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Ski champ
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Board of education approves transportation proposition for May 16 Annual Vote
Local skier takes first place at state alpine championships
By kate Hill Staff Writer
On Sunday, March 12, Charlie Prior, a sophomore at Cazenovia High School, placed first in the U18 New York State Ski Racing Association (NYSSRA) Giant Slalom Championship race at Bristol Mountain. Racing for the Labrador Mountain ski team against around 35 other girls, Prior was named champion after two disappointing days of competition. On Friday, she decided to opt out of the super giant slalom (Super G) because she experienced an injury in the “super speed” event a few years ago. During Saturday’s slalom event, she was unable to finish either of her runs. Upset with herself for what she viewed as a lack of ability or giving up, Prior used her anger to propel her into Sunday’s success. “Conditions on Friday and Saturday were really difficult racing conditions that required a lot of skill and energy to just make it down the run without falling, so when Sunday’s warmer temperatures rolled around, and we had a hard fresh track to ski down, it felt like a perfect day to really lay down your best skiing,” she said. “Usually, if I think too hard about results and winning during my runs, I get really tense, and in a sport where you have to be able to make adjustments in a split second going 40 miles per hour, being tense can slow you down or, in extreme cases, injure you.” Prior recalled that her mindset going into
By kate hill Staff writer
Submitted photo
Recently, local skier Charlie Prior, 16, placed first in the U18 New York State Ski Racing Association Giant Slalom Championship race at Bristol Mountain. the first run of the day was to “go as fast as humanly possible.” “I saw the course set for us and just thought how much fun I would have if I was skiing as fast as I could without holding back at all,” she said. After winning the first run, she struggled to not put pressure on herself to have a good second run.
Prior said that after speaking with her coach, Tyler Travis, she figured out the only way she could hold it together was to relax and have fun. “I’m someone that loves the feeling of hurting muscles and being out of breath, so putting in as much effort as possible was the best way to spend the minute on that course that I had,” Skier l Page 11
On March 20, the Cazenovia Central School District Board of Education (BOE) adopted a resolution approving a “transportation proposition” to be submitted for voter approval at the annual budget vote and election. The district is proposing that the BOE be authorized to purchase and finance four 65-passenger replacement school buses, including necessary furnishings, fixtures, and equipment and “all other costs incidental thereto,” and to expend a total sum not to exceed $633,132. According to the resolution, the sum is to be raised by the levy of a tax upon the taxable property of the school district and collected in annual installments. “At this time, the district is going with gas buses because we still need to invest in the infrastructure for electric,” explained Superintendent Christopher DiFulvio Board l Page 12
National Trust for Historic Preservation, architecture firm help plan for Art Park’s future By kate Hill Staff Writer
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (SQAP) in Cazenovia was recently the focus of a pilot partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Where Women Made History” program and the Women’s Leadership Initiative at Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA). Through the new partnership, the architecture and design firm is providing pro-bono design, planning, and technical services to organizations that are reimagining sites of women’s history for the 21st century. SQAP, which is a member of the National Trust’s Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) program, was selected for the initiative in early 2022. The project resulted in a series of recommendations for taking advantage of underutilized buildings and landscape features at SQAP to benefit the park’s staff, artists and visitors. “The primary focus was to develop a planning document for Stone Quarry’s buildings and grounds that would be responsive to the organization’s scale as well as flexible so the organization could phase projects over time as needs and available funding shifted,” said SQAP CEO Emily Zaengle. “We wanted to create a document that would address current challenges of the driveway/parking; make recommendations for how to draw focus or better orient visitors to the Dorothy Riester House and Studio (Hilltop House and Studio); and recommend improvements to existing buildings that would allow them to better meet the needs of the visiting artists, visiting public, and Stone Quarry staff.” The project team consisted of Zaengle, HAHS Program Manager Valerie Balint, Christina Mor-
ris, manager of the Where Women Made History campaign, and a group of RAMSA staff members with diverse professional experiences. “[An all-women team] wasn’t planned, but it ended up being a very rewarding component of the project,” said Zaengle. The National Trust and RAMSA members began meeting with Zaengle over Zoom in February 2022 to develop an understanding of the historic site. On June 3, 2022, the team gathered at SQAP. The site visit included a tour of the grounds and facilities and an art-making experience led by visiting artist Jessica Hyatt. “She led the team through a series of writing and making activities that asked us to reflect on how we felt on the grounds of the park,” said Zaengle. “The feedback from the team was that this experience totally changed how they approached the project; it helped them experience the park as artists and visitors.” The visit culminated in an evening reception and conversation with board members, artists, and community constituents. “It was important to me that the project include feedback from visiting artists, park visitors, and Stone Quarry staff — the people that utilize the site on a daily basis,” said Zaengle. According to Zaengle, the guide that the RAMSA team ultimately produced makes recommendations that would allow SQAP to further activate its outdoor spaces through its visiting artist program. The suggestions are low-impact and include ideas like hardscaping around buildings to create opportunities for artists to install interactive features that the public can gather around and engage with. The guide also proposes flexible indoor spaces that can be
Ramsa
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (SQAP) in Cazenovia was recently the focus of a pilot partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Where Women Made History” program and the Women’s Leadership Initiative at Robert A.M. Stern Architects. The project resulted in a series of recommendations for taking advantage of underutilized buildings and landscape features at SQAP to benefit the park’s staff, artists, and visitors. configured to support artist studios and workspaces as well as a variety of artist-led happenings, including performances, talks, and open studios. Acknowledging the site’s transition from private/residential use to its current use as an outdoor art space open to the public, the guide also includes recommendations for a more logical site arrival and parking sequence. Located at 3883 Stone Quarry Rd., SQAP offers a unique environment for artists to create and exhibit their work in natural and gallery settings and provides a space for the community to explore and appreciate the natural world and interact with art and artists. SQAP stewards the Dorothy Riester House and Studio (Hill-
top House and Studio), the former home of ceramicist, sculptor, author, and preservation activist Dorothy Riester (1916-2017) and her husband, Robert. The Riesters designed and built their distinctive A-frame home with help from local contractors from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. During their lifetimes, the couple transformed the site from their private residence into a contemporary outdoor art space, acquiring a total of 104 acres, establishing SQAP as a private, not-for-profit organization in 1991, and opening the site to artists and the public. “The very first act of the newly formed arts organization was an invitation to other artists to come and display their work on the
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A&E: Area DJ plays the hottest in traditional jazz.
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Schools: PTSA to present a family workshop on youth in the digital world.
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grounds of Stone Quarry Hill,” said Zaengle. “Stone Quarry was not to be a monument or museum of Dorothy’s work; it was and remains an invitation to visiting artists and the visiting public. It was important to Dorothy and Bob that the land be open to the public.” Zaengle added that as a notfor-profit, SQAP continues the Riesters’ legacy. “The organization chooses to continue to open the grounds to the public every day of the year on a pay-what-you-wish admission model because we believe in the importance of public access to art and the outdoors,” she said. “[We also] continue the Riester legacy of inviting artists to engage with the land through our visiting artArt Park l Page 13
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