At their Aug. 14 meeting, North Syracuse village trustees approved specifications for the Village Center’s Streetscape Improvements project funded by $850,000 from Onondaga County’s Save the Rain Program.
The trustees also extended the deadline for bids from contractors to Sept. 3.
A pre-bid meeting with interested contractors is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, at the village community center, said village engineer Amy Franco of Clough, Harbour & Associates. Thursday’s meeting is open to the public.
The streetscaping work will transform a half-mile stretch of Main Street from Fergerson Avenue north to Gertrude Street. The project will include curbing, lighting and some changes of vehicle entrances and exits from properties. The improvements will assist with water run-off along Main Street.
“We need to control drainage,” said Mayor Mark Atkinson.
Cobblestoned streets and decorative benches are also planned to enhance the Village Center.
The mayor hopes that Main Street business owners will be patient as the work proceeds. “The streetscaping project could be disruptive to a lot of our businesses,” Atkinson said.
Pool to be resurfaced
The village recently partnered with Onondaga County Purchasing Department to seek bids for the resurfacing of Kennedy Park Pool, at 114 Grove St. Parks Director Teresa Roth said the resurfacing itself would cost about $30,000 while the cost of removal of the present surface would cost $4,000. The trustees approved the expenditures, stipulating that they come from the village’s fund balance.
Roth and Trustee Gary Butterfield recently met with the sole bidder, Anthony Ross, sales manager for Environmental Paving Solutions of Syracuse, to discuss the pool project. Ross suggested a porus, non-slip product called Flexi-Pave.
“We recently used it to complete a project at Casey Park in Auburn,” Ross reported, “and they’re quite satisfied. The product has a urethane seal as a base coat.”
Roth said Flexi-Pave is commonly used at water parks throughout the country. “I think’s its fantastic,” she said. “It’ll feel good on people’s feet, much better than concrete.”
The resurfacing will take place in September, Roth said.
Fire department hires
North Syracuse Fire Chief Tim Ellis reported that the department has two new employees.
Marcia Spink has been hired as a part-time clerk “because we no longer have administrative volunteers,” Ellis explained.
Mark Hogan has been appointed firehouse caretaker as of Aug. 18. He’ll be paid an annual salary of $22,000. Hogan has been a volunteer firefighter for 26 years, previously served as fire chief for the North Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department and retired as a sergeant with the Syracuse Police Department.
Brush pickup starts Sept. 2
Department of Public Works Superintendent Gary Wilmer announced that yard-waste pickup will begin Tuesday, Sept. 2. “Residents should call us ahead of time at 458-0790 and let us know what they’ll be putting out,” Wilmer said.
