January 25, 2008
People who have children in the Trumansburg Schools ought to go on over and take a look at the new web site of the Trumansburg Central School District Foundation.
The TCSDF is not the same thing as the Trumansburg Central School District. TCSDF does not administer the schools, but exists as a separate non-profit organization with the mission of supporting education in the Trumansburg Schools. Think of it as an educational boosters group. They offer grants to teachers and administrators and work through a New Technology Initiatives to support the best use of technology in the classrooms.
There is already an impressive collection of people behind the Trumansburg Central School District Foundation, but the group is by no means closed. The Foundation is looking for people to help them in their work, by volunteering, through donations, and by spreading the word about the work of the Foundation.
January 12, 2008
From Jan Zeserson of the Black Diamond Trail group comes the following urgent message:
It’s now or never!THIS TUESDAY (1/15) is the deadline for submitting comments to NYS Parks about their proposed plans for the Black Diamond Trail.
We are assured that ALL MESSAGES WILL BE READ by Parks officials. Then ALL substantive comments will be summarized in a report that must be considered before the Master Plan can be approved. This summary report will also be made available to the public.
This is your LAST CHANCE to get your opinions into that summary! You’re not writing to a black hole. Parks staff WILL read your letters.
Send letters to:Daniel.Davis@oprhp.state.ny.usThomas.Lyons@oprhp.state.ny.us AND we’d love to post your letter on our website to inform and inspire others to write, so if you’re willing, please cc:info@blackdiamondtrail.org with your letter.
WONDERING WHAT TO WRITE? For example:
How do you hope to use the trail? Do you want snowmobiles and horses on the trail? Do you want the trail to be as narrow as possible? Do you live near a trail now, and if so, has it been a bonus or a headache for you? Do you want Parks to construct and repair all the bridges first so that we can walk the whole stretch as soon as possible?
A sample of the letters that have already been written in support of the Black Diamond Trail is available at the Black Diamond Trail web site.
December 1, 2007
It has been announced that New York State will be holding a public meeting about the future of the Black Diamond trail, a walking/biking trail that would run from Ithaca up through the Town of Ulysses.Here’s the letter sent out by Jan Zeserson, who organizes the effort to establish the trail, much of which is already in good walking condition:
“The Black Diamond Trail’s BIG MOMENT has arrived! NYState Office of Parks has announced PUBLIC HEARINGS on the adoption and implementation of the Master Plan for the trail. This is a MILESTONE. We’ve been waiting 30 years for this day. Please mark your calendars and make it a personal priority to show up for one of the hearings:Wed Dec. 5 in the Borg Warner Room of Tompkins County Public Library.Thurs Dec. 6 in the Franziska Racker Center cafeteria, 3226 Wilkins Road, Ithaca (Ulysses).Information Sessions: 5:30-6:45 p.m.Public Hearings: 7:00 p.m.The purpose of the INFORMATION SESSIONS is to offer an opportunity for the public to become more familiar with the Draft Master Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement.The purpose of the HEARINGS is to let the general public comment orally or in writing. Be sure to sign in for the 7:00 public hearings—that’s where your support will be registered.WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND? Don’t assume there is no opposition to the trail. If supporters don’t turn out in large numbers, we risk having the trail put back on hold (it was first proposed 30 years ago!). Similar trail projects have been crushed by opponents. Supporters must attend these hearings in great numbers to make sure the Black Diamond Trail project moves forward.
To find out more about the effort to formally establish the Black Diamond Trail, visit the Black Diamond Trail web site
September 5, 2007
Takin’ Care of T’burg
The Main Street Project has brought new life to T’burg’s
Main Street. The new sidewalks encourage walking and wagon
pulling. The wonderful new children’s park has become a
gathering place for all ages. The memory bricks bring a
sense of history and family to the village. We are so
fortunate to have a community where so many people worked so
hard to make the Main Street Project a reality.
Now we need to look to the next step - routine maintenance
and cleaning of the Main Street area.
This is an invitation to everyone who cares about T’burg
to think about signing up for a few hours one or two days a year to work
with a group of neighbors to pull the weeds between the
bricks, weed around the trees, and pick up trash.
Please consider joining this team! Call Karen Powers
(387-4058) or email her at kpower01@icsd.k12.ny.us with any
questions or to add your name to the Takin’Care of
T’burg list.
We will keep your time commitment to a minimum. We will set
up a master schedule so you will know dates and times and
the neighbors you will be working with.
We live in a great community and Takin’ Care of T’burg
will give us an opportunity to easily take care of our
community.
Please join us for our first work session - Saturday,
September 8 from 8-11 AM. Meet at the Kids’ Village next
to the bridge and stay for whatever length of time works for
you. Together we’ll be Takin’ Care of T’burg!
May 21, 2007
If you have been looking for an opportunity to register your opinion on the federal issues of importance to you, or get help with a federal-government problem, you need to get some one-on-one time with the staff of your Congressman. Here comes another good chance. Bob Messinger will be bringing a field office of Congressman Mike Arcuri a little closer to this far corner of the district– the Lansing Town Hall across the lake. I went to meet with Bob the last time he did this– Mike’s staff does take the issues that Ulysses residents bring to them very seriously, with great follow-through. Of course, Bob is also available at the Cortland field office at other times– but, they are trying to meet their “far West” constituents half-way….
Announcing:
Congressman Mike Arcuri’s staff representative, Bob Messinger, will hold Field Office hours at the Lansing Town Hall, 29 Auburn Rd. (Rte. 34), on Thursday, May 24th, from 10 AM-2 PM. If you or anyone you know in the 24th District (all of Tompkins County except the City of Ithaca and the Towns of Ithaca and Danby) wishes to visit with Bob on current issues, or to discuss problems with Veterans issues, Social Security problems, Immigration, IRS, Passports, etc., please stop by or, call 1-800-235-2525 for an appointment.
Also, Mike Arcuri himself will be appearing at a fundraiser this week for the TC Democratic Committee, and you are most welcome to attend. Details:
APOLOGIES– This event has been postponed… debate about the war in Iraq has made it impossible for Mike to leave the capitol.
The Honorable Michael Arcuri, U.S. House of Representatives
Friday, May 25, 2007, 639 Midline Rd., Freeville
4:30-6:30 pm
A fund-raiser and report-back event: Contributions to benefit the Tompkins County Democratic Committee
RSVP Irene Stein 266-7579 or make your check out to Tompkins County Democratic Committee and mail to:
101 Brandywine Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850
Directions from Ithaca to event:
Rt. 79 S to Slaterville Springs, left on Midline. Continue 2 mi. to fork. Look for paired mailboxes on left 637/639. Take right up driveway, take left fork to the top
The fundraiser is likely to be a Democrat-themed party…. but, citizens of all political persuasions should certainly feel free to visit with Mike’s staff and speak their mind or get their questions addressed….. and do please tell others, post info to appropriate lists, etc.
May 13, 2007
Those residents of Ulysses who are interested in seeing a kind of development through the town that celebrates the landscape instead of covering it up will be happy to learn that a web site for the Black Diamond Trail is now online.
Right now, there’s a call to contact governmental representatives (call Barbara Lifton at 607-277-8030), some news about a display of information about the trail at Eastern Mountain Sports down on Meadow Street in Ithaca, and a lot of good background information about the trail, including a map. You’ll notice that the map shows the Trumansburg portion of the trail only as a dotted line. Well, first things first.
The events of the last year have shown that there are a lot of dedicated people willing to turn out to do hard work on the trail. The Black Diamond Trail could be a completed reality before too long, if it gets the necessary support from state and local government.
April 13, 2007
The effort to get local government to vote on resolutions in support of the impeachment of George W. Bush is gaining strength, with Back to Democracy, which meets here in Trumansburg, is circulating petitions to the Tompkins County Legislature, the Ulysses Town Board and the Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees. Each level of government influences the next, and the Back to Democracy approach goes right up the political chain, link by link.
These petitions will be making the rounds in a door-to-door campaign for which Back To Democracy is seeking volunteers - email Allen Carstensen or call him at 273-2186 to offer your help. The petitions will also be available to sign at every meeting of Back to Democracy.
One of those meetings is being tonight at 7:00, at the Fire Hall here in Trumansburg. The meeting features a showing of the film Big Easy to Big Empty, which examines the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
March 12, 2007
I’ve come to regard the sign for the Color Guard’s bottle drives as part of the local landscape. I had no idea the group had such a long history until I visited the web site for the Trumansburg Color Guard - working on 26 years in existence.
Next bottle drive: March 18
Next color guard competition in Trumansburg: March 24
Is there no controversy in the Color Guard? Well, it’s high school, so there’s got to be some, but I could only find the following tidbits in the official history:
1983: “The final year of the harem pants”
1987: “The most insane equipment book ever”
1990: “The mystery was never solved as the guard disbanded at mid-season due to training violations.”
1993: “The Juniors do “Spies & Private Eyes” complete with a lit bomb.”
2000: “Poor old Farmer Jones tried to drown his sorrows and dreamed that his Scarecrow had come to life.”
March 7, 2007
I noticed a couple of new things - or things that are new to me - in local media today. First, I got a catalog in the mail from Acorn Designs. Acorn Designs is a dot com that’s at a dot org address on the web. AcornDesigns.com is a graphic design company in Newmarket, Ontario. AcornDesigns.org is a stationary company (they sell a few other things too, like tote bags) from just over the county line, off of route 227 near Mecklenburg. They’re definitely a local company - their postal address is Trumansburg even they’re not in Ulysses.
Second, I took a look over at the Back To Democracy web site, and see that they’ve got a new design that’s appealing and easy to read from. They’ve also got a great page of Back to Democracy archives - offering a kind of history of local political activism back to the summer of 2004.
This Friday evening at the Trumansburg Fire Hall, Back to Democracy is offering a free viewing of the documentary film Why We Fight. If you pay attention to the details in the news, you already understand the sinister reality of war profiteering that this documentary describes. It’s a good summary, however, and a motivating one.
September 26, 2006
This week, Back to Democracy is sponsoring a discussion of the motivation behind political resistance, featuring Mary Loehr from the Ithaca War Tax Resisters and Clare Grady from the St. Patrick’s Day Four. The event will be held at the Trumansburg Fire Hall this Friday, September 29, at 7:00 PM.
The Back to Democracy folks indicate that the discussion will center around questions such as “What gives one the courage to resist? How do we stay active in such disturbing times when it is so easy to become disempowered?”
I think that the contrary questions are really more to the point. Why are so many Americans not resisting?
Yesterday, false moderate Senator John McCain released the text of the legislation he crafted with George W. Bush, and it turns out that in spite of McCain’s promises, the legislation takes away the right of prisoners to appeal for protections from the Geneva Conventions, revokes habeas corpus protections, gives blanket amnesty to war criminals, and legitimizes Bush’s secret system of CIA gulags.
John McCain’s bill amounts to a coup d’etat against the Bill of Rights, folks. So, although some people may criticize me for focusing on the negative, I want to know how so many people can remain inactive.
We haven’t become disempowered - yet. When the disempowerment comes, I fear that Back to Democracy will be right, and it will be an all-too-easy process.
