By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
A number of organizations and businesses throughout the Greater Cazenovia area have recently announced their responses to the developing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
In an effort to provide support to residents, area agencies have teamed up to create CazCOVIDResponse, a central hub for local needs and resources.
Based out of the CRIS (Community Resources for Independent Seniors) office at St. Peter’s Church on Mill Street, the clearinghouse offers a centralized website, email address and phone line to communicate local updates and information on available services.
The effort was spearheaded by the Village of Cazenovia in partnership with CRIS, CazCares and St.Peter’s Church, along with the Cazenovia, Fenner and Nelson town governments, Cazenovia Central School District (CSD), Cazenovia College, the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce, and other local businesses, churches, non-profits and volunteers.
The goal of the initiative, according to the website, is to “maintain a central hub that local residents can contact for assistance with needs such as transportation, nutrition, emergency child care, shopping/errand assistance or other factors created by the state of emergency declared in New York. Volunteers at the office will seek to match those needs with resources available from municipal agencies, local non-profits, individual donors, and area volunteers.”
For needs related to senior citizens (ages 55 and older), call 315-655-5743 or visit cris-caz.com; for other needs, call the CazCOVIDResponse Line at 315-655-9063.
The office is staffed daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Voicemail for after-hours calls will be available. Emergencies should be reported to 911.
Now up and running, the website (sites.google.com/view/cazcovidresponse) is designed to provide community members with up-to-date local notices, contact information, web links, lists of local resources, suggestions for ways to help, and a volunteer sign up.
“[CazCovidResponse] is truly a spontaneous outcome from people in a small community wanting to help one another,” said Village of Cazenovia Mayor Kurt Wheeler. “It started with Reverend Jeanne Hansknecht emailing the village and school to offer the support of St Peter’s. I called her and we began to brainstorm how we might focus people’s natural desire to help out. That led to a discussion/partnership with CRIS who was already providing similar services to seniors from their office at St Peter’s. The next day we met with CazCares and it just grew from there. Dozens of people have already signed up on the site to help in various ways and we are trying to add more information and ideas for services daily. Kerstin McCay and Megan McCay have been amazing — volunteering all week and assembling a huge potion of the content on the website.”
To identify additional needs, provide information or offer resources, call 315-655-9063 or 315-655-5743 (CRIS), or email [email protected].
Local government
The Village of Cazenovia Offices are closed to the public until March 30.
Citizens are asked to conduct business via phone, 315-655-3041, or email, [email protected].
“In response to the pending transition to remote learning by the school and other changes created by social distancing to slow the novel coronavirus, the village encourages residents to support one another,” Wheeler said in a March 15 statement. “The first line of defense for challenges such as child care and transportation should be neighbors helping one another whenever possible, a spirit that has always been incredibly strong in Cazenovia. Working in small local teams to assist with supervision of children and other needs will prevent large gatherings and limit the likelihood of transmission. Recognizing that there will be gaps in this approach, the Village in partnership with other local agencies is preparing to meet critical needs created by the state of emergency. Decisions by state and local leaders to close various facilities have been made very thoughtfully and we will continue to work together to serve and protect the community. More details will be forthcoming . . . as the situation becomes clearer. In the near term, our individual actions with regard to hygiene and illness protocols and social distancing are our best protections to limit the spread of COVID-19.”
The Cazenovia Department of Public Works urges residents to avoid flushing disinfecting wipes down the toilet. Flushed wipes eventually make it to the sewer treatment plant, causing problems with pumping and wastewater treatment equipment.
The Town of Nelson Offices are closed until further notice. All planning and zoning meetings are also cancelled. Call 315-655-8582 or visit Nelson-NY.org for more information.
The Town of Fenner Offices and Highway Department are also closed until at least March 30, except to provide essential services. All planned meetings will be rescheduled.
Emergency supplies such as toiletries, cleaning products, toilet paper and water are available for delivery to Fenner residents in need. Call 315-655-2859 or visit townoffenner.com for more information.
All local Town and Village Courts will be shut down until further notice. All current cases will be adjourned to a later date.
Madison County closed its offices to the public at end of business on Friday, March 20 until further notice. The only operations that will continue to be functional are those essential services that have been approved by the Board of Supervisors.
“Although we are in uncharted waters, we can learn from what has happened around the world,” said Madison County Board Chairman John M. Becker on the county website. “The move to close the County is in the best interest to protect the health and safety of our employees as well as our residents . . . We understand that closing the County in this manner has never been done and suspension of services may bring upon some inconveniences for our residents, however these are unprecedented times and we all have to work together. We thank you all for your patience and understanding during this time. Please remember that we are all in this together, we need to check on each other and keep our neighbor’s health and well-being in mind as well as our own.”
All committee meetings are cancelled until further notice. If necessary, a zoom video/voice conference will be scheduled and live-streamed to ensure social distancing.
For additional information on individual Madison County departments, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=200.
For the latest COVID-19 information from the Madison County Health Department, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov/2479/Coronavirus-COVID-19.
Schools
All Cazenovia Central School District buildings are closed to the public as of March 18.
During the emergency closure period, all on-campus activities, events and instruction for students will be cancelled until further notice.
Students will be conducting remote learning until at least April 12.
“The initial volume of materials may seem daunting for your child,” wrote Superintendent Matthew Reilly in a March 17 letter home to parents/guardians. “This is in part a reflection of our teachers’ enthusiasm for providing continuity in the learning process and the newness of this type of instruction. Teachers are being reminded not to overwhelm students as they become accustomed to remote learning, to prioritize their content, and to manage their expectations. Please rest assured that it is okay for your child to take their time in working through the materials that are being shared. We do not want students to feel anxious. As always, if you have questions about your child’s instruction, you first best resource is you child’s teacher.”
All students residing within the school district are eligible for free breakfast and lunch pick-up in the Middle School Bus Circle from 8 to 11 a.m. on weekdays during the school closure. Call Food Services Director Char Grimes at 315-655-5346 for more information.
Wi-Fi is accessible to students in the school parking lots.
To view maps of the best places to use the Wi-Fi, visit cazenoviacsd.com/wi-fi-available-in-school-parking-lots/.
Based on the best information from the Centers for Disease Control and the NYS Department of Health, Cazenovia College made the decision to move to remote course delivery starting Monday, March 23.
“We will continue to monitor the guidance from health organizations regarding the ability to return to holding classes on campus,” said President Ron Chesbrough in a March 15 message to students, faculty and staff. “Current information would indicate this will not be possible prior to April 13 at the earliest . . . Please know that this is heart-breaking for us all. Nothing is more painful to me personally than to see sidewalks empty of students. We are following guidelines that we must follow. We will continue to keep you updated as we go and to answer your questions moving forward.”
For all current information regarding the college’s response and status of operations, visit cazenovia.edu/coronavirus. Questions should be directed to [email protected].
Libraries
The Cazenovia Public Library & Museum is closed to the public as of Sunday, March 15. During the emergency closure, the library is suspending due dates and fines. Online resources such as Libby, Hoopla, rBDigital and Heritage Quest, remain available.
“After much consideration and fact-based guidance from the New York Library Association and MidYork Library System, the Library’s Board of Trustees has decided to close the Cazenovia Public Library to the public,” Library Director Betsy Kennedy said in a March 15 statement. “We understand closing the library building is a hardship and are sorry to have to take this action. It was a decision that is based on information from state and local officials. Our community’s health depends on everyone staying away from close contact with others . . . The situation seems to change by the hour and we are carefully monitoring all the news and advice from officials . . .”
On Wednesday, March 18, the library closed its doors to all staff as well.
“As more and more information comes in, I feel it is better for the safety of the staff and the public that we remain closed until we are advised that it is safe to open again,” Kennedy said.
Visit the library’s website, cazenoviapubliclibrary.org, Facebook or Instagram for updates, words of encouragement and additional information.
The New Woodstock Free Library is closed to the public until at least April 1. Online resources are available 24/7.
Pharmacies, food and small businesses
Kinney Drugs and Walgreens in Cazenovia are both offering delivery services for prescriptions.
Aldi is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Delivery is available via Instacart.
Tops Friendly Market is now open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The revised hours will be in effect until further notice.
The store is open exclusively to seniors,, 60 years of age and older, from 6 to 7:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday.
Tops also offers curbside pickup and delivery as alternate shopping options. Visit Topsmarkets.com to shop online.
CazCares is restricting public access to its facility and offering free, curbside pickup for food staples Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 9:30 a.m. to noon and Monday afternoons 4 to 6 p.m.
Families picking up food are encouraged to remain in their vehicles upon arrival and wait for the next available volunteer. Volunteers will bring pre-packed bags of food out to the vehicle.
The CazCares Story Room and Clothing Closet are closed until further notice. The organization is not accepting donated items of any kind including food, clothing and household items.
Call 315-655-3174 or visit cazcares.org for needs related to nutrition.
A number of local food sellers, including restaurants, markets, cafés and bakeries, are currently offering takeout or delivery. For a full list, visit sites.google.com/view/cazcovidresponse/caz-food-options?authuser=0.
The Pewter Spoon is one of several Cazenovia eateries to be offering their full menu for pick-up.
As an extra precaution, the café/eatery has implemented a curbside pickup policy, where orders are placed and paid for by phone, and then left at a pickup station in the hallway outside the café.
“We’re open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day and we are doing a full menu of food, drinks, alcohol to go, and lots of baked goods,” said Pewter Spoon Manager Ava Carmeli. “We’re doing everything we can to provide Cazenovia with some normalcy, but we have decided it is in the community’s best interest to limit face-to-face contact when we can. We want to thank everyone so much for their support, understanding, and generosity during this scary time for small businesses and service workers.”
According to Pat Carmeli, owner of the business, the pickup system has been running smoothly so far, but the situation remains very stressful.
“We first did it on Tuesday, [March 17] and we did pretty well,” Carmeli said. “Tuesday and today, the sales were pretty similar . . . People have been very nice and understanding. I just feel so bad for our employees [who are not currently working] . . . Ava sent out information to all of our workers in case they want to put in for unemployment insurance . . . We are just trying to get through this, and I’m hoping that I still have a business when we’re on the other side, because I don’t know what I’ll do otherwise . . . I’ve got continuing bills and I’ve got rent that’s due the beginning of the month.”
In addition to offering full menus, the Brewster Inn and the Lincklaen House are also preparing family meal packages for takeout and delivery.
Cazenovia Community Fitness (CCF) has also adapted its business model to continue to serve its clients after closing its facilities on March 16.
“Keeping our CCF community safe and active during this difficult time is our top priority,” said Meghan Kelly, who co-owns the business with Marla Velky-Reger. “We quickly made the decision to take our group fitness classes online so that our members can continue to workout. We’re thinking of it as ‘fitness delivered,’ and it’s free for all of our 24 Hour Fitness Club members. This government mandated shut down is hitting small businesses hard, and it’s unsettling to not know when it will end. We are so grateful for the support we’ve received and hope this virtual option will help keep us connected to our clients whom we miss so much.”
For more information, visit cazenoviacommunityfitness.com.
