FREE • Proudly serving Cazenovia since 1808
Week of July 3, 2024 Home of The Synborski Family
CazenoviaRepublican.com
PENNY SAVER: CNY’S BEST BUSINESS SERVICE DIRECTORY INSIDE!
WORK BUY SELL TRADE GET IT DONE
Cazenovia School of Ballet to perform at Disney By kate Hill Staff Writer
Select dancers from the Cazenovia School of Ballet are heading to Orlando, Florida this month to perform at Walt Disney World. The dancers will first appear in the “Dance The World” parade through Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. According to Joanne Rinaldo, owner and artistic director of the dance studio, practices for this routine began over a year ago with Disney choreographers via video. After mastering the routine, the dancers were required to submit an audition video to Disney casting for review and adjudication. “Official word came this May that [the] dancers met the standards set by Disney to perform at the parks,” said Rinaldo. “They will be joined by other dancers from across the country and around the world for this amazing opportunity to dance at Disney.” Cazenovia School of Ballet dancers will make a second appearance at Disney’s EPCOT with a live stage performance of an original work created and choreographed by Rinaldo. “This piece was also reviewed by Disney production and awarded permission to be performed by our local dancers Zosia Synborski, Julia Terranova, Finley Kinsella, and Nadia Hendrickson,” said Rinaldo. “[It is] a ‘Rockette inspired’ American precision dance routine that includes jazz, modern, high kicks, and intricate formations and patterns. The dancers’ strong ballet background helps them adapt to the various dance genres included in the choreography. The music I chose is ‘Happily Ever After,’ which is a wonderful song
Kate Hill
During the July 1 Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees meeting, newly elected trustee Jennifer Lutter was sworn into office. She and Trustee Katherine Hahn were elected on June 18.
Village discusses Lyman Street pedestrian safety By kate Hill Staff Writer
Natalie Hendrickson
In July, dancers from Joanne Rinaldo’s Cazenovia School of Ballet will perform at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and EPCOT parks. originally used by Disney as part of their fireworks show [a] few years ago.” The upcoming Disney trip will be the first for 13-year-old Terranova, 12-year-old Kinsella, and 11-year-old Hendrickson. It will be the second trip for 18-year-old Synborski, a recent Cazenovia High School graduate, and the third for the Cazenovia School of Ballet. According to Rinaldo, the opportunity was open to dancers in the school’s upper ballet levels.
“Dancers were selected and invited to attend based on their dance skills, as the audition process through Disney is very rigorous,” she said. “We want to make sure that the dancers have the training needed to pass the video audition submission that’s required prior to the trip, and then there is also a second adjudication [in] Orlando before the actual parade performance.” To learn more about the Cazenovia School of Ballet, visit cazballet.com or email cazballet@windstream.net.
Village election results official following manual recount By kate Hill Staff Writer
On June 18, voters elected Jennifer Marotto Lutter (Caz Forward) and Katherine Hahn (Democratic) to the Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees for two-year terms. Kelly Ryan Vidakovic (Republican, Your Neighborhood Voice) and Colton Mennig (Democratic, Strong Community) were also contenders in the race for trustee. Hahn, the incumbent candidate, has served on the board since June 2022. Lutter, a newcomer, will fill the seat vacated by Maureen Fellows, who has retired after eight years of service to the village and its residents. Throughout her tenure, Fellows’ roles included deputy mayor, police commissioner, court liaison, parks commissioner, lake watershed council delegate, Cazenovia Area Community Development Association representative, and chairperson of the police advisory committee. “The community is fortunate to have had four wellqualified citizens willing to serve on the village board of trustees,” said Mayor Kurt Wheeler. “We look forward to welcoming Jennifer Lutter
to the board and thank Kathy Hahn for her continued service where her experience and expertise will be greatly valued.” On June 12, the Cazenovia League of Women Voters (LWV) presented a community forum for the four candidates to introduce themselves and respond to questions. Following the election, the Madison County Board of Elections (BOE) posted the unofficial results on its website at madisoncounty. ny.gov/2128/2024-ElectionResults. The Madison County BOE reported that Lutter received 246 total votes, Hahn received 217 votes, Vidakovic received 208, and Mennig received 134. “I’m very excited to be elected by village residents as a trustee, especially in such a high turnout election,” Lutter said after her election was made official. “I think the turnout indicates both renewed engagement for some residents and many new people becoming involved, which are positive developments. I hope to continue building on these trends of heightened engagement and look forward to working with the community on creative projects and initiatives.” On June 19, the Madison County BOE announced a June
Volume 214, Number 27 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.
pet of the week: Dora needs a home.
PAGE 5
www.clarkrents.com
Submitted photos
On June 18, Jennifer Lutter and Katherine Hahn were elected to the Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees for two-year terms. 24 manual recount of the Village of Cazenovia election due to the close contest between Hahn and Vidakovic. According to New York State Election Law, an automatic recount is required if the margin of victory is 0.5 percent or less. The recount resulted in no changes to the election night report, and the results were made official on the Madison County BOE website. “I’d like to thank the Cazenovia village residents for participating in the public forum [and] the election, and for selecting me to continue to serve as a trustee,” said Hahn on June 25. “I extend congratulations to Jen Lutter and look [forward to] working with her, Mayor Wheeler, and the other
trustees as we endeavor to support the village, its residents, and the greater Cazenovia community. I hope my contributions in the coming two years will help Cazenovia thrive.”
About Lutter
Lutter holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Cornell University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. She has over 15 years of community development experience, mostly focused on small towns and business district improvement. She served as executive director of the Partnership for Community Development (PCD) in Hamilton, NY, for nearly seven years. In that role, Election l Page 2
history: A look at one of Frederick Douglass’s most famous speeches.
On July 1, the Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees scheduled a public hearing to consider a proposed local law to change Lyman Street from a two-way to a one-way street to enhance pedestrian safety. The Lyman Street discussion was initiated by Trustee Jennifer Lutter, who was elected on June 18 and sworn into office at the start of the meeting. Lutter is a resident of Center Street, a one-way street that runs from Lyman to Albany Street. She remarked that since demolition began on the buildings on the corner of Center and Albany for the 99‑103 Albany St. development project, she and many other Center Street residents have been walking along Lyman more frequently. “Nobody on Center Street can use the sidewalks so we are forced to walk on Lyman Street,” she said. “Someone sent me a message today and said, ‘I [drove] down Lyman Street today and haven’t been there in a while; it’s really dangerous.’ It is dangerous because people are using it as a cutthrough. When the [99‑103 Albany St.] development was brought to the community, a group of us on Center Street and Lyman brought a letter to the board saying we supported the development, which we do, but we just wanted some pedestrian upgrades, especially in the winter and especially because the corner of Lyman and Lincklaen is a bus stop, so kids are getting on and off there.” Lutter presented the board with a conceptual drawing of potential temporary safety measures the village could take until it can get to “the sidewalk phase.” Her proposal included a crosswalk on both ends of Lyman and a painted walkway along the street, which would be oneway. “I think [the walkway] needs to be on the north side because those people’s front doors open onto the street, and one of those houses has a little girl in it, and her friends are coming over and people are knocking on the door,” Lutter said. “I thought we could just paint a walkway there and maybe even put a few galvanized planters here just to give a little extra buffer.” She added that she also had a drawing showing ideas for longer-term pedestrian safety improvements. Lutter informed Cazenovia Area Community Development Association Executive Director Lauren Lines that she would be happy to help her identify and apply for funding for the improvements. Village l Page 5
Calendar �������������������� 3
letters ������������������������ 4
Editorial ��������������������� 4
Obituaries ������������� 1-12
history ������������������������ 4
PennySaver ���������������� 6
PAGE 12
Check out our new lower prices on Telehandler, Boomlift, Excavator, Roller and Off Road Dump Truck rental rates. We’ve lowered prices on several machines for sale as well. Serving municipalities and contractors for almost 20 years! Thank you so much for the support.
315-472-7607 • 4 Technology Blvd, Canastota, NY