News and Events

As of June 2nd, the pedestrian section of the downstream bridge is closed for repairs. Check back here to find out when it is known how long the repairs will take.

The Stewart Avenue bridge over Fall Creek is closed for a major rehabilitation. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-November. See Detour Plan at – https://www.cityofithacany.gov/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=21105

Reunion is June 4th-7th. — expect some drivers unfamiliar with the conventions on the one-lane bridges and possibly more buses (TCAT and/or shuttle-size) than usual.

Commencement Weekend is on May 22-24, 2026. Reunion is June 4th-7th.. Both events will have effects on traffic in Forest Home. Many drivers will be unfamiliar with the roads and the conventions on the one-lane bridges.

Plans for Commencement Weekend are for families and guests to attend two celebratory events: one of two university ceremonies at the stadium on Saturday and a college/school or department ceremony at some point during the weekend.

On Saturday, many campus roads will be closed and parking lots close to the stadium will be reserved for visitors with special needs and have been issued with Blue or Yellow permits.

Note that all campus roads and parking lots will be open to visitors on Friday and Sunday.

Here are links to pages Cornell has put up for visitors:
Events & Schedule – https://commencement.cornell.edu/may/events/
Parking & Directions for Visitors – https://commencement.cornell.edu/may/plan/park/

Map of Cornell Commencement 2026 Road Impacts
– https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/2/7337/files/2026/05/Commencement2026_RoadApproaches_Draft.pdf

The map is helpful as a general picture of what will be closed or require permits on Saturday. There will be two Commencement ceremonies, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The map suggests that visitors may use Forest Home Drive, Cradit Farm Drive and Caldwell Road (colored bright green), but implies that Judd Falls Road and McIntyre Place (colored grey in a thinner width) should not be used. A careful look suggests that the top section of Judd Falls Road will be closed. Residents should be able to get out by heading down (north) Judd Falls Road or taking McIntyre Place.

The map shows which lots are available to visitors with Blue Permits (small lots off Campus Road) or Yellow Permits (Hoy Garage). Also shows the lots off Tower Road that are available to other visitors.

Signage for Commencement Parking

On May 19, signs were placed to direct visitors to the general Commencement Parking and for the few people who have been allocated Blue or Yellow permits.

Coming from the north, there are no signs on Pleasant Grove Road until it meets Forest Home Drive. Drivers are directed to Commencement Parking by turning right over the Downstream Bridge. There are signs pointing in the same direction for the Blue and Yellow Permits.

There are no signs at the bottom of Judd Falls Road or McIntyre Place. The implication is that those heading to commencement are advised to continue along Forest Home Drive. A sign to all Commencement Parking indicates a left turn along Arboretum Road. There is a sign to continue straight ahead after the “jug-handle” tunnel. At the far end, signs for general Commencement Parking and for Blue or Yellow permits direct drivers to turn right up Caldwell Road.

There are no signs at the bottom of Warren Road. Visitors who are following their copy of the map, will need to recognize that they should turn left, cross the Upstream Bridge, and head up Caldwell Road.

Added closure

The Stewart Avenue bridge over Fall Creek is now closed for a major rehabilitation. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-November. See Detour Plan at – https://www.cityofithacany.gov/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=21105

Check back here for details on traffic effects for Reunion (June 4th-7th) and other summer events.

2026 Spring Brush and Leaf Pickup.

The Town of Ithaca Public Works Department will pick up yard waste (brush, leaves, pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, and grass clippings) starting Monday, April 20, 2026 and will continue throughout the Town that week until finished. All yard waste must be at the roadside by 7 a.m. on the first day of collection.

Please note that crews do not use leaf vacuum machines for spring leaf pickup; no loose leaf piles or plastic bags will be picked up.

THERE WILL BE NO SECOND COLLECTION AND NO CALL BACKS.

The intention of the Town’s roadside collection service is for Town residents, excluding the Village of Cayuga Heights and the City of Ithaca, to put a reasonable amount of yard waste (as generated during a normal year) out at the roadside for pick up by the Town’s crews. Clearing of building lots and hedgerows is beyond a normal amount of material. Roadside collection crews reserve the right not to pick up excessively large volumes of brush and improperly piled materials.

WHAT TO DO

  • Bag leaves, garden, and other yard waste in biodegradable paper bags. Fill bags and place on road shoulder. Fold over openings of bags to close. Do not staple or tape. 30-gallon bags are available at Agway, Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Wegman’s, and other stores in the area.
  • Brush should be placed in neat piles going with the flow of traffic so that the chipping trucks can feed the cut ends first. See diagram at https://lfweb.tompkins-co.org/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=316976&dbid=9&repo=TownOfIthaca
  • Brush piles should be no larger than a pickup truck load (approximately 2’ H x 4’ W x 8’ L in size). It is not necessary to cut limbs into small pieces.
  • Put out limbs no larger than 8 inches in diameter.
  • Place brush and filled bags of yard waste along road shoulder or at the end of the driveway if no shoulder exists.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Do not tie bundles of brush. Do not place any materials in a ditch. Do not put out metal, rocks, glass, roots, stumps, or lumber scraps. Do not put brush and leaf bags out until the week before collection.

For more information, please call 273-1656 between 6:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

You may also drop your yard waste off at the Public Works Facility at 114 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. year-round. Please sign in at the office.

The Town of Ithaca Public Works department will be starting to vacuum leaves on Nov 10. Leaves may be raked to the shoulder of the road or bagged in biodegradable paper bags. The crew will go once round the Town vacuuming. Bagged leaves will be picked up at the same time as the vacuuming AND in subsequent weeks in November.

2025 Leaf Pickup. Week beginning Nov. 10

In the fall, leaves are vacuumed throughout the town, so leaves may be raked to the shoulder of the road or bagged in biodegradable paper bags. In 2025, vacuuming will start on Monday November 10th. Leaves should be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the first day of collection. There will be no second collection and no callbacks for leaf vacuuming. For subsequent weeks in November, weather permitting, crews will be collecting bagged leaves only.

Pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, grass clippings, and similar debris cannot be vacuumed and should be bagged.

You may also drop your yard waste off at the Public Works Facility at 114 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. year-round. Please sign in at the office.

The FHIA Annual Meeting will be on Wed. Oct. 22 at 7:00 PM in the Forest Home Chapel. Residents should watch for emails with more details.

The Town of Ithaca Public Works department will be hard at work between late October and mid-November to help you get your yard ready for winter. Fall Brush pickup will be the week beginning Oct 20. Starting on Nov 10, the crew will go once round the Town vacuuming leaves. Bagged leaves will be picked up on both weeks. Details are below.

The Town of Ithaca Public Works Department will pick up yard waste (brush, leaves, pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, and grass clippings) starting Monday, Oct 20, 2025 and will continue throughout the Town that week 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 CALL BACKS FOR BRUSH. See separate section below on Fall Leaf Pickup, which will start on Nov. 10.

The intention of the Town’s roadside collection service is for Town residents, excluding the Village of Cayuga Heights and the City of Ithaca, to put a reasonable amount of yard waste (as generated during a normal year) out at the roadside for pick up by the Town’s crews. Clearing of building lots and hedgerows is beyond a normal amount of material. Roadside collection crews reserve the right not to pick up excessively large volumes of brush and improperly piled materials.

WHAT TO DO

  • Bag leaves, garden, and other yard waste in biodegradable paper bags. Fill bags and place on road shoulder. Fold over openings of bags to close. Do not staple or tape. 30-gallon bags are available at Agway, Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, and Wegman’s, and other stores in the area.
  • Brush should be placed in neat piles going with the flow of traffic so that the chipping trucks can feed the cut ends first. See diagram at https://lfweb.tompkins-co.org/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=316976&dbid=9&repo=TownOfIthaca
  • Brush piles should be no larger than a pickup truck load (approximately 2’ H x 4’ W x 8’ L in size). It is not necessary to cut limbs into small pieces.
  • Put out limbs no larger than 8 inches in diameter.
  • Place brush and filled bags of yard waste along road shoulder or at the end of the driveway if no shoulder exists.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Do not tie bundles of brush. Do not place any materials in a ditch. Do not put out metal, rocks, glass, roots, stumps, or lumber scraps. Do not put brush and leaf bags out until the week before collection.

You may also drop your yard waste off at the Public Works Facility at 114 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. year-round. Please sign in at the office.

2025 Leaf Pickup. Week beginning Nov. 10

In the fall, leaves are vacuumed throughout the town, so leaves may be raked to the shoulder of the road or bagged in biodegradable paper bags. In 2025, vacuuming will start on Monday November 10th. Leaves should be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the first day of collection. There will be no second collection and no callbacks for leaf vacuuming. For subsequent weeks in November, weather permitting, crews will be collecting bagged leaves only.

Pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, grass clippings, and similar debris cannot be vacuumed and should be bagged.

The Town of Ithaca Public Works department will be hard at work between late October and mid-November to help you get your yard ready for winter. Fall Brush pickup will be the week beginning Oct 20. Starting on Nov 10, the crew will go once round the Town vacuuming leaves. Bagged leaves will be picked up on both weeks. Details are below.

But before that, there are two special events on the morning of Sept 13 hosted by the Town of Ithaca. The Public Works Department is having an Open House aimed at the whole family. More information is below. The same day, the Town Conservation Board is offering a chance to explore the new ethnobotanic trail in Tutelo Park at 151 Bostwick Rd — Sat Sept 13, 10am-noon. Conservation Board members and others involved in the project will be available to answer questions and provide guided walks of the new trail. Look for them near the park pavilion at the new kiosk.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT OPEN HOUSE
Sat, Sept 13, 2025, 9am to 12 PM,
114 Seven Mile Drive, Ithaca NY

=== FUN FOR ALL AGES-FAMILIES WELCOME! ===

Explore, Learn and Climb Aboard. See and sit in real trucks and equipment:
  • Dump trucks with snow plows
  • Excavators
  • And more!
Tour the Facility and meet the crews who keep the Town running. Special Appearances by:
  • Tompkins County Sheriffs Department
  • Ithaca Fire Department
  • Bolton Point Water
=== COME RAIN OR SHINE, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! ===

2025 Fall Brush Pickup. Week beginning Oct 20.

The Town of Ithaca Public Works Department will pick up yard waste (brush, leaves, pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, and grass clippings) starting Monday, Oct 20, 2025 and will continue throughout the Town that week 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 CALL BACKS FOR BRUSH. See separate section below on Fall Leaf Pickup, which will start on Nov. 10.

The intention of the Town’s roadside collection service is for Town residents, excluding the Village of Cayuga Heights and the City of Ithaca, to put a reasonable amount of yard waste (as generated during a normal year) out at the roadside for pick up by the Town’s crews. Clearing of building lots and hedgerows is beyond a normal amount of material. Roadside collection crews reserve the right not to pick up excessively large volumes of brush and improperly piled materials.

WHAT TO DO

  • Bag leaves, garden, and other yard waste in biodegradable paper bags. Fill bags and place on road shoulder. Fold over openings of bags to close. Do not staple or tape. 30-gallon bags are available at Agway, Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, and Wegman’s, and other stores in the area.
  • Brush should be placed in neat piles going with the flow of traffic so that the chipping trucks can feed the cut ends first. See diagram at https://lfweb.tompkins-co.org/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=316976&dbid=9&repo=TownOfIthaca
  • Brush piles should be no larger than a pickup truck load (approximately 2’ H x 4’ W x 8’ L in size). It is not necessary to cut limbs into small pieces.
  • Put out limbs no larger than 8 inches in diameter.
  • Place brush and filled bags of yard waste along road shoulder or at the end of the driveway if no shoulder exists.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Do not tie bundles of brush. Do not place any materials in a ditch. Do not put out metal, rocks, glass, roots, stumps, or lumber scraps. Do not put brush and leaf bags out until the week before collection.

For more information, please call 273-1656 between 6:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

You may also drop your yard waste off at the Public Works Facility at 114 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. year-round. Please sign in at the office.

2025 Leaf Pickup. Week beginning Nov. 10

In the fall, leaves are vacuumed throughout the town, so leaves may be raked to the shoulder of the road or bagged in biodegradable paper bags. In 2025, vacuuming will start on Monday November 10th. Leaves should be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the first day of collection. There will be no second collection and no callbacks for leaf vacuuming. For subsequent weeks in November, weather permitting, crews will be collecting bagged leaves only.

Pine needles, dead flowers, garden waste, grass clippings, and similar debris cannot be vacuumed and should be bagged.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS NOT FAR FROM FOREST HOME:
2025 Tompkins County Airport Day & Preparedness Expo on Sat Sept 13
Free Rabies Clinic for Dogs, Cats & Ferrets, Sat Sept 27, 11am to 2pm.
43rd Annual Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival, downtown Sept 26-28.

Saturday, September 6, 2025, 3PM – 6PM, at the Forest Home Park.  Rain date is September 7.

Volunteers still needed: one more to help with grilling and one or two for lifting and transporting the grill from 122 Judd Falls Rd. The lifting needs strong backs. Four people make this task safe and trouble-free.

WE WILL PROVIDE:
Hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, ice cream, non-alcoholic beverages, flatware, cups, and plates.

PLEASE BRING IF YOU CAN:
A side dish, salad, or pie; chairs; croquet, balls, outdoor toys. Please no alcohol.

VOLUNTEER TO:
Be a cooker or a server, set up, clean up, or help with garbage and recycling. We are hoping for 10 volunteers. Send email to foresthomenews@gmail.com to volunteer.

Thanks for your help. We look forward to seeing you!
Forest Home Fall Picnic Committee

TO OUR NEW NEIGHBORS:
Residents who would like to be added to the Forest Home Improvement Association e-mail list, please write to us at: foresthomenews@gmail.com

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS NOT FAR AWAY:
2025 Tompkins County Airport Day & Preparedness Expo on Sat Sept 13
43rd Annual Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival, downtown Sept 26-28.

The Town has planned a milling and repaving project for Judd Falls Rd, Forest Home Dr from Judd Falls Rd to the upper bridge, and recently added McIntyre Pl to the activity. Their current plan is to mill off the surfaces the week of July 21, with repaving done the following week. During this construction period, please plan for partial street closures within the community. Note: paving plans are always weather-dependent.

Streets and crosswalks will be re-striped afterwards.

Forest Home will probably see a lot of Cornell guests driving through the hamlet between Friday May 23 and Sunday May 25.

Friday is generally a travel day, when many families arrive in town. However, many Colleges and/or Departments have events planned for Friday and on Friday evening there will be a PhD Recognition Ceremony Ceremony for all PhD candidates (6pm – 8pm) and a choral concert in Bailey Hall (8pm – 9:45pm).

Saturday is graduation day. University Commencement Ceremonies are held at 10 am and 2:30 pm in Schoellkopf Stadium for all degree candidates.
More College events may be on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

To see what graduating students and their guests have been told about parking and the schedule of official events, see:

* https://commencement.cornell.edu/may/plan/park/ — you may want to take a look at the map, which shows routes (not through Forest Home) for shuttle buses.

* https://commencement.cornell.edu/may/events/

A public budget hearing is scheduled for Tuesday May 13, 5:30 p.m. in York Hall in Ithaca High School.

The polling place for Forest Home residents for the School Board Election is at Northeast Elementary School, 425 Winthrop Drive, Ithaca.

There is extensive information from the Ithaca City School District available at
* https://www.ithacacityschools.org/o/icsd/page/budget-vote-election
Includes information on candidates for the School Board.
* https://www.ithacacityschools.org/page/budget-development
Includes extensive information about the budget, including presentations in several levels of detail.

If you are not registered, the voter registration deadline for the school district election is May 6, 2025.

You can register to vote at the Tompkins County Board of Elections at 128 East Buffalo Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. Open weekdays, 9am-5pm. Use the same form as for voting in other elections. For info, see https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/All-Departments/Board-of-Elections/Forms

In addition, the school district has authorized continuous registration of qualified voters in the Office of the District Clerk, 400 Lake Street, Ithaca, New York between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday, through May 6, 2025.