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Yolanda Bush blooms Chicago-born singer fronts soulful sextet here June 3
North Syracuse school budget passes
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Chicago-born vocalist Yolanda Bush fronts The Cool Water Collective performing a free concert of blues and roots music at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 3, at Johnson Park, presented by the Liverpool Is The Place Summer Concert Committee. Upcoming concerts include Chuck Schiele’s Quatro on Wednesday, June 5, the Fab Cats on Monday, June 10, and a Springsteen tribute band called Born to Run on Wednesday, June 12. This year, LITP has added a new Community Band Jubilee for 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, showcasing the Liverpool Community Concert Band, the Skaneateles Community Band
and the Lyncourt Community Band. The LITP Committee still seeks sponsorships for several 2024 concerts such as the Jess Novak Band, Soul Mine, The Monterays and the Community Band Jubilee. To donate, contact LITP Treasurer Colleen Gunnip at colleen.gunnip@gmail.com, or call the Greater Liverpool Chamber of Commerce at 315-457-3895.
Cicero Town Board considers moratorium By Anna Edwards
The Cicero Town Board held a public hearing on May 22 to discuss a moratorium that would prohibit new commercial battery energy storage system installations in the Town of Cicero. The law, “Temporary Moratorium for Battery Energy Storage Systems,” would delay the consideration, approval, and development of Tier 2 and Tier 3 battery energy storage systems. The law does not apply to existing installations or to residential battery energy storage systems in one or twofamily residences. According to the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), a battery energy storage system is a “rechargeable energy storage system consisting of electrochemical storage batteries, battery chargers, controls, and associated electrical equipment designed to provide electrical power to a building.” It usually provides standby power or an uninterruptible power supply. Tier 2 and Tier 3 battery energy storage systems include systems that have an aggregate energy capacity greater than 40 kWh within utility spaces greater than 80 kWh in garages, on exterior walls, in detached accessory structures, or outdoors on the
Liverpool voters approve school budget On Tuesday, May 21, Liverpool Central School District voters approved the district’s budget for 2024-25. The $192,158,276 budget, which reflects a change of 4.23% over last year, passed with a vote of 833 to 658. In addition, the district’s bus proposition passed with a vote of 936 to 573. Also proposed was the purchase of student transportation and other district vehicles, with a maximum total estimated expenditure of $2,481,944. The Liverpool Public Library budget of $4,478,000 also passed with a vote of 1,137 to 356. Elected to the board of education were Matt Jones (1,248 votes,) John Solazzo: (1,197) and Kimberly Melnik (1180.)
By Russ Tarby Contributing writer While most of the bands booked at Johnson Park each summer hail from right here in Central New York, every now and then talented out-of-towners are hired to perform. The Liverpool Is The Place Summer Concert Committee has done it again by booking drummer, singer and bandleader Yolanda Bush and the Cool Water Collective to perform a free concert here at 7 p.m. Monday, June 3. Born on the south side of Chicago, Bush now resides in the Catskills. She has been singing and drumming for four decades, and is versatile in varied styles including blues, jazz and rock. Her voice is singular, transformative and engaging on such iconic tunes as “Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues.” In addition, she is a tight, deep pocket drummer with impeccable meter. The Cool Water Collective, named in honor of the Catskills’ wonderful waterways, is a flexible, expressive ensemble of musicians. In a recent interview, Bush explained her approach to live performance: “My intention for us is to bring the right combination of artistry, nuance, passion and swagger. That’s how I define blues. It’s like the sun, you know it when you feel it.” As a child in the Windy City, Bush became quite an accomplished boxer and accordion-player. She studied trumpet and choral music, and performed with numerous ensembles including the Chicago Youth Symphony. A prolific songwriter, Bush has often performed as a solo guitarist and singer, touring the U.S., Italy, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland The 38th annual Liverpool Is The Place Summer Concert Series will continue from 7 to 9 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday through midAugust.
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ground. Tier 1 systems, which would not be prohibited by the moratorium, generally include battery energy storage systems for one- to two-family homes. This proposal comes at a time of apprehension about the possible hazards created by the systems, according to the town supervisor. “There are some significant concerns environmentally,” Town Supervisor Michael Aregano said at Wednesday’s meeting. Aregano said some systems contain toxic chemicals and create environmental and fire hazards. The moratorium will give the board time to study the environmental impact of battery energy storage systems and create legislation that coincides with town policy and the Town of Cicero Comprehensive Plan. “The purpose of a moratorium is to press pause on any pending applications … and to stop any applications until we can address the issue,” Aregano said. The moratorium could not be voted on at Wednesday’s town board meeting because it references the county planning board, which will not meet until June 18. Town of Cicero Councilor Jonathon Karp said that, because of this, the issue will be voted on at the June 19 town
board meeting. The public hearing still took place at Wednesday’s meeting. Concern was expressed over difficulty in deciphering the proposed local law and fear that people would not be able to install solar panels in the future. However, Aregano said the moratorium should not impact households. He said that the law is directed at industrial facilities, large commercial buildings, and more utility scale energy storage systems. Aregano described Tier 1 systems, which will not be impacted by the moratorium, as “something that’s designed to serve a single-family or a two-family residence, not something that’s designed to serve a commercial facility.” Aregano said there are currently no Tier 2 systems in the Town of Cicero, but there is a Tier 3 system at the solar-powered energy storage plant on Northern Boulevard. He said the storage plant would not be affected by the moratorium. Aregano has been working on a draft battery law that will create standards for Cicero’s battery energy storage systems. Until then, the proposed moratorium would prevent anyone from making an application before it can be properly regulated.
North Syracuse Central School District voters have agreed to the district’s proposed 2024-2025 school year budget with a 65,2 percent approval. A total of 1,846 votes were cast, with the final tally being 1,204 yes votes and 642 no votes on the $212,196,591 proposal. A bus proposition for $2,152,433 also passed with 1,268 yes votes and 579 no votes for a 68.7 percent approval. Voters also authorized the district’s use of capital reserve/debt service funds for ongoing construction projects with a 69.3 percent approval (1,271 yes votes/564 no votes). Additionally, the Salina Free Library proposition for $510,565 passed (76.3 percent approval) with 58 yes votes and 18 no votes. Voters elected the following three candidates to the North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education for (three-year) terms beginning July 1, 2024: Beth Kramer (1,091 votes) Paul Farfaglia (1,022 votes) Mark Thorne (962 votes) The following candidates were not elected: Andrew Matyasik (808 votes) Nicholas Edwards (800 votes) The 2024-2025 tax levy increase of 2.98 percent is within the allowable tax levy limit as calculated under the state’s “tax cap” guidelines. Therefore, a simple majority was required for authorization. For details about the budget, visit the district’s budget website at nscsd.org/ budget.
Village hall phones fixed
New digital system will save more than $200 per month By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer At its May 20 meeting, the Village of Liverpool Board of Trustees – Mayor Stacy Finney and trustees Melissa Cassidy, Rachel Ciotti, Matt Devendorf and Michael LaMontagne – decided to replace the village hall’s telephone lines. “Many callers have been unable to get through to us on the phone,” said Village Clerk Mary Ellen Sims. “It’s not a good situation.” So the village is canceling its current phone service provided by Spectrum and will replace it with a Session Initiation Protocol trunk. A SIP trunk is the digital version of an analog trunk line that lets users receive incoming calls and make outgoing calls. A SIP trunk allows users to make local or long-distance calls over the internet without using traditional phone lines. Not only will the phone system become more reliable, Sims said, “We’ll also save some money.” The village has been paying Spectrum nearly $400 per month for its telephone services, but the new SIP trunk will cost just $165 per month.
Eleven April accidents
At the village board’s monthly meeting on May 20, Police Chief Jerry Unger reported via memo that his officers made 108 traffic stops and issued 135 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws in the month of March. Eleven accidents were investigated here last month, and two parking tickets were issued. Officers made 103 residential checks and 301 business checks in April, while responding to a total of 693 incidents and calls for service. That number of monthly calls represents an average of 23 calls answered per day. The LPD arrested 38 individuals last month on 44 criminal charges.
Volume 131, Number 22 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.
community: Liverpool plants tree in Memorial Park.
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sports: C-NS tops Liverpool for girls sectional title.
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