Concerns raised over Ulysses land purchase

An upcoming special election in the town of Ulysses will be held on Dec. 6 to determine whether the town should purchase land following a unanimous decision by five Ulysses town board members in June to acquire 30 acres on Krums Corners Road for $210,000 for a park and recreational area. 

The board was “persuaded” that there is a “clear need” for additional sports fields, and one advantage of the acreage is that the size would allow for multiple uses beyond sports fields, which could support the long-term physical, emotional and mental health of the community, according to a FAQ document on the town website. 

It’s a purchase that has some residents divided.

Keith Hannon, a Trumansburg village trustee, is willing to overlook what he said are minor inconveniences that come with land development in favor of the health and well-being of the community, particularly that of children. 

“There is no dedicated athletic space that isn’t on the school campus,” said Hannon, who also serves on the Ulysses Youth Commission and coaches regularly. “That creates a lot of problems with scheduling, especially when the school year is active.” 

Every year, he sees an issue in terms of teams having enough space to play and practice.

“That makes it really tough to provide the best possible experience for the youth of Ulysses and Trumansburg,” he said, adding that the situation also makes it more challenging to host games because the school will always get first priority. 

Hannon also pointed out that third- and fourth-grade Ulysses recreational basketball teams will practice later than 8 p.m. this year, and seventh and eighth graders will play in the elementary school gym because of limited space.

“We clearly have a need for more facilities,” said Hannon.

He said organizations in Ulysses have been working on this initiative for over a decade, with other parcels falling through to higher bidders in the past.

“This is finally an opportunity to close the deal,” he said. “It’s a good thing for the community. It’s money from the federal government that has to be used in a certain amount of time, and there’s somebody willing to sell us this land at a price point that falls within that money. So, the purchase of the land will not fall on the taxpayer. To me, that just feels like a win-win all the way around.”

Elizabeth Thomas, like Hannon, has served the community as the former town supervisor for the town of Ulysses. She is actively working in water-quality protection. However, she holds a different opinion on the proposed property acquisition and takes issue with the process thus far, which she said neglected to survey residents’ recreational needs before developing a plan.

“Usually, when you put a plan together — when it has to be adopted by a board, and if the board is using good municipal practices that speak to open government —  then the plan also has an opportunity for public input,” said Thomas.

Thomas made it clear that she is not opposed to sports, sharing that she’s raised five children who all played sports and even coached soccer. Nonetheless, she feels other activities outside of athletics are equally beneficial for children.

She also feels there are better areas where the money could be used to benefit the community positively, such as the local food pantry, scholarships for low-income residents to attend summer rec programs or improving the trails of existing parks. Thomas also pointed to a decline in student enrollment as another reason she isn’t in favor of the land purchase.

“There’s just so many aspects of this that worry me and just seem like not good government practice,” she said.

The former town supervisor is also uncomfortable with the $210,000 price tag, noting that she researched nearby farmland sales and found that the average mainly was below $4,000 an acre, as opposed to the purchase price of $7,000 per acre. 

“That’s another thing that really puzzles me,” she said. “Why are they buying it for this much money per acre?”

Ultimately, she believes there hasn’t been enough outreach to the community to source land.

“We can certainly use that money in a lot of different ways, and I think this is definitely not the best use of it,” she said.

Despite her misgivings, Thomas stated she doesn’t want to malign those making decisions and has agreed with other work they have done. 

“I just feel like maybe there was some misguidance,” she said of this particular matter.

The Dec. 6 special election will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at two polling locations:

Trumansburg Village Hall: 56 E. Main St., Trumansburg 

Franziska Racker Center: 3226 Wilkins Rd., Ithaca

Anyone registered with the Tompkins County Board of Elections can vote. Absentee ballots are available by visiting townofulyssesny.gov or at the town clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Dec. 5. The office must receive mailed applications by 5 p.m. on Nov. 29. 

Trumansburg Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com or courtney.rehfeldt@gmail.com.

In brief:

27th annual Trumansburg WinterFest 

WinterFest returns on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event and its numerous activities, such as horse-drawn carriage rides, are free for all to enjoy. 

Hilby the German Juggle Boy will perform at 3 p.m., with Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving by fire truck at 5 p.m. A tree lighting is also planned, followed by a community sing-a-long, music by the Winter Wonderband and Magic by Mike & Michelle.

Many organizations and businesses will offer festive foods for free, including soup, popcorn, cookies, hot chocolate, hot cider and more.

Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and take your own photo. The fire truck will stay on site for families to explore.

Attendees are encouraged to come early and stay late to enjoy all that Trumansburg has to offer on Main Street. 

Contact tburgwinterfest21@gmail.com with any questions.