Letters

Continued From Page 6

newly created world wide web.

From Ithaca College, Chantelle moved to Cyrus, a local web development company, where she helped to create websites for all kinds of clients — large and small — such as a local real estate company, an online bookstore, and a dating website. “Cyrus was a really fun job. I learned a lot about business, creating so many different kinds of sites to meet the expectations of such different clients.”

Chantelle then joined a San Franciscobased start-up, but after a few years, the company was sold, and she returned to Cornell to complete a master’s program in information science in professional studies. “The MPS program at Cornell gave me the flexibility to take courses in related areas. I was able to take classes in the Business School, which was a huge opportunity to learn more about entrepreneurship.”

After graduating in 2013, Chantelle joined Stayful, another San Franciscobased internet start-up focused on boutique hotel booking.

But by 2016, Chantelle was thinking about creating her own start-up in her own hometown. “I had become hooked on teaching group fitness classes. Indoor cycling was my first love, so first I envisioned a cycling studio in Collegetown. Over the years I had trained in and taught

4TH OF JULY

Continued From Page 3

3-4 p.m.: Roof Top Revelers 4-6 p.m.: John Rogalia and the Swamp Boys 6-8 p.m.: Tribal Revival 8-10 p.m.: Hotdogs and Gin (Doug and Eamonn Hubert) Branchport/Keuka Lake Independence Day Celebration

Where: Branchport Firehouse 3686 NY54A, Branchport, NY 14418 (barbecue and parade); Finger Lakes Museum 369 Guyanoga Rd, Branchport, NY 14418 (firework show) July 4, noon - 10 p.m.

All-American Old Fashioned Small Town Independence Day Celebration. Noon: Chicken Barbecue at the Branchport Firehouse (Drive through only) 2 p.m.: Parade 10 p.m.: Fireworks, behind the Finger Lakes Museum Discovery Campus Town of Union Fourth of July Spectacular 2021

Highland Park,801 Hooper Road Endicott, NY 13760 July 4, noon - 9:30 p.m. some of the Les Mills exercise classes — BODYPUMP, RPM and BODYFLOW, so over time, the vision evolved into something bigger.”

Chantelle and business partner Sue Manning (also a programmer) spent time mulling over various components of an optimized business plan with a mentor from the Small Business Development Council, a program from the Small Business Administration.

In 2017, Chantelle and Sue opened the doors to FLX Fitclub, in temporary digs in the Clinton West Plaza. Almost as soon as their door was opened, old and new fans rushed in, and the business grew quickly.

Now Chantelle celebrates group fitness in FLX Fitclub’s current home of two years. Almost 30 classes are taught each week, from early morning into the evenings, and on weekends.

Ironically, this ideal location — adjacent to GreenStar, with plenty of parking, located beside the inlet — is in the same building where Chantelle worked so many years earlier when she was employed by Ironics. Only now has she optimized the use of that old familiar space into an optimal area for group fitness andinto a business that is good for their participants, good for conscious waterside development, and good for Chantelle and Sue. As Chantelle figured out, when we optimize, all stakeholders can prosper.

The annual Independence Day celebration attracts hundreds of families to the park on Hooper Road to enjoy the holiday with some family fun. Every year the event features a 5K run and walk, vendors, live entertainment, and children’s games, and every year it is capped off by the biggest fireworks display in the Binghamton area. The public pool and carousel are also popular attractions on the Fourth of July. Watkins Glen Area Fireworks

Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, 214 N. Franklin St. Watkins Glen, NY 14891 July 4, 9:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

After taking a year off for the pandemic, the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present the traditional July 4 fireworks show with media partner Seven Mountains Radio. The display is expected to begin at approximately 9:45 p.m. on July 4.. Prime viewing locations will be at Clute Park and locations on or around the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The pyrotechnics display will be presented by Young Explosives.

THE TALK AT

YOUR LETTERS

Re: Climate Czar

Ienjoyed reading your cover story today on Ithaca’s new climate czar, Luis Aguirre-Torres, but I was surprised to read this quote by him in the interview: “it’s mostly white people who have the luxury of being environmentalists.” Being an environmentalist is something we all do wherever we’re at – it means being a good steward wherever we are. So, to make that statement is to miss the point entirely and it’s dangerously misguided. It discounts, for example, the work that Black and brown communities are engaged in in so many of our large cities nationwide to plant community vegetable gardens so they have locally sourced produce and it discounts the work internationally of black and brown people around the globe in underprivileged nations like Pakistan, for example, which has set out to plant 10 billion trees (Reuters.com). Beyond that, it denigrates white people, particularly non-wealthy white people and rural white people who are often taught an inadvertent piece of environmentalism: “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” This is resource conservation out of frugality or lack of income and is not uncommon though not as glaring a headline in today’s media coverage of race in America. In any case, if someone wants to bring race into a conversation about environmentalism, it should be done without divisive rhetoric.” David Galvis McDermitt, Danby, NY Celebrating the most American of freedoms

The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence knew what they were getting into. As we celebrate the 4th of July 245 years later with flags and fireworks, it’s easy to forget that these patriots risked death to give a new nation life.

If you’ve never read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety, this is a good time to do that. More than two centuries later, it’s still a good read. These rebels, who would be accused of treason by Great Britain, wrote the document in a reasoned manner, attempting to convey to the world that their cause was a just one.

At its most basic, it’s a demand for a divorce, with one party explaining why this marriage can’t be saved. What’s fascinating, though, is how the list of complaints about the king of England not only cited justification for the break-up, but also telegraphed the principles the new nation would insist upon in establishing its own governance.

The entire document was a bold statement, speaking truth to power. As it established its own future, this new nation would have to find a way to guarantee free speech, particularly in regard to criticizing government.

The Declaration of Independence lists more than two dozen examples of why the king “was unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” The new United States of America would need to create a check on those who abused their power. That would come from a free press.

Much of the Declaration is devoted to examples of the king ignoring the colonies’ needs and maintaining a stranglehold on new legislation to address those needs. Clearly, the United States would have to guarantee petition and assembly.

Memorably, the Declaration states that all men are endowed by their “Creator” with certain “unalienable rights.” This was an acknowledgement of a Higher Power without a specific reference to any religion. This new nation would go on to guarantee freedom of faith.

Freedom of speech, press, and religion. The rights of petition and assembly. Today, we see all five nestled together in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It took a war for independence and 17 years, but those aspirations became the cornerstone for a young and vibrant country.

Fast forward to the 21st century. A new survey of citizens around the globe by legal public-policy center Justitia has assessed how citizens in 33 countries feel about freedom of speech. It found that most citizens in most countries feel free speech is important and positive, but they waver when presented with scenarios in which free speech offends others or hampers society.

In order, Norway, Denmark, the U.S., and Sweden top the list: Citizens of these nations say they are steadfast in their support of free speech. At the bottom of the list: Tunisia, Kenya, Egypt, and Pakistan.

In a telling passage, Justitia quotes free-speech expert and Columbia University President Lee Bollinger as saying the U.S. is “the most speech-protective of any nation on earth, now or throughout history.” The report also notes that a 2015 Pew research study determined that no nation in the world was more supportive of free speech and a free press than the U.S.

At our best – and not without lapses – we walk that talk.

In 1776, our founders published a Declaration of Independence, but also a declaration of intent. Those early Americans sought “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” by creating a nation founded on freedom. But those freedoms must never be taken for granted, and our collective vigilance is essential.

On the most American of holidays, let’s be sure to celebrate the most American of freedoms.

-Ken Paulson, NYPA

MARKET VISION

Planning Begins for the next 33 years of the Ithaca Farmers Market

By Tanner Harding

Anyone who’s visited the Ithaca Farmers Market has likely noticed two things — the dusty, winding parking lot, and the charming, open-air pavilion.

“This looks like it belongs in Disney World,” one visitor to the market said on a bustling Saturday afternoon.

But the market has remained in its spot at Steamboat Landing, largely unchanged, since 1988, and according to Executive Director Anton Burkett its had infrastructure issues from day one.

“The parking lot is pretty bad,” he said. “It’s dirty and dusty and expensive to maintain. It has potholes all the time. It’s not the safest for pedestrians, you have to cross traffic to get to the market. It’s not the most clear where to park. That’s been a concern for 30 years probably.”

He said they’re constantly grading the lot and filling in potholes, which costs thousands of dollars every year.

In 2015, Burkett and his staff started working on a strategic plan. They got opinions from stakeholders, community members and vendors to see what people wanted from the market. One of the standout needs was for a weatherized facility that could host the winter market and provide a bit more shelter during the market’s cooler months.

“The market at the pavilion now runs from April to December, so it’s quite cold there in April, November and December. Even October,” Burkett said. “So for customers and vendors both it can be problematic.”

Then in 2017, there was a feasibility study done that investigated issues around traffic and pedestrian flow. The results of that led Burkett and his team to seek out architects to look at redesigning the parking lot and pavilion together.

They found the current structural design of the pavilion, built in 1988, doesn’t allow it to be weatherized.

“It’s not engineered for that,” Burkett said. “To be able to achieve that there’d have to be some new weatherization project where we re-envision the whole pavilion.”

Two years later in 2019, the market received just shy of $400,000 from the state

under a waterfront revitalization program. Using those funds, they completed the design engineering phase of the new design. From there, they formed a project advisory committee with vendors and stakeholders, and in 2020 put out a request for proposals.

The project was awarded to Whitham Planning & Design, a local firm that will head the engineering and regulatory facets to get the site to a build-ready state, according to Burkett.

“Our role is primarily that of being landscape architects and planners, and helping the market think through physical ways to they can reach their programmatic goals,” Kate Chesebrough, an associate at Whitham Planning & Design, said.

Chesebrough outlined the goals as continuing the vibrancy of market weekends, providing accessibility for various ways for people to get to the site whether it be walking, using a stroller, biking, or with a wheelchair.

“Ithaca’s such a widely diverse community, as well as the visitors to the site,” she said. “And we’re looking at ways the location can best respond to the water’s edge and developing neighbors. We’re working with [Ithaca Farmer’s Market] on how to move the market into its future without losing the beloved and really important charm of its present.”

The actual pavilion plans will come from nARCHITECTS, a Brooklyn-based architecture firm who will do the majority of the design work. Burkett said he began working with nARCHITECTS earlier this summer.

Mimi Hoang, a co-founder of nARCHITECTS, said her firm is currently working on a renovation with Cornell and have a vested interest in Ithaca. The Farmers Market project appealed to them because civic buildings and buildings within parks comprise much of the firm’s portfolio already.

“Two years ago we completed the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, and that was for New York State Parks and the City of Auburn,” Hoang said. “It was a really important civic building — the town’s living room is how they described it. We love doing these types of projects […] We’re interested in building in the public realm.”

Burkett said he’s going to pursue the next round of funding from the same waterfront revitalization program through the state, which will be awarded in December. Once they have the funds, work will begin on the parking lot first.

“So in 2022-23 we’ll be building a parking lot, and then the next year we’ll apply again for funds and then start on the building itself,” Burkett said.

He said he envisions a five- or six-year plan that will include fixing the parking lot, building a new pavilion and making other site improvements.

“The public access to the waterfront is kind of limited, and we want to make sure our waterfront is as accessible as possible,” he said. “We’re early in the process of envisioning this, but we want to have things like play areas for children, seating areas, access for paddlecraft and non-motorized watercrafts, more boat parking for market hours, a picnic area. Some of that kind of stuff.”

As they start exploring the redesign process, Burkett said one of their main goals is to be mindful of the natural environment, as he acknowledges it’s one of the more appealing things about the site the market sits on.

“We’re looking at grass pavers and probably some pavement for sure,” Burkett said about the new parking lot. “We’re incorporating as much natural environment as possible and making sure it’s safe for pedestrians.”

Aside from the fact the gravel lot is dusty and bumpy, it’s also not particularly conducive for multimodal transportation.

“It’s impossible to get a bus in there because of the turning radius,” Burkett said.

He added that the waterfront trail did provide access to bikes, but that a nicer lot could make a biking experience better too.

“Parking lots don’t always sound exciting, but this particular project is exciting. At least for me,” Burkett laughed. “We need to get innovative with it as a few different levels. We’re figuring out how to mitigate the limitations of the site.”

One of those limitations is the amount of space. There’s only so much room available and getting cars in and out has proven to be difficult at times. Burkett estimates about 5,000 people visit the market each weekend, with as many as 500-600 people on site at once. Plus, there are boat tours that leave from Steamboat Landing, which adds to the crowds.

Another current issue is mobility. The parking lot is almost impossible for anyone with mobility issues to navigate.

“Our [American Disability Act] compliance is terrible, really,” Burkett said. “Trying to get someone in a walker or wheelchair or with any type of physical mobility issue across the gravel parking lot is really difficult. Even within the pavilion, it could be better in there.”

In addition to making the pavilion friendlier for folks with mobility issues, Burkett added the pavilion’s bathrooms aren’t good enough, the electric needs to be updated, and the internet service is “close to non-existent.”

“The service companies haven’t run the cables down there,” he explained.

And while he describes the current fire suppression system as “fine,” Burkett said it would be even safer if they had a new building built to current codes.

There’s also a hope that improvements to the site will make it more of a destination for the public even during non-market hours. The Farmers Market is a cooperative, meaning they don’t have a tax deductible status. Burkett said that makes it difficult to host the charitable or educational components that they’d like to do because they require a fiscal sponsor. To remedy that, the market is forming Friends of the Ithaca Farmers Market, which will be a 501(c)(3), a nonprofit.

“The Friends of the Ithaca Farmers Market hopes to hold educational activities during the week, and do some business incubation work and address food securitytype issues,” Burkett said. “So having the pavilion be usable by the non-profit is important. We’re hoping to expand the use of that site to be more year-round and everyday for the public.” He mentioned that the waterfront in Ithaca is currently seeing a lot of development in the area, including the City Harbor and Carpenter Park projects, as well as the future Inlet Island project. “There’s just a lot of new stuff going on and it could mean close to 1,000 people in the general vicinity of the market that weren’t there before,” he said. “We want to give them access to the site.”

However, despite all the changes Burkett envisions for the site, he doesn’t want the Farmers Market to feel unfamiliar.

“There are some things we really want to

keep,” he said. “We need to keep this openair feel. All the feedback we’re getting is that is really important to everybody. Whatever we design needs to be a pretty iconic structure. There’s no reason to design something less than what we have.”

The new pavilion will likely have a second floor for office space for the Farmers Market staff and the Friends of the Farmers Market, meeting space and storage.

“All those things are things we need, beyond what we have now,” Burkett said. Currently the staff works remotely, as they don’t have a designated office space.

In addition to the open-air feel, people have also relayed that they like the wooden feel of the structure, a look that Burkett plans to maintain.

“We’re going to incorporate some of the same aesthetics we already have,” he said. “I think people hear weatherized and they’re envisioning metal around the outside and insulation, but I don’t think that’s what we’re thinking. I think we need to be more sophisticated than that. And the architects are aware of that.”

Hoang said their team has heard from locals that they love the vibe of the market and the natural materials, as well as the connection to nature and the waterfront.

“We will keep and improve those, but we need to solve the rain and wind problem,” she said. “We want to connect to na-

ture, but not to inclement weather.”

Hoang added that the winterization structure will be permanent, but they’re studying ways to open it up as much as possible.

“There’s a fine line,” she said. “It’s a portion of the building that will be permanently enclosed with many doors. We don’t know exactly what that looks like yet, but it won’t feel closed off.”

The goal is that during the winter, the market will be able to be closed up and kept more temperate so they have a place for selling and for events.

“A piece of our revenue stream is that we rent out for weddings and events,” Burkett said. “The way the pavilion is designed now if it rains hard sideways, the wedding gets wet. So I think that’s something we’d like to upgrade. And it’s the same if the Farmers Market is happening, so it’s a little bit of a flaw.”

The team from nARCHITECTS has visited the Farmers Market and are working through various schematic layouts to find the best way to layout the stalls and provide flexible space for events and gathering.

“The layouts we’re studying are incorporating different flex spaces, but that’s in parallel with accommodating the right number of stalls and dimensions of stalls,” Hoang said. “But the main thing is studying a design that is not just a covered outdoor pavilion, but something that has a winterized portion that will help vendors during the winter and help the viability of the market year-round.” Burkett added that the entire thing won’t be weatherized, he’s thinking about a third at this point, and then the rest will be open-air. “We might be able to do wind blocks,” he said. “We have interesting ideas. Even in September it can get cold, so to have sort of temporary solutions, maybe it’ll be a little less susceptible to rain.” Hoang said the footprint of the pavilion will be larger than what’s currently there to give more room for hosting events. “The proportions will be different,” she said. She couldn’t give too much away, but said the designs are very much in progress. “The end of the schematic design is around September, and the end of design development is around December,” Hoang said. “We have not been released to do construction documents, so it’s too soon to say when construction will start. We’re definitely focused on testing feasibility.”

The Ithaca Farmers Market is still seeking public input on the project via a survey that is open until Sunday, July 11. The public is encouraged to share their thoughts, which will inform the design process. The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ithacafarmersmarketpublicsurvey

Anton Burkett Executive Director of the Ithaca Farmers Market. (Photo: Casey Martin)

PUBLIC SAFETY Myrick announces Reimagining Public Safety task force, names former alderperson as project lead

City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick announced on June 24 the formation of a working group that will serve to facilitate the replacement of the City of Ithaca Police Department with a Department of Public Safety. This working group is charged with designing a new agency custom-tailored to providing solutions to the community’s distinct safety and health needs following the passage of the Reimagining Public Safety plan on March 31.

The announcement comes just a few days after the Ithaca Police Benevolent Association (PBA) announced its “Ithaca 4 For Safety” campaign to “bring community leaders and stakeholders together to demand real action with real world solutions to address the dangerous rise in shootings, assaults, and armed, weaponized crime in our City.”

The plan specifically mentioned that it had been 82 days (as of publishing on June 21) since the Reimagining Public Safety plan had passed and lamented the lack of forward movement in implementing it. However, the city has been working with the county during that time to approve funds to create positions to staff the joint Community Justice Center.

To establish the working group, Myrick worked closely with City of Ithaca Director of Human Resources Schelley MichellNunn, and said they have “... identified a strong core of working group members, city staff to assist with technical support, and the Center for Policing Equity as ongoing collaborators. We’re focused on continuing to center the voices of constituents of color and city residents from a diversity of lived experiences.”

This working group will deliver to the Common Council by Sept. 1 a set of preliminary recommendations, including naming conventions, job descriptions, and the title of the department. The work done by the group will pertain to the cityonly recommendations, not the 17 shared recommendations between the county and city. Those will be the responsibility of the Community Justice Center.

Additional recommendations regarding delineated call type responsibility, training, and operating budget will be created Sept.- Nov. of this year.

“The work to design and implement the new department will likely take years. And we should not expect that all questions will be answered by Sept. 1,” Myrick said. “The time investment that we’re putting toward this work will help ensure we have the most equitable and thoughtfully developed outcomes for residents.”

Former City Alderperson Eric Rosario will serve as project lead.

“I am thrilled that Eric Rosario has agreed to serve as the Project Lead,” Myrick said. “His long history in our city, his leadership in CLOC (Community Leaders of Color), co-founding of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County, his past experience on Common Council, and current service on the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency, along with his deliberative and collaborative approach to problem solving made him the ideal candidate. We don’t take this work lightly, and we know there will need to be strong support within the working group, we look forward to appointing someone from within the group to act as Eric’s co-lead soon.”

Rosario stated: “I am deeply honored by the trust the mayor and City have placed in me. I feel privileged to work alongside the members of this working group and our advisors. The community’s charge to us as expressed through the Common Council’s unanimous vote to reimagine public safety is clear. The outline and parameters for the new department have been defined. Our job is to recommend how to operationalize these guidelines in the real-world while taking a diverse set of constituent needs, centering those most vulnerable in our community, into consideration.”

Next steps for the Collaborative will be the hiring of the Project Director and Data Analyst to staff the Community Justice Center.

Onboarding for the group begins on July 15 with regular meetings to be held weekly thereafter. Opportunities for community engagement will be announced as they become available.

Working group members include three sergeants from Ithaca Police Department, three Council members and a wide range of community activists. For the full list of names, visit Ithaca.com. -Tanner Harding

Eric Rosario (Photo via: linkedin)

Newspaper: Ithaca Times/Fingerlakes News

Georgia@ithacatimes.com 607-277-7000 x220 Client: Kendal at Ithaca

save up to

on select floors*

spillabration Save up to 50% on select floors

EVENT ENDS NOVEMBER 22 Relax, it’s… Lees and Innovia XTREME CLEAN carpet

363 Elmira Road, Ithaca, NY | 607.273.8807 | www.bishopscarpetone.com

Release week of: 6-28-21 | W 17

Vital for Life by Betsy Schermerhorn

Director, Marketing and Admissions

THE BENEFITS OF COOKING TOGETHER

Helping people living with dementia or Alzheimers recapture lost memories or even find calm and comfort in something that feels familiar can be very therapeutic. Cooking activities can be a wonderful way to do this. Scent has proven to be the strongest trigger of memories, especially the scent of food, but cooking requires using all of our senses, from taste to touch. The act of kneading fresh dough or rolling meatballs across your hands can bring back happy memories of childhood or of teaching their own children to cook. Performing the task together can also strengthen old bonds or create new ones as can sharing in the delicious results of your labor.

There are steps individuals, communities, and healthcare providers can take to prevent or reverse mild cognitive impairment and improve cognitive function, performance, and brain health in the population overall, and throughout an individual’s lifespan. Call the marketing team at (607) 266-5300 to schedule a tour to see our facilities and learn more about lifecare at Kendal at Ithaca. Find us on the web at http://kai.kendal.org/

P.S Cooking and baking can not only trigger and create memories for seniors, they are also excellent creative outlets for self expression.\

Website: www.kai.kendal.org Email: admissions@kai.kendal.org 2230 N. Triphammer Road Ithaca, NY 14850-6513 (607) 266-5300 Toll Free: (800) 253-6325

tained within one city block.

Board member Eric Rosario agreed with Myrick, and said he didn’t find the size to be concerning enough to go back and start over or to change the zoning in the area.

“I was excited by all the proposals,” he said. “They were very well put together on all fronts, and I’m supportive of this one.”

He did mention that his one concern was that the public space could end up feeling private because of the private residences proposed for the parcel.

Board member Chris Proulx said his main worry was access, as there’s

PLANNING

Continued From Page 4 essentially only one way in and out of the island.

“My concern about density is not so much about height of the building, it’s about can we get people in and out of there?” Proulx asked. “It’s a mix of people, hometel visitors, residents, short-term visitors to BoatYard Grill.”

Ultimately, board members all agreed that they trusted the process the projects had gone through, and they felt confident in entrusting the design to the Planning Board. The Common Council can approve the project at its next meeting. -Tanner Harding

supportive consensus: “I think we should continue to support this project. I appreciate the work that you continue to do on this project.”

If the McKinley Development Company gains approval on the variances from the Board of Zoning Appeals (including a controversial nine-foot height variance), the board will take a vote next month when they reconvene. 501 W State St

While discussing the project at 510 W State St., board members expressed concern about the foundation of the building, as well as the potential construction externalities.

Visum Development presented its most recent changes on the proposed building— a 58 unit apartment building affordable to households making 50% to 80% of the area median income—to the board. The main modification was the potential use for CMC piles, a substitute to traditional deep foundations for buildings. In consideration of extreme budget concerns over material pricing and availability, developer Brandon Ebel shared that the company was not yet ready to commit to using the CMC foundation.

Glass surfaced a discussion about the “barrage of feedback” they have received from individuals on the neighboring properties who are concerned about the construction impacts. The developers said that they have received critical comments from two neighbors in particular — one being the only homeowner on the street — but generally positive responses from others.

“I think we were doing a lot to accommodate or cater to the comments from one neighbor specifically,” Ebel said.Certainly with any construction project, there’s going to be noise, there’s going to be impacts, there’s going to be debris, but I think, to date, we have now provided a majority of that… and certainly if additional things are needed, we’re on it.”

Despite this reassurance, board member Garrick Blalock said that because the construction is right on the neighbor’s property line, the unique position of the site may create an “unacceptable environmental externality.”

Board member Elisabete Godden pointed out that the only considerations State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) — the state’s environmental impact assessment — requires has to do with the overall magnitude of the impact and how many people are affected. Complaints from a few neighbors alone would not fall under SEQR’s purview. However, she too recognized the unique position of the building on the block.

Many of the board members agreed the building has merit, but wanted more information from the developers about how to resolve some of the potential impact issues. The board asked for specific information about whether or not the impacts of construction have been mitigated to the maximum extent practicable, and whether or not more information is needed to ascertain this.

Lacking this information, the board omitted a vote on the multiuse apartment building during the meeting.

Faith Fisher is a reporter from The Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s inaugural summer fellowship at The Ithaca Times.

-Faith Fisher

FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE SUBS!GET ITHACA’S FAVORITE SUB DELIVERED!

Bread and cookies baked fresh throughout the day Skip the line & order online Sub trays • Party packages • Salads Bread and cookies baked fresh throughout the day

222 Elmira Rd. • (607) 264-2432 • dibellas.com 222 Elmira Rd. • (607) 264-2432 • dibellas.com

Voted Best of Ithaca

Diane’s Downtown Automotive

435 W. State Street/ M.L.K. Jr. St., located in Ithaca’s West End 607-272-AUTO (2886)

service@dianesautorepair.com Open M-F 7:30-5:30

Breakfast Any Time Hot and Cold Subs, Paninis, Soups and Salads

Corner of Aurora and Seneca (607) 319-4022

NOW OPEN!

Pay Less and Expect Better Service! Bring your car down for service today!

618 Elmira Road, Ithaca 607-220-9183

www.IthacaAutoService.com

Free WiFi