Cazenovia Pilot

Cazenovia Girl Dies in DeRuyter Fire

Very sad news: 17-year-old Julia Parker of Cazenovia was killed in a fire this morning at a Spruce Lane summer house in DeRuyter. The other six people in the house escaped the building safely.

Update 4/28/08: Much more information is now available at Syracuse.com.

Cazenovia Town Hall Meeting Tackles Underage Drinking

Town hall meetings are being held in Cazenovia to address the headline-making - and life-changing - phenomenon of underage drinking. See this story from News10Now for more information.

High School and Middle School Locked Down, Evening Activities Cancelled

According to the Post-Standard, Cazenovia's high school and middle school have been locked down as of 1:15 PM today (Wednesday 3/26/08). Students will be dismissed at the normal time. Here's the full text of the article:

Cazenovia High School and Middle School were placed under a lockdown at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to a release from Superintendent Robert Dubik.

Dubik said the action was a "precautionary measure due to a threat."

Students and staff were safe and secure, Dubik said, adding that he anticipated that all students, including those at Burton Street Elementary, would be dismissed from school at the normal time.

Update from WSTM (Channel 3) website at 5 PM:

CAZENOVIA -- Update: The Cazenovia High School and Middle School have dismissed for the day, and there are no after-school or evening activities. School officials tell Action News that a hand-written threat was found which initiated the lockdown. Superintendent Robert Dubik tells us that whomever made the threat will be prosecuted both criminally and within the school's disciplinary system.

Update from the Post-Standard in this morning's paper says that a note was found in a bathroom reading "Bomb In School", so the school was locked down and searched. Nothing was found; school and local authorities are looking for the perpetrator(s).

Syracusans Protest as Iraq War enters its sixth year

During Wednesday's protest of the Iraq war, near the federal building in Syracuse, 22 activists were arrested.

Aimee Koval Jurista was one of them; before she was handcuffed and taken to be booked, she captured the following photos. Click images to view a larger version:

Cazenovia Schools Closed Today (Thursday 3/20) for Security Threat

Cazenovia Central School District schools are closed today (Thursday, March 20 2008) as a "bomb threat" was reported found on a wall at a district school. I'll post more information when it is available.

Cazenovia Gallery Owner Profiled

Gallery Owner Jennifer Schutzendorf is profiled in today's Post-Standard. It's a nice article on a great gallery and how Jennifer and her fiancee Jason came to run it.

Cazenovia Developers Plans Riverside Drive Senior Housing

UPDATE: The developers in question are noted as Scott Shannon and Ed Green in this article about the Cazenovia apartment, retail, and park project. The article provides more details about the scope of the project and the financial and municipal considerations.

"[A] developer" (the story doesn't say who) is planning to build a senior apartment building and park in the space on Riverside Drive formerly occupied by the town highway garage. I don't know anything more about this story. Does anybody?

Manlius Voters Reject Turf Proposal

Manlius voters went to the polls yesterday to vote on a proposed new football stadium and artificial-turf field. In record turnout for a budget election, the voters overwhelmingly rejected the project, about 65%-35%.

Cazenovia Village Board Approves Permit System Non-Resident Lake Access

The Cazenovia village board of trustees has unanimously approved a plan to allow non-residents access to the Lakeside Park boat launch and parking area via a seasonal permit system. Permits will cost $40; those wishing to purchase a permit will be required to agree to abide by safety and courtesy guidelines. Up to nine spaces for vehicle and trailer parking will be available at the park to non-resident boaters.

It's Super-Duper-Tsunami Tuesday! Will You Vote?

New York State's Republican and Democratic parties hold their presidential primaries today. I'm registered, but not with either party, so I can't vote. Check out the poll or add a comment below and let us know what you think of the election!

Cazenovia School District Survey Results

Update: I received a letter today from Mr. Dubik. In it, he thanks me for calling the error to his attention. Mr. Dubik requested that the survey company revise the document, and he has had the revised version put on the district web site with comments on the page indicating that it was changed. Kudos to him for his prompt and very professional response. Thank you, Mr. Dubik.

My original message follows below:

I wasn't able to attend the recent public hearing about the school district's survey results. But I did finally get around to reading their report this morning. It has some interesting observations about the district, the schools, and the board. The crux of the survey was the athletic improvements, since the issues the district had with communicating its plans would up driving the need for a survey. And in this regard the survey failed. The page that breaks down the community's opinion of the current state of athletic facilities and fields has a factual error and its summary leverages that error to push the need for improvements again.

I wrote a letter to the superintendent of schools this morning; I am posting it here in case anybody's interested in the details.

[January 29, 2008]

Mr. Dubik:

As a parent of a child in the Cazenovia Central School District, I was one of the 476 people who completed the district’s recent survey. I was just reading the results on the district web site, and on page 32 there is a curious statement:

Nearly half of all respondents (43%) either disagree or strongly disagree that the current fields and facilities offered at Cazenovia Central Schools are adequate. Most in need (among mentions from the community) are the football fields, baseball and softball fields, and all outdoor fields (in general).

According to the graph on the very same page, the “Strongly Disagree” response was 13%, and the “Disagree” response was 20%, for a total of 33%, or approximately one in three respondents. Those who “Strongly Agree (28%) or Agree (30%) make up 58% of the respondents. Instead of “nearly half” disagreeing that the facilities are adequate, it is far more accurate to suggest that the vast majority of taxpayers believe that the athletic facilities are adequate.

The rest of the report has numbers and claims that seem accurate. Page 32, which is really the heart of the matter since the district would not have commissioned this survey without the controversy over its facilities improvement plans, continues to show the bias and poor communication for which the board and the district have been called to task repeatedly.

I urge you to post the corrected version of the numbers immediately, and to publicly apologize for the district’s continued attempts at obfuscation in pursuit of improvements to its athletic facilities.

Very sincerely,

Jim Jurista
Cazenovia, NY

The full report, in PDF format, is available on the district's website.

Popular Cazenovia Musician Dies

Steve Cook, a musician in the popular duo The Gonzales Brothers, died in his sleep on Saturday. Services were held yesterday at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Cazenovia. Steve's obituary also appeared in the Syracuse Post-Standard.

Lake Access Hearing Draws Over 100 People

The village board's meeting about access to Cazenovia Lake from Lakeside Park drew over 100 people, according to the Post-Standard's coverage. The comments at the bottom of that link are an interesting reflection of how some people perceive Cazenovia - and Cazenovians.

Lake Access Hearing TONIGHT at 7 PM

The Cazenovia village board will hold a public meeting tonight to solicit feedback on its proposal to revise lake access and parking rules at its Lakeside Park launch facility.

Cazenovia Lake Association Reacts to Village's Launch Plan

The Cazenovia Lake Association sent this note describing the position of the association regarding the proposed changes to Lakeside Park's boat launch rules.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

From the recent articles in the newspapers, you may be aware of the Village of Cazenovia proposed resolution to open its Lakeside Park to additional public access. The proposal essentially allows for one-half of the exisitng boat trailer parking spaces to be used by non-residents, whereas the present regulations now only permit residents of the Cazenovia school district access to the ramp and parking spaces. A copy of the proposed regulations can be found on the Village of Cazenovia website at www.villageofcazenovia.com. These articles appear to tell the whole story but, as you know, what's not said is often as important. For instance, it states that the cost for enforcement will be paid using permit fees. However, the estimates for cost of enforcement range from a low of $10,000 to as high as $40,000 and the permit fees won't come close to paying for that. So the Village proposes inter-municipal agreements where the other municipalities (such as the Town) would help pay for this cost. This means that every Town and Village taxpayer, whether they own a boat or not, will be paying for non-residents to use the boat ramp.

The Cazenovia Lake Association is opposed to this new regulation for several reasons. It will be an additonal tax burden on the Town and Village residents with little in return. It will increase the likelyhood of additional jet skiis and large boats onto the lake resulting in environmental, safety and quality of life issues. The Cazenovia Lake Association has posted an online petition for residents to sign and post their concerns or comments.

We ask you to do any and all of the following:
1. Sign the petition, both you and your spouse or partner: Click here: Village of Cazenovia Lake Access Petition
2. Attend the public hearing to be held at 7pm on Tuesday January 22, 2008 in the Village hall
3. Write a letter to the Editor of the Caz Republican, PO Box 301, Cazenovia, NY 13035 or email at republican@cnylink.com
4. Forward this email on to all your friends and neighbors who are residents of the Town or Village of Cazenovia

Thank you for your interest

[The Cazenovia Lake Association]

Helicopter Crashes in Fenner Fog

According to News10Now, a helicopter has crashed at noon today near the Fenner wind farm. Foggy conditions caused trouble for the pilot, and four people were injured - apparently none seriously.

Village Proposes Lakeside Park Launch Use Rules

The Village of Cazenovia is in the process of revising its policy for boats launching into Cazenovia Lake from its Lakeside Park location. The proposed policy will allow for the purchase of seasonal permits, with restrictions on the number of permitted vehicles and trailers that can be in the parking lot at any one time. The letter below from Trustee Kurt Wheeler explains his own background and position regarding this issue. The proposal itself can be found on the village's web site in the board meeting minutes page.

13 January 2008

Dear Neighbors,

The purpose of this letter is to clarify certain aspects of the discussion regarding proposed regulations for the Lakeside Park boat launch. I have been concerned about the tone and accuracy of certain information disseminated recently. Like the other members of the Cazenovia Village Board, I enthusiastically welcome input from residents of both the Town and Village. My hope is that residents will have thorough and accurate information on which to base that input. The following points are submitted for your consideration:

1) The Village Board as well as many other concerned citizens have been actively studying this topic for more than eight months. We have considered a wide range of issues and have crafted a proposal that we sincerely feel is in the best interest of the Village and the broader community. It has not been a hasty or careless process.

2) The $40,000 figure that has been circulated for enforcement is inaccurate. I have been directly involved in the cost calculations and the figure is less than $10,000 - a sum that will be covered using conservative estimates of anticipated sales of permits and/or intermunicipal agreement fees. There will not be any significant impact on local taxpayers. It is also important to note that Lakeside Park and its associated launch are currently 100% funded by Village taxes. No Town taxes are currently involved. The Town Board will decide later if it desires to sign an intermunicipal agreement or to allow individual residents to purchase their own permits as they do under the present law.

3) The Village Board is concerned about all of the issues raised by the Lake Association in recent communications and is committed to being an active participant in the Watershed Council proposed by the Town of Cazenovia to address these issues systematically. We applaud the recent closing of the unimproved launches at the north and south end of the lake by the Town which stemmed, in part, from healthy intermunicipal discussion and cooperation.

4) Under the status quo, there is effectively no limit to the number of "non-resident" boaters who can access the lake on any given day. The past reality has been virtually open access to the lake from three municipal launches. The proposed legislation would result in a maximum of nine "non-local" users on the lake at any time from one municipal launch with appropriate enforcement. All users of the launch will agree to abide by a written summary of safe boating practices. The intent of the proposed resolution is better regulated access to the lake and increased safety.

5) I would like to reassure my friends and neighbors in the Village and Town that I have studied this issue very carefully and thoughtfully. The same can be said for each of my colleagues on the Village Board. I love this community and every action that I take is intended to be in its best interest. I am saddened that some would imply that the proposed legislation has been reckless, thoughtless or crafted with anything other than the best interest of the community in mind.

6) I encourage everyone to read the proposed resolution (available at: www.villageofcazenovia.com) and to call me or another member of the Village Board with questions. We heartily welcome public input and believe that well-informed input will best serve the public interest.

Very Sincerely,

Kurt Wheeler
Cazenovia Village Trustee

Wegman's to stop selling tobacco products

This is really surprising to me - Wegman's will no longer sell tobacco products in any of its stores, citing employee health concerns. Effective immediately, they will no longer restock any products, and they will stop selling any and all tobacco products effective February 10, 2008.

Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

Pakistani opposition leader, and former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today after a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. Bhutto's supporters are already claiming that the government of U.S. puppet and current prime minister (and until recently, army chief) Pervez Musharraf is responsible for her death.

Bhutto had only recently returned to Pakistan after years of exile to support a democratic process and help lead opposition to Musharraf's dictatorial and military rule. Her return was swiftly followed by the implementation of martial law and many wondered whether she could possibly be safe; obviously, she was not.

Bhutto was known as an advocate for the poor and working classes in Pakistan, carrying on the legacy of her father Shah Nawaz Bhutto... who was hanged in 1979 by the military government that overthrew him in 1977.

This is a tragic outcome to what had seemed a hopeful process; Pakistan will undoubtedly be thrown into emotional and political turmoil for months if not years.

New York Announces Farmland Preservation Grants

New York State announced today at a news conference in Cortland that seven central New York properties have received eleven million dollars in state funding to help preserve them for agricultural use. Among those seven are two in our area: Reed Farm in Cazenovia (434 acres) and Greyrock Farm in Sullivan (268 acres).

Cazenovia Native's Blog Shut Down

Cazenovia native and Harvard senior Nick Ciarelli has run a web site called "Think Secret" for about eight years; the site is full of insider information about the trends and products surrounding Apple Computer. Apple recently reached a settlement with Mr. Ciarelli that will cause the permanent shutdown of Think Secret. I found the article pretty interesting, though it has no real Cazenovia content.

House Fire in Cazenovia Injures Firefighters

Three firefighters and one resident suffered from smoke inhalation and required hospitalization after responding to a house fire last night on Meadow Hill Road in the town of Cazenovia. Nobody else was injured and firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze, which began in the basement and had spread to the first floor.

400,000 Hits - Thank you!

Hi everyone - I just wanted to say Thank You for reading the Cazenovia Pilot web site. We just recorded our 400,000th hit on the web site since I implemented tracking in July 2005; 354,000 of those have been within the last year. Thank you all so much!

Town and Village to hold joint comprehensive planning meeting this Thursday, November 15

The Cazenovia Town and Village Boards will convene a public information meeting to discuss their comprehensive planning progress with a focus on Route 20 East. The meeting will be held Thursday, November 15th at 7:00 p.m. in the Cazenovia High School Auditorium. Meeting attendees are encouraged to share their thoughts in public or in writing. This is the fourth in a series of public meetings since 2006 regarding comprehensive planning.

Interested parties may also send their comments in writing via the Town's website at www.townofcazenovia.org by clicking Comments on the left hand navigation panel.

For more information call the Town of Cazenovia at 655-9213 or go to www.townofcazenovia.org.

Erieville Couple Planning Camp for Deaf People

Bill and Beverly Campbell are planning a recreational camp for the deaf on 130 acres in Erieville. The site doesn't have any more information than that, but it sounds like a cool idea.

Town of Cazenovia Election Results

Results of the contested 2007 race for the board of the Town of Cazenovia are in. From News10Now:

Re-elected - in unopposed races - were Supervisor Liz Moran, Highway Supervisor Tim Hunt, and Clerk Linda Mather.

The proposition to change the Highway Supervisor position from elected to appointed by the town board passed by a narrow margin (735-690).

The detailed percentage report can be found in this PDF document on the Madison County Board of Elections web site.

Remember to vote tomorrow!

Town elections are tomorrow; please remember to vote for your representatives in town government!

Elections Tuesday, November 6

Town of Cazenovia elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6. If you don't know your polling place, make sure you check the Madison County Board of Elections Polling Places (pdf document) web site. Good luck to the candidates for town board, supervisor, highway supervisor, and clerk.

State Announces Access Plans for McNitt State Park on Cazenovia Lake

New York State's Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation announced today through Commissioner Carol Ash its plans for access to the Helen L. McNitt State Park property on the east side of Cazenovia Lake. The contents of the press release follow:

Ash Announces Access Plans For McNitt State Park

Plan Will Provide Passive Public Recreational Opportunities

ALBANY, NY (10/25/2007; 1218)(readMedia)-- Commissioner Carol Ash announced today that the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has finalized plans for Helen L. McNitt State Park, providing parking and access to Cazenovia Lake and its shoreline for passive recreational activities.

“State Parks has prepared a project plan that meets the expectation of park visitors and addresses environmental constraints and concerns of neighbors on Cazenovia Lake,” said Commissioner Ash. “When the project is complete, visitors will be able to enjoy fishing, hiking, bird watching, wildlife viewing, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, and car top boating such as canoeing and kayaking at this beautiful site.”

Ash noted that an environmental assessment and project description were prepared in accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act. She added that project will begin in November with the construction of a parking lot. The expectation is that the park will be open to visitors in time for winter activities, at which point the park will be open dawn to dusk.

In addition to the parking lot, the project includes a handicapped accessible trail that will lead from the parking area to a wooden walkway, which will lead to a wooden platform built at the water’s edge. A short loop trail will be created on an upland portion of the park. Construction of the wooden walkway, platform and trail work will be completed in the spring of 2008. In addition, noted Ash, boat access will be available, and limited to car top watercraft.

“State Parks looks forward to opening this park to the public and being responsible stewards of this wonderful land on Cazenovia Lake,” Ash concluded.

Helen L. McNitt State Park was established in 1999 as a gift of 133 acres of land, including about 1300 feet of shoreline. The original land gifting agreement transferring the property to State Parks stated that, as resources permit, the gifted land would be available for public use for recreational activities.

Editor’s Note: The Project Description and Environmental Assessment report is available at www.nysparks.com.

Community Chest Begins Seasonal Drive

The Cazenovia United Community Chest seeks to raise $50,000 in its holiday fundraising effort; the linked article from the Post-Standard has more details.

Perfect Regular Season for Cazenovia Football; Playoffs Begin Today

Cazenovia, last year's Section III Class C Football champions, begin defense of their title today with a playoff game at Buckley-Volo field against Homer. Cazenovia completed it regular season with a 7-0 record, defeating South Jefferson 30-0 last Saturday.

Town of Cazenovia Election - Board and Supervisor Candidates

The Cazenovia Democratic Party caucus has selected two candidates for seats on the Cazenovia Town Board this fall. The candidates are Helen Beale and Bill Zupan.

Sparky Christakos is running as an independent for one of the seats; Mr. Christakos is also endorsed by the town's Republican Party, and appeared on the cover of this week's Cazenovia Republican newspaper as part of the team kicking off the Republican candidates' campaigns.

Supervisor Liz Moran is running unoppsed for a second term.

From the article:

Election Day

The Nov. 6 election will feature four candidates for two seats on the town council. Incumbent Carol Schoch is seeking re-election as a member of the Republican party. Also, Sparky Christakos, running as an independent, was endorsed by the Republicans.

Tim Hunt will be running for highway superintendent. Linda Mather, who has been the town clerk for 20 years, is seeking re-election. Both have been endorsed by the Republican party and are running unopposed.

Liz Moran is also running unopposed.

“We’ve made great progress, but we’re not there yet,” Moran said. “The town board and supervisor we elect this fall will be responsible for finishing the job and implementing the plan, and that’s why I want to continue to serve.”

Local Proposition 1

Also on the ballot for Nov. 6 will be a local proposition. The approval of the proposition will abolish the elected position of town highway superintendent as of Jan. 1, 2010 and establish the appointed position of town highway superintendent as of the same date.
The position of the Cazenovia Highway Superintendent has always been decided by public election and has always been a two-year term. If the proposition is approved, the town board will have the power to appoint someone to the position and monitor town highway activities as with any town employee.

Stockbridge Resident Michael Oot Running for US Congress

Madison County resident Michael Oot of Stockbridge, an attorney, has announced his intention to run as a Democrat for New York's 23rd congressional district seat in the US Congress.

Here's a link to the full article from the Post-Standard, with more information about Oot and about the seat in question: click.

Aquifer Study Unveiled Tonight

A reader sent in this bulletin:

[Tonight, Tuesday September 25] at 7:00 PM in the Village Hall [90 Albany Street], Cazenovia will finally have the most scientific study to date on the water supply and how development on Route 20 may affect that drinking water supply.

Steve Winkley of the NY Rural Water Authority will scientifically tell us where our drinking water supply is, and how development on Route 20 and around the village wells should be designed to protect our drinking water.

This is an opportunity to hear the science behind the process, and the recommendations for future growth and controls that will protect our drinking water source for the generations to come.

Cazenovia Motel Burns as Fire Training Exercise

The former Hi Neighbor and motel building on Route 20 burned yesterday as part of a planned fire department training exercise. WSYR TV has video and a story about the exercise and the planned use of the property as a professional/office complex called Cazenovia Commons.

Christakos Seeks Town Board Seat

Sparky Christakos, a businessman and Cazenovia resident, is running as an independent in this fall's Town of Cazenovia elections. He seeks a seat on the town board and has been endorsed by the town's Republican party.

Cazenovia High School Football Aims for Another Title Season

Defending Section III Class C football champions Cazenovia High School is profiled in this video preview of its 2007 season.

High School Girls Soccer Practice Photos

The Cazenovia High School girls' soccer team was featured in a Syracuse.com photo essay today. Check it out!

Former Cazenovia Highway Superintendent Under Investigation

According to the Post-Standard, former Town of Cazenovia highway superintendent Gary Stowell is under investigation by the New York State Police for accusations against him by department employees. The article details a variety of alleged illegal activity, from falsifying or destroying timesheets to using town equipment and labor for personal projects.

Town Considers Extending Development Moratorium

The town of Cazenovia will consider public comment in its debate over whether to extend a development moratorium on Route 20, east of the village of Cazenovia. For more information, see this story in the Syracuse Post-Standard.

One dead, three injured in auto crash in Nelson

One 19-year-old woman is dead and all three members of a family traveling together are injured after a head-on collision between their two vehicles in Nelson yesterday afternoon. The accident occurred at the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and US Route 20, and the deceased's name has not been released, though authorities say she does not live in the area and was visiting friends at Tuscarora Lake.

Town Board Sets Public Hearing on Highway Superindendent Position

The Cazenovia Town Board has scheduled a public hearing for August 23 at 7 PM to allow residents to voice their opinions about changing the highway superintendent position to be appointed by the town instead of elected by residents. According to target="_blank">this Post-Standard article, the town is taking this action after the previous superintendent engaged in activities that have drawn investigations by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), requiring the town to spend significant time and money to address and clean up. New highway superintendent Tim Hunt drew praise from board member Pat Race in the article, for Hunt's efforts to work with the DEC and get the department back on track.

Cazenovia Man Faces Weapons and Drug Charges

A Cazenovia-area man has been arrested in Syracuse on drug- and weapon-possession charges, according to the Post-Standard.

[This post was updated to correct the link.]

Girl Sustains Minor Injuries after Falling 35 Feet at Chittenango Falls State Park

A 14-year-old girl from Chittenango High School was injured today during a field trip to Chittenango Falls State Park. Fortunately, the story indicates that her injuries aren't life-threatening.

According to the story at News10Now, the girl fell about 35 feet and onto a ledge; had the ledge not been there the drop would have been a far more dangerous 110 feet. Cazenovia firefighters and other rescue personnel responded to the situation.

2007 Cazenovia Village Election Results

In yesterday's village election, first-time candidates Tom Tait and Russ Brownback joined the Cazenovia Village Board of Trustees, winning more votes than incumbent Dave Vredenburgh. Mayor Tom Dougherty, running unopposed, was elected as well.

Here is an article from the Post-Standard with the Cazenovia village election results

According to that article, the mayor received 400 votes, while the trustee votes were tallied as follows:

• Tom Tait: 456
• Russ Brownback: 353
• Dave Vredenburgh: 237

Comments on the election can be made in the Cazenovia Village Elections discussion forum.

Syracuse Peace Council Brings Weekly Outreach to Cazenovia

UPDATE: Due to amazingly inclement weather, this event has been cancelled.

Wheeler to Speak on Iraq Experience

Marine Lt Col Kurt Wheeler, a Cazenovia native and resident who also is a village trustee and high school social studies teacher, will speak and share photos tonight about his experience during his recently-completed tour of duty in the al-Anbar province of Iraq. The event takes place at 7:00 PM at Common Grounds at the corner of Albany and Sullivan Streets in the village of Cazenovia.

Village Elections To Be Held Tomorrow, June 19

Cazenovia village elections will be held tomorrow, June 19 2007. Up for a vote are the mayor's seat - where current mayor Tom Dougherty is unopposed and has both Democratic and Republican endorsements - as well as two trustee seats.

The trustee seats are currently held by Dave Vredenburgh and Barbara Bennett. Bennett, who is not running, is serving the remainder of trustee Troy Waffner's term after Waffnet resigned to take a position in state government. Vredenburgh - endorsed by village Democrats and Republicans alike - is running. Also running are Tom Tait (as a Republican) and Russ Brownback (as an independent); the top two vote-getters among the three trustee candidates will have been elected to serve two-year trustee terms.

Last week's Cazenovia Republican had profiles of each candidate for trustee.

Polling is to be held at the Cazenovia Public Library at 100 Albany Street from noon until 9 PM.

Good luck to all the candidates - I hope there is a big turnout.

Town Considers Switch to Appointed Highway Supervisor

The town of Cazenovia is considering changing its laws so that the position of Highway Superintendent is appointed, not elected. The letter to citizens referred to in the article was an open letter by Town Supervisor Liz Moran to all town residents, published in a May issue of the Cazenovia Republican.

UPDATE: For anyone that did not see the original letter, it's available on the Town of Cazenovia website in the "Supervisor's Notebook" area.

National Grid To Cut Power to Parts of Cazenovia Tomorrow

National grid has a planned outage scheduled tomorrow for parts of Cazenovia

Cazenovia Sisters Featured in Post-Standard

Sisters Tess, Hannah, and Chelsea Richard are featured in this photo and article from the Post-Standard, for their work in Project CAFE and other community activities.

Here's an additional article detailing upcoming Project Cafe events with which the sisters have been involved.

Candidates' Forum Summary

A generous reader provided the following summary of the Tuesday candidates' forum put on by the Cazenovia League of Women Voters:

The LWV Forum for Village Trustee Candidates was attended by about 50 people. Mayor Tom Dougherty, unopposed incumbent for Mayor, was unable to participate as he had a previous commitment to attend a Mayor’s Conference in Saratoga Springs. He sent a statement that was read aloud by one of the League member’s on his behalf after the rules of the forum were thoroughly explained. The 3 candidates running for 2 Village Trustee seats, Russ Brownback, Tom Tait and Dave Vredenburgh comprised the forum panel.

Each candidate was allotted equal time, strictly monitored by a LWV member, for an opening statement. Questions submitted on cards from the audience were then asked of all three candidates, who again each had equal time to answer. Some of the topics the questions covered included Route 20 development, Village business district growth/support, Village and college relationships on projects, and visions for the former Town Highway garage. Each candidate then had equal time for a closing statement before the final remarks by the LWV representative.

DEC Investigates Another Town of Cazenovia Highway Department Issue

At the Cazenovia town highway department, the problems - and potential costs to taxpayers - continue to mount. Apparently, the DEC is investigating possible groundwater contamination at the new Town of Cazenovia highway garage.

The board and supervisor were already dealing with unauthorized dumping by the previous highway superintendent, and now they have to contend with this. The current highway supervisor now much focus lots of time and energy on these inherited problems instead of on helping to move us foward. How sad for Cazenovia.

Cazenovian Beezie Madden Wins Nexen Cup

Cazenovian Beezie Madden has won the Nexen Cup riding championship with her horse, Judgement. For more details, see this summary article.

Larceny, Identity Theft Charged

According to the Post-Standard, a Cazenovia resident has been charged with grand larceny and identity theft after using another person's name and credit card to open an account with Time Warner Cable.

Sportsmen's Club Interested in Cazenovia Lake Access

The Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs is actively following the developments that would allow for a public boat launch on Cazenovia Lake, according to an interview with the Federation's president published in today's Post-Standard. The relevant quote from the article is:

Another [issue of fishing access is] Cazenovia Lake. There is one public launch site (on village land) that's limited to Cazenovia residents. There is a proposed launch on state property that's on hold right now, but we as a federation have gone to the public meetings, written letters to legislators and have alerted the sportsmen about this.

League of Women Voters Sponsors Candidates' Forum

The Cazenovia League of Women Voters will sponsor a candidates' forum featuring the three candidates for two village trustee seats in next month's election. The forum will be held on June 12 at Cazenovia High School, at 7:30 PM.

School District Voting Results

Here are the results of the vote for the 2007-08 Cazenovia Central Schools budget and for the slate of candidates for school board. Thanks to Fritz Koennecke for posting this information in the Discussion portion of this website.

The results of the school elections were:

Operating Budget Passed 900 to 286
Buses Passed 949 to 218
Library Support Passed 885 to 284
Capital Project Passed 884 to 255

For school board: (2 seats open)

Fritz Koennecke 757
Pat Vogl 612
Jon Weisbrod 426
Andy Kempf 382

School District Board and Budget Vote: Today (May 15 2007)!

The 2007-2008 Cazenovia Central Schools budget and slate of board candidates is up for vote today. The items in the vote are: the baseline budget; the purchase of new school buses at a cost of less than $280,000; library funding for the Cazenovia and New Woodstock libraries; and funds for the repair and improvement of existing facilities. The candidates up for vote are incumbent Pat Vogl, Frederick (Fritz) Koennecke, Andrew Kempf, and Jonathan Weisbrod.

Voting is at the high school auditorium at the corner of Emory and Forman Streets from 7 AM - 8 PM today, May 15.

Cazenovia Town Board to Convene Special Meeting May 16

The Cazenovia Town Board will convene a special meeting with the public to discuss its comprehensive planning efforts. The meeting will be held Wednesday, May 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Cazenovia High School Auditorium. Meeting attendees are encouraged to share their thoughts in public or in writing.

The Town of Cazenovia hired Environmental Design & Research (EDR) to assist with planning for future development of the Town of Cazenovia. This is the third in a series of meetings where EDR will present its findings, which builds on previous work done by the Cazenovia Area Planning Project (CAPP) project and the Route 20 Committee.

For more information call the Town of Cazenovia at 655-9213 or go to www.townofcazenovia.org.

School Board Election May 15

Please remember that elections to the Board of Education for Cazenovia Central Schools will be held next Tuesday, May 15 2007. For a discussion of the issues relevant to the district in general and this election in particular, please visit the Cazenovia Discussion Forum for Elections in a different section of this site.