мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼'s top 10 most-viewed stories of the week.Â
Wegmans debuts shopping cart security system at Auburn store
Wegmans shopping carts may become a less common sight on the streets of Auburn.
The supermarket chain has installed a new security system for its carts, Gatekeeper, at its downtown store. The system allows shopping carts to be used only within a perimeter. If customers try to push a cart beyond that perimeter, its wheels lock. Gatekeeper's patented SmartWheel uses radio-frequency identification to make the technology possible.
A Wegmans spokesperson told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ the system was installed at the Auburn store last week, and is fully operational. Parts of the system's perimeter have been painted to mark it for customers.
Auburn is the pilot store for the chain's use of Gatekeeper, the spokesperson said. There are several reasons Wegmans decided to install the system there, including the costs of replacing carts and having them returned to the store. Before the system was installed, Wegmans hired a company to collect carts that were removed from the property.
The spokesperson declined to answer questions from мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ asking how many carts the Auburn store has been losing, and how much they cost to replace.
The spokesperson also declined to answer a question asking whether the city of Auburn's new $100 cart recovery fee for retailers influenced the installation of Gatekeeper. City Manager Jeff Dygert asked city council to add the fee to the city's budget last spring. At the time, he called stray carts on the city's streets "an ongoing problem."
Fifty years ago Feb. 17, the Auburn Wegmans opened its automatic doors.
Speaking to мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ on Wednesday, Dygert said he appreciates Wegmans trying to address the issue.
"It's a quality of life issue," he said. "Having shopping carts throughout the city, and not just theirs, but it detracts from the look of the city."
Dygert said the city has yet to levy any $100 fees on Wegmans or other retailers because none have attempted to recover the carts collected by the Department of Public Works since spring.Â
"On the face of it, it appears as though some retail establishments don't care that they're missing," he said. "I don't know what else to make of it."
Gallery: Wegmans in Auburn, then and now
Weedsport native promoted to New York State Police troop commander
A Weedsport native has been named a New York State Police troop commander.
Maj. Michael S. TenEyck, 50, of Fayetteville, was appointed as the 31st troop commander of Troop D, according to a state police press release Thursday.
TenEyck grew up in Weedsport and is a 1993 graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego. He is married and has two grown children.
TenEyck’s appointment to Troop D commander started Nov. 11. He replaces Maj. Darrin S. Pitkin, who was promoted to assistant deputy superintendent of the Professional Standards Bureau at state police's Albany headquarters.
TenEyck’s command covers seven central New York counties, including Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego. Operating from 27 facilities, Troop D provides service to 167 towns, 89 villages and five cities.
TenEyck began his state police career on Jan. 8, 1996, when he entered the New York State Police Academy. In August 2003 he was promoted to sergeant, and in 2006 was appointed to investigator and assigned to the gaming detail, and then to SP Lysander.
TenEyck was promoted to lieutenant in June 2008 and assigned in various positions such as BCI Field Command in Albany, assistant zone commander at SP Marcy and Central Region Emergency Management, and supervised the Central NY Community Narcotics Enforcement Team.
In July 2016, TenEyck was appointed captain and assigned to the Professional Standards Bureau's Western Region. In July 2017, he was transferred to Troop T Thruway, Zone 3 headquarters in DeWitt as the Zone 3 commander.
Doctor joins Auburn Primary Care Practice
Auburn Primary Care Practice welcomes Dr. Parth J. Patel from Beaumont Hospital in Trenton, Michigan, where he practiced for four years.
In Auburn, Patel is specializing in internal medicine, including the diagnosis, treatment and care of adults ranging from good health to complex illness. He is also serving as assistant medical director of the Finger Lakes Center for Living nursing home.
Patel earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from DeBusk College at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, and his residency was affiliated with Michigan State University. He is a member of the American College of Osteopathic Internists, the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians.
"I am thrilled to be a part of the Auburn Primary Care Practice. Our group has an excellent reputation and I am excited about joining Dr. Sara Zafar, Dr. Sultan Ripon, Sarah Rooney, D.O., our nursing team and support staff to care for the people in this community," Patel said in a news release.
"Dr. Patel is a wonderful addition to our team and will be an asset to our patients and the community. He will assist all of us in providing comprehensive, patient-centered, preventative health care for people of all ages in our community," Zafar said.
Patel is accepting new patients immediately at the practice, Suite 201, 37 W. Garden St., Auburn.
For more information, call the practice at (315) 567-0777.
Local cancer program encourages mammograms
The Cancer Services Program of Cayuga, Cortland and Tompkins Counties is encouraging women to schedule mammograms, particularly if they've put screenings off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
People should talk to their health care providers about scheduling mammograms, and if they're uninsured, they can call the program at (607) 758-5523 to possibly schedule a free one.
"Cancer doesn't wait, and neither should you. Now is the time to take care of yourself," the program said in a news release. "New York state COVID-19 infection rates are low, many people are vaccinated against COVID-19, and medical offices continue to follow strict safety practices."
Former Auburn school board president hired for teaching position
Before the Oct. 26 Auburn school board meeting started, Joseph Sheppard had some news for Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo and his fellow board members.
He was going to apply for a vacant teaching position the district had struggled to fill, so he would be stepping off of the board of education. While that specific reason for Sheppard's resignation was not public that night, it became clear Tuesday when the board officially approved hiring Sheppard as a technology teacher.
Before that happened, the board also voted to formally accept Sheppard's resignation, effective as of Oct. 26, because it did not take that step at last month's meeting.
"We just found out that day," Pirozzolo said of Sheppard's plans. "We were all pretty shocked to the hear the news."
After the late October meeting, Sheppard applied for the position and was interviewed and then offered the job. The post, which splits time between the district's junior high school and high school, has been vacant since August.
Sheppard is certified to teach technology in New York state. For the past two years, he's taught in the Union Springs Central School District, but has always had an interest in teaching in his home district, Pirozzolo said.Â
Sheppard was the only applicant for the post, the superintendent noted, which wasn't a surprise. "Technology is a a very difficult position to fill in New York state," Pirozzolo said.
In order for Sheppard to give proper notice to his current employer, he won't be starting in the Auburn job until Dec. 20. Auburn hired him into a four-year probationary, tenure-track position, and his starting annual salary will be $59,241.
Sheppard, who served as board president for the 2020-21 school year, was first elected to the school board in 2017 and was re-elected to a three-year term in 2020. Prior to serving as president, he was the board's vice president for two years.
The resignation leaves the nine-member board with a vacancy that could be filled via a special election or a board appointment, or it could be left vacant until the statewide school election day in May. The board entertained a motion to discuss how to fill the vacancy at Tuesday's meeting, but the motion was defeated. Pirozzolo said he expects that there will be a discussion at the board's December meeting.
Elbridge manure lagoon stirs debate about public input
ELBRIDGE — The construction of a manure storage lagoon that can hold 6 million gallons of waste has prompted concern from Elbridge neighbors who feel they weren't adequately informed about the venture.Â
Such projects on large farms are overseen by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Neighbors argue they have no say in the process, but a farmer involved in the project said state-regulated measures mitigate smell and environmental concerns, and the undertaking has been signed off on in various ways by state, county and local authorities.
The manure storage structures are becoming more common on New York state farms as part of an effort to better manage the environmental impact of waste. Large farms can use them to store waste for longer periods of time and avoid having to spread it on fields at times that could lead to harmful nutrient runoff in watersheds.
But they are also causing tensions in areas where residential neighborhoods are nearby. A waste storage structure built in 2018 in Mentz generated similar concerns from nearby residents.
At an Elbridge Town Board meeting Oct. 28, around 30 people were crowded into a room at the town hall. Resident Tim Burns gave a presentation to the board and the crowd, holding up a laptop. Burns said he has property that borders the dairy farm, now operating as Half Full Dairy but commonly known as the Hourigan dairy, on 878 Gorham Road, where the manure storage lagoon is being made. Adding that he doesn't live on that adjacent property, Burns said at the meeting that he became aware of the lagoon project only about two weeks prior.
Since then, he has learned about manure lagoons and various processes involved. Burns said there are no laws saying he had to be directly informed as an adjacent property owner.
Neighbors have pointed out there are residential properties about a third of a mile away from the lagoon site, a village subdivision about a half mile away and an elementary school about three quarters of a miles from it.
"There's no oversight from the town. We have no laws here in our town that suggest that they can interfere with what's happening," Burns said. "And for what it's worth, these are being built because there are laws that have been put in the books that are forcing farmers to do this, for a good reason, for environmental reasons."
DEC's involvement
The DEC press office said in an email to мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ that public notices are not required for manure storage construction. Under New York's Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations General Permit, which the farm in Elbridge holds, farms must inform the DEC of construction of new manure storage with a capacity of 1 million gallons or more.
The DEC said the CAFO permit requires that manure storage be designed and certified to meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation service standard. The Elbridge project was funded by a state grant administered through the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District. The DEC also noted that the conservation district notified the town of Elbridge, in writing, that the project would be happening.Â
Half Full Dairy informed DEC about the project, the agency said. As of Nov. 2, the DEC had last inspected the project on Oct. 27, and added that the project was in compliance with regulations.
"The project ... will enable the farm to comply with manure spreading requirements included in the CAFO general permit," DEC said. "The structure will allow the farm to store manure and help avoid land application during weather conditions with high runoff risk."Â
When construction work is done, the project engineer must certify that the storage structure — an earthen lagoon with an impermeable polyethylene membrane liner, a concrete bottom and a leak detection system — meets the federal standards.
The DEC also noted that the Onondaga County SWCD reviewed the design and is overseeing project construction. One of the project features for reducing odors is a fill port that allows manure to enter the bottom of the lagoon.
During Burns' presentation at the Elbridge meeting Oct. 28, he pointed out that the state grant process for the project started in 2017, and he was upset about the fact that neighbors didn't have to be informed of this undertaking near his property.
"We're almost four years into this now, and I as a neighbor had no clue this was going to happen or we as a community," Burns said. "That might be the law, but I don't think the law's right."
He also said taxpayer money is partially paying for the storage facility and "we don't have an opportunity to know about that four years in advance."
During the public comment portion of the meeting, the board and members of the public discussed the project for about an hour. Town board member Doug Blumer, a dairy farmer himself who had to put in a manure storage facility, also answered people's questions about these projects.
People in the crowd expressed concerns about not hearing about the project, the potential smell, how their property values could be impacted, how community members could be informed about future projects and more.
The board mentioned during the meeting that a legal notice was published in the Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper in April asking for bidders for constructing the project, which was one of the steps the farm's operator and conservation district pointed to when asked about concerns over lack of notice to neighbors.
Jennifer Schrader, one of the people who spoke at the meeting and who has property on Gorham Road, said after the meeting that she had concerns about the process.
"The fact that an industrial farm that size can just go in and decide that they're going to do this wherever without considering anyone, it's not being a good neighbor," she said.Â
After the meeting, Vern Richardson, Elbridge town supervisor, said he didn't become aware of the project going up until September.
A "significant investment"
AJ Wormuth, owner of Half Full Dairy, spoke about the project with мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ earlier this month. Wormuth said the project is taking place on land owned by Hourigan's Dairy Farm but Half Full is leasing the land, has the CAFO permit and owns the cows. He noted Gemini Farms, the farm listed on the legal notice, is the crop entity owned by the Hourigans.
"That's who made the application for the grant, but in the interim then we had bought the cows" after the grant was received, Wormuth said.
When asked if anyone from the Hourigan's reached out to neighbors about the project, Wormuth said that wasn't required. In terms of concerns about smell, he said the storage is a bottom-fill lagoon, which he believes should address smell concerns. That said, he said it will smell over certain parts of the year "when we're agitating it, when we're spreading" the manure, but added "it's going on an existing farmstead, so we already smell."
Wormuth said the project was signed off by various authorities. In addition to the April 6 notice in the Syracuse Post-Standard, the Elbridge code enforcement officer, Howard Tanner, signed a document April 12 that describes the storage facility as a "six-month capacity rectangular earthen manure storage with concrete floor 430' long by 190' wide" and said the project doesn't require town or county permits.
The process for the storage facility is heavily regulated, Wormuth said, with farms subject to financial penalties if they don't follow the specifications of the DEC.
"This is only one part of this process, but how we manage the nutrients out of this is highly regulated. This will help us do a better job of being able to protect water quality," he continued.
Wormuth said the state grant for the project is for around $300,000.
In response to a FOIL request to the Onondaga conservation district in regards to what notifications the district sent to the town of Elbridge regarding the storage lagoon, Mark Burger, executive director of the conservation district, provided documents that he said shows the farm has informed local officials about the project four different times since April. Those include the legal notice about the project bids, the sign-off by Tanner in April, another letter from Tanner to the Hourigan farm dated Oct. 18 in which he refers to a conversation they had that day about the project and a letter dated Oct. 28 that Wormuth sent Richardson describing the project and inviting the town board to see it.
Manure storage strategy
Peter Wright, an agricultural engineer with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, spoke about the environmental impacts of these sorts of projects in an interview with мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ Nov. 9.
Wright, who had been an agricultural engineer with the USDA and worked with Pro-Dairy within the Cornell Cooperative Extension, said he had spoken with Wormuth because citizens have been upset about the storage facility in recent weeks and he looked it up on Google Earth, but that was the extent of his experience with the project. The facility is "a tool to help the farm recycle the nutrients (in manure) in a more appropriate way," he said. He noted that more nutrients put out increases the likelihood of such nutrients getting into "water systems," so these endeavors help with water quality.
These facilities are not intended to be landfills where manure sits permanently but are meant to have manure available for spreading into crop fields, he said. This reduces farms' need for artificial manure.
Wright said these projects also entail a nutrient management plan, "which tells you based on the nutrients that are in the manure, how much you can apply to meet the crop needs without over-applying (manure)."
In addition to the regulations for the facilities and the nutrient management plan, Wright said, there is an operation and maintenance requirement. If factors such as management and upkeep are not held to DEC standards, farms would be in violation of their permits.
As a downside to such projects, these facilities, in warmer temperatures, can create greenhouse gases, adding to global warming, Wright said.
Overall, Wright believes the DEC's regulations are adequate. While saying he can't speak to the public notice concerns of the neighbors in Elbridge, he believes there is generally "a misunderstanding of what is involved and what it all means and how it is there to protect the environment" with the public.
City of Auburn announces Holiday Parade, tree lighting details
The city of Auburn's Holiday Parade didn't proceed down Genesee Street for the first time in 33 years in 2020. But it will be back, Santa and all, on its customary Saturday after Thanksgiving this year.
The city's 34th annual Holiday Parade will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, and travel from the corner of East Genesee and North Fulton streets down Genesee, William and Lincoln streets to its final destination of Memorial City Hall. The parade will feature floats from local businesses and community groups, including several Cayuga County fire departments, "Capt. Jack" Rick Martinez and his pirate ship, characters from Dickens Christmas in Skaneateles and more. Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at the end of the parade atop a sleigh on the Healing H'Arts Equestrian Center's float.
The Auburn Downtown Business Improvement District will award cash prizes to the best floats, which will be judged based on creativity, holiday theme, enthusiasm of participants and the ability to identify the float's creators. First prize is $150, second prize is $100 and third prize is $75, and winners will be announced after the parade.Â
Also following the parade will be the city's annual tree-lighting ceremony on the steps of Memorial City Hall.
The events coincide with the BID's Small Business Saturday promotion, which will see dozens of restaurants, breweries and other businesses offering discounts and other special deals on Nov. 27.
The BID is also partnering with мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ on the annual Window Wonderland Walk, a decorating contest for downtown businesses and organizations. They will decorate window displays for the holidays through Dec. 9, and the public will be able to vote on their favorites from Monday, Dec. 13, through Sunday, Dec. 19. The winners will be announced on Christmas Eve.
For more information on the Holiday Parade and tree-lighting, Small Business Saturday and the Window Wonderland Walk, or call (315) 252-7874.
Gallery: Auburn's downtown Holiday Parade through the years
Holiday Parade 2012
Holiday Parade 2013
Holiday Parade 2013
Holiday Parade 2014
Holiday Parade 2015
Holiday Parade 2016
Holiday Parade 2017
Holiday Parade 2017
Holiday Parade 2017
Holiday Parade 2018
Holiday Parade 2019
Holiday Parade 2019
Holiday Parade 2021
Holiday Parade 2021
Holiday Parade 2022
Holiday Parade 2022
Four Auburn High varsity lacrosse players make college commitments
AUBURN — Lacrosse season remains months away, but four student-athletes from Auburn got a head start on their future plans.Â
Two members of the Maroons' boys lacrosse program and two from the girls lacrosse program signed their national letters of intent on Friday to continue their careers at the next level.Â
For the boys, Colin Tardif will attend Mercyhurst University while Jack Geer is heading to Dominican College. On the girls side, Kate Izzo has committed to Harvard University and Ella Bouley is going to Daemen College.Â
During the signing ceremony in the Auburn High library, school district superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo offered his congratulations, commending each athlete for "your hard work and all the dedication, not only in the classroom, but on the field and off the field."
Auburn athletic director Christian Maher followed with some notes, alluding to the rarity of high school lacrosse players advancing to compete in college.
"When you think about the percentages, how it whittles down at each level, the odds have certainly been stacked against you," Maher said, speaking to the student-athletes. "If we think about what's happened in this world the last year-and-a-half, it becomes even more impressive. You deserve the pats on the back and the recognition."
Each student-athlete was then introduced by their coaches, boys varsity coach Matt Smith and girls varsity coach Bill Dean, who each read a laundry list of on- and off-field accomplishments for each.Â
• Bouley is an honor roll student student in each of her four years at Auburn. She's been a varsity lacrosse player for four years and varsity tennis player since sophomore year. She was a Salt City Athletic Conference first team all-league selection last spring, and received honorable mention recognition as a freshman. Bouley was also named an Under Armor All-American last season.Â
• Izzo was a member of the Under Armor Upstate New York team in 2018, while also being named a second team all-league selection that season. In 2021, she was included among the SCAC's first team selections. Izzo has also been heavily recognized for her efforts in cross country running and indoor track and field. She has been a high honor roll student throughout her high school career.
• Geer, a longstick midfielder and defender for the Maroons, is a high honor roll student at Auburn the last two school years. He's been a member of the lacrosse program for seven years, and this spring will mark his second on the varsity team.Â
• Tardif is a high honor roll student throughout high school and a member of the varsity team since freshman year. His career includes 42 goals and 35 assists, and Smith expects he'll join the top 15 in program history for both categories this upcoming season. Tardif is a former first team all-league selection and was also voted the Maroons' offensive MVP, and was picked to represent central New York's regional team where he was named an all-star.Â
While Dean and Smith offered well wishes toward the future endeavors, each coach's message shared a common theme: To enjoy the present. Each student-athlete has seven more months of high school education, which includes their senior seasons for lacrosse in the spring.Â
"You'll look ahead to attending new schools, joining new teams, making new friends at college and creating new bonds with teammates. Those are all wonderful parts of the college experience," Dean said. "The advice I want to give is to enjoy the here and now. To be present can be a difficult practice, but one that's totally worth the effort. I implore you to take the time to step back and appreciate what you have. Take it all in, because you'll never forget it and you'll never have this chance again."
Added Smith, "Pretty soon you'll be making that commitment to your next institution. But you still have seven months left to be a high school student-athlete. Continue that journey and enjoy every single bit of it, because you're only a high school athlete once in your life. When you turn that tassel on graduation day, you're turning the page to your new career."
Skaneateles defeated by Chenango Forks 41-28 in NYS Class C quarterfinal game in Vestal.
City of Auburn won't 'opt out' of marijuana sales
With its mayor and city councilors unanimously opposed to doing so, Auburn will not "opt out" of allowing recreational marijuana retailers and consumption sites in the city.
Mayor Michael Quill and City Councilors Jimmy Giannettino, Terry Cuddy, Debby McCormick and Tim Locastro each told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ this week they do not support passing a local law that would prohibit those businesses from opening in Auburn. The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act signed into law by former New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo last spring gives municipalities until Dec. 31 to pass such local laws. But with none of the city's five deciding votes in favor, it's all but certain Auburn will not opt out before that deadline.
Giannettino noted that municipalities cannot opt out of any other parts of the state law, which legalized possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana and use of it in most places using tobacco is legal in New York. Limited home growth of marijuana will also be legal after the state's new Office of Cannabis Management releases the law's final rules and regulations.
That reality of the state law must be considered before deciding whether a municipality should opt out, Giannettino said.
"Marijuana is being decriminalized. Whether or not we allow the sale of it is the only thing we can control," he said. "Whether we allow the sale of it or not, we're going to have it."
What must also be considered, Giannettino said, is that municipalities stand to collect a 3% tax from marijuana sales there. In Auburn, that money could offset any local expenses created by the state law, like the training that former Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ his officers will need in order to test drivers for marijuana impairment.Â
"With larger municipalities within driving distance of Auburn," McCormick said, "it just makes sense to be able to reap the economic benefits of local sales."
Giannettino said the city is listening to concerns about increased driving while impaired and other potential consequences of legal marijuana. Following an April review of the state law, city council has received feedback from the public both for and against opting out. But Giannettino struck down any suspicions that the city's decision is related to marijuana company Terrapin's plan to build a 100-job production facility in Technology Park. Municipalities cannot opt out of allowing such facilities, he said, and Terrapin doesn't plan to open any retail or consumption sites.
Cannabis company Terrapin's plans to build a production facility in Auburn took a step forward Wednesday.
Democrats Giannettino, McCormick and Cuddy also shared their confidence in New York state's ability to regulate marijuana. They expect the Office of Cannabis Management to regulate it the way the Liquor Authority does alcohol, meaning the number of retailers and consumption sites that the office licenses should be limited. When the state law was signed, licensing of those businesses was expected to begin around April 1, 2022, but delays in the appointment of officers to the state's Cannabis Control Board have likely pushed that date back.
Locastro, the lone Republican on city council, agreed with McCormick that opting out would only redirect tax revenue from Auburn to the municipalities that surround it.
The town of Sennett, which shares the commercial strip of Grant Avenue with Auburn, will not opt out of allowing marijuana retailers and consumption sites there, its board told Ð¼Óƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼. Officials with both Sennett and the village of Weedsport told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ they made their decisions about opting out with the belief that Auburn would not. Weedsport is opting out.
In Cayuga County, the towns of Brutus, Fleming, Locke, Mentz and Springport, and the villages of Aurora, Fair Haven, Port Byron and Union Springs have opted out or are in the process of doing so. The town of Aurelius, where Fingerlakes Mall and Fingerlakes Crossing are located, is still "working on it," Town Supervisor Edward Ide told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ on Oct. 28.
Whatever Aurelius and other undecided municipalities in the Cayuga County area do, Locastro would prefer to see as much tax revenue from local marijuana sales go to Auburn as possible.
"I think there's more to gain and less to lose," he said. "I'd like to give it a shot."