By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

The village of North Syracuse is looking for citizens interested in participating in a beautification committee. Mayor Gary Butterfield said the committee will help village homeowners seek grant funding for improvements to their homes and front yards.

Butterfield said the village was inspired by initiatives in the cities of Fulton and Oswego and the village of East Syracuse, which use funding from the New York state Office of Community Renewal’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

“We’re looking for somebody with a vision and a passion to get involved,” Butterfield said.

The city of Fulton, Butterfield said, encouraged local businesses to provide seed money for improvements to people’s homes and yards, such as new shutters or landscaping.

North Syracuse resident Lisa Lioto said the committee will be about more than just beautification.

“I think the village should be something we’re proud of: not only the way it looks, aesthetics, but in how we help each other,” she said.

Lioto said that overgrown lawns and deteriorating roofs are not just eyesores but symptoms of underlying issues facing residents such as illness, cost or lack of support.

“There’s a lot of seniors in the village and they’re not able to take care of their properties like they used to,” she said. “Some people don’t have a support system at home.”

Lioto said one of her goals for the beautification committee is to present to area senior organizations so older North Syracusans know they can turn to their neighbors for help.

“I’m all about relationships, getting to know your neighbors and helping each other. That’s what a village is all about,” she said. “We’re not going to know [what’s going on] until we get to know them. There’s a lot of people in this neighborhood who really need help and won’t necessarily ask until they’re approached.”

Butterfield is hoping that once residents see their neighbors “sprucing up the front of the house,” others will take an interest in improving their community and getting to know their fellow North Syracusans.

“It becomes contagious,” he said.

“Kindness is contagious,” Lioto agreed. “When you do something nice for someone, I think it catches.”

NSPD chief to lead Cicero PD

At the Aug. 8 meeting of the North Syracuse Village Board of Trustees, Butterfield announced that North Syracuse Police Chief Steve Rotunno has been selected as the new chief of the Cicero Police Department. Rotunno will assume his new post Sept. 16.

The search is already underway for a replacement for Rotunno, who joined the NSPD in late 2017. Previously, he served as a captain with the Camillus Police Department.

Cicero Police Chief Joe Snell announced his retirement last month after serving as chief for 24 years. He began his law enforcement career in 1971 and retired from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in 1995 to take the top post at Cicero PD.