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Celebrating community
Village eyes billing practices for police Caz Chamber introduces ‘Ezra Greenleaf Weld Awards’ safety services By kate Hill Staff Writer
On Oct. 29, the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce (GCACC) celebrated the local community during a special version of its Annual Meeting and Fundraising Dinner. For this year’s “Spooky Soirée: A Community Celebration,” the chamber’s Caz Life committee replaced the traditional formal sit-down dinner with a “mix and mingle” cocktail party at the Lincklaen House. The festive evening featured live music by The Jess Novak Band, complimentary tarot readings by Renee Joseph from the Cazenovia Public Library, a photo booth, raffle baskets, a live auction, food stations, and the introduction of the Ezra Greenleaf Weld Community Awards. Ezra Greenleaf Weld (18011874) was a photographer and an operator of a daguerreotype studio in Cazenovia. He and his family were also important Chamber l Page 11
By kate Hill Staff Writer
On Nov. 4, a sizeable crowd of AntiRacism Coalition of Cazenovia (ARC-C) representatives and supporters attended the Nov. 4 Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees meeting to request that the village withdraw an invoice of $900 sent to Cazenovia Pride for police services provided at the organization’s June 15, 2024, Pride Parade. The charges were billed to Cazenovia Pride President Travis Barr-Longo on Aug. 20, 2024. ARC-C presented the reasoning behind its request in an Oct. 16 letter to Cazenovia Chief of Police Michael Hayes, Mayor Kurt Wheeler, and Police Commissioner/ Trustee Jennifer Lutter. The letter states that Cazenovia Pride “diligently communicated” with the village and other involved entities, received the necessary permissions, and adhered to all regulations when planning and executing the parade. It also asserts that the organization was not notified before the event that there would be a charge for police safety services. In previous years, no such costs were imposed. Additionally, ARC-C’s correspondence states that when Cazenovia Pride sought clarification from the village regarding the billing policy for nonprofit events, the responses received were inconsistent and contradictory, making it difficult for the organization to understand the rationale behind the village’s decision. “Pride events like Cazenovia Pride are not just celebrations; they are acts of visibility and resistance [to] marginalization,” the letter says. “They create safe spaces where LGBTQ+ people and allies can come together, express themselves openly, and build supportive networks. Charging Travis [Barr-Longo] for police services — without prior notice and inconsistent with previous years — reinforces feelings of inequity and bias that LGBTQ+ people often face, contributing to the larger patterns of exclusion that these events seek to dismantle. By waiving this invoice, the village would send a powerful message that it values the contributions of all community members and recognizes the vital role events like Cazenovia Pride play in bringing people together, supporting local businesses, and fostering inclusivity. These events not only celebrate diversity but also connect our LGBTQ+ community, youth, and families with crucial resources — from Village l Page 5
Submitted photos
The Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce and Caz Life introduced the community’s new Ezra Greenleaf Weld Awards during a “Spooky Soirée” community celebration at the Lincklaen House on Oct. 29.
CLA highlights health of lake at annual summit By David Tyler
At the 17 th annual Cazenovia Lake Summit, held late last month, the Cazenovia Lake Association and a variety of other stakeholders provided the community with an update on the health of the lake and a variety of efforts to protect the lake from invasive species and other potential negative impacts. “It’s clearly our top priority,” CLA’s Bob Crichton said of invasive species prevention, adding that $1.25 million has been spent mitigating the impact of milfoil on the lake since 2008. “If we allow things like hydrilla or gobies into the lake, that number will be significantly higher. So, we have to be diligent, otherwise we’re fighting a real uphill battle.” Earlier this year, the new boat cleaning station was installed at Lakeside Park, where four boat stewards are employed to ensure that any boat launched
there is clean before entering the lake. The village also put tighter restrictions on contractors who enter the lake by boat, said village Trustee Tom Tait, who serves as the village’s CLA liaison. “Just having the presence of that unit there and having the stewards there shows that we’re serious about invasive weeds,” said town of Cazenovia Councilor Jimmy Golub, who serves as the town’s CLA liaison. “We’re way ahead of most of the lakes around here.” Earlier this year, the lake was treated with ProcellaCOR to temporarily wipe out milfoil, with very good results. “This past year, by any measure, we had a phenomenal year for milfoil control,” Golub said. He added that the effects of treatment should still be reasonably good for 2025, but the weeds will likely become a nuisance again in 2026. “That’s where the harvester will come into play. The next herbicide treatment is
planned for 2027.
The Fishery
Because the lake has limited access and most of the people who fish the lake regularly practice catch and release, the health of the lake’s largemouth bass population is exceptional, said Bill Snyder, of SUNY Morrisville, who conducted three fish samples in the past year. This is the second year Snyder has sampled the lake, and the results of the 2024 sample confirmed what he originally thought might have been an anomaly from the 2023 sample – that the number, size and distribution of largemouths is “phenomenal.” “The technical term for the fish that you have here are ‘chonks,’” he joked. “These are well-fed fish.” In most lakes, he said, once the bass reach 12 inches in length – the legal size to keep a largemouth in New York
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vETERANS DAY: American Legion invites vets to program.
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sports: Football Lakers go to playoffs, get even with Lowville.
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– most end up being caught and harvested. That’s not the case in Cazenovia. “To see a bass fishery with extremely low or no harvest is exceptionally rare,” he said. “You guys have one heckuva bass fishery out here.”
The Mill Street Dam
In high flow conditions, water flowing from upper Chittenango Creek backs up into the lake through the outlet at the lake’s southeast corner, bringing with it sediment and nutrients from the 36-square-mile watershed of the creek, said CLA’s Emmet Owens, in a recorded presentation. That backup can be attributed at least in part to the Mill Street Dam, which was built in the middle of the 19 th century to help reserve water for use in the Erie Canal, Owens said. By eliminating that backflow issue, CLA l Page 2
Calendar ������������������ 12 Editorial ��������������������� 4 history ������������������������ 4 letters ������������������������ 5
Obituaries ������������������ 3 PennySaver ���������������� 6 Sports ������������������ 10-11