Author: cra

Leaf collection in the Town of Ithaca will start at 7:00AM on Monday, November 8th, 2021 and will continue throughout the week until finished. Leaves should be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the first day of collection. Leaves may be raked to the shoulder of the road or bagged in biodegradable paper leaf bags (30 gallon bags are available at many stores in the area). Other debris such as pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, grass clippings, etc., cannot be vacuumed and should be placed in bags. Please fill bags and place on road shoulder, folding over openings of bags to close —- do not staple or tape. No plastic bags will be picked up.

The Town’s crews will go around the entire Town once with the leaf vacuum. For the rest of the month of November, the crews will begin picking up paper-bagged leaves each Monday, which could extend through early week to encompass the entire Town.

After the usual association business, President’s Report, Treasurer’s Report, etc., there will be a demonstration by Lars Washburn and his sister Katrina Mackey of the high-end radio their grandfather bought in the mid-1930s, which has recently been restored to functionality. Lars lives in the house on Judd Falls Road that his grandparents moved into in July 1929.  The radio is a McMurdo Masterpiece V.  Much more intricate than other radios from this era, it would have been that decade’s equivalent of today’s high-end home theater setups.

Lars says, “I can demonstrate the radio from my grandmother’s chair in my Forest Home living room, situated as photographed in the attached 1930s picture.”

He will have an HD camera and separate microphones on hand to distribute the sound and images via Zoom.

The Public Works Department will be picking up brush, limbs, and branches starting Monday, October 18th, and will continue throughout the Town until finished. All yard waste must be at the roadside by 7 a.m. on the first day of collection. There will be no second collection and no callbacks.

Leaf collection will begin at 7 a.m. on Monday, November 8th, 2021 and will continue throughout the week until finished.

For detailed guidance, see Town of Ithaca September 2021 Newsletter

Given the spike in asymptomatic Covid-19 cases in Tompkins County and concern about transmissibility of the new variants, we are simplifying the event. It is no longer the usual barbecue, but a simple Ice Cream Social.  We will not be grilling and are not asking residents to contribute side dishes and desserts.

We encourage individuals and families from Forest Home to bring their own beverages to the park — no alcohol, please. Some families may want to bring food to eat themselves. Bring masks and be thoughtful about social distancing.  Come any time after 3pm. Consider bringing chairs.

Starting around 4pm, we (FHIA volunteers who are vaccinated, masked and gloved) will serve ice cream. We will provide bowls, spoons, and napkins.

It’s not necessary to bring anything but yourselves and your appetites, but if you are inclined to bring something to share, we ask that it be finger food that can be picked up easily without any serving utensil and without digging into a deep container. It could be presented on a tray or platter with items separated, preferably individually wrapped.

We will have a supply of masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and gloves.

You may have noticed that the damp weather has brought out a lot of mosquitoes.  Consider applying your preferred repellent before you come.  And check for ticks afterwards.

IMPORTANT!  Plans have changed.  There will be no barbecue, but we will serve ice cream.

(Updated 9/8/2021)

We are planning to hold our usual get-together and barbecue in the Forest Home Park. The picnic will be on Saturday September 11, with a rain date of the following Saturday, September 18.

We need vaccinated volunteers to help with:
* grilling
* serving food (instead of the usual self-serve buffet)
* setting up before the party
* cleaning up after the party

We will have a supply of masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and gloves.

To volunteer, please write to us at foresthomenews@gmail.com.

We encourage parents or grandparents of small children to make suggestions that would make them comfortable to bring the children to the party.

We will check guidelines from the Tompkins County Health Department and other COVID resources closer to the date and will send an update if the picnic needs to be postponed.

The meeting with Cornell Community Relations, Wednesday August 11, 2021, 7-7:30pm
will include updates and Q&A on
[A] the North Campus Residential Expansion (NCRE)
and
[B] student move-in (beginning on August 19 — see https://scl.cornell.edu/residential-life/housing/housing-details/moving-campus)

with NCRE project manager Chris Davenport and Student and Campus Life Communication Director Karen Brown, and Community Relations staff.

Residents should check email for the ZOOM link.

We are delighted to announce that the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions means that we can plan for our usual get-together and barbecue in the Forest Home Park this year. The rain date will be the following Saturday, September 18. If you have particular concerns or suggestions related to Covid, please share them with the board via foresthomenews@gmail.com so that we can consider them in our planning.

A recent newsletter from the History Center announces a guide for a “driving tour” to look at historic schools in Tompkins County. It includes the former Forest Home School at 100 Judd Falls Road. The school, which was built in 1921 and closed in 1964, is now the Lewis Building, used by Cornell Botanic Gardens as an administrative building.

See https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/Forest-Home-School-(now-Lewis-Building-Cornell-Botanic-Gardens)-43985

Inspired by this resource, some additions are being made to the FHIA website, to make available various short pieces written by Martha Warren Hertel (1915-2004), who was born in Forest Home and lived here most of her life. One piece she wrote is at School Life as a Fourth Grader about 1925. According to Lucy Hertel Staley, Martha’s daughter, this was written around 1992 at the request of a girl who was in 4th grade and a neighbor of Martha’s on Crest Lane. Thanks go to Lucy for transcribing Martha’s notes and handouts. Find them at https://fhia.org/martha-warren-hertel-miscellaneous-writings/. More will be added over time.

Randy’s earlier chapters focused on outdoor explorations and learning about nature. He has added a chapter reminiscing about indoor activities using the construction toys from his childhood. He was delighted to find that Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, and Erector Sets can still be purchased.

See https://fhia.org/on-childhood-in-forest-home/

For links to more about the history of our neighborhood, see https://fhia.org/History/.

An agenda item for the Town Board meeting scheduled for Monday, February 8 at 5:30pm will be a discussion of the latest drawings (billed as “100% progress plans”) for the Forest Home Walkway Improvement Project. The intent is to field any last minute comments and make final updates to the plans in preparation for a future board resolution to authorize bidding once the package is complete. The Town has provided the Forest Home community with many opportunities to give input over the last two years.

There will be a “persons to be heard” section at the beginning of the 2/8 board meeting. For those not familiar with the usual format for Town Board meetings, the opportunity for public input at these meetings is in a special period at the beginning of the meeting. The form of this period is that individuals who wish to speak raise their hands and are invited in turn to the mike where they have up to 3 minutes to speak. Whether or not you are able to attend the meeting in person, you can also send email to the Town Clerk, Paulette Rosa, at PRosa@town.ithaca.ny.us

The new plan has a couple of updates wrt the December plans discussed at the 12/15 Public Works Committee meeting that may be significant to users of the Walkway.

* The December plan had handrails on the right-hand side (going up) both on the lower section and above the zigzag. This plan moves the handrail on the upper section to the left. Note that the plan also includes re-grading of that section so that it has a minimal slope from right to left — just enough to encourage water not to flow down the Walkway itself.

* The December plan offered two options for railing style. The final choice (as clearly preferred by participants at both December meetings) is for a single rigid “pipe” rail. The finish will be similar to rails used by Cornell Botanic Gardens, e.g. by the steps up to the Observatory from Sackett Bridge.

Recap of points highlighted for the December plans that still apply:

* The design follows the current path of the Walkway
* The design has one section with steps, the steep section just before the right-hand bend.
* The design allows for maintenance equipment to come down the Walkway as far as the flat section, where there is a turnaround area. This addresses the concern about dealing with trees that fall over the Walkway.

We will provide the agenda and Zoom details for the Town Board meeting when they are available.