Jack Fisher, who lives in Liverpool, recently emailed Liverpool Mayor Gary White to inquire if “something can be done about the terrible condition of Second Street from the Vine Street intersection to the village line.”

You may recall Fisher as the prominent area businessman who successfully led a campaign to install a vintage Victorian-style clock at the base of Washington Park in 2013. He’s the president of John E. Fisher Construction Company on Wetzel Road in Clay.

Now Jack and his village neighbors are concerned about a deteriorating Second Street, one of the village’s two primary thoroughfares.

“We have lived on Hickory Street [at the corner of Second] for 10 years now,” Fisher wrote to White, “and the only work on this section of road has been breakup repairs by the county of state that give the road a washboard surface. I’m not sure which is responsible for this area, but it needs some immediate attention, as in milling and repaving.”

Meanwhile, Karen Bambacht, a resident of the 800 block of Second Street, has attended recent village board meetings, and at the June 19 meeting, she asked the trustees and Chief of Police Don Morris to tighten traffic enforcement in that neighborhood. Motorists continually speed on that street (aka Route 370), near Liverpool Elementary School, she said.

Cups N Cakes defunct

Sad news from local baker Debbie Russell:

“Due to unresolvable circumstances Cups N Cakes will be closing as of July 31,” she recently posted online. Less than a year ago, in October 2016, Russell opened the Cups N Cakes Bakery & Café in the old Poorhouse North strip mall in Galeville.

Her quaint little shop at 500 Old Liverpool Road sold creative baked goods, Paul de Lima coffee and homemade lunch items.

Debbie said she’ll really miss her faithful customers.

“It was so heartwarming to see your children’s faces light up when they were able to pick out a cookie or cupcake from my nut-free facility,” she wrote. “I appreciated your business and patronage over the last year. Hopefully someone will follow suit and open up another nut-free bakery.”

To pre-order a final delicious dessert, call Debbie at (315) 453-CAKE.

Red fox follow-up

After reporting in last week’s column on the appearance of red foxes in the Tamarack Street neighborhood, Village Deputy Clerk Sandy Callahan said village residents with nuisance wildlife problems should call the Salina Town Clerk at (315) 451-4210, to request the services of the town animal trapper.

“There is no fee for this service for village residents,” Callahan said. “If someone has a skunk issue, they can call the town and they will arrange for the trapper to come to the resident’s home.”

Callahan also contacted state Department of Environmental Conservation Fish & Wildlife Tech Bill Schara, who sized up the fox situation this way:

“At this point it doesn’t sound like the fox is doing anything out of the ordinary. Seeing them during the day is typical this time of the year because they are looking for food to feed their young, which sometimes makes them venture out at all hours of the day. If you don’t like them nearby, I would suggest scaring them anytime they are seen so they get the hint to stay clear of people. Loud noises or spraying them with a garden hose will give them the hint.”

Bird feeders, barbecue grills, compost piles and garbage should all be cleaned up.

“In regards to pets,” Schara said, “red fox are opportunistic and will sometimes feed on stray cats or small dogs. It’s rare, but it can happen. Keeping pets under supervision and on a leash should be enough to keep the fox away from them.”

If the foxes become aggressive or lose fear of humans, then a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator could be contacted to remove them for a fee, Schara said. If you have questions, call the DEC office at (607) 753-3095, ext. 247.

Utica big band

This summer’s Big Band Bonanza rolls on at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, at Johnson Park with the Easy Money Big Band from Utica, featuring vocalist Nick Lombarda and Jill Smith. Nick practically channels Frank Sinatra, and Jill rocks audiences with her bluesy treatment of the Great American Songbook. The swingin’ Easy Money Big Band performs under the direction of its drummer, Steve “Sticks” Falvo.

The free concerts presented by Liverpool is The Place continue at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 17, with Mood Swing playing classic rock showcasing vivacious vocalist Danielle Rausa. 

The mood swings to the high lonesome sound of bluegrass when Diamond Someday, led by Liverpool songwriter Shirley Stevens, takes the park stage on Wednesday, July 19. See you there!

Contact the columnist at [email protected].