jungle. e Working Group is urging the city’s Planning and Economic Development Committee to declare that a sanctioned encampment site “serves an essential government function,” a necessary next step in moving forward, but the proposal’s future remains murky. It’s unlikely that concrete action will take place in the city’s next budget cycle.

Meanwhile, there is clearly a commitment by the city and developers to move ahead in the West End and Waterfront, and numerous projects are lurching forward. ere are smaller ‘pocket neighborhood’ projects, waterfront condominiums and townhouses, several mixed-use apartment and retail projects, and a proposal for a 25,000-square-foot “open-concept hotel/ cra beverage dining facility.” Perhaps the most ambitious idea is one put forward last

e hurdles to West End development did not arise in a vacuum, nor are they the result of a single political generation or governing philosophy. For many decades, Ithacans have averted our eyes from our poorest neighbors, who have been, in one form or another, a community inside our city since before Cornell University or Ithaca College existed, and who have outlasted the railroads in whose shadows they lived. How that part of Ithaca came to be the way that it is, and how those people have been ignored and neglected for a century and a half, is the second part of the story, which we’ll cover next week in Part II.

Many believe that a solution to the encampment

needs to move faster than the normal speed of government. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

BusinessTimes

Comics For Collectors: Still A Marvel

By Lyndsey Honor

you enter Comics for Collectors nostalgia washes over you as your gaze moves across the tightly packed shelves that line the space, oor to ceiling. It’s a quiet establishment populated by customers, young and old who independently peruse cover a er colorful cover until they’re ready to ring up their pile of new reads.

Tim Gray has owned and operated Comics for Collectors since 1981. Gray and his partner Bill Turner rst opened the store on the second oor of 148 e Commons. A er early success, they began envisioning a bigger future, setting a goal to one day own ve stores. While they never opened another four, they did manage to start two

Whenmore. In 1983, Gray and Turner opened a store in Elmira, which operated until 1993, and in 1991, the team launched a third store in Corning, which closed its doors in 2001. e Ithaca store has continued to thrive. In 1994 the store moved to 207 N. Aurora St. Gray assumed full ownership of Comics for Collectors in 2000 a er Turner sold his shares in the business. And in 2020 the store moved to its current location at 124 W. State St.

Forty years a er starting the business Gray is still as passionate about the business and Ithaca, as he was in the beginning.

Gray has watched much transition around the Commons, but he’s speci cally paid attention to the fall of print technology here. “ e Commons was once heavily populated by magazine stores, newsstands, and businesses of the sort,” Gray said.

“Over time, as technology changed, these

Comics for Collectors remains City xture 19 New Businesses open downtown in 2022

stores began closing their doors. It’s been hard to see the printing industry slowly diminish over the last two decades with the rise of the internet and social media. I’m just fortunate that people still seek out comics the way they’re meant to be read: on the page. I look outside every day and remember that my store stands as a relic of print history that once was in Ithaca.”

Gray attributes the ability to keep comic stores successful to the constant turnover in the industry. 98% of Gray’s inventory is new content at any given time because there’s constantly new material. “Keeping up with the changing market can be exhausting, but it’s what keeps the people coming back,” Gray said. “New stu o en gets released at similar times of year, so I’ve learned to gauge when I need to update my collection. ere’s o en releases in the rst month, in the summer, and then again in the fall, making it so my store’s constantly changing. Some of my customers return a couple times of year just because they know it’ll be like walking into a new store every time.”

Gray has managed to retain his enthusiasm for the business. “I know so many people who spend decades working in grocery stores or similar establishments and

hate what they do,” Gray said. “It’s because they’re doing the exact same thing, day after day, and they burn themselves out. My industry changes all the time and I get to reinvent my job and how I do it whenever I want. Every day o ers something new and I get to interpret it however I’d like.”

As for the future of his store, Gray has high expectations. e pandemic de nitely impacted things, like it did for everyone, but he only sees room for growth. “ e number one thing I hope will change as we come out of COVID is what publishing companies are willing to print,” Gray said. “It’s been common practice in recent years to only print the newest editions of comics to have available in stores. Take Max Meow for example. e fourth book in the series just came out and that’s the one I have on my shelves. It’s not ideal to only have the newest edition available because then readers miss all the content that came before. It would be really cool if print companies could start budgeting to print these earlier editions so stores like mine can reach more readers.”

Comics for Collectors, 124 W. State St., (607) 272-3007; Tuesday through Sunday 12 p.m. through

Tim Gray is as passionate about the business today as he was when he first opened 40 years ago. (Photo: Provided)

Comics

Collectors

been at

new location since 2020. (Photo: Mark Levine)

New Downtown Businesses Help City Rebound From COVID

By Lyndsey Honor

Everyentrepreneur knows that there’s opportunity in crisis. e COVID-19 pandemic was a tragedy on many levels but one silver lining is that it seems to have sparked a surge in entrepreneurship. A high percentage of these new ventures are the kind of small, street-level specialty businesses that bring tra c and vitality to locations. You don’t have to look further than downtown Ithaca for evidence of that.

At least 19 new businesses opened downtown so far this year, according to Gary Ferguson, the Executive Director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA).

ere are currently three or four ribbon cuttings scheduled for October and November.

Here’s the current list of 2022’s new downtown businesses:

• Adam Grill (114 W. Green St.)

• Lev Kitchen (222 E. State St.)

• One Stop Kicks (107 S. Cayuga St.)

• e Pretty Peach Waxing Studio (112 W. State St.)

• e Rest Gallery (113 W. State St.)

• Mix Gallery (156 E. State St.)

• Zaza Smoke Shop (101 E. State St.)

• Tableside (112 N. Cayuga St.)

• Cayuga Smoke Shop (207 N. Aurora Street)

• Good Choices (110 E. State St.)

• Covenstead Workplaces (203 N. Aurora St.)

• 5 Sisters (W. Green / Press Bay)

• e Gallery (W. Green / Press Bay)

• Paris Baguette (125 E. State St.)

• Yellow Deli (143 E. State Street)

• Envious Vegan Handbags (123 N. Cayuga St.)

• Revelry Yards (109–111 N. Aurora St.)

• Purposeful Parenting (207 N. Geneva St.)

• Café Dewitt [new owners] (215 N. Cayuga St.)

Among these businesses, Revelry Yards and Paris Baguette have hit major milestones within the last few weeks.

Revelry Yards hosted its grand opening on September 19. e brewpub is already being commended for its casual, welcoming lounge space and clever drink titles. e restaurant extends onto the back patio where guests can nd “ e Yards,” an outdoor, relaxing hangout equipped with games, re pits, and more. You can read all about their mission, restaurant, and vision on their website. https://www.revelryyards.com/.

Even more recently, Paris Baguette opened its doors for the rst time on September 28. ere are over 4,000 units of the franchise across the globe, and Ithaca now hosts one. Owner Yeonseok Song became familiar with Paris Baguette in her former homeland of South Korea. When her family moved to Ithaca, she quickly realized she could launch one here. She has a long-term goal to open another cafe closer to Cornell’s campus a er gauging

the success of the Commons location. You can nd out more about the café’s o erings at https://www.parisbaguette.com.

e DIA works closely with businesses that are trying to start and/or grow in Ithaca. Gary Ferguson, the Executive Director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, says they’re directly involved with preparing businesses to open. “We handle a lot of the behind the scenes work to help businesses get on their feet,” Ferguson said. “We will write and send out press releases, plan grand-openings, and prepare ribbon-cuttings for any business taking up space downtown. It’s our way of welcoming them into our community and setting the precedent that we’re a support system for one another.”

Even a er a business opens its doors, they continue to receive accommodations from the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. “By taking an active role in business development over time, we’re improving the business climate of our community,” Ferguson said. “Street-level businesses are the lifeblood of the Commons and we provide them with necessary resources in return for such hard work.”

Kristina elen — Business Development Director of the Downtown Ithaca

Alliance — adds to Ferguson by saying, “ e businesses we welcome into our city truly bring the warmth and the experience that our community craves. ey’re at the epicenter of creating a vibrant downtown.

We’re just a pillar holding them steady.

ey interact with community members on a daily basis, learning what the people need and adjusting to t these requests.

ey’re vital, and we continue to fuel this life source — and by that, I mean these businesses— by helping them in whatever way we can.”

While new shops are preparing for grand openings and welcoming their rst customers, others are preparing to move on. e only business that’s scheduled to close on the DIA’s radar—is Wa e Frolic, which will shut its doors for good on Oct. 15, 2022. Owners Dmitry and Brittany Serebryany say they have lots of decision making to do, but they’re ready to embark on their next professional adventure.

“It’s really hard to see businesses go, but the joy of Ithaca is that there’s always turnover,” Ferguson said. “New creative visions keep downtown alive and prosperous, and we’re thankful to every business that has a part in that, whether they’re still operating or not.”

Paris Baguette, newly opened on the Commons, is part of an international chain of 4,000 locations. (Photo: Mark Levine)

By Ross Haarstad

ing three family ballets: Alice in Wonderland, Haunted House, and e Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Cindy

Reid, Ithaca Ballet’s Artistic Director, recalls playing a butter y in Alice in Wonderland “decades ago” at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua. “It was so much fun to do it outside, on the grass, even though we couldn’t wear point shoes.”

at memory is just part of Ithaca Ballet’s rich history. Now in its 61st year, it is the oldest continuously performing arts group in Tompkins County. Cindy’s mother, Alice Reid, was cofounder with Vergiu Cornea. When Cornea retired a er seven years, Alice took over the Artistic Director reins, which she held until her death in 2011.

“She was great, a force of nature. She saw in me the person to keep it going and somehow I’ve grown into that position.” A er time away as a professional dancer with American Ballet eatre II, and in Chicago, she returned to Ithaca, serving rst as Associate Director, then Co-Artistic Director.

is Saturday, October 15, the Ithaca Ballet presents their “Fall Magic” program featur-

ere are two shows, one at 3 p.m. and one at 7 p.m., at the Hangar eatre. (Tickets at hangartheatre.org)

e Ithaca Ballet has a dedicated core of people making the magic happen, “even our crew people have been with us for decades,”

Cindy explains. ere are the mothers of company members who keep the costumes up to date. “ e organization has roots; people come and go, but they’re always training new people, so it’s sort of organic and natural.”

Fun and magic are the key words that keep coming up as Cindy describes the program. Alice was choreographed by her mother in 1965 as a student recital piece, so it was originally quite simple, but “over the decades,” Cindy has added to it. All the familiar characters appear: the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and so forth, 19 dancers in total.

“I told the kids, be as loony as you can. Just be as out there as you can. It’s going to take a lot of personality to take this ballet past the footlights” Cindy says.

“ e second ballet is also by my mother, Haunted House. Again, I’ve spiced up the choreography because the dancers were not all that advanced back then.”

Cindy and her sister Lavinia grew up with the Ithaca Ballet, and as they got older, they decided, with their mother’s blessing, to strengthen the company.

“You know when Balanchine came to America, he said, ‘But at rst a school.’ We kind of came in reverse, we had a ballet company. e school had been there right along, but it hadn’t had a curriculum, and a training program, and a tradition of training, which makes all the di erence.”

Cindy owns the school and runs it with the help of her “right-hand” woman, Rachel Myers—“she’s really great with small kids. She’s still a young woman, so she can really jump and point her feet in a way that I can’t”— and other faculty.

“We’re closing with e Sorcerer’s Apprentice. And this is in a way much more sophisticated. It’s by my sister Lavinia. When [the apprentice] chops up the broom: Boom, Whack, Whack—it’s right in the music and the brooms…and they do this goofy dance…it’s a really jam-packed ballet.”

One week before opening and the a ernoons are devoted to run-throughs of all three ballets. ings move fast in the main studio, as the autumn light spills in from the second-story atrium windows. e dancers in Haunted House le in. e youth are alert and highly focused. Cindy sets the curtain call, which snaps into place with only a few instructions. She snaps in a cassette (“Isn’t that a blast from the past,” she whispers to me.) Mussogorksy’s Night on Bald Mountain springs out of the speaker. A trio of boy-girl couples sneak into ‘the house’ in a sort of chain. A pair of lovers cavort. Vampira rises. Skeletons pass through. Spiderosa and her baby spiders enter. It’s sweet and kooky.

Cindy gives notes. She pushes the skeletons to do a deeper plié and a higher side kick. She works on a section of the lover’s duet. She is spry, exact, expressive.

And so it goes through the next two pieces.

“I love this. It’s my job, but it’s also my life. My mother worked right to the end as far as she could, and I don’t see a retirement for me either. Obviously, I won’t be as spry in another ten years. But I’ll keep working at it. I keep doing yoga, and I keep walking.”

Arts & EntertainmentITHACA BALLET STILL MAGICAL AFTER 61 YEARS

No rest. Next Monday, Lavinia arrives from her company in Pennsylvania to start rehearsing the kids’ parts in her Nutcracker

The White Rabbit (Sage Korfine) and Alice (Bailey Baier) prepare for Wonderland. (Photo: Provided)

The “brooms” rehearse their sweeping for the Saturday performances. (Photo: Ross Haarstad)

OPERA ITHACA FESTIVAL

TO LEARN MORE AND PURCHASE

“Piano Man” Preston Returns to CRT

By Bryan VanCampen

but my birth certi cate says the 15th, so I just have a two-day birthday. [laughs]

Wade

Preston, “ e Piano Man,” worked with Billy Joel on the Broadway musical “Movin’ Out” and is back at CRT for a h time to share Joel’s songs, from the big hits to the deep cuts. Preston spoke to the Ithaca Times. Ithaca Times: is is the h time you’ve played at CRT.

Wade Preston: Yeah, I really love it. e audiences are always into it. Upstate New York has a lot of die-hard Billy fans. [laughs] And that theater just seems to really suit the solo concert. It’s really intimate, you know. It’s too small for a band, it would be too loud in there. Doing solo concerts is really my favorite thing, ‘cause all I gotta do is be myself. As long as I give them a healthy dose of Billy, I can throw other stu in there to let ‘em know I have my own identity as well. It’s a venue that does well when I play there, that makes me happy. I guess one of the keys to this business is repeat business. [laughs] If I do well for them, then it’s good for me as well.

IT: Yeah, it’s one thing to sell out a show once, but to come back multiple times, you know you’re a draw.

WP: Yeah. I’m very grateful to get to do what I do. People are very kind to me.

IT: And it’s gonna be your birthday.

WP: Mm-hm. Yeah. A whopping 61 years old. Oh, boy. I don’t know if I want to see that in print.

IT: Well, you told me, I didn’t ask.

WP: Here’s the funny thing about my birthday. I was actually born on the 14th

IT: Right.

WP: When I was a younger man, I used it as an excuse to party for two days. I don’t do that anymore. So it’s actually a birthday show, I still think of it as a birthday show. It seems that every time I play at CRT, it’s always on or close to my birthday. Nothing I’d rather be doing on my birthday than entertaining folks.

IT: Speaking of birthdays, Billy Joel’s “ e Nylon Curtain” is 40 years old this year. So if you played “She’s Right on Time”, not only would you be paying tribute to that album, you’d be rst out with a Christmas song.

WP: at’s an interesting suggestion. I may take you up on that. It’s a great song. Do you remember the music video?

IT: No.

WP: Well, this was back when MTV was still a thing.

IT: I do remember that.

WP: It’s a very funny video. It’s him and this model trying to get together, and the disasters that ensue as they’re on the way to meet, and when they do, they’re completely disheveled. It’s a very funny video, and Billy is a really funny guy. He’s a natural when it comes to joke telling.

Wade Preston, “ e Piano Man,” plays at the Cortland Repertory eatre (CRT), 24-26 Port Watson Street, Cortland, (607) 756-2627, https://cortlandrep. org/, on Friday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Wade Preston’s mix of Billy Joel covers and his own material has made him a five-year hit performer at CRT (Photo: Provided)

Poundstone And Dumbo’s Feather Land At State

By Bryan VanCampen

Say

talked to Paula Poundstone enough times at this point that I no longer worry about preparing questions. I just call her up and we start chatting, and pretty soon a er that, we’re laughing. And if you’re lucky, she’ll throw in a reference to Walt Disney’s “Dumbo”.

I’ve

Ithaca Times: I feel like every time I talk to you, I have to get a pet update.

Paula Poundstone: Oh! Well, I’m standing out on the back porch now, throwing the tennis ball for my tennis ball-addicted dog.

IT: [laughs] What’s the dog’s name?

PP: Moe.

IT: Is that like the ree Stooges’ Moe?

PP: It is like the ree Stooges’ Moe. Even though it’s a girl. She doesn’t care.

IT: ey don’t, do they?

PP: No, they don’t. ey’re not sensitive. Is this one of the dates that’s been moved a couple of times?

IT: I wouldn’t be surprised.

PP: Yeah, a lot of them have, of course.

IT: I know I reached out to you during the pandemic and you took time out to talk for about 20 minutes about what you were watching during lockdown. We talked about Monty Python’s “Life of Brian”.

PP: Oh, I vaguely remember. Yeah, it was a challenging time. I mean, I don’t know that…You know, Biden may be right, I don’t know, because I don’t know what the de nition of “pandemic” is, but de nitely the virus isn’t over. And we don’t know whether the new variants will be worse, or easier, or – we have no idea! So I’m always a little on edge, wondering… [laughs] If someone had told me years ago, “You’re gonna have 15 months,” well, I would have put together…you know, I would have worked on my novel, I would have done some sort of “project” in isolation. But the thing was, not knowing how long it was gonna be, you know. I’m sure you were in the same situation. I didn’t know if theater work would ever come back again. It was very possible we’d have to say, “Well, no, that’s not safe.”

IT: I’m amazed that I haven’t gotten sick yet.

PP: Oh yeah, I haven’t either! I think part of it’s because I’m careful, but…I don’t know. But maybe I did a long ago, and I never knew it, and it was just mild. I don’t know. I’m gettin’ my booster tomorrow.

is summer, I was in Hyannis, Cape Cod, just for a night, tellin’ my little jokes and it dawned on me: If I got sick, if I showed symptoms while I was there, I only have that hotel room for one night. And they’re booked the other nights. [laughs]

ey can’t go, “Well, that’s okay, you stay here.” Like, I’m gonna be thrown out the next day. And if I was feeling sick, and if you weren’t supposed to y, I don’t know where I would go! [coughs] Just thinkin’ about it makes me cough.

IT: It’s very stressful.

PP: It is stressful. I’ve had four shots and I’m getting my h and I wear a mask and all that, but I think I also use Dumbo’s feather.

IT: [laughs] at took me a second.

PP: One’s never far from a Dumbo reference with me.

IT: We haven’t really talked about the show at the State.

PP: I’ve been back on the road since a year ago last June. And then at Christmas time, I thought I was coming home just for a planned couple of weeks, and then Omicron hit, and so things shut down again brie y. And then I started up again in February. Sounds like a season now.

IT: [laughs]

PP: [In the show] I talk about getting through this period of our lives. I still tell stories about my kids here and there, but not a lot, because they’re adults now. ey’re not fun anymore.

Paula Poundstone will perform at the State eater, 107 W. State Street, (607) 277-8283, https://stateo thaca.org, on Saturday, October 15 at 8 p.m.

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Poundstone has taken all the COVID precautions and has used Dumbo’s magic feather. (Photo: Provided)

Music Bars/Bands/Clubs

10/13 Thursday

Drank the Gold | 5:30 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

Dubber Rucky | 9 p.m. | Deep Dive, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd, | Free

10/14 Friday

Friday Night Music - The Notorious Stringbusters | 6 p.m. | Hopshire Farms and Brewery, 1771 Dryden Rd Rongo Band | 6 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road

10/15 Saturday

Live music feat. The Major Keys | 1:00pm | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road

Donna Colton | 1 p.m. | Hosmer Estate Winery, 7020 State Route 89 Annie in the water + Armchair Boogie | 8 p.m. | Deep Dive, 415 Old Taughannock Blvd,

10/16 Sunday

Live music feat. Rob Ervin | 1:00pm. | Treleaven Wines, 658 Lake Road

Bene t Concert for Open Doors English | 2 p.m. | South Hill Cider, 550 Sandbank Road | $20.00 - $50.00

Concerts/Recitals

10/12 Wednesday

Midday Music for Organ: Anna Steppler, “London: a musical portrait.” | 12:30 p.m. | Sage Chapel, Ho Plaza | Free

10/13 Thursday

Jazz Under Wraps - featuring Steve Daniels Jazz Band | 6 p.m. | Center for the Arts of Homer, 72 S Main St

10/14 Friday

A Neil Diamond Tribute | 6 p.m. | Tioga Downs, 2384 West River Rd | $20.00

“Billy Joel’s Piano Man” Wade Preston | 7:30 p.m. | Cortland Repertory Theater, 24 Port Watson St. | $25.00 - $30.00

Cornell Symphony Orchestra | 7:30 p.m. | Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Ave | Free

Regina Spektor | 8 p.m. | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St | $38.50 - $58.50

10/15 Saturday

CCS presents Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Nicola Benedetti, Violin | 3 p.m. | Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Avenue | $19.00 - $34.00

10/16 Sunday

The MasterWorks Chorale Chamber Singers | 2 p.m. | Willard Memorial Chapel, 17 Nelson St, Auburn Skaneateles String Quartet | 4 p.m. | Morgan Opera House, Main St. , Aurora | Free

10/18 Tuesday

Faculty Recital: Christin Schillinger, bassoon | 7 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Gym Rd Ithaca Concert Band Performance | Ithaca High School Kulp Auditorium | 7 p.m.

10/19 Wednesday

CSMA Recorder Ensemble at Community School of Music and Arts | 5:30 p.m.

Junior Recital: Hannah Schultz, ute | 7 p.m. | Hockett Family Recital Hall, Gym Rd

Pierre Bensusan | 7:30 p.m. | Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, 1 Congress St | $20.00 - $25.00

Stage

Heidi Latsky Guest-Artist-InDance | 4:50 p.m., 10/12 Wednesday | Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave | Heidi Latsky, Artistic Director and Founder of the Heidi Latsky Dance Company, will be the Guest-Artist-In-Dance from October 12th to October 15th at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. | Free Downtown Ithaca Alliance 25th Anniversary Celebration | 5:30 p.m., 10/13 Thursday | State Threatre, 107 W. State Street | Join the Downtown Ithaca Alliance in celebrating its 25th Anniversary!  The party is happening on October 13 from 6 to 9 p.m at the State Theatre.

Trampoline: SCARE TACTICS | 7 p.m., 10/13 Thursday | The Downstairs, 121 West State St. | Show up. Sign up. Tell a 5-minute personal story, without notes, based on this month’s theme: “SCARE TACTICS” and be judged by your peers. Your 5-minute story can be about any personal moment that relates to the theme. | $5.00

Ithaca Ballet’s Alice in Wonderland, Sorcerer’s Apprentice | 3 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd. | Ithaca Ballet’s family friendly Alice in Wonderland and Sorcerer’s Apprentice at the Hangar Oct. 15th | $15.00 - $25.00

Paula Poundstone | 8 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | State Theatre of Ithaca, 107 West State St | Appearing on stage with a stool, a microphone, and a can of Diet Pepsi, Paula Poundstone has one of comedy’s most nimble and disarming comic imaginations. | $25.00 - $45.00

Art

Art Gallery: Regional Photography Exhibit | 9:30 a.m., 10/12

Wednesday | Cortland Free Library, 32 Church St | Cortland Arts Connect 12th Annual Regional Photography show is available to view during regular library hours all month long!

Visit the Exhibit Hall | 10 a.m., 10/12 Wednesday | The History Center in Tompkins County, 401 East State Street | Walk through local stories and discover the history of Tompkins County Open Hours Our Exhibit Hall is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm throughout the year.

Cornell Biennial “Between Nothingness and In nity” by Mellon Public Curatorial Expression at Human Ecology Building | 10 a.m., 10/12 Wednesday | Johnson Museum of Art, 114 Central Avenue | Funded by the Mellon Public Curatorial Expression Program and curated by Lauren Siegel, Sarah Then Bergh, Marie Lambert, and Romain Pasquer, Between Nothingness and In nity asks: What are the 2022 Cornell Biennial: Ken Feingold Installation | 11 a.m., 10/12 Wednesday | Johnson Museum of Art, 114 Central Avenue | Experience Ken Feingold’s new media installation, “The Animal, Vegetable, Mineralness of Everything,” at the Johnson Museum of Art from July 18 through October 21, 2022. | Free

2022 Ink Shop Member Show | 1 p.m., 10/12 Wednesday | The Ink Shop, 330 E. MLK/State St | Opening

Reception 9/2. The Ink Shop launches a Member show annually giving our membership the opportunity to exhibit their newest work. | Free 2022 Cornell Biennial “At what point does the world unfold?” by Sara Jimenez at Goldwin Smith Hall | 10/12 Wednesday | Cornell University, 144 East Ave | At what point does the world unfold? is a new installation by Sara Jimenez on Cornell University’s Arts Quad.

Cornell Biennial “Circulating Matters” by Felix Heisel and Circular Construction Lab at Arts Quad | 10/12 Wednesday | Circulating Matters is an outdoor installation for the 2022 Cornell Biennial, Futurities, Uncertain, that identi es the potential of a future, local circular construction industry in Ithaca, New

Artist Workshop: Democratizing the Art Critique | 11 a.m., 10/13

Thursday | Johnson Museum of Art, 114 Central Avenue | Calling all artists and art educators!

Al-An deSouza: Migrations Visiting Artist Talk | 5:15 p.m., 10/13

Thursday | Johnson Museum of Art, 114 Central Avenue | Al-An deSouza will present the third Migrations Visiting Artist Talk, “The Culture of Location,” in conjunction with their current exhibition at the Johnson Museum, Al-An deSouza: Elegies for

Art Show: Primary Theory | 4 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Grayhaven Motel | Mauro Marinelli has lived in the Ithaca area for 32 years as an artist, photographer & general contractor. He has had 3 books of photography published by Keher Verlag, a German art book publisher. These paintings are a natural and logical extension of Mauro Marinelli’s artistic sensibilities.

Greater Ithaca Art Trail - Two Open Studio Weekends at Artist Studios across Tompkins County, NY | 11 a.m., 10/15 Saturday | Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County, Center Ithaca Box 107, 171 East State St | Go on an adventure to local artist studios! Visit artists on two Greater Ithaca Art Trail October Open Studio weekends.

Ariel Bullion Ecklund and Domenica Brockman “Interpretation of Line x 2” | The Gallery at South Hill located at 950 Danby Road | 12 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | “Interpretation of Line x 2” is a two woman exhibition, featuring work by Ariel Bullion Ecklund and Domenica Brockman.

LATINO/X

|

Gathered Light: Contemporary Fine Jewelry featuring Opals by Loren Gurche | 3 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | The Gold Hammer, 19 E Main St | The Gold Hammer is pleased to announce our 1st year anniversary celebration, Gathered Light, an exhibition featuring 8 designers using opals by Loren Gurche of Ancients 17

Free

Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts Invitational Art Opening - Altered | 7 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, 1 Congress St | Art Opening: “ALTERED: Changed, Repurposed, Reconsidered.” Curated by Ann Welles | Free

Cornell Biennial Screening of “The Ways of Folding Space & Flying” by Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho at Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art | 10 a.m., 10/19

Wednesday | Cornell University, 144 East Ave | Moving from global warming bunker to virtual highway, Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho situate their protagonist in a digital archival bubble that oats free of a future Venice inundated by warming

Film

Cinemapolis

120 E. Green St., Ithaca

October 14-October 20, 2022.

Contact Cinemapolis for showtimes. New lms listed rst.*

Stars At Noon* | Nicaragua, 1984: A mysterious English businessman and a headstrong American journalist strike up a romance as they soon become embroiled in a dangerous labyrinth of lies and conspiracies and are forced to try and escape the country. | 135 R God’s Creatures* | In a windswept shing village, a mother is torn between protecting her beloved son and her own sense of right and wrong. A lie she tells for him rips apart their family and close-knit community in this tense, sweepingly emotional epic.

| 100 mins R

Bros | Two men with commitment problems attempt a relationship.| 115 mins R

Don’t Worry Darling | A 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.

| 122 mins R

Pearl | The story of how Pearl became the vicious killer seen in “X”.| 102 mins R

See How They Run | In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered.| 98 mins PG-13 Moonage Daydream | A cinematic odyssey exploring David Bowie’s creative and musical journey. From lmmaker Brett Morgen, and sanctioned by the Bowie estate.| 135 mins PG-13

Cornell Cinema

All lms are shown at Willard Straight Hall on Cornell campus.

A Night of Knowing Nothing | 10/12 at 7:15PM | L writes letters to her estranged lover that demonstrate the drastic changes taking place around her. Merging reality with ction, dreams, memories, fantasies and anxieties, an amorphous narrative unfolds.

The Janes | 10/13 at 7:30pm | Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes’ documentary recounts the e orts of The Janes Collective, a group of women activists who organized to help women access safe abortions in pre-Roe v. Wade Chicago.

Born In Flames | 10/14 at 7:00pm | Set in an alternate socialist USA which, despite its peaceful Leftist revolution, has continued to fail working class women, people of color and sexual minorities.

A Question Of Silence | 10/14 at 9:00PM | When three women with no previous acquaintance kill a male shopkeeper in the middle of the day, the female psychiatrist assigned to the case sets out to understand why.

Minions: The Rise of Gru | 10/15, 7:00PM; 10/16, 4:30PM | The untold story of one twelve-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain.

Memoria |10/15, 9:00PM; 10/16 at 7:00PM | Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s latest lm stars Tilda Swinton as a woman su ering from sudden loud, mysterious sounds that only she can hear. Haunted by the noise, she seeks out answers, ultimately leading her to the interior of the lush Colombian jungle, and to a place where past, present, and future coexist.

The Guardian of Memory | 10/18, 4:30PM | While the Mexican State covers crimes, Carlos Spector, an immigration lawyer in Texas, struggles to obtain political asylum for Mexicans eeing violence.

Echoes of the Empire:Beyond Gengis Khan | 10/18, 7:00PM | A stunning cinematic view of Mongolia’s past and

present. The lm takes us into this vast country little-known by many. Nosferatu | 10/19, 7:15PM | This special centenary screening of the lm will be accompanied by the Austinbased The Invincible Czars performing their original score that incorporates parts of Bela Bartok’s Six Romanian Folk Dances and utilizes looping, samples, and e ects-laden vocals.

Sports

Cornell Sprint Football vs University of Pennsylvania | 3 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Ithaca, NY, Schoellkopf Field |

Ithaca Men’s Soccer vs Skidmore College | 4 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Carp Wood Field | Ithaca Men’s Soccer vs Skidmore College

Cornell Volleyball vs Harvard University | 7 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Ithaca, NY, Newman Arena at Bartels Hall |

Cornell Women’s Polo vs Cal Poly | 7 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Ithaca, N.Y., Oxley Equestrian Center | Cornell Women’s Polo vs Cal Polyn https:// cornellbigred.com/calendar. aspx?id=56401

Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey vs Red / White Game | 7 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Ithaca, N.Y., Lynah Rink |

Cornell Women’s Ice Hockey vs Red / White Game | 7 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Ithaca, N.Y., Lynah Rink |

Cornell Field Hockey vs Princeton University | 11 a.m., 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca, NY, Dodson Field |

Ithaca Football vs St. Lawrence University | 1 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Butter eld Stadium | I

Cornell Women’s Soccer vs Yale University | 1 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca, NY, Berman Field |

Ithaca Men’s Swimming & Diving vs William Smith College | 1 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium |

Ithaca Men’s &Women’s Swimming & Diving Tournament| 1 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium |

Cornell Big Red Football vs. Lehigh Mountain Hawks Football | 1 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Schoellkopf Field, 513 Campus Rd | Ithaca Men’s Soccer vs Union College | 2 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Carp Wood Field | I

Cornell Women’s Ice Hockey vs Concordia University (Quebec) | 2 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca, N.Y., Lynah Rink |

Cornell Volleyball vs Dartmouth College | 5 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca, NY, Newman Arena at Bartels Hall |

Cornell Men’s Polo vs Cal Poly | 6 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca, N.Y., Oxley Equestrian Center |

Cornell Football vs Lehigh University | 10/15 Saturday, Schoellkopf Field |

Cornell Men’s Soccer vs University of Pennsylvania | 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca, NY, Berman Field |

Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey vs University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa - Exhibition Game | 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca, N.Y., Lynah Rink |

Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey vs University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa - Exhibition GamenTV: ESPN+nStreaming Video: http://www.espn.com/ watchnTickets:

Cornell Sailing vs Women’s ACC Finals | 10/15 Saturday | Cornell Sailing vs Women’s ACC Finalsn https://cornellbigred.com/calendar. aspx?id=56074

Ithaca Field Hockey vs Skidmore College | 1 p.m., 10/16 Sunday | Higgins Stadium |

Cornell Field Hockey vs Lock Haven University | 2 p.m., 10/16 Sunday | Ithaca, NY, Dodson Field | C

Cornell Men’s Soccer vs Binghamton University | 10/18 Tuesday | Ithaca, NY, Berman Field |

Special Events

Fall Foliage Eco-Cruise at Allen Treman State Park | 4:30 p.m., 10/13 Thursday | A relaxing afternoon cruise when the light is just right for leaf-peeping from the lake aboard the comfortable and spacious MV Teal.

Cornell Girls Who Code and TCPL present: Tween Robot Wrestling | 4:15 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

Moore Family Farm Fall Festival at Moore Family Farm | 10 a.m., 10/15 Saturday | Come get lost in our “Let Freedom Ring” theme corn maze, pick the perfect pumpkin from the patch, test your aim at our apple cannons, bounce on the giant pumpkin, and take instagram worthy

IN PERSON CLASS: Selecting and Planting Bulbs for a Beautiful Spring | 10 a.m., 10/15 Saturday | CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue | Fall is the time to plant bulbs for a colorful spring display. In this class, we will teach you

how to plan for 3+ months of spring bulbs in bloom. | $15.00 - $40.00

Latino/x Heritage Month Fiesta!

|

11 a.m., 10/15 Saturday | Press Bay Court, Green St. | Join the Latino Civic Association in celebrating the last day of Latinx Heritage Month with a community street esta recognizing Latinx culture!

Scarecrow Jubilee at Ithaca Children’s Garden | 1 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Ithaca Children’s Garden’s longest-running signature event, Scarecrow Jubilee, returns this year!

Annual Inlet Valley Jack-O-Lantern Blaze! at Grayhaven Motel | 5 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Join us on Oct. 15th for our annual Inlet Valley JackO-Lantern blaze! Tickets are available to purchase below.

Loaves & Fishes Empty Bowls Fundraiser | 5 p.m., 10/15 Saturday | Loaves and Fishes of Tompkins County, 210 N. Cayuga St. | Enjoy a Gourmet Meal To-go and Choose a Beautiful Bowl to Take Home! Over the past two and a half years, Loaves & Fishes has served 100,000 meals to those in need in Tompkins County.  To support our work, we hope you will join us for our 27 th  Empty Bowls, Saturday, | $75.00 - $100.00

Books

Tween Book Club: Catherine, Called Birdy | 3:45 p.m., 10/12 Wednesday | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street |

Lit. Women of Silent Film -- A Tribute to Three Early 20th Century Ithaca Writers at Various Locations Throughout Ithaca and Cayuga Heights | 6 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Join Finger Lakes Film Trail October 14-16, 2022 for LIT.

Lit. Launch Party at Odyssey Bookstore | 6 p.m., 10/14 Friday | Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street. | Wharton Studio Museum and Historic Ithaca join host Odyssey Bookstore in inviting you to an opening reception for the “Lit.

Friends of the Library BOOK SALE | 10 a.m., 10/15 Saturday | Book Sale , 509 Esty St | The Friends of the Library Book Sale returns for 3 long weekends in October at 509 Esty St, Ithaca. Saturday-Monday, Oct. 8-10 & 15-17. Saturday-Tuesday, Oct. 22-25. Open 10am-8pm each day. www.booksale. org | Free

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HELP WANTED

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425/Education

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST I

Cortlandville Campus, Cortland, NY

OCM BOCES has a need for an Occupational Therapist to be located at the Cortlandville Campus in Cortland. Qualifi cations: Licensed and currently registered as an Occupational Therapist. Applications accepted online only. Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/central. For more information regarding this vacancy please visit: www.ocmboces.org EOE

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER

Cortlandville Campus, Cortland, NY

OCM BOCES Special Education program (Turning Point) located at the Cortlandville Campus in Cortland. Successful candidate will provide individual and group counseling along with social skills training to students (7-12) with disabilities. Must possess strong crisis intervention skills and be able to work collaboratively with the instructional staff to create a team approach that ensures student success. NYS certifi cation as a School Social Worker required. MSW required. Register and apply at: www.olasjobs.org/ central. For more information, visit our website at www.ocmboces.org EOE

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER - SUBSTITUTE CORTLANDVILLE

OCM BOCES Special Education program has a substitute opening located at the Cortlandville McEvoy Campus. The successful candidates will provide individual and group counseling to K-12 students, as well as provide support for the program team in developing positive, poractive interventions. NYS certifi cation as a School Social Worker is required. Anticipated employment starting on or about October 10, 2022, through December 23, 2022. Register and apply: www. olasjobs.org/central. For more information, visit our website at www.ocmboces.org. EOE

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400/Employment

COMMUNITY JOURNALIST/EDITOR

Ithaca Times is seeking an experienced journalist with strong organization, reporting, and editing skills. You would oversee both the news and arts & entertainment sections of our community weekly. Duties include copy editing all content, layout coordination, reporting, feature and editorial writing. You need to develop stories, plan several weeks ahead, and set the course for the editorial direction of the newspaper. A staff reporter and several freelancers report directly to you. You must have a strong sense of place to do this job; the Ithaca Times is about Ithaca and Ithaca is fascinating. Respond with cover letter, writing samples, and resume to jbilinski@ ithacatimes.com and Larry@ithacatimes.com.

OCM BOCES Career and Technical Education program has the need for a Teaching Assistant at the Cortlandville Campus, Cortland. Successful candidate will provide teacher support with group and individual instruction to High School students in both the CTE Cosmetology classroom and lab settings. NYS Teaching Assistant certifi cation is required. NYS Cosmetology License preferred. Applications accepted online only. Register and apply by 9/30/2022 at: www. olasjobs.org/central. For information, please visit our website at: www.ocmboces.org EOE

HELP WANTED BUS DRIVERS

The Southern Cayuga School District is seeking applicants for school bus drivers and substitute school bus drivers. Full-time (27.5 hours) bus drivers receive a competitive wage and benefi package, including health and dental insurance. We offer competitive wages for substitute bus drivers and offer paid bus driver training. Apply online. Go to southerncayuga.org/644, click on the Support Staff application in the right column.

Southern Cayuga Central School, 2384 Route 34B, Aurora NY 13026. SCCS EOE.

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

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Boost Your Fall Business

Call Larry at 607-277-7000 ext: 1214

Find out about great advertising ad packages at: Ithaca.com & Ithaca Times

Men’s and Women’s Alterations for over 20 years

Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair. Same Day Service Available John’s Tailor Shop

John Serferlis - Tailor 102 The Commons 273-3192

New, Used & Vintage Instruments & Accessories ITHACA GUITAR WORKS DEWITT MALL 607-272-2602

No Long waits for Dermatology Appointments

Finger Lakes Dermatology

Brad Yentzer, MD, FAAD 607-708-1330 fingerlakesderm.com

Ooy’s Cafe & Deli

201 N. Aurora Street

Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 319-4022

PIANOS

Rebuilt, Reconditioned, Bought, Sold, Moved, Tuned, Rented

Complete Rebuilding Services No job too big or too small Ithaca Piano Rebuilders (607) 272-6547

950 Danby Rd, Suite 26 South Hill Business Campus, Ithaca

READY FOR WINTER?

Upgrade your home with replacement windows, we manufacture and install.

SOUTH SENECA VINYL 315-585-6050

REAL LIFE CEREMONIES

Every life story deserves to be told, and told well.

Steve Lawrence, Celebrant 607-564-7149

WEGMANS FOOD MARKET NOW HIRING 607- 277-5800

500 S. Meadow St., Ithaca JOB.WEGMANS.COM

YOUR CBD STORE

The only dedicated retail store for all the CBD

308 E. Seneca St * Ithaca 845-244-0868