Five members of the town of Cicero were honored at the Central New York Recreation and Parks Society Annual Awards banquet March 3. They were:

Distinguished Citizen: Helen Carroll

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes a citizen who has shown exceptional efforts towards enhancing and supporting parks and recreation in their community.

Carroll is the chairperson of and the driving force behind the Brewerton Revitalization Committee, founded in 2006, which has been overseeing the development of Riverfront Park in the hamlet of Brewerton. She has worked tirelessly for more than 11 years to see improvements made, including those to the park along Oneida River and beautification of Bennett Street, the gateway access to the park. Her efforts were celebrated by family and a number of citizens from the community.

The ABCD Award: Dawn Maurer

The Above and Beyond the Call of Duty award is given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of parks and recreation over a continuous period of time.

Dawn Maurer has been the office manager for the Town of Cicero Youth Bureau, Parks and Recreation Department since 1985. She is responsible as administrative support for all divisions of the department; parks, recreation, senior and teens. Her professional and friendly demeanor serves her well when dealing with the residents of our community. She is always informative and helpful and a great addition to our department.  

The Stewardship Award: Michael Kasch and Patrick Benz  

The Stewardship Award recognizes the efforts of volunteers who have shown innovation and efficiency in park development working with available resources. These two have been long standing volunteers. Kasch and Benz have spent more than 10 years as representatives of the North Syracuse Little League partnering with the Town of Cicero Youth Bureau, Parks and Recreation for the development of Skyway Park on Taft Road.

The initial improvements, completed in 2011, included the expansion of an enhanced concession stand, pavilion and restrooms building which have brought increased use to the park overall. The latest phase, which began in 2016, are improvements to the fields to complement the town’s installation of a community playground.

Both Benz and Kasch brought many things to the table that were invaluable to the department: their expertise, a volunteer base of individuals to assist with park improvements and their time and enthusiasm to see that the improvements benefited the league and town residents equally.    

Excellence in Landscape Design: Riverfront Park and Bennett Street Improvements

Accepting the award on behalf of the town was John Guariglia from Saratoga Associates. This project has enhanced the waterfront in the hamlet of Brewerton with a good assist from the Brewerton Revitalization Committee members.

Both Riverfront Park and Bennett Street represent the gateway to the town on its northern point of entry, and the improvements have made for a unique visual panorama from Route 11 to the river’s edge. The improvements involved the renovation of the 600-foot pier, which made it accessible to all persons, a 400-foot walking trail, picnic tables and benches, as well as LED lighting to enhance the security at the park.

Bennett Street has also seen improvements with curbing, sidewalks, landscaping and lighting with even more to come in 2017. The town is determined to make the hamlet a “walkable” community for not only the businesses but to the park and Brewerton Library.