August 18, 2021

Newsline

VOL.XLI / NO. 52 / August 18, 2021 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

F E AT URE S Hot Market ��9 A booming real estate market means higher prices, fewer options and more competition for homes

Sports �� 10

Love, luck and survival �� 13 Newsline ��3-5 Opinion �� 6 Letters �� 7

ART S &E N T E RTAINME N T Dining �� 14 Art �� 16 Times Table �� 21 Classifieds �� 22

ON T HE C OV E R Karen Johnson, president of the Ithaca Board of Realtors (Casey Martin)

300 N. Tioga St (Photo: Casey Martin)

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County works to finalize purchase of two Tioga Street properties

n Aug. 10, The Downtown Facilities Committee gathered to consider a resolution to acquire the properties at 300 North Tioga St. and 308 North Tioga St. for the future construction of a downtown Ithaca County Governmental Office Building. The meeting, which also considered the environmental impact of eventual construction, comes on the heels of several months of negotiation between Tompkins County and the property owners of the two land parcels. The purchase of the current buildings on Tioga Street — the Key bank Building and the Ithaca Professional Building — would amount to $2.8 million. Tompkins County seeks to consolidate the County offices into a single location as a way to maximize efficiencies, enhance service delivery to county constituents, and improve environmental efficiencies, among other potential benefits. The project would not exceed 65,000 square feet and would be no more than five stories high. Before discussing the acquisition resolution, the board considered the environmental impact resolution, assessing the maximum possible impact

of construction at the site. Although the project is in its preliminary stages and lacks any concrete construction plans, Jonathan Wood reminded the committee that SEQR case law requires an evaluation of environmental significance. “You have to do an environmental analysis before you really know what’s going to be there to comply with the law, so you do your best to look at what might have the maximum environmental impact,” he said. “So I wouldn’t look at the environmental assessment as having any real commitment, it’s just trying to do its best to look at what might be the environmental impact.” After comments of support

from some of the members, the committee unanimously passed a negative determination of environmental significance, meaning the construction will not significantly impact the environment. The committee swiftly moved on to the resolution to authorize the acquisition of property for the proposed project. Several members voiced their support for the new building, welcoming the possibility to consolidate most, if not all, of the county staff into one spot. Additionally, they responded to some of the main concerns that have been raised about the project. Considering that the county had recently

T a k e ▶ Audrey CooperCommunity staple Audrey Cooper passed away July 29, 2021. She moved to Ithaca when she was 17 and spent the next several decades working at Northside House (the predecessor to GIAC), GIAC, the Dispositional Alternatives Program, Southside Community Center and the Multicultural

Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000

paid $1.8 million for two buildings and a parking lot on the 400 block of North Tioga St., many critics consider the purchase of the 300 block buildings brash and the result of inadequate planning. Shawna Black responded to this criticism, calling the planned purchase a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” It allows the county to construct a contiguous building with ample space in a strategic location for county staff. “There are very few times in the city of Ithaca that you are going to have two properties that are older buildings that

Sharon Davis, Distribution F r o n t J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r , x 1210 j b i l i n s k i @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m L a r r y H o ch b e r g e r , A ss o c i a t e P u b l i s h e r , x 1214 l a r r y@ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m F r e e l a n c e r s : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Dave Sit, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman

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Resource Center. She helped found the West End Breakfast Club and served on numerous boards and committees, such as Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources, City of Ithaca Affirmative Action Advisory Committee, Ultimate Re-entry Opportunity Program, Hospitality Employment Training Program, Cayuga Lake Water Protectors

T a n n e r H a r d i n g , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 1224 E d i t o r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m J a i m e C o n e , E d i t o r , x 1232 SouthReporter@flcn.org C a s e y M a r t i n , S ta f f P h o t o g r a p h e r P h o t o g r a p h e r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m C h r i s I b e r t , C a l e n d a r E d i t o r , x 1217 A r t s @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m A n d r e w S u l l i v a n , S p o r t s E d i t o r , x 1227 Sports@flcn.org Steve L awrence, Spo rts Co lumnist St e v e S p o r t sD u d e @ g m a i l .co m M a r s h a l l H o p k i n s , P r o d u c t i o n D i r ec t o r / D es i g n e r , x 1216 P r o d u c t i o n @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m F a i th F i s h e r , I n t e r n , x 1217 FF i s h e r @ I t h a c a T i m e s . c o m

and many others. A celebration of her life is planned for July 30, 2022, and asks you to honor her by doing “whatever you can do to make this a better place.” An activist mini-grant fund in her honor will be established, with details to come. To read more about Audrey’s remarkable life, visit Ithaca.com to read her full obituary.

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