MANLIUS — On Sept. 12, the Village of Manlius Board of Trustees received an overview of a “very preliminary” plan to demolish the old Mobil station on Fayette Street and construct a new full-service Seneca Savings branch.
According to Angelo Testani, a senior vice president of commercial lending at Seneca Savings and a Village of Manlius resident, the bank is working with a national company on designs for a new 1,200 to 1,400-square-foot building, and it intends to apply to the village for a permit for a drive-through and likely a digital sign out front.
Testani also informed the board that the bank hopes to close on the property in the next few weeks, and it has contracted a demolition company to tear the existing building down.
“The zoning, as it currently exists, is appropriate for this use, but they’d need a special use permit for the drive-through,” said Deputy Mayor/Trustee Hank Chapman.
Chapman also advised Testani that he is likely to receive a lot of public comments about the number of banks in the village.
Testani responded that Seneca Savings, which has branches in North Syracuse, Bridgeport, Liverpool, and Baldwinsville, hired a national firm to conduct market research and was told that Manlius is the next best opportunity for a new branch.
“We looked at other markets — Fayetteville, Fairmount, Clay, [and] Cicero,” Testani added. “Really this is the spot, they said. So, we chose this spot first.”
Mayor Paul Whorrall commented that he and Chapman have been working for the past four or five years to bring businesses into the village.
He also remarked that if a property is appropriately zoned for a proposed use and all requirements are met, the village legally cannot make judgments about a specific business or stop that business from coming into the community.
“If they meet the requirements, it’s up to them to survive,” Whorrall said. “You may say, [for example,] ‘Well, we don’t need another pizza place,’ but you know what? One pizza place may come in and they’ll survive, and another one may go out. It’s not up to us. If we started telling [specific businesses] they couldn’t come here, nobody would come here.”
The mayor added that if a business is willing to come in and fix up or replace a vacant or dilapidated building, the village is going to try to help in any way it can.
Swan Fest and other news
The Village of Manlius will present the first annual Swan Fest on Sunday, Oct. 1, from noon to 5 p.m.
The family-friendly event will feature a big truck show, arts and crafts vendors, plein air painters, the Twin Magicians, open fishing at the Lower Swan Pond, cornhole, chalk drawing, food for purchase, rock painting, old-fashioned games, storytelling, live entertainment, and more outside at the Village Centre.
Community members and visitors can meet local business owners at their shops and restaurants and collect SwanFest tickets for the chance to win a raffle gift basket featuring donations from all the participating businesses.
In conjunction with Swan Fest, A.W. Wander at 145 E Seneca St. will be presenting its first Oktoberfest celebration starting at 11 a.m. The event will include food, beer, and a stein hoisting competition presented by Jack’s Abby at 4 p.m.
Questions about Swan Fest can be directed to 315-682-9171 or [email protected].
Whorrall began the meeting by recognizing the following individuals for their longtime service to the village: Scott McGrew for 25 years, Tim Kautzman for 30 years, Allen Baker for 30 years, Ray Gill for 30 years, Frank Giordano for 30 years, Richard Sterns for 35 years, Charlie Provo for 40 years, David Haase for 45 years, and Bob Bennett for 45 years.
Manlius Village Board meetings begin at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month in the Manlius Village Centre Board Room, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave., Manlius.
