HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 2026 Newsletter O�OF��9n
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Renovations focusing on the Court offices and lobby
. began Monday, April 13th and will continue through
.(� August 31, 2026.
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■ i Town Hall will remain open throughout construction, but
there will be disruptions.
Many services are now available online through our
website under Forms & Permits and please feel free to
- call ahead to check on the status of parking and we can
work with you to get you the service(s) you need if
necessary: 607-273-1721 option 1.
Some of the changes you will see:
Court Clerks are moved to the boardroom for day-to-day transactions.
Public bathrooms - limited to one single occupancy/gender neutral bathroom at times
Street Parking - Window replacements will require closing portions of the N Tioga St. side of
Town Hall. Some interruptions may also occur on the Buffalo St. side if necessary for
equipment
mobility. We will make every effort to limit disruptions to the handicap accessible entrance to
Town Hall on Buffalo St. to a minimum.
Removal- Part of the project involves abatement of hazardous materials (lead & asbestos)
so you may see signage and contractors in hazmat suits.
Please note there will be NO changes to Court appearances.
For overall project questions, call Town Engineering at 607-273-1656; Town Engineer, Justin
eat ext. 260 or Emily R rs, Civil Engineer, ext. 2
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April 16, 2026 at 6 PM
The Town of Ithaca and City of Ithaca are holding
ajoint informational public meeting on "Own —loom% Local Power
Your Power," a Town and City-approved service to
help the Ithacas' energy users transition from
grid and pipeline fuels to onsite and T~G E N • ' ' • .
neighborhood renewable power through solar, •• •
geothermal heat, electric vehicles and other '
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). PUBLIC NOTICE . . .
Public Info. Session •-
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April Ithaca's GREEN Energy Choice: • ��
16th, 2026, at 6PM, online. Please register for the OWN YOUR POWER
meeting ahead of time using this link. Ask questions and learn about - •
how the CITY AND TOWN of
Tompkins Green Energy Network (T-GEN) is ajoint Ithaca's new energy program
City and Town of Ithaca service to help any Ithaca harnesses the •-
resident or business own and/or operate power of community p p
different types of onsite renewable power, heat, of 1T114 OF
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vehicle and waste systems designed to reduce F .-- = -_ 9 0
use of grid,rid heat and vehicle fuels and
p
conventional waste management services that /y1'�'OAPoeatEo ��W Yp44
comprise about 75% of all climate pollution. '
In 2025, the City and Town adopted Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Plans defining a program
administrator's role in implementing a community-wide decarbonization in four major
categories: power, heat, vehicles and waste. The Town and the City selected Local Power LLC to
develop projects in which residential, commercial and municipal energy users are eligible to own
and use onsite and local renewable energy systems. The program will seek to reduce project
costs and help customers evaluate options.
The goal is to design onsite energy systems that enable a greater degree of local and onsite
power wherever there are applicants seeking to own them, based on voluntary participation.
The DER Program Administrator will engage any resident or business, whether with groups of
neighbors or as individuals.
The program is intended to implement Town-wide decarbonization through continuing
community engagement. This is a new program intended to bring the Town's climate and energy
efforts to the next level.
Learn about how the Town of Ithaca's new community energy program works, including
information on the strategy of both controlling locally electricity and gas supply and engaging
customers to invest their energy wallet in onsite renewable power, heat and vehicle systems.
Please refer to the Tompkins Green Energy Network program page for more information. The
meeting will be attended by Town and City staff managing this program and will be run by Local
Power, the Town chosen DER Program Administrator.
RUN OpAngg 12TH@h podgy m p
The Town of Ithaca Public Works Department will be picking up yard waste (brush, leaves, pine
needles, dead flowers, garden waste, and grass clippings) starting Monday., April 20, and will
continue throughout the Town that week until finished. All yard waste must be at the roadside
by 7 a.m. on the first day of collection.
THERE WILL BE NO SECOND COLLECTION AND NO CALL BACKS.
The intention of the Town's roadside collection service is for Town residents outside the Village
of Cayuga Heights and the City of Ithaca to put a reasonable amount of yard waste (as is
generated during a normal year) out at the roadside for pick up by the Town's crews. Clearing of
building lots and hedgerows is beyond a normal amount of material. Roadside collection crews
reserve the right to not pick up excessively large volumes of brush and improperly piled
materials.
Please note that our crews do not use leaf vacuum machines for spring leaf pickup, therefore,
no loose piles will be picked up. Also, no plastic bags will be picked up.
Brush you collect before the first day of the pickup needs to remain out of the rights-of-way
until a couple of days before the pickup; this will assure your safety and that of your neighbors.
Errant brush piles can wreak havoc on the storm water systems and can create a hazard for
walkers and cyclists.
WHAT TO DO
• Bag leaves, garden, and other yard waste in
biodegradable paper bags. Fill bags and place on
road shoulder. Fold over openings of bags to R Cut Ends
close. Do not staple or tape. 30-gallon bags are A
T
available at Agway, Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, F T
and Wegmans along with other stores in the area.
R
• Brush should be placed in neat piles going with P le Brush 1 F
the flow of traffic so that the chipping trucks can F
feed the cut ends first. C
• Brush piles should be no larger than a pickup Cut Ends
truck load (approximately 2' H x 4' W x 8' L in size).
It is not necessary to cut limbs into small pieces.
• Put out limbs no larger than 8 inches in diameter.
• Place brush and filled bags of yard waste along
road shoulder or at the end of the driveway if no
shoulder exists.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Do not tie bundles of brush. Do not place any materials in a ditch. Do not put out metal, rocks,
glass, roots, stumps, or lumber scraps. Do not put brush and leaf bags out until the week before
collection.
For more information, please call 273-1656 between 6:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday. You may also drop your yard waste off at the Public Works Facility at 114 Seven Mile
Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. year-round. Please sign in at the
office.
Th *lnk Before You Cl *lck
The Town of Ithaca will ask you to send
money through a "wire transfer".
DON'T BE FOOLED! Scam artists and BOTS are scraping municipal
websites for personal information from applications. They take legitimate
pieces of information — such as Town letterhead, logos, staff names, and
titles — and combine them into realistic email requests for payment
and/or attach fake invoices.
•
SCRAM:
A Stop - Was this expected? Does the amount seem excessive?
Check - The email address carefully - scams use Ca usa.com or similar.
Many municipalities have switched to XYZCaxxx.gov or use XYZ(axxx.us
• Read - Carefully for proper grammar or vernacular!
"The review and certification process is advancing ..."
"...about this compensation fee..."
"...enable progression through the inclusion timeline..."
"..itemized breakdown of compensation fee..."
Attachments - DO NOT open attachments or links or reply to a suspicious email.
"...correspondence...must be via reply to this email thread... for
proper tracking, agenda inclusion..."
"Settle the attached invoice promptly"
Municipalities -.DO NOT ask for wire transfers!
"Amount Due: $$$ USD"
"Payment Method: Wire Transfer"
WHEN IN DOUBT, CALL (607) 273-1721
The Tompkins County Legislature approved a pause to the annual reassessment of
properties while the Department transitions to the next-generation program. In
coordination with the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services, it was determined that
the 2026 Preliminary Assessment Roll is at 95% of full market value across all property
classes.
May Is' - Tentative Assessment Roll filed and Notices Sent
May 261" - Grievance Day
July 1st - Final Assessment Roll Filed
Changes to a property's assessment were made for recent physical changes made or
identified, with a total of 1, 234 change notices sent, 185 of which were decreases.
*Reminder - The Tompkins County Assessment Office has moved to 31 Dutch Mill Road,
Ithaca as part of the Center of Government Project.TC Assessment Website
NNEW YORK STATE -;e
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March 16 May 14
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Prohibited: Allowed:
b- Burning leaves 1- Small Campfire
I- Burning brushor • Cooking Fires
Burn barrels or trashburning FirePits under
•
Only Charcoal or . Wood May Be Burned W
Violations
ReportProtect Our Communities e Prevent Wildfires
ifuw 1-833-NYS-RANGERS
DepartmentNYS
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7 ' `j. '4 Phil Davis lives in East Ithaca and has been volunteering
,i}. ;= r T �� at the East Ithaca Nature Preserve since 2023, clearing
d1 �'�:,
invasive plants, giving native species the room to thrive,
and maintaining them as they flourish. He also
participates in community native tree-planting events.
The Town extends its sincere thanks to Phil for his
-- _ ongoing efforts protecting our native biodiversity and
- helping to restore a functioning ecosystem.
(Not Associated withthe FLAIR project)
NYSEG
An Avangrld company Transmission
Deficiency JLD) Line 531
Project Overview Ithaca
New York State Electric&Gas Corporation
(NYSEG)is in the planning stages of a significant,
multi-year electric transmission system
improvement project on the 34.5 kV Line 531 in the Regional Benefits
Ithaca Division.Routine inspections identified Reduced risk of outages caused by aging
several poles,crossarms,and related hardware or deteriorated equipment
that are aging or showing signs of deterioration. Improved service reliability for homes and
businesses across the region
As we make investments to improve system Enhanced system performance during
performance and strengthen system resiliency,we severe weather events
are working closely with our neighbors to ensure Long-term cost savings by avoiding full
that all improvements are completed with minimal line rebuilds and emergency repairs
disruption to the communities we serve as,veil as Continued safe and dependable operation
the environment. of the transmission system
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Project Purpose and Need
NYSEG's inspection programs are designed to
identdy equipment that requires attention before n F'-. -t Ii toirlation Lin, 888-551-4100 _
becomes a reliabibty concern.On Line 531,45 R=f rr ro:NYSEG TLD Line 531 Ithaca ^� s
locations were flagged for replacement due to age j
outrearlY�nvsea.com
or deteriorated condition.Addressing these needs e
now helps prevent outages.strengthens system
reliability,and improves performance during
storms.-akmg a proactive approach also reduces
the likelihood of larger,more disruptive
construction projects in the future,ensuring the Project Locations
system remains safe and resilient. Towns: Danby,Ithaca
Dever
Project Scope County: Tompkins
• Replace aging or deteriorated poles,crossarms, 1 i
and associated hardware Estimated Timetable(subject to chwve) ±
• Install 45 new wood or Gght-duty steel poles Project Start: 022026 '
where needed
• Complete repairs at all 49 locations identified Project Completion: Q42026 I
during NYSEG's inspections Legend e
• Perform all construction activities within the
Transmission Line 531 Ithaca
existing transmission right-of-way ......
• Provide temporary access for crews as needed I Town OW NYSEG
to reach work locations s.ma o.aa°°wc,.m.W i..i Cc Wa
• Fallow all NYSEG construction,safety.and
environmental standards o`re ew '°''e a°"°ro`e A �e`°9 vrsEGa s3' er:muw ema
caeca a;��.
1
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Join the 2026 Earth Day live Animal TOMPKINS COUNTY 4-
Encounters Raffles
�pYA�FJj, Festival at the Ithaca Artist Alley Food Trucks & Prizes Compost
joI&z` a;�� �� Commons on Vendor Market & Vendors Fair
auCardboard
Saturday, April18, from 12 to I t i I l Duck Race
5 PM. Enjoy fun, family- Saturday April 25 2026
to11am 4pm Ducks Drop at 2pm Family Fun
friendly activities, resources, & Games
T« .Cft food, and music as we
celebrate how together we are protecting our The Youth Exploration Program (YEP) at the
planet and communities. Learning Web Spring Opportunites
Learn about actionable climate solutions that
are both possible and attainable. Explore APRIL 16n @ 5PM -- The Frame Shop Tour
sustainable ways to reduce waste, lower energy APRIL 17 to @ 4PM -- SouthWorks Factory Tour
APRIL 20 @ 4:45PM -- Kissed by Korrin Tour
costs, grow and cook food, and more. Together, APRIL 28t" @ 4:30PM -- Cornell University "Effects
we can take action to create a livable and of Al" Workshop
vibrant tomorrow! APRIL 30t" @ 4:30PM - REI Tour
The Earth Day Festival is hosted by Cornell
Cooperative Extension Tompkins County in Open to ages 11-22, Must live in Tompkins County
collaboration with the City of Ithaca and Coordinators: ale jandro@learnrg-web.org and
kevin@learning-web.org LtheLearningWet
significant partners. �:
For more information, visit Please enroll using our
http—s Ilenergy.ccetompkins.org earthdayl sign up sheet!
FRIENDS Spring Sale (LI Lifelon��..tt's
OF THE TONIPEINS COUhT1'PUBLIC:LIBRARY y
Lifelony b
Begins VOLUNTEER FAIR Volunteer Fair
VOLUNTEER FAIR
FAIR
Saturday, May 2! AFPI4PMH April 28, 2-4 pm
iM 119 W. Court St.
Sat-Mon, May 2*4
Looking to give back and make a difference in
Sat-Mon, May 9-11
t_ your community. Join us for an inspiring
Sat-rues, May 16-19 afternoon with 20 local nonprofit
*First Day, 512 Only: 8am-8pm organizations and discover meaningful
All Other Days: I0am-8pm
volunteer opportunities that match your
Senior Day: Wed, May 13 interests and skills.
10am-4pm for older adults (60+) Bonus perks!
& anyone with a disability Visit every vendor and you'll be eligible to
l receive a 6-pack of local artisan beer, plus a
509 Esty St, Ithaca Lifelong lip balm, pen, and tote bag!
www.booksale.org Bring a friend and come see how you can
607-272-2223 make an impact!
Registration appreciated (but not required)_
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