The Brewerton Revitalization Project has stalled once again.
The Cicero Town Board voted to table a decision on appropriating $90,750 for Phase III of construction for the Local Waterfront Revitalization Project at Brewerton’s Riverfront Park at its May 27 meeting. Councilor Mark Venesky said he wanted to pursue other funding options before dipping into the fund balance.
In 2009, then-supervisor Chet Dudzinski signed an agreement with Saratoga Associates to perform design surveys and mapping for Riverfront Park. Parks and Recreation Director Jody Rogers said at the May 27 meeting that the town was looking to finish the park’s design and construction permits this season.
“By doing the design work now … it allows us to look into [grants],” Rogers said. “It also gives us a leg up for the next round of CFA [New York State’s Consolidated Funding Application] grants.”
According to Comptroller Shirlie Stuart, Cicero has spent $976,886 on the project to date. Phase III of the project requires the town to match 50 percent of the $181,500 Department of State grant Cicero received.
Phase III includes developing a concept plan and curbing for Bennett Street, sidewalk installation, trees, landscaping and decorative lighting.
Venesky suggested the town look into the possibility of additional Local Waterfront Revitalization Project grants or the county’s hotel taxes slush fund before resorting to taking money out of reserves. Rogers said the town cannot use county, state or federal grants to make the 50 percent match; Cicero must use tax dollars or private donations.
“I am for this project — we are going to see this project through,” Venesky said. “I’m concerned about going into the fund reserve again. I think we owe it to ourselves to explore those other grants.”
Supervisor Jessica Zambrano asked if Venesky’s approval of Phase III was contingent on securing other funding for the project. He said it was not, but he didn’t see a “significant setback” in waiting until the next meeting to vote on the issue.
Councilor Mike Becallo said he didn’t see Venesky’s request as a matter of being either for or against the project itself. “[He’s] asking for more time,” Becallo said.
“The town is faced with some very significant financial obligations next year that will affect all of us,” Venesky said.
The town is looking at many road and facilities repairs and Stuart has projected that Cicero will not be able to sustain itself beyond the year 2019.
“I believe we need to commit to this $90,750 either way,” Zambrano said. She asked how Venesky expected to vote on the issue if the county slush fund money did not come through.
“I’m not going to tell you how I’m going to vote. I’m not going to let you push me into a corner,” Venesky said. “Madam Supervisor, I am not going to allow you to bully me into making a statement.”
The board voted 4-1 to table the resolution, with Zambrano the only dissenter.
In the May 20 edition of the Star-Review, the story “Comptroller’s audit: Cicero in the black for 2014, but trouble ahead” incorrectly referred to Cicero Comptroller Shirlie Stuart’s preparation of the Annual Update Document as an audit. Supervisor Jessica Zambrano said at the May 27 meeting that the update document is a yearly report on the town’s finances, not an audit. We regret the error.
Becallo withdraws deputy supervisor motion
Councilor Mike Becallo had requested the May 27 agenda include a resolution that would appoint Councilor Vern Conway as deputy supervisor in case of Zambrano’s absence.
“I do not consider this an appropriate motion,” Zambrano said. “We have had numerous conversations with our town attorney. We have confidence in the deputy supervisor we did appoint.”
Becallo then chose to withdraw his motion.
“I remove my motion because the supervisor is still in town,” he said.
Zambrano asked if he would make the motion again if she were not present and he said he would, if the board would consider it.
At the April 22 meeting of the town board, Deputy Supervisor Bill Meyer, who is not a member of the town board and has no voting power, presided over the meeting in Zambrano’s absence. Becallo voted no to most of the April 22 resolutions as he believed the meeting was being held illegally, contending that the town had never officially established the position of deputy supervisor.
The minutes of the Jan. 12, 1970, meeting of the Cicero Town Board show that Supervisor Roy A. Mallette made a motion to “delegate the position of deputy supervisor so that in the event of absence, illness or inability to act by the supervisor, the deputy would be in a position to carry on.”
A 1987 amendment to a local law established the succession of authority in the town of Cicero, which places the duties of the supervisor’s office on the deputy supervisor, then any town board member, then jurisdictional fire chiefs, deputy fire chiefs, fire officers and the police chief in descending order.
