Living in Dryden

Recreation meeting tonight

It's been a busy few days.

If you have the chance, please go to the Recreation master plan discussion tonight. Recreation's been a key topic in Dryden for years, and an area that the Town has pushed hard to improve in a lot of directions. If you'd like a chance to suggest more directions - activities, trails, parks, facilities, and more - tonight's the best time to get into the conversation.

Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk offers a roster of events for Mother's Day weekend and beyond.

It sounds like drinking led to a collision at 13 and Lower Creek Wednesday.

The county legislature is aiming at a 3% tax levy increase this year.

There's also more rabies in the county this year. Be careful!

There's an article on the new I Love NY campaign, which I have to agree is about the worst thing to happen to upstate NY since... oh, wait. They're canning the upstate development guy. That's probably worse than squirrels, butterflies, and grass growing. Or maybe we just need the grass to grow over the Empire State Development Corporation?

Gadabout needs more volunteer drivers.

I'll cover the opinion pages in a separate article.

Varna to get $20K for generator

Update: Wow, the overall state data is a snarl. The Journal's Saturday article used old data, making the discussion below into an incredible tangle. Start with the latest article on it, then jump down to Varna.

Saturday's Journal also noted that state legislators were handing out $147 million for community projects, in member-item spending. It's a grotesque system, and the article notes for example that Senate Republicans, who have a 32-30 majority, have $88 million to hand out, while Senate Democrats get $992,000.

Update: There's more on the Assembly spending at The Albany Project. The Assembly Democrats, who have a 106-42 majority, spent $57.3 million on their projects while Republicans spent $4.9 million.It's a mere 11-1 ratio instead of an 88-1 ratio, but only looks better because the Senate numbers are so grossly disproportionate. Update: It looks like the Journal article's numbers were wrong, or maybe for 2007. This piece on the Senate spending suggests that the Senate Republicans have $76.096 million to hand out, and Senate Democrats have $8.983 million. That's more like 8-1 than 88-1, though still pretty awful.

Some of that money, of course, is coming to this area. I haven't managed to sort out Senator Seward's spending yet, but deep inside the barely-organized PDF file of Assembly items (they couldn't make it easy to see the spending, you know!) is this item:

SFY 2008-2009 LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE FORM
Legal Name, Address, and Telephone Number:
VARNA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC.
943 DRYDEN ROAD - P.O. BOX 4771
ITHACA, NY 14852
(607) 272-2658
Name of Project Director:
DAWN POTTER
Purpose of Project:
FUNDS WILL BE USED FOR THE PURCHASE OF A 40KW MULTI-FUEL GENERATOR. WORKING WITH TOMPKINS COUNTY RED CROSS, VARNA COMMUNITY CENTER HAS BECOME AN EMERGENCY SHELTER.
Funded Amount:
$20,000
Requested By:
LIFTON
Name of Administering State Agency:
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

The Varna Community Center also now has a walk-in refrigerator and freezer to support the emergency shelter project, which has had mixed levels of support from the town in past administrations. I hadn't heard that much about this piece of it lately until I stumbled on it in that file.

I've put the rest of the items that were solely sponsored by Assemblywoman Lifton in the extended entry, and I'll do the same for Senator Seward when my patience returns. Search... cut... paste... argh. Feeling impatient? Here's the Senate list of 5,191 items, on 5,191 pages.

Poverty, water-tasting, clean-up

Saturday's Ithaca Journal was quiet on Dryden, but their continuing series on poverty is well-worth reading.

Energy East, the parent company of NYSEG, saw its earnings fall.

In today's paper, Bolton Point water, which serves western Dryden, won the annual taste test of local waters. (The article also mentions a Town of Dryden treatment plant - I'm pretty sure they mean Village of Dryden.)

Just to the east, it looks like a teaching winery will be coming to Cornell Orchards soon.

In Darts & Laurels, the Finger Lakes Land Trust thanks volunteers who helped in a clean-up on Irish Settlement Road.

Ellis Hollow Nursery School Open House Saturday

It's southwest Dryden education morning here, but there's also an event Saturday:

ELLIS HOLLOW NURSERY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
May 3, 9-11am
At the Ellis Hollow Community Center

What's it like to be a 3- or 4-year old child at the Ellis Hollow Nursery School? Find out!

Meet our nurturing and creative teachers, Ellie Biddle and Regi Carpenter

Pot a plant for Mother's Day

Do 10 things with dots (and a lot more)

Listen as Ms Regi weaves a story at 10am

Thinking ahead to the 2008-09 school year? We'd love to tell you more about our community school.

At our non-profit, parent cooperative nursery school, children learn as they do best -- with hands-on activities for observing, exploring, and experimenting.

Classes are held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 9am-12noon, from mid-September through mid-June. Find out more online at http://www.ellishollownurseryschool.org/ or contact us at ellishollowns@gmail.com or 227-8006.

Playground build at Caroline elementary

On May 9th and 10th, there will be construction days at Caroline Elementary School playground. It's in Caroline, yes, but that school serves Dryden kids from Varna, Ellis Hollow, and Bethel Grove.

I had a good time at a similar building day at Dryden Elementary. This is definitely a great way to help kids, meet people, and even have fun.

Dryden school taxes barely climb

Now there's a fun headline. The Dryden schools' property tax levy will climb less than 1% this year. Spending increased 6.48%, but state aid increased 10%. This is a year to be nervous about state aid, however, as the prospects for the state's economy look dim.

There's now an $8,800 reward for the safe return of Bethanie Dougherty, $500 of which was raised at a candlelight vigil Wednesday night.

In yesterday's Journal, Dryden resident Mac Larsen was among those who filed to run for the Ithaca City School Board, one of six for four seats.

On today's opinion page, the Journal wisely shoots down the gas-tax holiday proposals, and some punk named Simon St.Laurent of Dryden writes to suggest that the values that get promoted for school boards may actually get in the way of them doing their job.

Discuss Dryden recreation May 8th

If you're interested in Town recreation, there's an important meeting May 8th at the new Town Hall that you won't want to miss. The Town is creating a new recreation master plan, which will set out priorities for the town. There isn't much detail in the release but I'm guessing the conversation will include:

• Parks, trails, and facilities - what do we need, and where?

• Children's activities - sports and more

• Adult activities - what would people like to do?

• Entertainment - Music in the Park, Music in the Hollow, and beyond

• The relationship with the County Recreation Partnership

You might also want to visit the Draft Official Map of the Town of Dryden, which shows parks, trails, preserves, proposed trails, and more.

Here's the full official announcement:

Important Announcement from the Town of Dryden Recreation Department!

Dear Dryden Resident and Recreation Department supporter,

Please read below for information on a very important meeting coming up on May 8th.

ATTENTION TOWN OF DRYDEN RESIDENTS WE HAVE A RECREATION MASTER PLAN PUBLIC MEETING

MAY 8TH, 2008 7:00 PM at the NEW DRYDEN TOWN HALL 93 EAST MAIN ST, DRYDEN NY 13053

This Plan will create a vision for future recreation programs and facilities offered in the Town. It is important that the citizens of Dryden let their voices be heard on this matter

Additional questions regarding this meeting can be directed to Melissa Bianconi at the Town of Dryden Recreation Department at 844-8888 ext. 228 or the Town's consultant, Thoma Development Consultants at 753-1433.

WE HOPE YOU CAN COME - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

I look forward to seeing you there!

Melissa Bianconi
Town of Dryden Recreation Coordinator

If you'd like to know what's been done in the past, you can review the results of a 2006 survey (936KB PDF) conducted by SUNY Cortland.

Vigil for missing woman tonight

There will be a vigil for Bethanie Dougherty tonight in Marathon at 7:00pm.

Dougherty, of Killawog, was a manager-in-training at the Freeville XtraMart on Routes 13 and 366 until her disappearance April 1st.

Tompkins County Dairy Princess needed

There's no Dryden Town Talk today, but Ulysses Town Talk leads off with this item, complete with Dryden phone numbers:

The Tompkins County Dairy Promotion Committee is seeking young ladies between the ages of 12 and 24 for the roles of Dairy Princess and Dairy Ambassador.

Dairy Princess candidates must be at least 16 years of age, and connected to or sponsored by the dairy industry. The Dairy Princess holds her title for one year, and her responsibilities cover a wide range of public relation activities. A state training seminar is provided to help prepare for the role. The Dairy Princess will be selected at a banquet on May 10.

Dairy Ambassador candidates must be at least 12 years of age, and will assist the Dairy Princess with her duties. She should enjoy meeting people and promoting the dairy industry. For more information on the program, contact Brenda Carpenter at 844-8049, or Linda Foote at 844-8781. The application deadline is May 2.

The rest of today's Dryden news is basically about the county. There's an article about the need to fill recently emptied positions at the Sheriff's Department, which quotes Dryden legislator Martha Robertson. The state of emergency banning outdoor burning has been lifted, and the county's economy looks a little less healthy.

My long-term bet on rising energy costs

I've had a couple of conversations lately with people I like that led to strange places. One was about the seemingly crazy investment I'm making in ducks, chickens, and all the infrastructure they need, and the other was what I get for saying that I think we need to take a serious look at one-room schoolhouses as an alternative to busing kids everywhere.

I'm doing a lot of things that might strike people as strange or even inconsistent, but the driving force in most of it is an expectation that energy prices are going to keep climbing. I could, of course, be wrong, but unless we discover fusion technology, I feel pretty comfortable arguing that this is going to be the case for a long time. Demand keeps climbing, while supply isn't looking so great.

This doesn't mean I've disconnected my house from the grid, built a barbed-wire fence around my compound, and set up a world that's all about preserving me, whatever prices may do.

It does mean, however, that I'm looking at the world in a very different way. I'm trying to invest in things now that will serve us well later. The new roof, furnace, and insulation were key components of that, as is all the gardening, the apple trees, and terracing the yard. We've learned how to can and freeze food.

All of these are good things to do anyway, even if energy prices don't climb. Okay, I do worry that converting my yard into a garden may make the house harder to sell in this lawn-obsessed country. On the other hand, the return on investment for some of them will take a long time. The furnace and insulation have probably paid for themselves by now, and, well, you always need a solid roof.

The rest of the investments are pretty much a gamble. I can certainly drive to East Hill Plaza and buy groceries more cheaply at P & C than I can grow them here today. Setting up the garden, and especially the fenced areas for the chickens and ducks, is an expensive adventure, if an interesting one. How many eggs does it take to pay for a $200 fence? Plus a coop, and all the feed the chickens ate in the meantime? And the time it takes to feed and attend them?

If I run these calculations based on current costs, I'm pretty clearly going to lose money. If, however, I calculate these investments as advantages in a world where energy and food rapidly become more precious, I may well come out ahead. (Looking at the rapid climb in wheat and rice prices, it's looking like a good bet sooner than I expected, though I expect they'll come down again before climbing over the long term.)

I'm already coming out ahead in knowledge, since I now know all kinds of things that I had no clue about before. (I still have much to learn.) Because I'm showing these ideas off both here and on my gardening site, I hope to plant seeds in people's heads as well - the "I can do that" seed that develops into projects.

(And I'm also taking a look at policy related to these issues through the lens of TCLocal.)

So if I come off as kind of strange, pushing ideas that don't all make sense at first glance, try to remember the context I'm working in. I live in the current world and do enjoy it, while planning ahead for a world that I expect will be pretty different. We'll see what Sungiva thinks of all this when she's older.

Trucks rerouted through Dryden

The biggest Dryden story in this morning's Ithaca Journal doesn't mention Dryden. Route 79 in Ithaca is getting resurfaced between Mitchell Street and Bridge Street, closed to all through traffic. (This closes 79 above the intersection with 366.)

Trucks are being diverted at Richford to take Routes 38 and 13 into Ithaca. That should give folks in Bethel Grove a brief break (until around May 30th) from truck traffic, while adding to the traffic pouring through the four corners intersection in the Village of Dryden and down 13. I'm curious whether this will include the controversial garbage trucks - I guess we'll see how those respond to the blockage.

Speaking of the garbage trucks, the Journal's editorial lets Lifton off the hook, mostly, focusing on Governor Paterson's stepping in to address the issue and leaving the rest in a confusion of Democrat vs. Republican fighting - which it really isn't. Oh well.

On the opinion page, Liam Murphy writes about county courthouse security.