OCWA replaces water main in North Syracuse
By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
The Salina and Cicero town boards and North Syracuse Village Board of Trustees met last week. Here is a roundup of issues local officials addressed:
Cicero grants zone change, premieres CanTeen videos
Toni Brauchle, executive director of the CanTeen, unveiled the fruits of the ABC Creative Group’s “24-Hour Brand Bash” marketing makeover for the teen center at the June 26 Cicero Town Board meeting. Brauchle said ABC Creative’s rebranding package for the CanTeen is worth $89,000.
The package, which ABC Creative put together last month, includes commercials, brochures, posters, a revamped website, funding for promotional products such as T-shirts, billboard space and a series of videos introducing the CanTeen’s mission and its teen visitors. ABC Creative interviewed Brauchle and the North Syracuse Central School District students who frequent the CanTeen for the videos.
“Kids should have a voice and a choice at the table. We don’t plan anything about them without them,” Brauchle said of the teens’ involvement in the rebranding campaign and other CanTeen operations.
“We are grateful beyond words,” she said of ABC Creative Group’s work.
Keep an eye out for area billboards promoting the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, which takes place Aug. 10-11. Brauchle said the CanTeen will use commercials and billboards to advertise the midwinter Banff Mountain Film Festival as well.
Also at the June 26 meeting, the town board voted 3-2 to grant a zone change from AG (Agricultural) and R-12 (Residential One Family) to RM (Residential Two Family) for the property located at 8681 Weaver Road. The property owner is looking to build two townhouses on the site.
Councilors Judy Boyke and Jon Karp voted against the measure. Both said the request was counter to the town’s overall effort in the last few years to remedy spot zoning. Supervisor Mark Venesky said the town’s quest to standardize zoning is still ongoing, and spot zoning is not always a bad thing.
Karp also said the town needs a better policy for notifying surrounding property owners of zone change requests. He said it is not enough to notify only those whose properties are directly adjacent to those seeking a zone change, the impact of which could affect home values in the greater neighborhood.
OCWA starts work in North Syracuse
North Syracuse Mayor Gary Butterfield announced at the June 27 meeting that the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) has begun replacing the water main along Church and Chestnut streets. He said county officials told him the project may last into October, which could delay the repaving of the Church-Chestnut corridor planned for this fall.
“It’s going to be a mess for a while,” Butterfield said. “Expect construction on our main east-west thoroughfare.”
As part of renovations at village hall, the North Syracuse Police Department has installed a medication collection unit. Village residents can drop off old, unused medications between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the NSPD lobby, located at 600 South Bay Road. The drop box is part of Onondaga County’s Sharps Needles and Drugs Disposal (SNADD) program. Each month, the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office removes the medication so Covanta can dispose of it safely.
According to Police Chief Steve Rotunno, SNADD programs throughout the county have helped safely dispose of 8,000 pounds of medication. The SNADD box at North Syracuse cannot accept liquids or needles.
Salina protests community grid
The Salina Town Board voted unanimously June 24 calling for the preservation of the high-speed access footprint of Interstate 81. Supervisor Colleen Gunnip said she fears Salina’s economic future will be put at risk if the New York State Department of Transportation proceeds with its plan to replace the aging viaduct with a community grid.
The town is projecting a 50% decrease in assessed value of properties along I-81 and the loss of business and tax revenue. Gunnip said she was afraid Salina’s bond rating could be lowered if the community grid goes ahead as planned, which would make it more expensive for the town to borrow money for infrastructure projects.
“For the last 50 years, I-81 has served as a vital backbone for the economy of the town of Salina and Central New York, connecting commuters, businesses, tourists, visitors, interstate commerce and through-travelers alike. The latest Draft Environmental Impact Statement released by the DOT fails to address many of the serious concerns raised by residents, business owners, and elected representatives about the future of the town of Salina and the communities that have grown around I-81,” reads a statement from the supervisor’s office.
The town board’s full resolution can be seen at salina.ny.us.
