Cayuga Medical Center’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) has a new director and an expanded program that operates each weekday with advanced neuroscience technology to evaluate adult patients.
The EMU is the only epilepsy diagnostic center in the Southern Tier region. The expanded service will reduce the time patients wait for an evaluation that typically takes about three days of inpatient careat Cayuga Medical Center, says Cynthia Correll, MD, the monitoring unit’s director. She has certifications in neurology, epilepsy, and neurophysiology from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Epilepsy affects 1% of the population, and it is one of the most common neurological diseases. Recurrent unprovoked seizures affect physical, cognitive, psychological, and social functioning that characterize the neurological condition, which is a lifelong chronic disease for most patients.
“Despite its prevalence, epilepsy is often misdiagnosed. Not all seizures are because of epilepsy,” Dr. Correll says. “A lot of what we do at the EMU is determine if an earlier diagnosis of epilepsy is correct. Other conditions, such as fainting, sleep disorders, and cardiac arrhythmia, can mimic epileptic seizures. Functional neurological disease, a disorder commonly associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and panic attacks, can cause neurological symptoms like limb weakness, tremor, numbness or blackouts and are misdiagnosed as epilepsy.”
“About a third of patients evaluated at an EMU have a functional neurological disease and need a very different treatment than for epilepsy,” Dr. Correll notes.
Making the correct diagnosis so patients get the correct treatment is a big part of the work at Cayuga’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. About 70 percent of patients with epilepsy can manage their seizures with anti-epileptic medicines. The diagnostic workup is done at CMC’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and a patient’s pharmaceutical supervised by Dr. Correll or other neurologists at Cayuga Medical Associates.
Of the 30% of epilepsy patients who have seizures despite antiepileptic drug treatment, surgery is potentially curative for many. Strict dietary regimens may also be prescribed for patients with drug-resistant seizures. The EMU at Cayuga Medical Center can perform the diagnostics of patients with drug-resistant seizures. For epilepsy patients needing complex neurosurgery, the Cayuga EMU often refers to UR Medicine’s Epilepsy Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center, but it works with patients wanting treatment at other locations, Dr. Correll says.
Epilepsy surgery options include removing the portion of the brain causing the seizures or implanting a device in the brain that uses electrical stimulation undetectable to the patient that prevents seizures. A third type of surgery consists of a device that is implanted under the skin in the chest and attached to the vagus nerve in the neck. The device delivers electrical stimulation to control a patient’s seizures. Following the out-of-town surgery, patients can find long-term management of their implanted devices from a CMA neurologist.
The renovations at Cayuga Medical Center’s EMU now allow the unit to accommodate up to three adult patients in private evaluation suites. On Mondays, technicians fit patients with electrodes to monitor their brain waves continually, while a video records their movements. If brain activity signals a seizure, the two recordings can be compared and evaluated. Nurses trained in epilepsy care make regular room checks and use a desk station monitor to watch over patients and respond to an alarm that is activated when clinical seizures or other events are occurring. Throughout the monitoring evaluation that could last up to five days, an on-site hospitalist is also available if an EMU patient needs medical care.
Dr. Correll meets in-person or by a digital tele-link with each patient each weekday morning to review the evaluation’s progress and to monitor the gradual reduction in the patient’s anti-epileptic medication that is done to allow a seizure to occur in the hospital setting. She also reviews the day’s brain wave recording looking for the signature of an epileptic seizure.
“The goal for a patient having a seizure in the EMU is to get information to guide the patient’s long-term treatment,” Dr. Correll says.
The EMU staff encourages patients to have a family member or friend stay with them during the evaluation and a pull-out bed is available for overnight stays. Friends and relatives often recognize early signals of when a patient may have a seizure, Dr. Correll says. Because of the potential for a 5-day hospital stay, patients are urged to bring books, hobby crafts to work on, a tablet PC and snacks to supplement what the hospital provides. Patients can have visitors during visiting hours who may bring food or order food delivery.
The City of Ithaca and Cornell University have reached a 21-year agreement to increase the university's voluntary annual contribution to the city from $1.6 million to $4 million. The announcement was made in a joint statement released by Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis and Cornell University President Martha Pollack on September 14.
The agreement comes one week after Mayor Laura Lewis released a statement on September 7 announcing that the City of Ithaca had paused its negotiations with Cornell to increase the University's payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) as of August 11.
According to the joint statement, the increase is effective immediately and will see Cornell provide an additional $2.4 million to the City over its current-year contribution of $1.6 million. In addition, the $4 million contribution will be adjusted annually for inflation for the entire length of the 21-year MOU.
Adjusting the contribution to the rate of inflation has worried some who wished to see a more significant increase from Cornell because the university has grown much faster than
the rate of inflation over the last 20 years. If you adjust the contribution to inflation instead of adjusting it to the growth of Cornell, that means Cornell’s contribution will decrease over 20 years compared to the size of its budget.
The agreement is a compromise between the City and Cornell, as the negotiations began with the City requesting an increase in voluntary contributions to $8 million.
The City came to the $8 million number by requesting 25% of what Cornell would owe if it paid property taxes to the city. Since Cornell’s tax-exempt real estate holdings represent about 45% of the City’s assessed property value if it weren’t tax-
Every year Historic Ithaca, Inc. presents awards for sensitive restoration and preservation projects throughout Tompkins County. Any preservation, restoration, rehabilitation or adaptive reuse project completed within the past two years is eligible for an award in 2023.
“We are delighted to recognize projects in our community for the design, craftsmanship, artistry, and other trade skills that are applied to restoring and renewing our architectural heritage,” says Executive Director Susan Holland. This year’s winners include a range of projects completed
throughout Tompkins County recognizing excellence in exterior rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and a community history project. They will receive their awards on September 21 during a special reception at Argos Warehouse.
The winner of the Joseph O. Ciaschi Award for Preservation Excellence will be presented to Alphonse F. Pieper for his lifetime contribution to preservation and for his many years of working at the intersection of preservation and adaptive reuse in our community. Pieper is also a former Executive Director of Historic Ithaca.
exempt, it would owe the city $33 million — and 25% of $33 million is $8 million. Cornell responded to the $8 million request by offering an increase to $3.15, which the City countered with a request for $5 million. Then negotiations paused as both entities could not agree on a fair contribution, and Cornell signaled that they were unwilling to exceed an increase of $3.15 million.
As a result of the breakdown in negotiations, for a short time, it looked like Cornell would not be providing any voluntary contribution to Ithaca at all in 2024, leaving the city with a $1.6 million hole in the budget.
However, following a brief pause, it seems like Cornell returned to the table with an offer of $4 million, and the City’s negotiators were willing to take it. It’s possible that the uncertainty the first round
Continued on Page 19
Nominations are reviewed by a panel of preservation professionals and awards are made based on such considerations as the importance of the project to the long-term preservation of the building; adherence to basic preservation principles as outlined in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation; and the impact, or potential impact, of the project on the surrounding community.
For more information about the awards, contact Christine O’Malley at Historic Ithaca, (607) 273-6633 or christine@historicithaca. org.
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“This deal offers Ithaca a bandaid for the 2023 budget deficit in exchange for creating a new financial crisis that will span generations.”
— The Make Cornell Pay Coalition chair, Nathan Sitaraman
By Michelle LaMorte
Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) has announced that it will make emergency weekday service cuts to several routes as the organization suffers from a driver shortage and a lack of road-ready buses.
The service cuts took effect on September 14 and will be in place indefinitely. However, Weekend service will operate as scheduled for the fall service period.
The press release that announced the service cuts said, “Route 14S (the West Hill Shopper) and Route 83 (Cornell-Cayuga Heights shuttle) will not run.” It also said, “reductions to five other routes, the 10, 13, 21, 40 and 81, will be in effect until further notice.”
According to the press release, the cuts “are part of a short-term strategy to help free up some buses for higher-demand trips whose riders have suffered lastminute service cuts ever since TCAT’s fall service went into effect Aug. 21.” It continues saying, “ A pre-planned set of service changes will at least give riders more time to plan accordingly.”
In recent weeks, dispatchers have been forced to make early morning decisions about what trips to cut since they don’t know what buses were repaired or maintained overnight until an early-morning fleet evaluation. As a result, riders have not been notified of service cuts affecting them in enough time to make alternative transportation plans.
These last-minute cuts have caused many TCAT riders to be late to school or work, forcing them to walk or ride a bike for long distances in unsafe car-dominated areas. The cuts are also coming when public transportation options in the city are decreasing as Ithaca Car-Share has been forced to pause operations due to a state insurance failure. They are also coming weeks after
TCAT introduced a new $1.5 million electronic fare collection system and nearly one year after Cornell University refused to increase their contribution to TCAT by 8%.
While some service cuts are expected on high-frequency routes like the 10, 30, and 81 because those routes have buses picking up passengers more frequently, an excess of cuts on these routes “threaten a downward spiral of lost ridership with discouraged riders looking to drive their own vehicles or find more reliable transportation,” according to TCAT.
Regarding the service cuts, TCAT General Manager Scott Vanderpool has said, “These service changes are an unfortunate tradeoff — a choice between potentially losing a substantial number of customers or lessening the impact by spreading the inconvenience among several routes.”
Vanderpool continued, saying, “The entire system relies on high ridership routes to bring in revenue. If we continue to leave hundreds of people on the curb every day, we risk the health of all routes.”
According to Vanderpool, TCAT currently has 56 full time bus operators, falling short of their goal to start the fall semester with 70 full time operators. The organization also has 11 full time mechanics, which Vanderpool says “is actually enough mechanics in proportion to the number of buses we have.”
Currently, TCAT has a total of 53 buses — with seven of those being electric.
In response to questions about whether or not Cornell’s refusal to increase their contribution to TCAT by 8% has resulted in service cutbacks throughout the year Vanderpool said, “It hasn’t, this is all about our driver shortage and maintenance issues.”
Routes to be eliminated:
• 14S (West Hill shopper) West Hill riders needing to travel to southwest shopping centers Mon.-Fri. are advised to use route 14 to travel downtown and transfer to route 15, which serves southwest retailers. TCAT will continue to run weekend 14S service
• 83 (Cornell Campus) Riders are urged to use route 31 for alternative service.
Routes and adjustments are as follows:
• Route 10 (Commons-Cornell) Eliminates 7:11 a.m., 7:33 a.m., 7:55 a.m. and 8:17 a.m. trips starting from Seneca St. Station.
• Route 13 (Commons/Fall Creek/ Aldi/Ithaca High School) Eliminates the 10:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. outbound trips starting from Green St. and the 4:35 p.m. outbound trip starting from Seneca St. Station. Eliminates the 10:35 a.m. and the 11:20 a.m. inbound from Stewart Park. The 6:53 a.m. inbound trip from TCAT to downtown is also cut.
• Route 21 (Trumansburg/ Commons): Eliminates the 7:42 a.m. outbound trip starting from Green St. Station and the 8:15 a.m. inbound trip starting from Compass Manufactured Home Community.
• Route 40 (Groton/Cornell/Commons): Cuts the 8:40 a.m. outbound trip starting from Green St. Station and the 9:15 a.m. inbound starting from Groton Speedway.
• Route 81 (Cornell Campus) Eliminates the 8:25 a.m. from A-Lot and the 8:43 a.m. from Boyce Thompson Institute.
TCAT asks riders to please check its Bus Tracker for the status of their routes. The Bus Tracker also includes passenger alerts, which are also streamed on the red banner across TCAT’s home page. Riders are also encouraged to download real-time information apps, including the Transit app, which is now connected to data platform creator Swiftly. See TCAT’s app page for a list of apps available.
“These service changes are an unfortunate trade-off — a choice between potentially losing a substantial number of customers or lessening the impact by spreading the inconvenience among several routes.”
— TCAT General Manager, Scot Vanderpool
By Matt Dougherty
On September 15, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill to save Ithaca Car-Share into law, ending months of uncertainty surrounding the fate of one of the most popular public services in the city. If everything goes according to plan, Ithaca Car-Share anticipates that it will be able to re-open by March 2024.
The news was announced during a September 15 press conference on the Ithaca Commons attended by State Senator Lea Webb, Assemblymember Anna Kelles, Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis, and Ithaca CarShare Director Liz Field.
Bill (A.5718/S.5959) to save Ithaca CarShare passed the New York State Assembly and Senate on June 8. The bill spent the summer in more backroom negotiations before it was sent to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk on September 7 for final approval.
In New York State, the Governor has ten days to decide whether to sign a bill into law or veto it. If a bill is not signed or vetoed within those ten days, it automatically becomes law. As a result, as long as Governor Hochul didn’t veto the bill by September 17, it would have automatically become law.
During the press conference, Ithaca Car-Share Director Liz Field said, “I can’t thank our legislators enough for all their hard work in making this happen, and our members and supporters for fighting this fight with us.” Field continued, “This bill not only saves our organization but will allow nonprofit carshares across the state to open and flourish.”
According to Field, “Car-sharing is an important piece of solving many transportation challenges while greatly reducing carbon emissions. I’m happy that New York is now in line with the rest of the country when it comes to car-sharing.”
In a September 14 message alerting Ithaca Car-Share members that the Gover-
nor was expected to sign the bill “any day now,” Field thanked Kelles and Webb — who were sponsors of the bill in their respective chambers — for their “tireless efforts to get this bill passed.”
Field added that this months-long effort to pass this bill to save Ithaca
Car-Share was made possible by everyone who “wrote letters, made phone calls, and showed up to make your voices heard.”
Assemblymember Kelles has said, “I am thrilled that Gov. Hochul signed this bill, ensuring Ithaca Carshare and all similar transportation-related nonprofits can access the insurance they need through a risk retention group to continue operations.”
Kelles continued, saying, “Ithaca Carshare is an icon in our community, embodying our collective values of equity and environmental conservation. And as transportation is one of the greatest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, continuing community carsharing, and moving forward with the electrification of Carshare fleets, is a critical solution to combating transportation’s impact on climate change.”
She said that hundreds of residents have contacted her about how vital Ithaca Car-Share is for them and “how they rely on it for their transportation needs.” Kelles added, “I deeply appreciate the energy of this community that helped move this bill forward, and I thank Senator Lea Webb and her team for their essential partnership throughout this process.”
Senator Lea Webb said, “This is an exciting day for Ithaca, our region and state. Thank you to Governor Hochul for signing the Ithaca Carshare bill, making sure that this integral non-profit can continue to provide critical access to transportation for our constituents, many of whom can’t afford to buy a car or choose not to cut down on their carbon footprint.”
Webb continued by saying that the
pause in operations has been “difficult for Ithaca Carshare staff who have been furloughed and for community members who rely on their services.” She added that the more than 1,500 Ithacans who utilize the service are “eagerly awaiting its return.”
Even though the bill to save Ithaca CarShare will likely become law after September 17, car-share cannot re-open immediately. The law still imposes a 6-month wait period before non-profit organizations can begin to receive auto-insurance from outof-state risk retention groups (RRGs). A statement from Assemblymember Kelles says that the waiting period was included to give “the Department of Motor Vehicles an implementation period to align necessary systems.” So, the earliest service can restart is March 2024.
Ithaca Car-Share was forced to pause operations on May 19 because the private insurance company that provided auto-insurance to the organization since it was founded in 2008 decided to pull out of the car-sharing market entirely. New York State law prohibited non-profits like Ithaca Car-Share from receiving insurance from out-of-state RRGs.
Now that this state law is set to change, Ithaca Car-Share will be able to re-open in 2024 and bring back service to their more than 1,500 members.
Even though their fleet of vehicles has decreased from 30 to 26 as car-share was forced to sell several of its vehicles while operations have been on pause, since Ithaca Car-Share will be able to get insurance in the coming months, it will receive
Ithaca Bombers Football continues winning streak after defeating the Alfred University Saxons 22-0. The Bombers record moves to 2-1 on the season.
Two Ithaca City School District elementary schools lost their “good standing” status with the New York State Department of Education last year.
On September 6, the Common Council authorized the City to spend up to $18,000 to partially fund a study assessing the condition of the Ithaca Gun Smokestack. The remaining costs for the study will be covered by Visium Development.
The Tompkins County Legislature has voted not to use the property it owns at 408 North Tioga Street in its future Center of Government plans, and to authorize a sale of the property, which includes an 1870s structure known as “The Red House.”
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.”
Do you think the Common Council should approve the 21-year agreement for Cornel to increase its annual voluntary contribution to the City to $4 million?
23.3% Yes. $4 million is a fair contribution.
75.0% No. $4 million is not enough.
1.7% I don’t care.
What are you looking forward to as the fall approaches?
Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.
“This bill not only saves our organization but will allow nonprofit carshares across the state to open and flourish.”
— Ithaca Car-Share Director, Liz Field
“Dear Mayor and Members of Common Council,
In just over three months City Hall will be experiencing a tremendous transformation. Not only are all ten Common Council (CC) seats including the Mayor's up for election at one time but City Hall will move to a completely new form of governance with a City Manager. It is for these reasons that I am urging you to table the motion to ratify the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cornell until after the new members of CC, Mayor and City Manager take their oath of office in January.
A vote on the MOU with Cornell that has a twenty year sunset clause should not take place three months before transformational changes take place at City Hall. Our newly elected representatives and the City Manager should have a chance to review the Cornell MOU because its consequences will remain with us until 2044.
To accomplish this goal CC could ask to extend the current MOU for just one more year which given the circumstances Cornell should understand.
Before you vote, think about how you would react if your predecessors locked you into a significant MOU for twenty years at a special hybrid meeting of CC just fifty-eight days before the election? This process is not transparent or democratic and it lacks all accountability. City residents deserve responsible representation and a voice in an MOU with Cornell - Vote to table the MOU and give the next CC, Mayor and City Manager an opportunity to better represent City residents!”
— John Graves“Dear City Residents of All Wards, Now is the time to speak up. Mayor Lewis and City Attorney Ari Lavine have bowed to Cornell and agreed to bring a 21 year, that's TWENTY-ONE year-long agreement amounting to $4M per year to Council to be voted on this coming Wednesday- just days after the closed door deal was reached. This amounts to freezing Cornell's contribution for 21 years to this paltry amount. Wouldn't we all like our taxes to be frozen against increases for 21 years. Meanwhile taxpayers are trying to make up for the $33M gap Cornell creates.
Cornell receives over $100M per year from undergraduate dorm fees. Some of
their peers actually voluntarily pay taxes on profit-making enterprises like this. In New Hampshire, their laws allow for taxation of dorms, dining facilities, profit-making centers that are not strictly educational. We need to get this in place in NYS and we need to look at a national movement involving the endowment tax bc clearly anything short of a legislated remedy will not give us enough relief. When Cornell sensed ICSD was being talked about as part of a PILOT, they handed out their latest crumb of $150,000 bringing their financial contribution to our local school system, on which they heavily rely, to $650,000. Their school tax bill, if they paid like we all do, would be $46M.
Now is the time to speak up. Please call and write to all Council members to table Laura Lewis' planned vote on this agreement, currently scheduled for this Wednesday @ 6pm. There is public comment so you can also show up! This should not move forward.
Instead, let's have a Town Hall meeting with Cornell. Let them hear from us! Our current agreement ends June 2024. Let's take the time now and not settle for far less than an equitable contribution.
Again, this closed door deal would lock us into a $4M contribution from Cornell for 21 years with only a cost of living increase.
We can do better. We deserve better. Our expectations have been too low for far too long. Please make a call before Wednesday.” —
Margherita Fabrizio“I write today to request that the Ithaca Common Council not approve the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Cornell and the City of Ithaca regarding voluntary annual financial contributions until the open and transparent public review and comment proceeding specified below is completed.
Cornell University benefits from a wide array of City of Ithaca services even though the institution is exempt from paying property taxes. Cornell has long made relatively token voluntary payments to help defray the City's costs, but the University has come under intensifying pressure to reach a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement that would balance the enormously unfair financial burden borne by City of Ithaca property taxpayers.
That is why I was shocked to read that an unbelievably shady-appearing backroom deal has reportedly been struck between Cornell and the City of Ithaca regarding a MOU for voluntary annual payments over the next 21 years. There has been zero formal public disclosure
about this financial proposal or any meaningful opportunity for public review and comment about this important matter.
It is my understanding that the proposed Cornell MOU agreement would be adopted once the Ithaca Common Council and the Cornell Board of Trustees vote to approve it. The City decision-making process could reportedly be completed in a matter of days.
I believe it would be shockingly improper and irresponsible for the Ithaca Common Council to vote on such a critically important matter without strict compliance with all applicable New York State Open Meetings Law and Common Council procedural requirements as well as full public participation by Ithaca residents.
With that goal in mind, I request that the following steps be taken, at a minimum, to assure that the City of Ithaca's decision-making process is open and transparent:
a) published legal notice must be required for the proposed Cornell MOU agreement in order to alert the public to the matter and to afford citizens ample time to educate themselves about the pros and cons of the proposal and to submit public comments. The open comment period should be a minimum of 60 days;
b) an in-person public hearing that comports with City of Ithaca requirements must be held that would require the City to explain the substance of the proposed Cornell MOU agreement and to accept written and verbal comments from the public; and
c) a City review must be undertaken in order to identify potential conflicts of interest involving Common Council members due to current or past Cornell employment that would mandate recusal from voting on the proposed Cornell MOU agreement. No formal, binding vote should be taken unless this review is completed.
With all due respect, the haste with which the proposed Cornell MOU agreement is being submitted for Common Council approval calls into question the integrity of the City's decision-making process. If this weighty fiscal matter with significant taxpayer consequences is not subject to the public review and comment requirements I have respectfully requested and is instead approved by a process that is neither open nor transparent, public action would be warranted to overturn the Common Council's improper approval decision.
I trust that you will find my respectful comments self-explanatory. Thank you for your consideration.” — Walter
HangIhave worked in Ithaca as a Paramedic for 5 years.I have interacted with City Council, first voicing my concerns when Mayor Myrick shut down almost all EMS response by the Ithaca Fire Department at the beginning of COVID and more recently about the plans to reimagine public safety, the encampments on the Inlet, and the increasing demands placed on EMS in Tompkins County. As a resident of Ithaca and a first responder, I feel public safety in Ithaca is going in the wrong direction In many ways.
First, the encampments. Apparently the city wants to reimagine camping. I camped in Boy Scouts. We didn’t have merit badges for methamphetamine manufacturing or assault with a deadly weapon.
It’s been quite the month in the “Jungle”. (That is the local terminology for the encampments. I guess it is semiofficial as EMS is sometimes Dispatched to jungle 1, jungle 2 and jungle 3, as the area has become so large.) There was a brutal stabbing including a dog, a man attacked by 3 dogs reported running into the Jungle, the recovery of the body of a resident of the jungle reportedly kidnapped and murdered by other residents of the jungle. And then there is my experience of responding to an overdose call in an encampment walking into the woods on an uneven dirt path past what appeared to be a roll of chicken wire with the sharp ends pointed out like razor wire, and on the other side, metal rake with a sharp teeth, pointed outward as if to make a blockade. it was easy to dodge during daylight, but might not have been so noticeable at night. Fortunately, our call was completed quickly as a man with a machete ran into that same area about an hour later, being pursued by the police after he attempted to rob Walmart with a machete.
The residents of the encampments live brutally hard lives and I try to treat them with the respect and compassion they deserve. But many of them have substance abuse and/or mental health problems that make them on occasion some of the most violent patients we try to assist.
In the encampments in the past several years there have been murders,
stabbings, assaults, serious burns from methamphetamine manufacturing gone bad, drownings, rape, and sexual assault. The city is complicit in this. Camping is illegal in the City, and the city has been unwilling to enforce the law. I am incredulous when I hear city counselors, still using the phrase “We don’t want to criminalize homelessness”. I have carried a body out of the jungle. We are not having the same discussion . Businesses and residents in the area are being terrorized. If you think that is too strong of a word, think about how the clerk at Walmart must have felt when being robbed by a man with a machete. We have had people in the encampments that have been seriously burned when apparently manufacturing methamphetamines went badly. This happens infrequently. Does it happen once in 100 times when making Meth? More? What is the quantity of chemicals running off into the inlet? Has the city reported these methamphetamine incidents to the DEC? New York State treats Meth Labs as a hazardous materials site. Will the area, prior to legalizing camping, need remediation? What is the cost involved? The Tompkins County Health Department apparently is not monitoring the runoff of methamphetamine manufacturing and human feces into the inlet. Is this a concern for the Cornell Crew events and paddle boarders that use that end of the inlet? Why has the city not been cited? Are the residents around the jungle right to be concerned when they see black columns of smoke rising from the area, a not infrequent occurrence ? Tompkins county is not monitoring the fires. What is burning? What are the products of combustion? Does there need to be a plan to shelter in place until the fire is extinguished?
The city is trying to make plans for legal camping. The TIDES plan has collapsed . Initially they were talking about red ,yellow and green zones where red would be illegal to camp and green would be legal. It seemed like the plan was camp in the green zone, deeper into the woods and overdose and die, but don’t overdose in the red zone where people might see you and actually call 911 and save your life .Now apparently they’re talking of
Continued on Page 17
News item: The mayor of the City of Ithaca has been vocal recently in criticizing Cornell University’s financial contribution to the city. In the statement last weeek, Mayor Laura Lewis claimed that despite the “tremendous overall economic impact the university community brings” to the city, Cornell’s financial contributions to the city are lacking and “fail to demonstrate a commitment to the needs of Cornell’s host city.”
The university has a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with Ithaca – the university is tax-exempt due to its status as an institution of education. The university thus makes voluntary payments to the city instead of paying property taxes. According to Mayor Lewis, Cornell’s tax-exempt real estate holdings represent nearly half of the city’s assessed property value, representing approximately $33 million in property taxes that Ithaca is not receiving each year from Cornell. In 2023, Cornell contributed $1.6 million to the city.
We find ourselves at 300 Day Hall on Cornell’s campus, a vast, hushed temple of quiet opulence. Tiffany lamps cannot quite overcome the somber darkness of walls of burled mahogany, punctuated by hand-crafted Doric columns. A painting by Johannes Vermeer is carefully illuminated by three muted spotlights in a small alcove, and a Gutenberg Bible lies invitingly opened on a coffee table.
Dr. Martha E. Pollack, president of Cornell University, is sitting at a carved writing table that was once the property of King Carlo Alberto of Sardinia, the blazer of her Shiv Roy power suit draped over the back of her chair. A solid gold bobblehead of Ezra Cornell sits next to a back-lit digital real-time readout of Cornell’s endowment, which hovers at just below $10 billion. Pollack looks up at her loyal butler who hovers, almost motionless, next to the desk. “Send her in,” she sighs.
Wordlessly, the butler floats to the far end of the room, opens a door and motions for Laura Lewis, Mayor of Ithaca, to enter.
Pollack stands up. “Come in, Your Honor,” she says, “Won’t you have a seat? Can I get you anything? My chef just poached some plovers’ eggs, and they’re exquisite.”
“No thank you, Doctor, I’m really here on official city business,” Lewis replies.
“Oh, my. You understand that it’s an unspoken rule here never to mention business directly.” An awkward moment passes. “How was your trip up the hill?” Pollack sits down and leans back in her chair. The white rhinoceros leather creaks softly.
“I was almost run down by a hotel school sophomore in a Tesla SUV, if you want to know the truth!” says Lewis.
“Oh, those scamps! I assure you it’s nothing personal,” chuckles Pollack. “Well, what’s on your mind, Madam Mayor?”
“Doctor Pollack, you know exactly why I’m here. The city needs more money from the university. We’re straining to recruit cops, every department has slashed its budget. Our water mains were installed when William McKinley was in office. Our roads are a disgrace. We’ve squeezed every nickel we can out of our taxpayers. You guys aren’t giving us enough to cover the false fire alarms we have to respond to each year on this campus alone. $1.6 million? You spend more than that on homecoming fireworks!”
“Laura. Relax! No good can come from all this excitement,” soothes Pollack. “Take a couple deep breaths. There you go.”
“Well...it does smell nice in here,” Lewis admits.
“Pre-industrial air,” says Pollack, “imported from subsurface arctic air bubbles. I find it very calming. Look, the fact is, we’re pretty strapped up here on the hill, too. Groundbreaking research costs money, too. Look at the results from this study I just got today,” she says, picking up a thick, bound document. “It turns out cheap people tip less in restaurants. Who knew?”
“You know, we’re talking about pocket change when you have a ten billion dollar nest egg. I’d really hate to have go public with this dispute,” says Lewis, leaning forward.
“Two words, Madam Mayor...lame duck. And, with all due respect, I’ve gotten some very interesting e-mails from the mayor of Cazenovia recently. It would certainly be a shame if the university were to think about maybe relocating …”
The two titans eyeball each other for a long minute. This round, like the others, must go to Pollack. Still, the town-gown marriage is one of long duration, with many twists and turns. Tune in next week for the headline, “Mayor Beans College President With Poached Plover’s Egg.”
On September 6, graduate students at Cornell University organized a rally outside of Bailey Hall to officially launch the campaign to form the Cornell Graduate Student Union (CGSU).
The unionization effort has been in the works for nearly seven years and has been centered around improving working and living conditions for graduate students.
The group is seeking to unionize under the representation of the labor union United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE).
The efforts to form a graduate student union at Cornell come after graduate workers at other institutions like Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, and NYU have all achieved improved working conditions by unionizing under UE.
Forming a union would allow graduate students who teach, do research, and provide service work to the university to collectively bargain for fair pay, better healthcare, and improvements to various other benefits. The union’s website says that graduate students need to unionize “to have the power to negotiate with Cornell for improved wages, healthcare benefits, workplace safety measures, and affordable housing.”
According to the union’s website, the work graduate students provide is “integral to and necessary for the success of Cornell’s mission. Cornell has the reputation it does because of our work, so we should be fairly compensated for doing it.” It continues saying that graduate students currently lack collective bargaining power with Cornell, allowing the university to unilaterally set working conditions. The union says that
“with collective bargaining, we would be on equal footing with Cornell when determining our working conditions.”
This unionization push comes six years after CGSU’s last attempt to unionize in 2017 failed at a referendum. However, following the 2017 vote, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that Cornell University violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in an email from the Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, Barbara Knuth.
In the email, Knuth said that “increased cost could lead to reduced numbers of graduate students at Cornell due to wages and benefits negotiated by CGSU.” The American Federation of Teachers — the
union CGSU was affiliated with at the time — said that Knuth’s email was an “alarming threat for graduate students concerned with their job security.”
More than 1,200 graduate students were involved in crafting the union’s “six-point platform,” which will guide the union’s priorities as it moves forward. The platform includes Comprehensive Healthcare Coverage and Accessibility, Safety, and Equity in the Workplace, Fair Wages and Compensation, Accessible Housing and Transportation, Support for International Workers, and Support for Parents and Caregivers.
According to
“University housing should be affordable to grad residents. Bus passes should be free for all grads, and parking permits should be affordable and convenient.”
— CGSU Platform
“Stipends, hourly wages, and reimbursements should be paid on time. Stipend rates must keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living.”
— CGSU Platform
of employment are not transparent or unfairly enforced, 45% cannot find adequate mental and physical health care, 30% feel that the university's resources have not met their immigration, visa, or tax needs.
The platform calls for Cornell to improve graduate student health care by providing dental and vision insurance at no extra cost. The union also wants the university to allow graduate students to maintain access to health insurance while on leave.
Additionally, the union says that Cornell “needs to invest in CAPS, SDS, and reproductive and gender-affirming care to bolster and safeguard grad wellbeing.”
The union also calls for Cornell to increase its support for international graduate students and workers. According to the union, “All grads deserve free tax guidance, confidential legal counsel, and financial support for visa fees. International workers deserve equal work opportunities and dedicated university-funded fellowships.” The union continues, “Cornell should provide legal, administrative, and monetary assistance with visa procedures including SEVIS and OPT fees [and] English language programs like ITAP should be useful and equitable.”
To ensure that graduate students receive fair compensation, the union says that Cornell should guarantee funding “through graduation, including summers.” In addi-
tion, they say that “Stipends, hourly wages, and reimbursements should be paid on time” and that “Stipend rates must keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living.”
The union believes graduate students should also have access to affordable housing and reliable transportation. According to the union, “University housing should be affordable to grad residents. Bus passes should be free for all grads, and parking permits should be affordable and convenient.”
The union’s website states, “The members of CGSU who would do the bargaining would be elected democratically by union members.” However, to get to that point, the union must first collect authorization cards from a supermajority of graduate students. Authorization cards were passed out during the rally on September 6 and are also being distributed online. The union has collected cards from nearly 2,000 graduate students out of a population of around 7,200.
When a supermajority of cards are collected, union organizers will deliver them to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
office in Buffalo, N.Y. The NLRB will then process the cards. Cornell must choose between voluntarily recognizing the union or working with the NLRB to hold elections where graduate students can vote on forming a union. Then, contract negotiations can begin once the union is voluntarily recognized or approved at a referendum.
Thousands of graduate students have already expressed their support for forming a union. Cornell graduate student Morgan Irons, who is studying Soil and Crop Sciences, has said that she wants a union because “Graduate workers deserve to work on their research without fear of not having the finances to pay their rent and not being able to buy groceries each week and each month; without the fear of undergoing a health challenge and not having the insurance they need.”
Irons continued saying, “The work that graduate workers do for the school through their research, through their DEI&A work, and through their assistantships should be compensated for the value that it brings to Cornell and in reflection of the inflation and costs of living within Ithaca and New York state.”
Cornell graduate student Laura Sullivan, studying Public Policy, said that she supports unionizing because
“Graduate workers deserve a safe and supportive environment to work and learn.”
Sullivan continued, “We deserve fair wages, dental and vision insurance, equitable ac-
cess to institutional resources, and safe and transparent reporting mechanisms.”
Cornell graduate student Evan Heberlein, who is studying Civil and Environmental Engineering, has said, “[Cornell] is failing its students’ mental and physical health.” He added, “Collective bargaining will enable Cornell grad students to advocate for themselves and improve access to health services on campus.”
In response to questions about why graduate students need a union when Cornell already has a Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA), the union says that while the GPSA can pass resolutions making recommendations to Cornell’s administration, it doesn’t have the power to negotiate a contract.
The union has said that any contract the union agrees to would help graduate students avoid being overworked while not putting caps on how many hours can be worked. According to the union, “We aim to protect ourselves from faculty who force us to work more than we want to, but we do not want to make it more difficult for anyone to work as much as they like, nor do we want to enforce a structure that will limit workers making graduation progress.”
The union added, “Our contract would also not limit the times of day you could work.”
Cornell did not respond to requests to comment.
“We deserve fair wages, dental and vision insurance, equitable access to institutional resources, and safe and transparent reporting mechanisms.”
— Laura Sullivan
“Collective bargaining will enable Cornell grad students to advocate for themselves and improve access to health services on campus.”
— Evan Heberlein
By Steve Lawrence
Of course, when Cornell football is the topic of conversation, the Ivy League title is held up as the biggest goal. When former Big Red coach Maxie Baughan passed on last month, Cornell’s memorable season of 1988 — when the team was Ivy co-champs — was referenced often when listing Maxie’s accomplishments as Cornell’s head coach.
The 2023 version of the Big Red pulled off an exciting 23-20 road win over Lehigh in the season opener last weekend, and that victory shines a light on some of the measuring sticks one might use along with Ivy titles.
The win against Lehigh ran Cornell’s non-conference winning streak to five games, and while one game does not a season make, it was a big plus to see a veteran quarterback shine in numerous ways, as
usual. Junior signal caller Jameson Wang hit on 19 of 31 passes for 293 yards and two TDs, and he once again proved to me a multi-dimensional threat, rushing for an additional 85 yards.
While opposing defenses are well aware of Wang’s broad skill set, they will likely start paying more attention to Davon Kiser, who had a breakout day of his own. Kiser had 141 receiving yards, to contribute to his 231 all-purpose yards.
The Big Red will be on the road again this week to open conference play against Yale. on Saturday, at 12 p.m. in New Haven, Conn. Cornell will opens its home campaign against Colgate on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field as the team celebrates Homecoming 2023.
Speaking of Maxie Baughan, I would like to say that I liked him very much, and I have two great memories of him. One, when my mother was a middle-school
teacher, she organized an Up With Life Motivational Day, and Maxie agreed to be the keynote speaker. My mom invited him to breakfast at my parents’ home, and my dad — a former Navy Underwater Demolition bad-ass — invited three of his friends. These men were war veterans and, in my eyes, larger than life, but when they sat at the breakfast table with Maxie — the former All-Pro NFL linebacker — they were like a bunch
of wide-eyed 12 year-olds. Maxie indulged them with his stories, answered all their questions, and was such a gracious guest.
Continued on Page 19
By LA Bourgeois
“I’m excited for all the local apple varieties. And the kettle corn, of course,” says William Ethridge, a local Ithacan with plans to attend this year’s Apple Harvest Festival.
This is the 41st year for the Apple Harvest Festival here in Ithaca. When it started in 1982, this celebration focused mainly on showcasing the diversity of our local agricultural products and looked more like a traditional farmer’s market. Today, attending this special weekend al-
lows the expected 70,000 attendees to dive into an exuberant kaleidoscope of applethemed fun.
The Downtown Ithaca Alliance has gathered over 150 vendors and entertainers to provide food, crafts, and entertainment during this special weekend. “We're excited to host so many people to come see our incredible downtown,” says Nan Roherer, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. “Not just for the vendors, farmers, crafters and food vendors that we bring in, but also to highlight our amazing restaurants, retailers, and cultural locations that we have here in downtown
Ithaca. We hope that it also gives the people coming to the festival a glimpse into the other incredible things we have going on here in downtown Ithaca.”
Food vendors, both old and new, will be on hand to provide something for everyone’s pleasure. “This is one of our favorite events of the year! It is exciting to see how the DIA has grown this event over the years,” says Katie Foley, co-owner of Silo Food Truck. “For us, it is a time to share what we do with the greater community and especially with new students who come off the hill to share in some Ithaca Festivities.”
Seventy-plus artisans and other retailers will also be in attendance, including those who are participating in the Downtown Ithaca Alliance’s Ithaca Retail Entrepreneurship Program. This program gives free business training to new retailers such as Remy Huck who sells a variety of products to support spirituality including handmade bath soaks, aura sprays, and smudges through her business, Hoodoo Genie. “As a new business owner, I feel the
Apple Harvest Fest is the perfect opportunity for me to set the foundation of my business and to make all the right connections and get established in the Ithaca community,” says Huck.
Three stages will offer over thirty music and other entertainment acts throughout the weekend at Bernie Milton Pavilion, DeWitt Park, and Press Bay Alley.
And, of course, the farmers will be on hand with the requisite apples and cider (both kid-friendly and adult varieties), as well as beers, wines, and other offerings from the Finger Lakes region.
Downtown Ithaca
Fri., Sept. 29, noon - 6 p.m. Sat., Sept. 30, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sun., Oct. 1, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sept. 29, 30; Oct. 1
Stage entertainment noon - 6 p.m., Sat. & Sun.
What started as a small event in the City of Ithaca in 2007 has since become an internationally recognized way to celebrate local musicians and create a sense of community in neighborhoods across the country. Of course, I’m talking about Porchfest.
The hyper-local music festival made a highly anticipated return last year as it was the first porchfest since the start of the pandemic. This year, Porchfest returns on Sunday, September 24, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Ithaca’s Fall Creek and Northside neighborhoods.
Porchfest began in Ithaca as a means for neighbors and local community members to highlight their musical skills. It was thought of by Ithaca locals Gretchen Hildreth and Lesley Greene. The original event in Ithaca only started with about 20 musicians, but over the years, it has expanded to more than 100 bands. The event has even spread to dozens of other cities across the United States and Canada.
The music is diverse and can range from country to pop, classical, reggae, blues, rock, jazz, Latino, R&B, folk, and more. During the event, musicians voluntarily take to the “stage” on porches (hence the name Porchfest) at their designated times and perform for the public. Signs with artists’ names and performance times are usually posted in front of porches and online. In 2014, Robbert Greene — married to Lesley — wrote the software used to assist in the scheduling of bands.
Since these usually are neighborhood events, people walk, ride bikes or scooters, or push strollers as they move from one porch to another along a determined route to partake in the festivities. Children often build lemon-
ade stands to help quench their thirst on hot days, while vendors often provide ice cream, hot dogs, and other snacks. A few porchfests have expanded to include arts festivals as well. Since 2018, Katie Foley has been the food truck organizer.
Porchfest wouldn’t be possible without the support of the public. The event costs more than $5,000 to organize every year. In 2011, it began receiving sponsorship support from Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, which helped cover the costs of Porchfest expenses. The Porchfest website says that before INHS sponsorship, “Lesley and Gretchen were paying out of pocket for most of the expenses.” Porchfest is partially funded through community donations collected at Thompson Park during the event and online at http://www.porchfest.org/donate/.
Organizers and performers are not paid, and all money raised goes towards expenses that include permit fees, insurance, printing map/schedule booklets, port-a-john rental, and paying artists and crossing guards.
Volunteers and other organizations facilitate the event by selecting appropriate dates, acquiring musicians, and publicizing the event online and in local news. Residents volunteer their porches to support the local music scene and interact with their neighbors. Events can last from a few hours to most of the day, and schedules and maps are usually posted online or in local media.
Porchfest organizers have said they are “urgently looking for volunteers.” It takes a lot of people to make Porchfest happen safely. According to the Porchfest website, “close to 100 volunteers” are needed on the festival day. Most volunteers will be stationed at barricades near street closures to redirect traffic and
escort residents’ vehicles in and out as needed. Other volunteers will be stationed at information tents or circulate on bikes to help keep up with crowds in the street and excessive performer volume.
For those who need further convincing to volunteer, the website says that all volunteers will receive a $5 food vendor voucher.
You can sign up to volunteer for the first or second half of Porchfest or the whole event. If you can offer some of your day to help us make Porchfest happen, please sign up here: https:// docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVbEC2zaekMA1PRkcZo_dQ4o5ru5LHpj_f0o1tLQmGvMd6w/viewform?pli=1
Several streets will be closed to traffic during the festival to protect large crowds and make room for food vendors. The closures will impact the following streets:
• JAY STREET, from Cayuga to Tioga
• UTICA STREET, from Lincoln to Lewis
• YATES STREET, from Utica to Aurora
• YATES STREET, from Utica to Aurora
• E. MARSHALL STREET, from Utica to Aurora
• N. TIOGA STREET, from Tompkins to Farm
• N. AURORA STREET, from Tompkins to Farm
• W. MARSHALL STREET, and LAKE AVE from Marshall to Yates
• AUBURN STREET, from Jay to Dey
• ADAMS STREET, from Dey to Auburn
• W. LEWIS ST
The Porchfest website advises anyone who lives on one of these blocks to “consider parking your car on an open street nearby for the afternoon so you can come and go more easily.”
Auburn’s The Rev fittingly closes its 65th summer season with “A Chorus Line,” that classic tribute to the unsung heroes of every musical. After the lone ghost light is removed, twentythree talented young dancers fill the bare rehearsal stage with enormous energy, desperation, and wistfulness.
They’re auditioning for a musical, and everyone is eager to be cast — “I Hope I Get It,” the company’s opening number, says it all. Their anxiety spills over under the barked demands of the often-unseen director, Zach, dominating via his voiceof-god mike.
Forty-eight years since it premiered, “A Chorus Line” still enthralls audiences. Back in 1975, when the musical opened Off-Broadway, the response was so great that the show moved to Broadway in three months. It went on to be the longest-running musical until “Cats” — and ultimately won nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The creative team behind the memorable songs was composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricist Edward Kleban; the story was by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. Michael Bennett originally directed and choreographed, along with Bob Avian. Bennett, himself a controlling director like Zach, created the role of Cassie for his collaborator, friend, and briefly, wife, Donna McKechnie.
This new production, handsomely directed and choreographed by Mark Kimelman, has all the dynamism of the original. The “gypsies,” those dancers competing for a mere eight slots, are exciting to watch. Many of the numbers are well designed, but the variety and movement of “Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love” is especially thrilling.
After the first round of cuts, Zach (Jeff Skowron) calls on the remaining 17 dancers to tell their stories, one by one. Mike (Anthony DaSilva) explains taking over his sister’s tap lessons (“I Can Do That”); Diana (Gabriella Enriquez) describes rejecting an early teacher’s censure (“Nothing”); and Val (Jane Papageorge) proudly recom-
mends acquiring “tits and ass” (“Dance: Ten, Looks: Three”).
An embittered Sheila (Hallie Cercone) sexualizes every request. As Bobby, a tall Alex Smith flamboyantly brags about his life. (The original role of Bobby was developed in 1974 by Thommie Walsh, an Auburn native whose career began at the MerryGo-Round.)
At Zach’s urging, each dancer bares their soul, many reluctantly. Their stories are comical, poignant, or discouraging, and the likelihood of rejection in this hard profession pervades the rehearsal hall. The worst happens when a favored dancer, the modest Paul (Victor Carrillo Tracey), wrenches his leg and has to be taken to the hospital.
A somber mood spread as Zach pushes the dancers to really consider “What do you do when you’re not able to dance anymore?” Their varied responses culminate in the haunting ensemble number, “What I Did for Love.”
In the background at first, Cassie (Karli Dinardo) becomes increasingly central to the narrative. Once a featured dancer, she’s back begging for a place in the chorus; like the others, besides seeking a job, she just needs to dance. Zach is disturbed that she’s shown up, and they argue, rehashing the ending of their relationship. Dinardo’s solo dance, before mirrors, is exquisite, and she’s just as vocally arresting. (Czerton Lim’s minimal set is well lit here by Dan Ozminkowski.)
The main strength of this production is the inventive and excellent dancing, as
choreographed by Kimelman and his associate, Elle May Patterson. The singing is overall successful enough — and well supported by Alan J. Plado’s orchestra — but some of the women’s voices tend to screechiness.
Near the end, after all the anguish and final elimination, the entire company reunites as we need it to, in the marvelous “One (singular sensation).” And then, there’s a reprise, with everyone top-hatted and shimmering in dazzling cream and gold (splendid costumes throughout by Tiffany Howard). At this moment, the ensemble both embodies and celebrates artistic teamwork — everyone’s dreams and hopes united in their labor of love.
After this strong season, Rev audiences can look forward to next summer, which
includes “Jersey Boys,” “Newsies,” “Bandstand,” and “May We All.”
At the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse 6877 E. Lake Rd., Auburn Sept. 13 – Oct. 3
conceived by Michael Bennett; book by James Kirkwood and Nicolas Dante; music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics Edward Kleban. Directed and choreographed by Mark Kimelman; musical direction by Alan J. Plado. For tickets call (315) 255-1785 or email tickets@TheREVTheatre.com.
continued from page 7
making the whole area a green zone legal for camping, but like the word Voldemort, some city counselors do not want to use the word “enforcement” and do not want the police involved. Which is ironic, in that the Ithaca Police Department has probably saved more lives in the jungle than any first responders as they go in to determine scene safety, and have frequently administered Narcan when the patient is not breathing effectively, saving their lives.They also get to know many of the residents by name and are wonderful at de-escalating situations involving people there who are suffering from a mental health crisis or substance abuse problem. We have wonderful Police and Fire departments in Ithaca. Ones that most cities will be proud to have and it’s time for the magical thinkers on city Council to realize that.
Some of the council people talked about a few bad actors causing a lot of problems in the jungle. I agree, murderers and drug dealers are a problem ,who other than the police are going to deal with them? The huge challenge is what I would call the large number of irrational
actors living in the encampments who because of mental illness or substance abuse, make some very poor decisions. Right now the city is talking about a six step warning process regarding rules in the encampments,but have not said how it would be enforced or over what time frame. Will there be any behavior so egregious that it would result in immediate expulsion? Will there be supervisory oversight 24 seven. Will there be sanitation facilities meeting the department of health requirements? Will there be a limit on the number of campers? What happens when more people show up and start camping around the periphery? Are we to believe the city with its track record will actually enforce camping restrictions. If someone causes a fire by trying to manufacture meth what will the liability for the city be as far as remediation, or any decontamination costs? How much will it cost to set up this facility and how much will it cost to run it annually? Will the camping be in open areas or do you still expect EMS to respond deep into the woods.Better roads will not result in less risk if there are not some serious changes.
The encampments are not safe for their residents. They are also not safe for first responders. EMS is not with-
out risk, we respond to accidents on busy roads in bad weather, go into the gorges for rescues, respond to COVID patients when there isn’t a vaccine, etc. But I think it is unreasonable for the city to expect its first responders to go ,at night ,into a heavily wooded area that is filled with debris and obstacles, human feces, hypodermic needles, residue from methamphetamine manufacturing and hope that someone that is high on meth or suffering from serious paranoia will not jump out of a bush with a Machete or a knife and attack a first responder. The Ithaca Police Department is seriously understaffed. How many officers should reasonably be deployed in this area to protect six or seven first responders and the patient. How do I protect my EMS partner who may be a 20 year old Cornell student? Winter depopulates the jungle ,the city needs to depopulate it the rest of the year.If they can come up with a safe plan for the residents and the first responders and put it in place ,that is when you allow camping, not until then. The city is reimagining the whole Waterfront. There are the encampments. There is Arthaus, which should really be called Heroin House, as there are a lot more overdoses than art shows and has created strong demands on Police,
Fire and EMS. Now there is Marketview by the Farmers Market. In the same week that we had a gentleman robbing Walmart with a machete at one end of the waterfront trail, we had one of Marketview’s new residents attacking cars with a meat cleaver in the Aldi’s parking lot. I guess now we can have the Meat Cleaver/Machete 5k, if you run the waterfront trail and don’t get disemboweled, you win. Next is the Beacon, housing with another catchy name, being planned on Inlet Island. Let’s hope The Beacon is really bright. Maybe you’ll be able to see the hypodermic needles on the waterfront trail. It will have nine beds for people with substance abuse disorders I mockingly called TIDES — “Turnover the Inlet to Drugs Eternally Stupid.” Maybe it hasn’t really collapsed. So much for urban planning and a vibrant waterfront.
We need to have a reasonable discussion about these issues which the above paragraph was not. We need affordable housing and beds for drug rehab. But I don’t see the City Council evaluating what the impact will be on Police, Fire, and EMS response and what additional resources we will need with each
Continued on Page 19
More than 200,000 books are sorted for the Friends of the Library Sale on over two miles of bookshelf space each October and May in Ithaca, New York. It usually takes more than 150 volunteers to spend approximately five months and thousands of hours to sort the wide range of books from Art to Zoology, and also a myriad of CDs, movies, games and puzzles.
“We hear from people that we are one of the biggest library sales in the country,”
says Jan Safran, co-coordinator of the Collectors Corner, at the Friends of the Library Sale. “Book dealers, [and] customers make trips specially to Ithaca for this place, and they say there is no other sale like it. And it’s entirely because of the community.”
After 75 years, the sale has grown into 80 categories. Sarah Hatcher, the assistant coordinator of the book sale, shared her insight during a brief interview while sorting and working on a recent weekend. “The volunteers are very dedicated and do an amazing amount of work. We have rough sorters who do the first run through, and we have category sorters who do the final tune up, and it’s amazing how chaos reigns when the books come in, and by the time we get to the sale the place is pristine and wonderful. And all in order for the community to shop.”
A visit to the huge warehouse over the past five months reveals the amount of books and the efforts spent at the Friends of the Library building at 509 Esty Street.
October 7-9, 14-16, 21-24 509 Esty Street. Booksale.org
continued from page 3
of negotiations ended in resulted in the City being more willing to compromise to avoid a budget shortfall.
The individuals who negotiated on behalf of the City included Mayor Laura Lewis, Common Council member Rob Gearhart, Common Council member
Kris Haines-Sharp, Chief of Staff Deb Mohlenhoff, City Controller Steve Thayer, and City Attorney Ari Lavine. Cornell’s negotiating team consisted of Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina, Vice President for Budget and Planning
Laura Syer, Vice President for Finance Simon Allen, Associate Vice President for Community Relations Gary Stewart, and Associate General Counsel Jared Pittman.
The statement continues saying, “80% of each year’s contribution will be unrestricted,” which will enable the City to decide how to invest the funds “for the well-being of City residents.” The remaining 20% would “support city infrastructure and other priority projects of mutual interest.” The agreement will also see Cornell “provide a $100,000 annual grant for a Cornell faculty member to collaborate with the City on issues such as sustainability.”
Pollack has said that Cornell will continue to provide annual funding to support community resources such as TCAT,
continued from page 5
$315,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) over the next three years to purchase nine electric vehicles.
In addition, other car-sharing services in Albany, Buffalo, and Rochester that have expressed interest in becoming nonprofits but haven’t been able to because they wouldn’t receive insurance under current state law can now take steps toward becoming non-profits.
These services have expressed interest in adopting the nonprofit car-sharing model that has worked in Ithaca because the missions of nonprofits often focus on the local community more than a nationwide tech company would.
A 2013 Cornell University study also found that every car-share vehicle replaces up to 15.3 cars on the road, easing burdens on transportation infrastructure and the associated costs. This helps Governor Hochul meet her stated climate and equity goals by reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
the Community Housing Development Fund, the Ithaca City School District, and numerous local non-profits. Additionally, Cornell will continue supporting a range of municipal-like services that support the Ithaca campus, such as public safety, snow removal, sidewalk construction, and paving.
While the City was able to negotiate an increase to $4 million, local advocacy groups like the Make Cornell Pay Coalition have said that Cornell would need to increase its contribution to around $11 million for the City to address staffing and wage issues among city staff, as well as make services like TCAT free.
The Make Cornell Pay Coalition chair, Nathan Sitaraman, has said, “This deal offers Ithaca a bandaid for the 2023 budget deficit in exchange for creating a new financial crisis that will span generations.”
According to Sitaraman, “Over the last 20 years, property taxes, rent, and the cost of city services have increased as much as 200 or 300%, while Cornell’s CPI-matched MOU has hardly budged. We cannot afford to let Cornell opt out of the rising cost of living while the city falls further into debt and while Cornell pushes forward with hundreds of millions of dollars in construction that will create new strains on our infrastructure.”
Sitaraman continued by saying, “The Make Cornell Pay Coalition calls on Ithaca City Council to vote no on the proposed
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I will also never forget how kind Maxie was to a friend of mine who signed up to be a Team Manager. Maxie knew this fellow faced daunting mental health challenges, but he treated him with respect, made sure everyone else do so as well, and even took him on a road trip and gave him a game ball. It was a highlight of my friend’s life.
When it is said that Cornell University has a world-class wrestling program, it’s not just talk. Over the past week, Cornellians (two alums and the current NCAA champion at 133 pounds) have made their mark at the 2023 World
MOU, not to repeat the mistakes of the Cohen administration, and to counteroffer with a proposal that will meet the city’s financial needs for the lifetime of the deal.”
The Fair Share Campaign has also repeatedly asked the City to stop negotiating and use the time before the current MOU expires in 2024 to educate themselves about how other municipalities that are home to Ivy League universities have pressured them to increase their voluntary contributions beyond $4 million and even pay taxes on some properties that qualify for tax-exemption.
Fair Share Campaign organizer and Fifth Ward Common Council Candidate Margaret Fabrizio has said, “This amounts to freezing Cornell’s contribution for 21 years to this paltry amount…Meanwhile, taxpayers are trying to make up for the $33M gap Cornell creates.”
Fabrizio says that instead of approving this agreement, the City should have a town hall meeting with Cornell to let them hear from the community. “Our current agreement ends June 2024,” Fabrizio said, “Let’s take the time now and not settle for far less than an equitable contribution.”
Students at Cornell have also responded to the agreement with outrage. On September 18, more than 100 students organized a rally on campus at Ho Plaza calling on Cornell to contribute more than $4 million to the City of Ithaca. People attending the rally held signs that said,
Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
Defending NCAA champion Vito Arujau silenced the prognosticators who picked him to finish with a bronze medal, taking out defending world champion Abasgadzhi Magomedov in the 61-kilogram division. Coming into the final match, Arujau had outscored his opponents in dominating fashion, winning 10-0 (twice), 8-2 and 12-2. When he wrapped up the title by stunning Magomedov by a 10-9 margin, he had outscored the competition by a 50-11 margin. To make the National Team, Arujau had to get through former Big Red national champion Nahshon Garrett ’16, bringing more Big Red credibility to the conversation. (Dake took the silver medal at the world wrestling
An infographic advertising the rally on social media said, “Cornell gets out of $100 million in taxes to the City, County, and School District combined — it’s exploiting our city and leaving us with a worsening housing crisis, crumbling infrastructure, and a public worker exodus.”
It continued saying, “A $4 million offer is an insult.
Cornell students, workers, and faculty need to stand up together to demand that Cornell does better. We can’t stand by while our institution leeches off our city.”
First Ward Alderperson Cynthia Brock has said that she would not support the agreement “based on the proposed terms.” Brock added that she “would like to see a shorter duration of 5-7 years, a higher contribution, and an index of inflation plus 2% at the least.”
Fourth Ward Alderperson Jorge DeFendini has also come out against approving the agreement saying, “I don’t feel like this deal goes far enough. We need a larger financial commitment with a shorter term for the contract.”
The Planning and Economic Development Committee is scheduled to vote on sending the agreement to the Common Council for final approval during a meeting at City Hall on September 20 at 6 p.m. The Common Council will then vote to approve or deny the deal during their meeting on October 4.
championship, losing his 74kg freestyle final match with Russian Zaurbek Sidakov. Sidakov defeated Dake 10-7 in their first-ever bout to end Dake’s streak at four consecutive world titles.)
I promised to provide an update regarding Ithaca’s Courtney McGuire’s trip to Switzerland to compete in the Highland Games World Championships (The Highland Games are a series of historic Scottish sporting events largely including throwing competitions of stones of various weights and huge log called a caber.) Courtney finished second out of the five competitors in the Women’s 50-54 age group, and she told me, “It was a very muddy, yet fun day of competition and while it is not the outcome I had hoped for it is still a pretty great finish.”
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building we build, and what will be the cost to the taxpayers as far as their overall tax burden or how we will plan
for it. In other areas where the City is Reimaging Public Safety downward ,the city has reduced responses for Fire EMS and is showing no urgency in hiring a police chief in spite of the violent crime we see around us ,but those are topics for another letter.
I urge everyone to come to the October 4th City Council Meeting at 6 p.m. I am a First Responder, and the City Council makes my job more difficult and less safe. The Encampments are not safe. Come and make your views known. The City Council needs to stop before they Reimagine again.