By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Last month, GHD engineering firm made a large donation of office equipment to several Cazenovia area organizations.
Eleven years ago, GHD merged with Stearns & Wheler Environmental Engineers & Scientists — a Cazenovia-based firm that focused on the fields of water treatment, wastewater treatment, waste management, environmental and remediation for decades.
This past March, GHD relocated its office from Route 20 in Cazenovia to Syracuse.
“A new location will never diminish our appreciation for Cazenovia’s restaurants, clubs, non-profits, vendors, and organizations, and the beautiful lakeside community,” the company said in a letter to the editor. “We have engaged with you for over a half-century, shared leadership roles, supported local and national activities that graced Cazenovia as their host, and mentored academic adventures in our school system. You are more than just business partners. You are our friends. We share history. We have forged relationships with every one of you, and look forward to continuing them on a personal level.”
Following the move, GHD donated its extra office furniture and supplies to the following organizations: Cazenovia Public Library, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, Caz CoWorks, CazArts, CazCares, and the Methodist Church.
“Many of the former Stearns & Wheler and the current GHD employees have been active in the community,” said GHD Principal Engineer Damian Vanetti, PE BCEE. “We decided to reach out to as many of the community service organizations as possible and see if they had interest in the furniture and supplies that we would not be taking with us to the new space . . . After reaching out to half a dozen or so organizations the word spread and we tried to accommodate as many as possible. GHD is very happy that the furniture and equipment that was donated to the local community organizations can be put to a continued beneficial use.”
According to Library Director Betsy Kennedy, the donation came at the perfect time.
“We were just starting to look at furniture for the newly created tutoring room and Friends of the Library book donation sorting area,” Kennedy said. “This donation provided tables, chairs, bookshelves, bulletin boards and file cabinets. Additionally, the library was able to improve our archive storage for our historic documents with the donated flat drawers, file cabinets and metal shelving. The oak furniture adds a beautiful way to display our magazines in our exchange and the used books in our lobby. They match perfectly with the existing woodwork. The library is very grateful to GHD for providing furniture, equipment and supplies that will assist us in serving our community.”
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (SQHAP) also received a well-timed donation.
“[The offer from GHD] came at the same time the Art Park was going through artist and Art Park founder Dorothy Riester’s papers — hundreds of sketches, drawings, correspondences and photographs,” said SQHAP CEO Emily Zaengle. “The flat files GHD donated will provide much needed storage for the Riester archive materials . . . GHD spent a lot of time coordinating and communicating with us about the available equipment, and they allowed us to look through everything and pick out what we wanted. The generous donation saves the Art Park a considerable amount of money and helps us protect our historic documents.”
In addition to the flat files, SQHAP received office furniture and supplies that will be used when hosting public meetings and events.
In 2018, GHD donated furniture to equip Caz CoWorks, a coworking space located on the second floor at 87 Albany Street.
According to CACDA Executive Director Lauren Lines, the donation enabled CazCoWorks to use the small amount of grant funding it received for other improvements to the space.
“Our goal is to have the profit from Caz CoWorks go toward community improvement projects, and this donation helped us to get off the ground more quickly,” said Lines.
Last month, GHD donated even more furnishings to the organization, allowing for the creation of additional workstations.
CazArts creative alliance received a donation of furniture to equip the Carpenter’s Barn art studio project.
“CazArts is so grateful for the donation,” said Coordinator Shawn McGuire. “The drafting tables, shelving and other pieces will play an integral part in developing this space for the benefit of our entire community.”
CazCares food pantry received tables and chairs for its meeting room, office and waiting area.
“GHD’s donations . . . are very much appreciated,” said Nancy Sellers, president of the board of CazCares. “These donations enable us to replace worn out furniture and allow for a more efficient use of our space. GHD also recently donated office supplies that we will share with our clients for school needs.”
According to Sellers, GHD employees have been loyal and strong supporters of CazCares for many years.
“They have held food drives, purchased holiday gifts, and donated to CazCares since we began operating,” she said. “We will miss having them in our community.”
To learn more about GHD, visit ghd.com/en-us/index.aspx.
