COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Equitable and Edible Farm School at Enfield By M a rjor i e Z . O l d s
A
parent reports "Beautiful things are happening with children and food at the Equitable and Edible Farm School at Enfield.” In the few years Christa Nunez and her family have been in our community, we have been amazed at how many new engaging, sustainable programs Christa has Children learn about sustainability at the Equitable and Edible Farm School in Enfield, New York fostered for people of all ages. Christa’s focus always and Edible Farm School at Enfield, and includes kids and schools. “It’s important to focus on what is hap- savor his Ghanaian delicacies.” As the Enfield community has pening at schools and to fill the everyday embraced the Learning Farm, the faculty lives of children with fun and delicious and staff at Enfield Elementary School have opportunities to explore their interests, been busy with Christa, creating a curlearn new things about new and wonderful people from all over the world. We can riculum. The Equitable and Edible Farm help kids get comfortable with interacting School at Enfield Elementary School is a pilot program for the children of Enfield. with and caring for plant and animal life, Christa described the collaboration of folks get the wind in their ears in ample free who have come together to make this new play, and get filled with yummy, nutricurriculum possible: Aileen Grainger and tious, satisfying foods…What we learn Keith Harrington of Enfield Elementary sticks deeper and for longer when we are and Mary Grover, Chief Inclusion Officer enjoying ourselves and pursuing what of ICSD. The Equitable and Edible Farm we are jazzed about. If we want to make School at Enfield is very excited that their big paradigm-shifting changes in our new curriculum may become available in education system, we have to do it on the other local schools in the future. ground, hand-in-hand with the learners, The curriculum includes nature, animal while supporting teachers in achieving husbandry, growing/cooking/preserving/ their own classroom goals, in ways that support their personal growth and engage bottling food, to name a few highlights. Christa tells us that all of these planned their classrooms.” activities are aligned with the objectives For two years Christa and her team of NYS’ mandatory curricular program have worked at the Equitable and Edible Common Core. And the Common Core Farm School at Enfield in Enfield, New goals of equity and sustainability are the York. Created with much community support, children from elementary school foundation of the daily plans. So helpful to live our beliefs in our daily lives, rather through high school have been enthusithan just talk about them. Kids get it. astic participants and counselors in this What one learns and does in first wild and wonderful school program. grade, is the foundation for what is offered “We have been growing and harvestin the second grade in this curriculum. ing food, cooking together, caring for And on up…As young people turn into the chickens, experimenting with recipes from Ghana and the Dominican Republic. teenagers, they will become the coaches and guides for those younger friends Celebrations are frequent… Enfield Elementary School’s Celebration of Learning coming up behind them… Already that is happening in the Enfield program. at the Farm brought families and friends together to meet Chacha, our lead farmer, culinary educator & musician at Equitable Contin u ed on Page 19
The Talk at
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Response to Tax Exemption for Volunteer First Responders
T
hey're certainly no longer volunteers now that they're essentially being compensated with taxpayer money. They're also incentivized to buy as much property as possible just like Cornell and IC do, since real property in and near Ithaca tends to appreciate, and these firefighters and EMTs can just sell it later in order to profit from capital gains without ever having to pay any property tax along the way. What prompted this move? Was there a shortage of volunteers? I thought there existed other perks to being a volunteer like you could essentially live at the fire station rent free. Richard Ballantyne
Response to Tax Exemption for Volunteer First Responders
C
ongratulations is in order! This one of the better ideas I have seen come from a local government body. These volunteers spend countless hours and training just to be prepared to serve , protect, and even save our lives. This will also provide a small incentive to help maintain staffing. If these volunteers were being paid the going rates it would equate to way more than the 10% of what they will save in property taxes. John Butler
Response to Cornell Tax Exempt Article
M
argherita Fabrizio’s excellent February 15 article about Cornell’s financial contribution to Ithaca hints at another key driver of the City’s high tax rate: our geography is simply too limited to warrant being a municipality distinct from the Town. Over a decade ago a working group chaired by the late Tom Niederkorn was tasked with examining opportunities for municipal cooperation, consolidation, and shared services. That Tompkins County consists of 16 municipalities is an historical artifact that handicaps good governance. The working group’s conclusion was that sharing services in public safety, public works, parks
and recreation, and youth programs could save substantial resources. Formal mergers were seen as politically impractical in light of municipalities’ natural reluctance to give up identity and autonomy, even if consolidation would improve service delivery and tax rates in the long run. A boost in Cornell’s contribution is important but not a panacea. And the City can’t grow its way out of its financial woes. Despite a surge in commercial development and number of apartment units, costs and taxes in the City have only continued their inexorable increases. Perhaps its time for County, City, and Town officials to revisit the consolidation/shared services idea? Ellen McCollister
Response to “Downtown Ithaca 25 Years Later”
I
've lived in Ithaca for the last 45 years. The Commons was new, and Center Ithaca was still a dream. I enjoy seeing downtown grow up. The leadership of the DIA, the City of Ithaca, Cornell, banks, and developers are to be commended for encouraging and enabling the growth of downtown. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Thank you Gary & Joe for your work over many decades. Dwight Mengel
Response to Possible Renovations of Public Safety Building
J
ustice becomes injustice if it isn't blind to things like race or gender. Hypothetically, if 100% of crimes were committed by white women then only white women should be in jail. The same is true for any race or gender combination. If you start giving individuals special privileges or mercy based on their race, then you incite racism. Even children can understand this basic principle. Richard Ballantyne
Plans for Mirabito/Burger King Service Station
T
he planned Mirabito gas station/ convenience store/Burger King fits a corporate template. But does it fit our community? Convenience stores, by siphoning off sales of high-margin items, have undermined the viability of neighborhood grocery stores across the country and created food deserts. The locally-owned East Hill P&C provides an important service in a location that no corporate grocery store chain would Contin u ed on Page 19
MARCH 8–14, 2023 / THE ITHACA TIMES
7