Frequently Asked Questions

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No, unfortunately we are unable to allow animals to be fostered.

Yes! We encourage you to bring your current pets in order to make sure everyone will get along. We have an outdoor pen devoted to introductions and would be more than happy to help!

Most of our animals get spayed/neutered prior to adoption, however sometimes we have a large number of animals and a low amount of space at spay/neuter clinics where we get our animals fixed, therefore there is a slight possibility that the animal you are interested in adopting may not be altered at time of adoption.

No, once the animal has been adopted it is the responsibility of the new owner to provide all veterinary care.

Sure, we are able to place a 24-hour hold on an animal in contemplation of adoption. After the 24-hour period that animal will go back up for adoption.

After adopting an animal you may bring them back within 30 days of adoption. There will be no refund. We would also love to try and assist with transitioning your new pet into your home and offering suggestions to make the change easier on both the owner and animal. Feel free to call any time with questions or concerns.

Local service clubs, sports teams, youth organizations, schools, churches, businesses, families, friends, and anyone interested in helping to revitalize the city parks are all welcome and encouraged to adopt a park.

Youth organizations are required to have at least one adult supervisor while working at their adopted park.

Tasks for adoptive groups may vary slightly depending on the park facility but may include such items as:

• Picking up litter
• Sweeping courts and pathways
• Brush collection
• Painting/ graffiti removal
• Clean and rake playground areas
• Planting (with prior approval)
• Report vandalism, unsafe conditions, poor lighting, and unlawful activity
• Complete the Adopt-A-Park Request form prior to doing the work
• Fundraising for new amenities

Adoptive groups are not expected to mow grass, trim vegetation, clean restrooms, or perform major repairs or maintenance.

Adoptive groups are encouraged to work with the Department of Public Works to make suggestions to improve parks and to seek out and find donors or funding sources for park improvements.

Adoptive groups are strongly encouraged to take pride in their work and the difference that they are making in their community.

Adoptive organizations are asked to furnish all the supplies they are capable of, and the Department of Public Works will furnish the remainder.

Suggested items needed:

• Trash bags and gloves
• Brooms and dust pans
• Rakes
• Painting materials and masks

Yes, groups are encouraged to select a park near members' homes, schools, businesses or meeting places. Larger parks might benefit by being adopted by more than one organization. Requests for a specific park will be granted whenever possible, but cannot be guaranteed.

In addition to clean, safe parks and a sense of pride in serving the community, groups will be recognized by the adoption signs posted at your park and on the City of Elmira website.

Fill out the application below and return it by mail or fax to Community Development. If you have questions, you can contact the department by calling 607-737-5691.

Coordinated traffic signals provide the following benefits to motorists:

• Delay experienced by motorists waiting at signals is reduced.
• The number of stops experienced by motorists is reduced
• Motorists are grouped in platoons traveling at equal speeds.
• There are fewer rear-end accidents because motorists are stopped less often on major streets.
• There are fewer right-angle accidents because there is less red light running.
• There is less traffic cutting through neighborhoods to avoid signals.

It is impossible to time the signals so that no driver hits a red light.

• If you are hitting a number of lights on red, you may be driving too fast since the signals are timed for motorists traveling near the speed limit.
• If signals are spaced closely together, it is difficult to achieve progression.
• When traffic is very heavy such as driving during rush hour, the signals are timed for the peak direction of travel. If you are traveling against the peak, you may hit more red lights.
• If you turn onto a major street, you may hit a red light or two before you get into the "green band" and find yourself in synchronization with the timing plans.

The traffic signals are coordinated to help traffic flow through a series of signals and avoid stops. This is called signal progression.

Ideally, Traffic Signal Progression ("timed" signals) is a process by which the signals along major roads are programmed to permit cars traveling at the posted speed to travel uninterrupted through a series of green lights. Signal progression has been used in major cities across the United States for decades.

While major roads are already programmed for signal progression, there are factors that undermine the success of such a system, including accidents, an excessive number of intersecting driveways between lights, gridlock (back-ups that block an intersection), and interruptions due to heavy pedestrian signal use. In addition, drivers who speed, change lanes too frequently, or drive too slowly will arrive at the next signal too early or too late and will disrupt the signal progression for other drivers.

The major disadvantage of programmed signal technology is that it lacks flexibility - it can't sense road conditions and adapt accordingly. In the event of a car accident, signal timing can't detect an accident or expedite the delivery of emergency or law enforcement services, nor can signals on timers advise motorists about alternative routes or adjust timing to correct delays.

On two-way streets, coordination is much more complex. Three variables must be taken into account:

• The distance between traffic signals
• The cycle length
• The speed of travel

Nonstop traffic flow can only be provided where exact relationships exist between these three variables.

Some stops are simply unavoidable with the street system. For example, not all signals are uniformly spaced. Different intersections have different traffic demands, so cycle lengths must vary. And we must keep traffic at or near the speed limit.

Intersection signals are coordinated, or synchronized with each other to reduce stops and delay for the major traffic movements. Coordinating signals requires that all signals be programmed with a common cycle length, which is the amount of time it takes a signal to sequence through all traffic movements at one time. The quality of movement through a series of traffic signals depends on the spacing between signals, the speed of traffic, the cycle length, and the amount of traffic. Signals along main arterials are generally coordinated with each other during the day when there are heavy traffic flows. It is often not possible to progress traffic in both directions because of poor spacing between traffic signals. Sometimes it is necessary to choose one direction to progress. When two-way progression is not possible, the City often uses computerized traffic modeling to find coordinated timing plans that decrease the total delay and stops for all users of the system. Traffic turning onto or off of a side street is generally not progressed, and turning vehicles can usually expect to stop at the next signal.

There are many issues that may affect the coordination of traffic signals. It is easy to coordinate signals that are on one-way streets to provide for very efficient movement of traffic. That is why you will see one-way streets in many downtown areas - it is the most efficient way to move large amounts of traffic with relatively few lanes. Coordinating signals on two-way streets where the signals are irregularly spaced is a much more difficult challenge. In some cases, it becomes physically impossible to provide good coordination simply due to the spacing of the intersections and the speed which people are driving.

At most traffic signals several different timing plans are used throughout the day to account for varying levels of traffic demand. The length of the wait depends on the signal cycle length and the amount of traffic. In general, a longer cycle length increases the amount of vehicles that can be moved through an intersection (capacity). Increasing cycle lengths also increases driver delay. Cycle lengths range from 60 seconds to 90 seconds, depending on the size of the intersections and the amount of traffic. Cycle lengths must be longer at larger intersections to serve the greater number of separate traffic movements during the timing sequence, to accommodate much longer pedestrian crossing times, and to accommodate higher volumes of traffic.

Signals that are in a coordinated mode are confined to a cycle length, which is governed by the cycle of a nearby major intersection. All signals along an arterial must have a common cycle length in order to achieve progression. Within that cycle length, a block of time is allocated to each movement. Each movement can appear only at a certain point in the cycle; once that has occurred, the movement cannot appear again until the next cycle. If a movement does not need all of its allocated time, the unused time becomes available to the next movement; this continues until all of the unused time, if any remains, ultimately is inherited by the main street movement where the cycle "zeros" itself out or begins again. Cycle lengths vary depending on the time of day. During the AM and PM rush hours, signals have their longest cycle lengths because the major roads must accommodate the greatest amount of traffic. In the midday, the cycle lengths are slightly shorter and the shortest cycles typically occur at night and on weekends.

The amount of green time programmed for each movement at a signal varies by time of day. Sometimes there is more traffic at a signal than the signal can handle, and the signal is over its capacity. In these situations, the signals are timed to equalize delays for conflicting movements. At other times green time can be moved from one movement to a conflicting movement, realizing that improving one movement hurts another. Increasing green for one movement requires decreasing the amount of green time for another movement.

Building permits must be required for any work which is required to conform to the Uniform Code. Certain exceptions are permitted. We urge anyone who is not sure if a Building Permit is required to please call us.

Types of Projects that require a Building Permit are:

• All structural repairs or alterations.
• Any change to the Floor plan of a Building whether it is structural or not.
• Any change to the Plumbing.
• Any changes or upgrades to the Electrical.
• Installation of solid fuel burning equipment such as Wood, Pellet, Corn or Coal stoves.
• Replacement of any type of heating equipment and or central air conditioning equipment.
• Roofing replacement or re-roofing.
• Siding Installation

Typically it is the responsibility of the person conducting the work. (Contractor)

Do they have Insurance? Types of Insurance would be Liability Insurance, Workman's comp Insurance, and Disability Insurance. Ask to see all certificates of Insurance. Don't take their word for it. We urge all homeowners to receive at least three estimates from different contractors. And remember the lowest estimate isn't always the best.

The provisions of this code shall apply to all existing residential and nonresidential structures and all existing premises and constitute minimum requirements and standards for premises, structures, equipment, and facilities for light, ventilation, space, heating, sanitation, protection from the elements, life safety, safety from fire and other hazards, and for safe and sanitary maintenance; the responsibility of owners, operators, and occupants; the occupancy of existing structures and premises.

Intentions for this Code is intended to provide minimum requirements to safeguard public safety, health, and general welfare insofar as they are affected by the occupancy and maintenance of structures and premises.

Types of Violations:

• Accumulation of Rubbish and Garbage
• Broken Windows
• High Grass
• Improper Venting
• Missing Address Numbers
• Peeling or Flaking Paint
• Unsafe Buildings
• Unsafe sidewalks

It is the policy of the Elmira Police Department to investigate complaints against the Department or its employees. This ensures the integrity of the Department while protecting the rights and interests of both citizens and Department employees.

Any person who witnesses or has knowledge of police misconduct may file a complaint with the Elmira Police Department.

You should contact the Department whenever you become aware of conduct by any Department employee that may be improper.

Generally, complaints are filed through the supervisor of the employee involved. If the immediate supervisor is unavailable, another supervisor may take the complaint. The Department uses a standardized form to file all complaints, and the supervisor taking your complaint completes this form. Complaints may also be made directly to the Department's Deputy Chief or the Chief of Police.

Generally, complaints may be filed at Police Headquarters. If you are uncomfortable coming to Police Headquarters we can meet you at another location, such as the offices of the Chemung County Commission on Human Relations.

The Department encourages the resolution of complaints by mediating or explaining the matter whenever possible. Complaints that cannot be resolved through mediation or explanation will be referred for investigation.

Experience has shown that many complaints we have received are due to a lack of knowledge, or misunderstanding, of police policies and procedures. The supervisor taking the information about your complaint will offer to mediate your complaint, which may include:

• an explanation of our policies and procedures;
• discussions with the personnel involved; or
• other efforts to resolve your complaint in a manner that you are satisfied with

If you do not wish to have your complaint mediated, you may request that an internal investigation into your complaint be initiated.

The Chief of Police or his/her designee is responsible for the investigation of complaints against Department employees. The Chief may personally investigate the complaint or assign it to another Department supervisor for investigation.

Every investigation is different. While we recognize that it is important to complete the investigation as quickly as possible our primary goal is to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.

Every complaint and investigation is personally reviewed by the Chief of Police who makes a finding for each allegation of misconduct.

Yes. After a thorough investigation of the complaint, The Chief of Police will contact you. You will be advised of the investigation's outcome and whether disciplinary action will be taken.