Letter to Compass Residents: Notice of Work to Begin (week of 10/24/2033)

We are proud to announce that long-planned improvements to water, sewer, roads, electrical service, and public lighting infrastructure at Compass are scheduled to begin in early November. LRS, a Lansing based contractor will be acting as the general contractor and working with INHS to execute on these major improvements while minimizing the impact on the daily life in the community.

As you are undoubtedly aware, this project has been in the works for some time and has seen many delays and reconfigurations in the past year – from funding sources to project scope and timing. In fact, we are continuing to work with regulatory and funding partners at the state to refine several items within of the scope of the project. While these negotiations may continue to impact project specifics and certainly prevent us from producing a definitive timeline, we are happy to share the tentative work plan below.

Infrastructure Improvement Timeline: initial efforts will be focused on drainage and runoff mitigation in early November, with plans to move on to underground improvements like water, sewer, and possibly storm water infrastructure throughout the remainder of the year. During this time, you will also see workers removing the old red barn on the Seneca County side of the road and work beginning to demolish and remove several of the abandoned homes throughout the park. We can expect a pause in work conducted during January and February, although this will be largely determined by weather. Finally, paving is tentatively planned for next spring, with substantial completion of the entire project targeted for July.  

This project is the first of its kind for both our state partners and for INHS, and we hope that you share our pride in pursuing and executing on such an ambitious goal. As we move forward, we ask that you reach out with any questions, concerns, or comments to Ben Carver, who will be overseeing this project for INHS. Ben will continue to be at the park regularly for the duration of this project and beyond, so feel free to stop and talk in person as well.

Finally, there are a number of smaller projects that are worth mentioning as well. INHS is pursuing funding to replace owner-occupied homes, at no cost to the owner, and will be working to replace these homes over the next two years if funding is awarded. This funding is opened annually, so be on the lookout for pre-application materials if you’re interested. We are also investigating the possibility of a volunteer-built playground and community garden – if you’re interested in participating in either of these projects, please reach out to Ben.

For more information on any of these projects, and to see any updates to the timeline for the infrastructure project, please visit www.ithacanhs.org/compass-mhc/.