ဟံၣ်My WebLinkဘၣ်ဃးဒီး1988-05 COUNTY CORRIDORS A Newsletter For Employees and Retirees of Tompkins County ft::tS.dd:t:LYY::,.. ,,;:Y::Y.:-:t:. .,..... .......:,....,....... :..:.....:...:.........................r:Y::::................................................• Vol.I,No.III May 1988 Still Serving After All these Years By Tommie L.Fish,DSS a sense of pride in her work as a profes- as Children's Court and one Family Court sional. Judge was on the bench. The staff con- During the summer of 1951, 19-year- sisted of one Family Court Clerk and one old Joan Purdy (now Sheffield) was Today Joan is a Sr.Typist in the Child secretary. Joan talks about the days when employed as a temporary part-time typist Protective Services Unit at the Depart- County Attorneys Murray Lewis and with the Tompkins County Welfare meat of Social Services which is located in Myer Karp appreciated typists and Department. Before the summer was the Biggs Complex at the old hospital site remembered them with gifts of candy and over Joan (pronounced Jo Anne) was on Trumansburg Road. flowers for Christmas. Throughout the hired as a full-time permanent employee. years Joan has maintained contact with Joan remembers fondly being referred to Anyone talking with Joan today will many of her friends that she has made as the "Child Typist". Very few typists enjoy her reminiscing about the way things while working with the Department of So- were working in the agency,maybe three were when she was hired 37 years ago. cial Services. at the most. She also recalls that typists She remembers Commissioners John took pride in the way they did their work. Post, Myron Evans and Clinton Ar- Joan has enjoyed doing a variety of jobs She attributes this to her office manager, mitage. She recalls that Clint Armitage which have included traveling with Helen Bergsten, who also taught her was the last elected Commissioner. She caseworkers to different agencies in New patience among other things that give her also recalls when Family Court was known York State. She recalls flying to New York City with a caseworker to leave twins for their adoptive placement. Joan has had many and varied interests outside of ;' . work. She has worked as a volunteer . ,d +;, w .._ airplane spotter during the Korean War. ,- , : . =W According to Joan she never spotted any suspicious planes over this area. She has • ..s assisted her mother,the late Mabel Purdy, ,r .wx.,? in her office as Town Clerk of Enfield for 4. 25 years. Joan is family oriented. She en- .t40.6.•'�• '" joys doing things with her family such as .+�0' _ ti camping,traveling and celebrating family ,*.. .'�"lii. events. *' Other changes that have taken place in it 4 Y Joan's life since coming to work at DSS are her marriage to Charles E.Sheffield, • j .. the birth of her two daughters, Suzanne It: and Karen;their marriages and the birth of her granddaughters Sarah and �. '� ` Heather. Joan is also very proud of her •' ; foster daughter, Cathy. Weekends will ",. •�.f, . likely find Joan engaged in her favorite ' 'r f ; hobbies, ceramics and babysitting. She • shares her ceramic shop with her daughter } I ` Sn7anne which is known as "Jo's Place." • • / Joan says if you're ever out on Enfield � Main Road stop in at"Jo's Place"and see lit. , ' -s. .e� her wares. A , - i 4 'elide What keeps a person interested for 37 R'°'°by B"'Chopp years? "A genuine feeling of what I do is Joan Sheffield is Tompkins County's senior employee with 37 years of service. very important." Vacancies as of May 9, 1988 RIGHT, INTO THE PARKING LOT W c oRKER(P UMBER/STEAMFITTER)Pub NCE Works; Two years Of plumber/steamfitter ex- By Judy I.Tynyk,Mental Health Clinic perience plus three additional years experience in construction trades.Grade 11. Well,Beulah,there's no way to avoid this. They start working on Cliff Street today, SECURITY OFFICER:TC3; High School and so we have to take a short detour to work. No problem. I've checked the map and have two years experience as guard or peace officer it all figured out. We take Route 13 towards Ithaca,make a left onto Seven Mile Drive, OR MS in related field. New York State driver's then left onto Bostwick Road,right onto Sheffield,cross Route 79,turn right at Whip- license required.Grade E. ple Corner onto Hayts Road,then left onto the Trumansburg Road,right onto Dubois EXAMINATIONS ASSISTANT:Personnel;High Road,another right onto Indian Creek Road and right,into the parking lot. I don't see School plus one year clerical experience.Grade why everybody was making such a big deal out of Cliff Street being closed all summer 5(confid.). but it's a good thing I know right from left,otherwise we might never get there. TYPIST: Job Training; High School 4. (rem- tion and ability to type 35 wpm.Grade 4. (Tem- So far,so good. We're making good time,and. . .I thought farmers were supposed porAC gh PPS ACCOUNT CLERK/TYPIST:Job Training; to have their cows to pasture before 8:30 in the morning. Remind me next time we go High School plus one year clerical experience OR shopping to buy an alarm clock and send it to this guy. It looks like every cow in the three years clerical experience. Ability to type county is crossing here. No problem. We just have to make some minor adjustments 35wpm.Grade 5. (Temporary) to our route. It's a simple matter of turning around, going back down Bostwick, turn PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER: (Profes- left onto Five Mile Drive, then left onto Coy Glen Road, cross Elm Street onto West sional Therapist) Mental Health; After hours Haven Road,make a right onto Mecklenburg Road,then left onto Campbell Avenue, programming. MSW or Phd required.Grade 14. left again onto the Trumansbuyg Road,right onto Dubois Road,right onto Indian Creek SUPERVISING PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE:BSN Road and right,into the parking lot.See, as usual, I have everything under control. plustwo years experience as Public Health Nurse. Grade 14. I don't believe this. Wouldn't you think they would have put up a sign at the hTcNOGRAPHER:D;35 wpm mttypeg, Office; foot of the hill saying there was construction work ahead and the road was temporari- High graph)graduation; ra wpm typing,80 wpm Ping � stenography. (Confid.)Grade 5. ly closed.Someone once told me, we must accept life's obstacles and overcome them. CONTINUING TREATMENT SPECIALIST: I guess this is one of those obstacles, but if I get stuck in this mud trying to turn Mental Health at Meadow House; BA in Human around,somebody's going to hear about it.Don't panic;I have another plan. We'll Services,Mental Health,related field OR MS plus go back down and take Five Mile Drive to the Octopus, make a left onto Hector two years experience.Grade 1o. Street and pick up this route at Campbell Avenue. Before you know it, we will be MICROCOMPUTER SPECIALIST: Data turning right,into the parking lot. Processing; High school plus one year ex- "But, officer, I don't want to go into town. I'm going to the Mental Health perience.Grade 9. Clinic." MAINTENANCE WORKER: Public "Then you'll have to go right, over the bridge, make a left at the light, then Works(Buildings and Grounds)-One year ex- another left onto Seneca Street and merge with the Hector Street traffic on State per uctioe in one or more of the mechanical or con- struction trades.Grade 7. Street." ACCOUNT CLERK/TYPIST: Office for the Aging-One year clerical experience must type at Wouldn't you think someone would let us into the left lane. Don't worry about least 35 WPM. (part time)Grade 5. it.I've got all their license plate numbers, and someday I'll get the chance to get even. DESkTOP PUBLISHING OPERATOR: Pur- Great, we're back in the Octopus and still in the right hand lane.I don't believe this, chasing and Central Services. High School and here comes that same officer. Pretend like you don't see him. one year data entry experience.Grade 5. "The right hand lane has to turn right onto Taughannock Boulevard." COUNTY CORRIDORS Articles and opinion pieces for County Cor- "I don't want to go for a picnic at Cass Park.I told you before,I'm going to the ri ors are selected by the volunteer editorial board Mental Health Clinic and I'm already late." based on their: inter*St to TOmpkins County 011:40yeeae4ntrretireeili Mater*is solicited from "Then you should have gotten into the left lane." avRSnt eitiploy.es,retirees,and others. County Corridors is published by County Central Services using "desktop publishing" If I weren't a lady,I'd tell him what he could do with his left lane.Alright,al- typography and layout. Publication and distribu- right.Don't you start sputtering at me,Beulah.This has not exactly been the best tion icon the second County payday of the month. ride of my life. We'll take Taughannock Boulevard then make a left onto Glenwood Mliterial for publication le.Satiicted by the Heights Road, left onto Dubois Road, another left onto Indian Creek Road and editorial board which reserves the right to edit it0 Of itiArifaskuis. The editorial board is made'ip of right,into the parking lot.We're headed for the finish line,and nothing is going to Bill Chapp (DSS),Sheila Ferrari{Purchasing and stop US now. ..except maybe that earth hauler blocking the road.I'm beginning to Central Services),Scott Heyman(Administration), think you were right, Beulah.I should have left you parked in the driveway and hiked ,I0yoe Musson (Admi�o n),Janet Nissenson Geri Roe1>�1 (Youth Bureau), Greg cross-country.Well, partner, we have one option left. I say we go for it. a[> Csntral Services), Marilyn Strassberg (E Bite for the Aging), and Judy Tynyk (Mental "Hello,Barb. This is Judy.I'm home and I won't be in today." Health Clinic). Correspondence may be sent to ►+ wsletter,Central Services through County inter- "IS there anything wrong?" office mail, or to Newsletter,c/o Purchasing and Central Services, Biggs Center Building A, 301 "No.I just can't get there from here." Harris B. Dates Drive,Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 via U.S. Mail. V s ie • , n A 4 ‘t.''::ill' ' .41 ' : . ' ,,, , , Valeria Coggin, Data Collector, measures the side of a building in Ithaca.This data will be included In the AssessmentPh0br°A1°"�' 1D Department's data file kept on all properties in the county. FRANKLIN: The Tompkins County length transaction in which neither party Division of Assessment was established as is being forced to buy or sell.Sometimes A Question of Values a part of the County Charter adopted by sellers will accept less or buyers will pay the voters of the County in 1969. All 16 more than the fair market value. employees,including the Director,are in The County Corridors editorial board the competitive class of civil service. CORRIDORS: Most people would a- recently interviewed Assessment Director gree that their current assessment is Donald Franklin about the role his office CORRIDORS:How do you determine quite a lot less than the market value of plays in determining how much property the fair market value of each parcel of their property.Why is that? tax each of us pays. real property? FRANKLIN: While our county bases The County, City, towns, villages, FRANKLIN: First, through data col- assessments on 100% of market value, school districts, and special districts of lection(Ed. note: see accompanying pic- current assessments are pegged at 1979 Tompkins County levied more than $55 tune).We determine the physical charac- market values. Since properties change million in property taxes in 1987-88;each teristics of each of the county's 30,000 par- value at different rates throughout the Gels of land and the buildings on them County, a re-evaluation of all properties property owner's bill is based on the value through on site visits.the land and buildings owned.It is As- sits.Then our seven ap- must be done periodically.Our entire staff sessment's job to establish that value. praisers,with more than 100 years of ex- is currently involved in this process with perience among them, set a fair market current market values to be used in 1990. CORRIDORS: How does Tompkins value,or assessment,by use of a computer County compare to other counties in the analysis that compares the property with CORRIDORS: What other services State in the way it assesses property? at least three other properties.We don't does your office have available? just trust the computer,though,we follow FRANKLIN: Our county is unique in up on each property individually to make FRANKLIN: We have aerial photo- the State in the area of real property as- make the computer didn't use comparables graphs of the entire county,tax maps that sessment.The responsibility for assessing that didn't ke any sense. depict all 30,000 parcels, ownership re- all property for all purposes is at the coun- cords of each parcel back to 1964 and in ty level.Nassau County does assessments CORRIDORS: What is fair market some cases beyond,and a property inven- for all purposes except villages and cities; value? Is it the same as the most recent tory describing the physical characteris- all other counties have Assessors on the sales price? tics of all land and buildings. local municipal level. These are very heavily used by lawyers, FRANKLIN:No,they're not necessar- realtors, appraisers, surveyors, planners CORRIDORS:How long has this been ily the same at all.Fair market value is de- and other municipal officials, and the this way here? fined as the amount of money a know- general public. ledgeable buyer would pay and a know- ledgeable seller would ask in an arms- 1 pervision Program) officer, working with Let The Games Begin high-risk,prison-bound offenders. Taking over as senior probation officer in charge of the Community Service Res- By Marilyn Strassberg,Office for the Aging titution program and as representative to the Designated Assessment Team is Kris- Older New York State residents are putting on their jogging shoes,practicing their tin Stevenson, who has been with the swimming and getting prepared to participate in a Senior Games Program especially Probation Department since May 1983. designed for those 55 years of age and older. The 1988 Sixth Annual New York State New hirees for probation officer Senior Games will take place at the State University College at Cortland on June 16- include Nicole Albro, coming to us 19(Thursday through Sunday). from Cortland County JTPA,and Linda Heberle,who has been active in Creative Last year,over 1,500 seniors from all over New York State came to Cortland to par- Playgrounds, Robert S. Leathers, Ar- ticipate in one to four days of exciting sports, fitness and leisure activities. Two par- chitect. ticipation divisions will again be offering medals,the"Fun Division"and the"Competi- tive Division". The Competitive Division will be used to identify participants eligible Buildings and Grounds for the 1989 National Senior Olympics,which will be held in St. Louis,Missouri,June 17-24,1989. Kenneth Manzari, Plumber/Steamfit- ter with Buildings and Grounds has Activities in both divisions include:golf,track and field events,scrabble,swimming, resigned to be employed with the Dryden archery,cycling,horseshoes,table tennis,boccie,badminton,billiards,bowling,cards, School District as Maintenance Super- tennis,darts and more! Clinics in dance,fitness,aerobics,yoga and massage will also visor. be conducted. The drop-in activities will include bait-casting, basketball and darts. Dinner with entertainment is scheduled for Saturday evening. The registration fee for the 4-day event is$8.00,which covers the cost of the T-shirt, Healthy Note awards certificates, entertainment and refreshments. Meals and housing on the Cortland campus are available at additional costs. The Wellness Program will start June 1, 1988. County and Blue Cross Blue Shield Applications can be obtained from the Office for the Aging. Call 274-5450 or stop resources will available during this in at the basement of the Court House for more information. program.If you have any questions,please call Personnel at 274-5526. Those in Tompkins County who attended last year's Senior Games called it"a great program. . .lots of fun. . .people won't be disappointed by going". And remember - "You don't stop playing because you grow old. ..You grow old because you stop play- UNCLASSIFIED ing!" MILESTONES served everyone in good stead. She left WANTED TO BUY: Canoe, 13-15', May 13, 1988, to commence her role as a preferably fiberglass.532-9361 Probation Department probation training consultant at the New WANTED TO RENT: House on Cayuga York State Correctional Services Train- Our hats are off to Bill Benjamin and ing Academy in Albany, New York. Lake to sleep 4 for 1-2 weeks this summer. There, Lois will share the responsibility 257-2568 after 6 Lois King who take their leave of Tompkins County Probation to work with for training new probation officers from CORRIDOR SPECIAL: 12 lbs (1 gal.) the New York State Division of Probation across the State in the Fundamentals of and Correctional Alternatives. Probation Practice and in Peace Officer pure wild flower honey,$10 273-7732 after With the Department since October Certification. 5 20, 1980, Bill served as probation officer Walt Cogswell had been promoted FOR SALE: 2 row corn planter, John and senior probation officer before his from senior probation officer to probation Deere,$250 273-7732 after 5 promotion to probation supervisor in Sep- supervisor effective May 5, 1988. Most tember 1986. He assumed his role as a recently,Walt has headed the Community probation program consultant for the Service Restitution Program, the major WANTED:10 or 12 inch heavy duty table western region on May 5, 1988, and has highlight of which has been the Service saw 273-7732 after 5 now the responsibility for rendering assis- Work Alternative Program/Weekend tance to probation directors in such coun- Work Crew. Walt very capably assumes ties as Erie and Monroe. responsibility for the Intake/Diversion• COUNTY CORRIDORS Lois King was first hired as a probation Unit formerly headed by Lois King. needs your help. We need officer in September 1975, moving to Susan Robinson will formally assume senior probation officer in December her new role as probation supervisor on original stories, news articles, 1978 and to probation supervisor in May 16, 1988,at which time she will take ideas, questions that you January 1981. Her specialty within the over responsibility for the core(Investiga- would like answered, etc., etc. Department has been in the Family Court tion and Supervision) unit formerly arena,especially in Intake Services,where headed by Bill Benjamin. Most recently, This is your newsletter. Help her even-handed approach to problems Sue has served as our ISP (Intensive Su- us to keep it interesting.