Eric Rosario, Alderperson 2nd Ward

Proposed Outdoor Smoking Regulations: Thanks for Your Support, Comments and Ideas

Eric — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:22:11 +0000

Thanks to all of you wrote in advance or spoke at last night’s public hearing on the proposal. From what has been shared so far, most folks are in favor of regulating outdoor tobacco smoke. There are differences of opinion in the implementation and detail of our proposal. For example, some folks would like to have the proposed Smoke Free area of the inner Commons extended further East to Aurora Street, and others would like to see it extend further West to the chess playing area. All make compelling arguments. I caution that we consider the smaller we make the areas where smoking is allowed, the more concentrated those areas will become. We’re trying to achieve a balance that isn’t going to be perfect but hopefully workable and definitely far more protective of public health than what we have now. Please continue to send thoughts, concerns, questions to me at erosario@cityofithaca.org or post them to this site.

Upcoming Public Information Meeting and Hearing on Proposed Designation of Smoke Free Outdoor Areas, Monday, Dec. 14th

Eric — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:10:37 +0000

I wanted to be sure you all knew there will be a special public information meeting and hearing hosted by Common Council’s Legislative Committee regarding a proposed ordinance to create smoke free outdoor areas in our City. The date is Monday, December 14th, 2009. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm in Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall. The proposed ordinance should be available in the next few days at http://www.cityofithaca.org under “News.” As you might know, I was asked in 2007 to Chair the subcommittee on this issue (after I pointed out to my colleagues that a complex issue like this could not be effectively addressed by Common Council as a whole, but that a smaller task force should be formed to research and develop a proposal). Philosophically, I am more inclined towards allowing the community to self-regulate as much as possible. However, I have come to the conclusion that we should regulate smoking in outdoor spaces. I believe my rights end where others begin. If my smoke can stay with me, that’s one thing, but it doesn’t. I’ve learned that secondhand smoke in the outdoors can be as dangerous as within enclosed spaces. For example, during periods of active smoking, peak and average outdoor tobacco smoke levels measured in outdoor cafes and restaurant and bar patios near smokers rival indoor tobacco smoke concentrations. (Klepeis, N.; Ott, W.R.; Switzer, P., “Real-time measurement of outdoor tobacco smoke particles,” Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 57: 522-534, 2007.) All of which is underscored by the 2006 Surgeon General’s report, which found that even brief exposures to secondhand smoke may have adverse effects on the heart and respiratory systems and increase the severity of asthma attacks, especially in children. Addressing the “problem” of smoking through means other than those enforceable by the law is not unlike the County’s “T-Free Zone” program which provides “please don’t smoke here” stickers and signs to private and public entities. What we’ve seen is that this program IS successfully building awareness, but it’s less clear that compliance is as successful as it would be under a legally enforceable ordinance. However, I think trying to ban smoking outdoors completely would lead to all sorts of negative unintended consequences. I do believe a reasonable balance can be achieved without compromising public safety. Our subcommittee decided that the primary goal of our policy would be to reduce proximate exposure to tobacco smoke. We targeted areas where children are likely to congregate (e.g. playgrounds) and where adults would find it difficult to escape from smoke (e.g. outdoor dining areas). So what were some of our specific recommendations? Well, in striving to meet our goal of reducing proximate exposure to outdoor tobacco smoke, but not create new problems along the way, we did not propose smoking be banned on all of the Commons, but that 60% or so be smoke free (a contiguous area we’re calling the “Inner Commons” for now that goes east just past the children’s playgound, west to include the Amphitheater and its pavilion, south up to the “butterfly area” in front of Cinemapolis and north halfway through Bank Alley). Under our proposal, 2 of 4 pavilions will be open to smokers and the other two would be smokefree. The “Inner Commons” will be easy to identify with signage, and it gives folks plenty of opportunity to finish their smoking before they enter the area that’s smoke free. This smoke free area of the Commons provides protection for both workers and customers in the mobile food vending area of “Bank Alley”, for the parents and children enjoying the playground, for folks enjoying the outdoor concerts at the Bernie Milton Pavilion, and for those dining in the public outdoor dining area. The “Inner Commons” will also allow employees on the Commons places to go for their smoke breaks without being forced to hide their smoking in some basement, or for residents to smoke in their apartments – possibly with children present (creating a more dangerous situation). Under our proposal all parks will be completely smoke free, except for Cass Park and Stewart Park, which are much larger and therefore afford much more reasonable distances for folks to self-regulate. Cass and Stewart instead have designated smoke free areas (e.g. children’s playgrounds) while the majority of the area remains unregulated. It was interesting to learn that many folks support some form of regulation smoke in parks (e.g. based on a random telephone survey of 400 adults in Tompkins County in 2008, 85% supported either banning smoking in parks or restricting it to certain areas in parks). I’m aware that surveys can be crafted to elicit certain responses, but I thought you’d be interested. You can see more survey details at http://www.tompkins-co.org/wellness/tobaccofree/survey/survey08/outdoor08.htm. So those were some of my subcommittee’s recommendations regarding the Commons and parks. The Legislative Committee has made some changes to our proposal (and the updated version should be posted soon at www.cityofithaca.org as I mentioned above). However, this proposal CAN continue to change (made more or less restrictive, or not changed at all) if the Legislative Committee members are persuaded when you weigh in during the public hearings. There are some aspects of the proposal which I had concerns regarding enforceability, such as 10 feet smoke free buffers around outdoor dining areas and bus stops. While I agree that folks would be better protected with those buffers (the research on this is clear), I’m not sure those buffers will be easy to demarcate and therefore enforce. I thought we were taking a good first step by making the outdoor dining areas and bus shelters themselves smoke free, and then we should evaluate how well that goes before adding a perimeter. In any case, we are making great strides towards protecting public health with this legislation. In the meantime, I will continue to give your views thoughtful consideration, so please let me know what you think.

Meeting to Address Clinton West Plaza Environmental Investigation: Mon., Aug. 18th

Eric — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:53:55 +0000

Dear Neighbors,

Earlier this year Clinton West Plaza was declared by our NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as a site requiring environmental clean-up. Based on testing at the site, the pollution’s source is presumed to be from dry-cleaning chemicals used at the Clinton West Laundry from the 1970s through 2000.

Both the DEC and the State Department of Health are overseeing the work being done by the property owner and his environmental consultants/engineers to assess the full scope of the problem, create a plan of action, and remove the contamination.

To keep us informed, I’ve organized a public information meeting for Monday, August 18th from 7 – 9 pm at the Southside Community Center, 305 South Plain Street (between Green and W. Clinton Streets).

I’ve asked the Clinton West Plaza property owner, Clinton West, LTD., and their environmental consultants, Fagan Engineers, to

provide a brief environmental history of the site,
an overview of their investigation of the site test results so far,
where and what tests are planned for the near future, and
other next steps.

The DEC and State Department of Health officials will also be attending as a resource. If you can’t attend or want to be sure your question is heard, please email your questions to me at erosario@cityofithaca.org or call me directly at (607) 227.1969.

While the City is not overseeing this process, I believe we have an obligation to address all direct threats to public safety and welfare, as well as those who would exploit these threats. See my message sent via neighborhood listservs earlier this summer: Environmental Solicitation Advisory June 2008.

We all want to make sure the scope of this site’s contamination is comprehensively assessed and then cleaned-up without delay in strict accordance with all relevant environmental regulations. Hope to see you at the meeting.

PS: If you are interested in learning more about what has been found so far at Clinton West Plaza, there is a reported titled “RIFS Work Plan for Clinton West Plaza, 609-625 W. Clinton Street, Ithaca, New York” at our County Library downtown. RIFS stands for remedial investigation/feasibility study. It was prepared by Fagan Engineers for Clinton West, LTD and was released in March 2008. This report follows “a limited site investigation” conducted by LCS, Inc. in March-April 2006 for a potential buyer interested in Clinton West Plaza. The LCS, Inc. report is included in Appendix D of the Fagan report. I will have an electronic version of this report available on the City website soon.

BIKE TO WORK DAY – MAY 16th

Eric — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:17:03 +0000

I wanted to let you all know about Bike to Work Day, which will take place on Friday, May 16th. This is an event of the League of American Bicyclists, which has been in existence since 1956, but the local version was inspired by a few people from the Finger Lakes Cycling Club and the Curb Your Car Coalition, who “decided the time was ripe for a big Bike To Work Day event here, so we began advertising to see what kind of turnout we can get.” You can find about more, including some defined routes that groups of folks are going to take, at http://icycle.org/biketowork/ I recently voted to finance two inaugural routes of the City’s “Bicycle Plan”, which has been sitting on the books unfunded for years. If we’re going to have a truly high quality of life in our neighborhoods, then investing in this underserved mode of transportation and providing more choices for commuters that reduce pollution, increase personal health and are kind to our infrastructure will be crucial. I will be walking to work, my preferred mode of transportation, in support of all of you participating tomorrow, and offer a friendly wave whenever I see you!

New Beginnings

Eric — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:05:59 +0000

Happy New Year everyone! I began the first day of 2008 by getting sworn-in as the 2nd Ward’s newest Alderperson, and I’ll be spending the second day getting down to business at the first meeting of the Common Council this evening at 7 pm.

Currently, there are only 9 members of Council out of 10. One of the key actions we may be taking tonight is the appointment of a new Alderperson to fill the vacancy for the 4th Ward created by David Gelinas’ resignation on December 31st, 2007. This new Alderperson’s appointment will run through December 31st, 2008.

I’m aspiring to providing more advance notice of issues as they come up, as well as my thinking behind the actions I want to take to resolve them. As always, you’re welcome to help me along by providing any of your thoughts to this blog or contacting me at 607.273.2417 or via email at eric@ericrosario.org.

In This Season of Thanks…

Eric — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:48:39 +0000

My sincerest thanks to all of you who registered your vote for my candidacy and others, despite the city-wide uncontested races. I’m gratified by your show of support and am looking forward to being sworn in as your representative this January 1st! In the meantime, feel free to email, blog or phone me with your thoughts, concerns, suggestions…

TIME TO ACT: Please Vote this Tuesday, November 6th

Eric — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:02:32 +0000

It’s time to act! Election Day is this Tuesday, November 6th. Please make sure to vote because

voting is a precious right that we should cherish and exercise,
it sends a city-wide message that 2nd Ward residents are politically active civic citizens,
there are contested races at NY State Supreme Court Justice level – your vote can make a difference. You can read about these candidates with this voter guide.

Polls open at 6am and close at 9 pm. Not sure where your polling station is? See my link to the 2nd Ward district map. You can also find poll locations for our city’s other four wards at the Tompkins County Board of Elections. Thanks for preserving the vibrancy of our local democracy, despite the lack of opposed races.

You’re Invited

Eric — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:59:09 +0000

You’re invited to a “Candidates Forum” that I’ll be participating in this Tuesday, Oct. 23rd from 7 pm to 9 pm at the Ithaca Town Hall, 215 Tioga Street in downtown Ithaca, NY. The Forum is sponsored by the Tompkins County League of Women Voters. Joining me will be candidates for City of Ithaca Mayor and Alderpersons, and Town of Ithaca Supervisor and Councilpersons. You and your fellow audience members will be able to submit written questions. Afterwards there will be a brief reception afterwards during which candidates will have a chance to speak with you and other community members. “Thank you” to the League for organizing and sponsoring this very important opportunity for the community to hear and question candidates. I hope you can make it.

I’ll also be addressing two 2nd Ward neighborhood groups this Thursday, Oct. 25th: My neighbors in McGraw House, a senior citizen living facility in the Henry St. John neighborhood, invited me to speak and hear from them next Thursday, October 25th from 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm at McGraw House of course. This is open only to McGraw House residents.

The Washington Park Neighborhood Association also invited me to speak and from them. That meeting will take place from 7PM – 8:30PM at the Mason Temple formerly Odd Fellows Hall) at 412 West Buffalo St. All Washington Park residents are invited.

For the Common Good

Eric — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:03:45 +0000

It’s been a BUSY two months and I have a lot to share!

First, I walked from late July through mid-August throughout our entire 2nd Ward to personally collect all of the signatures required for my independent petition. Besides giving me a much needed physical workout(!), this process allowed all 2nd ward residents, regardless of party affiliation, to choose if they’d like me to have me on the ballot on November 6th, as well as share with me their hopes and concerns for our Ward and City. THANK YOU to all those neighbors – Greens, Independents, Republicans, and unaffiliated – who signed my independent petition while knowing that I’ve also welcomed my endorsement by the Democratic Party. I was required to provide a name for my independent bid and I decided on the “Common Good”, which to me best reflects the common concern of all residents – regardless of their political affiliation – for our Ward and City.

Second, I’ve been attending every public meeting concerning our future water source for the City (more on this later), as well as other key Common Council and committee meetings, to ensure I’m as well informed as possible. I’ve also been meeting with Department heads, including the City Comptroller, for their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities we’re facing.

Third, I’ve been attending community events hosted by organizations that provide key services to residents such the Fingerlakes Independence Center, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), and GIAC’s Commercial Driver’s License Program (more on this great program at some future point).

Finally, I plan to be at tomorrow’s (Thursday, Sept. 13th) public meeting concerning the on-going Coal Tar Clean Up project by NYSEG in our Ward’s Washington Park neighborhood. The NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation will be providing a progress report and possible future steps. The meeting will take place at 7 pm in the Greater Ithaca Activity Center (GIAC), Conference Room One (1), at 318 North Albany Street. If you can make it, please attend to learn more about the alternatives being weighed for this environmental remediation effort on the site bounded by Esty, West Court and North Plain Streets. You might know that this site includes the red brick Markles Flats building, which has been designated historic by the Ithaca City Landmarks Preservation Committee. How to proceed while preserving the Markles Flats building (which is owned by the Ithaca City School District) is the question. There are two options: one is to move the building, excavate the contanminated soil and then move the building back. Or, leave the building in place, seal it with a subsurface barrier, and then pump out as much contaminated soil as possible.

At the meeting we’ll learn the pros and cons of each approach. We’re also invited to provide comments on the plan. If you’re there and see me, feel free to say “hello.”

In the meantime, if we hadn’t had a chance to meet, or even if we did, I invite you post any comments, thoughts, concerns about our neighborhood and the City that you’d like to share! Thanks.

Eric — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:21:58 +0000

This last week I walked through the Northside, Washington Park, and the Titus Triangle neighborhoods, first with Nathan Shinagawa, and then with Kathy Luz Herrera and Lori Kofoid who were collecting signatures on my behalf so that I could be on the Democratic ballot. Thanks to all three of you for accompanying me, and to those neighbors who took the time to engage in a conversation with me.

Special thanks to neighbors Michelle Berry, J.R. Clairborne, Susan Cummings, Tracy Farrell, Holly Gump, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, and Margaret “Dolly” Maude for going door-to-door and collecting signatures from parts far and wide in our 2nd Ward that I couldn’t get to because I couldn’t be in two places at once! These thanks include Mayor Carolyn Peterson, who took time from her own re-election petitioning to collect signatures for my petition as well.

So far I’ve collected more than twice the signatures required for the Democratic ballot.

On Saturday, July 14, I went to meet with many neighbors at the Dragon Boat festival in our Ward’s West End, helping keep the boats steady as competitors were loading on and off. What a blast – and congratulations to the Ithaca Asian American Association and their partners for pulling off this complex, energizing and high-profile international event in our Ithaca so successfully!

Next week I will again be going to door-to-door throughout our Ward collecting signatures for my petition to appear on my own independent ballot.

Requiring candidates to collect signatures seems to me one of the healthiest and reaffirming aspects of this election process. I’ve found my own views to be enriched by your questions, opinions, and concerns, AND you get a chance to size me up in person!