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In 10-1 vote, Tompkins County will move cold weather shelter

In 10-1 vote, Tompkins County will move cold weather shelter

Outside the Tompkins County Legislature building (file) Photo: Saga Communications/Matt Aceto


ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — Tompkins County’s Code Blue shelter will move.

Legislators voted 10-1 last night on temporarily relocating the county’s cold weather shelter from Commercial Avenue to Cherry Street. The resolution cited challenges in getting property on Commercial Avenue, which is a joint venture between the county and city of Ithaca, ready for winter. The lone lawmaker to vote against the resolution was Legislator Dan Nolan.

Legislator Shawna Black is hopeful that a collaboration between both municipalities can be explored in the future.

That hope was shared by Legislator Veronica Pillar.

Prior to Tuesday’s vote, Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo released a statement expressing disappointment:

“The City will now need to reconsider its approach in light of the County’s timeline and budgetary concerns, which have ultimately brought the collaboration to a halt. As we always have, the City of Ithaca will contribute when called upon by the County and our partner agencies. But we also expect those partners to make good faith efforts to conduct their necessary due diligence and work together toward common solutions.

This decision comes a year after representatives of the County Legislature sat with me in a town hall with Nate’s Floral Estates and promised the residents to be good neighbors and not make a decision about the temporary shelter’s location without community input. Irrespective of the logistical considerations at hand, this decision represents a walking back of that commitment.

In the meantime, the City will continue implementing our own policy framework to the best of our ability. That said, there are limits. Without a County commitment, we must be cautious in deploying capital funds and may face ongoing reliance on the Southwest Park site despite its unsuitability for long-term use as a campground.”

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