News Briefs:
Kruppa to exit hospital
(Jan 10): During the pandemic, he was Tompkins County’s answer to Dr. Fauci. And now Frank Kruppa is leaving County Government for a job at the hospital corporation with which he’s worked so closely.
Twin releases by County Government and Cayuga Health Systems Thursday confirmed the resignation of Kruppa as County Whole Health Director and his hiring by Cayuga Health as its Assistant Vice President for Community Program Development and Partner Integration.
The announcement confirms a broadcast report that aired briefly December 19 on WHCU. But it then vanished from the station’s air and website, and Health Department officials never responded when asked to confirm it.
Cayuga Health states that Kruppa will “play a key role” in developing its “Crisis Stabilization Center project,” that which gobbled up the largest grant from Tompkins County’s Community Recovery Fund.
“Frank has been a valued partner to Cayuga Health for many years and is a proven advocate for our community,” a hospital official said.
Kruppa’s departure marks another loss for County Government, which has been shedding leadership since County Administrator Lisa Holmes announced her retirement and Schoharie County’s Korsah Akumfi was named to replace her.
It’s a stretch to speculate. But Akumfi in early-2023, apparently on orders from Schoharie’s Board of Supervisors, fired that county’s health director and locked her out of her office over her implementation of COVID-19 restrictions.
“Anytime there’s transition in leadership, there’s always kind of interest and perhaps a health concern about where things are going to go,” Kruppa told The Ithaca Voice.
Read into that what you may.
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Applegate: A Little Bit Better
(Jan. 7): No, it’s not the flashing blinker some of us may have wanted. But word this week from the State Department of Transportation should make the accident-prone “Applegate Corners” in Enfield a bit safer.
“We’ve completed our work order for a new Stop ahead warning sign and new Stop sign with reflective posts on North Applegate Road and sent the request to our maintenance forces,” Scott Bates, Regional Traffic Engineer for our region of NYDOT, wrote Enfield Fire Commissioner Robyn Wishna on January 6. Wishna, who lives on North Applegate, has taken a lead in this safety upgrade.
“The sign work will be completed by our maintenance crews once the materials are procured and the work scheduled,” Bates told Wishna.
Many auto accidents have occurred over the decades at the corner of Route 79 and Applegate Road, at least one of them fatal. In response to both Wishna’s and the Enfield Town Board’s prodding, Bates’ department ordered improved signage at the crossroads last February. But the accidents kept coming, a couple more last October.
The Town Board’s request went so far as to seek a flashing blinker at the intersection. But DOT hasn’t agreed to that.
“It seems that increasing signage is a small price to pay to make the intersection less dangerous,” Wishna wrote NYDOT after the latest accidents. She’s pleased the State agreed.
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Never on Sunday… Still
(Jan. 7): Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) announced its winter-spring schedule this week. The revised schedules commence January 12.
The good news is that not much has changed for Route 20 trips to Enfield. But that’s also a disappointment. TCAT has declined to resume its Sunday service to Enfield Center, discontinued a few years ago in the face of declining post-pandemic ridership.
“Most service is unchanged from fall, but TCAT planners adjusted some routes to meet ridership demand, fulfill riders’ requests, and to improve on-time performance,” the intermunicipal transit service released in a statement.
For Route 20, alternating between Enfield and the Ithaca Commons, the second weekday trip leaves three minutes earlier. It will depart the Green Street stop at 10:07 AM and from the Enfield Highway Garage at 10:32 AM. To Enfield, the service makes three round-trips daily.
TCAT winter-spring service runs through May 24.
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Our Hometown Heroes
(Jan. 4): We should have invited them to our meeting. We didn’t. There should have been photos. There weren’t. In fact, some of those we lauded only learned of it when I informed them days later. Our Enfield Town Board should have done better. And each of us who represent you should demonstrate better courtesy the next time.
Wednesday, December 11, by a unanimous vote among those attending, our Town Board awarded Volunteers of the Year to three worthy couples or individuals for their selfless efforts in Enfield.
Ed and Helen Hetherington were lauded, in part, for their beautification efforts. “They created the beautiful barrels of flowers that the town has used for the past two years around our light poles and cared for our fall flower displays,” their award nomination states.
Maureen Bolton was recognized for her repair of the holiday wreaths that grace light poles in Enfield Center each winter. “The wreaths enrich our community by bringing a sense of joy to others,” Bolton’s nomination proclaims.
And we recognized former Town Supervisor Roy Barriere and his wife, Carol, for their involvement with the Community Council, the Food Pantry, and our Fire Company. “When they see a need, they step up to the plate,” their nomination states. “They are always willing to assist those in our community whenever needed.”
Congratulations, volunteers all. / RL
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Dr. Clarke’s Quiet Departure
(Jan. 4): It couldn’t have been more low-key. So no wonder most of us were blindsided when Tompkins County announced December 30th that the Office of Human Rights headquarters on West State Street would close temporarily and that the Office’s Director, Dr. Kenneth Clarke, had departed.
First word of Clarke’s leaving, we now learn, was shared at a Tompkins County Legislature meeting December 17, but buried within a routine report by County Administrator Lisa Holmes.
“He served the County for seven years and brought stability, stature, and scholarship to that Department,” Holmes said in praise of Clarke’s service. Her otherwise-routine disclosure took but 30 seconds.
Legislator Rich John followed with his own commendation.
“He really stepped in at a time when we needed help, and he stood up and did that, and it’s really appreciated,” John said of Clarke. “I wish him all good things.”
A reception, similarly low-key, occurred a couple days later. Unless you’d waded through the mid-December meeting, only a much-delayed summary of it, posted by County staff on New Year’s Eve, would have informed you of Clarke’s decision. The “why” of that resignation remains unstated.
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