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Question from the Ithaca Downtown Partnership:
The Ithaca Downtown Partnership is looking for creative and proactive ways to address the issue of loitering in the downtown business district.
Corning's Gaffer District:
We have had our challenges with young adults loitering in our downtown square. We have increased police patrols and play 24 hour satellite radio. We have found through trial and error the loiterer’s least favorite stations and play them frequently. We have also had a number of private citizens trying to enjoy the square seating, ask the loiterers to curb their foul language, etc. The success of that approach is dependent on the circumstances. We have also had a significant “zero tolerance” attitude from business owners and downtown employees toward the repeat offenders; they call the Police and report suspicious activity. The greatest progress was realized when we invested a substantial amount of resources into expanding our surveillance system which is linked to the Police Department. As a result we have successfully prosecuted vandalism cases, etc. All of this was realized through a strong collaboration among stakeholders including our BID management representatives, business and property owners, the City of Corning, and City of Corning Police Department etc. Everyone was committed to a positive outcome and continues to serve on the Gaffer District Security Task Force. - Coleen Fabrizi, Executive Director
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