D

uring the Feb. 6 Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Kurt Wheeler reported on the community’s ongoing post-college planning.

On Dec. 7, 2022, Cazenovia College announced its decision to permanently close following the spring 2023 semester due to financial difficulties.According to the college, the financial challenges facing the institution included a shrinking population of college-aged individuals; skyrocketing inflation; decreased enrollment and increased expenditures during the global pandemic; and recent uncertainty in the bond and stock markets, which made it exceedingly difficult to refinance a $25 million bond debt, which the college defaulted on this past fall.

Wheeler began his update by reporting on the most recent meeting of a local group of community leaders, interested parties, and experts who have been gathering periodically since the college announced its closing.

During the meeting, which was held the previous week, Cazenovia College President David Bergh announced that the college had an excellent return rate in terms of the number of students who came back to campus for the spring 2023 semester following the fall 2022 semester.

“[It] was pretty much identical to what they would have any other semester, so they were really optimistic about that,” said Wheeler. “They have had great success in negotiating agreements with other colleges to facilitate the transfer of underclass students from Caz College to other schools so they can continue with their degree programs, and they have things lined up so the students who are slated to graduate can complete all their required coursework and graduate.”

Wheeler also stated that the college is very close to signing a final forbearance agreement with the bondholders that will guarantee that the institution is able to get through the academic year.

By kAtE Hill Staff Writer

In early January 2023, construction began on The Landing at Burke Meadows, an affordable senior and family housing complex on 14.96 acres of land east of Burton Street in the Village of Cazenovia.

Developed by Housing Visions Unlimited, Inc., the 49unit project includes a two-story, 33-unit building (19,500 square feet) at the top of the hill and four townhomes (2,420 square feet), each containing four units.

Twenty-seven of the units in the large building are reserved for seniors ages 60 and older.

According to Ben Lockwood, president & CEO of Housing Visions, the development’s remaining 22 units are not age-restricted, and a senior could live in them as well.

“The townhomes are family housing, but a senior could live in them depending on their family situation and income,” said Lockwood.

The project features 30 onebedroom units, eight two-bedrooms, nine three-bedrooms, and two four-bedrooms.

The monthly rents range from $660 to $819 plus utilities for the one-bedroom units, $820 to $1,200 plus utilities for the two-bedrooms, $940 to $1,375 plus utilities for the three-bedrooms, and

$1,185 to $1,394 plus utilities for the four bedrooms.

According to Lockwood, some units have a subsidy attached to them, so tenants pay 30 percent of their income toward their rent, and the attached subsidy pays the remainder of the rent.

“The tenant subsidy ensures that a tenant can afford their unit, but it is based upon their household income,” said Lockwood.

Ten of the total units — six in the large building and four spread out in the townhomes — are set aside for individuals and families who are at risk of homelessness and in need of supportive services.

Support will be provided by Community Action Partnership for Madison County (CAP), which will have an office onsite.

According to its website, CAP is a community-based not-forprofit that works for and with lowand moderate-income families in Madison County to provide education, guidance, and resources for individuals and families striving for economic self-sufficiency.

“We are looking forward to working in the Cazenovia community with these apartments,” said CAP Executive Director Elizabeth Crofut. “We serve Cazenovia residents already in different [ways], and we are looking forward to being part of this project.”

According to Crofut, the development’s supportive housing units will specifically serve individuals with mental illness, survivors of domestic violence, and young adults ages 18-24.

“It can be any youth who are at risk of homelessness or homeless,” said Crofut. “[They could be] somebody who has to leave their home because their parents have asked them to, or they might have conflict with their parents, or they may be aging out of the foster system. There is quite a variety of ways that people will need housing at that age.”

CAP will help Housing Visions to identify and screen the most suitable applicants for the 10 units by working with and receiving referrals from multiple other local agencies, including Liberty Resources’ Help Restore Hope Center and the Madison County Department of Social Services.

Crofut noted that one aspect of CAP’s referral system is the Single Point of Access program, which helps providers connect people with mental illness to mental health services that can accommodate them.

“Through these services, people with mental illness can connect to treatment, communicate with providers, and get help finding benefits, including housing,” she said. “We have a local committee facilitated by Madison County Mental Health Department. These committees exist statewide”

Additionally, he reported that the bondholders are still pushing to appoint a broker to begin the process of marketing the college properties, but as of Friday, Feb. 3, they had not yet signed a contract.

“The good news is that the college did have input on that process, and the person who has been designated — not contracted with yet but has been designated — has previous relevant experience with college campuses and, in the interview process, described how they had worked closely with the involved municipality and community in that instance,” Wheeler said. “We hope it really doesn’t come to that. We hope there are other options. . . Really, our main