EAGLE Schools
Marcellus man is ‘Adjunct Professor of the Year’ ... Page 6 Volume 181, No. 2 Jan. 12 to 18, 2011
Opinion 2010: The Year in Review Assemblyman Will Barclay reflects on his highlights of 2010 – both good and bad. ...See page 4
Schools East Hill Elementary students get fit.
...See page 7
Community
Betts sworn in George Betts, right, is pictured here with fellow Elbridge Town Justice Gale Mitchell. Meet the man who was appointed to fill Betts’ vacancy at councilor.
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WG boys basketball moves to 8-0 ... Page 10
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Up and running EPA-mandated water treatment plant takes hold in Elbridge By Ned Campbell editor@eagle-observer.com Ever wonder where your water’s been? For village residents of Jordan and Elbridge, lately it’s been getting high-tech ultraviolet light treatment at the newly constructed LT2 plant in Elbridge. All municipalities that receive drinking water from Skaneateles Lake — which also includes the city of Syracuse and the village and town of Skaneateles — are required by Federal law to install treatment plants by March 2012. The Elbridge facility, located on Kingston Road, is the first of its kind in Onondaga County. “We decided to bite the bullet and get it done right away, so we’re ahead of the game,” said Fred Weisskopf, acting mayor of Elbridge. “We’re the guinea pigs.” The plans for the facility began with the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Long Term 2 Surface Water Treatment ruling (LT2), which requires uncovered water sources providing for a high enough number of people to be treated with ultra-violet light. The mandate stems from the paramecium Cryptosporidiosis, which sickened thousands of people in Rochester in 2005. The microorganism has yet to be traced to Jordan-Elbridge. Water systems were evaluated based on size of population serviced. Elbridge was required to treat its water because it shares a water line with the city of Syracuse. “If we had our own [water supply] — because we have such a small population — we would not have to do this,” said Tom King, head of public works for the village of Elbridge. “But since we [were evaluated as] part of that population, we have to treat it.” With the plant finally up and See LT2, page 6
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Acting mayor of Elbridge Fred Weisskopf, left, and Trojan UV Swift technician Steve Birbaumer stand in front of the recently installed water treatment system in Elbridge. According to Tom King, head of public works for Elbridge, about 40,000 cubic feet of drinking water is treated daily at the plant.
J-E schools attorney says he’s never seen commissioner remove school board member from office By Ned Campbell editor@eagle-observer.com
...See page 3
Calendar �������������������2 Classifieds �������������� 16 Editorial ��������������������4 Obituaries ��������������� 15 Public notices �������� 14 School news �������������6 Sports ��������������������� 11 Ned Campbell
J-E school board president Mary Alley fields questions from the press following the appointment of Larry Zacher, left, to interim superintendent in November. Also pictured are board members Penny Feeney and Roger Hill.
Members of the Jordan-Elbridge community have repeatedly asked school board members to resign since the paid suspension of tenured Principal David Zehner just days into the 2010-11 school year. According to Frank Miller, attorney for J-E schools, all they can do is ask. In his 32 years of experience in school law, Miller has witnessed multiple petitions filed with the New York State Department of Education Commissioner for removal of school board members — all of them unsuccessful.
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“I have yet to see a circumstance where a petition of that nature was actually upheld,” Miller said. Any orders to have board members removed must come from the Commissioner of Education David Steiner, Miller said. He added that removal would require “very serious misconduct, malfeasance in office, or violating a law in some manner,” none of which he feels the board is guilty of. “The commissioner knows and the law recognizes that these folks are going to be involved in making very difficult decisions,” Miller said. Residents have been upset by See School board, page 11
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