2017 January In Review: Marcey Jean Grace Krom – 2017’s First Born

by Steve Yablonski | December 26, 2017 11:21 pm

OSWEGO, NY – Here’s a glimpse of the some of the news from the past 12 months.

Oswego Health Welcomes First Baby of the Year
Oswego Health welcomed its first baby of the new year, Marcey Jean Grace Krom, at 12:19 a.m. New Year’s Day. She weighed six pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Marcey’s parents are Justin Douglas Krom and Kayo Measheaw, of Orwell.

Oswego Health’s maternity center offers families a comfortable and homey environment, featuring attractive private rooms, each with its own bathroom containing a large soaking tub.

VanBuren Tabbed To Lead Council In 2017
At the Jan. 4 organizational meeting of the Oswego Common Council, Eric VanBuren (R – Sixth Ward) was appointed president of the council.

John Gosek, (R – Fifth Ward councilor) was named vice president.

The rules of the council state that an additional compensation of $5,000 per year for the council president and $2,500 for the vice president be paid to those two councilors.

As council president, VanBuren will assume the mayor’s duties in his absence; and, if he becomes incapacitated for any reason, he would take over as the acting mayor.

Shawn Walker (R – Fourth Ward) was president in 2016, VanVuren was president in 2015 and Ron Kaplewicz (Former Seventh Ward) was president in 2014.

The rest of the 2017 council included:

Caitlin Reynolds (First Ward) and Pat McLaughlin (Second Ward) are the two Democrats.

Republicans: Nate Emmons (R – Third Ward) and Robert Corradino (R – Seventh Ward).

Among the other resolutions:

The councilors approved the Rules of the Common Council and voted to continue having council meetings at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Unless it’s a legal holiday and would then be held the following day.

Fifteen minutes prior to each council meeting will be an opportunity for the public to speak.

Four banks were designated as the depositories for public money – JP Morgan Chase, Community Bank and Pathfinder, all in Oswego, and M&T Bank (EFC Funding) in Buffalo.

Councilors Debate ‘Council Attorney’ proposal
At the Jan. 4 committee meeting, councilors spent more than a half hour debating the pros and cons of making the assistant city attorney ‘the Common Council’s attorney.”

Councilor Pat McLaughlin made the proposal in the wake of December’s (2016) imbroglio involving the sewer contract between the city and Oswego Town.

Kevin Caraccioli is the city’s attorney. He is also Oswego Town’s Council. He staunchly denied any improprieties occurred during negotiations.

The call for a council attorney is “much to do about nothing,” according to Caraccioli.

“I try very hard to keep any potential conflicts away. This was a very direct way of doing that; having (assistant city attorney) Tom Reynolds negotiate the contract for the city. I handled the negotiations for the town of Oswego. Ultimately at the end of the day both the Common Council and the town board looked at those agreements … and voted on them on their own merits with very little discussion. We were open and very transparent about it,” Caraccioli told Oswego County Today. “I think we achieved a very fair agreement. I think a byproduct of this is the council will become more active in contract negotiations and I welcome that.”

No action was taken on the proposal.

County Legislature Gets Organized For 2017
In a brief meeting Jan. 5, the Oswego County Legislature got ready to tackle business in 2017.

Kevin Gardner (R) was re-elected as the chairman of the Oswego County Legislature. Fellow Republican Linda Lockwood was re-elected vice chair.

Gardner said he looks forward to working with all legislators, regardless of party.

The Republicans re-appointed Shane Broadwell as majority leader. Roy Reehil was named majority whip for 2017.

On the other side of the aisle, Frank Castiglia and Jake Mulcahey were named Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively.

In other action Thursday, legislators approved Chris Jones as the new clerk of the legislature.

Harborfest Reveals Winning Poster Design
Harborfest announced the winning design for the 2017 festival poster.

2017’s festival marked the 30th anniversary of Harborfest and the festival staff sought a design that incorporated both the “spirit of Harborfest” and elements of past winning designs.

After much consideration, the team picked the design of Victoria Izyk, a senior at G. Ray Bodley High School.

Izyk worked under the guidance of art teacher Jaclyn Tyler to create the winning design, which best encapsulated how past festivals have shaped the spirit of Harborfest going into its 30th anniversary.

The poster was published on the official web site www.oswegoharborfest.com

Katko Reintroduces Legislation To Advance Designation Of Fort Ontario, Safe Haven To National Parks Status
On January 3, the first day of the 115th Congress, U.S. Rep. John Katko announced he reintroduced legislation that he authored and passed through the House during his first term in office, the Fort Ontario Study Act. U.S. Reps. Claudia Tenney (NY-22) and Louise Slaughter (NY-25) joined Representative Katko as original cosponsors of the bill.

The Fort Ontario Study Act commissions a special resource study of Fort Ontario and Safe Haven in Oswego County to evaluate the site’s national significance and determine the suitability of its designation as a part of the National Park system. This study is a prerequisite for receiving National Park designation.

“Over the past two years, I’ve worked together with local advocates, leaders, and community members in Oswego County to raise the profile of historic Fort Ontario and the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter,” said Rep. Katko. “Preserving this site as a National Park will encourage tourism, bolster our local economy, and protect the rich history of Oswego County. I’m proud to once again introduce this measure and am determined to fight to make it law.”

FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant Begins Refueling To Support Continued Operation
Early on Jan. 14, control room operators removed Entergy Corp.’s James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant from service to begin its 22nd refueling and maintenance outage and prepare for continued safe and reliable operation.

FitzPatrick had been scheduled to shut down at the end of its current fuel cycle in January 2017 until Exelon Generation agreed to assume ownership and manage operations.

“Since the November 2015 shutdown announcement, which was later cancelled, the FitzPatrick team has held its head high, stayed focused and shown its typical strength and character,” said FitzPatrick Site Vice President Brian Sullivan. “The team demonstrated that same focus and character when preparing for this refueling outage that will contribute to FitzPatrick’s continued safe and reliable operations. I’m proud of the FitzPatrick team’s resilience. They have worked very hard since the transaction announcement to prepare for this outage and continued operation.”

Oswego School District Voters OK Propositions
Voters in the Oswego City School District overwhelming approved a pair of propositions, paving the way for the relocation of the central offices and the sale of the Educatins Center.

Proposition No. 1 was approved 304 yes to 140 no.

Proposition No. 2 got even more support. It was approved 393 yes to only 53 no.

Proposition No. 1
Shall the Board of Education of the Oswego City School District (the “District”) be authorized to appropriate funds from the District’s Capital Reserve Fund in the maximum amount of $750,000, and to expend these funds for the following purposes: (1) renovations at Oswego High School, including related site work and equipment costs, to: relocate the main office to the three classrooms across from the theater, including administrators’ offices (and related HVAC work); convert the existing main office to house the Technology Department; retrofit a classroom to house the servers from the Education Center; and add ventilation and rooftop cooling unit; and (2) renovations at Frederick Leighton Elementary School (“Frederick Leighton”), to: relocate the District offices, programs and activities at the Education Center to Frederick Leighton, including retrofitting the North wing of Frederick Leighton to house the Superintendent’s Office, Business Office, Personnel Office, Curriculum Office and Special Education Office, including construction of administrative offices, plus related site work and equipment costs, including but not limited to expenses for carpeting, architectural drawings, moving expenses, relocation of telephone equipment and cables, and other incidental expenses?

Proposition No. 2
Shall the Board of Education of the Oswego City School District (the “District”) be authorized to sell for the highest offer, in accordance with the Board’s fiduciary duty to obtain the best price possible, the District’s interest in one unneeded building and parcel of real property located at 120 E. First St., Oswego, NY, commonly known as the “Education Center,” at a price for said parcel to be approved by the Board of Education, and upon such other terms and conditions as the Board of Education may require, including the right to reject all offers for said parcel?

Oswego’s Water Projects Get A Boost From Cuomo
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Jan. 13 the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors approved $662.9 million in grants and interest-free and low-cost loans to support vital wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects.

This funding complements Governor Cuomo’s State of the State proposal to invest a record $2 billion in critical water infrastructure across New York with the Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.

“This funding will help communities across New York replace and expand their water infrastructure, helping to lay the foundation for future growth and prosperity,” Governor Cuomo said.

The approved projects, receiving a combination of grants and loans, include: the city of Oswego – $5.9 million ($1.4 million NYS Water Grant, and a $4.5 million interest-free loan) to finance costs associated with the planning, design and construction of improvements to the city of Oswego’s West Side sanitary sewer system and $9.5 million ($2.2 million NYS Water Grant and a $7.3 million interest-free loan) to finance costs associated with the planning, design and construction of the city of Oswego’s West Side Sewer Separation project.

Oswego Council Eyes Paperless Meetings
The Oswego Common Council could be going paperless in the future.
At Jan. 17’s committee meeting, Councilor Robert Corradino opened a discussion regarding paperless agendas for committee and council meetings.

Besides council and committee meetings, this could be expanded to cover other meetings such as zoning and planning he said.

He had recently participated in a webinar with some city staff and was given a proposal by NovusAgenda. It is “a proven electronic solution designed to create, approve and track items for upcoming and past board meetings.”

The city would get a free 90-day trial period.

“So, the city is under no obligation for the first 90 days,” Corradino said. “The first 60 days is training and implementation. On the 61st day, they will send us an invoice and that isn’t due for 30 days. At the end of the 90th day we have to make a decision – whether we pay the invoice or walk away.”

Gov. Cuomo Announces More Than $41 Million For Cultural And Arts Organizations
OSWEGO – Governor Andrew Cuomo Jan. 26 announced $41.26 million for cultural and arts organizations throughout the state. More than $75,000 of that will benefit organizations in the Port City.

The grants were awarded to 1,230 organizations to support the creation of visual, performing, literary, and media arts, as well as arts education, economic development through the arts, and cultural programs for underserved populations.

In Oswego:
The city of Oswego received a Regional Economic Development Planning grant for $40,000 for FY 2017
Project Title: City of Oswego Public Art Master Plan
Project Description: The City of Oswego Arts and Cultural Master Plan will result in a strategy for public art throughout the city’s historic downtown. The project will be a collaborative effort to build upon the DRI and other local investments with the goal of creating an enduring public art infrastructure.
The H Lee White Maritime Museum received a Workforce Investment of $29,000 for FY 2017
Project Title: H Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego Curator Position
And the Oswego Music Hall received $7,500 in Project Support funds for FY 2017

Flu Was In full Swing In Oswego County
According to the Oswego County Health Department, 74 lab-confirmed cases of the flu had been reported in Oswego County as of Jan. 23.

More than half of those cases were reported in children 18 years of age or younger.

During the week of Jan. 15, the number of flu cases reported doubled compared to the number of cases reported the previous week.

The flu can hit everyone hard, especially children, seniors and adults with chronic health conditions, and leave them feeling miserable with symptoms like fever, chills, cough, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, fatigue and sometimes even vomiting and diarrhea.

“The flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting the flu,” said Jodi Martin, Supervising Public Health Nurse for Preventive Services in Oswego County.

Rabid Raccoon Found in Oswego
The Oswego County Health Department reported Jan. 24 that a raccoon tested positive for rabies in the city of Oswego.

This was the third case of rabies confirmed in Oswego County since late December. Two dogs on the west side of Oswego were exposed to the rabid raccoon the previous week. Both dogs were up-to-date on their rabies vaccines and will require a rabies booster.

“The best way to prevent being exposed to rabies is to vaccinate all pets. Vaccinated pets serve as a buffer between rabid wildlife and humans. When you vaccinate your pets, you may reduce your risk of exposure to rabies,” said Jiancheng Huang, Public Health Director for the Oswego County Health Department. “In several recent cases, not this case, we found many owners did not vaccinate or update their pet’s vaccination. I would encourage residents to make sure their pets’ rabies immunization are up-to-date.”

Fort Ontario, Safe Haven Legislation Passes House
On Jan. 30, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Fort Ontario Study Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Rep John Katko (NY-24) which would put Fort Ontario and Safe Haven National Refugee Shelter in Oswego on the path towards becoming a National Park.

Katko was joined by Reps. Claudia Tenney (NY-22) and Louise Slaughter (NY-25) in introducing this legislation.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced the measure in the Senate.

The Fort Ontario Study Act commissions a special resource study of Fort Ontario and Safe Haven in Oswego County to evaluate the site’s national significance and determine the suitability of its designation as a part of the National Park system.

This study is a prerequisite for receiving National Park designation.

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Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/2017-january-in-review-marcey-jean-grace-krom-2017s-first-born/

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