Projects, plans move forward in shadow of pandemic

The impact of the coronavirus on the people and institutions of the town of Lansing has dominated the news for the past three months. Meantime, projects, plans and careful moves toward recovery have steadily progressed.

Parks and Recreation

Perhaps the most welcome news is that swimming opened at Myers Park on July 1. Camping reservations have been open since June 1, while the pavilions remain closed for the time being.

Parents seeking outdoor activities for their children will be pleased to learn that Lansing’s Parks and Recreation team has also laid out a carefully crafted set of summer programs: five baseball camps beginning July 13; cheer camps starting July 27; small-fry football, cheering and running Aug. 3 through October; five sessions of summer day camps starting June 29; a three-day football training camp kicking off July 27; seven weeks of horse riding camp running from June 29 through Aug. 28; a weeklong “School before Hogwarts” summer camp beginning July 20; and summer reading sessions scheduled for August.

The ever-popular Adam Heck Annual Summer Soccer Camp will be held this year – it is slated for Aug. 3 through 7. More information on all these programs is available at lansingrec.recdesk.com/Community/Program.

Salt Point

Candace Cornell notes that during the past three months, “hundreds of osprey migrated back from South America and 135 to 140 breeding pairs around the lake readied their nests, courted and laid and hatched eggs. Most nests have two to three-month-old nestlings in them. In about two to three more weeks, they will start learning to f ly.”

The Salt Point Osprey Nest Cam (tinyurl.com/Salt-Point-Osprey-Cam) provides an intimate view of Lansing’s osprey family, and their daily lives are logged at the “On Osprey Time” website (lansingrec.com/ parks/ 20 – salt- point/saltpoint articles/27-on-osprey-time). According to the Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail site, there are eight osprey nests in Lansing this year.

Town of Lansing

Lansing Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne said that construction of Consolidated Water District Number Five is underway. The new line will run from Armstrong Road to North Triphammer Road with an additional line going along Townbarn Road to serve as a bypass in the event of a waterline break near Crossroads Restaurant or the Xtra Mart.

Meantime, a request for proposals has been issued for the Highway Department building’s renovation and expansion. A Town Board committee will oversee the review of the submissions.

The town is also repairing the sea wall at the entrance to the Myers Park Marina – the wall leading to the lighthouse is scheduled for renovation or replacement in the fall. Repair of the marina’s docks is also underway, with completion expected before the end of the year.

Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District and Lansing’s Highway Department are undertaking a streambank stabilization project in Salmon Creek, upstream of red bridge, on the property of the Lansing Rod and Gun Club. They will install riprap on the left bank and take out about a dozen trees that obstruct stream flow, according to Lansing Director of Planning C.J. Randall.

They will also remove sand and gravel that has settled out as a result of the trees and debris to reestablish “a stable cross-section” for the creekbed, Randall said.

Census

Michael Koplinka Loehr, field representative for the U.S. Census Bureau, said that the 2020 Census is continuing to roll out.

“People can complete the 2020 Census questionnaire online, by phone, on paper and eventually in person,” he said.

Enumerators will start knocking on doors as of Aug. 14.

“The more folks who complete the census online, by phone or by paper, directly results in not having a 2020 Census enumerator coming to their door, which keeps everyone safe while saving federal resources,” Koplinka Loehr said. “Responding to the 2020 Census matters since representation and funding for the next ten years is determined by as complete and accurate a count as can be determined.”

Elsewhere

The tennis courts between the Lansing High and Middle Schools are being completely renovated over the summer.

Construction on Salt Point Brewing Company’s new building is moving forward toward their planned fall opening. The nascent brewery has teamed with Crossroads Bar and Grille to offer two free community meals.