County Sheriff - Tompkins Weekly

Transcription

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Waldorf outlines plans
for Dandby land ......page 2
Team spirit is strong
in Lansing ....................page 3
Ithaca schools consider
bond issue ....................page 4
3 Vie for County Sheriff
By Nate Dougherty
The race for Tompkins
County Sheriff pits twoterm incumbent Democrat
Peter
Meskill
against
Republican
challenger
Brian Robison, a retired
Ithaca Police Department
officer, and Timothy Little,
a County Sheriff deputy
running on the Citizens for
a Safe Tompkins party line.
All three candidates cite
dealing with the burgeoning jail population as a
major issue facing the
department, as well as dealing with the department’s
growing budget and providing prompt responses for
service calls.
T i m o t hy L i t t l e
Trumansburg hosts
candidates' debate page 5
Letters and Opinions ......
page 6
Town of Ithaca presents
spending plan ............page 8
Ithaca resident is ready
to scare you silly ......page 9
A Tompkins County deputy
since 1999, Little also
served as a member of the
Ithaca City School District
Board of Education from
1996-99, but says he doesn’t
see himself as a "political
candidate" for the office. A
graduate
from
Ithaca
College, where he minored
in business, Little also had
experience
supervising
employees and making budgets while serving as recreation supervisor for the
City of Ithaca.
But, according to Little,
some of the most important
experience he has comes
from the knowledge of the
community he’s garnered
while in his police cruiser.
"All my past experience, as
well as my current capacity
serving on road patrol,
gives me a better sense of
Newfield schools put
focus on exercise ....page 11
History lesson gets lost
in translation ............page 14
Timothy Little
Peter Meskill
Brian Robison
the issues facing community," Little said. "That’s what
makes me the best candidate."
To alleviate overcrowding at the jail and avoid the
cost of
boarding out
inmates, Little suggests
finding ways to cooperate
with other county departments to find solutions
other than incarceration.
On his campaign Web site,
Little says using deputies
for prisoner transports has
left the jail understaffed.
Little said that if he’s
elected, he would like to
maintain or increase the
amount of deputy patrols to
provide better service. "We
need to find ways to better
serve community as far as
law enforcement is concerned," Little said. "We
can’t necessarily ask for all
the positions we think we
need to better cover the
county, so we would have to
utilize agreements with
other agencies providing
services and cooperate with
them."
He also said he would
establish an investigator
for juvenile and sex offense
crimes. This position would
work with victims as well
as educate youth about the
law, Little said. "The more
we can educate, the less we
have to investigate, and
that’s the ultimate goal."
For undersheriff, Little
has
selected
current
Cayuga Heights police chief
Ken Lansing, who is set to
retire at the end of the year.
office in 1990. He’s led the
sheriff ’s office for the past
eight years, gaining experience he said is crucial to
running the department in
the future.
One area where that
experience has come in
handy is in seeking out
cooperation to alleviate jail
overcrowding, Meskill contends. "I work with county
government, the department of health, and the
social services department
to find alternative ways to
not have people who are not
violent (in the jail) or to get
them out sooner," he says.
"The broader issue is, how
do you work with all other
people in the county to keep
residents safe?"
To reduce recidivism
among inmates, Meskill
touts the department’s work
Pe t e r M e s k i l l
An important part of the
sheriff ’s job is to work with
other county departments
and other elected officials,
something Meskill has done
since first taking public
Please turn to page 16
Tier, Makar Square Newfield Votes on
Off in Dryden Race Town Justice Post
By Anthony Hall
Brooktondale hosts
annual Apple Fest..page 10
FREE
Photos provided
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE…
Volume 1, No. 3 • October 30-November 5, 2006
It’s an off-season election
year, meaning the big
money race for the White
House can take the year off.
But there are still big
stakes
available
in
November in a year in
which Democrats hope the
electoral pendulum swings
towards the minority party
as it traditionally tends to
do.
In Tompkins County, the
county sheriff ’s office is up
for grabs and most of the
county will choose a new
Congressman for the 24th
District.
Beyond
that,
Dryden has a local, off-year
race for town council, due
to the county legislative
race last year in which
Dryden
councilman
Michael Hattery unseated
county legislator Michael
Lane and then relinquished
his seat on the town board.
Dryden’s board appointed Daniel Tier to fill the
seat until this year’s election, in which he is challenged by local businessman David Makar.
Tier, a Republican, has
served on the board for the
past 10 months and says
he’s ready for another year.
"There’s definitely a learning curve for anyone coming on the town board who
has not participated in that
capacity before," says Tier,
an assistant chief with the
Ithaca Fire Department
who has served as chairman of the board for the
Neptune
Fire
Hose
Company in Dryden and for
Dryden Ambulance. As
such, he had numerous
engagements with the town
By Laura Ulrich
Newfield voters will choose
between two candidates to
fill a vacant town justice
position when they go to
the polls Nov. 7.
Richard Sponable, a
retired software engineer,
has lived in Newfield for 29
years and is running on the
Republican ticket.
Lynn Watros, who retired
as a sergeant after 23 years
with the Tompkins County
Sheriffs Department, is
running as an Independent.
Both candidates talked
with Tompkins Weekly
about their bids for the job.
TW: Why do you want to
serve as Newfield town justice?
S p o n ab l e: "I would like
to give back something to
the community that I have
called home for 29 years.
The Town Justice is the
least political and most
unbiased position in the
town government and I feel
that I can serve the people
very effectively as a town
justice. Also, since I am
retired, I have the time to
commit to the position to
make a responsible and
dedicated town justice.
TW: Have you served in
public office before?
"No, I have never served
in any public office."
TW: How have you been
involved in the Newfield
community?
"I helped construct the
community
playground
and have assisted with Old
Home Days activities in the
past. Currently, I volunteer
as a New York State DEC
hunter education instructor in Newfield and the surPlease turn to page 16
Waldorf Initiative
to Sell Danby Land
By Danielle Klock
The Waldorf community is thriving in the town of Danby, and will
be set to offer a limited number of
land parcels to interested parties
after final approval by the town
board. The Waldorf School of the
Finger Lakes, operated by the
Ithaca Waldorf Initiative, owns 97
acres just east of Route 96B on
Nelson Road.
Currently, the property is home
to Three Swallows Farm, a biodynamic farming business owned and
operated by Jeff Marianni and Ann
Piombino, as well as a Waldorf
group family home daycare operation
called
Peach
Blossom
Kindergarten,
where
Kirsten
Hascup has been teaching 3- to 6year-olds in the Waldorf tradition
since shortly after the Waldorf
School purchased the property in
2004.
According to Waldorf educational philosophy, all schooling should
incorporate the natural world.
When visiting Hascup’s daycare
center, a visitor quickly notices the
home-like environment of the
space. The children’s day is a gentle
weaving of play, handwork, watercolor painting, physical work in the
garden, seasonal verses and songs.
Ithaca Waldorf Initiative’s longterm vision for the Danby site
includes an early childhood and
resource center. Initially, the plan
was to retain only a portion of the
land for this purpose. When the
enthusiastic young farmers arrived
from Pennsylvania, and the most
productive farmland was demarcated to occupy the center of the parcel, IWI altered its plan. The vision
now incorporates a biodynamic
farm, for which a long-term lease is
currently under negotiation.
Approximately 40 acres will be
retained strictly for agricultural
purposes, according to Emily
Butler, president of the Waldorf
School of the Finger Lakes. "Our
vision for the land is to retain green
space, provide community walking
trails, and support the biodynamic
farm, which serves the town of
Danby and beyond," she says.
The IWI continues to pursue it
mission of founding an early childhood center that will serve families
from diverse communities. Butler
says that Waldorf education should
be affordable for any family interested in attending, and the board is
currently researching ways to support its programs through means
other than tuition fees.
Last year, the Cornell Praxis
landscape architecture and planning students, under the guidance
of Michelle Thompson and Felicia
Davis, compiled an array of demographic data for IWI. There were
many recommendations made for
the design and siting of the school,
which will be taken into consideration by IWI’s building design team.
A primary goal of the organization
is to ensure that all buildings located on the property be sustainable
by design and able to accommodate
the school’s future growth.
It is in this spirit that some
parcels will be offered for sale in
the coming month. The Danby town
zoning board received sketch plans
for four parcels, which range in size
from an acre-and-a-half to just over
five acres. Three of the four parcels
have expansive western views, and
all will be especially attractive to
families interested in Waldorf edu2
Tompkins Weekly
October 30
cation.
Although final approval of the
property’s subdivision by the zoning board cannot be obtained until
after a public hearing at the Danby
Town Hall on Nov. 16, Butler feels
that the general response to the site
plan has been positive, and she is
grateful to the Danby zoning board
"for it’s patience as we navigate this
process of thoughtful land development."
The town’s support thus far may
be partially due to the nature of
IWI’s vision and mission, which
embrace the Danby and Ithaca communities as a whole, and nurture a
respect and reverence for all living
things. Although the Waldorf
group cannot mandate building
practices for the privately owned
parcels it will sell, it is committed
to using sustainable, ecologically
sound building practices for any
future buildings that will be
"Our vision for the
land is to retain green
space, provide community walking trails and
support the biodynamic farm that serves the
Town of Danby and
beyond."
- Emily Butler
planned for the land it retains.
Three Swallows Farm is part of
a farming cooperative called Full
Plate Collective, along with
Remembrance Farm and Vital
Roots Farm, which are biodynamic
farms on Steam Mill Road in Danby,
and Stick and Stone Farm, which
grows
organic
produce
on
Trumansburg Road near Cayuga
Medical Center. Together, Full Plate
Collective
serves
over
250
Community Supported Agriculture
members, and offers share discounts for those who sign up early.
Three Swallows Farm is doing
well, but it has faced its share of
difficulties. Last November the
large barn that housed Jeff
Marianni’s workshop and farming
equipment collapsed due to strong
winds. Marianni and the Ithaca
Waldorf Initiative are hopeful that
the original barn foundation will
be salvaged for a structure that will
be useful to the farm.
Butler says that Ithaca Waldorf
Initiative and Three Swallows
Farm appreciate the help of community members who helped clean
up the site and offered support.
More money must to be raised
before the construction of a new
building. IWI was awaiting grant
approval for restoration of the barn
when it collapsed nearly a year ago.
Ithaca Waldorf Initiative supports an array of programs and
events in addition to the Peach
Blossom Kindergarten in Danby.
They have a downtown presence in
Ithaca, and offer two programs at
the Southside Community Center
on South Plain Street. The Apple
Blossom Kindergarten is a morning program twice a week for children ages 3 to 5, and the Sunflower
program is a parent-child group
that serves families with infants up
to 2-and-a-half years old. Both programs are led by Waldorf teacher
Karen Lonsky.
In Lansing, a Season to Remember
While it was hard to find a patch of
blue sky in Tompkins County this
week, the atmosphere seemed
sunny enough, even bright and
cheerful, on the campus of Lansing
High School, where the fall sports
programs, especially at the varsity
level, have dominated the opposition, once again, with uncanny
panache and a predictable string of
victories.
On a drenching, cold Friday, even
the weather yielded to reason and
the rain stopped an hour or two
before the 7 p.m. kickoff for a football team firing on all cylinders,
giving the unbeaten Bobcats and
their fans clear conditions for the
night game.
Hundreds of fans showed up, and
on a soggy field the Bobcats
promptly jumped on top of Dryden
with a 27-0 first half performance
that left no doubts as to who was in
charge. The team, in fact, has been
in charge all season, running up an
8-0 record that includes no points
yielded on their home field and
just13 points scored against the
squad to date.
Earlier in the season, Tioga managed to score 6 points against the
Bobcats. Spencer Van Etten scored
a touchdown and an extra point.
But no one else could manage to get
the ball into the end zone or put one
through the uprights, the team’s
dominance peaking with a 55-0
game against Newark Valley.
It’s been a season filled with
exclamation points, and one that
senior middle linebacker Kyle
Christopher says belongs to the
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players up front. "We’ve been so
good because of our lineman on
offense," he said. "We wouldn’t be
anywhere if it wasn’t for them."
The fall season has seen teams
that are both humble and dominating, with enough pride to spare the
opponents some dignity. There’s
been good team play all around,
coaches and parents say, with few
stars, heroes or standouts.
"I think they’ve learned the concept of team," said high school
principal Michelle Stone at the
Senior Night girl’s volleyball game.
"Homecoming night the spirits
were high; it was one of the best
we’ve ever had," she said. "The kids
really work together and support
each other, which is the best part."
The Bobcat volleyball team has
done its part as well, working
together and supporting each other.
On Senior Night the team took it to
Ithaca High School, a much larger
school, winning the first game 25-12
and running up a 19-5 margin in the
second game.
While Stone’s head was turned,
senior Veronica Glennon dove to
the floor out of bounds and plunked
a pretty setup shot almost off the
floor and over her shoulder. Senior
spiker Marlene Van Es found the
ball in a perfect placement at the
center of the net, rose off the floor
and slammed it home for a demonstrative point.
It looked like another quick night
for the Bobcats, who do their warmups with a sound system blasting
tunes like "Save A Horse, Ride A
Cowboy," then go out and spare
nobody’s hide. The leaping lady
Bobcats went 12-2 this season and,
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times to fuel the fire. "We didn’t
expect to win everything this year,"
Christopher says of the football
team. "We just play with tradition
and pride and dignity."
In the gym, it was an emotional
last home stand for a volleyball
team studded with seniors. Next
year might be tough, and the close
of a good season is hard to accept,
says Cindy Van Es, Marlene’s mother. "It’s been a wonderful last season, but for a parent it’s bittersweet, and I hate to see it end," she
says.
Photo ©2006 by Virginia Colket
By Anthony Hall
What’s Next?
Lansing's Bobcat has had plenty to cheer The postseason, of course.
The football team plays a secabout this fall.
tional semi-final game on Saturday
like every Lansing High team, has a
postseason to look forward to.
It’s been that kind of year. Pretty
passes find their receivers; Vince
Redmond to Curtis Fenner is
almost routine, and receivers slice
through secondary defenses.
"I’ve never seen a run like this,
anywhere," school superintendent
Mark Lewis says. That’s because he
wasn’t here two years ago. While
this year’s swim team went 12-0,
boys’ soccer chalked up a 15-3-1
record. Girls’ soccer went 15-1.
Boys’ cross-country went 3-1 and
girls’ cross-country went 2-2.
In total, Lansing varsity sports
this fall amassed a 67-9-1 record in
collectively winning at an 87 percent clip. And that isn’t even a
school record. Two years ago, fall
sports went 58-7-1, for a winning
percentage of 88 percent.
Lansing has had its share of good
years, but there are enough down
against Greene at Binghamton
Alumni Stadium, starting at 7 p.m.
Boys’ soccer is in the Section IV
Class B tournament. They play
Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Chenango
Forks in a quarterfinal contest.
Girls’ soccer had a Section IV
Class B tournament game on
Wednesday. If they win, they play
Saturday at Chenango Valley in a
quarterfinal game.
The volleyball team plays in the
IAC championships at Horseheads.
Four teams compete in pool play.
Sectional championships begin on
Saturday.
The IAC swimming championships
were
Saturday
at
Horseheads. The sectional preliminaries will be hosted by Lansing,
with the finals set for Saturday.
Boys’ and girls’ cross-country run
in the IAC championships at
Marathon. Sectionals start next
Thursday at Chenango Valley.
Elect
Tim Little
Tompkins County
Sheriff
“I’ve been a certified law enforcement officer and a Deputy at the Tompkins County
Sheriff’s Office for 7 years; and I have
served previously as a member of the
Ithaca City School Board.
I believe that management is a lot more than just budget oversight.
Management also includes being an effective communicator, advocate and having a law enforcement background.
My Goals include:
Create a traffic division to put more deputies in patrol
cars and answer the numerous complaints caused by people driving too fast on our area roads.
Create a Juvenile/Sex offender Investigator. It is
unfortunate that juvenile crimes and sex crimes are on the rise.
The Criminal Investigative Division is currently understaffed, and
have large case loads. Juvenile investigators focus not only on
solving crimes committed by juveniles, but also educating
Juveniles about the law so they don’t become offenders. If we can
educate and enforce, we can bring those figures back down.
Improve Communication both in and outside the Sheriff’s
Department.
Safety is the number one concern for the Tompkins County
Sheriff’s Office. I believe that there needs to be a different focus
when it comes to the safety of the residents and staff. The purchasing of equipment is good but if you do not invest in the staff
that uses that equipment then the equipment is useless. The more
you invest in the individuals that are providing the service, the better service they will provide.
To learn more please visit
www.timlittle4sheriff.com
Please Vote Tuesday November 7th
Paid for by the Committe to Elect Tim Little
Tompkins Weekly
October 30 3
City Schools Ponder Bond for Buildings
By Glynis Hart
It’s a typical Ithaca autumn day,
with a cold rain coming down on
the dogwalkers and the kids waiting at the bus stop. For students at
Dewitt Middle School in Ithaca, it’s
also raining inside the building. It’s
a situation the school district
would like to address through a
comprehensive bond issue.
"The roof leaks in the library,
both gyms, and some of the classrooms," says one DeWitt student.
Carlene Corey, the assistant head
custodian at Dewitt, explains,
"There are different spots where the
rubber roof has a crack or a split in
it. They keep coming and patching
it. That keeps us dry, but the roof
definitely needs replacing. It hasn’t
been done in quite a few years."
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Down at the high school, 100
orchestra students are practicing
in a space built for 62. As any parent who’s been to a concert at Kulp
Auditorium can attest, the bathrooms (one stall apiece) there are
inadequate. Performers who use
Kulp are well-advised to change in
their cars. "There are currently no
changing rooms, and it is not
uncommon to find that a faculty
office, or an instrument storage
room has been converted to a
makeshift dressing room, putting
the contents and security of those
rooms at risk," writes George
Myers, the Ithaca High School
orchestra director.
The drama teacher and the band
teachers have to move and fold, or
unfold 100 chairs and 50 music
stands at the start of every class.
"Notwithstanding the fact that custodial help, the norm until 2003, is
no longer provided, the situation
begs for a designated space for each
ensemble," Myers explains.
To address leaky roofs, overcrowded students, and other similar
concerns, the Ithaca school board is
considering a bond for facilities and
infrastructure. Unlike the smaller
bond issued in 2000 to upgrade technology in the schools, this one will
be expensive, ranging from $20 mil-
lion to $40 million.
Superintendent Judith Pastel
distributed a memo throughout the
schools last year asking staff, custodial and maintenance workers to
develop a list of needed repairs.
These repairs were prioritized by
each school’s representatives.
Then, the long list of projects went
before the school board.
"The only other way to pay for
these repairs would be to save up
the money. Our operating budget is
$87 million, so saving up $20 million
or $40 million could take a long
time," says board member Deborah
O’Connor. "Personally, I feel we
should be putting more money into
yearly maintenance, but you can’t
always predict what will happen."
She cites a hailstorm at Northeast Elementary School that caused
a substantial damage, and the fact
that the air conditioning system at
Boynton Middle School is 30 years
old. "You have to go up on the roof
to fix it, and who knows what that
does to the roof," O’Connor says.
"There were things we could get
fixed by our own people and some
items that eliminated each other,"
she adds. "For the big ticket items
we need to go out to the public for a
bond. Right now we’re still in the
discussion phase."
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If the board decides to pursue a
building improvement bond they
will set a date for a referendum.
And if the voters approve the issue,
the money will be made available
over the next five to eight years.
"Hopefully it won’t take five years
to fix the roof at Dewitt," O’Connor
says.
Board member Thomas Frank
notes the difficulty of asking taxpayers to approve a bond in a year
when they’re already under a lot of
fiscal pressure. "Basic infrastructure work, like replacing the boiler
in your school or a roof that’s come
to the end of its useful life, is the
kind of thing taxpayers tend to support. There are other areas that
arguably need an infusion of work.
Kulp would be a good example.
Whether or not it makes sense to
expand Kulp, that’s a different kind
of conversation," he says.
There are no booster groups for
facilities,
Franks
adds.
"Historically it’s been really difficult to have an operating budget
that covers all the maintenance the
buildings need." As a result, some
of the bond money would go toward
costs that should have been covered
in the operating budget.
"It’s a lot of money," Frank points
out. But floating a large bond
makes financial sense in that it
locks in the interest rate, rather
than coming back to the taxpayers
in a year or two with a small bond,
then another small bond, and
shouldering the rising interest rate
associated with that strategy, he
says. Further, he says, the advantage of a large bond issue is that if
the district does enough work on a
particular building, some incidental costs are covered, such as new
desks or chairs.
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Tompkins Weekly
October 30
our 30t
h Ye a r
414 N. Meadow St. (Rt. 13 at Esty St.)
O p e n M o n – F r i 9 t o 5 , S a t ’ til 4 • 272-2650
By Sue Henninger
The
Trumansburg
Citizens
Advisory Committee (CAC) evolved
to help the community get accurate
information
about
the
Trumansburg School system. Over
time, CAC members realized that
school district budget problems
were more macro-scale in nature
and that state-governed revenue
items were high on the list of why
school districts were having difficulty keeping their budgets within
a range that was acceptable to the
community.
"It’s not the school causing the
problem, it is the state distribution
of funds, along with their required
mandates," says CAC member Ron
MacLean, who formed PACE
(Political
Action
Concerning
Education) in an effort to drum up
interest in, and influence, New
York State policies regarding fund
distribution and mandates.
To that end, a public forum on
"New
York
State
Policies—
Financial and Educational Impact
on School Districts" was held Oct.
24 at Trumansburg High School featuring Assemblywoman Barbara
Lifton and Jim Rohan, her challenger this year for the 125th
District seat. Other state candidates were invited to the event but
declined to attend.
Lifton noted her background as a
high school teacher as well as her
current work in the legislature. She
provided the audience with a summary of how she feels Governor
Pataki’s "de-funding education"
policies have forced school districts
to compensate by raising property
taxes to keep their budgets under
control.
Rohan cited his job as the assistant bursar at Cornell, in which he
is charged with making sure that
"dollars go where they need to go."
One of his primary goals would be
to "marry" local colleges with hightech industries to increase jobs in
this area. He proposes to create a
program in which students receive
scholarships and training or education in exchange for a commitment
to a service/employment period in
the State of New York.
The audience then questioned
the candidates, beginning with how
they would address high property
tax rates, combined with rising
costs of health insurance and
retirement plans.
Lifton said she has been fighting
to get more money for under-funded schools. She also believes that
the fiscal squeeze on local residents
is a result of the current tax-cut
policies that mirror federal efforts
by shifting fiscal responsibility for
school funding from Albany to local
districts.
Rohan replied that, in terms of
Lifton’s criticism of the current
governor, there are three branches
running the state government and
that the Senate, the Assembly, and
the governor all must take responsibility for the current fiscal difficulties of school districts.
He would encourage the Senate
and Assembly to collaborate on
helping schools institute new policies. One of Rohan’s ideas for
change is to form voluntary "exper-
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lifton, Rohan Debate Education Issues
Barbar Lifton and Jim Rohan, left, were invited by the PACE group in Trumansburg to talk
about state funding for education, as well required testing in the schools.
tise" teams from Albany to send to
school districts (instead of dollars)
to assist them in implementing new
policies or to offer advice on making
projects, such as capital
improvements, more cost-effective.
Addressing a query about changing the current state aid formula,
Rohan stated that he would begin
by determining how the formula is
calculated, and then he would
share that information to discover
possible changes.
Lifton believes that, though
changes are not yet apparent to the
general public, increasing political
pressure and lobbying from superintendents and school boards
regarding state aid will have an
effect in the coming years.
The audience also questioned
why the current state government
can’t provide funding prior to issuing mandates. Rohan feels that
some mandates should not be
applied to all districts equally. He
proposed an "excuse me" clause
that would allow a district to
request to be excused from certain
mandates.
Lifton said the fact that state
leaders have not spent time in the
schools is reflected in their policies. She noted that she is committed to changing the current policies
and believes that all elected officials need to give clearer directives
to school districts.
The candidates’ positions on the
No Child Left Behind Act were also
addressed. Lifton said that while
the state commissioner of education approves of the act, many
teachers that she has spoken to find
it difficult to implement. Rohan
said that he supports the act and
would look at specific ways to
improve upon it, such as extending
the school day by an hour or reevaluating current curricula.
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Tompkins Weekly
October 30 5
Editorial
Letters
Planning Ahead A Good Idea
Meskill Is Best Choice
By Jay Wrolstad
Nobody likesto be told what to do,
especially regardingpersonal property. But when it comes to the common good, what’s best for the community as a whole, there should be
some guidelines in place to establish the best uses for open spaces or
property transfers that involve
changes in the use of certain properties.
The mere mention of such guidelines often raises the hackles of
people in rural areas who fear
what they see as the dreaded “Z”
word — zoning — encroaching on
their rights. It’s worth noting,
though, that some smaller communities, such as Caroline, Danby and
Enfield, are taking a more cautious,
nuanced approach to planning.
These towns and villages are taking a proactive approach to strategic planning in recognition of the
fact that it’s only a matter of time
before urban sprawl reaches their
borders
In Newfield, talk of establishing
a planning board has reached a
head, with local officials going to
great lengths to explain they have
no intention of establishing strict
zoning laws.
Likewise, in Caroline, the strategy is to develop a comprehensive
plan that relies on public input, and
volunteers, to determine the best
course of action when it comes to
issues ranging from using alternative energy sources such as windmills and solar panels that may
impact the landscape as well as
neighbors.
With most local planning boards
the idea is to examine each proposal on its own merits, rather than
using broad rules and regulations,
although such measures may be
required in certain instances.
So, the issue becomes, do you
want to be a part of the solution,
and contribute to setting the direction for your community, or do you
want to “stay the course” and let
development occur without any
direction?
Getting involved, instead of
drawinga line in the sand, does
require a commitment of time and
some hard work, but that effort will
pay off in the long run with
improvements that fit the nature of
a given town or village. And it
means that some tough decision
will have to be made.
We encourage those communities that are thinking ahead about
what they want, and don’t want, to
see happen as these areas
inevitably grow. It’s not an all-ornothing proposition; it’s a matter of
considering all of the options on
the table and making the right decisions based on a consensus.
Contact Us:
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Peter Meskill should be reelected
Tompkins County Sheriff. With
eight years experience in the job,
Sheriff Meskill is the only candidate whose background includes
supervising a large, diverse department and managing a very complicated budget. With our safety at
stake, we can’t risk having someone
learn on the job.
A county legislator for five years
before becoming Sheriff, Peter has
a thorough knowledge of other
county departments and agencies.
This is essential because the
Sheriff has to work with many
partners in the justice system as
well as with other law enforcement
agencies and the Legislature.
Sheriff Meskill has been part of
the county’s efforts to safely reduce
jail population and help offenders
turn their lives around. Back in
2000, when the Legislature was considering whether to expand the jail,
Peter spoke in favor of trying alternatives to incarceration rather
than just building more cells. At the
time it was a bold position; since
then, every drug court graduation
and addict-turned-taxpayer have
proven it was the right one to take.
Peter’s commitment continues
today. For example, he is collaborating with DSS, Probation and OAR
on a program to help inmates reintegrate into community life upon
release, to help them stay out of
jail.
In addition, Peter is a member of
"Fight Crime: Invest in Kids," a
national organization that takes
the long view of community safety.
He understands that trhese efforts
make our community safer.
Martha Robertson
Town of Dryden
Makar for Dryden Board
Of the candidates for town board in
Dryden, one stands out. Dave
Makar represents me and my values. He believes in giving back to
the community, in supporting local
businesses, in promoting alternative energy, and in improving our
local technology. Dave volunteers
for the Varna Fire Department and
Alternatives Federal Credit Union.
He takes the time to get to know
a variety of community members
and does what he can to support
them, whether that is shopping at
local businesses or volunteering
his time. I’m confident that Dave
will be a board member who listens
to community needs and concerns
and uses town resources, monetary
and otherwise, to move the Town of
Dryden forward. Please join me in
supporting Dave Makar for Dryden
Town Board.
Christa B. Downey
Town of Dryden
Before meeting David Makar, I saw
voting as the insurance of the "lesser of two evils" in office. I always
believed, however, that somewhere
there were candidates with brilliant, innovative minds that would
serve the public well. David is one
of these people.
David is running for Dryden
Town Board in order to give back to
his community and make a positive
difference in the world. Since
knowing him I see that voting in
local elections is the first step in
creating a better world.
I live in the Town of Ithaca, and
cannot vote for David. But I thank
him for helping me see that voting
is not just a choice between the
"lesser of two evils.".
Arjan Jennifer Crimi
Town of Ithaca
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Contributors:
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Sandie Sharp
Teresa Sharp
Home • Auto • Business
273-4732
401 N. Aurora St., Ithaca
6
Tompkins Weekly
October 30
continued from page 1
Street Beat
Dryden Race
board before his appointment last
year.
Makar volunteers with the Varna
Fire Department and runs a Web
site design business from his home
on Route 79 near Besemer Hill
Road. In a recent interview Makar
noted the town needs complete cell
phone coverage and an array of
options for Internet access in order
to increase its competitive edge in
attracting new businesses and residents.
"We can do more to make Dryden
a place where people can grow a
businesses," he says. "I feel like
sometimes I go to town board meetings and watch people do the same
thing every month. And nothing
new gets proposed."
Makar would like to see more
loans and grants to spur new business in the Route 366-Route 13 intersection and the addition of public
parking and sidewalks to increase
that location’s viability as a commercial district.
He also said the town’s new
home-produced energy ordinance
needs to expand, "so farmers who
have land and have wind can make
use of it."
Tier says the new energy ordinance is a starting point that could
adapt as town’s needs evolve. He
cites an option to apply for a variance so that landowners can propose a plan that may be above and
beyond the current restrictions.
The ordinance established guidelines for wind and solar systems
installed on private properties,
whereas the lack of an ordinance
prevented such projects, Tier says
"Is there room for improvement in
the document?
Most certainly
there is," he says. But the initial
goal was to avoid getting locked
into a months-long debate in search
of the perfect ordinance, says Tier.
Tier also said the town board
needs to take "a long view" of the
needs of emergency services. The
town board, he says, is considering
hiring a consultant or a coordinator who would oversee emergency
services. Given that choice, Tier
favors a long-term coordinator who
would be charged with mapping out
continuity in the Town’s emergency response efforts.
As for improved cell phone coverage in town, Tier says the goal is
agreeable, but notes that this is a
commercially driven issue. "If a
[communications] company doesn’t
find it economically feasible to do,
they’re not going to do it," he said.
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The word on the street from around
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By Virginia Colket
Question: Do you vote, and if so, why ?
"Yes. I vote because I am a firm
believer in the democratic
process."
Daniel Tier
- Tom Paolangeli, Ithaca
"Of course. It's my obligation."
- Michelle Griego,Trumansburg
David Makar
"Yes. If I don't vote, I can't complain. That, in addition to my
duty as a citizen."
- Georgia Eastman, Lansing
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Tompkins Weekly
October 30 7
By Mike Levy
The Ithaca Town Board will hold a
public hearing on Nov. 9 on the proposed 2007 budget. The tentative
spending plan calls for no increase
over last year’s tax rate of $1.68 per
$1,000 of assessment and a 2.8 percent increase in the total tax levy.
Town Supervisor Catherine
Valentino credits moderate growth
and shrewd planning for the steady
tax rate. "You can keep the rate the
same because you’ve had some
growth," says Valentino. "If you
have a lot of growth, sometimes
you can lower the rate, but in reality these days nobody sees these
things happen. In some ways, you
don’t want to grow too fast because
that’s a cost on our infrastructure."
New development, mainly on
South Hill and West Hill, accounted
for most of the increase in the tax
levy. That and some home renovation, Valentino says, accounted for
$22 million in additional taxable
property in the town, resulting in a
tax levy of $1.7 million. "In the
town, all of our growth has been
where there’s already infrastructure," says Valentino.
While there was little change
among most items on the budget, a
few new projects stand out. These
include funding for new sidewalks
and the planned Gateway Trail that
will link with the Black Diamond
Trail, a 16-mile stretch that, when
complete, will connect Treman
State Park with Buttermilk Falls,
Treman Marina and Taughannock
Falls parks.
"The Coddington Road walkway
helps connect our walkways
throughout the whole town," says
Valentino. "We have a long-range
plan to eventually build trails and
walkways that would interconnect
so people could travel pretty much
not had to carry a lot of debt," she
says. "Instead of paying debt service, we’ve been able to keep taxes
down or we’ve been able to provide
services for people."
Valentino is quick to give some
credit for the steady budget to town
hall staff. "I think we’re all pleased
with the hard work everyone’s put
While the basic tax rate remains the same, some
town residents will see different numbers on the
tax bills, depending upon variables such as water
and sewer lines, as well as lighting.
the whole community without a
car." Also included in the budget is
a sidewalk for a stretch of Honess
Lane that will connect to the existing sidewalk on State Street (Route
79), what Valentino calls "a short
link to help people be able to walk
safely."
While the Gateway Trail appears
on the budget as an expense of
more than $200,000, the funds will
return to the town in the form of a
federal grant. "It’s only a great
grant if it’s something you really
need," says Valentino. If the town
ends up matching grant funds for
something unnecessary, she says,
"you really haven’t helped anybody."
Obtaining such grants, Valentino
says, is just one way municipalities
can save money and keep costs
down for taxpayers. "The town has
into it," she says. She also credits
the staff with keeping health care
costs down. Though not reflected in
the current budget, the town
reduced its health care costs by 2
percent last year for a savings of
$90,000. Health care costs, the
increase in the price in gasoline
and unfunded mandates all make
budgeting more trying.
"Counties are feeling the pressure of unfunded mandates," says
Valentino. "Storm water management is going to be very costly.
[The state] mandated it but there’s
no funding for it." The same goes
for hazard mitigation, or planning
against environmental and terrorist disasters. "You hear that they’re
going to send you money,"
Valentino says, "but they haven’t."
Valentino says that mandates
tend to "trickle down" from higher
levels of government. "If the counties can’t afford something they
start to turn to the towns. The
towns are the last stop along the
way," she says. "There’s no more
trickle down from here."
To reduce the likelihood of error,
the Town of Ithaca places several
checks into the budgetary process.
There is the mandatory annual
audit by the state comptroller as
well as a review by Sciarabba
Walker, local auditors hired by the
town. "They’ll talk to you if you get
too high of a debt," says Valentino.
"Independent
auditors
aren’t
required by law. We always do
them."
While the basic tax rate remains
the same, some town residents will
see different numbers on their tax
bills. This will depend on variables
such as water and sewer lines as
well as lighting that has been
installed at the request of certain
neighborhoods.
"People that have lighting districts will see a big decrease in
their payments on their tax bill that
will come out in January," says
Valentino, who points out that the
town overestimated the bill for
2006. Those in lighting districts will
get a break in 2007, though "it’s just
a one-year thing," says Valentino.
Barring complications, the board
will likely vote on the budget during the Nov. 9 meeting. The proposed budget can be viewed on the
town’s Web site, www.town.ithaca.ny.us.
House Is a Fright, But It's All in Fun
By S.K. List
Three weeks ago, a visitor on Todd
Herron’s porch looked over the
orange pumpkin lights, the drifting
gray shrouds, dangling spiders,
crouching rats and spectral glowin-the-dark hands clutching a railing, and asked, "Do you think this
is maybe a little much?"
"This?" Herron gasped. "This is
nothing!"
Indeed. Herron’s been embellishing almost daily, and on Halloween
night trick-or-treaters approaching
his Tioga Street lair had best
beware. A skeletal ghoul oozes
around a pillar, amidst huge links
of chain. Lighted jack o’ lanterns
leer from the upper and lower
porches while hypnotic strobe
lights and a dizzying disco ball cast
eerie patterns in every direction.
Black crepe drapes the upstairs
porch, and from the attic a glowing
pumpkin glares down at the street.
A pirate’s chest coughs forth a dismembered limb as haunting music
wafts out to the sidewalk.
Overhead, a blood-red gargoyle
emerges, and, at the top of the
steps, seated on a throne perched
over the bubbling mist of a fog
machine, a cauldron of sweets at
his side awaiting the courageous,
will be Herron himself, decked out
in full pirate regalia.
Long-term Fall Creek residents
know that, each year, Herron’s
Halloween décor surpasses itself.
"It just evolved," he says. "My birthday’s near Halloween and, as a kid,
my birthday parties were always
Halloween parties. I always have a
theme with my decorations. They
tend to revolve around the Devil,"
he laughs, "and usually have something to do with the movies,
because my partner and I are such
big movie fans." In his real life,
Herron is the manager of the
Ithaca Bakery on Meadow Street.
But something about Halloween
strikes a deeper chord and spurs
his inspirations. "It means you’re
able to express yourself outside the
box. It’s a passport to other parts of
yourself—of myself," he adds
thoughtfully—"and other parts of
my psyche."
Turning that mood to his decorations, Herron capitalizes upon
the erosions of time. "The rattier
they get, the better. The webs get
leaves and stuff caught in them,
and that’s great.
"I love to garden," he continues,
looking up at his bursting window
boxes and lush containers, "and at
this time of year, as my plants
begin to die, that decay just makes
it all look so much the better."
Herron doesn’t shrink from spooking little trick-or-treaters, even
though he’s occasionally been
scolded by fretful moms. "Scaring
the kids is the best part!" he
exclaims. "That’s what Halloween
is about! It’s about testing your
endurance and facing up to what’s
scary. I’ve seen kids standing on the
sidewalk, staring, and they’re just
too scared to come up. But then
they say, ‘Next year, I’m gonna be
up there!’ I think it’s all part of the
fun, as long as it’s not malicious."
He waves at his creations: "It’s all
make-believe. It’s playful."
College students have come by to
film the house, Herron says, "And
Town of Ithaca Sets Spending Plan
To Todd Herron, Halloween is all about testing your endurance and facing up to what's scary.
families come for photo-ops …
People will send me pictures years
later." Three teenagers who’d
grown up on Herron’s tricks and
treats even devised a special skit
and song to show their appreciation for his efforts. "It was so touching," he says.
Given his outlay in time, energy
and cold cash ("We won’t talk about
my budget," he winces), his visitor
jokes that maybe he should charge
admission. But he’s adamant.
"No, no," he says emphatically, "this
is my gift to the community."
If you’re ready to have the pants
scared off you and yours this
Halloween, Todd Herron will hold
forth from his throne at 919 North
Tioga St., starting about dusk.
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Tompkins Weekly
October 30
Tompkins Weekly
October 30 9
Apple Fest Draws Crowd in Brooktondale
Brooktondale’s Apple Fest got
underway amid breezy but mild
autumn skies with a large turnout
for the annual event. The
Brooktondale Community Center’s
front parking lot had vendors, a
boat display by the local Boy Scout
troop and a safety exhibit provided
by the Slaterville Springs Fire
Department.
Slaterville’s ambulance was on
display, with driver David Jones
dispensing public safety information. "We’ve had quite a few calls
this year and this information
we’re providing will hopefully keep
those numbers down," Jones says.
Upon entering the doors of the
BCC the first thing visitors encountered was the beautiful, handmade
quilt
raffled
off
by
the
Brooktondale Quilters. The aroma
of food drew people further inside,
where the center was filled with
people and teeming with activity.
Festival attendees could be seen
seated at long tables enjoying the
edibles being served from window
counter in the kitchen. The kitchen
staff included Mark Hall and
Gretchen Gilbert, who were working to keep up with the line of people waiting to be served dishes such
as chili, corn chowder, slices of
assorted pies, cake and ice cream.
Sandy Schoenfeldt’s colorful
cherry pit pillows were doing brisk
sales and Molly Adams had postcards
of
scenes
from
Brooktondale’s past available for
purchase as well as T-shirts. Music
was provided by The Six Mile
Creek Boys, so named because the
Photos by Jay Wrolstad
By Ann Krajewski
musicians all live in that area.
They include Mike Tolomeo, Chad
Nobelli, Brian Donovan and frontman Rich Anderson, who says,
"Our sound is a blend of country
and blues and we play at a lot of
community events."
The Silent Auction garnered a
wide range of items up for bid, with
merchandise ranging from household furniture, glassware and dolls
to a box curiously labeled "Pure
Tibetan Herbal Medicine." Twentyfive cents on the correct number at
the cake wheel netted the winner
one of dozens of homemade cakes
created by local residents, and spin
master Mark Jacoby looked to be
having a blast working the table.
One of the goals of the Apple
Fest is to bake and sell 500 pies all
Don Barber brought Prince and Star, above,
to the festival, while Lori Marcin, below,
introduced some of her alpacas to visitors.
made by local volunteers with proceeds going to help defray the costs
of the BCC. Debra Petersen Moore,
one of the volunteers hustling
about the pie counter, says, "We’ve
made pretty close to that number
and hope to sell all of them."
Behind the building, the lawn
had animals to pet and ride. Lori
Marcin, owner of Phoenix Rising
Alpacas on Slaterville Road, and
her daughter Kelsey were showing
off some of their animals, instructing people wanting to touch them to
stroke their necks. "Alpacas are
prey animals," Lori explains, "so
they get nervous if you try to pat
them on the head."
The 4-H Tail Waggers Club was
on hand to showcase the talents of
their dogs, who were being put
through their paces on the obstacle
course. "We train them for obedience and agility," says club member
Emily Nedrow. "They’re like a drill
team for dogs." The canines compete at shows at the New York State
Fair and Cornell.
Children were petting miniature
ponies, while others paid a dollar
for a ride on one of the Shetlands.
One of the most memorable
sights of the festival was Don
Barber’s magnificent Belgian horses, Prince and Star, pulling a large
wagon driven by Barber. These
giant equines, comparable in size to
Clydesdales, stand nearly seven feet
high and weigh more than a ton
and three quarters between them.
As the wagon pulled away with
smiling people on board, the visitors waved to onlookers as the day
closed in on the end of another successful Brooktondale tradition.
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Tompkins Weekly
October 30
Local Offices in Ithaca and Cortland
Schools See Exercise As Natural Remedy
By Laura Ulrich
Many of today’s kids are popping
Ritalin and Prozac when parents
really should be handing them a
jump rope, a basketball, or a pair of
rollerblades, according to a New
York researcher and school superintendent.
Dr. Michael Wendt, superintendent of the Wilson Central School
District, conducted a study at
SUNY Buffalo showing that kids
with
Attention
Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
feel and behave better when they
exercise intensely. Wendt designed
a program based on his research,
and this fall, a group of elementary
students in Newfield will experience it firsthand.
Newfield physical education
teachers
David
Green
and
Christine Williams are instituting
the new program this fall, known
as "KEEP 57," shorthand for "kid’s
early exercise program, five to
seven days a week." Fourteen
fourth- and fifth-graders are
enrolled in the by-invitation program, set to begin Oct. 30.
"In today’s society, parents
encounter many forces pushing
drugs for ADHD and other behavioral problems," says Williams, who
has taught at Newfield for 12 years.
"We had seen an increase in behavioral problems at school, but we
wanted a more natural approach.
We didn’t focus on selecting kids
with ADHD or other diagnoses for
the program. We talked to parents
and teachers and invited the kids
we thought would benefit the
most."
Children in the program will
engage in 40-minute exercise sessions five days a week supervised
by Williams and Green. They’ll
play games like basketball and soccer, or they’ll circuit train, jog, or
jump rope. What they won’t do, at
least not often, is sit down. What
makes the program different from
other kids’ recreation programs
and PE class is its focus on highintensity exercise lasting a specific
length of time. After a 10-minute
warm-up, kids will be expected to
keep their heart rates between 135
and 175 beats per minute for 20 minutes—something that often doesn’t
happen for young children even
during organized sports, since
much of the time is spent learning
skills and waiting your turn.
During sessions, kids will periodically be asked to grab a barshaped electronic heart rate monitor to have their heart rates measured. "Exercising at this intensity
actually creates chemical changes
in a child’s body," Williams says. "It
increases healthy chemicals like
endorphins, dopamine, epinephrine and serotonin, and increases
blood flow to the brain, which is
very important for brain development. The result is a child who is
more focused, happier, less argumentative, and doing better academically.
"Many adults know that when
they hit the gym or go for a run,
they’re happier, more relaxed, and
more productive, but kids often
don’t have access to that kind of
exercise—it’s all designed for
adults, but kids need it just as
much," Williams adds.
Newfield parents who attended a
recent informational meeting are
eager for the program to start,
Williams says, and if the Newfield
results resemble those of Wendt’s
original study, they may indeed
have something to celebrate. The
overall behavior of the children in
Wendt’s trial improved after two
weeks, and continued to improve
throughout the six-week program.
The most noticeable result was a
drop in "conflict" and "oppositional" behaviors.
In Newfield, parents will be
asked to provide information about
their child’s behavior and moods at
home as the program progresses
using standardized rating scales,
and teachers will also collect data
using the scales.
"It’s important to point out that
this program is not a punishment
for the kids involved," Williams
says. "It’s an opportunity for them
to do something positive and feel
better."
"The kids can’t wait for it to
start," adds Vicki Volpicelli,
Newfield Elementary School principal. "They feel like they are getting to do something special."
At the end of the six-week program, Williams, Green and
Newfield
administrators
will
assess how well the program
worked and decide whether to continue offering it. Williams expects
the results to be good. "What’s great
about this is that it isn’t a wild, new
idea—there is a lot of evidence to
back it up," she says. "It’s a basic
approach that would benefit any
child, or any adult, for that matter.
We really think this program has
the potential to create positive
changes for the kids involved."
For parents of kids who are not
in the program, Williams says the
concept is easy to implement at
home. "Biking, hiking, walking, or
jogging are great options," she says.
"Focus on keeping your child’s
heart rate up for 20 minutes, but be
careful not to push too hard at first.
Remember that your child is just
developing their cardiovascular
endurance. It will be easier for
them to work out in bursts. For
example, split up jogging intervals
with walking.
"Exercising with your child is the
best approach," Williams adds. "By
spending that time with you and
seeing you exercising, too, they will
learn valuable lessons that will
stay with them for the rest of their
lives."
New Principal Settles In at
Groton Elementary School
By Larry Klaes
Groton
Elementary
School
Principal Tim Heller may be new to
the school district, having arrived
in town in June, but he is not new to
either the field or profession of
education. "I was raised by educators," Heller says. "My father was a
principal and my mother was a
teacher. From early on I thought
about becoming a teacher."
Heller went to school at Whitney
Point and received a teaching
degree from SUNY Potsdam. While
in college, the future Groton principal often served as a substitute at
the local schools during his vacation times. He found being a substitute teacher an education in itself.
"Every prospective teacher should
do a year of subbing," says Heller.
Then he took an occupational
and geographical detour—with the
food industry. "I went into food
management in Orlando, Florida,"
Heller says. He still thought about
teaching while in the Sunshine
State, but Florida rules required
that Heller to go back to school to
get certified to teach there, so he
moved back up north.
"I took a long-term subbing position with my former fifth-grade
teacher at Whitney Point," Heller
recalls, which he found to be a valuable experience. However, because
his father was the principal of the
school he grew up in at the time,
state law forbid Heller from working at his alma mater.
Heller did find a teaching job in
the town of Windsor, where he educated and mentored the sixthgraders for nine years.
Heller's first taste of school
administration came when he
moved on to the Maine-Endwell
School District and was part of a
pilot program with the new title
shared elementary assistant principal.
"I worked between that district’s
two elementary schools," Heller
says. "After the first year I was
assigned to head the Maine
Memorial Elementary School." He
remained that school's principal for
Tompkins Weekly
October 30 11
Tompkins County Community Calendar...
October 2006
30 Monday
African Art Mondays, the Museum of
the Earth, 3:30pm.Meet under the right
whale. Enjoy learning about & making
African Art. Info 273-6623 www.museumoftheearth.org
Fall Leaf Hike, Cayuga Nature Center,
starting Sep 25th 10:00am. Visit CNC’s
beautiful grounds to learn about the changing leaves of Finger Lakes region. Join
CNC naturalists for a fun hike discovering
the unique features of fall. 1420
Taughannock Blvd (Route 89). Info
www.CayugaNatureCenter.org 273-6260.
GED Classes, at the Adult Learning
Center, 9am-12pm. Free. Info BOCES 2738804.
GED Classes, at GIAC, 5:30-8:30 pm.
Free. Info BOCES 273-8804.
GIAC Teen Program Game Room,
Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 47pm. 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca.
Grief Support Group for ages 8-12 yrs.
3:30-5pm. Held at the Hospicare Center,
172 E. King Rd. Free. Registration
required: Donna 272-0212
Guided Museum of the Earth
Tours: A Journey Through Time,
The Museum of the Earth, 11:30am. Enjoy
a half hour tour of this museum. Info
www.priweb.org or 273-6623. 1259
Trumansburg Rd., Rt 96
Symposium: Museum in/as Context,
Johnson Museum, 1-2:30pm. Milton Curry,
Cornell Counsil for the Arts director, will host
a converstaion on Museum in/as Context.
Info www.museum.cornell.edu or 254-6464
Tompkins Girls Hockey Association
(TGHA) Open House, The Rink, 6:30pm.
New and continuing skaters participate in
this social event. There will be a special onice welcome as well as off-ice games &
activities. Info www.ithacagirlshockey.com
or 257-3268
31 Tuesday of Halloween
AL-ANON 2nd Chance Meeting open to
anyone affected by another person’s drinking. 7:30pm 257-8080. 518 West Seneca
St., Ithaca, main floor.
Center, 9-noon. Free. Info BOCES 2738804.
Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 47pm. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca.
Basketball 7-9pm Tuesdays at BJM. 2723622
Dia de los Muertes Exhibit Opening
and Costume Party, Spirit and Kitsch
5:30-8pm. Showcasing the Mexican Day of
the Dead, a special display by Mary
Reynolds, Spirit and Kitsch artist. Info
www.spiritandkitsch.com or 277-4914. 210
Elmira Rd.
Little People Big People, Native
American
Customs,
Waterman
Conservation Education Center, 10:3011:30 am. Little people ages 3 & 4 and their
favorite big people are invited to enjoy
nature crafts, short stories & short hikes.
Fee. Info 625-2221 or info@watermancenter.org. 403 Hilton Rd., Apalachin
PeeWee Naturalists, Cayuga Nature
Center., 9:30-11am. A program for preschool children and caregivers to share
nature
in
new
ways.
Fee.
www.CayugaNatureCenter.org. or 273-
6260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd.
Toddler Storytime, Tompkins County
Public Library, 10:30am. Parents and caregivers with children from 16months-3 years.
Every Tuesday. 272-4557 x275
Tot Spot, Ithaca Youth Bureau, 9:3011:30am. Indoor stay and play for children
5months to 5 years & their parents. Fee.
Info 273-8364
Urinetown, The Musical, Ithaca College
Theatre, 8:00pm. Welcome to Urinetown,
where private bathrooms have been made
illegal and everyone must pay a fee to pee.
Satire and comedy are the order of the day
in this hilarious look at resource management and capitalism taken to the extreme.
Tix & info www.kitchentheatre.org 273-4497.
November 2006
1 Wednesday All Saints Day
Book Discussion & Signing with
Michael Lasser, Barnes & Noble, 7pm.
Michael Lasser, co-author of America’s
Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of
Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley, will
happily teach us, entertain us & reminisce
with us for a special evening. Info 273-6784
12
Tompkins Weekly
October 30
or www.BN.com. 614 S. Meadow St
Clean Alternatives, Kitchen Theatre
Company, 7:30pm. An incendiary tale of an
environmentally-friendly family business
afloat in a sea of corporate sharks. Tix & info
www.kitchentheatre.org 273-4497.
Discussion of Natural Features &
Working Landscapes in Tompkins
County, Danby Town Hall, 7-8:30pm. The
meeting is designed to give the public an
opportunity to learn about natural
resources & working landscapes in
Tompkins County, contribute local knowledge, & discuss management & conservation issues. Info 274-5560 or www.tompkins-co.org/planning/NFFA/project.htm.
1830 Danby Rd. Tompkins County
Planning Dept.
Driving Miss Daisy, Syracuse Stage,
820 E. Genesee St, 2& 7:30pm. By tracing
the evolution of the unlikely friendship
between the wealthy, Jewish, and rigid
Miss Daisy and her wise, patient, AfricanAmerican chauffeur, Hoke Uhry crafts a
subtle and insightful examination of aging,
racial prejudice, independence and class.
Info 315-443-3275.
10:00am. Visit CNC’s beautiful grounds to
learn about the changing leaves of Finger
Lakes region. Join CNC naturalists for a
fun hike discovering the unique features of
fall. 1420 Taughannock Blvd (Route 89).
Info www.CayugaNatureCenter.org or 2736260
Food
Addicts
in
Recovery
Anonymous, Cayuga Addiction Recovery
Services Building. 7-8:30pm. There are no
dues, fees, or weigh-ins. Info 387-8329. Crn.
State & Plain Sts., Ithaca.
Center, 9-noon Free. Info BOCES 2738804.
History of Life Seminars Museum of
the Earth, Ithaca. 11:15am-12:45pm. Free.
Info: 273-6623
Little Explorers Storytime 11am.
Borders Books in Pyramid Mall, 257-0444.
Lowery
Stokes
Sims:
Representation in African and
African-American art, The Johnson
Museum, 5pm. Dr. Sims has been engaged
in issues such as funding for the arts, censorship, & freedom of expression. Free.
Info 255-6464 or www.museum.cornell.edu
Center. A program for pre-school children
and caregivers to share nature in new ways.
Fee. Info www.CayugaNatureCenter.org. or
273-6260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd.
Preschool Storytime, Tompkins County
Public Library, 11am. Parents and caregivers with children ages 3 and up. 2724557 x275
Shape a Paperweight at the Walkin Workshop, The Corning Museum of
Glass, 10am-4:30pm. Shape your own colorful paperweight with the help of a trained
professional. Fee. Res made at desk. Info
www.cmog.org. or 974-6467.
Vitreous Adventures,
Corning
Museum of Glass, 1:00pm-2:30pm. Too
old for Little Gather? No problem! Kids
ages 8-12 can participate in free afternoon
workshops with Little Gather performers.
Write songs and stories, dive into underwater archeology, and celebrate the theatrics
of glass! Free. Info (607) 974-3306.
Waldorf Parent Study Group, 7-9pm.
1st & 3rd Wed. For all parents interested in
bringing Waldorf elements into their home.
272-2221
2 Thursday
AL-ANON 2nd Chance Meeting open to
anyone affected by another person’s drinking. 7:30pm 257-8080. 518 West Seneca
St., Ithaca, main floor.
Babies, Books, and Bounce Time,
Tompkins County Public Library, 6:30pm.
Parents and caregivers with children from
birth-18 months. 1st and 3rd Thursday 2724557
Discussion of Natural Features &
Working Landscapes in Tompkins
County, Newfield High School Cafeteria,
7-8:30pm. The meeting is designed to give
the public an opportunity to learn about natural resources & working landscapes in
Tompkins County, contribute local knowledge, & discuss management & conservation issues. Info 274-5560 or www.tompkins-co.org/planning/NFFA/project.htm.
247 Main St., Newfield. Tompkins County
Planning Dept.
820 E. Genesee St, 7:30pm. By tracing the
evolution of the unlikely friendship between
the wealthy, Jewish, and rigid Miss Daisy
and her wise, patient, African-American
chauffeur, Hoke Uhry crafts a subtle and
insightful examination of aging, racial prejudice, independence and class. Info 315443-3275.
Food Run, Clark's Supermarket, 5:30pm.
The Dryden Rotary Club is having a food
run, the winner gets the store to themselves
for 3 minutes to grab as many groceries as
they can. Proceeds benefit the Dryden
Rotary Youth Exchange. Info 592-4779.
Center, 9-noon. Free. BOCES 273-8804.
Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 47pm. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca.
Guided Tours: A Journey Through
Time, the Museum of Earth, 2pm . Weekly
tours sharing the story of Earth and its life
Meet
in
the
Museum
lobby.
Paleontological Research Institution 1259
Trumansburg Road, Route 96 Ithaca Info
273-662
Lecture, The Johnson Museum of Art,
5:15pm. Scholar & gallery owner Francis
Naumann will speak in conjunction with “A
Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism, and More
from the Brandt Collection.” Free. Info 2556464 or www.museum.cornell.edu
Little People Big People, Native
American
Customs,
Waterman
Conservation Education Center, 10:3011:30 am. Little people ages 3 & 4 and their
favorite big people are invited to enjoy
nature crafts, short stories & short hikes.
Fee. Info 625-2221 or info@watermancenter.org. 403 Hilton Rd., Apalachin
National Photography ‘06 Juried
Exhibition, The Main Street Gallery,
Noon-7pm. Now thru Nov 26th. The works
cover a wide spectrum of subject matter as
well as photographic techniques & printing
processes. Info www.mainstreetgal.com or
898-9010. 105 Main St., Groton
Opening Night/Tasting Night, Ithaca
Bakery, 5:30-7:30pm. Customers can sample some excellent New England flavors for
free. Info 273-7110. 400 N. Meadow St.
Center., 9:30-11am. A program for preschool children and caregivers to share
nature
in
new
ways.
Fee.
www.CayugaNatureCenter.org. or 2736260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd.
Prenatal Yoga Classes 5:30-7pm.
Diane Fine. Info fineyoga@yahoo.com 5643690 or dianefineyoga.com
Reel, Kitchen Theatre Kitchen Sink Series,
11pm. New and experimental work by local
and regional artists. Tix & info
Teen
Talk:
A
Group
on
Relationships for Preteens & Young
Teens, Kid Counseling, 5-7pm. The group
will discuss the impact of peer pressure,
social expectations, how to select friends &
dating partners, & improve communication
skills & resolve conflicts with parents & others. Fee. Info 257-0747
Info 273-8364
Tix & info www.kitchentheatre.org 273-4497
Waldorf Enrichment Series 1st
Thursday of every month. 7-8:30 pm. Stone
Circle School, 399 Turkey Hill Road.
Info/RSVP: 272-2221.
Waldorf Parent Toddler Afternoons
Peach Blossom Kindergarten, 23 Nelson
Road. 1-3pm. For ages 2-5. Info/Register:
272-2221.
afloat in a sea of corporate sharks. Tix &
info 273-4497 or www.kitchentheatre.org.
Evening at the Tavern The Bump
Tavern at the Farmers Museum,
Cooperstown 5-8pm. Guests will enjoy an
evening dining experience featuring a fourcourse candlelit meal, period music and
games, and old-fashioned hospitality in the
museum’s historic Bump Tavern. (888)5471450
10am. Visit CNC’s beautiful grounds to
Lakes region. Join CNC naturalists for a
fun hike discovering the unique features of
fall. 1420 Taughannock Blvd (Route 89).
Info www.CayugaNatureCenter.org, 2736260.
Farming the Empire State in the
19th Century: Reflections on the
Past and Ideas for the Future,
Fenimore Art Museum 7-9pm. Thomas
Summerhill, Associate Professor of History
at Michigan State University, will examine
the political, social and economic environment during the 19th century. 1-888-5471450 or www.fenimoreartmuseum.org
Fossil Fridays, Museum of the Earth,
3:30-4:30pm. Offered biweekly. Explore the
history of life through fossils, artwork,
vidoes, & other activities. Ages 7-11yrs.
Included with admission. 273-6623. 1259
Trumansburg Rd.
Friday Night Hike, Cayuga Nature
Center, 8:30pm. Bring the family on this
guided exploration of the trails and woods
at night ending with a small campfire. Don't
forget a flashlight and some marshmallows
if you like. 1420 Taughannock Blvd (Route
89). Info www.CayugaNatureCenter.org,
273-6260
GIAC Teen Program After Hours
Spot 4-midnight. Movies, open gym, game
room, video games, snacks, computers,
skating & more. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St.,
Ithaca.
Girl Scout Cookie Sales, Booth Sales
will be held at The Commons, Cornell,
Ithaca College, Pyramid Mall, Triphammer
Mall, Lowe’s, WalMart, Dollar Tree, & the
P&C’s.
Movie Night, Borders Books in Pyramid
Mall, 6:30-8pm. We’ll show movies that
appeal to kids age 5-10. 257-0444.
Noon-7pm. Now thru Nov 26th. The works
Pajamarama Storytime, Barnes &
Noble, 7pm. Join Tricia as she reads stories
for preschool & elementary age children.
Juice & snacks provided, pj’s welcome. Info
273-6784 or www.BN.com
Reel, Kitchen Theatre Kitchen Sink Series,
11pm. New and experimental work by local
and regional artists. Tix & info
Rookie Reader Storytime, Barnes &
Noble, 10:30am. Join Pam as she reads stories perfect for infants & toddlers. Activities
will follow. Info 273-6784 or www.BN.com
Story Hour at Lansing Community
Library, Old Town Hall, Lansing. 2 yr olds:
10-10:20am. 3 yr olds: 10:30-11am. All children w/ care provider. Info: Susan 266-0266.
Story Hour at Southworth Library,
Dryden, 10am. No sign-up required - just
come and enjoy stroies, activities and
refreshments. We are also looking for volunteer readers for this program. 844-4782.
Tix & info www.kitchentheatre.org or 2734497 or www.kitchentheatre.org.
3 Friday
27th Annual Craft Fair, Southern
Cayuga Central School, 10am-3pm. The fair
offers holiday decorations & gifts, activities
for children 3-5yrs & food. Admission & parking free. Info 315-497-1014 or email
mbrown@ithaca.edu. Rt. 34B, Poplar Ridge
4 Saturday
Adventure Saturday, Cayuga Nature
Center, 11am. Learn the basics of crafting
natural structures using only rope and
whatever else nature provides. Then help
us make something awesome. This program is appropriate for all ages. 1420
www.Cayuga NatureCenter.org or 2736260.
Art-full Family Saturday at the Johnson
Museum 10:00 a.m.-Noon. Mrs. McPuppet
brings baskets and well-traveled suitcases
full of puppets and costumes for a bit of theatrics, music, & fun. Fees & info 255-6464
or www.museum.cornell.edu
A Thousand Shades of Green, Cornell
Planataions, 9am-3pm. Join Ithaca artist
Camille Doucet for an exploration of the
color green & learn how you can transform
color from trial & error activity into a reliable
process. Fee. Pre-reg req. Info & reg.
www.plantations.cornell.edu or 255-2400
Bingo,
Waterman
Conservation
Education Center, 1pm. Doors open Noon.
Cash prizes, all paper, proceeds benefit the
Center. Fee. Info 625-2221 or info@watermancenter.org. 403 Hilton Rd., Apalachin
www.kitchentheatre.org or 273-4497.
820 E. Genesee St, 3-8pm. By tracing the
Explorers Storytime 11am at Borders
Books in Pyramid Mall, 257-0444.
Family Storytime Tompkins County
Public Library. 11:30am-12pm. Free.
www.tcpl.org, 272-4557 x272
GIAC Teen Program After Hours
Spot 4-midnight. Music, movies, open
gym, game room, video games, computers,
skating & more. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St..
Ithaca
P&C’s.
Guided Tours: A Journey Through
Time, the Museum of the Earth. Weekly
tours sharing the story of Earth and its life
10am Meet in the Museum lobby.
Paleontological Research Institution 1259
Trumansburg Road, Route 96 Ithaca 2736623
High Ropes Play Day, 11am-1pm. Play
Day in the trees! Come for a day of adventure on the high elements of our TEAM
Challenge course, where climbing activities
allow individuals or pairs to challenge themselves by climbing anywhere from four to
sixty-five feet off the ground on cables, logs,
ladders, ropes, and trees. Fee. Info
www.CayugaNatureCenter.org or 273-6260.
High School Workshop, The Johnson
Museum, 10am-1pm. HS students will
learn to photograph their portfolio for college applications with Julie Magura. Fee.
Reg & payment req by Oct 27. Info 2556464 or www.museum.cornell.edu
Introduction to Classical Fencing,
every Saturday from Noon- 1:00pm. Henry
St. Johns gymnasium, Corner of Geneva
St. and W. Clinton St, downtown Ithaca.
For boys and girls ages 8-17. Fee. Reg
and info call Linda at hilinda@lightlink.com.
or 273-7359
Ithakid Film Fest Title TBA, Cornell
Cinema, 2pm. Info 255-3522 or http;//cinema.cornell.edu
Katherine Aelias Band CD Release,
Club Euphoria, 8pm. The release of the
third CD “Ripped at the Seems” will be in
conjunction with WVBR’s Crossing Borders
live broadcast. Info 256-5421
Kathy Mattea, State Theatre,8pm. Tix &
info 27STATE or info@stateofithaca.com
Kidstart at Greenstar, 11:00am - 1:00pm.
Exciting and creative art adventures every
Saturday at Greenstar, corner of Buffalo and
Fulton, Ithaca. 273-9392.
Morning Story Time 10am. Caroline
Community Library 2670 Slaterville Rd.
Slaterville Springs. www.tcpl.org.
Museum of the Earth: Natural
History at Noon Every first & third Sat
12pm in the Museum classroom! Guided
tours 10 am, Meet in the Museum lobby.
273-6623, www.museumoftheearth.org
“Mystery of the Nile”, Milton J.
Rubentein Museum of Science and
Technology’s Bristol IMAX® Omnitheater.
5:00pm. Info 315-425-9068, www. most.org
11am-7pm. Now thru Nov 26th. The works
Open Family Swim Tompkins Cortland
Community College, Dryden. 11am-1pm.
Fee. 844-8222.
Opening Reception at the Johnson
Museum, 5:00-7:00 p.m. New exhibitions,
plus live music, refreshments, and more!
Free and open to everyone.Info 255-6464
or www.museum.cornell.edu
Center., 10-11:30am. A program for preschool children and caregivers to share
nature
in
new
ways.
Fee.
www.CayugaNatureCenter.org. or 2736260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd.
Portfolio Workshop at the Johnson
Museum, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. This workshop will demonstrate techniques for photographing two- and three-dimensional artwork, paintings, & drawings. Registration
and payment are required by October 27.
Reg & info 255-6464
Public Skating, Community Recreation
Center, Ithaca, 8:30-10pm. 277-7465
Saturday Morning Live: Live’n
Large Reptiles with Wildlife
Educational
Encounters, TC3,
10:30am. An eleven-foot albino Burmese
python, giant tortoises, gators & more.
Learn about endangered species, reptile
habitats & much more. Fee. Info email
activities@TC3.edu or 844-8222 x4450
Snake Hawk and Feeding, Cayuga
Nature Center, 10am. Meet a CNC Animal
Keeper and learn about the animals up close
and personal. Watch us feed two hawks,
three snakes, and lots of turtles. Yum! 1420
www.Cayuga NatureCenter.org, 273-6260.
Superhero Saturday, Tompkins County
Public Library, 11:30am-12:30pm. It’s time to
get out your capes & brush up on your
superpowers. Enjoy a fun-filled hour of
dynamic stories & cosmic crafts. Info 2724557 x 273.
Sustainable Saturdays : Napkin
Rings, Museum of the Earth, 11am. Join us
for creative ways to reduce, reuse, & recycle. Info www.museumoftheearth.org or
273-6623. 1259 Trumansburg Rd.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,
Kulp Auditorium, Ithaca H.S., 10am & 2pm.
The Hangar Theatre’s school tour brings
one of Judy Blume’s books to the stage. Tix
& info www.hangartheatre.org or 273-8588
x452
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra,
Presbyterian Church, Ithaca, 8pm. Works
will include S. Stucky, G.P. Telemann, and
D. Shostakovich. Tix & info 273-4497
Info 273-8364
5 Sunday
21st African American Gospel
Music Festival, Old Main Brown
Auditorium, 4-6:30pm. SUNY Cortland;
Canisius College; SUNY Oneonta; Ithaca
College; SUNY Oswego; Binghamton
University : and Syracuse University will
come together for a wonderful musical
night. Tix & info 753-4104 or kelley@cortland.edu.
Cayuga Nature Center Sunday Fun
at Cayuga Nature Center - CNC will offer
programs for all ages each Sunday afternoon. Visit www.cayuganaturecenter.org or
call 273-6260
Cider Press Day, Cayuga Nature Center,
11am-1pm. Join us for a day of cider making, you bring the apples and enthusiasm,
and we'll provide the presses and instruction.
1420 Taughannock Blvd (Route 89). Info
Company, 4 & 8pm. An incendiary tale of
an environmentally-friendly family business
afloat in a sea of corporate sharks. Tix &
info 273-4497 or www.kitchentheatre.org.
Cornell Concert Series, Statler
Auditorium, Cornell Universtiy, 4pm.Enjoy
music from jazz pioneers Toshiko Akiyoshi
and Lew Tabackin Quartet. Tix & info 800284-8422 or 273-4497 or www.cornellconcertseries.com
Family Workshop: Mosaic Serving
Trays, The Corning Museum of Glass, 15pm. Learn basic glass cutting & grouting
skills as you design a useful and decorative
piece. Fee. Reg req. Info & reg Info
www.cmog.org. or 974-4052
Food
Addicts
in
Recovery
Anonymous,
Cayuga
Addiction
Recovery Services Building. 9am. There
are no dues, fees, or weigh-ins. Everyone
is welcome including those who think they
may have a problem with overeating,
bulimia, or anorexia, or are concerned
about someone else. Info 387-8329. Crn.
State & Plain Sts., Ithaca
P&C’s.
Lewis Black, State Theatre, 8pm. Tix &
info 27STATE or info@stateofithaca.com
Exhibition, The Main Street Gallery, 15pm. Now thru Nov 26th. The works cover a
wide spectrum of subject matter as well as
photographic techniques & printing processes. Info www.mainstreetgal.com or 8989010. 105 Main St., Groton
Sunday Art Break, The Johnson
Museum, 3pm. Tour the exhibition “A
Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism, and More
from the Brandt Collection” & learn more
about Dadaism from curator Andrea
Inselmann. Free. Info 255-6464 or
www.museum.cornell.edu
Super Cider Sundays, Littletree
Orchards, Noon. Now thru Nov. 12. Come
out & see the cider press in action & taste
fresh made cider. Open daily 10:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m. through November 15. Info 5649246. 345 Shaffer Rd., Newfield
Tot Spot, Ithaca Youth Bureau, 3:305:30pm. Indoor stay and play for children
Info 273-8364
Tix & infowww.kitchentheatre.org, 273-4497.
Volunteer Training, Suicide Prevention
and Crisisline. Help provide counseling to
those in distress. Reg & info 272-1505 or
email SPCScisisline@verizon.net or
www.suicidepreventionandcrisisline.org
6 Monday
African Art Mondays, the Museum of
the Earth, 3:30pm. Meet under the right
whale. Enjoy learning about & making
African Art. Info 273-6623 www.museumoftheearth.org
Coffee and Talk Book Club Lime
Hollow Nature Center. 1st Mondays of the
month 6:30-8pm. Info: 758-5462.
10:00am. Visit CNC’s beautiful grounds to
Lakes region. Join CNC naturalists for a fun
hike discovering the unique features of fall.
1420 Taughannock Blvd (Route 89). Info
Center, 9am-12pm. Free. Info BOCES 2738804.
Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 47pm. 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca.
P&C’s.
Grief Support Group for ages 8-12 yrs.
3:30-5pm. Held at the Hospicare Center,
172 E. King Rd. Free. Registration
required: Donna 272-0212
Observing and Portraying the
Harpy Eagle and its Habitat, Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, 7:30pm. The Harpy
Eagle is one of the most powerful birds of
prey in the world. Artist David N. Kilter will
share images he created while in the
Jungles
of
Panama.
Free.
Info
www.birds.cornell.edu or 254-2473. 159
Sapsucker Woods Rd.
Senior Cosmetology Competition,
TST BOCES, 6:30pm. Over 80 students
will spend the evening hard at work styling
their models. This years theme Styles of
the Decades. Info 256-1555 or email cmccoy@mail.tstboces.org. 555 Warren Rd.
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Open Tuesday - Saturday
City Quality - Country Prices - Drive a Little, Save a Lot!
Call 589-4344 • 45 Main St., Spencer
Tompkins Weekly
October 30 13
Poor Marie, We Hardly Knew Ye
In the face of renewed popular fascination with Marie Antoinette,
The New York Times suggested that
Americans
are
destined
to
empathize with a skinny, shopaholic, class-oblivious, faux-natureloving queen. In other words, we
have
become
a
nation
of
Antoinettes. The idea is superficially appealing: no matter what
shenanigans were going down at
the Petit Trianon, what French
sans-culotte would have bothered to
revolt if he could have found cheap,
Chinese-made culottes at some 18th
century big box store?
But comparing American consumers to frivolous Frenchwomen
(more typically, to Madame Bovary)
is the tired resort of the nattering
class. Antoinette invites sympathy
not because she was a desperate
housewife, but because she was
martyred for being completely, haplessly a product of her time.
Eighteenth century French aristocracy was full of other supercilious
ninnies. Singling out for hatred
poor, pretty Marie, who really did
chafe at the precious artifice of
courtly life, does seem to violate
some basic standard of fairness.
Which brings us to the precious
artifice of Sofia Coppola’s Marie
Antoinette. The Coppola fille,
daughter of the legendary Francis
(The Godfather, Apocalypse Now)
Coppola, surprised many a few
years ago with her poignant Lost in
Translation. She surprises again
this time: where the temptation
must have been strong to produce
some lovely, state-televisionesque
historical bon-bon, Coppola strikes
Photo provided
By Nicholas Nicastro
Kirsten Dunst plays the title role in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, a loud and frivolous
film with a hard, cold echo.
a curious tone here—something as
loud and frivolous-seeming as a
dorm room gigglefest, but with a
hard, cold echo.
How receptive viewers will be to
the film depends on how receptive
they are to, for one example, seeing
periwigged dandies prance to
Siouxsie and the Banshees. Much
like Baz Luhrman’s Moulin Rouge,
Coppola’s film will divide people by
their alliances to historical literalism. Antoinette is more ambitious
than Moulin Rouge, however,
because it wants to be a tragedy. For
this affront, the French critics
booed the film at Cannes.
Marie Antoinette (Kirsten
Dunst) was an Austrian princess
who was, like some pretty piece of
furniture, traded, stripped, and
reupholstered for marriage to the
heir-apparent of France, Louis XVI
(Jason Schwartzman). As imagined
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by Coppola, the princess goes to
France much like a child suffering
through a long car trip ("Are we
there yet?" she actually asks). The
transition to the stultifying etiquette of the French court is
wrenching and absurd—a plunge
down the rabbit hole to a world
where much is expected but little is
explained. The 15 year-old Marie,
moreover, is presumed to possess
all the feminine wiles necessary to
coax an heir from the cold loins of
young Louis. "This is ridiculous,"
she complains to her lady in waiting (Judy Davis). "This, Madame, is
Versailles," m’lady replies.
She adapts by playing the superficial pleasures of luxury for all
they’re worth. As the Lindsay
Lohan of the French court, she hits
her stride at last, but at the cost of a
certain necessary remoteness.
Letting her taste for frocks and
baubles hang out, she also wants to
say, "This is the real me." It’s a conceit
the
sweet-faced,
mannequinesque Dunst embodies very
well. Even the inevitable scenes of
Marie frolicking in her fake peasant village are sympathetically
imagined, as the queen makes it an
educational experience for her
young daughter. That the French
people would reward such artificial
naturalism with contempt is
beyond her comprehension.
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14
Tompkins Weekly
October 30
The movie is sparing with the
actual history. We get few intimations of trouble, nothing of famine,
affairs of the necklace, tennis court
oaths, or the guillotine. In this, the
film
probably
portrays
the
Revolution as more of a rude shock
than it really was. Coppola also
spares us the horror of the end—
the imprisonment, the execution of
Louis, the torture of Marie’s children. Yet there’s undeniable terror
in the way Coppola reduces the
threat to a gathering wave of sound
from beyond the palace walls.
We’ve all seen more than our proper share of beheadings recently, but
I was prepared for the film to go on.
What some (or most) seem unprepared to accept are the film’s
anachronistic touches. We get
MTV-style jump cuts, jarring casting choices (Marianne Faithfull?
Molly Shannon?), and Converse
Chuck Taylors in her majesty’s
shoe collection. Most of all, we get
the music Coppola herself (born in
1971) must have come of age on—
Bow Wow Wow, New Order, Adam
and the Ants. To be sure, anybody
trying to tell the story of such an
iconic figure has to contend with
viewers’ preconceptions, most of
which tend to be depressingly literal. Coppola wants to use music to
clear away the clichés that cling
like barnacles to her subject.
The trouble comes when the
cure—and the Cure—becomes
more of a distraction than an asset
(what, no Frankie Goes to
Hollywood? No Pet Shop Boys?).
Sometime during yet another
boozy soiree, we begin to wonder if
there’s a computer left on in the
Hall of Mirrors, cranking through
somebody’s iTunes playlist.
In Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick
revealed the nasty clockwork under
the polished cabinet of 18th century
society. Coppola lacks Kubrick’s
vision, but she has a refreshingly
deliberate sense of pace that
decants her stories and lets them
breathe. Her Antoinette is a failure,
but there have been successes that
have been less interesting.
To contact Nicholas Nicastro visit
www.nicastrobooks.com
Principal
nine years.
During this time Heller thought
about the work he had done with
current Groton Superintendent
Brenda Myers when she was the
deputy superintendent of the
Broome-Tioga BOCES. "I was looking for a change. I was looking at
other school districts with a particular idea in mind about where I
wanted to work next," he says.
Heller decided to check out the
school system where Myers was
working after she left BOCES. In
the Groton School District he noted
that the elementary school building
was much like the one he ran in
Maine. Heller also felt that his
ideas about education and leadership were a good fit with Groton,
and this led to his becoming
Groton’s newest elementary school
principal just before the end of the
2005-06 school year.
Groton Elementary School currently educates 465 children from
preschool to grade five. While
teaching students about the facts of
the world is certainly an important
part of the job, Heller knows there
are additional factors to consider
and foster with all those growing
minds and bodies.
"The current project I am working on is called character education," he says. "We want to teach the
kids essential behavior traits like
responsibility and respect for each
other and themselves. This form of
education will help the children get
along with each other and make
them productive citizens both now
and in their adult lives. I value a
well-rounded educational experience."
This year has also seen the start
of a model for providing special
education support to students with
particular needs. "A provider is
now assigned to each grade level,"
Heller explains. "This helps in
terms of the provider specializing
for the different requirements of
each grade."
Special education providers are
now working with two classroom
teachers and a para-professional,
an aide who interfaces between the
teachers and the students, often
working behind the scenes to help
out where needed. "This is a program and a range of services for
the students, not something in just
one location in the school," Heller
says.
As times change and new methods of learning appear, it is impor-
tant for a school system to adjust
and adapt to those changes to make
sure the students’ and community’s
best interests and needs are being
met. After all, the children of
Groton are indeed the future of the
town.
Groton Elementary is now
focused on curriculum alignment.
New York State produces a document on the core curricula
required by the school districts
across the state, with educational
goals and parameters determined
by grade level.
"We have to determine how best
to plan and operate a seamless
instructional program," Heller
says. "We do not want the teachers
to end up teaching the same subjects the same way every year. We
are working on a logical and welldeveloped curriculum over a period of time."
One challenge Heller does find in
this balance between state rules
and local student needs is in the
area of mathematics. "New York
State says there is material [on
math] that you must teach before
March and other material after
March. We need to know exactly
what they are asking for in advance
to prepare our teachers and our
students, who do not all learn at the
same level and pace," he says.
Heller is also concerned about
how delays in receiving results and
other information from the state’s
English, Language and Arts (ELA)
tests. "We are just now receiving
the grades from the January 2006
ELA results," he says. "This delays
our ability to tailor the educational
needs of students who may need
help in these
areas."
Heller also notes that special education needs students who spend
176 days of the school year learning
in a particular way often encounter
difficulties when they are made to
respond for several days to the
state tests, which often do not teach
and ask questions the way they
have been taught the rest of the
time. This can lead to results showing that these students appear less
knowledgeable on certain subjects
than they really are.
Despite the handful of challenges
that come with educating our
youth, Heller is grateful to the folks
of Groton. "We have a very active
PTO (Parent-Teachers Organization)," he says. "The members have
been very generous in providing
additional programs and materials
for our students."
"I am very pleased by the community support and their appreciation for education and schooling."
Classifieds
Automotive
Two Convenient Locations Same
Great Service Autoworks 277-9989 at
1278 Dryden Rd., and Autoworks
Express 277-FAST 987 Dryden Rd.,
M-F 7:30am-5:30pm
Food
Ithaca’s
Largest
and
Oldest
Independently Owned Bookstore he
Bookery II, 215 N. Cayuga St. Info
bookery2@hotmail.com 273-5055
Now There’s Something you can
really scream about The Cat’s
Pajamas DeWitt Mall 272-5582
Office Supply & Variety Delivery
available, catalog, online or at 123
Ithaca Commons 273-1011 or
www.raceoffice.biz
Enjoy a Slice of History and a Great
Meal Rogue’s Haobor Inn 2079 East
Shore Dr., Lansing www.roguesharbor.com 588-3535
Gourmet Country Market Ludgate
Farms 1552 Hanshaw Rd. 257-1765
Halloween Cakes and Dry Ice Purity
Rt. 13 272-1545
Halloween Party Headquarters
Finger Lakes Beverage Center 605 W.
State St., Ithaca www.fingerlakesbeverage.com or 277-2337
More than just a coffee store Ithaca
Coffee Company Triphammer Mall MF 7-9, Sat 8-9, Sun 8-5
Tastings This Week, Triphammer
Wines & Spirits. Triphammer Mall
Two Locations to Serve You Best
GreenStar 701 W. Buffalo St. 2739392 & 215 N. Cayuga St 273-8210
Your Favorite Food Ithaca Bakery
400 N. Meadow St. 273-7110 or
www.ithacabakery.com
Your Hometown Grocery T-Burg
Shur Save Rt 96, T-Burg 387-3701
Bring a proof of a mammogram and
join for free Curves 1939 E. Shore Dr.,
Lansing 533-7526 or 609 W. Clinton St
Ithaca 256-2977
Celebrating 30 Years Family
Medicine Associates of Ithaca 209 W.
State St & 8 Brantwood Dr. email
mail@fma-ithaca.com or277-4341
Full Service Eye Care Trumansburg
Optical Neil Henninger, O.D. 79 E.
Main St., Trumansburg 387-7327
Helping our patients achieve optimal
health and well being Inspired Health
Chiropractic Wellness 116 W. Buffalo
St. 256-0641
Take Care of Yourself Island Health &
Fitness 310 Taughannock Blvd. Info
www.islandhealthfitness.com 277-3861
We cater to your schedule Ithaca
Oral Surgery 1301 Trumansburg Rd
273-0327
For Sale
Home
A true co-op celebrating 30 years
Handwork 102 W. State St 273-9400
www.handwork.coop
A Quilters Paradise Quilters Corner
Community Corners 266-0850
Custom
Invitaitons
and
Announcements, Terra Rosa 903
Hanshaw Rd., Community Corners
257-7200 or www.terra-rosa.com
Firewood for Sale, place your orders
for split, unsplit seasoned & unseasoned wood with Cascadilla Tree Care
call www.cascadillatreecare.com or
272-5447
Great Selection, Answers Too
Odyssey Games & Hobbies 254-6072
odysseygames@verizon.net 115 The
Commons
Halloween Costumes & More Mama
Goose 401 W. Seneca St. 269-0600
Homegrown Pottery Handmade by
Gary Edward Rith garyrith@yahoo.com
grpottersblog.blogspot.com
A Warm Friend Year Round Ithaca
Stove Works 414 N. Meadow St 2722650
Cortland Carpet Outlet - Your flooring
specialists at 4030 West Rd., Rt. 281
Cortland 753-8428
Blacktop driveway, Seal Coating,
Top Soil, Stone Spreading Cayuga
Paving 315-497-0578
High Efficiency Saves You Money,
HSC Associates 273-2180 618 W.
Buffalo St., Ithaca
Live Luxury, Live Smart, Live Green,
Gateway Commons 273-1654
or
www.GatewayIthaca.com. 311 E.
Green St., Ithaca
Reliable and Here When You Need
Us Ehrhart Propane Gas www.ehrhartpropane.com, 1-800-387-7441, or
387-8881
Save Money on Heating Costs Burn
Corn Hearth & Home 726 W. Court St.
273-3012 or www.HearthHome.com
Health
Your
Total
Energy
Provider
Suburban Propane 272-8002 or 888249-2924
Pets
Your Yard, Garden & Pet Place,
Ithaca Agway, 213 S. Meadow St. Call
272-1848
Insurance
Always There, State Farm Insurance,
1111 Triphammer Rd. Call 257-8900
Larkin Insurance Home, Auto,
Business 401 N Aurora St., 273-4732
Learning & Lessons
Free GED CLasses Many locations
TST BOCES 273-8804
Strong Heart Strong Mind Strong
Discipline World Seishi Juku Karate
Organization 989 Dryden Rd. Rt 366
www.seishijuku.com or 277-1047
Try Girls Hockey Twice at the Rink
Tompkins Girls Hockey Association
www.ithacagirlshockey.com or 2573268
Photography
Portraits, Murals, Design
Krajewski 539-7100
Ann
Salons
Crystal’s Spa. A full Service Spa &
Salon. www.crystalsspa.com 2416 N
Triphammer Rd., Ithaca 257-3334
Ithaca’s State of the Art Full Service
Salon The Mane Event 200 Pleasant
Grove Rd, Community Corners 2668809
Look Your Best Donna’s Styling
Salon 45 Main St., Spencer 589-4344
Travel
Leisure
A Season of Music, Cayuga Chamber
Orchestra. Conert & ticket information
273-1197
Play With Your Mind over 50 different
mind games at playwithyourmind.com
The Arts Live on Stage The State
Theatre, 107 West State St. Info & Tix
27-STATE or www.stateofithaca.com.
So Close to Home Ithaca Tompkins
Regional Airport. flyithaca.com
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Tompkins Weekly
October 30 15
to help them build social skills. "I
clearly have the experience to work
with all groups necessary, working
out with the re-entry program to
build inmates’ skills and selfesteem to get them back into society and give them the tools they
need to be more productive,"
Meskill says. "They’re going to be
released anyway, and we will do
anything in our power to make sure
they have a good start when they
get out and don’t keep returning."
Meskill also cites his work with
the department’s budget, which he
says is in control after routinely
going into the red in the years
before he took office. He says he’s
used the department’s money wisely despite growing community
needs and increasing calls for service.
He wants to continue improving
professionalism in the department,
which is three-quarters of the away
through an accreditation program.
"That accreditation gives us an
advantage and lets the public know
we’re an organization that’s professional in every sense of the word,"
Meskill says of the program.
If Meskill is re-elected, Joe Vitale
will hold the undersheriff position.
Benevolent Association
As sheriff, Robison says he will
be sensitive to the needs and concerns of those he serves. Chief
among those concerns is improving
the department’s response times,
he says.
When people complain it takes
[deputies] 20 to 30 minutes to get to
a call, they may not understand it’s
a real busy shift and deputies are
trying their darndest to get there,"
Robison says. "People don’t understand. They just know they called
half an hour ago and you’re not
here."
To address the issue Robison
says he would work with other
departments to create a countywide approach to law enforcement.
While that doesn’t mean officers
from other departments will be
asked to supplement the sheriff ’s
office, Robison said there is room
for more cooperation.
He also said he would seek public input to help the department
greater connect with those it
serves. "What they want is prompt,
professional service at lowest possible price," Robison said. "I hear
them loud and clear, and that’s
what I intend to do."
Town Justice
B r i a n Ro b i s o n
As an investigator for the Ithaca
City Police Department, Robison
gained experience in working with
victims as well as investigating
white-collar crime, two qualities he
says would benefit the department.
His knowledge of financial issues,
gained in part through his criminal
investigations, would also help
when crafting the departmental
budget, Robison said.
"I’ve handled everything from
homicide, to rape and robbery, to
property crimes," Robison says.
"I’m adept and comfortable dealing with other people’s financial
issues, and because I have a lot of
experience dealing with all manner
of financial records and business
records, I jbecame adept at dealing
with those kind of things."
He also says he understands the
relationship between labor and
management through an 18-year
membership in the Ithaca Police
rounding area."
TW: What other professional,
educational, and life experiences
have prepared you for the justice
job?
"I have worked for 35 years as an
engineer. During that time I have
taken master’s level courses to continue my education. My job has
required me to be extremely attentive to details. The town justice
must pay attention to details so that
if a higher court reviews the paperwork everything is in order and a
decision is not thrown out because
of lack of attention to the details of
a case. I am extremely careful and
pay great attention to details and I
believe this will help me in being
an effective town justice. I have also
sat through court sessions and have
discussed the justice position with
sitting justices in an effort to learn
more about the position."
TW: What qualities does a justice
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Richard Sponable
Lynn Watros
need to effectively serve the
Newfield community?
"The Town Justice must be dedicated to the position and dedicated
to serving the people of the
Newfield. The person must realize
that even though the position is
part-time, it requires the attention
and time of a full-time position. A
justice must treat every person fairly and respectfully without any
bias. The person must also be available for the police agencies outside
of normal court hours."
TW: As a town justice, what
would your basic philosophical
approach be?
"To treat each person in the court
with respect. To remain separate
and independent from the political
factions of the town and county.
Judgments rendered should be
totally based on existing laws and
not on public opinion, the district
attorney, the police agencies, or the
defendant."
TW: Anything else you’d like voters to know?
"I do not believe that high fines
and incarceration are the answer to
every decision. There are many
times that the justice can assist in
shaping members of the community by offering alternatives to incarceration—like community service—where they can work with
other members of the community
and gain a better sense of value
and service toward themselves and
the town. The town justice can act
as a mediator in community disputes and help the people work
through problems in a more harmonious manner. A justice can
assist the community not only in
calming traffic control problems of
speeding or reckless operation, but
other problems such as orders of
protection. If elected, I truly look
forward to serving as a responsible
and dedicated justice that will
make the people of Newfield
proud."
TW: Why do you want to serve as
Newfield town justice?
Wa t r o s: "I want to provide a balanced, fair and equal justice court
for our community."
TW: Have you served in public
office before?
"I served as a town councilor on the
Newfield Town Board in the mid1970s."
TW: How have you been involved
in the Newfield community?
"I have been a firefighter with the
Newfield Fire Company for 45
years, and I also serve as the fire
company’s treasurer. I’m currently
involved with an initiative to bring
a community center to Newfield,
and this year I volunteered with the
Mill Park project on Main Street."
TW: What other professional,
educational, and life experiences
have prepared you for the justice
job?
"I believe the fact that I’m a lifelong resident of Newfield will help
me serve effectively in the role. In
addition, over the course of my 23year career as a law enforcement
officer with Tompkins County I had
daily contact with both local and
county court systems."
TW: What qualities does a justice
need to effectively serve the
Newfield community?
"An effective Newfield town justice needs to have experience in the
criminal justice system, and knowledge of
events specific to
Newfield."
TW:As a town justice, what
would your basic philosophical
approach be?
"To be fair and equal in all cases
brought before the court."
W h e n a n d wh e r e : Newfield residents can cast their ballots at the
Newfield Fire Company, 77 Main
Street, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on
Tuesday, Nov. 7.
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Tompkins Weekly
October 30
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County Sheriff - Tompkins Weekly

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