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School budget, BOE elections are May 17 By Ashley M. Casey Associate Editor
Residents of the Liverpool and North Syracuse school districts head to the polls on Tuesday, May 17, to vote on their respective districts’ 2022-23 school budget and slate of school board candidates. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 17. The polling place for the Liverpool Central School District is the Wetzel Road Gym. There are two polling places for the North Syracuse Central School District. Residents who live SOUTH of Route 481 vote at the Administrative Office Building (5355 West Taft Road, North Syracuse). Residents who live NORTH of Route 481 vote at Cicero Elementary School (5979 Route 31, Cicero). Read on for the highlights of each district’s budget. The Star-Review sent a questionnaire to each candidate for Liverpool and North Syracuse school boards, but did not receive a response from all candidates. The Q&As with the candidates who did respond will be posted on eaglenewsonline.com.
Liverpool Central School District Submitted photos
The NSEEP PTO donated $15,000 toward the campaign to add three shade structures to the playground.
PTO donates $15K to playground project Last summer, the North Syracuse Early Education Program launched its re-envisioned and renovated playground serving the school’s 240 students, as well as the larger community in Onondaga County. This inclusive, fully accessible playground was carefully designed around the needs of children with developmental disabilities and those of typically developing children. The school’s students have spent many happy hours at the playground during the school day and many children and their families have enjoyed it at other times, as it is open to the public after school hours. Recently, the school began a fundraising campaign to add three shade structures to the beautiful, still-new playground in order to protect kids, caregivers
and teachers from harmful UV rays. “These 16-foot long, barrel-vaulted, two-column design, cantilevered shade structures will be angled to block the rays of the sun as it moves across the play area during the hottest part of the day,” playground project coordinator Cheri Rotelli wrote on GoFundMe. “The cantilever design Cheri Rotelli, physical therapist at NSEEP will allow us to install and playground project coordinator, fills the structures just off the in the 80% mark of the playground shade edge of the poured rub- project’s goal. ber surface. The surface fundraising goal. won’t be disturbed and A portion of the donation was the children will have no obstamade possible through the school’s cles to free movement and play.” On April 22, Rotelli had an Gertrude Hawk fundraisers and unexpected but wonderful sur- the PTO wants to thank all of the prise as the school’s PTO pre- families who supported that camsented her with a $15,000 check paign. The school continues to toward the shade project. With raise money through a GoFundMe the PTO’s generous donation, the page for the cause. Visit https://gocampaign has reached 80% of its fund.me/0d705cdd to learn more.
Planning board considers revoking American High’s special-use permit By Russ Tarby Contributing writer When it convenes at 7 p.m. Monday, May 23, for its monthly meeting at the village hall, the Liverpool Planning Board will consider a proposed resolution to revoke the special-use permit issued to American High/Academy at Syracuse Studios five years ago. Citing more than a half-dozen alleged violations of land-use stipulations along with multiple complaints from neighbors, the proposed resolution could also lead the village of Liverpool to slap American High with fines and lawsuits. Representatives from American High and its academy at the former Liverpool High School building at 800 Fourth St. attended the planning board’s previous two meetings to discuss the alleged violations, such as afterhours truck traffic and late-night film shoots with lights, noise and litter. American High CEO Jeremy Garelick bought the building in 2017 for $1 million and turned it into a trade school for aspir-
ing filmmakers while using it as a set for production of low-budget teen-oriented romantic comedies. Planning Board Chair Joe Ostuni Jr. repeatedly quizzed academy representatives about the trade school’s lack of accreditation while noting that commercial filmmaking, warehousing and contracting continue there. At the April 25 meeting, board attorney Richard Andino presented the 1,500-word proposed resolution. After a lengthy list of alleged violations and neighborhood complaints, the first item to be resolved takes aim at the facility’s commercialization: “The planning board hereby finds that the above-referenced violations and issues related to the use of the property by the Academy at Syracuse Studios and unauthorized commercial enterprises have resulted in a detriment to the health, safety and welfare of the neighborhood which surrounds the property; and ... the planning board hereby directs the Academy at Syracuse Studios to immediately cease and desist any activities which are unauthorized by the above-refer-
enced land-use approvals.” The proposed resolution could revoke American High’s amended site plan approved by the board in 2020 and its special-use permit issued in 2017. “As a result of the academy’s failure to comply with the timeframes for completion of site improvements the amended site plan approval is hereby deemed expired and null and void,” the proposed resolution continues. “Failure to remedy the abovedescribed violations shall result in the possible revocation of the academy’s special-use permit, prosecution of violations in the village of Liverpool Justice Court, and such further legal action necessary to bring the property and the use thereof into compliance with the special-use permit. … The academy must still comply with all other aspects of the village zoning law and other laws, rules and regulations; and that this resolution shall take effect immediately.” In addition to Ostuni, the planning board members are Bob Bradt, Sam Reppi, Jim Rosier and James Taft.
Budget highlights
Appropriations for the 2022-23 budget total $173,451,163. The estimated tax levy will be $92,454,745. Other revenue breaks down as follows: • State aid: $74,692,024 • Federal aid: $300,000 • Fund balance: $3,760,950 • Other revenue (sales tax, PILOT agreements, charges for services and more): $2,243,444 Proposition 2, the annual bus purchase proposition, requests the purchase of six large school buses, two large school buses with double luggage boxes, three small school buses with air conditioning, one small school bus with wheelchair capability, two Chevy Suburbans, one 8-by-24-foot heavy-duty enclosed utility trailer and one heavy-duty delivery truck with a 26-foot dry van body and heavy-duty liftgate. The total cost of the bus proposition is $1,755,463. Proposition 3 seeks to establish a capital reserve fund in which the district can set aside money annually for future renovations or major purchases. Also on the ballot are the Liverpool Public Library’s budget and trustee candidates. To learn more, visit lpl.org. For a full Liverpool school budget breakdown, please refer to the Budget Edition of the Liverpool School Bell, which was mailed to residents and can be found at liverpool.k12.ny.us.
BOE candidates
There are seven candidates running for three 4-year terms and one 1-year term on the Liverpool Board of Education: • Erika Adigun • Nicholas Blaney • Craig Dailey • Hayley Downs • Alicia Letta • Kimberly Martin • Jason Sobotka
North Syracuse Central School District Budget highlights
Appropriations for the 2022-23 budget will total $188,367,855. The tax levy will be $98,574,564. Other revenue — payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreements, county sales tax, $5.25 million in fund balance and other sources — totals $9,966,110. North Syracuse is set to receive $79,827,181 in state aid. Proposition 2, the annual bus purchase proposition, seeks to purchase ten 65-passenger gasoline engine school buses; two 42-passenger gasoline engine school buses with three wheelchair positions, hydraulic lift and air conditioning; and five maintenance and operations department vehicles. The total cost is not to exceed $1,890,381. After state aid and before STAR exemptions, the annual tax impact on a $100,000 home would be about $2.61. Proposition 3 addresses an air conditioning issue at North Syracuse Junior High School. The chiller system needs to be replaced at a cost of $1.4 million. The district is covering the local share of the cost from its fund balance, so there is no additional tax impact for this project. Taxpayers will also be off the hook for Proposition 4, a $7.5 million initiative to replace outdated lighting systems with LEDs and make other energy saving tweaks to older buildings in the district. State aid and the NSCSD’s fund balance will cover the cost. The NSCSD ballot also includes the Salina Library’s budget proposition. To learn more, visit salinalibrary.org. For a full budget breakdown, please refer to the Budget Edition of District Dispatch, which was mailed to residents and can be found at nscsd.org.
BOE candidates
There are four candidates running for three 3-year terms on the North Syracuse Board of Education: • Robert Crabtree • Matthew Hermann • Nicole Planty • Amanda Sugrue
Volume 130, Number 19 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
recipe of the month: Easy cookies.
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sports news: Liverpool softball gets 9-0 shutout of C-NS.
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