Briefs: Cornell convocation, jumping worms, more

Constance Wu named 2022 Cornell convocation speaker

Acclaimed actress and emerging producer and writer Constance Wu (above) — known for roles in the barrier-breaking film “Crazy Rich Asians” and series “Fresh Off the Boat” — will give the keynote address at Cornell University’s Senior Convocation, May 25 at noon in Barton Hall.

The student-run 2022 Convocation Committee announced the selection April 21. The committee used a survey of the graduating class to help make its choice.

“The committee at its core is a representative of our entire class, and it was important to us that we stood by that responsibility,” said committee member Isabella Ogbolumani ’22. “The class wanted a speaker who was well-known, funny and inspiring. Constance Wu is such a great fit because she checks all those boxes.”

In-person attendance at this year’s convocation will be limited to graduating undergraduate seniors; extra space will be granted to graduating graduate and professional students. The event will also take place during Senior Days rather than on Commencement Weekend, reflecting a shift in focus from a larger audience — which in previous years included families and the public — to the undergraduate students.

While COVID-19 was a contributing factor for these changes, organizers saw this year as an opportunity to make the event more intimate and student-centered. Students will hear from Wu, Cornell leadership, the convocation committee chair, a student poet and guest, as well as student organizations and musical groups.

The event will be livestreamed on CornellCast. Commencement will take place May 28 and will be split into two ceremonies. For more information, see the full Cornell Chronicle story at tinyurl.com/y6kydm4s.

 

Invasive jumping worms disrupt Master Gardener plant sale plans

The arrival and spread of invasive jumping worms has caused Tompkins County’s Master Gardener volunteers to stop selling choice plant divisions from their home gardens at the upcoming Spring Garden Fair & Plant Sale, coordinated by the group as their primary fundraiser since 1982.

A highlight of the season for home gardeners across the region, the 40th Annual Spring Garden Fair & Plant Sale will be held May 13 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market, 545 Third St. in Ithaca.

More than 25 area growers and gardening groups will bring a large selection of choice stock to sell, including organically grown and heirloom vegetable starts, herbs, colorful annuals, perennials, small flowering shrubs, hardy roses, fruit crops and more.

To prevent the spread of the invasive worms, Master Gardener volunteers (MGVs) for several years have triple-rinsed plant roots before potting them for sale in sterile soil. However, this year, instead of selling transplants, they will use the event to educate gardeners about the reason for this shift in focus, the impact of invasive jumping worms and how to slow their spread.

Invasive jumping worms alter the structure and chemistry of the soil dramatically, leaving a distinctive grainy soil full of worm castings, and can damage lawns, landscapes and even the forest understory habitat. Prevention is the only known way to manage jumping worms, which should be disposed of in the garbage when found and not released into the environment.

People unknowingly spread the worms by using them for bait or transporting their egg cocoons on shoes and wheels, in mulch or via transplanted plants.

Visitors to the Spring Garden Fair & Plant Sale are invited to stop by the MGV booth to learn more about invasive jumping worms, for information on invasive plants and pests, and garden planning advice for challenging sites such as those with clay soil, dry shade and deer pressure. Bring your questions and a sample of your garden soil for free walk-in pH testing (donations accepted).

There also will be information on rain gardens and gardening with native plants, a raffle with prizes, a seed giveaway and sales of a limited number of any spring planted bulbs that may remain from the MGS’s recent online sale.

Admission to the Plant Sale is free. There are no timed tickets, but to support social distancing, entry will be monitored by volunteers to ensure that the pavilion does not become too crowded.

Masks are required, and the first half hour of the sale is set aside for seniors and those who are immuno-compromised and their helpers. Tompkins County residents with gardening questions may contact the Master Gardener volunteers who staff the GrowLine at growline1@gmail.com.

For questions about the Master Gardener volunteer program, contact Margaret Royall, Master Gardener volunteer coordinator, at mr2285@cornell.edu or (607) 272-2292 ext. 146.

 

Tompkins Bank promotes Deborah Hoover to small business lending manager

Tompkins Community Bank has promoted Deborah Hoover to small business lending manager.

Hoover has worked in the financial industry for 25 years, beginning her career as a teller and holding various positions in customer service and branch management. Most recently, she managed the company’s main office branch in downtown Ithaca.

In her new role, Hoover is responsible for the management of all aspects of small business administration, overseeing and growing the small business loan portfolio for central New York, underwriting and approving small business loans within the established lending limits, and developing programs designed to increase deposit and loan volumes.

Hoover is a graduate of Dryden Central School District and holds a degree in business administration with a concentration in management from Tompkins Cortland Community College. She has worked with a variety of local organizations including Ithaca Business Women’s Network, City Federation of Women’s Organizations, SPCA of Tompkins County, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, and Cops, Kids and Toys.

Regarding Hoover’s promotion, Tompkins’ Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking Karen Parkes shared, “We are thrilled for Debi to continue her career with Tompkins as she assumes this new role. Her many years of experience in banking, as well as her incredible connections to our community, make her an invaluable member of the Tompkins Team.”

 

Tompkins County dispatchers honored during Public Safety Week

The Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response marked National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 10 through 16) with its first-ever recognition and awards ceremony. Director Michael Stitley (right) and Deputy Director Jessica Verfuss (left) presented Certificates of Appreciation to several employees for their varying years of service to the county.

In addition, the entire team of 9-1-1 dispatchers was lauded for their high degree of professionalism and dedication to their jobs over the past two years of COVID-19.

There were several individual awards presented. Loren Dickenson and Danielle Schwarz were recognized for assisting separate callers with delivering a newborn; Pat Harris with safely leading a hiker out of the Shindagin Hollow forest; and Zack Guidi with locating a stolen vehicle while off-duty.

Guidi, one of the Emergency Communications Center supervisors, was also named the 2021 DoER Dispatcher of the Year.

Systems Manager Chris Saxon (center) and Community Preparedness Coordinator Geoff Dunn received the first Director’s Award for the roles they played in the county’s COVID-19 response effort.

NPSTW honors the thousands across the country who respond to emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance.

Tompkins County’s observance also included the reading of a proclamation by Legislature Chairwoman Shawna Black, declaring April 10 through 16 as Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in the county.

 

Three Tompkins County businesses receive Earth Stewardship Awards

Last week, HeatSmart Tompkins presented Earth Stewardship awards to Florae Collaborative, GreenStar Cooperative Market and Salt Point Brewing Co.

“HeatSmart Tompkins is pleased to highlight these businesses that demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to sustainability. Their climate-friendly business practices include outfitting their buildings with air source or ground source heat pumps,” said Lisa Marshall, HeatSmart Tompkins director.

Salt Point Brewing in Lansing hosted the award ceremony and catered the event with specialty pizzas, flatbreads and dips featuring locally sourced ingredients.

“Salt Point Brewing was founded on the ideal of holding space for the community in a way that uplifts the community,” said Sarah Hesse, co-owner. “Beyond producing great beer and food, we are committed to sustainable business operations with a focus on using New York state-grown ingredients and supporting local agriculture. We are proud to be a certified New York State Farm Brewery, meaning we source most of our grain and hops from NYS farms.”

Jonathan Comstock, HeatSmart co-founder, said, “GreenStar Food Co+op supports sustainability by heating and cooling its new store with air source heat pumps and solar-generated electricity. They also provide a broad selection of organic and locally sourced dairy, meats, fruits and vegetables. GreenStar’s innovative store design was a collaborative effort among the John Snyder Architects, Taitem Engineering, the owners, members and the Ithaca community.”

Accepting the award on behalf of GreenStar were Marilyn Chase, president; Kara Cusolito, vice president; Eldred Harris, council member; and Bryan Smith, facilities manager. Unfortunately, Ryan Georgia, owner of Florae, a business specializing in rare tropical plants grown from tissue cultures, could not attend Wednesday’s event.

Florae Collaborative’s new greenhouses on West Hill feature a geothermal heating system installed by HeatSmart installer partner Daily Electric. In this photo: Comstock (third from left) and Marshall (far right) present the Earth Stewardship award to Salt Point Brewery Co. owners (from left to right) Kara Cusolito, Marilyn Chase, Eldred Harris and Bryan Smith.

 

Community Arts Partnership celebrates area leaders with awards

The Community Arts Partnership (CAP) kicked off its 30th anniversary with a Celebration of the Arts April 24 at 7 p.m. The virtual celebration honored Community Arts Catalyst Nia Nunn (pictured), Ph.D., and Friend of the Arts Jamie Ferris and featured presentations by CAP grantees Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, Sarah Gotowka from Luna Fiber Studio and Ann Reichlin, doing an arts residency at Caroline Elementary School.

The Community Arts Partnership was excited to launch a new award this year: The Community Arts Catalyst Award. The inaugural award was presented to Nunn in honor of her leadership with the Black Girl Alchemy Project and Community Unity Music Education Program, two local initiatives fostering youth and community development through an arts-based Black Consciousness curriculum.

CAP’s Executive Director Megan Barber said, “Dr. Nia is brilliant at engaging young people in creative expression to the benefit of our entire community. She touches so many lives, centering arts in service of her vision. She was the obvious choice for this award and we are honored to support her work.”

Nunn added, “It’s always an honor to bring joy, to serve, and to creatively contribute to spaces. I remain grateful and grounded by the paths that my elders and ancestors have paved. They taught self-determination and the permission we have to give ourselves. … As a result, I will take advantage of any and all innovative opportunities to teach the brilliance, beauty and boldness of Blackness and Black.”

CAP was proud to present this year’s Friend of the Arts Award to Jamie Ferris of P.W. Wood & Son. P.W. Wood & Son and the Ferris family have supported the Community Arts Partnership and arts since its inception. Ferris served on the CAP Board of Directors for many years, and the Wood Office is a long-standing sponsor of the Greater Ithaca Art Trail.

Barber said, “We are so grateful for The Wood Office’s consistent and strong support over many years. We are pleased to recognize their demonstrated commitment to ensuring that art is possible for our entire community.”

Added Ferris, “It has been one of my greatest pleasures to serve and support CAP. I am quite proud of the work of this organization both during my time on the board and the work CAP continues to carry out supporting all forms of art in our community!”

To find out more about the Celebration of the Arts, visitartspartner.org.