OSWEGO COUNTY – Yesterday, Monday, July 18, Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup posted his monthly video update, discussing the Community Safety Initiative, American Rescue Plan funding allocations, updates within the county, and the silo fire in Volney.
As there was no ASL interpreter in the video, a full script of the video can be read here.
Weatherup began the update with the Community Safety Initiative, saying it was formed in 2018 “to improve public safety and increase training opportunities related to mass casualty events.” It was halted in 2020 due to the pandemic, but the committee met again for the first time since then this past Thursday.
He said prior to the pandemic, this committee led to the expansion of a school resource officer program in area schools.
“The CSI committee brings together police, firefighters and other stakeholders to develop best practices, identify security gaps and ultimately create community prevention measures, preparations and response plans for violent threats to our community,” Weatherup said.
He said County Legislator Marc Greco, chair for the Public Safety Committee, will lead the CSI committee and plans to look at improving school safety among other issues.
Weatherup then moved on to discussing American Rescue Plan funding. So far, the county has allocated $3.3 million in ARPA funding to 19 different projects. Recipients have included Oswego Health, NOCA Ambulance, Fulton Block Builders and the Oswego Renaissance Association.
He said applications are still being submitted and reviewed. The county is also looking at using $10 million for internal project requests by county department heads.
“Distributing the American Rescue Plan funding is likely to be a lengthy process, and we’re still in the early stages. We’ll continue to provide updates as we move forward,” Weatherup said.
Weatherup then gave an update to the investigation of the Department of Social Services’ response to the Jordan Brooks case. He said the investigation is still going on and they will share the results to the public when the findings are available. He asks for patience from the public during this investigation.
“In the meantime, we have already taken action to bolster our child protective unit, creating four new positions at the July meeting that were recommended by the Child Protection Advisory Council and DSS leadership to enhance case review and decision-making processes,” Weatherup said.
Weatherup also gave an overview of resolutions approved during this month’s legislative meeting, including the appointment of new directors at the county’s Solid Waste and Highway departments, and the 2022 county property tax auction. The tax auction will be held online on August 18.
“As in previous years, several tax delinquent properties were pulled from the auction list and transferred to the Oswego County Land Bank,” Weatherup said. “The Land Bank has been successful in its mission to improve neighborhoods by renovating or demolishing problematic properties across the county, and we’re proud to support them in their efforts.”
Next, he discussed the smoldering grain silo fire at the biofuel plant in the town of Volney.
“State authorities are monitoring the air quality near the plant and have determined the smoke and smell does not currently cause a threat to public health,” Weatherup said. “We do recognize, however, it is a nuisance for nearby residents and are working to have the situation resolved. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in partnership with the state and take action if necessary.”
Lastly, he gave a reminder that the Oswego Department of Motor Vehicles has increased its hours on Wednesdays to stay open until 6:45 p.m.
The next video update from Weatherup will be in August.
missing or outdated ad config
