Manlius mayor delivers State of the Village

VILLAGE OF MANLIUS – Seeking to replicate the structure of Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon’s speech at Onondaga Community College earlier in the month, Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall presented his first State of the Village address in front of community members on March 28.
During the Tuesday evening talk inside the auditorium of the Manlius Village Centre on Arkie Albanese Avenue, Whorrall ran through an agenda that touched on noted topics of concern and interest for people who live within the village.
He started with introductions of those sitting by the dais, including the fellow members of the village’s board of trustees and members of different village departments and offices.
Whorrall, who has been mayor since 2013, then went into the history of the village he has called home for all 71 years of his life.
He mentioned that Manlius was formerly the county seat and that it has the distinction of being the oldest village in the county. He also brought up the Manlius Military Academy and the amusement rides of Suburban Park as past draws to the area and talked of the local mills and factories that went away over the years.
“Believe it or not, we used to have cars and airplanes that were built here in Manlius back in the day,” Whorrall said.
He said that residents also used to frequent the village’s opera house and Western-style saloons, adding that there was no need for them to leave Manlius to do their shopping either with the abundance of retailers that came but ultimately went as the decades passed, such as various clothing stores, a department store, a saddlery shop and a television and radio appliance store.
As time has gone by, the village has also seen the end of the line for the train that crossed through as the number of gas stations dwindled from 10 to only one while two lanes and one traffic light eventually became four lanes and seven traffic lights, Whorrall said during the address.
“I want to make sure our village continues to strive and work to get back to where this village used to be,” he said. “We’re trying to improve a lot of things that go on in this community.”
The mayor continued by saying that the village government has worked “tirelessly” with a committee comprising businesspeople and residents to obtain grant money for outlined projects.
He said the Main Street revitalization grants received from the county level have so far gone toward outdoor seating in Manlius, facade improvements for such businesses as Seneca Street Brew Pub, and the recent removals of the trees on East Seneca Street that had “outlived their usefulness”—a determination made by area arborists and forestry experts according to Whorrall.
“Sometimes to make improvements, we gotta make changes to make those improvements,” he said. “We’re not gonna please everybody—you can’t.”
Using American Rescue Plan funding, the Village of Manlius was able to assist businesses that “lost out” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic because they were prevented from operating fully, the mayor said. With rescue plan funding, the village also erected new signage for bakery Mrs. Kelder’s Cakes and other buildings in addition to relying on Stickley Furniture for a new design used for the village clock.
Whorrall’s address also detailed some projects on the horizon. He said the village will be working with a local artist to put up statues similar to ones in Saratoga Springs and with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to put in electric vehicle charging stations.
He said that in the near future an accessible walkway complete with shrubbery and lighting will stretch from the Flume Road parking lot behind Bruegger’s Bagels and Pavone’s Pizza to meet the crosswalk leading to the Manlius Art Cinema.
“This is gonna enhance not only the village but help the people that come here get to where they need to go,” Whorrall said.
The village is additionally looking to refurbish the old Masonic Temple in the village, the former fire station on Stickley Drive and the closed Wild Orchid of Manlius building.
There are also plans for murals to be painted at particular spots in the village. One would depict Manlius’ Fourth of July festivities, its tree lighting and a scene from one of the children’s fishing derbies.
Another, set to go on the exterior of the bar Buffoons, would show the village amphitheater, the swan pond and kids sitting atop a wall eating ice cream from Sno Top, while one side of Cafe 119 would allow people to stand between two painted swan wings.
Other anticipated projects include path widening and replacement of the playground equipment in Mill Run Park, the placement of an electronic message board and welcome signs for anyone entering the village, the leveling out of A.W. Wander’s outdoor section along with the construction of a brand new marquee, and additions of swinging benches and courts for pickleball, basketball and tennis.
Whorrall said the village is further being dressed up with new planters and hanging baskets and the creation of parking space signs, each featuring a picture of a swan with wheels instead of webbed feet.
Roadwork to be done in Manlius includes the raising of storm drains and replacement of curbing as well as the partial closing off of Liberty Lane in favor of an extended sidewalk with an adjoining grassy area and possibly a sign acknowledging the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District academic and athletic programs acknowledged statewide and nationally.
At the suggestion of the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council, there is also an aim to close off the top of Pleasant Street and make it a cul-de-sac or a hammerhead turnaround.
Whorrall said last week’s State of the Village will be complemented with community roundtable meetings characterized by a question-and-answer format.