Archive: Around Town

Photo by Marshall IliffA new national record has been set for the highest number of bird species identified in a 24-hour period—it happened during a midnight to midnight birding blowout across eastern and southern Texas on April 22. The six members of Team Sapsucker from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology identified 264 species by sight or sound, topping the previous record of 261. The feat also raised nearly $200,000 dollars for Cornell Lab bird conservation programs. Supporters pledged a set amount for every species the team found.

On April 12, 2011, the first Ithaca City School District (ICSD) Commendations Ceremony was held in Kulp Auditorium in the Ithaca High School Performing Arts Center.  Assistant Superintendent of Schools Connie Evelyn served as moderator while Superintendent Luvelle Brown and members of the ICSD Board of Education congratulated each student and staff member who was recognized for outstanding achievements in academics, arts, athletics, and participation.  The next Commendation Ceremony will be Tuesday, June 14 at 5:30 p.m.; the public is invited to attend.

The Community Fireworks Committee announces that the 64th annual show will be held Friday night, July 1, on the campus of Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden.

“This is the second year that TC3 has hosted the event, and we couldn’t be more grateful to the community college for stepping up once again to help us carry on this patriotic tradition,” said Fran Benedict, chair of the volunteer committee that has organized the annual shows.  “It was a great show last year, enjoyed by thousands who came from all over central New York and from as far away as northern Pennsylvania.  We hope this year’s show will be even better.”

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Hey there, my name is Mortimer. I am a two-year-old domestic short haired/mix. I'm a handsome fellow who is looking for a loving home, so please come and visit me at the SPCA to see if I'm the right cat for you!

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Councilwoman Kathy Miller told the Lansing Town board last week that the Lansing Town Center project as been selected for a special recognition award in this year's A-Time-to-Build awards.  The project was developed by Holt Architects and Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects in conjunction with the Lansing Town Center Committee.  The plan lays out ideas for turning the area around the Lansing Town Hall and the land across the street from the town ball fields into a village-like town center.

While there has been talk about a town center for many years, the project heated up two years ago with the formation of a Town center Committee, which is chaired by Miller.  The committee and architects solicited ideas from residents in a series of public meetings last year that yielded a number of drawings showing possible configurations of a mixed use area that will include residential, business, and recreational areas, plus a possible town green, sidewalks, street lights, and sewer service.  The drawings were shared at another public meeting in April 2010.

TCAT recently replaced two old diesel buses with new electric-diesel hybrid vehicles and expects to replace 13 other out-of-date buses by the end of 2011.

Thanks to a combination of federal stimulus, state and local funding sources, the replacements will result in lower carbon missions, less maintenance cost and more comfort for both passengers and bus operators, said Dan Tome, TCAT’s purchasing and project manager.

The Town of Lansing Recreation Department has a long history of cooperation with the Lansing Central School District.  The two have one of the most integrated approaches to sports imaginable, with kids starting in Rec Department programs, learning the same strategies and techniques that are used by modified, junior varsity, and varsity coaches in the schools.  It's a life-long progression that may be responsible for Lansing varsity athletes' remarkable success.

With school revenue dropping over the proverbial 'funding cliff', that connection is poised to become much closer.  Faced with annually growing budget gaps, school officials are looking at extra-curricular activities to help save money.  Part of the plan would be to make extra-curriculars 'pay for play' activities.  And part is to off-load these activities to the Recreation Department.

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Hey there, my name is Jingle Bell. I am a three-year-old domestic shorthair/mix. I'm a gorgeous girl who is looking for a loving home, so please come and visit me at the SPCA to see if I'm the right cat for you.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Polley McClure, president of the SPCA of Tompkins County’s board of directors, has announced that Jim Bouderau has been named as the new executive director. His will begin his new job with the SPCA on May 16.

“It was a unanimous decision on the part of the search committee and the board of directors to hire Jim,” McClure said. “We were looking for a candidate with leadership in revenue generation and fiscal management, operations management, community relationship building and a dedication to our No-Kill mission. Jim has all of this and more.” The search committee had a pool of over 60 candidates for the job and spent more than two months reviewing resumes, conducting telephone interviews and meeting with finalists.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) sponsors an annual week-long celebration of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.  This event is celebrated each year during the second full week of April, which this year is April 10-16, 2011.

Bill Carrow, President - APCO International, said, "This week is set aside in order to honor the hard work and dedication of our public safety telecommunications professionals.