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Cazenovia celebrates Pride Submitted photos
The fourth annual Cazenovia Pride Fest was held at Lorenzo State Historic Site on June 15 with the support of a new partner, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The well-attended event included the traditional Pride parade followed by a music and vendor fair on the Lorenzo grounds. Pride Fest is aimed at empowering LGBTQ+ youth and creating an atmosphere of love, acceptance, and inclusion. The theme of this year’s event was “Love Out Loud!”
Romagnoli joins Wrestling Hall of Fame BOE votes down tennis court resurfacing District pursues grant and match for proposed project By kate hill Staff writer
Submitted photo
On Sept. 24, 2023, Cazenovia resident Jack Romagnoli was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Outstanding American Award. By kate Hill Staff Writer Last fall, Cazenovia resident and former Cazenovia High School coach Jack Romagnoli was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (NWHOF). His achievement was celebrated on Sept. 24, 2023, during the Upstate New York Chapter of the NWHOF Induction Ceremony in East Syracuse. Romagnoli was also named a recipient of the Outstanding American Award, which recog-
nizes former wrestlers who are highly successful and use the disciplines learned in wrestling in their profession. The New York State Senate recognized Romagnoli’s significant achievements in and contributions to wrestling with a State of New York Legislative Resolution. “I was totally blindsided by the phone call,” Romagnoli said about the news of the recognition. “Wrestling has always been a part of my life and as such, Wrestling l Page 12
On June 17, the Cazenovia Central School District Board of Education (CCSD BOE) unanimously voted down a resolution to approve a $62,100 bid proposal for the resurfacing of the tennis courts at the Emory Avenue Complex. The bid, which was the only one received in response to CCSD’s request for proposals, was submitted by Okie Court Systems, Inc. The BOE’s decision to reject the proposed resolution does not necessarily mean the project is off the table permanently. The resolution was initially put before the board during its May 21 regular meeting as CCSD residents were casting their ballots in the annual school budget vote down the hall. The May 21 meeting minutes state that Superintendent Chris DiFulvio informed the board that he spoke with the varsity tennis coach about the current state of the courts and the impact on the program. According to DiFulvio, resurfacing the playing surfaces was the recommendation he was given. DiFulvio also stated that the project is estimated to extend the life of the courts by seven years and that it would only be done if CCSD had the funds available at the end of the fiscal year. During the BOE’s discussion, Ron Luteran said he believed the district should return as much fund
balance as possible considering how much had been appropriated and the cuts already incurred, including the copy center and summer theater camp. Judith Hight commented that the district has fallen behind on the upkeep of facilities over the years. According to the meeting minutes, Dave Mehlbaum said he did not want to approve the resolution until the district’s spending freeze was lifted, and he suggested the project be approved by a capital vote rather than using money from the operating budget. Mehlbaum also pointed out that the outcome of the annual budget vote was unknown at that time. He said he had nothing against the tennis program, but he thought that if the voters rejected the proposed budget, it would not be a good look for the district to spend $62,100 on its courts. He suggested tabling the vote on the tennis court resurfacing. Jan Woodworth and Jennifer Parmalee agreed with his sentiment. Ultimately, the BOE voted to table its decision on the resolution until its next meeting. During the June 17 meeting, BOE President JoAnne Race reintroduced the topic by commenting that Mehlbaum’s suggestion to table the vote was wise since the voters ultimately rejected the district’s $38,826,826 budget proposal by 34 votes. DiFulvio reported that he met with New York State Assemblyman Al Stirpe and requested money for
Volume 214, Number 25 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.
sports: Cazenovia athletes have special 2023-24 season.
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opinion: Is it ’09? Not so fast.
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the tennis courts, “Hazel’s Path,” reading, and an instructional coach. According to DiFulvio, the district will receive $75,000 in bullet aid. “A small amount of it is going to go to summer reading,” he said. “Beyond that, I’ll have discussions with the board about how it’s spent. . . . My recommendation on those funds right now would be to sit for a little bit. Obviously, it’s great. I thank the senator for the bullet aid, but I asked for four different things, and he gave me enough money to only really pay for one of them. So, I think taking the tennis courts off makes sense.” DiFulvio also informed the board that the district’s grant writer is looking into a match for a grant that could be used for the tennis court resurfacing. “An advantage to possibly tabling this [again] is that if we get this grant and there is a match involved, that could make a lot of sense for us to do the tennis courts,” he said. “[It] could be a great way to pay for the resurfacing. We will see what happens with that grant and where we end up.” The superintendent noted that the grant is not a regular NYS Education Department (NYSED) grant. “Typically, we don’t qualify for most of those [NYSED] grants because of our free and reduced lunch rates and our high wealth ratio,” he said. “With this one, I think we will have a good shot at it because [these BOE l Page 2
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