by Steve Yablonski | December 29, 2017 5:06 pm
OSWEGO, NY – Here’s a glimpse of the some of the news from the past 12 months.
Oswego County Health Department Reports EEE Found in Mosquitoes in Constantia
The Oswego County Health Department announced Aug. 3 that Eastern equine encephalitis virus was detected in bird-biting mosquitoes collected last week near the Toad Harbor Swamp in the town of Constantia.
Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang said the county health department is working closely with the New York State Department of Health to monitor EEE virus activity in Oswego County.
Mayor Barlow Announces Improvements To Oswego’s Public Pool
Mayor Billy Barlow announced Aug. 1 upcoming improvements to the city of Oswego’s Charles E. Gallagher Swimming Pool.
The public pool, located near Fort Ontario, hosts public swimming and swim lessons throughout the summer and is operated by the city of Oswego.
“The public pool is a staple in the Oswego community and is heavily used by city residents. I am proud to make long overdue investments and improvements to the swimming pool and make it a better experience for our children whose highlight of summer is going to the city pool,” said Mayor Barlow. “I want to make the pool more fun for our smaller children and I also believe it is important accommodate those with special needs in our community. The planned improvements will enhance the experience for all and allow more children in our community to take advantage of the public pool.”
The mayor’s focus is to continue investing in public facilities and the city pool “has been overlooked for too long,” he added.
The planned improvements included the addition of a stand-up mushroom sprayer and sprinkler to accommodate smaller children and will be handicap accessible. The city will also add a large sand box to provide a beach like experience for children while they’re using the pool.
Oswego County Celebrates 160 Years of Agricultural Fairs
Staying true to the tradition of a family-oriented rural fair, the Agricultural Society of Oswego County, organizers of the 160th Oswego County Fair, have planned a full slate of activities from Aug. 9 through 13 at the Oswego County Fairgrounds, 291 Ellisburg St., Sandy Creek.
Visitors could get the hang of driving a tractor on a virtual tractor ride, learn about antique farm equipment, hydroponics and enjoy a dairy treat in the agricultural building throughout the fair’s duration. Other daily events included cow patty bingo, a saw dust hunt, antique tractors and engines, dinner and bike drawings, and appearances by the Marvelous Mutts.
“The theme of this year’s fair is ‘Oswego County Fair Celebrates Our Local Farmers,’ “ said County Legislator Terry Wilbur, District 21, Hannibal, a member of the agricultural society’s board of directors. “Agriculture is a mainstay of Oswego County’s economy, and we take pride in recognizing the important role that family farms contribute to our quality of life. The board has worked throughout the year to plan a full slate of fun activities to share our agricultural heritage.”
Mayor Barlow Identifies Damage Caused By High Lake Levels; Will Pursue Damage Assistance
Mayor Billy Barlow Aug. 8 announced that Oswego city government had identified specific areas of damage in the Port City due to above average Lake Ontario water levels and flooding along the lake shore within city limits.
On May 2, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for a portion of the communities along the shoreline of Lake Ontario due to high flood water inundation.
Under an emergency work order, the city of Oswego hired Delta Engineers to conduct a preliminary survey of the damages caused by the high-water levels and intended to pursue funding to help repair the damage and mitigate against additional damage should high water levels continue to exist in the future.
“We are trying to be proactive as we deal with the high-water levels, erosion, flooding and damage to our infrastructure. We’ve thoroughly investigated the damage that has occurred in the last few months, and we’d like it repaired. Equally important, we want to get ahead of this problem and pursue funding to implement damage mitigation improvements before our problems become more serious,” Mayor Barlow said.
Nine Mile Point Unit 2 Resumes Full Power Operations
Exelon Generation’s Nine Mile Point Unit 2 reached full power at 11:37 a.m. August 9.
Operators reconnected to the power grid on August 8, after addressing an equipment issue on the non-nuclear side of the plant.
While the unit was offline, plant technicians completed repairs and testing to correct the equipment issue that caused the shutdown.
The Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station is located seven miles northeast of Oswego and 50 miles north of Syracuse.
Oswego City School District Wins National Math Corps Award
The National Math Foundation announced August 8 that Oswego City School District is the first recipient of its Math Corps II Program Award.
The program is for the entire 2017-18 school year in both Minetto and Charles E Riley elementary schools, (the two largest elementary populations).
NMF will coordinate the program from September- June to develop and implement programs, events, trainings, materials and resource development via a Corps Member placed in the schools.
Each Corps program is unique to the community it is placed in.
The Oswego Corps member will help teachers, volunteers, students and parents while developing independence and sustainability for techniques and programs in the district. The program will focus on physical and special education, classroom teachers, parent and community organizations and boosting achievement.
Port City Honors Retired City Engineer
His fingerprints can be found on just about every single major project the Port City has seen in nearly the past half century. Now, his name will forever be a part of the city landscape.
The Oswego City Veterans Council recognized (now retired) City Engineer Anthony “Tony” Leotta as the Veteran of the Year for 2003. And, in April 2003, the Oswego Common Council added to Leotta’s honors.
In recognition of his many years of service and dedication to the city, then-Mayor John Gosek and the Common Council conveyed their “heartfelt appreciation” to Leotta by announcing they would officially dedicate the new park, located at the easterly end of the Harbor Rail Trail as “Leotta Park.”
The mayor read a special resolution citing Leotta for “loyally, dutifully, and unselfishly” serving the city for more than 34 years.
On August 12, Leotta’s plaque was unveiled on the eastern edge of the park along East First Street, which is also home to the Port City’s Peace Garden. The monument recognizes Leotta “for 45+ years” of service to the city.
“I’m really not deserving of this honor. But I accept it with great, great humility,” Leotta said.
He said it was “a shock” to receive such an honor. He could think of others who were more deserving, he added. He thanked the mayor and current Common Council “as well as the past councilors and mayors” for the recognition.
“All of the mayors in my tenure have contributed to the progress of the city of Oswego,” Leotta said. “Without their foresight, working with the councilors, this would not have been possible,” he said. “I also want to thank the Sunrise Rotary.”
SUNY Oswego Named Among ‘Best in Northeast’ By Princeton Review
SUNY Oswego appears on The Princeton Review’s recently published “Best Northeastern Colleges” recommended schools for 2018.
The Princeton Review rated SUNY Oswego one of the top 229 colleges in the 11-state region as part of its “2018 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” Oswego has earned the “Best Northeastern Colleges” distinction every year since the educational services company started regional listings in 2003.
Based on the results of surveys of more than 137,000 students at colleges and universities nationwide, The Princeton Review compiled a wide variety of “Best Colleges” data from student responses about their schools’ academics/administration, life at their college, their fellow students and themselves.
All in all, Oswego has “amazing professors” who make an Oswego bachelor’s degree “a great education for the amount of money you pay.” Students “have a lot of opportunities to work with professors on research and other projects outside of the classroom to help build real-world experience.”
County Health Department Reports WNV Found in Mosquitoes in West Monroe
The Oswego County Health Department announced August 9 that West Nile virus was detected in a sample of bird-biting mosquitoes collected recently from the Toad Harbor Swamp in the town of West Monroe.
The health department was working closely with the state Department of Health and will continue to monitor mosquito activity in Oswego County.
County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang said people in Oswego County should continue to use insect repellents when participating in outdoor activities and take measures to reduce mosquito breeding sites around the home.
Mayor’s Budget Plan Has Cuts, Slight Tax Increase
Mayor Billy Barlow’s tentative 2018 city operating budget looks to trim personnel and take some financial burden off the taxpayers’ shoulders.
Barlow’s budget calls for “a slight property tax increase” (3.6% compared to Fiscal Year 2017). He attributed the increase to retirement costs, healthcare costs and $262,000 in contractual raises city-wide.
Healthcare costs continue to increase and again, the Affordable Care Act costs the city in 2018 a projected $187,000, he added.
The budget is designed to cut immediate and long-terms costs, make long-overdue, responsible investments in equipment and buildings and overall better positions the community to sustain its current momentum and proceed with its transformation into a vibrant 21st Century upstate New York community, the mayor told the large crowd in the Council Chambers.
The mayor said, “My budget calls for one less employee in the City Chamberlain’s office, the City Clerk’s office, the City Personnel department and the Community Development office. I propose consolidating the plumbing inspector position into our code enforcement office and will eliminate that position entirely.”
In addition, after working closely with Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, Mayor Barlow was proposing to enter into an inter-municipal agreement with Onondaga County to provide Oswego with purchasing services, while retaining the Port City’s procurement decision making authority.
This proposal eliminates three more positions and more than $135,000 from the city budget.
More EEE Found in Oswego County; Health Department Plans Aerial Spraying
The Oswego County Health Department reported August 16 that Eastern equine encephalitis virus was found in three samples of bird-biting mosquitoes collected last week in Oswego County.
EEE was detected for the second time this year near Toad Harbor Swamp in Constantia, where two mosquito samples tested positive, and for the first time this year in the Toad Harbor Swamp in West Monroe.
Due to these findings, the Oswego County Health Department was taking the necessary steps to conduct aerial spraying of 10,000 acres in and around the Toad Harbor Swamp.
The county was working with the state Department of Health and requested the state to declare EEE an imminent threat to public health in Oswego County.
Grassroots Effort Under Way To save Oswego’s 1850 House
Members of Save Oswego’s Historical Sites gathered about 350 signatures on a petition that urges the owner and city to do every thing possible to save and refurbish the 1850 House, a former restaurant on the city’s east side.
The 1850 House, at the corner of East Bridge and Fourth streets, dates back to the mid-1800s. It was a restaurant and antique shop from 1976 to 2006. However, since then it’s been vacant.
“We need to save our history while we still have it,” Mercedes Niess, a spokesperson for the grassroots community group, told Oswego County Today.
She presented the council with the petition; councilors showed their support by adding their signatures to the list.
“These are significant buildings in our community,” she said. “Our current group came together in 2015 to advocate for the Cahill Building. Besides their roles in the larger story of our history, the Cahill Building and The 1850 House are sites of beloved family restaurants; shared history that’s strongly personal for those in our community.”
Oswego is in the midst of an exciting downtown revival, that should inspire more restoration and renewal along the East Bridge Street corridor, Niess said.
Mayor Barlow Announces Route 48 Slope Stabilization Project to Begin
Mayor Billy Barlow announced that the city of Oswego Route 48 Slope Stabilization and Roadway Reconstruction Project was set to begin on Monday, August 21.
Route 48 was closed to all through traffic from Munn Street to Murray Street beginning on August 21. It would remain closed until December 2017, when the project is expected to be completed.
Route 48 was open to local traffic only and detour signs were appropriately posted in the area to direct all through traffic to go onto Murray Street and Munn Street, in both directions, in order to proceed through the construction zone.
“I am pleased to announce the Route 48 re-construction project is set to begin. It has been a long process, but we moved as quickly as we could in an effort to secure the maximum amount of financial assistance for this large project. I appreciate the patience of our motorists and also the residents along Munn Street and immediate area. We will do our best to keep the construction running on time so we can open the street as quickly as possible,” Mayor Barlow said.
The project involved the stabilization of the failing slope adjacent to NYS Route 48, as well as the relocation of the roadway to the west. The roadway will be relocated approximately 12 feet to the west of its current location to further stabilize the slope and shift the roadway out of the current failure plane.
Stuff A Bus Program Benefits Several Hundred County Students
Residents, groups and businesses from around the county helped ensure students who need school supplies when they head back to classes next month will find a bus load of donations, thanks to the United Way.
Made possible through a partnership with United Way, school districts throughout Oswego County and several local business and organizations, the Stuff-A-Bus Campaign collects donations of school supplies for distribution to less fortunate students throughout Oswego County.
The program culminated Aug. 18 with eight buses, at different places around the county, being stuffed full of school supplies. Items donated included plin old pencils to calculators and more – much more.
Individuals, groups, businesses and organizations stopped by to donate at the site nearest them. Some groups had been collecting donations for weeks. Besides school supplies, some donated cash to help the effort.
Council Committee Paves Way For More Roadwork
At an Administrative Services Committee meeting, councilors paved the way for more road work in the Port City.
They gave a favorable recommendation to a request for Change Order No. 1 for additional milling and paving work to be performed under the 2017 Milling and Paving Project in the amount of $227,200 with Riccelli Enterprises. It would increase the cost of the project to $725,200.
Riccelli was awarded the contract for the project. They submitted the proposal for Change Order No.1 to the city to provide additional work on various city streets.
Included in the proposed work plan were Varick Street, West Cayuga Street and Hart Street.
The cost of the work would be funded by CHIPS. According to city officials, the cost was a good deal for the amount of work that will be completed.
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