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Caz celebrates the season On Friday, Dec. 6, the Cazenovia community gathered downtown for the 47th Annual Cazenovia Christmas Walk and Village
Tree Lighting. Organized by the CazLife committee of the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce, the event included
photos by Kate Hill
live performances, food, Santa’s arrival, a photo opportunity with Santa at Community Bank, a Cazenovia Garden Club holiday sale, a library book sale, international Santas, and an arts & crafts sale at Carpenter’s Barn. The village tree was lit with newly purchased and strung colored lights, downtown shops were open late, and nonprofits lined the street with treats.
Town of Cazenovia
Madison County Tourism gives presentation Public meeting set on Additional public hearing on draft comprehensive plan update 2030 set By kate Hill Staff Writer
This month, Cazenovia Town Supervisor Kyle Reger continued a new series promoting Madison County services by inviting Madison County Tourism (MCT) Executive Director Kaytlynn Lynch to present during the Dec. 9 Cazenovia Town Board meeting. MCT, the county’s official tourism promotion agency, strives to strengthen economic activity in Madison County by strategically marketing its events, businesses, and organizations. According to Lynch, its goal is to bring people from outside the area
— and their spending dollars — to Madison County communities. “We help our partners, which are tourism-related entities, with marketing resources that help drive visitors here, generating revenue for us and raising awareness of all of Madison County’s vibrant communities and amenities,” Lynch said. She reported that in 2023, visitor spending at local businesses in Madison County totaled $138 million, as reported by Empire State Development, I LOVE NEW YORK & Tourism Economics. Lynch broke the $138 million in spending down as follows: $52 million on food and beverages, $33 million on lodging and accommodations,
$24 million on retail goods and services, $21 million on vacation properties and second homes, $4 million on recreation and entertainment, and $4 million on local transportation. According to Empire State Development, I LOVE NEW YORK & Tourism Economics, this visitor spending and increased economic activity generates $9.3 million in county tax revenue, reducing the tax burden on residents, and $61 million in local employment income. Lynch next discussed how MCT is funded. “To put it simply, when you stay at a hotel and have those additional fees at the bottom of your bill, we are essentially one of those fees,” she said. Town l Page 4
Mill Street dam removal
In 2023, the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association (CACDA) secured funding from the Department of State for the Village of Cazenovia to begin an analysis of the potential removal of the Mill Street dam. The dam was originally built to help control water levels in the Erie Canal. The dam no longer serves a purpose, restricts fish passage, and contributes to backflows from Chittenango Creek into Cazenovia Lake several times per year. These backflows bring silt and nutrients into the lake, contributing to the growth of weeds and algae. The village, CACDA, and the Cazenovia Lake Association have been working over the past several years to identify possible solutions to this backflow issue. Removal of the dam and upstream remediation to a natural state will go a long way toward addressing this problem. The current funding is being used to develop preliminary engineering plans for the dam removal. The initial findings, developed by Gomez & Sullivan Engineers, will be presented to the public on Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. in the Community Room at the Cazenovia Public Library.
Volume 214, Number 50 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.
A&E: Local writer’s short story collection published 65 years after his death.
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sports: Cazenovia boys basketball flies to 3-0 start.
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A&E �������������������������������� 3
Obituaries ���������������� 10
Calendar ������������������ 10
PennySaver ���������������� 6
Editorial ��������������������� 4
Sports ����������������������� 11