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Jeffrey Jones to become CAVAC’s first paid chief of operations By kate hill Staff writer
T
he Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CAVAC) recently hired Jeffrey Jones as its first paid chief of operations (COO) in its 51-year history. Currently based at 106 Nelson St., the local ambulance service relies on a team of vol-
unteers — drivers, crew coordinators, emergency medical technicians, and general members — and paid professional paramedics. A high school student corps also supports its operations. In addition to providing emergency medical services (EMS) to Cazenovia and surrounding communities, CAVAC offers short-term medical equipment loans and has a NYS-certified child/baby
car seat installer. Periodically, CAVAC conducts community training classes in hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), CPR-Basic Life Support, and other topics. Jones, who will take over the COO role on May 19, has been a CAVAC paramedic and the organization’s deputy of training since April 2024; before that, he provided various training sessions for CAVAC
throughout the years and was a lieutenant firefighter paramedic with Fayetteville Fire & EMS. “After over 50 years of volunteer leadership, CAVAC has chosen to create a paid chief of operations position, and I was lucky enough to be appointed,” said Jones. “This position is the senior leadership role for the organization and Cavac l Page 3
Jeffrey Jones
CPF awarded forest conservation grant to Caz man charged with permanently protect Cazenovia-area land wire fraud, aggravated identity theft
Accused of defrauding victims out of more than $640k By kate hill Staff writer Dean Dellas, of Cazenovia, has been accused of stealing approximately $642,000 from his clients through unauthorized withdrawals and advisor fees. Dellas, 40, was arraigned on Tuesday, May 6, in federal court on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the news in a May 9 press release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District Arrest l Page 5
Submitted photo
At the end of 2024, the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation was awarded a $350,000 grant to help permanently protect 467 acres of forested land at the junction of Cazenovia, Nelson, and DeRuyter. By kate hill Staff writer At the end of 2024, the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF) was awarded a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through its Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts (FCELT) program. This highly competitive program offers matching grants to qualified NY land trusts to fund the acquisition of conservation easements on privately owned forested land to protect these lands from future development. CPF was one of only four land trusts to receive an award under this program in 2024. The organization was awarded $350,000 to help permanently protect 467 acres of forested land at the junction of Cazenovia, Nelson, and DeRuyter. The property, previously known as the Shed’s Corner Preserve, sits adjacent to the 3,737-acre Tioughnioga Wildlife Management Area and, according to CPF, plays a vital role in regional habitat connectivity and climate resilience. “The Nature Conservancy has developed a map of resilient lands identified as having high biodiversity and/or high connectivity to other habitat areas to support plant and animal species range migrations related to climate change,” said Jennifer Wong, CPF’s executive director. “As species habitat ranges change over time, moving generally northward, these lands, if protected, can provide a connected corridor to support plant and animal populations and biodiversity objectives.”
According to Wong, the property was identified as a conservation priority due to its large size, existing forestland habitat, and proximity to other tracts of conserved land — characteristics that factored into its high score in The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Network. “It is not often that opportunities arise to conserve this much forested acreage in a single transaction in our area, so this project offers the ability to rapidly advance conservation goals for CPF and NYS,” she said. CPF approached the current landowners, Tom and Julie Kubiniec, in 2021, shortly after they purchased the property, to inquire if they might consider certain protections for the property. In 2023, CPF renewed those conversations as it reviewed potential opportunities for a project under the FCELT program. The Kubiniecs will continue to manage the property with a strong focus on sustainable forestry, habitat protection, and recreational hunting. While the property won’t include public trails, Wong said the Kubiniecs have expressed an interest in occasionally hosting groups for recreational or educational purposes, such as scouting groups working on orienteering skills or students learning about forest ecology. Funds from the FCELT grant will be used to purchase the development rights on the property and place a perpetual conservation easement on the land, allowing for only very limited future development. According to Wong, the grant sup-
ports the transaction costs related to the placement of the easement, provides funds to the property owners to offset the value of the development rights on the land, provides funding for the preparation of an updated Forest Management Plan, and provides a contribution to CPF’s stewardship and legal defense fund to support the monitoring and stewardship of the easement in perpetuity. “This program is similar in structure to the ‘purchase of development rights’ programs that CPF has utilized to conserve much of the farmland in our conservation portfolio,” Wong said. On May 6, she reported that CPF is in the “active project phase” and anticipates closing on the easement in the first quarter of 2026. The mission of CPF is to protect the historic, agricultural, and natural resources surrounding Cazenovia for the benefit of the community. The public is invited to attend the CPF Annual Meeting & Celebration on Tuesday, May 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Delphi Falls County Park Visitor Center, 2006 Cardner Rd., Cazenovia. The organization will recognize this year’s service and restoration award recipients, celebrate its 2024 conservation successes, elect officers and board nominees for the coming year, and share information about projects and upcoming events. Light refreshments will be served. For more information about CPF and how to support its work, visit cazpreservation.org. Learn more about the FCELT program at landtrustalliance.org.
CCSD hosts budget public hearing Proposed tax levy increase reduced due to increased state aid By kate hill Staff writer On May 12, the Cazenovia Central School District (CCSD) held a budget public hearing in the high school auditorium before the school board’s regular monthly meeting. The purpose of the hearing was to allow community members to ask questions and receive information about the district’s proposed $40,446,980 expenditure budget for the 2025-26 school year. The annual budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Cazenovia Middle School Auxiliary Gym. Absentee ballots will be accepted by mail until 5 p.m. Qualified voters will also elect two members to the CCSD Board of Education (BOE), which consists of seven voting members plus the superintendent of schools. Members are elected to serve a three-year, unpaid, non-partisan term. Three candidates are running for the two board seats. Judith Hight and Jennifer Parmalee, whose terms expire this year, are seeking reelection. The third candidate is Danielle Synborski. The League of Women Voters of Cazenovia held a candidate forum on May 13 in the Cazenovia Public Library Community Room. The public was invited to attend and ask questions. Voters will also be asked whether the CCSD BOE shall be authorized to purchase and finance four replacement school buses — three 65-passenger clean diesel buses and one 24-passenger gasoline bus — at a total cost not to exceed $658,158. Additionally, the ballot will include a proposition authorizing the district to levy a tax of $525,486 for the Cazenovia Public Library and $197,894 for the New Woodstock Free Library. The district is obligated by state law to hold a vote on behalf of the public libraries and to collect taxes on their behalf. During a presentation before the question-and-answer portion of the public hearing, Superintendent Christopher DiFulvio stated that the goals of the budget process are to create a spending plan that provides the best possible academic and extracurricular opportunities for students in the safest environment possible, while remaining fiscally responsible to the comBudget l Page 11
Volume 215, Number 20 The Cazenovia Republican is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 35 Albany St., Second Floor, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Pe r i o d i ca l Po sta ge Pa i d at Cazenovia, NY 13035, USPS 095-260. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Cazenovia Republican, 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206.
a&E: Woodstock Free Library welcomes artist Barbara Krause.
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sports: Boys tennis starts sectional play with shutout.
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A&E �������������������������������� 9 Calendar ������������������ 11 Editorial ��������������������� 4 history ������������������������ 4
letters ������������������������ 4 Obituaries ������������������ 2 PennySaver ���������������� 6 Sports ����������������������� 10