VILLAGE OF MANLIUS — During the Sept. 14 Village of Manlius Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Paul Whorrall encouraged the board and the public to visit the new 9/11 memorial patio at the Manlius Fire Department at 8200 Cazenovia Road.

Located at the intersection of Rt. 92 and Enders Road, the patio is phase one of the village’s ongoing memorial park project. Once completed, the space will honor both 9/11 and the Manlius firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

“The first phase was for 9/11 and to install our bell from our original firehouse built back in 1813,” explained Whorrall. “The next phase, if we raise enough funds, will be to get the monuments and the flags for [the] line of duty deaths in our membership.”

The mayor added that March 7, 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the loss of two Manlius firefighters to a house fire.

The focal point of the new patio is a 4,300-pound steel beam from the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex, which collapsed at 10:28 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001.

According to Whorrall, both the steel beam and the low wall behind the patio that reads “Manlius Fire Department” have been lighted to be visible at night.

In addition to the beam and historic firehouse bell, the memorial patio also features the fire department’s emblem, which was laid in brick.

The village unveiled the memorial on Sept. 11 during an observance of the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The remembrance ceremony served to honor the victims of the attacks, as well as the heroism of the first responders who answered the call of duty that day and those who serve their local community everyday.

“I was overwhelmed by not only the amount of people there [from our department,] but by the people in general who showed up,” said Whorrall. “I just didn’t expect that many people to come. I thought it went really well. I thought those that spoke did a great job. And, I have to say, if you haven’t seen it, you need to go up and [check it out].”

In order to move forward with phase two of the memorial park project, the village is seeking donations from the community.

According to the mayor, the proposed monument honoring the fire department’s line of duty deaths is expected to cost the village around $15,000.

“Buy a brick for a loved one, someone in the fire department, or a relative that might have been a firefighter,” Whorrall suggested. “And there’s going to be [benches] there for people who go there and want to sit. You can [also] donate to buy a bench.”

In other news

Village resident Nicholas Agrippino presented the board with a petition signed by 560 residents opposed to the board’s July 13, 2021 decision to opt-out of allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries and/or on-site consumption licenses without allowing the public to vote on the issue.

“The board suggested last meeting that if there was overwhelming support, the board would reconsider their decision [about] having a public vote,” Agrippino said. “I requested the board give me a number for what ‘overwhelming support’ means, but that was not given . . . So I would like the board’s response on the 560 signatures collected thus far, and, if that is overwhelming support enough, to motion a ballot vote.”

Village Attorney Brad Hunt responded that, under the law, the deadline for a petition passed approximately one month ago.

“The legal requirement for a petition to compel a vote is that it has got to be signed by 20 percent of the registered voters, which I believe is a number higher than 560, so that has not been met,” Hunt said. “That being said, we appreciate your comments . . . And while they have no duty to do so, the village board has the right to hold a vote to opt in at any point. That could be soon, it could be later, it could be at any time. I’m sure that the village board will continue to monitor the situation and monitor the ways that the regulation of this new industry evolves in the State of New York.”

Agrippino clarified that he recognizes that the board has no legal obligation to do anything in response to the petition, but that he is asking the board to consider the number of signatures and call for a ballot vote.

“If you motion a ballot vote, you should have public hearings,” Agrippino said. “We should talk about it. There are a lot of pros and cons with marijuana retail sales. I’ve been encouraging people to have those conversations, but the problem is that we can’t even have those conversations because the board took the vote out of the hands of village residents. [All this petition] asks for is the board to let village residents vote yes or no.”

Whorrall ultimately stated that, despite the petition, the board would not be holding a vote until further information is available.

“Our decision was made tonight that we aren’t doing anything right now,” Whorrall said. “We will wait until there is further information that we feel comfortable with. I’m sorry if you don’t like that.”

The cannabis discussion also included comments from two other village residents and Agrippino’s father, who all spoke in favor of a ballot vote on allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries and/or on-site consumption licenses.

The board voted to approve a special use permit application submitted by Family Tree 3, LLC (David, Louis and Alexis Muraco) for the property located at 4 Stickley Drive.

The applicant requires the special use permit to move forward with plans to transform the vacant fire station into a mixed-use building featuring two first floor retail spaces and four upstairs apartments, which would be accessible via stairs and a small elevator.

The building would also include ground floor outdoor seating and balcony space for each of the apartments (three one-bedrooms and one two-bedroom).

One of the first floor tenants, Utica Pizza, has already been secured.

Prior to making its decision, the board held a public hearing on the proposed special use permit. No public comments were made.

For more information on the project, call Empire Management Of CNY, Inc. at 315-445-8990 or email [email protected].

Copies of the special use permit application are available for inspection at the Office of the Village Clerk, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave., Manlius, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

During the mayor‘s report, Whorrall informed the board that he recently approved the installation of an ice skating rink at the baseball field this winter.

On Saturday, Sept. 25, the Village of Manlius Parks and Recreation Department will host its Children’s Fishing Derby from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Village Centre Pond behind the swan pond. Families are invited to bring their own poles and bait. Prizes will be awarded in each participating age group. Children are allotted three Rainbow Trout, and they do not need fishing licenses or village fishing permits to participate. To register for the free event, visit the village website or sign up on the day of the derby beginning at 8:30 a.m.

On Saturday, Oct. 30, the village will present the annual Trunk or Treat from 3 to 5 p.m. The event will feature treats provided by local businesses and families, as well as music by DJ Tones.

For more information on the two upcoming events, visit manliusvillage.org, call 315-682-7887, or email [email protected].

Manlius village board meetings are usually held the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Manlius Village Centre, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave., Manlius.

For more information, visit manliusvillage.org or call the clerk’s office at 315-682-9171.