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We're Family Rated |
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Archive Opinions
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Jun
22
2007
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Dan Veaner
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Friday, 22 June 2007 |
 It is interesting to watch our municipalities struggle with new stormwater regulations, and a bit daunting. Both the Town and Village of Lansing have been scurrying to meet new mandates on reporting, local laws, public education, and have been slammed with lists of additional things they must do. From the outside looking in, it seems as though smaller municipalities suffer under the new regulations, because they don't have staff or resources to meet the requirements.
Everyone knows about unfunded mandates, and it has been interesting seeing how they affect real people. In the Village Trustee Lynn Leopold has been saddled with the annual report that is becoming so complicated that the Trustees approved money to pay an engineer to help her. And the trustees seem positively grateful to Cayuga Watershed Network's Sharon Anderson, not only because she will be installing a rain garden in front of the Village office building, but also because the Village can use that to claim credit for meeting about half of the requirements from the State.
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Jun
15
2007
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Dan Veaner
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Friday, 15 June 2007 |
This has been a remarkable season for Lansing's varsity athletes. Lansing now has a two-time State golf champion in senior John Duthie, only the third two-time golf winner in New York's history. And Kyle Dake became Lansing's first State Wrestling champion. Lansing's baseball team had a magnificent season, only missing the State championship by one run. And senior Andy Lockwood took second place in Shot Put and Discuss for small schools, and third for the Federation medals. Junior Ryann Cretney managed to win second place in the 2000m steeplechase despite a fall.
And that is only the tip of the iceberg. Lansing is blessed with amazing coaches and hard working athletes who clearly love to win, but just as clearly love the challenge of competitive sports. Lansing kids are as much about teamwork as they are about individual achievements, a philosophy that starts with Athletic Director Ed Redmond, and goes all the way through the program to the Varsity, Junior Varsity and modified teams. Each athlete competes against him or herself, trying to top their own best times, and slowly inching toward new records.
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Jun
08
2007
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Marlaine Darfler
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Friday, 08 June 2007 |
 On May 15, 2007 a proposition was narrowly defeated to establish the Lansing Community Library Center (LCLC), a reading room of the Tompkins County Public Library, as an independent school district library. A school district library is defined as one sharing the same geographical boundaries as the school district with no further interdependences. The tax base generated would have provided LCLC with one full time librarian, a budget for materials and books and the money to cover the yearly utilities. The Friends of the LCLC are struggling to assess the consequences of the lost vote and are trying to identify ways to continue providing a library to our community and our over 2,200 patrons. The Friends are very grateful for the large number of voters who took the time to come out and support the library with a yes vote.LCLC has been a successful, all –volunteer organization for six years funded solely through private donations and grants. LCLC has always operated in the black, paid for and expanded the building, increased its hours, grown the collection, and created successful children and adult programming over the years. So what has changed? Why is the library now asking the community for financial support?
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May
25
2007
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Dan Veaner
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Friday, 25 May 2007 |
The failure of library to become independent by only 34 votes illustrates a divide in Lansing that appears to be here for the long haul. While some saw a wonderful resource run by volunteers who have been fiscally conservative and responsible, others saw a new taxing authority on top of onerous taxes already suffered in the area. Putting the library vote onto the school ballot virtually doomed it to failure, enhancing the misperception that it was part of the school district and linking it to a 7.4 rise in school the school tax levy this year.
Ironically, linking the votes was another way the library board attempted to save money. By tacking their issues onto the school budget they estimate they saved about $4,000 it would have taken to hold a separate vote. And library officials now say that if they had conducted a separate vote the initiative would certainly have passed, that residents voted against taxes, not against the library. Penny-wise was pound-foolish for the vote.
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May
25
2007
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Lynn C. Scott
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Friday, 25 May 2007 |
 I remember my father taking me to a little library set up above the town offices in Churchville, NY, when I was just a tiny girl. I remember the excitement of taking out my first book, and rushing home to read it. This was just the beginning of my "library career." I continued to use the library throughout my childhood. I loved to read of other places and other times far beyond the boundries of Churchville.
As an adult I continue to read avidly, and frequently use my local library in Fairport. What does this have to do with the Lansing Community Library? Two things. First, Lansing is a small town in the country just as Churchville still is. Having a library "close to home" may make the difference between a person actually going to the library and reading books, or choosing to do other possibly unhealthy activities, wasting both minds & lives. Second, There may be another tiny girl or boy in Lansing just waiting to have the world's horizons opened to their eager inquisitive minds. They can find that world at the Lansing Community Library. I congratulate those who have launched the library in Lansing,and do hope it has a future in your community.
From: Lynn C. Scott
Fairport, NY 14450
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