Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homeless Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tompkins County authorizes Cherry Street site for 2025–26 Code Blue shelter; legislators urge better city–county coordination
Summary
The legislature authorized use of the county-owned property at 2227 Cherry Street as a temporary Code Blue shelter and co-located navigation hub for the 2025–26 season, after county staff determined a previously planned location would not be ready in time; vote carried 10–1 amid criticism that the county and city did not collaborate sooner.
The Tompkins County Legislature voted 10–1 on Sept. 16 to authorize development of the county-owned Cherry Street property for Code Blue emergency sheltering during the 2025–26 cold-weather season and to continue collaboration with the City of Ithaca on a long-term navigation hub and shelter plan.
Why it matters: County policy requires emergency shelter for people during Code Blue conditions, defined in the resolution as when temperatures drop below 32 degrees; county staff determined the previously selected location at 100 Commercial Avenue would not be ready by Nov. 1 after necessary flood mitigation and mechanical upgrades.
Anne Korman (Legislator) read the resolution and explained the county’s findings: the planned site at 100 Commercial Avenue would require substantial upfits — flood-plain mitigation, water-service upgrades, HVAC, plumbing, fire alarms, and restroom and shower installation — and therefore could not be prepared for the upcoming cold season. The resolution authorizes use of 2227 Cherry Street, stating that the property “includes suitable physical structures and interior space sufficient for Code Blue sheltering and co-location of the navigation hub, if the city desires to do so on a temporary basis.”
Discussion and dissent: Dan Nolan (Legislator) said he would not vote for the resolution because, while he did not oppose a compromise solution per se, he objected to how the decision process unfolded and to the timing: “I’m actually not gonna be voting for this. Not because I necessarily disagree with any compromise solution, but because I do believe that we conducted ourselves not in the...best manner with this.” Shauna Black (Legislator) said she shared concerns about a lack of timely intergovernmental collaboration and urged better information-sharing.
Supporters said the Cherry Street plan was the practical path to ensure Code Blue protection by the required date. County Administrator Corso told the body the county has executed a contract with Volunteers of America of Upstate New York to partner on shelter development and that kickoff meetings had occurred; county staff said they expect the Cherry Street site to be ready before the cold-weather season.
Vote and next steps: The resolution passed 10–1. It authorizes the county administrator and department staff to use Code Blue allocation funds to develop Cherry Street for the 2025–26 season and to continue negotiations with the City of Ithaca about a co-located navigation hub for subsequent seasons. Legislators said they intended to pursue closer city–county collaboration on future, longer-term shelter solutions.
Taper: The action authorizes short-term shelter operations to meet the impending cold-weather mandate while keeping longer-term planning and potential city–county co-location on the table.
