Historic Moment: City of Syracuse boats, boat houses

by JoRge batLLe skaneateLes ViLLaGe historian

In 1893 the Syracuse won a long fight to obtain water from Skaneateles Lake. Since then Syracuse has the responsibility to protect the lake and the surrounding watershed. The city began offering pail service to the steamboats on the lake - 5 gallon metal pails of sewage were taken off the boats and empty pails left in their place. In 1908 this same service was started for the many summer cottages that sprung up around the shoreline. All of this collection and disposal activity took place at the Glen Haven property owned by the city at the south end of the Lake.

In 1908, the collection boat christened “Pop” for the beloved Skaneateles Gate (house) keeper Edward Canron. The boat was 40 feet in length and used a steam engine for power. It was moored in a boat slip off Glen Haven Road during the season and stored at Sevey’s Marina for the winter.

The most recent collection boat, called the “honey boat” was a steel World War II era open deck inboard. It had a “gangplank” like ladder on its bow. This allowed the two seasonal collectors to come in bow first, lower the plank, and walk onshore. They would collect the pails, return up the walk-way and place the pails inside the craft. There were about 200 pail service sites at its 1960s peak. The sewage pails was taken to the city’s Glen Haven property and stored in a large holding tank, then removed for proper disposal.

Watershed Quality Manager Rich Abbott noted “August of 2000, the Common Council of the City of Syracuse and the mayor approved replacing the pail service with composting toilets in the Skaneateles

Lake Watershed. June 6, 2003 marked the end of the antiquated and inefficient century old practice of collection 5 gallon pails of raw sewage from privies and transporting them by boat and a pickup truck for temporary storage on city property.Cottage owners who have elected to abandon their outhouse now have the luxury of an indoor facility. The offensive odors and unsanitary conditions related to accumulations of raw sewage has been eliminated. For the city’s investment, it has been rewarded with the elimination of a costly and antiquated service...the annual expenses in the 1996 composting toilet proposal were $84,000. The city’s cost to purchase and install composting toilets, replacing pail service in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed totaled $89,285, resulting in approximately one year return on investment. From the perspective of watershed management and protection, the potential for spillage of accumulated raw sewage during transportation by boat or pickup truck or contamination of groundwater through failure of the holding tank has been removed. Finished compost from the toilets is collected once a year and taken to the 90 acre Glen Haven property for secondary composting.”

The first mention of a Syracuse city boat house in the village was a Nov. 2, 1925 permit issued for a 18 foot by 32 foot wooden structure on the west side of the outlet south of the Genesee Street bridge.

Between the city boat house and the bridge was the larger Grace Badman 85 foot by 18 foot boat house which was removed in August of 1938. The village issued a permit for the existing city brick boat house July 1, 1949. It is approximately 30 feet wide and 44 feet deep. It contains two slips, one 8 feet wide and the other 13 feet wide.It offers 10 feet of vertical clearance at normal lake levels. The city moors its lake patrol boat in this building.

In the mid 1960s, the Skaneateles Fire Department acquired a military surplus 2-1/2 ton 6 wheeled amphibious truck, a DUKW, better known as “The Duck.”

It was used for activities on the lake. A large fire pump was placed on it deck, for a firefighting water source from the lake. It was housed in one of the rear bays at the Fennell Street fire station. It served a purpose, but was not practical for emergency rescues on the lake. It was sold to a local military collector, who refurbished it.

The fire department wanting to get something more suitable for emergencies on the lake, purchased a surplus 17 foot Coast Guard boat in 1981. Looking for a place to moor this “quick response rescue boat,” an assistant chief of the fire department contacted the city engineer requesting use of one of the boat slips in their Syracuse boat house. The city agreed, with a rental fee of $50 a month.

In 1990, the fire department seeing a greater need for emergency services on

Historic l Page 10 l about his aquarium project to 30 minutes in a legislative meeting, and scheduled another public hearing on a hotbed issue for 10 a.m. on a weekday, to avoid blowback.

We can’t continue to live in the darkness of authoritative government. This November, let’s get out and vote to put more “sunshine” in the county executive’s office, by electing Bill Kinne.

Rob Santucci CiCero DemoCratiC town Chair

Sad but true

To the editor:

Hope the chairmen of the Democratic Party in Skaneateles and Spafford send an apology letter to Mr. [Matt] Taibbi for the systematic hate and biases towards him and his work and yes, a letter to our leaders at the OCDC, (Onondaga County Democratic Committee) who insanely monopolize one POV.

We hope the powerful and well educated chairman of the Spafford Democrats, Mr. John Hinchcliff now understands what diversity and inclusion is and also why congressional races are important to local voters. When congressional candidate Dana Balter came to our town for a meet and greet, we were told to stop asking energy questions. Sad but true. When I and other loyal democrats wanted to meet the chair of the OCDC instead of petitioning Katko to come to our town so we could rag on him, we were ignored numerous times. Discriminated? Exclude? Yes. Ignoring our request was a micro aggression. Yes? No? We don’t care about Katko. We want to meet and re-educate the so called intellectuals who run our parties directives.

It is sad that Congresswomen Ms. Plaskett, Garcia, Debbie Wassermann Schultz and Sen. Schumer acted so pathetically toward democrat journalist Mr. Taibbi. What an embarrassment.

Hope Mr. Hinchcliff lets us infidel Democrats know when the next Spafford democratic meeting is so we can address these serious and needed changes to our party. Or is this too much to ask? Or are new ideas too threatening?

Let’s find out.

Joe Vecchio

reCYCLe inteLLiGenCe FoUnDation

Help can’t wait

To the editor: Help can’t wait when emergencies strike — whether it’s for the family huddled on the street after a home fire, the patient needing a blood transfusion, or the military member deployed during a family crisis.

Local American Red Cross volunteers, blood donors and supporters provide relief and hope, helping to ensure that our neighbors never face these and countless other crises alone.

The Red Cross mission would not be possible without these community heroes, and we honor their dedication during our 80th annual Red Cross Month celebration in March.

In the past 12 months, volunteers in Central and Northern New York responded to nearly 300 home fires to provide comfort and support to displaced families; provided more than 3,300 case services to help members of the military, veterans and their families prepare for and cope with the challenges of military service; enrolled about 14,200 people in CPR, first aid, water safety and other lifesaving skills; and collected almost 50,000 units of blood from volunteer donors to support area hospitals and patients in need.

The Central and Northern New York Chapter is proud to serve communities in Madison, Herkimer, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

Local volunteers also deployed to regions throughout the country to help in communities impacted by large-scale disasters like Hurricane Ian and the Western Wildfires.

On behalf of those we serve, we thank everyone who makes our lifesaving work possible.

You can join in their commitment by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation, schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets, become a Red Cross volunteer or take a class to learn lifesaving skills.

LiSa Smith, executiVe DiRectoR ameriCan reD Cross CentraL anD northern new York

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