At the end of each year, we remember the events that made headlines during the previous 12 months.
January
The town board banned phosphorus in the watershed as a manner of combating Eurasian milfoil and other weed species in Cazenovia Lake.
Local restaurant Nirchi’s closed after two years of business. “Restaurants are a risky business, and no matter how hard we tried we just were not able to make that particular restaurant work in the location we were in,” said manager Sarah Roche.
At a Jan. 6 state of the area forum, officials discussed the village of Cazenovia’s lake boat launch policy, restoration of the CAVAC building, dwindling sales tax revenue and overall progress made by the town of Cazenovia, the town of Nelson and the village of Cazenovia.
February
Village board members debated lake access details. “What we’re trying to balance is the use and enjoyment of a wonderful resource versus the protection of that wonderful resource,” said Village Trustee Kurt Wheeler. Russ Brownback argued more strongly for a 100-percent inspection policy for boats coming onto the lake.
Richard McLaughlin was awarded the Chief’s Award from the Cazenovia Volunteer Fire Department. He was praised for his methods of training younger firefighters, his ability to share the history of the department with others and his standing as a good husband and a proud father.
March
The Cazenovia school district faced the possibility of finalizing a budget despite the uncertainty of funds coming from the state and federal government. “There’s been some mixed messages coming out of Albany,” said Assistant Superintendent Bill Furlong.
Alfonso Annotto of Cazenovia performed with the Syracuse Opera Chorus in the company’s production of Charles Gounod’s “Romeo & Juliet.”
The village of Cazenovia raised the out-of-town permit fee, adding a $35 environmental impact fee to a base $40 cost, as part of an effort to fund increased boat inspections.
The Cazenovia Academic Decathlon team won first place for the fifth year in a row at state competitions March 13 and 14.
April
The Cazenovia High School Library helped students make the switch from paper notes to Noodletools, an internet-based organizing system that lets students create citations, notecards and outlines paperlessly.
Deputy Mayor Paul Brooks stepped down from his village trustee position on April 6. Brooks was elected to the board in 1998. He was proud of the village’s accomplishments during his tenure. Over the past ten years, Brooks said, the bathhouse at Lakeland Park was built, a new memorial in Memorial Park was built and the board finalized a compromised solution for the Lakeside Park boat launch.
Cazenovia College announced its plans to reopen Cazenovia Grill as a college-run restaurant, in the location formerly occupied by Nirchi’s Italian Grill.
Several community members voiced their support for the application of the herbicide Renovate to Cazenovia Lake. “I’d like to congratulate all of you on the multi-municipal aspect of coming together to approach this problem. It’s great to see the support of so many people, so many residents around the lake,” said Cazenovia Chamber of Commerce president Ralph Monforte. “I look forward to a future on the lake after this process is completed.”
Academic Decathlete Danny DeClerq brought home the Cazenovia team’s first gold medal. The team placed 26th overall.
May
Area libraries proposed minimal increases to their budgets. “The board felt that economic times were difficult for most taxpayers and this was a year where we could hold the line mostly from last year,” said New Woodstock Free Library Director Norm Parry. Neither the New Woodstock Free Library nor the Cazenovia Public Library increased their budget by more than three percent. Voters approved both the library and school budgets.
The Cazenovia Public Library mourned the loss of Jesse, a cat who called the library home for about nine years.
Sesame Street producer and Cazenovia College alumni Melissa Klish Dino spoke at the college’s commencement ceremony on May 16.
June
Treatment of Cazenovia Lake with the herbicide triclopyr began in mid-June. Residents were warned not to drink lake water following treatment.
Two cases of the H1N1 virus were confirmed at Burton Street Elementary. The two cases were the first confirmed incidents in Madison County.
Cazenovia village board trustees Russ Brownback and Tom Tait presided over their last meetings as trustees.
Blue Party Candidate for village of Cazenovia trustee, Gretchen Powell, stepped down from the village trustee race, citing “vicious politics.” “First my petitions were attacked, and then I was personally attacked multiple times,” Powell said in a letter. “I am not pointing any fingers at the candidates, but rather at their handlers.”
Cazenovia High School was named in the top 1,500 public high schools in a Newsweek article, placing 1,194 in the country.
Peggy Van Arnam and Amy Mann were elected to the two open village of Cazenovia trustee positions, over Blue Party Candidate Kevin Velasco.
July
After a highly successful fundraising campaign, the Cazenovia Lion’s Club held what fireworks chairman George Williams called “the best finale ever.” “The display itself was great!” he said. “The finale that guy put on was unbelievable.”
After the application of herbicide to fight the invasive species of Eurasian milfoil, the efficacy of the herbicide was apparent. In a letter to the editor, Cazenovia resident David Bull said, “Sunday I raced my sailboat in areas that couldn’t be used last summer and marveled at the numerous kayaks and canoes plying the weedless shoreline. I hadn’t thought such a transformation was even possible.”
August
The village offered late-season lake access at a lower rate in the hopes of attracting new nonresident permit-holders.
About 30 street signs across Cazenovia were stolen over the weekend of Aug. 8. “That one night of activity was probably a $3,000 or $4,000 cost to the town,” Town of Cazenovia Highway Superintendent Tim Hunt said.
Cazenovia College announced its equine business initiative. The newly established New York State Center for Equine Business Development at Cazenovia College could bring $184 million to Central New York over the next five years.
September
Cazenovia graduate Ginger Golub received a scholarship to conduct research in Kenya for ten months. Golub hoped to study dance as a vehicle of HIV prevention education.
The Cazenovia Public Library adopted Page, a female cat who had been found spending time near the Brewster Inn and Lorenzo. “She has a great personality,” Library Supervisor Betsy Kennedy said.
Construction began on a new CAVAC building on Route 20, south of the village. “It’ll give us a lot more opportunity to serve the community,” said CAVAC president Cindy Underriner.
October
Melissa Clarke, of Caz Action and Madison County BRiDGES, proposed a social host ordinance to the village of Cazenovia board. The local law would discourage the furnishing of alcohol to minors. If such a local law were passed, law enforcement could cite an individual hosting the party or whomever controls the property where parties occur. This differs from state law, which specifically targets the person who supplied alcohol to minors.
Moms Offering Moms Support raised funds to benefit the New Woodstock Library’s playground fund.
Cazenovia 11-year-old Mee Rae Firkins became the youngest diver ever to earn the “master diver” certification at National Aquatic Service, a Syracuse company that has taught about 36,000 students since it was founded 50 years ago.
Area dentist Vikas Goel offered cash for candy to trick-or-treaters, at $1 per pound. “Ditch the candy, that’s what we’re saying,” said Goel from Goel Family Dentistry. “Kids can still have all of the fun of trick-or-treating, and now their piggy banks will benefit as well.”
November
Cazenovia College received a donation of $2 million, the largest gift in the college’s history. The gift, from The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation, of DeWitt, was for the naming rights to the college’s Art and Design Building, to be named Reisman Hall.
The village of Cazenovia began tackling the ever-present problem of parking downtown. The board began considering a parking program, which would give first-time recipients of parking tickets a “free pass.” This and several measures were planned to alleviate parking issues during the holiday shopping season.
December
The village of Cazenovia passed a local law allowing motorists one “free pass” every six months, if they are ticketed for exceeding two-hour parking limits. The village passed the ordinance with the intent of revisiting it in January to consider possible changes to the law and its implementation.
Cazenovia High School students Kelsey Adler and Lizzy Reed performed medical missionary work in Ghana, distributing hundreds of medicated mosquito nets, helping in mass treatment of villagers for intestinal parasites and giving community health talks.
More than 250 people attended a bone marrow registration drive on Dec. 2 at Cazenovia High School in support of Cazenovia High School senior Taylor Matt. Matt, a varsity lacrosse player, has leukemia. She was in remission for five years, but her leukemia has now returned. Partially because of her ethnicity (Matt is one-quarter American Indian,) doctors have not found her a match for a much-needed bone marrow transplant. About 30 student volunteers from the high school, as well as coaches and other staff members, worked at the drive.
