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Three-day driving competition returns By kate Hill Staff Writer
Following a two-year hiatus, the full three-day Lorenzo Driving Competition (LDC) will return to Cazenovia July 1517. Held on the grounds of Lorenzo State Historic Site, the carriage pleasure driving competition is one of Cazenovia’s signature summer events and the only horse show of its kind in Central New York. Visitors can park and experience the show for free, purchase food from food trucks, shop, enter a silent auction, and explore the site, including the Lorenzo mansion, formal gardens, Dark Aisle Arboretum, carriage house, and collection of antique vehicles. Located at 17 Rippleton Road, Lorenzo is the 1807 Federal-style home of John Lincklaen, Holland Land Company agent and founder of Cazenovia. The Lincklaen/Ledyard family continually occupied Lorenzo until the property and its contents were conveyed to New York State in 1968. The site is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and supported with help from the Friends of Lorenzo (FOL).
On July 6, the Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees approved the village appointments for 2022-23. Prior to opening the discussion on the proposed appointments, Mayor Kurt Wheeler swore in Kathy Wooster Hahn and Maureen Fellows to the office of village trustee. Hahn, who was newly elected on June 21, has filled the seat of former trustee/deputy mayor Dave Porter, who stepped down after 12 years of service to the village. She has taken over Porter’s duties as commissioner of water & sewer and fire commissioner. She will also serve as the sustainability/climate action plan coordinator and United Climate Action Network liaison. Fellows, who has served on the board since 2016, has taken over as deputy mayor and will continue her duties as police commissioner and court liaison. She has also taken over as the village’s Cazenovia Area Community Development Association (CACDA) representative. Wheeler also swore in Rhonda M. Youngs as acting village justice. “[Youngs] is the consensus recommendation from the greater Cazenovia legal community to fill the position of acting justice,” said Wheeler. “She comes highly recommended from our current justice, former acting justice, and village attorney, who all spoke very highly of her.” According to the approved list of appointments, Trustee Justin Fuchs will continue his primary duties as public works commissioner and serve as the employee
Assistant code enforcement officer named By kate hill Staff writer
Submitted photo
Lorenzo State Historic Site in Cazenovia will host the Lorenzo Driving Competition July 1517. Pictured: Lisa Andersen driving her Hackney Horse Heyday put to an 1890 Runabout. Since its inception in 1977, the LDC has typically been held on the third weekend in July.
“Lorenzo Driving Competition is the Lorenzo
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Village approves annual appointments, discusses dam By kate Hill Staff Writer
Town of Cazenovia
health insurance consultant. Trustee Cindy Bell Tobey will serve as parks & recreation commissioner and tree commissioner. Both Bell Tobey and Wheeler will serve on the lake watershed committee. Wheeler noted that the village is fortunate that all the individuals in appointed positions such as village engineers, water superintendent, zoning board of appeals chairman and superintendent of public works, agreed to serve another term and have been reappointed. During the July 6 Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Kurt Wheeler swore in Rhonda M. Youngs as acting village justice. The board also approved its annual resolutions, making the following designations: The official day and time for regular board meetings is the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. The official newspaper is the Cazenovia Republican. The official depositories are Key Bank, M&T Bank, Chase Manhattan, HSBC Bank, and Community Bank, N.A. The official mileage for the year 2022-23 is 62.5 cents per mile.
Mill Street Dam and backflow issues
During the meeting, both Wheeler and CACDA Executive Director Lauren Lines reported on the ongoing issues associated with the Mill Street dam. One of two dams at the south end of Cazenovia Lake, Mill Street dam, referred to as the “lower dam” or “creek dam,” controls the water level in the old canal that runs along the Willow Patch and once helped regulate
Kate Hill
During the July 6 Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Kurt Wheeler swore in Kathy Wooster Hahn (far left) and Maureen Fellows (far right) into the office of village trustee. the water levels of the Erie Canal. The second dam, referred to as the “upper dam” or “lake dam,” is located near Carpenter’s Pond and controls the level of the lake. Chittenango Creek flows into the canal just east of the upper dam. Wheeler explained that during large precipitation events, water pours into the Chittenango Creek watershed and fills the canal area between the two dams like a bathtub. According to the mayor, the water level in the canal has always been regulated by opening the lower dam’s sluice gates, which are raised vertically to allow water to flow through the opening at the bottom. If the gates are opened too much, almost all the water pours out, leaving a “muddy mess” and very little water. If the gates are then closed to refill the canal and there is a big storm event, the water gets too high and backflows over the upper dam and into the lake.
Ideally, Wheeler said, the water should flow from Chittenango Creek, which is coming from the Rippleton Road area, and then turn the corner by the upper dam and continue down Chittenango Creek towards Chittenango. “When it gets so high, it actually goes over that upper dam and flows, along with a whole bunch of silt, right into the lake and causes all kinds of damage to the lake,” he said. During her report to the board Lines said she was waiting on a grant application to study the backflow and lower dam issue. According to Lines, the Cazenovia Lake Association has contracted with a firm to conduct a limited feasibility study on a couple of options regarding the dam. “If that’s done in time, then I can apply for funds to do a further and more complete study of that,” Lines said. “In that case, we would be asking the village to Village l Page 11
On July 11, the Cazenovia Town Board adopted a resolution authorizing the appointment of Dale Bowers to the newly created position of part-time assistant code enforcement officer, to assist with the administration of the Town of Cazenovia Zoning/Codes Enforcement Office. Under the direct supervision of Town Supervisor Bill Zupan, Bowers will be tasked with performing the following duties: helping home owners and contractors to review projects as they relate to the town code; explaining zoning laws and local building ordinances to applicants; assisting applicants in completing building permit applications and other applications for approval of the local governing body; referring applicants who need variances to the Town of Cazenovia Zoning Board of Appeals and applicants who need site plan approval or are subdividing land to the Town of Cazenovia Planning Board; attending planning and zoning board meetings to comment on proposed projects, etc.; reviewing zoning and subdivision laws to ensure compliance; and investigating complaints of alleged zoning law violations. According to Councilor Kyle Reger, the town is hiring an assistant code enforcement officer to help serve its needs when Zoning and Codes Enforcement Officer Roger Cook is unavailable. The adopted resolution notes that the position is temporary under New York State Civil Service Law and the appointment is effective July 11, 2022. The board also appointed Jon Vanderhoef to the position of planning board alternate member. He will serve for the remainder of 2022, with his term expiring Dec. 31, 2022.
In other news
During his monthly report, Councilor Jimmy Golub informed the board that the Cazenovia Lake Association and Cazenovia Preservation Foundation are planning a creek cleanup between the Mill Street dam (“lower dam” or “creek dam”) and the “upper dam” or “lake dam” near Carpenter’s Pond. Mill Street dam controls the water level in the old caTown
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Volume 213, Number 28 The Cazenovia Republican is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 35 Albany St., Second Floor, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Periodical Postage Paid at Cazenovia, NY 13035, USPS 095-260. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Cazenovia Republican, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
community: Caz College, CWR and InterFaith Works welcome resettlement family.
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Achievers: Caz FD assistant chief named Fire Educator of the Year. PAGE 12
Editorial ��������������������� 4
Obituaries ���������������� 13
history ������������������������ 5
PennySaver ���������������� 6
letters ������������������������ 4
