Baldwinsville Mayor Joseph Saraceni met with Messenger Editor Erin Wisneski last Tuesday at Cottage Restaurant to chat about what’s new in the village. Michael Randall, a 60-year resident of Baldwinsville, joined them for coffee and a discussion focusing on village infrastructure.
Michael Randall started last Tuesday’s conversation with a discussion about the railroad crossing on Oneida Street in the village.
“It’s terrible. For a while I thought I was the only person who crept across those railroad tracks,” he said, adding he watched four vehicles behind him one day do the same as him. “Every single one of them crept across.”
The mayor told Mr. Randall he had contacted CSX in the past to look at the rough road at the railroad crossing, and would follow up with them again.
Mr. Randall also talked about Smokey Hollow Road, which he said is no longer full of potholes, but little speed bumps.
“I’m sick and tired of bouncing up and down the road,” he told the mayor.
“We’ve been told we’re on a list for road construction,” Joe said about the NYS Department of Transportation, noting they recently oiled and stoned Syracuse Street.
Joe noted other road construction projects the village has completed this year including resurfacing Downer Street from Seneca Street to M&T Bank, as well as finishing up phase 4 of the sidewalk rehabilitation project, which to date has replaced approximately seven miles of sidewalks in the village.
One project that has been postponed is the removal of a hill in Meigs Road. Joe said the DPW wants to tackle the project when the sidewalk is built along the stretch of road and should be done sometime in the spring.
He went on to mention a Save the Rain grant the village received this year to turn Lock Street into a boulevard with a rain garden to catch run off water to prevent it from draining into the river.
Mr. Randall asked if the dump located at the end of Lock Street, which was capped with earth and clay back in the 1970s, would be rehabilitated.
“We’ve hidden an awful lot of stuff in the village,” Randall said, referring to how residents used to treat the village and waterfront decades ago.
Joe said the dump would not be part of the redevelopment of Lock Street, but that he hoped one day the waterfront property could be turned into green space, possibly soccer fields.
“The dump is a non-issue right now. It’s a potential green space where we can do something similar to what has been done on Paper Mill Island,” the mayor said.
The conversation turned to properties in the village including Tri County Mall. Joe said the current owners, along with help from Golden Legacy Apartment owners, have agreed to tear down the larger building that remains on the Tri-County Mall site and use the smaller building for commercial use.
The conversation ended with Mr. Randall telling us about a telephone call he received from whom he thought was his grandson.
“People have a rhythm when they talk and it sounded exactly like my grandson,” Randall said, adding the person who called said, “Grandpa, I need help.”
Randall said the man told him he and some friends had been stopped by cops, who found drugs in the car. The man then said he needed $3,000 in bail money to get out. Randall said something wasn’t right because he kept telling his “grandson” to call his father who could help him when the man said he would settle for $1,000. Randall, again, told him to call his father, when the man said he would try that. As it turned out, the phone call was a scam.
Fortunately, Randall did not lose any money, but he was caused some undue stress thinking his grandson was in trouble. He contacted the police after learning it was a scam and found out the same thing had happened numerous times around the county.
Mayor Saraceni said any residents who believe they are the victims of an attempted or actual scam should contact the village police department.
Mayor Saraceni and Editor Wisneski are scheduled to meet for coffee at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Big Mama’s Diner in Smokey Hollow Plaza. Steve D’arcangelo, the village engineer, will also join them for coffee to discuss his new position and upcoming DPW projects. Community members are welcome to join them for coffee and address your concerns about the village with the mayor or send your questions to [email protected] and Editor Wisneski will ask the mayor for you.
