During its last regular meeting Jan. 10, the town of DeWitt Planning Board took a few moments to recognize some of the best businesses in town. The ceremony followed the meeting, with a reception on the second floor of the town hall. Members gave thanks to some locals that improved the town through beautification.

The planning board presented its annual Parratt/Schick Awards of Excellence. The award is named after two men, Roy Parratt and Norris Schick. Parratt was a member of the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board. Parratt passed away in 2006 at the age of 73. Norris Schick was a member of the DeWitt Planning Board for 30 years.

Chairman Michael J. Lazar said that the intent was to “provide public recognition to those projects in the town that exemplify the quality of design and execution that have made DeWitt the town of choice.” This year three lucky projects were honored.

The first was the AT&T building on Bridge Street, the site of the former Cingular building. The builder thanked the town for making the overhaul go smoothly, and Dr. Tim Robinson was thanked for his help.

The second was the East Syracuse Community Building. The community center was created through a public/private partnership. It had started out as the East Syracuse Fire Station No. 2. Hurber Breuer, East Syracuse Mayor Dan Liedka, and the East Syracuse Fire Department all shared the award.

The final recipient was Anaren Microwave. The facility was originally built in 1981. Remodeling was done to update the building, located nearby Bishop Grimes High School. Lazar said the designer was very capable and it came out excellent.

Lazar thanked all the winners for their extra time and effort to making these projects possible.

Board member Irene Scruton was present at the ceremony. She thanked all the planning board members for volunteering their time and congratulated all the winners. She said she appreciated all the work they did to make the town a better place.