Oswego Street Dedicated to Former Alderman

by Contributor | August 15, 2014 6:43 pm

OSWEGO, NY – At its meeting this week, the Common Council approved dedication of the street between City Hall and Pathfinder Bank as “John M. Canale Drive.”

At the public session, city resident Miles Becker extolled the virtues of Canale.

“I’ve known him for years. But what’s impressed me the most is he spent four years in Europe (during World War II) without a break. I spent six months overseas and I got an R and R in Hawaii. I don’t think those guys got too many R and Rs,” he said. “Four straight years, without a break. That astounds me.”

Canale also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, “the greatest land battle of all time,” Becker noted.

To understand how that felt, “You need to go up there on the Fort (Ontario) in the middle of February to see what the Battle of the Bulge was like,” he told the councilors referring to the bitter cold and knee-deep snow the soldier fought in. “I think John truly deserves this honor because of his service to his country.”

Canale has spent nearly three-quarters of his life as a teacher and was also a city alderman for more than two decades, he added.

Councilors also approved use of public space:

• Oswego Hospital Properties, Inc., owner of property located on West Fifth, West Sixth and West Oneida streets, in order to install parking.

• Bart Paura, owner of property at 13 E. VanBuren St., in order to install a ramp.

• use of the O&W Railroad tunnel for the Pumpkin Fest to be held October 4-5.

• Tonya Obey to hold her wedding ceremony in Breitbeck Park on May 30, 2015, from 5 to 10 p.m. She also requested to set up a 40’ x 80’ tent along the fenced area of Breitbeck facing the marina and have  amplified music to be played during those hours.

They also OK’d placement of signs by the Oswego Renaissance Association in recognition of Neighborhood Block Challenge Grants.

Paul Stewart, director of the Oswego Renaissance Association, requested to place 13 24” x 48” double posted signs advertising the neighborhood blocks that have been awarded block challenge grants.

Among the locations for the signs are the northeast corner of West Eighth and Schuyler, the northeast corner of East Tenth and Cayuga, the southwest corner of East Utica and Seventh as well as 10 other places.

“They all look pretty nice,” Third Ward Councilor Mike Todd said at last week’s committee meeting. “They advertise where improvements have been made. Hopefully, this gets the community aware of this so we can get more people involved.”

The council accepted a $2,000 donation from Paddlefest 2014 for use by the Youth Bureau.

The mayor was authorized to sign:

• the amended service agreement with EBS/RMSCO, Inc.

• the renewal agreement with Butler Disposal Systems for trash removal services.

Councilors accepted the offer submitted by Industrial Furnace Company for the purchase of obsolete equipment at the East Side Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The transfer of funds from the Contingent Account to the Weights and Measures Account was approved to pay for the 2013 fee to the Oswego County Treasurer for Weights and Measures Services.

Also approved was the transfer funds for equipment needed for the Planning and Zoning Office, $1,000 from A1990.0460 General Fund Contingent Account to A1680.0200 Computer Equipment and $500 from A1990.0460 General Fund Contingent to Account A 1680.0410.

Three requests to travel were OK’d

• attendance at the NYCOM Fall Training School to be held September 14-18 in Lake Placid, request of Tom Gillen, mayor.

• attendance at the Basic Course for Police Officers Training beginning August 25 in Syracuse and/or Watertown, request of Tory DeCaire, police chief.

• attendance at the Governmental Accounting Training to be held October 7-9 in Manlius, request of Deborah P. Coad, city chamberlain.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/oswego-street-dedicated-to-former-alderman/

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